Deus Ex Verbum: Interesting Religions, Dogmas, Sects and Philosophies via Wiktionary

If a religion is what its followers do, then start with a single verb and extrapolate.

All images from Alphonse Mucha's Slav Epic

Psych, this post isn't about gods at all, it's about their followers. This post is inspired by Mindsorm Press’s Biblically Inaccurate Religions, which I'd recommend reading first. In it, author Ty and an expert friend sketch out believable religions such as the Renunciants (who reject worldliness) and the Testifiers (ecstatic proselytisers). I shall also append James Young's Denialists (nonconformist zealots).

What do all these religions have in common? Their names. Nomen est omen, baby. More specifically, a single verb: to Renounce, to Testify, to Deny. Entire dogmas, religious practices, modes of being and worldviews can flow from a single verb. 

To me, this seems to produce religions that feel more grounded because you're starting with the believer and their character, rather than with gods, cosmologies or surface aesthetics which tend to be noun-based. Just work on stuff the players will have to deal with first - no more moon-worshippers who are notable only for wearing silvery moon robes, who pray to the moon and talk about how great the moon is. 

So, pick a verb (or obtain one at random from Wiktionary) and build a religion's practices, adherents and worldview around that word. 

Now, Wiktionary. Wiktionary is Wikipedia but for words and phrases and it has a rather customisable random page functionality. As of writing, it has 57,476 ‘verb’ pages. Try fitting that on a random table! Some are crude, some are hyper-specific scientific terms, but the breadth is unmatched. Click on the link below three times or less and pick your favourite.

THE STEPS:

1. Obtain a VERB.

2. Agentify the verb (don't fret, this isn't the religion's final name, merely its true, secret, working name. That said, it can serve as a nickname). Add a suffix or similar to the verb such as:

• Verb-ites
• Verb-ists
• Verb-men
• Verb-ers
• Verb-ians
• Verb-istas
• Those who Verb

3. Read the verb’s definition. Imagine a religion whose central virtue, philosophy, dogma or instinctive response to the world is that verb, literally or metaphorically. Extrapolate, free associate. See the prompts below for ideas. 

4. Only once you are satisfied with the behaviour core, you can begin to name holy books, gods, great evils, holy sites. 

5. Optional: To generate a sect, get a random adjective and apply that to your Verb. How does it alter an adherent’s behaviour?

Step 3 Prompts:

*Choose at least 4 of the following. Consider how the verb colours an adherent's:

- Method of Worship

- Relation to the Other (this is a useful one)
- Reaction to good (and/or) bad fortune.
- Day to day life, relationship with the mundane
- Aesthetic and material culture
- Relationship with self
- Relationship with the supernatural 
- Method of Proselytisation (if any)
- Cultural practices not included above
- Taboos (often the inverse of the verb)

RANDOM VERB HERE 

RANDOM ADJECTIVE HERE (for SECT CREATION)

Example Religion and Sect Sketches: 

(Apologies if these examples are a little rough and ready, they are truly sketches, but that’s how most world-building starts, no? They’re also the verbs Wiktionary bequeathed me, no fakery here,)

Toilers
Toil - to labour

Hard work and graft. Wealth obtained by means other than personal labour is deemed unworthy, otherwise wealth is fine. This leads to much flatter hierarchies in Toiler societies (each man is a farmer, warrior-king and priest in his own right) and a persecution of Toilers in societies where the elite see this as a threat. Many a Toiler has turned agrarian revolutionary. Earthy, their hymns are working songs. Their place of worship is wherever a fellow Toiler is working. (You can see I have done some extrapolation here using my LIMITED IMAGINATION)

Taboo: Idleness

Relexicalisians
Relexicalise - to change the lexicon of; to use different words for. To relexicalize a word. 

