I always liked the idea of Paizo opening a contest for the pathfinder RPG for people to submit their own heroes/ characters for the trials of the Starstone to become a new official god in the canon RPG. Though I imagine this won't be a thing anytime soon, unless it already was and I totally missed that... ANYHOW...
What is a character you'd put forward for the Test of the Starstone. Characteristics, alignment, dominion, character backstory, associates and heralds. Literally all the details youd want on the prospect wiki page. Included in this is new gods you have made for your own purposes, this is homebrew afterall.
I do have one but I wont share myself yet I am way more interested in other peoples.
Off the top of my head, I'd like a god of "necessary evil". Someone who overly believes in doing the wrong things for the right reasons. He'd have a worldview like The Operative from Firefly:Serenity. My guess is that his alignment would be Lawful Neutral, but the alignment system is more than a little unpredictable and unreliable.
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Random thoughts;
A good god of the dead, a protector and spirit guide sort of person who protects souls, like a nicer version of Anubis. Such a god doesn't necessarily have to have anything to do with non-evil undead, or 'white' necromancy, or any of that stuff, but isn't themself evil or even cold or 'pragmatic' or uncaring, coming across as a warm sheltering presence against the more ruthless or nasty death-gods.
An evil god of nobility and / or glory, who is all about pride and self-importance and dominating 'lesser' people. Luxury and excess are the rewards he feels that he has earned for being a 'superior' person to other races / nationalities / etc. This god is a big fan of caste systems or hierarchies that keep the little people down, and themself on top, living the high life. The iconic Cavalier, Alain, sounds like the sort of person who could go further down this route.
A good trickster god, all about educating the overly serious through pranks, etc. Perhaps a gnome, or a halfling, or an elf, but there's no reason it can't be a human, or even a dwarf, fighting the good fight against people who take themselves *way* too seriously and end up missing all the joy and hope and fun that should be a part and parcel of being good, instead of evil.
A god of alchemy and transmutation who isn't evil, like Haagenti or Norgorber, who is all about 'internal alchemy' or purification / rarification / apotheosis from crude flesh to divine essense, the metaphorical 'lead to gold' transmutation of mortal to immortal. Qi Zhong, from the Dragon Empires, kind of wanders into this territory, but there isn't much for the non-evil alchemist in western Golarion. Good is an option, but neutral works fine as well, since the god's premise is somewhat selfish and 'self-perfecting,' like Irori, and less about sharing and caring.
A god of alchemy and transmutation who isn't evil, like Haagenti or Norgorber, who is all about 'internal alchemy' or purification / rarification / apotheosis from crude flesh to divine essense, the metaphorical 'lead to gold' transmutation of mortal to immortal. Qi Zhong, from the Dragon Empires, kind of wanders into this territory, but there isn't much for the non-evil alchemist in western Golarion. Good is an option, but neutral works fine as well, since the god's premise is somewhat selfish and 'self-perfecting,' like Irori, and less about sharing and caring.
My plan for my character from Wrath of the Righteous is to self-actualize into becoming a deity (taking three instances of Divine Source to pick up Law, Healing, Fire, Community, Judgment, Resurrection, Restoration, and Torture) to become the god of Judgement, Purification, Discipline, and Punishment as the god of the Hellknights.
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I could definitely see a god of Alchemy being a great addition to the gods, but what if it was a God of Alchemy and Guns as they become more prevalent in the setting.
A God of technological progress is the vibe I'm getting.
It's a good vibe.
You probably should share yourself first, since it's your thread. Have you ever seen someone start a "1001 ways to ____) type thread and NOT put the first one (or ten) down? Get people in the mood for it, show us the fun, give us a format to follow.
Yknow what? This is a good point, I was going to originally make an edit to the original post only to remember- well oops.
I'll just lay out my idea here, its pretty in depth considering its the one that spawned the threat concept.
Stabsneed the patron God of Goblin Civilization.
What may be surprising to a few of you but this God would be lawful!
To get the whole idea there is a large backstory here, and ill add a TLDR to the bottom.
