Baelus the Wheel (require critique) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Baelus the Wheel (require critique) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
ChaosVirus
06-18-07, 07:05 PM An idea for a deity me and my friend are creating, any critique on this deity would be greatly apprieciated.

Baelus the Wheel
Lord of the Wastes, Desert King, Master of the Sands

Name: Baelus the Wheel
Alignment: True Neutral
Symbol: An 8 spoked Wheel
Home Plane: The Desert of Turning
Worshippers: Monks, Clerics, Sand Shapers
Cleric Alignment: TN
Domains: Undeath, Earth, Knowledge, Time

"The Wheel turns once, and then everything goes back to Baelus"

Baelus (Bae-lus), god of deserts and the wastes is a True neutral god. Baelus is a deity of the act of belief itself. A lord of philosphers and hermits, he has no form accept the idea that he exists.

He is the master of the sands, and as such many sand shapers pay him homage.

Appearance: Baelus is a concept made manifest, the only proof of his existance is in the spells he grants, and within the sands themselves. He has no form which can be defined by mortal definition, or any form that can be defined by any immortal one.
He is Baelus, and that is the only description of his form which is correct.

History: It is unknown when Baelus appeared, though some suggest that he was born the moment the elemental plane of earth touched the negative energy plane. Though others say he was a hermit, who transcended through a thousand years of meditation, transcending mortal to undead, and undead to god.

Nature: He is the lord of the wastes, and sees the dessert as the truest form of order. A desolate landscape where there is no taint. No existance to even think of sin.
Therefore it is order, and it is good.

Followers:
The followers of Baelus follow a simple set of rules.

We believe in Baelus, so Baelus exists.
Baelus believes in the world so the world exists.
The world believes in us, so we exist.

His followers are beings lost in eternal thought. Known as the silent ones, they wander the deserts in rags ringing a but a bell endlessly, as a symbol of the eternal medititation. Till the moment the bell stops ringing, and they are mumifed alive. As a grim testement to there belief.

Followers of Baelus, see the desert as a personifcation of there god, and believe the world desires to be like Baelus. For the desert is order, and the desert is without sin, and thefore the desert is perfection.

Baelus has no church, accept random piling of stones, dotted across the desert. The followers of Baelus, dont believe in fine robs and ornamental jewerly. Believing that the plainer one is, the more closer to Baelus the follower will be.

Paladins of Baelus, are unusural in the sence, that they achieve a state of undeath, not unlike the lich. Though unlike normal followers of Baelus who usually take a more pacifist role in there beliefs. Paladins of Baelus, activly pursue to make things more like Baelus, and doing anything to wipe out chaos and sin. Hence there lawfull good alignment.

Due to there love of deserts, and seeing the absence as a form of perfection, they share a slight kinship with the negative energy plane. With the realm of Baelus situated on the elemental plane of dust.
This for obvious reasons makes the followers of Baelus distrusted by other followers of good or lawfull deities, who find the Baelus idea of perfection lunacy.
Even some members of the Doomguard and the Dustman, have sung songs in Baelus's praise.

The Pantheon of Sand
The Sons and daughters of Baelus, are unlike Baelus in that they poscess forms, but are less powerfull then there father.

Ideas for deities: God of Keys, Goddess of Mazes, Goddess of Time

Daughter of Baelus
Harbringer of the Desert King, Maiden of the wastes
Domains: Trickery, Chaos, Spite, Shadow
Upper_Krust
06-20-07, 11:02 AM Hey ChaosVirus! :)

Why is he called Baelus the Wheel?

Unless my eyes are playing tricks on me I don't see any explanation for his name. :confused:

Also I know he has no form, but I couldn't help thinking about Sandman. :P
GoriceXII
06-20-07, 12:53 PM It is generally a cool description, I particularly like his followers being lost in thought. However it is not really clear why the rather contemplative rules you present should result in a lawful good tendency religion. It strikes me as being rather more a neutral-ish religion--perhaps with good tendencies. I mean hermits and rather distant figures in the desert are not exactly involved with society are they?

If there is more to what you were thinking then maybe write that down, otherwise I'd recommend maybe that this deity has clerics and perhaps small desert monasteries where monks might learn a martial art as a form of meditation.
Aramar the Black
06-20-07, 06:08 PM Why is he called Baelus the Wheel?

Unless my eyes are playing tricks on me I don't see any explanation for his name. :confused:

Maybe it's the circular logic of belief and existence that his followers adhere to.
ChaosVirus
06-21-07, 10:39 AM Yes the wheel relates to there cicular logic =)

Yeah I intended them to be lawfull neutral, with good tendencies. But also have followers who are purely lawfull good in means to make everything bend to his ideals of perfection.