Mystic-cum-bureaucratic shakers. Seekers of a new divine speak, holy books are new codexes/dictionaries of words. Possible tiered faith as new words are unveiled to them until one is speaking entirely in their holy tongue, like if Scientology was centred around mystic-divine conlang. Their ceremonies are akin to language study groups. Readings are conducted at a level appropriate to each congregation's understanding. Have an academic bend and are knowledgeable of secular tongues. They curse and praise with unintelligible sayings. Sing new songs, write fiction and non-fiction. Utopianists, they question a lot of social assumptions and norms but they have less impact as the wider population don’t understand what they are saying or writing.

 

SECT: The 'evil-tempered' Relexicalisians

Essentially militant religio-linguists. If radical enough, they may form cadres and cells. If large enough, warbands and holy armies with the goal of holy linguistic war. After an attack, strapped to the body of a suicide-knifeman is a missive to terror written in Relexicalisian. They speak their language to spite you for your ignorance and their presence gives orthodox Relexicalisians a hard time. 

Those who 'sky the towel'
Sky the towel - (Australia, slang) To give up; to surrender.

Hippies, pacifistic, ego-death entheogen drinkers. Deferential in any moment of conflict or disagreement (some interpret this as untrustworthiness), possible nudist element, sky burials. They love bunting and flags. When afraid, they endeavour to assume a reclined or fetal position, or they walk away with their hands raised to the heavens. Can often do this when things become difficult and have a reputation for idleness. This is not to say they are inherently pacifistic, I’m sure they’d drop a big rock on someone if it would kill their target instantly. 

Taboo: Conflict or disagreement. 

Hit-rock-bottom Men
Hit Rock Bottom, to reach the lowest possible state in one’s life.

Piety is expressed by the lowness of your station and condition. A faith of squalid hermitage, fasting and barely-productive physical exhaustion. Extremely stoic, verging on self-annihilation. Possible religious experiences akin to voluntary slavery to a church or similar institution with Spartan conditions and long hours. Drinking to oblivion is acceptable, while drinking in moderation is not. If you are having a bad time, a Rock-Bottomer would encourage you to make it worse. When isolated, their communities are utopian, albeit uncomfortable and you might be a little hungry.  

Taboo: Guilt-free indulgence. Moderation. 

The Slurper-Uppers
Slurp up, to consume by slurping.

They listen greedily to holy folk of all types, congregations stampede. They ‘consume’ everything, the psycho-physio-spiritual body will either reject or digest it. Prayers and ceremonies are often said with sacred wines poured onto the ground to be slurped up. They hold drunkardly, feasting debates with much agreement and hassling for the attention of whomever seems to be channeling the most divine wisdom. Believers tend to be more open to new experiences and worldviews and respectful to the point of near-obsession with philosophers, holy or wise-folk of any and all faiths save those they have previously rejected. 

While the slurpers must have a strong figurehead deity, most Slurper Upper communities tend to take on the features of their local dominant Religion. For this reason the religion is not set to last much longer as many 'slurp up' too much of the dogma of other faiths and are readily converted. Even those with the most eclectic of beliefs will in time found their own autonomous sects. 

SECT: Neo-Ottoman Slurper-Uppers

A small bacchanal sect that became obsessed with the 'slurping up' the teaching of philosophers of a long dead empire and by extension, the historic figures of said empire. Their militarism has led to at least some genuine conquests, they have now started militarily slurping up whole peoples and cultures. 

WHY? A Ramble and an ADDENDUM:

If the purpose of a system is what it does, then perhaps a religion is what its followers do? The idea of the post is to consider behaviour and habits first. Actual theological justifications can (and should) come later. That way players will understand a faith through the behaviour of its followers rather than the banners they carry or robes they wear and the DM gains a useful heuristic for predicting how adherents react to the world. There is definitely room for a Noun expansion but this draft has been pawed at for too long. Likewise, you can use this method for generating cultures too.

