Making the Golarion deities setting-neutral


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In the game that I'm running now, the Empyreal Lords serve the purpose of a good-aligned pantheon, and the villain-groups who have made an appearance so far have venerate Asmodeus, Moloch, and Zura. If and when I run a new campaign, I'm thinking of using Paizo's Golarion deities.

The problem is, some of the Golarion gods are rather setting specific. Most of them are fine, and can be integrated into the campaign with no work. Asmodeus is a D&d classic, and others like Shelyn and Zon-Kuthon have more to do with the overall multiverse then Golarion. I'll list the ones who are more problematic...

Cayden Cailean: Is very tied to the Starstone. I could simply say he was a mortal who got drunk and just suddenly became a god, but that doesn't really make sense. In contrast, I could explain that he was never mortal, but a deity who takes the form of a roguish, heavy-drinking adventurer. This is convenient, but it sort of ruins the point of his character. If my setting lacks a Starstone-analogue, I can't really use his backstory as written.

Iomedae: Besides the aforementioned issue of the Starstone, her legendary deeds and struggle against the Whispering Tyrant (not to mention her role as Aroden's successor) are heavily tied to Golarion. It might be possible to change her deeds or keep them vague, and just have her ascend through pure holiness and heroism.

Rovagug: There is the minor issue of him being sealed within Golarion. Perhaps he is sealed in this campaign world, or within the moon.

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Axial wrote:
Cayden Cailean: Is very tied to the Starstone. I could simply say he was a mortal who got drunk and just suddenly became a god, but that doesn't really make sense. In contrast, I could explain that he was never mortal, but a deity who takes the form of a roguish, heavy-drinking adventurer. This is convenient, but it sort of ruins the point of his character. If my setting lacks a Starstone-analogue, I can't really use his backstory as written.

Various mythologies have lakes or rivers that are sources of power (such as the river that Achilles was dunked into to gain invulnerability) or foods / drinks of power (Norse apples of Idunn, Greek ambrosia and nectar, etc.). Cayden could be re-imagined as an epicurean drunkard who travelled the entire world for new exotic drinks, and somehow managed to travel to whatever secret place holds the nectar of the gods, and drink from it. (Perhaps by challenging the pre-existing god of drink to a drinking contest and winning the right to drink from the forbidden drink, replacing the old Dionysian god of drink in the process?)

Maybe he stole the drink. Maybe he won the drink. Maybe he and the god(dess?) of strong drink were knocking booties. Maybe he tricked a drunken god to share the nectar/ambrosia with him.

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Iomedae: Besides the aforementioned issue of the Starstone, her legendary deeds and struggle against the Whispering Tyrant (not to mention her role as Aroden's successor) are heavily tied to Golarion. It might be possible to change her deeds or keep them vague, and just have her ascend through pure holiness and heroism.

Re-imagine the 'twelve labors' to suit the setting, tying her to whatever monsters (aboleth, dragons, great old ones, dark elves) that you want to make your campaigns uber-threat, and she's probably good to go. Like Torm, of the Realms, she starts out a 'good soldier' to more powerful gods, fulfills her duty admirably (unlike Torm, perhaps without dying in the process...), and gets promoted. Whether or not whatever greater god(s) she worked for die (or retire) in the process, or she merely ascends to stand beside them, instead of below them, is up to you.

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Rovagug: There is the minor issue of him being sealed within Golarion. Perhaps he is sealed in this campaign world, or within the moon.

In a different setting, he can be imprisoned within that world, as easily. His 'niche' is pretty much the same as Tharizdun, in Greyhawk, an 'elder evil' that the rest of the gods teamed up to imprison / cripple / destroy.

It's not strictly necessary that Rovagug be imprisoned inside the planet itself (although that's a cool theme, and a fun way to rationalize so many underdark races turning evil over time). He could be imprisoned in the Plane of Shadow (an entire phantom reflection of the living world created entirely to keep him distracted, rampaging around destroying shadow-images of the real world he can't quite reach?), or the plane of fire or whatever.


All you really need to do is change the backstory of the deities a little. Iomedae for example is very similar to Athena from Greek mythology so just change some of the stories to be closer to that. For Cayden Cailean just change the method of accession. Maybe he got drunk and got into a card game with a deity who bet his godhood. There are also plenty of myths of evil deity level monsters being imprisoned in the center of the earth for Rovagug.

This does not require you to change the personalities, or powers of the deities in any way. Iomedae is still the stern upright deity, and Cayden Cailean is still does not remember exactly how he became a deity.

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