Ling-lings?
I think those are awakened pandas
*slaps Scrapeknee's hand away* Don't comment until I'm done with the silly link, you!
Ha. I had forgotten about that show
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It was pretty good for a while, and had a brilliant premise, but then they started settling into a groove and emphasizing the wrong elements, and worst of all, the art styles all blended together.
What it left me with, however, was an inspiration for a TORG TV show (having been introduced to that game much more recently) where every cosm and it's inhabitants are done in radically different art and animation styles, and things happen like characters suddenly flipping from one art style to another when they disconnect from their home reality.
Okay… went over domains, and added/adapted NPC domains to the chart (GM, feel free to add more, if you think it’s weird that Lathander in the Realms has twice as many domains as Asmodeus).
@Cil’dr: I noticed that you had the Liberation domain; that’s fine, although the domain is usually associated with freeing people from oppressive societies. Might I suggest adding Protection to your domains, though?
Also: we’ve got no fire, lightning, or water gods yet, which leaves the symbolism of such things up for grabs (and they’re usually important symbols; maybe Ishalla wants to take Weather when she assigns domains?). Since there’s currently no god of Artifice, Atheos might try to edge in on that (he’s currently only got four domains, as a new god, but I’m thinking of picking up more when he hits higher power levels, with Rune or Travel as other candidates)
Hmm? I've found the Forgotten Realms domains generally nonsensical, incoherent, or redundant. (Basically, the only domains in the NPC deity list that don't collapse neatly into Pathfinder subdomains are: Spider, Drow, and Pride)
I'm prayed to by slaves and revolutionaries so I think liberation fits, also was considering dropping law for protection.
Point (and I guess you do seek to "liberate" your followers from their weak, earthly forms). And we do have a LOT of law domains right now.
I'm going to go on a limb here and assume the elemental planes touch creating for example the plane of ice and cold.
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Some Creations of Zodaxus:
Neon Dragons: There is nothing more epic than a dragon. As a result, when Zodaxus decided he should create things, the first thing he wanted to make was a new type of dragon. Because glowing things are awesome, he settled on Neon to be his uniting theme for their design.
Unique Traits of Neon Dragons: Neon Dragons can fly in space, lacking any need to breathe and not requiring air to flap their wings. They require magical assistance, however, to cross interstellar distances.
Neon Yellow Dragons:
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Breath Weapon: "Gas of Freedom"
Description: Perhaps the strangest of the Neon Dragons, Neon Yellow Dragons breathe a gaseous substance which has the same effects on those who breathe it as a "Zap of Freedom" spell. It also renders the target unconscious (will save to resist this). Younger Neon Yellow Dragons are restricted to one of the three effects of the Zap of Freedom with each breath, but older ones may use multiple at once.
Neon Green Dragons:
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Breath Weapon: Laser Beam
Description: Among Zodaxus' favorite of his own creations, Neon Green Dragons use their laser breath to incinerate enemies of freedom and happiness, or just kinda at random because of how effing cool it looks. Their lasers glow the same bright green as they do.
Neon Blue Dragons:
Alignment: Lawful Good
Breath Weapon: Antimatter
Description: Originally designed as weapons of last resort, the antimatter breath possessed by the Neon Blue Dragons has been appropriated for the primary purpose of annihilating asteroids and other uninhabited celestial bodies before they can strike inhabited planets. Such a task requires great moderation, care and discipline, lest the Neon Blue Dragon or the ones it is trying to protect come to harm, causing Neon Blue Dragons to possess an alignment strongly atypical of Zodaxus' creations and servants. Some Neon Blue Dragons have class levels in "Paladin," and Adriel has a number of them primarily in his service, though none lack any ties whatsoever to Zodaxus.
Neon Orange Dragons:
Alignment: Neutral Good
Breath Weapon: A Healing Gas
Description: Tasked with fighting dissease and injury throughout the multiverse, Neon Orange Dragons breathe a powerful, magically enchanted gas which heals any diseases or injuries possessed by those who inhale it.
Neon Pink Dragons:
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Breath Weapon: A Narcotic Gas
Description: Neon Pink Dragons' primary purpose is to travel the world spreading love and pleasure. They do this primarily by effecting consenting people with their breath weapon, a cloud of hallucinogenics which are non-addictive and, when inhaled, result in an intense high. Inhalation of this gas has no permanent negative side effects.
Well, now my Brine Dwarves and Pretenders feel boring ;)
makes me think of Farcry blood dragon.