My love of Wiktionary prompted this post by Archons March On which used my random prefix and suffix links (HE STOLE MY IDEA! IF YOU ARE READING THIS SEMIURGE, YOU’RE DEAD). I’ve more Wiktionary inspired posts on the way! 🙂👍

This post was spurred on by Prismatic Wasteland’s RANDOM blogwagon. There are some pretty good randomisifying resources like dice and playing cards, the flight of birds, the entrails of sacrificial animals, and then there are wikis with a good good random page feature. I strongly encourage you to deep dive Wiktionary. To get your brain cooking here are some raw random links:

VERB:
https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Special:RandomInCategory/English_verbs#English

ADJECTIVE: https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Special:RandomInCategory/English_adjectives#English 

NOUN:
https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Special:RandomInCategory/English_nouns#English 

You can use these as a base to create your own links for any category on Wiktionary, for more specific terms, categories or in other languages. 

A particularly 'high STR, low INT' adolescence

 Ability Scores as Origin Stories

3d6 down the line? Not this time. What if the process for rolling a character’s ability scores could be used to generate their backstory? This is the system for it. This system assumes a standard array of 6 ability scores - Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom* and Charisma. Rolling for your ability scores is broken into three stages - childhood, adolescence and young adulthood. For each stage roll 6d6 (one for each ability) and a d30. The d30 will direct you to a notable event or mood in that stage of your character’s life. This event will influence how your ability scores are distributed for that life stage. Each event will determine to which of the six ability scores the highest and lowest of your d6 results must be placed. Once placed, the remaining four results of your 6d6 roll must be assigned to your other four ability scores. You may assign them in any order you wish but each ability must have a roll assigned to it, you cannot double up. Repeat this again for the other life stages, once complete your character should have their final array of six ability scores (made up from three dice, each rolled during a different stage of your character’s life) ranging from 3-18 and an interesting origin story to match them.

Some of the d30 table entries are vibes, some are specific events or a change in circumstances. You must interpret and detail them as you see fit. These events are a prompt, you are encouraged to expand on them or add personal touches to fit the evolving backstory. Your character’s circumstances may appear to change quite drastically between events, consider how this happened and why.

Results of 6 and 1 will often be the highest and lowest results of the 6d6 roll, these results will be directed toward a certain ability by your character’s life event. However, any additional results of 1 or 6 are special and represent something to your character and had some impact on their life. When assigned to a stat, any of these additional 6/1 results become Anecdotes. You, the player, should detail a life event or description to match their character’s extremely high or low ability at that age. For example, I have rolled two 6’s, two 1’s and two other middling results on my 6d6 roll for my character’s adolescence. The character’s life event means I must place the 6 in Intelligence and the 1 in Wisdom, that event is detailed. I could then place the 6 in Strength, stating my character ‘once pulled her drunken father from the village well’ to reflect this high strength stat, I then place the 1 in Dexterity and give the Anecdote; ‘but she failed to harpoon the jelly-beast that would mortally wound him the next summer’. The Anecdotes don’t need to be related but it can help your ideation. 

There remains the potential to roll six 6’s, six 1’s or six 3’s, so whatever your result on the d30 tables, it won't make sense. In such a rare instance that you roll so very well or so very poorly, feel free to ignore your rolled event and freely describe that stage in your wunderkind/blunderkind life - being overwhelmingly excellent, entirely average or otherwise. 

*For the sake of definitions, Wisdom refers to perception, will-power and affects saving-throws.

The Inciting Incident: 

Once you have completed the Young Adulthood stage and totalled your ability scores consider what was the inciting incident that led you to become an adventurer. It may be evident from your young adulthood event or it could be something different entirely. This is whatever propelled your character into action and should be based in the backstory you have assembled. It is also an opportunity to redirect the character’s personality to something you are more comfortable with. Remember, be dramatic. 

Optional Death Meme Rule: Because people like that you can die during Traveller's character creation system. Now you can in DnD. If any stat should total 3 by adulthood, the character dies. Tell everyone how. 

What if this for? Why?

It’s fun to roll on? Certainly, this has something to do with my nostalgia for detailed, random creation character creation - the 3.5 Hero Builder’s Handbook was a guilty pleasure when I was younger. But this system could prove quite useful for solo play or some kind of OSR campaign where characters don’t die frequently and begin play with detailed backstories () or for groups who enjoy both the character creation process and random generation. You might also use it to create interesting NPCs for your players to encounter. 