The young goblin, in fear of the mighty magic agreed to the Gods terms and became a monk himself with strict orders for training, perhaps for absolution? Not to be smitten? Perhaps this goblin was special? Though thats probably unlikely . The rest of his life Stabsneed, who later would use the name Yoku in respect and mourning for the original monk who he had left for dead, would train... and learn... and adventure! Until the fates brought him back to his home of Bogseep, years and years later in his mid life. His goal was to train, teach and oversee the city now and turn it into an actual civilized city that could even compete with that of human cities.
Upon returning to the swamp now, he'd found that it had been overtaken by... the original Yoku... far more sinister and sick than how the goblin had originally left him. A battle happened, it was close, and kind of epic but it resulted with Stabsneed taking back Bogseep for goblins, out of respect his renounced the name Yoku and convinced the other goblins to give the tyrant monk a proper swamp burial and then... proceeded to spend the rest of his life until old age building the infrastructure of the goblin city. Actual stable and sturdy buildings were constructed, massive classes would form listening to the powerful goblin monk speak, writing no longer stole the words from their heads! Well... it did but the paradigm was changed, writing now stole the old words from your head so new, fresh ones could form, it allowed you to record yourself for the future to enjoy. And with all of that, the city would start to grow into what Stabsneed wanted.
The years between his installation as leader and him taking the test of the Starstone was unfortunately not as well recorded, even with the taboo of writing removed, goblins songs say different things, but one thing was certain, on the edge of his death the great monk leader Stabsneed took a group of his disciples on a pilgrimage of his own- to take the test of the starstone and cement his addage that the true potential of goblins. He took ten goblins in with him, all who were willing to die for him... and they probably did. But the test was passed and Stabsneed became an ideal of goblins... ones that meant they didnt have to be at odds with other species, or themselves.
TL;DR A goblin starts training as a disciplined monk, leaving his home city. Decides he was going to change the lives of every goblin for the better by starting a vast change for goblins, pushing them to be more educated, trained, etc. He returned to his city, became its leader and through his whole life, which though relatively short he had the potential of the entire city behind him which made things move along way quicker than anyone could have expected, and reformed an entire goblin city. When he was super old he took a group to do the test of the starstone, and ascended.
This character being a God in canon has the potential to change the entire landscape of goblin behavior, or actually, at least makes the range wider between what can be expected of the common goblin. He would represent progress, civilization and the innate potential of every goblin. Its all very saccharine, I know.
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Jeff, the god of biscuits and that feeling of having forgotten something at home.
Lawful Glutinous, of course.
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Machine god for the win!
I could definitely see a god of Alchemy being a great addition to the gods, but what if it was a God of Alchemy and Guns as they become more prevalent in the setting.
A God of technological progress is the vibe I'm getting.
It's a good vibe.
This would have to be some kind of grease rat rogue or a plain ol' good crafter build. Even if they're not an alchemist. Just a god of Craft, Creation and Technology who passes the test and then just shows up in the pantheon like WHAT UP FOOLS I GOT MAGIC /AND/ TECH NOW. Just totally dismissive of divine powers of others because he made it on his machinery.
If their name isnt a play off a Deus Ex Machina thing I will personally be disappointed.
For those who dont know the literal meaning of that common phrase, it literally means : God from the Machine.
I think machine gods are well covered by Brigh and events in Iron Gods.
I'm thinking chemistry, transformation and explosions.
Brigh covers constructs and the alike more often than not? The creation of magical items and alike, the image I was conjuring was purely technology in a purely (and a bit ironically) secular sense. Brigh for sure covers invention, but invention for the sake of inventing. Honestly, in a stricter sense Brigh feels more like a robotic (gee I wonder why, right?) deity of science than a God of the bonding of humanoid and machine in order to progress (and in this literal case, be on par with gods themselves). Again, this was just the idea I got from it.
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A good or neutral god of fire, passion and creation, all about arts and crafts, as well as smithing and forgework, and celebrating how fire can heal and warm and cook food, burn down the old rotting wood in the forest and 'forge' the rest to be stronger, and bring renewal to the world.
A good goddess of the sea, as lawful as others are chaotic, all about the predictable and eternal cycle of the tides, bringing food to the people of the land through fish migrations, etc. She'd probably be more likely in a place not prone to hurricanes, or other ocean-adjacent disasters (where people might be more likely to see the sea as capricious or fickle or uncaring), a calmer 'inland sea' sort of situation like the Mediterranean, or Avistan's inner sea. If the local land is prone to earthquakes or volcanism (like, again, the Mediterranean), the sea might even be seen as little more 'unstable' or 'unreliable' than the land itself!