...and thus Zodaxus ruined the cosmos.
Atheos creates... books?
Maybe Atheos goes all Guttenberg and creates the printing press?
man the only creation I can come up with is the half-minotaur, half-centaur.
I call him Jeff.
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I've said in a few places on the Sheet now that Zodaxus is worshiped by a lot of halflings. My reasoning is that 1: Halflings are generally very jovial and upbeat, traits they have in common with Zo after a fashion and 2: Halflings are enslaved like Mokuba is kidnapped. One figures they'd come to like the god of freedom.
man the only creation I can come up with is the half-minotaur, half-centaur.
I call him Jeff.
I created a half-man, half-skeleton.
Osoro—what about Lions, Leonals, Gryphons, or those good-aligned lion-taur thingies?
Osoro—what about Lions, Leonals, Gryphons, or those good-aligned lion-taur thingies?
Oh, I meant like, new additions to the world, like Zodaxus' neon dragons.
Osoro—what about Lions, Leonals, Gryphons, or those good-aligned lion-taur thingies?Oh, I meant like, new additions to the world, like Zodaxus' neon dragons.
I made corn
Atheos invented Atheism!
Atheos invented Atheism!
suppose this is only possible in a universe with gods, for a god to invent atheism. :3
A little weird but doable I guess.
Adriel invented...um...iPhones! Magical iPhones and enchanted computers!
.....
Not sure if that's a good thing as it sounds like I have toss Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts into the mix.
Pretty sure iPhones aren't LG... and they might be a bit ahead of the tech curve.
A little weird but doable I guess.
Adriel invented...um...iPhones! Magical iPhones and enchanted computers!
.....
Not sure if that's a good thing as it sounds like I have toss Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts into the mix.
Maybe he made Stirrups? Can't joust without em IIRC
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A little weird but doable I guess.
Adriel invented...um...iPhones! Magical iPhones and enchanted computers!
.....
Not sure if that's a good thing as it sounds like I have toss Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts into the mix.
It'd actually be totally valid to say that he, in universe, invented the smartphone. A lot of mythological gods claim invention of specific pieces of technology, like how Athena in Greek mythology is supposed to have invented the chariot.
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It'd actually be totally valid to say that he, in universe, invented the smartphone. A lot of mythological gods claim invention of specific pieces of technology, like how Athena in Greek mythology is supposed to have invented the chariot.A little weird but doable I guess.
Adriel invented...um...iPhones! Magical iPhones and enchanted computers!
.....
Not sure if that's a good thing as it sounds like I have toss Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts into the mix.
On that note, since I'm pretty sure our Earth doesn't exist in this universe, Zodaxus invented the disco ball, the electric guitar, lemonade, fruit punch, and the slushy.
He also invented snow cones, but wouldn't put them on his list of inventions if you asked him for one because they were actually a leaked prototype of the slushy.
Babaki invented rust, impacted wisdom teeth, and glitter.
I was... REALLY under the impression that this is all taking place in a world pre-electricity (and pre-industrial revolution), just like every major D&D/etc. setting. Otherwise, deities like Cil'dr and Mikraza would be taking on a massively different tone, and we wouldn't really have any nomadic tribes left to worship Ishalla or Babaki.
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I was... REALLY under the impression that this is all taking place in a world pre-electricity (and pre-industrial revolution), just like every major D&D/etc. setting. Otherwise, deities like Cil'dr and Mikraza would be taking on a massively different tone, and we wouldn't really have any nomadic tribes left to worship Ishalla or Babaki.
My understanding is that it takes place in a multiverse with many different planets at different levels of technological advancement.
Okay, so... there's a few things we definitely need to nail down before Atheos can start on any of his plans.
1. Do we have one major world to work with (with potential other distant worlds in space generally being less/interesting important, or protected by distances and maybe gods of their own, a la Golarion)? Or do we rule a bunch of distant worlds of similar importance? (A la Spelljammer). I'd assume the first, because the second would mean we'd need to deal with who had what influence on which world, and could easily get out of hand.
2. What technology level is the main world at? And what level of magic? I was assuming Golarion/Realms levels (although if we go Golarion, there's the possibility of a crashed alien spaceship where most of the tech is lost). Again, this is extremely important in terms of what each deity actually represents, though worshippers of only a few million *strongly* suggests pre-Industrial Revolution levels of agricultural tech.