Now, on with the Childhood, Adolescence and Young Adulthood life event tables!

- Childhood d30:

    High Low

1. Strength → Dexterity

As a child, you were expected to work. You could carry heavy loads but were clumsy and often chastised for breaking things.

2. Strength → Constitution

Even from an early age your childhood was tough and full of hard work, the gruelling labour made you as strong as it did sick.

3. Strength → Wisdom

You'd pick fights with much larger children - it was foolish but occasionally you'd win.

4. Strength → Intelligence

A bit of a bully, when it came to who knew best you could only win arguments with your fists.

5. Strength → Charisma

What a big brute of a child you were! You had no friends - just cronies who were scared you'd duff them up.

6. Dexterity → Strength

As a child, you were always running, jumping, and dodging with surprising agility. That's how it had to be, you couldn't let the stronger kids catch you again.

7. Dexterity → Constitution

You were a pale, waifish child - graceful but sickly.

8. Dexterity → Wisdom

You'd often climb to great, precarious heights and sneak into places you shouldn't be or couldn't get out of.

9. Dexterity → Intelligence

You were always the fastest kid around, life was fast and fun but you couldn't focus on anything for long.

10. Dexterity → Charisma

You were a wild child who spent more time climbing, crawling and running than making friends.

11. Constitution → Strength

You were born small, no one thought you'd survive. You proved them wrong.

12. Constitution → Dexterity

You were such a clumsy child, covered in bruises and scrapes - you never cried though - too tough for that.

13. Constitution → Wisdom

Once as a child you became lost in the wilderness for several days. You were tough enough to survive but continued to get lost easily.  

14. Constitution → Intelligence

You were tough or had to become tough quickly. As a child, you worked hard and received no education at all.

15. Constitution → Charisma

You were tough, pain-tolerant to the point it made the other children think you weird - and weird you were.

16. Wisdom → Strength

Being small and weak in a tough home gave you a perception others lacked.

17. Wisdom → Dexterity

You knew there was going to be a terrible accident but you couldn't stop it in time.

18. Wisdom → Constitution

You were gravely ill and bed bound for most of your early childhood, only your willpower kept you alive. 

19. Wisdom → Intelligence

You had no home, you had to get wise quickly and when you're trying to survive there's no time to learn anything else.

20. Wisdom → Charisma

You often made observations aloud that adults and children didn't like.

21. Intelligence → Strength

Your scrawny arms weren't fit for work but it never stopped you carrying those books around with you.

22. Intelligence → Dexterity

You were hopeless at games so you spent your time observing the world or reading.

23. Intelligence → Constitution

You only ever stopped asking questions when you were asleep, which was often as you always felt tired.

24. Intelligence → Wisdom

You were a clever kid and you thought that was enough to get you by. 

25. Intelligence → Charisma

Even as a small child knew you were smarter than other children, you couldn't relate to them or even some adults. You spent much of your time alone.

26. Charisma → Strength

Folk were worried that such a small baby wouldn't live long, but as you grew you tried to waylay their worries with jokes, tales and joviality.

27. Charisma → Dexterity

The other kids loved you, you couldn't keep up with their games so they carried you. 

28. Charisma → Constitution

You were a fragile child and so quickly developed the ability to talk your way out of trouble and make friends with bigger children.

29. Charisma → Wisdom

You were able to convince your friends to sometimes do dangerous dares and challenges. Once you lead your friends into a very fraught situation but you were unable to lead them out of it.

30. Charisma → Intelligence

You could win over children and adult's with your charm and wit, but academic pursuits felt tedious and unengaging.

- Adolescence d30: 

    High Low

1. Strength → Dexterity

You tried to woo a potential paramour with your body but fell flat on your face.

2. Strength → Constitution

You fought off a beast. Folk thought you a hero but its bite left you with a lingering limp.

3. Strength → Wisdom

You became stronger but could be rather suggestible, your strength was a tool used by peers that didn't care for you. 

4. Strength → Intelligence

Book-learning felt difficult now, what became easier was throwing your rivals to the ground.

