Chaotic mythology [Archive] - Wizards Community

Chaotic mythology [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
ZeroSD
10-24-07, 08:09 PM Has anyone ever made heavy use of Chaotic mythology or gods in a D&D world, like have the party's biggest allies be not the LG god worshipped by a church, but one of the CG gods? Or have any ideas for doing so?

Most of the time in a cosmotology, Law gets tapped on heavily as the origin, but this never sat right with me. Mechanus may turn the gears of the multi-verse, but it doesn't create. What plane is associated with the raw stuff of creation? That's right, CN (lame though the Slaad are). And the Eladrin are one of the coolest alignment races who were the ones who struck the blows against the Obyriths in the Abyss, while the other Celestial's intervention in the blood war was less successful. There's a lot of cool material there.

Has anyone ever done a world where, say, LE Dieties used to hold sway over all the lands until the Gods of Chaos and Good rose up against them, and now while things may be more balanced, much of the good pantheon is highly chaotic while law is more associated with evil, in a juxtuposition of the norm?

Shoot out any ideas on the subject!
Return of the Flumph
10-24-07, 10:23 PM Check out Lords of Creation on the Campaign Workshop board.
ZeroSD
10-25-07, 12:05 AM Check out Lords of Creation on the Campaign Workshop board.

Ah, that's a pretty long thread. Care for a quick sum-up on the chaoticness?
Return of the Flumph
10-25-07, 03:11 AM Ah, that's a pretty long thread. Care for a quick sum-up on the chaoticness?

The world has been constantly assualted, manipulated, and corrupted by an evil god named Morintu and his lackeys (some lesser LE gods he basically bullied into subservience). The bad gods are opposed by a group of (younger) CG and NG gods, centered around Morintu's chaotic good daughter Glykllivar.
ZeroSD
10-25-07, 04:22 AM Sounds sweet :) I'll read through more of it.
ZeroSD
10-28-07, 07:10 AM Anyone else?

One idea that I had: A plane that continually falls into stagnation and the beings and objects there stop moving and become unchanging. The job of the Celestials is to cause chaos, stir things up, because if they don't everything will eventually freeze.
alchemyprime
10-28-07, 11:38 AM Wow... Bas-Lag

It was a Dragon Article.. or rather, like, four in the same magazine.

D&D in a world similar to a fantasy version of Industrial London. A little steampunk.

The normal races weren't allowed. You had
humans,
vodyanoi (toad people with a lot of good magic backing, LA+1), khepri (only the femlaes can be played as the men lack an intelligence score. Make good clerics, but have a Charisma penalty due to having bugs for heads. LA0),
Cactacae (almost Large cactus men. Excellent fighters. LA+2),
scabmettlers (LA+1, I think, can make armor out of thier own blood),
Garuda (LA+1 bird men)
and the Remade (half-machine people, it was a LA+1 template that can be added to any corporeal non-construct.)

I beleive the classes suggested to fit were Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, possibly Druid (typically more for Vodyanoi and Cactacae), Fighter, Monk, Ranger (I suggest Urban Ranger too), Rogue, Sorcerer, Wizard and Artificer. No paladins. As for the clerics...

The outsiders that have been mentioned as existing are Devils and Weavers (crazy chaotic spiders with unlimited casting of wish, but it took 1d8 hours or so for each wish. Can cast any 0 to 2nd level spells as a full-round action.) Every sort of elemental imaginable exists, including water, salt water, fire, lightning and flesh.

Vampires are seen as junkies begging for blood. Called Vampirs. No e.

That just about sums up most of it. I read the articles and the first two novels, so that's really all I can add in there for you.
ZeroSD
10-29-07, 02:27 AM So, anyone have some original ideas? I'm getting the impression this is an undertapped alignment.
Orchomenos
10-29-07, 12:00 PM IMHO, Chaos doesn't not necessary equal to the ever-changing plane of Limbo. You can have anything between The Heroic Domains of Ysgard and the Windswept Depths of Pandemonium.

So you could have a kind of celtic/viking world where many tribes of CG barbarians joyfully fight together and against CE orc tribes, which they hate but respect. They have a barter economy (no gold piece). Every dispute is resolved in a duel, either to first blood for minor issue or to death for major issue.

