A New beginning

> Not IMC. In my campaign, all priests worship a feity or some other
> higher power that gives them their magic.

Same here.  Same with rangers, paladins, and monks (I play 1st
edition).  And sohei when I play OA, though then it's a school of
thought as per the structure of oriental religions.

> Druids are specialty priests
> of (for example) Chauntea, Silvanus or Eldath (Realms gods/godesses).

This is a possibility.  But generally speaking they are a class.  If a
god chooses to use them in place of specialty priests that's that
god's choice.  Look at Tyr, he chose to have nothing but straight
clerics (until F&A, when he switched to just SPs).

> > with operating in metal armor.  Same with a cleric with a sword.  He
> > can't become proficient in it (no clerics are out there able or
>
> Same here: The cleric needs a god to provide his spells. If he refuses
> to obey his god, he'll quickly find himself without powers.

Ahh, but this is not a godly restriction in this case.  It is a class
one.  The god dictates armament for their specialty priests, their
clerics have it dictated by class.  If a god doesn't like this idea
they're always free to decide to have _no_ clerics and just specialty
priests.  Several gods have done so (Tyr from FR is a good example).

> Since I'm in the middle of a Planescape campaign at the moment, I'd
> probably allow a "priest of the great unknown" to use normally
forbidden
> weapons and armor.

That would be a specialty priest.

> However, I'd limit him in other ways, probably
> removing Turn Undead (he doesn't have any god to channel, which is the
> explanation for turning in the PHB IIRC) and/or access to some
spheres.

Actually that's the explanation for all a cleric/SP's powers but this
goes along well with the idea of SPs.

> > chance, etc.).  With a specielty priest of a certain god I would
> > generally agree (though it would still depend on the god, for
instance
>
> The thing is that priests get their powers from gods in my campaign,
> even those who are "normal" clerics and druids.

Same in mine.  The thing is each god (usually) allows several classes
to serve them.  Clerics and druids gain their restrictions (on
esoteric things like armor and weapons) from their class description,
not individual deitific preference.  SP restrictions are specific to
each god.  This is the choice the clergymember makes on deciding to be
a member of the clergy and in deciding which class to choose in that
clergy.
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