5. Strength → Charisma

Who needs a personality when you've got muscles?

6. Dexterity → Strength

You were more of a dancer than a fighter. Your moves impressed but your punches didn't.

7. Dexterity → Constitution

You were a sneaky kid and soon, by one means or the other, your mind turned to crime. Frequent trips to a jail cell left their mark on your constitution.  

8. Dexterity → Wisdom

You spent your nights dancing and smoking strange substances. Your body was lithe but your mind, foggy and addled. 

9. Dexterity → Intelligence

You fell in with a fast and loose crowd, life was full of tricks and japes. But soon things got serious… duels, brawls, crime and thievery. In these circles life was cheap and short - you were fast enough to survive but that’s all you focused on. 

10. Dexterity → Charisma

You would often slip away unnoticed from social situations, sneaking away to your favourite, most inaccessible spot.

11. Constitution → Strength

The gang thought you looked like an easy target for their 'fun' . They beat you terribly but you never let yourself fall down.

12. Constitution → Dexterity

You ate well and grew large but your size made you ungainly.

13. Constitution → Wisdom

Life was fun, you could partake in more libations and puffery than any of your friends. That said, the constant revelry made you groggy and greedy.

14. Constitution → Intelligence

Your body endured toiling and fighting remarkably - but your brain struggled with the challenges and lessons of your oncoming adulthood

15. Constitution → Charisma

The same gruelling work, day after day. There was no time for friendship, only continual toil.

16. Wisdom → Strength

The other kids might have teased you but church life isn’t so bad. It’s given you awareness and conviction others lack even if it hasn't done wonders for your muscles.

17. Wisdom → Dexterity

You were very lucky and lived through a terrible, magical event. After that, you adopted a reckless mindset—"If the gods decide my fate, why bother being cautious?"

18. Wisdom → Constitution

It was a near death experience - you thought you saw the other side. Neither you nor your body have ever quite recovered. 

19. Wisdom → Intelligence

You spent much of your adolescence in the company of wise or holy folk, your faith and mental vigour increased but you began to forget about the world and began to think dogmatically, rather than rationally.  

20. Wisdom → Charisma

You saw something uncanny, something that others couldn't see nor believe. You've been a bit odd ever since.

21. Intelligence → Strength

Your family found themself in a hard situation, you soon learnt it was better to scheme than to fight.

22. Intelligence → Dexterity

You found, or were found by, a mentor who taught you a great many things, even knowledge that others found verboten. When your mentor was in danger, you weren’t quick enough to help them. 

23. Intelligence → Constitution

Struck down by some condition in your adolescence, only books kept you company as you recuperated. 

24. Intelligence → Wisdom

You secluded yourself away in a musty room full of books and scrolls, your mind grew sharp but your wits grew dull.

25. Intelligence → Charisma

You were too curious for your own good, and after your weird relative told you some esoteric secrets about the world, you were never quite as normal again.

26. Charisma → Strength

You stood no chance if you encountered one of the local gangs so you started one of your own.

27. Charisma → Dexterity

You were immensely unpopular and soon learned how to dodge a punch.

28. Charisma → Constitution

You were struck down by a terrible and contagious disease but you were so beloved that your friends and family continued to visit and care for you. 

29. Charisma → Wisdom

You easily goaded your friends into doing something dangerous with you but someone got hurt saving your imperceptive, cowardly life. 

30. Charisma → Intelligence

You were very cocksure, thinking you were the best there was, lots of people agreed... that was till the smarter kids made you look like a fool. You remained popular, but your pride was wounded. 

- Young Adulthood d30:

    High Low

1. Strength → Dexterity

You saw they were in danger and rushed in, your strength was enough to save them but doing so left you with a lingering unsteadiness. 

2. Strength → Constitution

Life felt easy, you became stronger and few challenged you. Perhaps too easy, when that challenge came you realised you were much softer than you assumed. 

3. Strength → Wisdom

In a moment requiring action, you relied on your strength, only to find later you’d overlooked something and your effort was for nothing.

