My understanding of the branches of the Church is that they are similar to the branches in a nation's military. Under normal circumstances, an US Army captain and a US Navy captain most likely aren't going to be dealing with each other. But sometimes they could find themselves together, in which case the Navy captain outranks the Army captain because a Navy captain is equivalent to an Army colonel.So, in an orderly church such as that of Rofirein, a similar situation seems logical. The branches are separate to conduct their own business for the most part, but in a mixed group it would be clear who outranks whom so that order can be maintained. Thus, Jennara does technically outrank a lot of PC and NPC Clerics, though she would be out of line to order Protectors around within a Temple, say, as they are not directly within her chain of command.
I wonder how a non divine touch could outrank those that are touched directly by the divine as to have the power given to them by the deity?
Also, there is no "military" in the Church. The Knights of the Wyrm are described as more militant, but that only makes sense for the group whose members are most likely to be going out and mixing it up.
Are you saying that if I created a level one cleric, I should be able to give orders to someone like Jennara, solely because I can cast divine spells?
I think you are placing too much emphasis on mechanics here. A devout Rofienite fighter may believe that his strength is given to be able to mete out Rofirein's justice, that he has been touched by the divine and given martial prowess - and who's to say that he's wrong?
my understanding is that the Commander is going to ask what the Protector needs and wants done, as his job is to be of service to the church and therefore the deity.
And no, the ranks of the guardians and knights do not and are not intended to line up with the ranks of the Clergy- They were put like that because both the guardians and the knights do answer directly to the High Warden, but the church does not necessarily dictate how their organization is run. That is managed internally, especially in the case of the knights.
So yes, I say that the cleric who just started in the church would outrank a non cleric. Who knows first of all where that cleric have been, if he had prior experience. It may have been a judge before he found a deeper devotion and was bestowed his powers by the gods. But in a church matter, the clerics would definitely be higher than the non clerics. Or by your own statement of mechanics. he might have been a level 1 cleric for the past twenty years, before he started to venture out mechanically speaking and gaining levels.
And consider that it has been said elsewhere years before of any religion that the Clerics hanging around the temples aren't necessarily able to raise the dead or cast all the spells a PC Cleric of the faith can. That doesn't mean they aren't high placed in their churches with whatever rank system they use.
I think we should stop at the apologizing for comparing to real life dogma and just not even continue from there. It really doesn't make any sense at all in most cases, and this case - comparing Rofireinites who themselves may be divine warriors, judges, soldiers, or whatever, to atheists in a christian church - was not an exception to that trend.
the admiral and an air force captain and some army privates
I'm not saying there is time in the world to define every situation possible OOC... just that IC, I would think if someone can dream it up, a Rofireinite has regulated it, heh.
In other words, some space should be added or removed here and there so each branch of the Church can be compared to the others.
ome forty page document declaring whether the Wyrm Commander or the Guardian Commander is in command under what circumstances and who should be the first, then, to declare his offering on a given holiday, which arrangement of silverware that requires, etc etc.
Many laypeople are also rewarded with the title of protector.