Greetings forum! In my short stay here; I've received excellent feedback from the forum members here on every one of my posts. Thus, I come to you with my latest query.
In my home-brew campaign setting, the pantheon of deities is largely Roman influenced in nature. The reason for this being, in the back-story of the world, the Gods didn't create the sentient races, at least, not the modern PC races.
The Gods came to the world from elsewhere; and came to the mortal world to offer them a pact, and all of the major PC races accepted the pact. Since then, the deities run the world in a fairly distant fashion, opting to air their grievances with one another through their followers.
Different sects of worship of the same deities fight one another, and it is rare that a deity is forthcoming with direct advice or input.
Anyways, the Elves of this world had the traditional "Elf-War" whereupon the Elves split into 3 factions which have become 3 different races. The difference in this world is; of the factions one became the Drow (they rejected the gods) the Sylvan Elves (the traditional Elves with some APG modifications, who were neutral in the war) and the Imperial Elves (who accepted the gods as their patrons), who take on aspects of Roman culture, including their love of conquering and orderly moral society (at least in theory or on the surface, lol).
Long story short, I need to come up with Domains for the Roman Deities I've chosen. APG subdomains are welcome, as are conversions or sources from other things. I am using the Roman versions of the gods (and sometimes with Greek influence where necessary), including the perceptions of the Romans in how the deities act. A brief blurb on each god I need is encased below.
Vulcan
The God of the Forge, Volcanoes, Fire, Hard Work and Crafting.
Vulcan is one of the most prolifically worshiped gods, though the Dwarves have a special reverence for him. They consider him the embodiment of the most cherished of their ideals.
Juno
Queen of the Sky. Goddess of Childbirth and Motherly Wisdom. The Halflings have a special love of Juno and unlike her normal somewhat random nature towards others, her love of the Halflings seems unconditional. They refer to her as "Mother Juno"
Jupiter
King of the Sky, Rulership, Lightning, and the proper flow of Fate. Jupiter is one of the favored gods of many Human cultures, as well as the Imperial Elves prime deity. Worship of Jupiter is highly codified and respectful in the Imperial Elven Empire.
Vesta
Goddess of the Hearth, Community, Family and Chastity. Vesta is popular among the common people as a protector in all races. Her priesthood is comprised mostly of female virgins; the "Vestial Virgins". Males aren't unwelcome in the priesthood, just uncommon.
Venus
Goddess of Love, Beauty, Women, and Fertility. Venus is also associated with the type of affection which sustains social life, deep friendship. Venus is often viewed through the lens of the culture and priesthood which worships her. For example, Human Courtesan-Priestesses worship her much differently than Imperial Elven "aspects of beauty" priestesses do.
Mars
God of War, Conquest, Spring and Beginnings. Mars is perhaps the second most widely worshiped god of the Imperial Elves. He is a formal war god, not the blood-lusty type. Discipline and duty are his hallmarks.
Medea (
(note, I understand Medea wasn't a goddess, but she suits a purpose and elevated her to one for the campaign setting). Medea is the goddess of Magic, Cunning and Revenge. Medea is seen as a living example of why arcane magic is particularly feared, and as such that legacy is passed on to Wizards and their reputations. She is not widely worshiped except by Wizards and Sorcerers; though cults of revenge and assassination are devoted to her.
Mercury
God of Messengers, Peace, Prosperity, Trade and Commerce.
Mercury is widely regarded as the patron of merchants and tradesmen.
Minerva
Goddess of Battle, Wisdom, the spoils of War, and the Arts. She is considered a female counterpart to Mars, and is connected with a dual personality. In her Artistic and Wise aspect, she is patient and kind. n her Battle and War aspects, she is insatiable in her fury.
Neptune
God of Sailors, the Sea, Storms, and Thunder. Neptune is known as a god to be appeased, or he will become wrathful. Many Maritime cultures have a love/hate relationship with Neptune. He is also associated with Bulls and Horses in some cultures. The Minotaurs consider him to be the patron of their race.
Pluto
God of Death, the Underworld, Ghosts, and Endings.
Pluto is not a hostile Death god, merely the king of the underworld. In some cultures, he is also worshiped with as a god of wealth and dignity.
Ceres
Goddess of the cycle of Seasons, Plants and Fruitfulness. She is also considered "mother earth" in some cultures, as well as the goddess of life.
Bacchus
God of Wine, Ecstasy, Freedom, and Festival. Often associated with immorality and excess, Bacchus is a widely worshiped god among hedonists, bards and nobility in some cultures.
