What should a Faith Stat Do?

[shintashi]

I recently scripted a Faith stat. It's set up so it can have a default of Zero, rather than one, but some classes, like Clerics and Paladins have it at default 1 or greater.

Programming the faith stat isn't a problem, but what should it do? How should it work? Who needs it and what effects might it have?

Open for suggestions.

[Zylos]

In the Final Fantasy series, I believe something like that affected your white magic capabilities.

[tSwitch]

possibly makes healing more powerful, given and recieved.

[cozziekuns]

In FFT, I believe it raised both the damage you dish out and the damage you recieve from magic.

Oh, and everyone has it.

[0vonix0]

Its should be able to go into negatives so like +10 Faith would affect like Holy/light magic and -10 faith would affect dark magic.

[DARK_ETERNAL]

According to everyone above, it should affect magic damage done AND received. Yet, assuming you already have the stat supposed for that matter, a faith state may affect specific skills, not necesarilly black or white magics, but instead, only summons (if you're up to them), or perhaps, should you rename it and make it as a stat that allows to give bonus to given damage from a combo attack, I mean dual techs. Since you're scripting it wouldn't be that difficult after modeling it properly, but this is only assuming the magic effect stat has been already decided.

[shintashi]

'white magic' is definitely the kind of thing that comes to mind, but also innate abilities, equipment interaction, and NPC interaction. Among equipment are things like weaknesses for vampires, but there's also the idea of walking on holy ground, being innately "blessed" and having access to NPCs through some kind of summoning or script.

[doomed2die]

White magic and equip and... yeah... But NPC interaction would be more appropriate imo.

"Church" blessings, cures, healings come cheaper/bettter/more options.

Some people are more likely to like you more "Oh this guy is saintly." Opens more side quests (yeah I can open up to a saint) and stuff.

Resistance to certain ailments, particularly curses and the like. Resistance to dark enemies and the like?

New skills (20 faith? Grats, you just got super heal. Idk)

New guilds you can join.

[Lancifer]

Personally, I would make a faith stat do one, and only one thing. Chance for divine intervention when your team dies.

Ever play FF8? Remember the Phoenix Pinnion? Sometimes when you die, the phoenix brings everyone back to full, and damages the boss a bit too... I remember this happening during the final battle of the game. So awesome! Of course, give it a low chance ~15% to happen.

Anyways, some kind of intervention... a chance for an angel to come down and bitchslap the enemy, or maybe a chance for some random healing or magic shield to happen... That's what I think when I think "faith".

Or, you could make it as simple as increasing the enemy's "miss" chance. Nothing to do with dodging, just having the bullets or arrows or javelins or whatever "guided away".