4. Strength → Intelligence

You committed a crime and were incarcerated.

5. Strength → Charisma

You grew to be tall and strong but after that one particularly ignominious incident, most considered you an oaf, a constant source of embarrassment. 

6. Dexterity → Strength

Whatever your calling, you seemed to attract altercation. When fights came, and they did, more and more, you never shied away. You relied on your skill and the maxim - defence is the best offence. 

7. Dexterity → Constitution

You spent time among the wealthy and swanned about during their ostentatious social events, you impressed many with your dancing, precision and finesse but the finer life didn’t build you any grit. 

8. Dexterity → Wisdom

You were easily enamoured, hopelessly romantic and would climb through second-story windows, perform stunts, anything to impress, you’d even steal if they wanted you to. 

9. Dexterity → Intelligence

Perhaps you regressed, or you never really grew up. Your young adulthood was fun, free and breezy.

10. Dexterity → Charisma

You became something of an outcast, a drifter, an exile. Travelling from place to place and always, always, quick on your feet.

11. Constitution → Strength

Stranded alone in some harsh environment, you body began to fail and wither away - only your innate grit and fortitude saw you through.

12. Constitution → Dexterity

You thought you were the toughest there was, your cockiness led you to defy some powerful and cruel people. You withstood some brutal punishment but they weren’t done with you yet, and you couldn’t escape their clutches. 

13. Constitution → Wisdom

You found yourself charmed, bewitched, commanded to work hard for goals that were not your own.

14. Constitution → Intelligence

You much grew to prefer a physical challenge over a mental one and your abilities and lifestyle grew to match that outlook.  

15. Constitution → Charisma

You went away for a few years. It was bad. And while you were tough enough to survive it, when you returned you never spoke about what happened - for a long time you rarely spoke at all. 

16. Wisdom → Strength

You acted when others, stronger and larger than yourself, were frozen with fear. 

17. Wisdom → Dexterity

You guided a group through a dangerous place, relying on your wits and determination to keep them safe. Though you overcame many dangers, not everyone made it - the experience left you wary, slow and hesitant to act without overthinking things.

18. Wisdom → Constitution

Circumstances began to unwind, slowly perhaps or swiftly in a great calamitous swoop. Either way, life became about survival - your wits and will grew sharper but the effects of the hardship you faced remains with you. 

19. Wisdom → Intelligence

You picked up some strange beliefs from a strange source, eschewing common knowledge. To the common folk, you seemed a fool, and to scholars, you were deranged - but your unusual perspective gave you an insight that few understood or believed. 

20. Wisdom → Charisma

You began to notice things others often missed and considered them foolish. You appeared wise, but aloof, strange and impersonal.

21. Intelligence → Strength

You sought some knowledge, skill or mystery with such vigour it left your body drained and neglected.

22. Intelligence → Dexterity

Some knowledge is better off not known at all. Whatever you learnt opened your mind but aged you beyond your years. 

23. Intelligence → Constitution

You travelled far in the pursuit of knowledge or skill but in that foreign land you were struck by a strange and debilitating sickness. 

24. Intelligence → Wisdom

You pursued knowledge relentlessly in young adulthood - your studies were only limited by temptations that your frequently lapse-prone willpower could not overcome.

25. Intelligence → Charisma

You'd debate the mysteries and wonders of the world with anyone who'd listen but fewer and fewer would.

26. Charisma → Strength

The many that pursued you were more interested in your personality than your body.

27. Charisma → Dexterity

Your young adulthood was pleasant. You charmed your peers at parties though you never, ever danced.

28. Charisma → Constitution

You couldn’t stand by any longer, neither could your fellows, leading them you stood up and challenged the status-quo - whether you succeeded or failed, you took a savage beating.

29. Charisma → Wisdom

You committed many faux pas but you made a lot of friends doing it.

30. Charisma → Intelligence

You flourished at parties and social events but you’d sneak away or bloviate when the conversation turned academic.

Here's a PDF copy, please share your results with the tables, I'd love to hear them!