[DL] RE: Opinion on the Bless'd

["Sandor" <sandor@nycap.rr.com>]

> I believe you can have a right holy preacher or other
> good standing leader of a religious group w/o being blessed. Being blessed
> is a special gift from the God/dess/es of your choice.
>
> -Stryfe

You are essentially correct.

The vast majority of folks associated with a "formal" religion do not posses
the AB:
Blessed. However, *anyone* with some Faith can call upon the Protection
miracle.

Conversely, it is entirely possible to be "Blessed" without being part of an
organized religion. This is understood as "the Deity chooses the person",
not the other way around. It's rare because many folks who hear "the Call"
will gravitate towards a religious organization or take on the trappings of
such. Also remember that this is social "in-game" explanation of the Western
religious focus. It has nothing to do with the metagame mechanics.

A basic rule of thumb: "Not all preachers are Blessed, and not all Blessed
are preachers."

And if someone wants to tell you a long story about their character that
doesn't fit into the above schema, let 'em go eat rocks. It's a broad
generalization meant to illustrate a trend, not explain every instance in
the Old West. :)

Sandor