No, a cleric doesn’t need to worship a god. Eberron has a couple religions that don’t have any kind of divine entity at all, and the gods of that setting (probably) don’t even actually exist.
Can a Cleric be an atheist?
Lorewise you cannot be an atheistic cleric, moreso because atheists and anti-theists as opposed to just agnostic people have a real tough fate.
Can a Cleric worship themselves?
Yes. A cleric, druid, or paladin can choose to follow a cause they passionately believe in as opposed to a deity. The PHB (see Appendix B)
Can a paladin be atheist?
A Paladin does not need to have any faith whatsoever in 5e. In older editions they did, but in 5e they swear an Oath to the universe so powerful that they are granted special powers.
Does a cleric have to be good?
Your cleric would have to be either Neutral Good or Lawful Neutral. But to answer your question, no. A cleric, by no means, has to be lawful good. That would be a paladin, and even then (in 3.5e) there are variants that allow a paladin to be a different alignment.
What gods can a cleric worship?
Rather than worship a god, a cleric could worship an ideal and gain the same reward. He could worship the mountains, or the sky, or the act of war, or himself. He could even worship a slain obyrith lord.
Can a paladin not have a God?
The 5E PHB states that a Paladin does not need to serve any God: just staying true to his Oath is enough to get/keep his powers.
Can you be a paladin without a god?
Can a cleric have divine power without it being?
You may not have chosen a god but the god choose you. Your player may think he got his power by being struck by lightning, but maybe it is how the god chooses his followers. Most spells can be rewritten to instead of calling to a god, he calls to his inner self (spoilers: which is calling to his god).
Can a cleric call to a God instead of a god?
Most spells can be rewritten to instead of calling to a god, he calls to his inner self (spoilers: which is calling to his god). This way none of the spells need to be redesigned. The player just thinks hes doing it all himself. Mechanically speaking, there’s no real distinction between arcane and divine spellcasting.
What makes a cleric different from other clerics?
In fact, some types of clerics are centered around warfare, death, and battle. When a cleric steps onto the battlefield, they do so with their god on their side. The below features are common with all clerics, but they will only represent a part of what makes your character unique. More of your features will depend on your Domain, discussed later.
Do you need a backstory to be a cleric?
Like all good adventurers, a cleric needs a backstory. In most cases, this class of adventurer joins a party at the behest of their god. It could be something as simple as spreading the good work or as direct as seeking out a holy relic. Ultimately, that choice is up to you (and your DM).