The reason because of lawfull, is that they see the absense of anything else in the dessert as perfection. It's lack of change to them is an almost pinical of order.

The lawfull good followers are his gunslinger paladins, also known as the sand liches, or the silent judges. Though these are the radical factions in this cult, as they are mainly a lawfull neutral belief system.

His home plane is situated between the quasi elemental plane of dust and Arcadia (though more closer to Mechanus then Celestia). Due to some of his believiers almost obsessive idea, of the dessert being perfection, they shre some kinship with the negative energy plane, in the form of dust.
ChaosVirus
06-28-07, 06:29 PM Any other critique anyone?
ewancummins
06-28-07, 10:08 PM Can I borrow this for my own homebrew? It's very cool. I'd give you credit of course. I have been toying with the idea of a desert god, and this fits perfectly.
ewancummins
06-28-07, 10:13 PM Are his paladins actually gunslingers? Do they have revolvers? It might work , even in a lower tech setting, if they were special weapons[magical?]. Just curious. It's a cool image.
Kihon
06-28-07, 11:15 PM I understand why you want LN as his alignment, so that their are LG paladins. I also agree with an earlier post that Neutral might be more apt alignment description.

Because of your description I would guess that almost all of the clerics become comptemplatives (sp?) at some point (out of the Defenders of the Faith book).

I totally see the religion having monks, clerics, a and few paladins.

I do have a question on how the ringing bell is going to work with an adventurer? Perhaps a small bell attached to an article of clothing (gives a -5 or -10 on move silently checks)?

Also I think he may need one more domain other then Sand & Law (?).
ChaosVirus
06-29-07, 12:10 PM Go ahead ewancummins =), your more then welcome to use him in your campaign. If you develop any fluff for him post it here, and I may add it to the final version of him ^_^.

As for the guns, yes his paladins in my campaign are gunslingers. They are low tech, mainly powered by magic (of there will still deciding), and are always very plain, due to there hate or ornamentation.

But this is by no means a requirement.

Eventually Kihon they all end up mumifying themselves alive through meditation (unless you become a sand lich like the paladins). So they are constantly contemplating every aspect of life.

I like the idea of the bell effecting silence checks, as I had not thought that far yet lol.

As for the idea of another domain, I am not sure what else fits with him =/
sciborg2
07-07-07, 12:55 PM very, very nice. a god that is good and has a well thought out reason for being attached to the Negative E. great work. :D
ChaosVirus
07-14-07, 03:25 PM Is anyone else has got any suggestions of critiques, it will be greatly appeciated =)
ZealOdin
07-24-07, 03:11 PM A couple things immediately popped into my head. One being something similar to the game shadow of the colossus for avatars of his. I've never seen a desert god I liked before this one, so I never wanted to use the colossi.

Another was the deathbound or undeath domains from LM.
ChaosVirus
08-09-07, 08:24 AM I have a quick question, and I was wondering if anyone can help me.

Atm, there is a disagreement between me and the co writter of this god.

I would like him to be LN, but my mate wants him to be TN.

A few have also voiced his opinion that he is better suited as a TN deity, but I still want to have the extremist LG gunslinger paladins in his religion, and I am not sure how I can fit them in, if I make him TN.

Anyone got any ideas?
LeuktheSavior
08-09-07, 09:15 AM make him true neutra, but one of his children LG. ultimately, if he is the god that thrives off the concpet of faith, if one of the warriors of Baelus' children does something for the good of said god, it would be in turn serving Baelus.
an example:

Theddais, eyes of the father
Baelus' eye, He-Who-watches-the-night, arbiter of the Desert King

Name: Thaddais
Alignment: Lawful Good, Lawful Neutral
Symbol: silhoutte of a man holding two revolvers crossed over his chest with eyes glowing between the two barrels
Home Plane: Your ballgame
worshippers Paladins, Clerics, Gunslingers
Cleric Alignment LG, LN
Domains Destruction, Law, Travel

appearance Theddias travels the world's to uphold the laws and defend those unable to protect themselves. He travels under many names and appearances, but always as a gunman clad with a travelworn duster and a battered missionary hat. In his true form, he is a short, elderly human male, his weathered, wrinkled face caught in a permament little smile beneath the well trimmed sand white beard. Despite the kind appearance, Theddias is notorious for his unwavering and at times extreme in his administering of the law. It is said when He-who-watches-the-night is angered, his eyes will tell the fate of those around him. If they are blue, like a calm, cloudless sky, the arbiter's wrath has been directed elsewhere. When they are gray, like the color of a storm broiling in the distance, then the arbiter is a danger. And when they are the color of old bruises, of a sky broken with the violence of a fierce storm, Baelus' eye will kill.

history: (ill jsut make something general because its your world) Theddias was born from Baelus to act as Baelus eyes, and in some cases his arms, in the earthly affairs of the world. He has travelled many planes and pursued multiple crusades to ensure the principles of his father are upheld.

