Example:

Clerics of the given order are trained in the following pole arms.  Clerics are trained only in the weapon of their order.  Employing a weapon other than the order's customary weapon may incur a crisis of faith for the character.

Beory: Guisarme
Boccob: Bill-guisarme
Celestian: Bill-hook
Cyndor: Fauchard-fork
Ehlonna: Glaive-fork
Erythnul: Fauchard-guisarme
Farlanghn: Pole Axe
Heironeous: Bec de Corbin
Hextor: Bardiche
Incabulos: Voulge-guisarme
Nerull: Fauchard
Olidammara: Partisan
Pelor: Spetum
Photus: Lochaber Axe
Procan: Glaive-guisarme
Ralishaz: Military Fork
Rao: Ranseur
St. Cuthbert: Lucern Hammer
Tharizdun: Voulge
Trithereon: Spear
Ulaa: Halberd
Xan Yae: Glaive
Zilchus: Ox Tongue Spear

Quote from: mcbobbo;626670Does it serve a design purpose of some sort?  Or was it simple flavor?

I believe it was both.

1) Game design goal to limit cleric weapon options compared to fighters.

2) The default cleric is kind of 'christian' and shedding blood was bad.

Another ridiculous D&Dism enscribed by St Gygax, whose disciples even now search the scriptures to find means to circumvent them.

Quote from: Killfuck Soulshitter;627295Another ridiculous D&Dism enscribed by St Gygax, whose disciples even now search the scriptures to find means to circumvent them.

Hardly in my case, though.  I provide those ideas for those that want to run it close to the book.  After all, like my signature says...

Edit: You know, I get the tired of the Gygax as law bit that occurs, but you are barking up the wrong tree on this one.  Gygax was a lot less restrictive than others on this one in those days.  Those features given to Greyhawk clerics caused all sorts of storms in tea pots.

I wrote a short post on my blog about it.

I think the prohibition makes a kind of sense, and its not just applicable to Christianity. In many faiths, blood is the source of many taboos. You shed blood during sacrifices, and its rare or forbidden that you actually drink it (arguments of Eucharist aside).

Quote from: Lynn;627311I wrote a short post on my blog about it.

I think the prohibition makes a kind of sense, and its not just applicable to Christianity. In many faiths, blood is the source of many taboos. You shed blood during sacrifices, and its rare or forbidden that you actually drink it (arguments of Eucharist aside).

I see you are planing a campaign based upon the implied setting in the AD&D 1 books.  Did the Greyhawk things help?  

I once wondered what the gods might be if one used only the Dungeon Masters Guide as the source of an implied setting.  This is the list I came up with from that little project.  

Al’Akbar
Arnd
Bucknard
Cuthbert
Daern
Dahlver-Nar
Ehlissa
Gaxx
Heward
Johydee
Kas
Keoghtom
Kuroth
Leuk-O
Lum
Orcus
Quaal
The Ebon Flame
The Giants
The Titans
Tuerny
Vecna
Ye’Cind
Zagy


I think the main thing with cleric weapons is that they should be a pretty narrow set, like the customary ones I allocated to the Greyhawk gods as an example, which amounts to clerics having only the polearm in different forms as a weapon.  One doesn't want to steal too many things from the fighter class.  It is a class based game after all.  The default list could be used to set the weapons customary to a small pantheon too.  Just different ways to look at the restriction that supports the class structure.

Quote from: Killfuck Soulshitter;627295Another ridiculous D&Dism enscribed by St Gygax, whose disciples even now search the scriptures to find means to circumvent them.

Eeeeeeexcept the articles I just posted where Gygax alters it to suit his campaign, as he has urged us all to do.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him think.

Quote from: DestroyYouAlot;627350You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him think.

Isn't that the truth.  It was a good call to mentioning those Dragon Articles.

Quote from: DestroyYouAlot;627349Eeeeeeexcept the articles I just posted where Gygax alters it to suit his campaign, as he has urged us all to do.

Praise St Gygax for his liberating late epistles!

Quote from: Killfuck Soulshitter;627430Praise St Gygax for his liberating late epistles!

So you support clerics only having the by the book AD&D 1 weapons choices?  Or do you dislike classes altogether?  These comments just come off as foolish. There are many other games for your outlet.  I encourage you to focus on them.  Perhaps Traveller, if you would like an old game.

Quote from: Kuroth;627321I see you are planing a campaign based upon the implied setting in the AD&D 1 books.  Did the Greyhawk things help?

Im going to check the Greyhawk stuff (I do have a lot of old Dragon issues, but also the very handy First 250 Issues of Dragon CD product), but I want to make something which isn't Grayhawk at all - something original but within the spirit of the game, the cosmology of the planes, implied "power" of alignment, etc.

The polearms suggestion is interesting too because it makes sense that weapons are commonly used for defending the temple - though those could be used primarily by some of the instant followers one gets upon building a temple. Kind of like how samurai class women would learn how to use the naginata to defend the home.