A god of language and writing and runes/symbols/glyphs. The god would focus heavily on various forms of communication, from written and spoken words to 'sign language' and means of conveying information ship to ship or across great distances (signal fires, semaphore flags, the ringing of bells in certain patterns, etc.). The church would have have 'sacred messengers' whose reliability (and discretion, and neutrality!) are sacrosanct even among various hostile nations (these messengers would refuse to carry military messages, for example, and so nations that respect this god would allow messengers to pass unharmed). They would also keep track of heraldic devices and arcane symbols, and serve that purpose in some nations as well, with noble families old and new consulting the church's records before choosing or modifying a seal or crest. The god would be lawful neutral, and associated also with the air, and flying creatures, having a sort of 'pony express' of slight humans (perhaps even children or adolescents), elves, gnomes and halflings who ride a non-sapient version of giant eagles to carry messages (and desperately needed very light supplies, such as healing potions) across great distances. Some flying creatures themselves (such as intelligent giant eagles, or some setting specific winged humanoid) also revere this god, as well as many bards who serve as court heralds, memorizing long lists of names and forms of address for precise and faultless courtly introductions.
A warlike protector god(dess), whose favored weapon is the shield (and shield bash, perhaps also with shield spikes). 'The Shieldmaiden,' if one goes that route, would be all about martyrdom and sacrifice and endurance, about defense and guardianship and refusing to budge one inch in the face of aggression. Possibly a dwarven goddess, and beloved of the dwarven defenders, in which case associations with the unmoving earth and steadfastness of adamantine, which may eventually break, but will not bend, are appropriate. Other than a large shield, and some spare shields stowed across her back, etc., she'd go unarmed, and her clerics might follow in her stead and stick to (spiked) shield-bashes for offense, or use unarmed combat with their free hand, or carry some sort of one-handed 'light spear' with their other hand, or even use a buckler, or, if the rules allow it and it's not kicking any hornet's nests of controversy, even dual-wield shields. In addition to shields and defense, she'd also be a goddess of stonework and fortifications, and her followers would have the most ridiculously secure temples. Picking up heavy armor proficiency tout suite would be a common choice among her clerics.
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Brigh covers constructs and the alike more often than not? The creation of magical items and alike, the image I was conjuring was purely technology in a purely (and a bit ironically) secular sense. Brigh for sure covers invention, but invention for the sake of inventing. Honestly, in a stricter sense Brigh feels more like a robotic (gee I wonder why, right?) deity of science than a God of the bonding of humanoid and machine in order to progress (and in this literal case, be on par with gods themselves). Again, this was just the idea I got from it.I think machine gods are well covered by Brigh and events in Iron Gods.
I'm thinking chemistry, transformation and explosions.
Say, have you read Brigh's bio in the Iron Gods AP? Some of her followers believe that Brigh was once a human who transcended biological limitations into a form of technological divinity. Brigh's also focused almost exclusively on technological and scientific innovations, not developments in magic. (She's even compared to a technological equivalent of Nethys)
The followers who believe she was once a living person say that she was a talented prodigy studying alchemy and clockwork. By uniting disparate theories of natural life and construct creation, she was able to seamlessly fuse mechanical parts with her body, creating a composite form that gave her incredible powers of strength, agility, and mental calculation. Much as the god Irori’s pursuit of self-perfection allowed him to transcend his mortal form, her endeavors transformed her into something on the border of mortal and deity—perhaps a mythic being or a demigod. Devotees of this theory suggest that her mortal name was lost during the centuries she spent in isolation, creating and perfecting her dual form, explaining why there is no record of such a woman, or that name, in any mortal academy or lists of inventors’ pupils.
I've always wondered at the criteria for selection of the Starstone-wrought new divinities' portfolios. Discounting Aroden (since, really, he was rather god-like before raising the Starstone), all but Iomedae fit into a "missing" slot in the divine bureaucracy.
Norgorber, as the "first," has an incredibly varied set of concerns, and even his worshipers tend to follow one aspect over the others. This fits; there were no deities that encompassed any of the aspects of his portfolio.
