Complete Guide to the Religion Skill in D&D 5e
The skill that Clerics are famously not very good at, Religion is one of the least used skills in the game. There are many reasons for this, and we will both discuss those while also exploring new and interesting ways to use the skill and make it feel worth picking up.
The Clerical Error
There’s no getting around it, Clerics are Wisdom based, and this is an Intelligence skill. That makes the literal priests seem very ignorant about what they are actually worshipping. While there are plenty of historical jokes I could draw from this irony, I get the feeling that the ignorant priest is not the angle most Cleric players are shooting for. Notably, the same applies to Paladins but even more so, as a Cleric might be able to spare a bit for Intelligence, but a Paladin certainly cannot. Granted, Paladins have become more detached from deities in this edition, but many players still want that specific archetype.
How do we remedy this? Well first, if it’s a check to gain knowledge about the god which your character actually serves, you should definitely have advantage on that check, if not automatically succeed assuming it isn’t some sort of hidden knowledge or secret. I would also consider advantage if the check pertains to a god that is related in some way to your god, such as natural enemies like Vecna and the Raven Queen.
Lastly, you can always just change the check to a Wisdom check, and this is completely RAW. The PHB states that skills are listed with the ability they are most often used with, but exceptions can and should be made. See our guide to Intimidation for more on this topic.
Using Religion to Gather Information
The obvious instance where this skill would be used is to gather information about a god or religious order, but this information is both campaign dependent and likely either something your DM really wants you to know, or is inconsequential.
I would recommend expanding the scope of information that this skill can provide. Most importantly, have your players use this skill to learn about certain creature types. I feel Celestials, Undead, and Fiends definitely apply here, and some Fey, Dragons, and Elementals may also fall under this, especially as there are cults that worship those. Depending on the result of the roll, you may choose to reveal damage and condition resistances, lore, potential weaknesses, and special abilities of the monster in question, all of which can be extremely helpful in taking a dangerous foe down.
Additionally, Religion can be a great tool to allow a Cleric or Paladin player to roleplay something like a sermon, maybe even substituting Charisma for the roll if they are one of these new age “heal and wellness” preachers, or probably just using Wisdom to appeal to people’s morals and provide guidance. The usefulness of this probably mostly comes down to meager gold earning and distractions, but it could be a fun roleplay opportunity.
Lastly, if the party is trying to stop some sort of ancient, dark ritual that will summon the demon king, a Religion roll should definitely fit in there somewhere. Perhaps to identify the sigil on the ground and how to destroy it, or even to call on your own god for a little bit of intervention.
Essentially, DMs should just be a bit more loose with how they use this skill. Call for it whenever you think it even vaguely makes sense, as a diversity of skills called for will both make obscure skills feel worth picking up and give different players chances to shine.
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