Alternately, separate worlds with tech levels makes fine sense, but we do need to be a bit conscientious about what we do to each world, or else the entire multiverse is going to get conquered very quickly by a spaceship-flying laser-gun monoculture.
3. Was intelligent life on this world (humans, etc.) divinely created, evolved, or some combination of the two?
Would really like GM input on these three questions.
I was... REALLY under the impression that this is all taking place in a world pre-electricity (and pre-industrial revolution), just like every major D&D/etc. setting. Otherwise, deities like Cil'dr and Mikraza would be taking on a massively different tone, and we wouldn't really have any nomadic tribes left to worship Ishalla or Babaki.
i've specifically referred to the majority of my followers being on a specific planet with a dying star...
Yeah, but I assumed that would be a "minor planet" compared to the major one where all 20 gods were worshiped. A dying star doesn't support much life, and perhaps having a million or so followers left alive there, you're looking for some way to bring them to the bigger, more hospitable planet we all share?
Hmm, also, I'm curious about dead gods. We've got Toth (as a dead god of knowledge, with a lot of deities currently angling in on his territory), but recently-deceased/destroyed gods of Artifice, Fire, Writing, Travel, Water and Weather could all help explain holes in our pantheon, as well as give existing gods reasons to hold grudges against PCs or NPCs.
Not sure how much of this the DM wants to do vs the players. But if Toth here is the same as FR's Thoth, he's a god of Artifice, Writing, Knowledge, and Invention (filling a lot of holes), as well as true neutral, so having him as one of our recently-murdered deities fits those holes in the Pantheon well. (and his destruction could've opened up a god-slot for Atheos to fill)
Similarly, Golarion's Gozreh represents true neutrality as well as Water and Weather and would represent another recent hole in the pantheon. Or modifying him to Shimye-Magalla, the neutral (or CN, or NG) fake hybrid deity of Golarion, would make him a deity of Travel and Luck as well, helping to explain those holes in the pantheon.
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I created Azruverda and Silthilar (from 3.5's Lords of Madness). I'd also like to say I created Beholders, and that they're Chaotic Neutral in our universe.
I also invented the Dyson sphere, even though no mortal may have come across or built one yet - secret knowledge, you see?
Okay, so... there's a few things we definitely need to nail down before Atheos can start on any of his plans.
1. Do we have one major world to work with (with potential other distant worlds in space generally being less/interesting important, or protected by distances and maybe gods of their own, a la Golarion)? Or do we rule a bunch of distant worlds of similar importance? (A la Spelljammer). I'd assume the first, because the second would mean we'd need to deal with who had what influence on which world, and could easily get out of hand.
2. What technology level is the main world at? And what level of magic? I was assuming Golarion/Realms levels (although if we go Golarion, there's the possibility of a crashed alien spaceship where most of the tech is lost). Again, this is extremely important in terms of what each deity actually represents, though worshippers of only a few million *strongly* suggests pre-Industrial Revolution levels of agricultural tech.
Alternately, separate worlds with tech levels makes fine sense, but we do need to be a bit conscientious about what we do to each world, or else the entire multiverse is going to get conquered very quickly by a spaceship-flying laser-gun monoculture.
3. Was intelligent life on this world (humans, etc.) divinely created, evolved, or some combination of the two?
Would really like GM input on these three questions.
There are many many worlds in the multiverse and while most of them are probably the typical D&D/Pathfinder style of world and tech there are definitely some very high tech societies about, perhaps some that span entire galaxies.
The is no default 'main world' where the 20 Gods are worshiped and is of more importance then anywhere else but if you guys want to establish one feel free.
Life can be created, evolved or a combination of the two depending on where in the massive multiverse you are and is largely left up to the PCs.
Note: You can have as many mortal worshipers as you wish, a million is just about the lowest baseline you'll have picked up even if you care nothing for worshipers. There may be entire galaxies of nigh endless mortals that worship just a single God. The multiverse as a whole has a scale that is nearly endless in its variety of societies, lifeforms, and mysteries.
Well, sure... but "about a million" is far lower than you'd see on even a single planet with space-capable technology.
Just felt like it was important to check in so we can establish consistency, etc. Most characters' plans so far seem to focus on part of one world or a small portion thereof, and a specific technology level, etc.
Well, sure... but "about a million" is far lower than you'd see on even a single planet with space-capable technology.
Just felt like it was important to check in so we can establish consistency, etc. Most characters' plans so far seem to focus on part of one world or a small portion thereof, and a specific technology level, etc.