Helios
God of the Sun, Day, and Honor. Helios is associated in many cultures also as a protector of ideals, and in more primitive cultures he is associated as a fire god as well. To the Imperial Elves, he is known as "Sol Invictus" or "The Unconquered Sun".
To restate- the purpose of this is to assign appropriate domains (or subdomains) to each deity. While it may be a concern to some that there are no "overtly" evil deities, it should be understood that given that priesthoods of the same gods can fight one another depending on their allegiances. The gods themselves may represent acts which are considered "aligned"; but they gods themselves are not.
I tend to run games with alignment removed from the system, so I have less of a problem to deal with regarding acts that are considered "cosmically aligned with good or evil". While a god or an act or code of behavior might be considered good or evil; it has no "absolute" implications. Please bear that in mind before making suggestions. This doesn't mean you can imply a god has "Law/Chaos/Good/Evil" as a domain; it just needs to be justified in more of a "cosmic" implication.
Sorry for the ramble. The pool of ideas of the many is better than just my own.
-Idle
You didn't invite Discordia! You know what that means. :P
|
Based off of your stuff, trying to avoid my own preconceptions;
Vulcan
The God of the Forge, Volcanoes, Fire, Hard Work and Crafting.
Earth, Fire, Artifice. Possibly Strength and / or Creation.
Juno
Queen of the Sky. Goddess of Childbirth and Motherly Wisdom.
Air, Weather, Community, Healing?
Jupiter
King of the Sky, Rulership, Lightning, and the proper flow of Fate.
Weather, Nobility, Law, Luck?
Vesta
Goddess of the Hearth, Community, Family and Chastity.
Community, Healing, Protection, Fire.
Venus
Goddess of Love, Beauty, Women, and Fertility.
Charm, Community, Healing?
Mars
God of War, Conquest, Spring and Beginnings.
War, Law, Nobility, Glory?
Medea
Medea is the goddess of Magic, Cunning and Revenge.
Magic, Trickery, Knowledge.
Mercury
God of Messengers, Peace, Prosperity, Trade and Commerce.
as with Abadar, there aren't really 'trade' 'commerce' or 'merchant' friendly domains, unless you dig into 3.5 or third-party stuff.
Minerva
Goddess of Battle, Wisdom, the spoils of War, and the Arts.
War, Knowledge (not much available for 'Arts,' perhaps Artifice?)
Neptune
God of Sailors, the Sea, Storms, and Thunder.
Water, Weather, Travel
Pluto
God of Death, the Underworld, Ghosts, and Endings.
Death, Repose
Ceres
Goddess of the cycle of Seasons, Plants and Fruitfulness.
Earth, Plant, Healing, Animal?
Bacchus
God of Wine, Ecstasy, Freedom, and Festival.
Liberation, Chaos, Charm, Travel?
Helios
God of the Sun, Day, and Honor.
Sun, Fire, Law.
Medea
Medea is the goddess of Magic, Cunning and Revenge.
Magic, Trickery, Knowledge.
I would go with Magic, Trickery, and Evil here.
Mercury
God of Messengers, Peace, Prosperity, Trade and Commerce.
as with Abadar, there aren't really 'trade' 'commerce' or 'merchant' friendly domains, unless you dig into 3.5 or third-party stuff.
I don't know the Roman perception of Mercury as well as I know the Greek Hermes, but some suggestions:
Travel: Definitely, being messenger god and all with the winged feet/boots
Rune: Hermes invented writing (I don't know what the Romans say about that) (and by a stretch, you could add Magic, since his aspect of Hermes Trimegistus, his mastery of language led to the art of magic. It's called "Hermetic" magic for a reason. But again, this is probably stretching away from Roman perceptions.)
Trickery: Hermes/Mercury frequently depicted as a trickster
Luck: Suits, however limitedly, to the concept of prosperity
Minerva
Goddess of Battle, Wisdom, the spoils of War, and the Arts.
War, Knowledge (not much available for 'Arts,' perhaps Artifice?)
Artifice would be fine, since her "arts" were usually handcrafts like pottery and weaving.
Neptune
God of Sailors, the Sea, Storms, and Thunder.
Water, Weather, Travel
Consider adding Earth, oddly, as he was known to cause Earthquakes.
Pluto
God of Death, the Underworld, Ghosts, and Endings.
Death, Repose
Repose, Law, Darkness?
Ceres
Goddess of the cycle of Seasons, Plants and Fruitfulness.
Earth, Plant, Healing, Animal?
Bacchus
God of Wine, Ecstasy, Freedom, and Festival.
Liberation, Chaos, Charm, Travel?
I would trade travel for Madness. They're called "bacchanals" for a reason.
|
|
Medea
I would go with Magic, Trickery, and Evil here.