Cayden Cailean is the parallel of WotC's Olidammara, but with the "roguish" aspects already occupied by Norgorber removed; he represents the bards, drunkards, and party-goers the world over, and there hadn't been anyone filling that role prior to his ascension.
Iomedae is the odd-ball; she didn't really have a portfolio until she assumed Aroden's. It's theory, but highly possible that her ascension was "allowed" by whatever greater force controls the Starstone, so she could fulfill her future role as Aroden's replacement. Being his "herald" certainly didn't require any innate divinity (Arazni wasn't), nor is it necessary for a mortal to take the test to fill a specific role, if the other deities promote them (Kurgess, for example).
When I break it down like this, I ask myself what aspect is missing from the Pantheon; what part of the multiverse does not yet fall under the domain of the pre-existing deities?
Time.
While Pharasma is pretty darn close, no deity is presented that has direct powers over Time itself. Are there "uberdeities" as presented in the D&D supplement "Deities and Demigods," acting above and beyond those presented, giving little regards to mortals but reigning supreme over the rest of the gods? Pathfinder, IIRC, has yet to present that to us.
My suggestion then, and the focus of my magnum opus homebrew I've been putting together for many years, is the God of Time.
It matters little when he ascends, nor who he was before. From the moment he achieved divinity, he had always existed, and always will. Asmodeus remembers him from the dawn of creation, when it was naught but the devil and his brother. Dou-Bral conversed with him before being possessed by the insane outer gods. Pharasma can see his path all the way to the end of everything else. For what force in existence can bear to stand against Time itself?
Time recalls before this existence began, and Time knows there will come to pass an existence after this one. Nethys and Pharasma are the only two of the deities he associates with; Nethys's madness touched upon the awesome force of time, and Pharasma can peer into the lens of the future. But Time is neither past nor future; he is everywhere, everywhen, all at once. He cares little for worshipers, does not grant divine powers, and those few mortal creatures who have stumbled upon some lore of his seem more like madmen than prophets, so there are few cults and no churches preaching his name; even the cults oft die out soon, but none of it matters for a being outside of temporal continuity.
I know, this has little bearing on what I gather the thread is meant to discuss; who care if a god exists, when the god doesn't do anything?
Therein lies the point of my homebrew, and what would be the base of interest for the god in traditional PF. With such a tremendous load thrust upon him by creation itself, the once-mortal mind of Time sundered, fragmenting into infinite pieces and scattering themselves through all. These fragments are born upon the world as mortals, with no memories of who they came from nor any extra-mortal powers. Drendle Drang could be an aspect of the God of Time, but no one, not even he, would know it. The power of time should not have fallen upon one who was once mortal, and in the wake of the happening, the bits of him, filled with regret at the life stripped from him, live their own lives within the continuity of time, while their gestalt sum exists outside, managing the heaviest burden of any divinity to date. In that way, the God of Time is both apart from, and intricately entwined within, reality as it is known.
One of these temporally-consistent aspects could pass the test of the Starstone as per normal. But, like all of those names in the Shrine of the Failed, no one, likely not even the deities themselves, know what fate became of him after he embarked on the quest.
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I had a character (Anaetis) for a brief period that it was his intention (Or at least my intention for him) to eventually take the Test of the Starstone.
He would adventure to raise resources for Shelynite orphanage where he grew up and related issues and while doing so he would perfect his ideal form (He was a synthesis summoner) and develope his core philosophy.
His taking of the Starstone trials was not for divinity, but for the grand treasure. Becoming a god was not a result he thought would come.
In the end he would end up becoming the God Compassion, Joy, and Mercy.
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When I break it down like this, I ask myself what aspect is missing from the Pantheon; what part of the multiverse does not yet fall under the domain of the pre-existing deities?
Golarion's dieties aren't like Greyhawk's, or those from the Forgotten Realm, or even Dragonlance. They pretty much operate independently from each other and don't form a club, and certainly do not acknowledge any of them as a leader or "Skyfather". Pantheon isn't the appropriate term as it implies a relationship which does not exist.
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Golarion's dieties aren't like Greyhawk's, or those from the Forgotten Realm, or even Dragonlance. They pretty much operate independently from each other and don't form a club, and certainly do not acknowledge any of them as a leader or "Skyfather". Pantheon isn't the appropriate term as it implies a relationship which does not exist.
