What is a Favored Soul?

[Mr_Ed7]

Being a long-time D&D player, I have never come across the Favored Soul until now.

Many of the D&D classes are based on characters from history or literature; where does the Favored Soul come from, and what exactly is it.

What was the impetus to this character being created and what are its origins in the context of a backstory.

How do they fit in to the grande scheme of things in the D&D world.

Yes, I know its a sort of cleric/sorcerer, but I would like more than that.

[GreyRogue]

I think of it like this: Joan of Arc was a favored soul, as compared with the contemporaneous Catholic priests who were clerics.

[Anderei]

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cwc/20051206a

[Rasczak]

Think of them like Druids but divine.

Druids gain their magic from nature and FvS gain their's from their diety.

Clerics do their prayers and whatnot like wizards do their study, but a FvS has this religious fervour and fanatism towards their god that make them the people they are. Personalities become twisted around this fervour which is why charisma determines how many spells they can cast and wisdom determines their power.

Think of a person that believes in their god so strongly but they rebel against the church's representation of it.
OR a person that have never had access to the studies but is so involved with their diety on a personal level that the magic flows forth from a deep connection with said diety.

Erm..I hate to give it a massive label and I'm no sci-fi fan but a decent way of looking at it is to compare it to the Jedi / Sith. It's a religion with the magic being molded by each individual as they see fit.

Bah..not explaining this to well reading back but there you have it

[Mr_Ed7]

Thank-you to the three that replied.

I truly have a better scope of the class.

They are sort of an ...AVATAR!*







*A deliberate descent of a deity from heaven to earth.

[Arkat]

Thank-you to the three that replied.

I truly have a better scope of the class.

They are sort of an ...AVATAR!*







*A deliberate descent of a deity from heaven to earth.

Except MUCH weaker and have a will/personality all their own.

More like a Proxy really.

[Robnar]

My Warforged FvS (Lord of Blades, of course) has a bone to pick with things that are squishy...

Squishy, this is Great Sword.
Great Sword, meet Squishy.

Divine Favor -> Command -> *squish*