Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ewancummins 03-01-07, 05:37 PM	Gods , forces, and philosophies - Small gods : Small gods dwell on the Prime Material . They are local powers, with a limited area of influence. They do not normally grant clerics' spells. They are often revered by adepts. These gods tend to have a physical form , or are bound into a natural feature [lake, mountain, etc.] . They are basically DR0 entities. Some were formerly great gods who lost too many worshippers and sank into their current state. There are many small gods. Great gods: Usually dwell on the Outer Planes. They can and do grant spells to clerics or druids. They may sometimes send avatars to the Prime, but most are distant beings who act mainly through their clergy. Several of the core pantheon are among this world's great gods: Hextor, Heironeous, etc. Some may have actually begun as small gods, and gained so many followers and so much power that they ascended to the heavens. There's really no distinction in practical terms between greater, lesser, and intermediate deities. A deity's relative power is related to the numbers who worship, fear, or reverence him. Being forgotten is far worse than being hated. The great gods are fewer in number than the small gods, but more widely known. Demigods are ascended mortals, typically the children of a mortal and one of the great gods. They are the lowest order of great gods, with some being closer to small gods in nature. If the demigod in question has clerics and an extraplanar home, he's a great god. If not, he might be a small god that still wanders the Prime. There are elder gods of evil and madness, that aren't really among the great gods. I'm thinking of using Tharizdun. these gods are outcasts, prisoners, or fragments of greater evil beings that threaten to unravel creation or remake the world into an alien hellscape. Normal, sane folk don't worship them. Even evil churches like the Hextorians perescute these guys. Some clerics do not worship a god at all, revering instead a philosphy, idea, or force .Godless clerics aren't common in most lands, but they aren't unheard of , either.
ewancummins 03-01-07, 05:44 PM	Races, cultures, subraces, halfbreeds- I've edited this post . I won't be using the typical races [ excpet humans]. See below for more details.
ewancummins 03-01-07, 06:10 PM	Magic and casters: This is not a high magic setting. The magic level is what I'd consider medium. About like Greyhawk, as opposed to FR . Adepts and minor magic aren't rare, but powerful casters and items are rare. Items are something you find on adventures, not things you buy at the magic shop[ such places, if they exist at all, sell spell components and MAYBE scrolls or potions]. Wizards are the educated elite of arcanists, and clerics belong to special orders of holy warriors. The village priest is probably just an expert[ an adept at best]. Magic doesn't play a big role in daily life for most people. Wizards are typically trained as apprentices of a powerful master. Magical academies do exist, but are very rare. A rivarly exists in some places between the old fashioned wizards who trained under a single master and the newer breed of student mages who learned the arcane sciences at on of the academies. This tradition of arcane magic is the closest to a scientific approach. Wizards often cloak the mechanics of their magic in mumbo jumbo to impress the ignorant. Sorcerers are not descended from dragons[ which do not interbreed with humans as a general rule]. They are more likely humanoids with fey heritage. In some lands they are honored and respected, in others they are seen as little better than dangerous witches. In all cases, they posses an intuitive grasp of arcane magic. Rather than gaining a familiar, they gain Eschew Material Components as a free feat.
ewancummins 03-01-07, 06:17 PM	Alignment system: I'm thinking of replacing the alignment system with Taint, or something similiar. Possibly adapting the Powers Checks from Raveloft. Good and evil exist in a csomic sense, but mortals are creatures of free will. Actions define a person's true allegiance, not alignement. Clerics are bound to follow the tenets of their faith, or risk losing their powers/being cursed by the gods. If I do it this way, paladins will detect Taint, and clerics will have access to detect heresy, detect guilt , etc[ from some issue of Dragon magazine- dunno which one of the top of my head].