The caps was indeed misplaced, but the term:
pan·the·on
noun
all the gods of a people or religion collectively.
"the deities of the Hindu and Shinto pantheons"
While I do agree that the implication generally brings about a "chief deity," the word itself does not need one. Golarion's deities aren't like Earth's, either, and there need not be a "leader" for a collective term to be used.
Likewise, they still fit the bill, as far as portfolio assignments go. There is minimal-to-no overlap between what deities are responsible for what. Leader or no, some sort of cosmic agency prevents there from being five Torags.
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Golarion's dieties aren't like Greyhawk's, or those from the Forgotten Realm, or even Dragonlance. They pretty much operate independently from each other and don't form a club, and certainly do not acknowledge any of them as a leader or "Skyfather". Pantheon isn't the appropriate term as it implies a relationship which does not exist.The caps was indeed misplaced, but the term:
pan·the·on
noun
all the gods of a people or religion collectively.
"the deities of the Hindu and Shinto pantheons"While I do agree that the implication generally brings about a "chief deity," the word itself does not need one. Golarion's deities aren't like Earth's, either, and there need not be a "leader" for a collective term to be used.
Likewise, they still fit the bill, as far as portfolio assignments go. There is minimal-to-no overlap between what deities are responsible for what. Leader or no, some sort of cosmic agency prevents there from being five Torags.
Yes... it's called authors who didn't want the Forgotten Realms mess of a dozen overlapping pantheons. Thing is... not every vacancy gets filled. And there are gods who do overlap to some degree.
Well they don't fit that definition either. The greater 20 of the Inner Sea aren't all recognized by the other regions of even Golarion for that matter. Tien has dieties which are practically unknown to the the Inner Sea, and I imagine the other regions have similar issues.
I don't recognize the Hindu deities, I have my own. They're still a pantheon. I point you to Inmer Sea Gods, where they use the term in the exact manner I did.
You're free to disagree and view Golarion's deities in whatever way you'd like, of course.
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Iomedae is the odd-ball; she didn't really have a portfolio until she assumed Aroden's. It's theory, but highly possible that her ascension was "allowed" by whatever greater force controls the Starstone, so she could fulfill her future role as Aroden's replacement. Being his "herald" certainly didn't require any innate divinity (Arazni wasn't), nor is it necessary for a mortal to take the test to fill a specific role, if the other deities promote them (Kurgess, for example).
Emboldened for emphasis/rebuttal. Actually Arazni was divine, or at lest semi-divine. In her write-up in Mythic Realms, she has the Divine Source Universal Mythic Ability So she was clearly on her way to Demi-godhood at least.
Emboldened for emphasis/rebuttal. Actually Arazni was divine, or at lest semi-divine. In her write-up in Mythic Realms, she has the Divine Source Universal Mythic Ability So she was clearly on her way to Demi-godhood at least.
I hadn't caught that, nice find. Does that apply to the heralds of all the deities, or just her?
On a similar note, did she possess such abilities prior to her role with Aroden? The Mythic stuff all stems from some sort of "event" (I don't recall the term, and I'm on mobile) that made them Mythic in the first place. It could easily be said that Aroden granted her powers when he chose her. Or perhaps she was some Empyreal Lord before. At any rate, there's precedent for "true" deities promoting non-deific beings to god status; Kurgess and, more prominent, Achaekek, immediately come to mind.
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Just her. Most heralds are CR 15 outsiders with no wiff of divinity. Arazni, on the other hand, was always called a "demigod" in early productions, even as Aroden's herald. It was even a point that the knighthood who worshiped her (still when she was Aroden's herald) - including Iomedae, if I remember correctly - had at least a portion of their faith crushed when the lich king killed her.
(And much more harmed when the ghost stole her body, reanimated it as a lich, and corrupted her.)
The thing is, Aroden was always kind of unique. His herald was way more powerful than that of the other gods (being a demi-divine being herself), and he'd been a hero practically forever by the time he raised the Starstone. Beyond that, he'd been part of a major prophecy that talked about how he'd come back to the world and rule personally from his seat of power in Taldor Cheliax.
And then he died and everything went bad for a bunch of people.