Nature amiable and kind. tries to give each man what he is due regardless of race, or religious belief. if spurred to violence, theddias believes the best approach is a scortched earth policy. He doesnt condone instigating violence, but he is a firm believer in finishing it, and finishing it alive.

followers: Vigilantes, lawmen, paladins and clerics flock to the banners of Theddias.
ChaosVirus
08-10-07, 09:45 AM Like it =), I now just need to write a CE offsping, and I will have an interesting pantheon all who embrace negative energy no matter there alignment ^_^
TheHarrow
08-13-07, 02:48 AM If it hasn't been said before, these dieties seem like they would be perfectly at home in the Dark Tower mythos. Which is, of course, a sign of creative transcendence. Congrats, and i can't wait to see the CE god.

/ pls i can have gunslingurz?
ChaosVirus
09-07-07, 07:50 AM What I am going to do now, is have 9 shadow of the collosos style creatures as avatars repersenting the many forms of Baelus.

As well as this, I will have two beings (who may or may not be human versions of the avatars) as demigods who repersent the major extremes of the beliefs of Baelus.

Any ideas to stat the collosos?
ChaosVirus
09-15-07, 10:02 AM Some other ideas.

Using ideas from the mysterious stranger by mark twain.

The factions of worshippers of Baelus, are as varied as the legends which surround him. With people coming from all alignments to rejoice in the thought of Baelus.
Most of the followers of Baelus are nomads, people lost in thought and contemplation.

It would be an insult to call followerers of Baelus Nihilists, even though some of there beliefs do ring true with this line of thought, it shares as much in common with Solipsism.

Because of this memebers of the Sign of One, Bleak Cabal, and the Dustmen have been known to fall in there ranks.

To followers of baelus, existance is a dream, a thought. An idea which might as well not exist.

