Would The Cleric Like To Say Grace?

This is a tough one. I’m not a big fan of the term cleric anyway, as most adventuring parties don’t require a “clerk” to come along and record their actions, and the term "cleric" in Western European tradition refers to very specific members of the clergy…generally, those old school devout-types that shave the top of their head.

I don’t know about you folks, but in my old D&D campaigns, players stayed the hell away from any deities that required their followers to be bald (like all the Egyptian gods in DDG).

Anyway, I suppose an “Adventuring Cleric” gets across the right idea…a priest who takes to the wild in search of adventure instead of running the parish back home (this is in alignment with an "adventuring fighter" versus a stationed soldier and an “adventuring thief” as opposed to the local pickpocket). But an adventuring clergyman (i.e. an adventuring priest) is in conflict with the whole crusader-paladin template of the cleric previous discussed. Remember the cleric’s descriptions:

AD&D: The class of character bears a certain resemblance to religious orders of knighthood of medieval times.

B/X: Clerics are humans who have dedicated themselves to the service of a god or goddess. They are trained in fighting and casting spells.

For me, I wish there was a way to heal the dichotomy between the priest and the warrior by giving the class a name besides “cleric.” Ideally the name would be one word (not “holy warrior” for example) that would capture the epitome of the character class, much as a “fighter” or “magic-user” does.

Zealot? Maybe a little too pejorative. Crusader, perhaps.

Anyway, here are the level titles I’m considering for the cleric class. As with the fighter titles, I tried to stay away from titles that sound to sedentary, like anything that implies a parish or “flock” (vicar, curate, high priest, etc.). Likewise I steered clear of actual, conferred titles like “Saint”:

Level – Rank
1 – Zealot
2 – Devotee
3 – Martyr
4 – Paragon
5 – Crusader
6 – Elder
7 – Initiate
8 – Paladin
9 – Temple Lord/Lady

Once a cleric reaches Name level, he or she has the ability to create a stronghold attracting their own zealots (i.e. “the faithful”). I considered using “Defender of the Faith” as a level title, but as this has been historically reserved for monarchs that are also religious leaders (e.g. the English monarch, certain Middle Eastern leaders) I felt it inappropriate. On the other hand a Lord Templar implies the 9th level cleric has the vested authority to create a “bastion of faith” should he or she choose.

Some may consider terms like Martyr and Zealot to be too strong, but I feel the terms help to remind players (including the DM) what sets this character apart from other adventurers: their zeal, their devotion, their faith. A 3rd level cleric should be prepared to die for their faith, in my opinion. If a cleric doesn’t “represent,” how can he expect his god to grant him those holy/unholy powers?

As a side note, I realize I didn't include female-specific titles for the Fighter class (“Woman of Arms,” “Arms Mistress,” etc.); this is less due to oversight than to my perception of women warriors. In my experience, female fighters consider themselves no different from their male counterparts and don’t wish any distinction from men-folk. In other words, it is preferred to be a female Warlord to a “War Lady.” Please don't take it as a lack of sensitivity.
: )