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This thread poses a similar question, and my answer from there still applies:
Name : Voren
Title: the Resolute ShieldAlignment : Lawful Good
Domains : Good, Law, Protection
Subdomains : Archon, Defense, Friendship, Legislation, RedemptionSymbol : a golden shield adorned with a black flame
Favored Weapon : unsure (spiked shield may be appropriately thematic, but Voren has never used one)
Ethos : Protect those who cannot protect themselves. This includes villains that are no longer a threat, but does not include those who still threaten others. This philosophy does not preclude the use of lethal force, though it is not preferred.
Herald : advanced shield archon
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I've always wondered at the criteria for selection of the Starstone-wrought new divinities' portfolios.
What I find intriguing about the Starstone Scions is that their portfolios suggest that nobody had those specific areas of concern before them.
For Iomedae, she took on some of Aroden's 'law' concerns, but he wasn't a god of chivalry or honor, in particular (being more 'history and civilization and humanity', IIRC). Presumably nations had cavaliers and knightly orders and chivalry and codes of honor and even paladins long before Iomedae, who is the first explicit god to address those subjects.
For Cayden Cailean, bravery and courage might have been more associated with Gorum, before he took on those aspects, and a god of beer, ale and wine is specialized enough that it's not a shock that there wasn't a major god of booze already.
Most intriguingly, there's Norgorber. Ten thousand years of rogues and thieves and assassins and alchemists and intriguing politically-minded folks and murderers, and none of that had a god, before Norgorber stepped out of the Starstone Cathedral? That seems quite unusual. Various demon lords (such as Shax, for murderers, or Haagenti, for alchemists) cover *some* of those aspects, but thieves as one of the 'big four' classes / roles of D&D-based games and settings, so it's almost as off for there not to be a 'god of thieves' (like Norebo or Mask or Brandobaris) as it would be for there not to be a 'god of magic.' Certainly some other gods seem 'thief-friendly,' such as Calistria or Zon-Kuthon, but few seem to have the political ties of Norgorber, who is sort of a 'god of intrigue' as well, or any connection to alchemy, for that matter.
As for the other ascended gods, Urgathoa, Irori and Nethys, there's a pre-existing god of magic (who died) for Nethys to replace, an implication that Urgathoa is ridiculously old (predating both disease and the existence of undead), and Irori's areas of concern are pretty specific and not as likely to represent any sort of gaping hole in religious schema, since 'self-perfection' and 'god of monks' are not quite as common themes as 'god of war' or 'god of weather.'
As for time, Brigh is apparently a god of time, through her association with clockwork, but she's a pretty minor god, and time hardly seems to be her primary focus. As god of both history and innovation, and tied heavily to prophecy, Aroden flirts pretty heavily with a 'god of time' theme, even if he isn't explicitly a 'god of time.' But he's dead, so there's certainly 'design space' in the 'pantheon' of Golarion for a god of time!
Between focusing on history and possibility / pre-ordination, domains like Charm, Knowledge, Law and Luck might suit a god of time, and perhaps a favored weapon that involves precise timing and patience to learn and use (ranged weapons like bows, crossbows or slings, with the shortbow being my first choice, since Erastil and Abadar already cover longbows and crossbows, and I wouldn't inflict favored weapon - sling on anyone, even as a punishment).
(...)As for the other ascended gods, Urgathoa, Irori and Nethys(...)
If I were some highly-educated but non-clerical individual in the Pathfinder world (to correlate our meta-knowledge with an appreciable level of mechanical skill), I'd almost certainly worship Norgorber.
Of all the ascended deities, Norgorber might just be the most intelligent. Let's assume that he knew what he was doing when he passed the test, and "selected" his dominion rather than just being assigned it. He found the biggest opening, and seized upon it, quite expertly. Caydean was a drunk, and lucky, and Iomedae embodies too much of the quintessential "good triumphing over evil" for my personal tastes; good doesn't always win, and indeed, depending on the perspective of the individuals, one's personal idea of good often appears as evil to those in a differing set of circumstances.
Aroden, to me, is a politician. He did a lot of "good," but breaking it down, most of it benefited him. Taking what we know of the Azlanti culture, and given that Aroden was the last "true son of Azlant," I've never looked at him as an embodiment of good and virtue. It took him centuries to stop "saving the day;" at least at first, he didn't teach men to fish, he gave them their suppers instead. He set up a nigh-impregnable fortress-city so they could be safe, versus teaching them to care for themselves. It's arrogant, and superior, and that stands true with what we know of his heritage.
