I was wondering what you guys would think of a Church faction/Cleric Guild?

I know they had something similar to this in Knights of the Nine, but I think they should implement a Cleric type of guild as a main faction and go alot deeper into the concept.

(EDIT: Something that should be noted is I have not played Morrowind, only Oblivion and Daggerfall. I was not aware that religious themed guilds had been implemented. I'm not only purposing religious themed guilds but also the possibility of an entirely different style of play.)

What I have in mind would be essentially the opposite of the Dark Brotherhood. Rather than getting tasks to kill nobles and innocent people, you would get tasks to heal and protect townsfolk.

Now I know alot of the warriors and mages guild quests are geared towards good deeds rather than bad, but I see the Clerics guild as focused more on healing and, for instance, purging a town of a deadly plague by curing everyone of the disease without catching it and dying yourself. This way there would be a way to be a master in the craft of restoration magic, making it much more versatile and in depth than just using heal spells as a utility for yourself when you are low on life.

The Clerics guild wouldn't be devoid of combat either, it would just be geared towards killing/protecting others against Daedra, Undead and Vampires.

(EDIT: The idea of a religious fanatic guild is also included in the poll, but not limited to it. The example I'm giving is the opposite of an evil guild, but there could also be Church guilds doing evil in the name of good, or their god.)

So what would the Guild offer that the other guilds don't? Well, it would be very similar to a mages guild for the most part, but focused more on restoration and alteration, so you could buy and make more powerful healing and shielding spells for better prices than the mages guild. There could be unique spells that deal extra damage to evil creatures like Daedra/Undead/Vampires etc. And maybe the clerics guild could be the only place to buy or create an AoE heal and enchant weapons with extra damage vs. evil creatures.

As you advanced in rank you could get robes and other items that make you immune to poison and diseases, eventually being totally immune to the disease that turns you into a vampire and the such.

I know some people aren't very intruiged by the idea of being primarily a healer, but trust me, I know it could be implemented in a way for it to be fun and still fast paced action. It would just be a different aspect of play. I'm not trying to suggest some sort of MMOish feel, I know alot of people aren't big on staring at a bunch of bars but this would still play the same as any other Elder Scrolls game, just from the point of the pious one.

What do you think?

I want some form of religious guild, yes!

I loved it in Morrowind, and missed that in Oblivion.

Can't tell you how strong I feel about this. I was heartbroken when we didn't get any in Oblivion.
If we don't get any in Skyrim, I will cry. A lot. Dragontears.

Alms for the poor..... i miss the temple quest

See it's times like this I wish I had played Morrowind. I didn't know Bethesda had ever implemented a temple faction :/ Except I think Daggerfall had something like that.... But that's Daggerfall

Morrowinds guild system was my favorite out of any BGS games I've played. Also F:NV. They were super cool. They were mostly geared towards Dunmer/Imperials though what with the imperial cult, legion, house hlaalu, and then the dunmer tribunal temple, other great houses and morag tong (or at least I personally only ever played them when I was a dunmer/imperial). The fighters/mages/thieves guilds were also really well done and they were more "generic factions".

Basically the Morrowind factions were awesome. Hope they broaden the factions again in Skyrim

I REALLY hope they have an imperial faction. Either the cult or legion. That would be awesome now that like everyone has seceded from the empire.

three things I missed from morrowind. werewolves, the imperial cult and legion factions. I think they should bring them back. one thing I liked about morrowind and wished they had in oblivion was opposing factions for different types of characters. like being able to join the blackwood association instead of the fighters guild or the necromancers cult instead of the guild of mages. they should give you choices like that for the less morally conscious characters. like the imperial cult and a dragon worshiping cult. just more optiions instead of do I support warriors, mages or theives.?. Do I support good mages or necromancers? do I support warriors/knights or mercenary's? do I support thieves or assassins?

I would definitely love this :goodjob:

This is needed...LOTS. I have more fun with and feel more religious when I play ES games than with real world religions.

This would sure add variety to the guilds and would give you more scope to build the character you want....

Actually, I'd like to see at least three of them - one Nord, one Imperial cult and one Tribunal.

The Nordic religion is separate from the Imperial. Since Nirn's gods are undeniably real, it centers around mostly the same gods, but with different avatars and different interpretations of things and different history and traditions. They should be represented in the game. The Imperial cult attempts to make inroads everywhere, so they should also be represented. And the Tribunal would, in my opinion, be the most interesting to include. Yes - their land is shattered and their gods are powerless and/or dead, but we're talking about a religion here. They wouldn't give up that easily. I would think that an exploration of the Tribunal would be fascinating in a "desperate times call for desperate measures" sort of way.

And I'd love to see them throw in any and every other cult imaginable, honestly. The more active factions the better.

We'll see.........

I definitely would want to see both the Nordic pantheon and the Imperial Cult playing some role in the game. At least one of the two should be a joinable faction, as well.

Now that the Oblivion crisis has ended and the influence of the Dunmer Tribunal has waned, I think there could be a substantial increase in the number of Daedra worshippers in the land as well. I'm not talking about the wayward Conjurer you'd find by themself in Oblivion, but there should be witch covens and cults dedicated to worship of the individual princes like in Daggerfall.

I hope theirs a temple of the nine faction the temple of the eight was my favorite faction in Morrowind. I also hope we can also get another Skullcrusher.

Certainly, I'd love to see a few religious factions present and joinable. Very important for many of the characters I make as well.

Definitely, religion has always been a very vital part of society. I'd love it if they implemented several cleric guilds with conflicts between them. Perhaps they'd be the primary vampire/werebeast hunters, since that might be considered "satanic", and of course the arch enemy of the daedric worshippers. Most will try to hunt daedric followers, but some might be corrupt etc.

Sounds a bit dumb, imo, but it could be cool.

Some of the guilds would probably prohibit most conjuration because it is associated with Daedra

I wonder why conjuration has never included summon Aedra? That would be cool.

They better have some ridiculous rules or I won't join (Kneel until your knees bleed daily, visit shrines and do funny dances, and more ridiculous conditions!).

I like this idea, more factions the merrier. Plus I think this will give even more depth to Skyrim,

Most definately yes.
It opens up so many possibilites for role playing.

Another thing...I really enjoyed coming across the daedric worshippers at the various shrines in Cyrodiil.

lol I'm sure that could be arranged.

I agree, killing some priests and fools, yes.

I thoroughly enjoyed going on the pilgrimages in Morrowind. In OB's knights of the nine i vaguely remember having to visit all the shrines... maybe that was just in my head though, Morrowind's was much more enjoyable.

Temple guilds are one of my favorites. religious fanatics make good enemies, albeit a little overdone. It's best when you realize you've been on the side of the crazy religious fanatics the whole time.