You are Baelus, You are Baelus's dream, Baelus is a your dream.
LeuktheSavior
09-22-07, 09:44 AM For collosus, id use the epic level handbook's collosus as a gauge for the power of Baelus' avatars.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ChaosVirus 06-18-07, 07:05 PM	An idea for a deity me and my friend are creating, any critique on this deity would be greatly apprieciated. Baelus the Wheel Lord of the Wastes, Desert King, Master of the Sands Name: Baelus the Wheel Alignment: True Neutral Symbol: An 8 spoked Wheel Home Plane: The Desert of Turning Worshippers: Monks, Clerics, Sand Shapers Cleric Alignment: TN Domains: Undeath, Earth, Knowledge, Time "The Wheel turns once, and then everything goes back to Baelus" Baelus (Bae-lus), god of deserts and the wastes is a True neutral god. Baelus is a deity of the act of belief itself. A lord of philosphers and hermits, he has no form accept the idea that he exists. He is the master of the sands, and as such many sand shapers pay him homage. Appearance: Baelus is a concept made manifest, the only proof of his existance is in the spells he grants, and within the sands themselves. He has no form which can be defined by mortal definition, or any form that can be defined by any immortal one. He is Baelus, and that is the only description of his form which is correct. History: It is unknown when Baelus appeared, though some suggest that he was born the moment the elemental plane of earth touched the negative energy plane. Though others say he was a hermit, who transcended through a thousand years of meditation, transcending mortal to undead, and undead to god. Nature: He is the lord of the wastes, and sees the dessert as the truest form of order. A desolate landscape where there is no taint. No existance to even think of sin. Therefore it is order, and it is good. Followers: The followers of Baelus follow a simple set of rules. We believe in Baelus, so Baelus exists. Baelus believes in the world so the world exists. The world believes in us, so we exist. His followers are beings lost in eternal thought. Known as the silent ones, they wander the deserts in rags ringing a but a bell endlessly, as a symbol of the eternal medititation. Till the moment the bell stops ringing, and they are mumifed alive. As a grim testement to there belief. Followers of Baelus, see the desert as a personifcation of there god, and believe the world desires to be like Baelus. For the desert is order, and the desert is without sin, and thefore the desert is perfection. Baelus has no church, accept random piling of stones, dotted across the desert. The followers of Baelus, dont believe in fine robs and ornamental jewerly. Believing that the plainer one is, the more closer to Baelus the follower will be. Paladins of Baelus, are unusural in the sence, that they achieve a state of undeath, not unlike the lich. Though unlike normal followers of Baelus who usually take a more pacifist role in there beliefs. Paladins of Baelus, activly pursue to make things more like Baelus, and doing anything to wipe out chaos and sin. Hence there lawfull good alignment. Due to there love of deserts, and seeing the absence as a form of perfection, they share a slight kinship with the negative energy plane. With the realm of Baelus situated on the elemental plane of dust. This for obvious reasons makes the followers of Baelus distrusted by other followers of good or lawfull deities, who find the Baelus idea of perfection lunacy. Even some members of the Doomguard and the Dustman, have sung songs in Baelus's praise. The Pantheon of Sand The Sons and daughters of Baelus, are unlike Baelus in that they poscess forms, but are less powerfull then there father. Ideas for deities: God of Keys, Goddess of Mazes, Goddess of Time Daughter of Baelus Harbringer of the Desert King, Maiden of the wastes Domains: Trickery, Chaos, Spite, Shadow
Upper_Krust 06-20-07, 11:02 AM	Hey ChaosVirus! :) Why is he called Baelus the Wheel? Unless my eyes are playing tricks on me I don't see any explanation for his name. :confused: Also I know he has no form, but I couldn't help thinking about Sandman. :P
GoriceXII 06-20-07, 12:53 PM	It is generally a cool description, I particularly like his followers being lost in thought. However it is not really clear why the rather contemplative rules you present should result in a lawful good tendency religion. It strikes me as being rather more a neutral-ish religion--perhaps with good tendencies. I mean hermits and rather distant figures in the desert are not exactly involved with society are they? If there is more to what you were thinking then maybe write that down, otherwise I'd recommend maybe that this deity has clerics and perhaps small desert monasteries where monks might learn a martial art as a form of meditation.
Aramar the Black 06-20-07, 06:08 PM	Why is he called Baelus the Wheel? Unless my eyes are playing tricks on me I don't see any explanation for his name. :confused: Maybe it's the circular logic of belief and existence that his followers adhere to.
ChaosVirus 06-21-07, 10:39 AM	Yes the wheel relates to there cicular logic =) Yeah I intended them to be lawfull neutral, with good tendencies. But also have followers who are purely lawfull good in means to make everything bend to his ideals of perfection. The reason because of lawfull, is that they see the absense of anything else in the dessert as perfection. It's lack of change to them is an almost pinical of order. The lawfull good followers are his gunslinger paladins, also known as the sand liches, or the silent judges. Though these are the radical factions in this cult, as they are mainly a lawfull neutral belief system. His home plane is situated between the quasi elemental plane of dust and Arcadia (though more closer to Mechanus then Celestia). Due to some of his believiers almost obsessive idea, of the dessert being perfection, they shre some kinship with the negative energy plane, in the form of dust.
ChaosVirus 06-28-07, 06:29 PM	Any other critique anyone?
ewancummins 06-28-07, 10:08 PM	Can I borrow this for my own homebrew? It's very cool. I'd give you credit of course. I have been toying with the idea of a desert god, and this fits perfectly.
ewancummins 06-28-07, 10:13 PM	Are his paladins actually gunslingers? Do they have revolvers? It might work , even in a lower tech setting, if they were special weapons[magical?]. Just curious. It's a cool image.