I had intentionally left Urgathoa, Nethys, and Irori out, each for differing reasons, mostly because they didn't acquire divinity in the same way, but also, their origins are not as clear to the general public as most of the rest. Ask a priestess of Sarenrae if it's true that Asmodeus and his brother created the universe, and she'll probably smite you; but the followers of the devil-king believe that to be absolute truth (well, as true as anything Asmodeus tells). Urgathoa's legend is just that; she fled the line of Pharasma and became the first undead, but the timeline of that is so far removed from "modern" society that it's nearly impossible to prove that was true. The Eoxians, for example, predate the Age of Darkness, and by her lore, Urgathoa would have to have been long before even that. Nethys is in the same boat; he's apparently a God-King, but so little record exists of that society that this falls into legend as well, and Irori is foreign, and stands (though chief) amid hundreds upon hundreds of deities, most of which don't even have names known to the Inner Sea.
Brigh slipped my mind, but as you mentioned, she doesn't really embody "time;" it's more like she tracks it, rather than controls it. Plus she's kind of weird, and we don't really know a whole lot about how she came to be, we're just given a lot of assumptions to work with.
I like your choice of domains, and the weapons make sense as well (even sling!). The primary reason I didn't want to build him out, though, was that he simply wouldn't care about mortals. His domain would put him over-and-above the concerns of even the greatest of greater deities; he sees their beginnings, and their ends. I suppose he could be classified as a nihilist; existing outside of temporal continuity would give him a rather unique perspective, since he knows quite well that all things, even him and the very universe itself, will end, and ultimately (until there is Something again), all will be nothing. Why would he care about your prayers, when he sees beyond even your afterlife, to a point where there is nothing?
Yeah...he's not a very good "god," and I definitely put him as one of the Uberdeities that may or may not exist, but the way I feel, by the very nature of his existence, he'd realize that while everything matters, ultimately, Nothing is all that will be. Until, again, there is Something, but that Something won't be the same as what is now.
@GM Rednal - Good point! Maybe I should've considered him one of the Outer Gods. I've always sort of empathized with the Lovecraftian-themed deities, in any system; they're (almost) always classified as insane and evil, but the "truth" is they just understand more than anything else does, and that would absolutely lead to an alien mindset.
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Squealy Nord (drops mike).
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Nethys is in the same boat; he's apparently a God-King, but so little record exists of that society that this falls into legend as well, and Irori is foreign, and stands (though chief) amid hundreds upon hundreds of deities, most of which don't even have names known to the Inner Sea.
For Nethys, he's noted as a god king (pharaoh), with the note,
The term 'God-King' is often associated with Nethys, the All-Seeing Eye who was instrumental in the coming to power of Azghaad, the First Pharaoh, prior to Nethys' ascension as a god.[1]
... which puts his ascension between -3470 to -3412 AR. That puts him a thousand years after the end of the age of darkness (ended ~ -4292 AR). The previous god of magic, Amaznen who'd sacrificed himself to stop the Starstone (well... slow it down, a bit). That's about ~8,000 years from the current time.
Also, here's me... :D
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Most intriguingly, there's Norgorber. Ten thousand years of rogues and thieves and assassins and alchemists and intriguing politically-minded folks and murderers, and none of that had a god, before Norgorber stepped out of the Starstone Cathedral? That seems quite unusual. Various demon lords (such as Shax, for murderers, or Haagenti, for alchemists) cover *some* of those aspects, but thieves as one of the 'big four' classes / roles of D&D-based games and settings, so it's almost as off for there not to be a 'god of thieves' (like Norebo or Mask or Brandobaris) as it would be for there not to be a 'god of magic.' Certainly some other gods seem 'thief-friendly,' such as Calistria or Zon-Kuthon, but few seem to have the political ties of Norgorber, who is sort of a 'god of intrigue' as well, or any connection to alchemy, for that matter.
My interpretation? Norgorber doesn't actually exist - he's a front for the real "god of thieves" who has always existed but is kept secret because what good is a thief whose name is known? The facade of Norgorber is in essence the perfect disguise, a known unknown that keeps people asking the wrong questions and assuming the wrong things. Norgorber's followers are actually following this deity without even knowing. It's the perfect cover for the perfect thief.