Saints and their Endless Miracles: The Cleric Replacement Project pt.

I don't like the Cleric class. I don't like the name of it, I don't like that they just cast spells, and I don't like Turn Undead as their calling card power. It isn't bad, just not my taste, and I'm a vain, ugly blogposter.

So, I've begun work on my replacement. This'll be a rather big project, because it needs to replace the Cleric in my Lamentations games and the Cleric in my 5E games. I like the former more than the latter, so that's where we'll start.

For reference, see this post on miracles. It's the prototype for this whole idea.

P.S: I know I'm not unique in replacing the Cleric, but none of the other replaced Clerics have been to my taste either.

WHAT I NEED TO REPLACE

Clerics - I need to replace the Cleric as an idea in my games. This means no more people who randomly get chosen to go do whatever they want with divine right. But that basic idea kernel of doing something with divine right should still be there. I guess what I'm really doing is removing the Van Helsing/Abrahamic influence for something else. 

Divine Magic - I don't want the replacement to be a spellcaster. You can argue that magic might as well be done through spellcasting because of ease of access, but I'm a firm believer that magic systems are coolest when they all have different, slightly esoteric rules--makes the whole thing just feel strange to me. Also, most standard Cleric spells are boring to me. So, these gotta' go.

Turn Undead - As mentioned above, I'm stripping out the Van Helsing/Abrahamic influence that hitherto now has been firmly wedded to the Holy Man archetype. Turn Undead can still be some sort of miracle, but that's neither here nor there.

INSPIRATIONS

I'm taking my inspirations for this new direction from the following sources: Joan d'Arc, St. George, Jesus, the entirety of the Mesoamerican aristocracy, the Oracle of Delphi, and the countless Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and Wisdom Kings from Buddhism's various branches. What these things all have in common is that they are people who either do extraordinary things out of sheer will/faith or they do something frankly impossible, enabled by their pantheon/deity. Both of these things are called Miracles.

Also, all of the above are considered saints in some way, shape, or form. So then, what we have is...

THE SAINT CLASS & THE MIRACLE SYSTEM

A Saint is someone who creates Miracles. These can be miracles of war, miracles of life & death, or miracles of fate; regardless of their classification, they are supernatural feats of incredible potency. Always there is a deity, pantheon, or philosophy that backs the Saint. This will determine the type of Saint we're dealing with. Are you a warrior-hero, like St. George who slayed dragons? Are you a people's savior, like Jesus? Are you someone who is trying to save humanity from its own suffering, like the Buddhas? Regardless of the type, you someone who will have a special set of skills in relation to your backing power; a unique set of miracles that you can work; and access to sacraments and relics for your day to day adventuring needs.

Some might ask why a Saint is an adventurer. Well Strawman, the answer is simple: a Saint is someone who creates Miracles. Miracles can only be created when there is great need for them. When will there be greater need then when the thief gets stuck in a spike trap and loses both his legs? For those of you who want more direct story hooks for your characters, those can be given, but otherwise, you're there because you can only exist as a class in that situation. A thief steals. A fighter fights. A Saint...saints? Hm.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE

The following things need to be done to complete this project:

1. The Miracle system revamped to be something that can support both the Saint class and other characters who want to make use of it.
2. A system for the backing power (deitiy/pantheon/philosophy) established. This will probably be me using some standard ideas to expand on.
3. The Saint as a class actually written.
4. Sacraments and Relics theorized and then written.
5. Playtesting. 
6. The 5E Version created, since I run that as well. This means more playtesting.
7. Once that's all done, I'll probably edit it heavily, throw it into a PDF, and upload it somewhere.

So there we have it--declarations of intent and a plan set out. Step 1 will begin next blog post.