True. She's feeling more and more like Medea-as-Hecate, come to think of it.
Mercury
Travel: Definitely, being messenger god and all with the winged feet/bootsRune: Hermes invented writing (I don't know what the Romans say about that) (and by a stretch, you could add Magic, since his aspect of Hermes Trimegistus, his mastery of language led to the art of magic. It's called "Hermetic" magic for a reason. But again, this is probably stretching away from Roman perceptions.)
Trickery: Hermes/Mercury frequently depicted as a trickster
Luck: Suits, however limitedly, to the concept of prosperity
Luck and Travel are must-haves. Good points. Medea seems to be taking on his Magic and Trickery aspects.
Knowledge would probably be a good fit, for both him scouting aroud and him delivering information.
Neptune
Consider adding Earth, oddly, as he was known to cause Earthquakes.
Or Destruction, if Earth is going to be more Hades/Pluto's thing. Possibly even Animal, for his role in the creation of various sea life (and horses).
Then again Artemis would work better for that, if she was present. She seems a quintessentially 'elf-y' goddess, all running around in the woods with a bow.
Bacchus
I would trade travel for Madness. They're called "bacchanals" for a reason.
Oh, that's a total gimme. Can't believe I missed that! Good catch!
It's cool to see Hestia/Vesta on the list. She's an original Olympian, but gets no love at all, despite being all hearth and home-y, and being a suitable goddess to provide both fire and protection themed effects. (She's actually one of the best Olympians to empower a super-hero, in a DC adventures-ish game. Force fields (representing the 'home' and fire blasts (for the 'hearth')? Very nice combo.)
Just want to say thank you so far, Set and DeathQuaker.
I can't believe I left out Artemis/Diana either. I'll definitely have to fix that.
I'm ok with enforcing certain subdomains from the APG as well, like for example Neptune having the Destruction Domain with the Catastrophe Subdomain enforced.
Associated Domain: Destruction.
Replacement Power: The following granted power replaces the destructive aura power of the Destruction domain.
Deadly Weather (Su): At 8th level, you can unleash a furious call to the heavens, summoning forth an ever-changing storm of destruction for a number of rounds per day equal to your cleric level. This storm has a radius of 5 feet per cleric level. Each round, the storm has one of the following effects: driving rain (–4 on all Perception checks and ranged attack rolls), howling winds (–8 on Fly skill checks and ranged attack rolls), heavy snow (all terrain is considered difficult), or lightning bolt (as call lightning). Other effects depending on the weather might also apply (at the GM's discretion). You choose which effect takes place each round, but no effect may be repeated on the following round. These rounds do not need to be consecutive.
Replacement Domain Spells: 2nd—gust of wind, 3rd—call lightning, 7th—control weather.
-Idle
I'd substitute Hecate for Medea.
It's cool to see Hestia/Vesta on the list. She's an original Olympian, but gets no love at all, despite being all hearth and home-y, and being a suitable goddess to provide both fire and protection themed effects. (She's actually one of the best Olympians to empower a super-hero, in a DC adventures-ish game. Force fields (representing the 'home' and fire blasts (for the 'hearth')? Very nice combo.)
I agree it's awesome to see her on the list.
Wasn't Hestia/Vesta nonviolent though? I have a memory of reading something, probably by Robert Graves, citing her as hating violence. Gifting someone with fire blasts seems unlikely. ;) Force field, however, most definitely. :)
Idlemind: I like the catastrophe subdomain for Neptune, good catch! (No pun intended.)
Diana: Animal, Liberation, Sun (Light Subdomain only), Darkness (Night Subdomain only). I know it's weird to have Sun and Darkness in the same god, but it's the best way I can think of to represent a moon god. Just Darkness would be okay too, I think.
Was Nike; Roman, Greek, or both?
Was Nike; Roman, Greek, or both?
Nike was Greek; Roman was Victoria. :)
Okay, I always get the two names mixed up...
First Draft, based on the suggestions here and my own research:
Key: + means in addition to the base Domain, these subdomains can be opted into.
ONLY means this domain can only be selected if you choose the subdomain(s) in question.
Bacchus (Dionysus)
God of Wine, Ecstasy, Freedom and Festival
Energy Type: Positive
Favored Weapon: Unarmed Strike or Sap
Domains: Liberation (+ Freedom and Revolution Subdomain), Chaos (+Azata Subdomain), Charm (+Lust Subdomain)
Ceres (Demeter)
Goddess of the Seasons, Plants and Fruitfulness
Energy Type: Special.
During Spring Summer and Fall, the Cleric Channels Positive Energy.
During Winter, the Cleric Channels Negative Energy.