True but some Gods might only have their religion in a single backward country of a single lower tech planet, it is up to them.
Part of the reason I've made the multiverse so big is that so each God can feel free to create what they want without having to feel like they need the approval of the other Gods to do it.
The multiverse is simply so mind blowingly big that every conceivable story of mortal existence can have a place.
Hmm, also, I'm curious about dead gods. We've got Toth (as a dead god of knowledge, with a lot of deities currently angling in on his territory), but recently-deceased/destroyed gods of Artifice, Fire, Writing, Travel, Water and Weather could all help explain holes in our pantheon, as well as give existing gods reasons to hold grudges against PCs or NPCs.
Not sure how much of this the DM wants to do vs the players. But if Toth here is the same as FR's Thoth, he's a god of Artifice, Writing, Knowledge, and Invention (filling a lot of holes), as well as true neutral, so having him as one of our recently-murdered deities fits those holes in the Pantheon well. (and his destruction could've opened up a god-slot for Atheos to fill)
Similarly, Golarion's Gozreh represents true neutrality as well as Water and Weather and would represent another recent hole in the pantheon. Or modifying him to Shimye-Magalla, the neutral (or CN, or NG) fake hybrid deity of Golarion, would make him a deity of Travel and Luck as well, helping to explain those holes in the pantheon.
There are a number of Dead Gods from over the history of the multiverse as well as the twenty currently live Gods and a few of these are connected to the main storyline but other then that feel free to make up dead ones as you see fit, the PC Gods may have even slain non current NPC Gods in the past if you like.
Right, but... there needs to be some agreement or consensus on some of these things, or we won't be able to play our characters in the same universe, because 11 ideas for how everything works and we'll absolutely run into some conflicts.
For instance—if we're talking normal-earth-universe worth of planets, and potentially millions of worlds, that's on the order of quadrillions of intelligent life. That's a very, very, very large number, and means that a god with a million followers becomes literally insignificant in the scale of the universe. For a deity with a utilitarian outlook, like Atheos, helping those quadrillion becomes much more important than any possible event on any possible world (and he'd have no choice but to lose all and any interest in individual worlds if there are galaxy-wide civilizations with a thousand times the citizens to protect and teach).
Basically, capping the number of deities for universe reasons, but not the number of worlds, means that as new worlds are created, every facet of their pantheon needs to be filled by an existing deity, and a large number of deities wind up getting sucked into new worlds where they previously didn't know they existed. (A whole lot also depends on whether the strength of arcane or divine magic varies between worlds)
I'd say from a math perspective, there's either "a lot" as in "too many to quickly count, at least a dozen or two inhabited worlds with a few maybe falling through the cracks of such lists and popping up later" vs "a whole lot" as in "uncountable millions of worlds to consider." In the latter case, things like the Temple of Elemental Evil, the creation of a single race on a particular planet, or the introduction of some technology mean absolutely nothing, with plots requiring a far bigger scale, and the outer planes becoming immense, monumentally populated spaces, each far more powerful and inhabited than any several material worlds.
Also, when you've got thousands of worlds with thousands of technology levels, many of the gods' main goals seem to become pointless (Michazra could just as easily upload minds into robotic bodies as create undead, Cil'dr could steal genetically modified superyeast to feed every planet in his galaxy, Osoro would have to contend with thousands of different family structure codes, many of them based on biological differences between races, etc).
I'm not saying the game wouldn't be able to play out like that—we'd still be deities, but we'd cease to become *D&D* deities in any meaningful sense. Right now, I feel like there is no setting for players to start out with, and giving us infinite boundaries in any direction will continue to get more problematic than it has felt so far.
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Also, things like "Dead Gods" seem to be an important part of the lore, possibly to our characters' backstories and absolutely to the current state of almost any world, and it would be nice to see what's already be determined on that end. Most of Atheos's current plans would depend entirely on world-by-world or universal creation myths (or natural evolution), as well as exactly what killed the "dead gods" and what the ramification is of their unfilled portfolios.
I think a change in prospective may help things a bit.
With most of the ideas you list the idea is focused on the concept that things are flowing from the outside in with regards to Gods instead of the inside out.
There not, the Gods determine most everything in the setting and they don't need to fulfill specific portfolios for mortal existence.
The Gods portfolios and Domains are unlimited if they wish them to be, the reason they have specific ones usually is because of their personality not because they need to fulfill a role for someone, even if that was the original reason for their ascension to deity.
