Non-Religious Clerics: Part 1

For a number of reasons, I've decided to leave the concept of religion out of all my future games.

There will still be the eternal conflict between Order vs Chaos and demons and devils and archons but these things will be treated as powerful, magical creatures or abominations, not personifications of cultural dogma. Others will be much more Lovecraftian, dark, unknowable creatures from deep time and non-euclidean space. Cursed and unholy items and creatures are now simply 'evil', corrupted by hate, jealously, envy or greed, or just bad luck, until nothing redeeming remains. 'good' items' will convey good luck or be imbued with joy, love and peace. Neutral items will have the powers of nature, destiny, justice, pure chance.

Which brings us then to clerics. If they can't be priests, what are they? Without altering the class (using Labyrinth Lord, my go-to for OSR D&D, at least until THIS comes out), here are some possible replacements ideas.

I had to divide my original post in two as it was getting rather long:

Scholar
Dedicated to the collection and preservation of knowledge (ah, but to what purpose?).

A Maester from Game of Thrones

Possible Source(s) of Their Magic: Technological, Mental Augmentation (Telepathy), contact with alien intelligence, extra-planar being or rogue A.I.

Another adventuring scholar. 

Edged Weapons: Scholars avoid weapons when they can and when they do, they rarely favour anything as big and clunky as a sword. They do prefer to carry weapons that double as a tool such as a hammer, or a staff cut to a precise length, or a whip. If they may also use more technological gizmos, such as blunderbuss, or a lazer-rifle (if they can figure out how it works).

How to Turn: Through research and study, scholars know that vampires are repelled by sunlight and certain woods, and that zombies hate fire, or that skeletons can be repelled with a simple counterspell.


Guardian
Protectors of a sacred (at least to them) item, location or person. They could be protecting others in case it ever got out ....

A Brother of the Cruciform Sword

Possible Source(s) of Their Magic:  Powers are derived from their Faith in that sacred object/location/person. They may even be drawing power directly from the source.

 A Medjai mercenary, the elite bodyguard of an accursed Pharoh  

Edged Weapons: I would still keep prevent Guardians from using edged weapons unless setting appropriate. Perhaps not using a sword or an axe is part of their vows, or make them a symbol of an ancient enemy they will not use.

How They Turn
Drawing power from their source and their own will, Guardians are able to drive away the unnatural forces that threaten them and their duty to the thing under their protection.

Monk of Order, or Chaos
Men and women who have dedicated their lives to the forces of Chaos and Discord or to the force of Laws and Order. Often of a monastic order (membership numbers may vary).

Source: Unknown

Not that I ever need a reason to demonstrate
the awesomeness that is Marcus Cole. 

Possible Source(s) of Their Magic:  An inner power such as Spirit, Chi or Ki that taps into a unifying and underlying power that connects all things and can be used as a force for great good, or unimaginable evil.

Edged Weapons: No. Like classic clerics this rule sets Monks apart from a more traditional fighter. Monks of the same order/cult tend to use the same weapon, it is not requires. Besides, glowing beams of
light do not have edges.

How They Turn: By tapping into the underlying force to repel the inherent chaotic ectoplasm that drives all unliving creatures. Often this power is focused through a talisman or symbolic weapon of some kind.

Monster Hunters

Though some terrible destiny, these men and woman have become dedicated to the cause of eradicating (or controlling) all horrors and undead. Though they know their cause is futile, they have become dedicated fanatics, because they know that no matter what befalls them, it cannot be worse than the tradgic reason they became so obsessed in the first place.

The only Van Helsing who matters.

Possible Source(s) of Their Magic: Like the scholars, much of their magic might come from technology, in one form or another. Monster Hunters are not above studying magic, in any form, and some may have made contact with a extraplaner or intraplantary being. 

Edged Weapons: Ordinary swords are little effective against ghosts and monsters, and silver swords are shit against anything but a lycanthrope. But a good hammer blow will stun even the most belligerent blood sucker (corporeal ones, that is) long enough to drive the stake home. For reasons of practicality and genre, axes and hatchets are allowed. Monster hunters will normally carry a small arsenal of very specific weapons that might only work on very specific foes.

How They Turn: Repelling and destroying monsters is what these character's DO. They have studied the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of every monster they have come across or heard of, and carry a small arsenal of the right tools and ingredients to deal with almost everything.