Favored Weapon: Sickle
Domains: Plant (Decay and Growth Subdomains ONLY), Weather (Seasons Subdoman ONLY)
Spring, Summer and Fall Domain: Healing (Restoraton and Resurrection Domains ONLY),
Winter Domain: Repose (Ancestors Subdomain ONLY)
If Healing or Repose is chosen; when the seasons change to the appropriate season so does the domain.
Diana (Artemis)
Goddess of the Hunt, the Moon, and Archery
Energy Type: Positive
Favored Weapon: Shortbow or Longbow (non-composite varities only)
Domains: Animal (+Feather and Fur Subdomains), Liberation (+Freedom Subdomain ONLY). Darkness (Night Subdomain ONLY) Protection (Purity Subdomain ONLY).
Helios (Sol Invictus)
God of the Sun, Daytime and Honor.
Energy Type: Positive
Favored Weapon: Longspear or Battleaxe
Domains: Sun (+Day and Light Domains), Glory (+Honor Subdomain), Fire
Jupiter (Zeus)
King of the Sky, Rulership, Lightning, and the proper flow of Fate.
Energy Type: Positive
Favored Weapon: Javelin or Shortspear
Domains: Air (Cloud Subdomain ONLY) Luck (Fate Subdomain ONLY), Nobility (+Leadership Subdomain), Trickery (Deception Subdomain ONLY), Weather.
Juno (Hera)
Queen of the Sky. Goddess of Childbirth and Motherly Wisdom.
Energy Type: Either. Most priestesses of Juno choose positive, but there are a rare few subsects based on revenge and control which choose negative.
Favored Weapon: Whip or Punching Dagger
Domains: Air (Wind Subdomain ONLY), Community (Family Subdomain ONLY), Knowledge (Memory and Thought Subdomains ONLY), Trickery (Deception Subdomain ONLY).
Mars (Ares)
God of War, Conquest, Spring and Beginnings
Energy Type: Positive
Favored Weapon: Any Martial Melee weapon.
Domains: War (+Blood and Tactics Subdomains), Strength (+Ferocity and Resolve Subdomains), Glory (Heroism and Honor Subdomains ONLY), Nobility (Leadership Subdomain ONLY).
Medea
Medea is the goddess of Magic, Cunning and Revenge.
Energy Type: Negative
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff or Dagger
Domains: Magic (+Arcane Subdomain), Trickery (+Deception Subdomain), Luck (Curse Subdomain ONLY), Evil (+Devil Subdomain), Death (Murder Subdomain ONLY)
Mercury (Hermes)
God of Messengers, Peace, Prosperity, Trade and Commerce.
Energy Type: Positive
Favored Weapon: Caduceus (Use Warhammer Stats)
Domains: Travel (+Exploration and Trade Subdomains), Liberation (Freedom Subdomain ONLY), Rune (Language Subdomain ONLY)
Minerva (Athena)
Goddess of Battle, Wisdom, the spoils of War, and the Arts.
Energy Type: Positive
Favored Weapon: Shortspear and Shield
Domains: War (+Blood Subdomain), Nobility (Martyr Subdomain ONLY), Protection (+Defense Subdomain), Knowledge (Thought Subdomain ONLY), Artifice.
Neptune (Poseidon)
God of Sailors, the Sea, Storms, and Thunder.
Energy Type: Positive
Favored Weapon: Trident
Domains: Weather (Storms Subdomain ONLY), Water (+Oceans Subdomain), Travel (+Exploration Subdomain), Destruction (+Catastrophe Subdomain)
Pluto (Hades)
God of Death, the Underworld, Ghosts, and Endings.
Energy Type: Negative
Favored Weapon: Scythe
Domains: Death, Repose (+Ancestors and Souls Subdomains)
Law (Inevitable Subdomain ONLY), Darkness (Loss Subdomain ONLY)
Venus (Aphrodite)
Goddess of Love, Beauty, Women, and Fertility.
Energy Type: Positive
Favored Weapon: None
Domains: Charm (+Love and Lust Subdomains), Community, Healing
Vesta (Hestia)
Goddess of the Hearth, Community, Family and Chastity.
Energy Type: Positive
Favored Weapon: Shield
Domains: Good, Community (+Family and Home Subdomains),
Healing, (+Restoration Subdomain), Protection (Purity Subdomain ONLY)
Vulcan (Hephaestus)
The God of the Forge, Volcanoes, Fire, Hard Work and Crafting.
Energy Type: Positive
Favored Weapon: Warhammer
Domains: Artifice (+Contruct and Toil Subdomains), Earth (+Metal Subdomain), Fire (+Ash Subdomain)