HellflameArcanite 03-01-07, 07:48 PM	In the campaign world that I am creating in my spare time, I plan to have a conflict between arcane spellcasters and divine spellcasters. Each one thinks that their form of magic is superior, and that the other is wrong in some way, and in some lands it has actually led to civil war. The Small Gods are an awesome addition to this idea - champions that allow the divine casters to gain some offensive power.
ewancummins 03-01-07, 08:25 PM	I'm thinking of including a region where the small gods are dominant. Each city state in the region has a small god [of considerable power- don't let the ''small'' part fool you] living in it. These take the form of huge semi animate idols. The priests of these patron gods are adepts, rather than true clerics. They may not be as powerful as clerics, but they have the advantage of having their gods close at hand. The gods will directly support their followers in battle, if necessary. Of course, if a god is captured [ not an easy task] he can be relocated to another city. A city that loses it patron god is in big trouble. Adepts of these small gods need to be within a certain distance of their god to draw power from him. The god being taken captive and held within another small god's domain disrupts the link that enables the adept to gain his power. The region would bear some resemblance to ancient Mesopotamia , with a little of ancient Greece thrown in for good measure. Think mud brick walls and temple, ziggurats, priest kings, bronze maces, chariots, etc. The particulars are different, of course- but the influence can be seen. Each city state is it's own country. Sometimes one or two of the cities wax strong and are able to demand tribute from other cities, but there hasn't been a real empire in some time. A common language is spoken throughout the region, but local dialects may vary widely. The great gods and their clerics are known and generally respected in this part of the world , but are seen as distant from human affairs. Sure, honoring Boccob makes sense if you are a wizard- but the city god actually affects your daily life [ mostly in small ways- making crops grow more quickly, healing the sick during plagues,etc. - but also smiting the city with misfortune if slighted or neglected]. Note: having a few thousand followers in just one city isn't enough to ascend to the ranks of the great gods. The local gods of these city states don't much care. They enjoy being on the Prime plane and recieving sacrifices and worship directly. Most are morally neutral, very territorial, and maybe a bit small minded. They care about their immediate environment, and not much else. Arcane casters are viewed as mysterious figures who wield magic outside of divine control. They aren't typically subject to persecution, but the priestly adepts sometimes mistrust them.
taradusis 03-01-07, 09:42 PM	THE SEA GODS CATAMARRAN-suppose a god wanted a travelling platform?Place a 50ftX50ft platform between 2 wargalleys.This would provide a resting space for a 50 foot tall god?Add about 400 oarsmen and a preisthood of 40 and you have a floating temple?A good god could travel to trouble spots and render aid,an evil god could raid coastal towns?RANDOM THOUGHTS
ewancummins 03-01-07, 09:46 PM	I like that sea god idea. I'll probably go for an evil god! Pirate/adepts ! Yarrr!
taradusis 03-01-07, 10:15 PM	Have you considered a war of the dragons?Tiamat vs,Bahamut?How about the big dog method?Every city or town has a guardian beast as well as a small god?I'm thinking shedu,sphinx,dragon and etc?RANDOM THOUGHTS
ewancummins 03-01-07, 10:44 PM	Shedu, sphinxes, etc. fit in the small gods ruled cities rather well. I am still up in the air about how I'll handle dragons. The great gods are more important in the larger civilized realms. Barbarians may worship small gods or great gods, depending on the tribe in question. Erythnul and Kord certainly have barbarian followers.
taradusis 03-02-07, 01:11 PM	If you have access to the d20 game then the allegiance system could be adapted to replace alignment?There was a sci-fi book where government agents were trained to beleive in there own guardian deities?Imagine creating your own god to follow you around.RANDOM THOUGHTS
ewancummins 03-04-07, 11:01 PM	My world is taking shape very slowly, but it's coming along. I decided to shift things to play up some of the Lovecraftian elements of D&D. I am definitely keeping the small gods/great gods. As I am moving this away from Tolkien , I realize I don't need to have all the standard races. I will not be using any PHB races other than humans. No elves, dwarves, etc. No orcs or goblinoids , either. I'm asking for suggestions for playable nonhuman races [ nothing inherently evil, preferably fairly low LA]. The races do not have to be dark or scary [ that's why we have monster races like mind flayers and troglodytes]. I am thinking of possibly using centaurs. Not counting the half breeds ,we've eliminated four races from the PHB lineup, so adding four to replace them seems about right.
KeshFerrar 03-05-07, 07:17 PM	I like the small god concept. Offer plenty of possibilities for "masterminds" or man/woman behind the curtain. Maybe the villager's sacrificing a virgin to appease the volcano are really feeding a small god's monthly lascivious appetite. Plus I like your goal of using non-standard races. More power to ya. I'll think on it.
taradusis 03-05-07, 10:08 PM	If you have savage species you could pick some of the anthropomorphic species?The little bats,or a catlike race(lion,cheetah,tiger,housecat)could a race created by Bast?Add crunch by drawing up a culture for them?RANDOM THOUGHTS.