Kihon 06-28-07, 11:15 PM	I understand why you want LN as his alignment, so that their are LG paladins. I also agree with an earlier post that Neutral might be more apt alignment description. Because of your description I would guess that almost all of the clerics become comptemplatives (sp?) at some point (out of the Defenders of the Faith book). I totally see the religion having monks, clerics, a and few paladins. I do have a question on how the ringing bell is going to work with an adventurer? Perhaps a small bell attached to an article of clothing (gives a -5 or -10 on move silently checks)? Also I think he may need one more domain other then Sand & Law (?).
ChaosVirus 06-29-07, 12:10 PM	Go ahead ewancummins =), your more then welcome to use him in your campaign. If you develop any fluff for him post it here, and I may add it to the final version of him ^_^. As for the guns, yes his paladins in my campaign are gunslingers. They are low tech, mainly powered by magic (of there will still deciding), and are always very plain, due to there hate or ornamentation. But this is by no means a requirement. Eventually Kihon they all end up mumifying themselves alive through meditation (unless you become a sand lich like the paladins). So they are constantly contemplating every aspect of life. I like the idea of the bell effecting silence checks, as I had not thought that far yet lol. As for the idea of another domain, I am not sure what else fits with him =/
sciborg2 07-07-07, 12:55 PM	very, very nice. a god that is good and has a well thought out reason for being attached to the Negative E. great work. :D
ChaosVirus 07-14-07, 03:25 PM	Is anyone else has got any suggestions of critiques, it will be greatly appeciated =)
ZealOdin 07-24-07, 03:11 PM	A couple things immediately popped into my head. One being something similar to the game shadow of the colossus for avatars of his. I've never seen a desert god I liked before this one, so I never wanted to use the colossi. Another was the deathbound or undeath domains from LM.
ChaosVirus 08-09-07, 08:24 AM	I have a quick question, and I was wondering if anyone can help me. Atm, there is a disagreement between me and the co writter of this god. I would like him to be LN, but my mate wants him to be TN. A few have also voiced his opinion that he is better suited as a TN deity, but I still want to have the extremist LG gunslinger paladins in his religion, and I am not sure how I can fit them in, if I make him TN. Anyone got any ideas?
LeuktheSavior 08-09-07, 09:15 AM	make him true neutra, but one of his children LG. ultimately, if he is the god that thrives off the concpet of faith, if one of the warriors of Baelus' children does something for the good of said god, it would be in turn serving Baelus. an example: Theddais, eyes of the father Baelus' eye, He-Who-watches-the-night, arbiter of the Desert King Name: Thaddais Alignment: Lawful Good, Lawful Neutral Symbol: silhoutte of a man holding two revolvers crossed over his chest with eyes glowing between the two barrels Home Plane: Your ballgame worshippers Paladins, Clerics, Gunslingers Cleric Alignment LG, LN Domains Destruction, Law, Travel appearance Theddias travels the world's to uphold the laws and defend those unable to protect themselves. He travels under many names and appearances, but always as a gunman clad with a travelworn duster and a battered missionary hat. In his true form, he is a short, elderly human male, his weathered, wrinkled face caught in a permament little smile beneath the well trimmed sand white beard. Despite the kind appearance, Theddias is notorious for his unwavering and at times extreme in his administering of the law. It is said when He-who-watches-the-night is angered, his eyes will tell the fate of those around him. If they are blue, like a calm, cloudless sky, the arbiter's wrath has been directed elsewhere. When they are gray, like the color of a storm broiling in the distance, then the arbiter is a danger. And when they are the color of old bruises, of a sky broken with the violence of a fierce storm, Baelus' eye will kill. history: (ill jsut make something general because its your world) Theddias was born from Baelus to act as Baelus eyes, and in some cases his arms, in the earthly affairs of the world. He has travelled many planes and pursued multiple crusades to ensure the principles of his father are upheld. Nature amiable and kind. tries to give each man what he is due regardless of race, or religious belief. if spurred to violence, theddias believes the best approach is a scortched earth policy. He doesnt condone instigating violence, but he is a firm believer in finishing it, and finishing it alive. followers: Vigilantes, lawmen, paladins and clerics flock to the banners of Theddias.
ChaosVirus 08-10-07, 09:45 AM	Like it =), I now just need to write a CE offsping, and I will have an interesting pantheon all who embrace negative energy no matter there alignment ^_^
TheHarrow 08-13-07, 02:48 AM	If it hasn't been said before, these dieties seem like they would be perfectly at home in the Dark Tower mythos. Which is, of course, a sign of creative transcendence. Congrats, and i can't wait to see the CE god. / pls i can have gunslingurz?
ChaosVirus 09-07-07, 07:50 AM	What I am going to do now, is have 9 shadow of the collosos style creatures as avatars repersenting the many forms of Baelus. As well as this, I will have two beings (who may or may not be human versions of the avatars) as demigods who repersent the major extremes of the beliefs of Baelus. Any ideas to stat the collosos?
ChaosVirus 09-15-07, 10:02 AM	Some other ideas. Using ideas from the mysterious stranger by mark twain. The factions of worshippers of Baelus, are as varied as the legends which surround him. With people coming from all alignments to rejoice in the thought of Baelus. Most of the followers of Baelus are nomads, people lost in thought and contemplation. It would be an insult to call followerers of Baelus Nihilists, even though some of there beliefs do ring true with this line of thought, it shares as much in common with Solipsism. Because of this memebers of the Sign of One, Bleak Cabal, and the Dustmen have been known to fall in there ranks. To followers of baelus, existance is a dream, a thought. An idea which might as well not exist. You are Baelus, You are Baelus's dream, Baelus is a your dream.
LeuktheSavior 09-22-07, 09:44 AM	For collosus, id use the epic level handbook's collosus as a gauge for the power of Baelus' avatars.