Think of Gods more as powerful people beholden to no one who do what they like as opposed to workers doing a job for some overall Divine scheme.
I will try to make certain mechanics more clear and repost what I already did in recruitment on the campaign tab, but aside from the mechanics of the Gods, the fate of mortal souls and the number of Gods left most everything can be made or altered freely by PCs.(conflicts being handled with either conversations or Will rolls.)
Since some definition has been requested though I will drop in the forgotten realms campaign setting world Toril into the mix for a more defined world for players to mess around in.
In regards to size there are uncountable worlds but True Gods might not be known on even a majority of them, depending on how big players decide their base of followers is. As Divine casters can draw strength to cast their spells from simple belief in concepts they can still get spells even if 99% of the gods of the universe believed in are fake. In addition Demigods, certain outsiders and even certain Mythic heroes can grant divine spells.
The scale of stories doesn't have to be huge just because the setting is, in fact I find that the more intimate a story is the better it often is(in any setting). As from a game mechanics point of view the purposes of these stories is to grant your God storyline exp for telling them, a tale of how a halfling finds true love on some backwater world is just as potent as a galaxy spanning crusade to end all life.
When I start the main story(which I may do sooner than I thought I would if we run into a lot of confusion or gameplay drags) it'll bring in some large scale pantheon shaking adventures.
yeah, the universe doesn't really do anything to the gods, Ishalla doesn't even need followers to be the god of nature for instance. :/
In regards to Dead Gods the ones I've pinned down so far are Selune, the Celestial light twin of Shar, slain by her dark sister. Pelor, an old God of the Sun slain by Asmodeus. Tharzidun, the God of Madness, slain by Lathader before being mysteriously reincarnated into a non God Elder Evil, Toth, Ancient God of Knowledge slain in unknown circumstances within his Divine Realm and the several groups of deities whom have killed each other; A forgotten Elf God and an equally Forgotten Orc God. A God of Valor and a God of Tyranny and three more pairs yet to be determined.
Each relevant mythos will be expanded as we play and you can add dead Gods to the roster yourself with your own stories.
Also, in regards to the number of deities left I realize I could do some more explaining on that. It is not that there are 20 deity slots and when one dies it can then be replaced but that there are only a certain amount of deities that will ever arise in this reality and the last of them just has, leaving the 20 Gods as the last of the Gods. If one dies he or she is completely irreplaceable. If a PC dies they cannot roll up a new God but they can keep playing as a Demigod or various mortals etc.
In a universe where 19 of the Gods died for example then the one left over would be completely omnipotent as no one is left to gainsay him.
yeah, the universe doesn't really do anything to the gods, Ishalla doesn't even need followers to be the god of nature for instance. :/
Yes, followers don't make Ishalla Goddess of Nature, Ishalla makes Nature itself.
I've updated the spreadsheet on my likes and dislikes, because I posted early enough that I only had the application to go off on. (Also, Zodaxus, you never said how you felt about me. (: ) And if no objects, I'm changing Osoro from the Strength domain to the Animal domain, mainly because I can imagine Osoron Clerics raising abandoned lion cubs as their compainions
I also need to come up with a name of Osoron Inquisitors, who'd essentially be divine SVU detectives. (I watched a lot of Law and Order when I was sick)
Well... but as you've just said, nature would happen just as much without Ishalla or on worlds where she's not present...
I think I agree with Atheos: right now the multiverse is too vast and Gods too insignificant while being omnipotent. What prevents Gods from simply creating new worlds and saying "this is my world here; you guys mind your own business"? When doing that, the God in question becomes the ruler of the mortal world and if other Gods want to disagree, they need to succeed in a Contest of Wills. So if everyone can get what they want alone, why should anyone co-operate and settle for compromises?
I mean I like the rules-light approach but the setting needs some solidification. Otherwise we end up separated where one God is ruling a sci-fi world while the others are in a war between wild west and medieval fantasy worlds or something.
The scale of stories doesn't have to be huge just because the setting is, in fact I find that the more intimate a story is the better it often is(in any setting). As from a game mechanics point of view the purposes of these stories is to grant your God storyline exp for telling them, a tale of how a halfling finds true love on some backwater world is just as potent as a galaxy spanning crusade to end all life.
This is also a good point. I propose us PC Gods decide a world to focus on, settle its specifics (nations, races, magic, etc.), and create a story based around that single world.