Then, a LN Empire (Roman?) appears and slowly begin to wipe everything, introducing concepts such as money (how will a bag of gold pieces feed your familly?), blood-right nobility, and prison.
Outsider Subtype
10-29-07, 03:50 PM Yeah, I suggest that you take a look at Celtic or Mesopotamian myth. I seem to remember that both of those cultures had stories about younger deities rebelling against or fighting tyrannical older deities.
ZeroSD
10-30-07, 02:36 PM IMHO, Chaos doesn't not necessary equal to the ever-changing plane of Limbo. You can have anything between The Heroic Domains of Ysgard and the Windswept Depths of Pandemonium.

Or even a lot wider than that, there's Alice in Wonderland, Eladrin courts, etc. :)

Interesting ideas, I wouldn't have thought of a world with two parts chaos (CG and CE) and one part lawful (LN) in that respect. Thanks for the ideas!
Orchomenos
10-31-07, 07:34 AM You could even make it more complicated. You could split the LN part in two. A strong LE, militaristic part, bent on conquest, slavery, and tribute collecting, and a LG religious part, who wish to bring spiritual enlightment to wild tribes.
ZeroSD
10-31-07, 11:25 AM Although then doesn't it become the more traditional, less chaocentric Law vs Chaos struggle with equal sides?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ZeroSD 10-24-07, 08:09 PM	Has anyone ever made heavy use of Chaotic mythology or gods in a D&D world, like have the party's biggest allies be not the LG god worshipped by a church, but one of the CG gods? Or have any ideas for doing so? Most of the time in a cosmotology, Law gets tapped on heavily as the origin, but this never sat right with me. Mechanus may turn the gears of the multi-verse, but it doesn't create. What plane is associated with the raw stuff of creation? That's right, CN (lame though the Slaad are). And the Eladrin are one of the coolest alignment races who were the ones who struck the blows against the Obyriths in the Abyss, while the other Celestial's intervention in the blood war was less successful. There's a lot of cool material there. Has anyone ever done a world where, say, LE Dieties used to hold sway over all the lands until the Gods of Chaos and Good rose up against them, and now while things may be more balanced, much of the good pantheon is highly chaotic while law is more associated with evil, in a juxtuposition of the norm? Shoot out any ideas on the subject!
Return of the Flumph 10-24-07, 10:23 PM	Check out Lords of Creation on the Campaign Workshop board.
ZeroSD 10-25-07, 12:05 AM	Check out Lords of Creation on the Campaign Workshop board. Ah, that's a pretty long thread. Care for a quick sum-up on the chaoticness?
Return of the Flumph 10-25-07, 03:11 AM	Ah, that's a pretty long thread. Care for a quick sum-up on the chaoticness? The world has been constantly assualted, manipulated, and corrupted by an evil god named Morintu and his lackeys (some lesser LE gods he basically bullied into subservience). The bad gods are opposed by a group of (younger) CG and NG gods, centered around Morintu's chaotic good daughter Glykllivar.
ZeroSD 10-25-07, 04:22 AM	Sounds sweet :) I'll read through more of it.
ZeroSD 10-28-07, 07:10 AM	Anyone else? One idea that I had: A plane that continually falls into stagnation and the beings and objects there stop moving and become unchanging. The job of the Celestials is to cause chaos, stir things up, because if they don't everything will eventually freeze.
alchemyprime 10-28-07, 11:38 AM	Wow... Bas-Lag It was a Dragon Article.. or rather, like, four in the same magazine. D&D in a world similar to a fantasy version of Industrial London. A little steampunk. The normal races weren't allowed. You had humans, vodyanoi (toad people with a lot of good magic backing, LA+1), khepri (only the femlaes can be played as the men lack an intelligence score. Make good clerics, but have a Charisma penalty due to having bugs for heads. LA0), Cactacae (almost Large cactus men. Excellent fighters. LA+2), scabmettlers (LA+1, I think, can make armor out of thier own blood), Garuda (LA+1 bird men) and the Remade (half-machine people, it was a LA+1 template that can be added to any corporeal non-construct.) I beleive the classes suggested to fit were Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, possibly Druid (typically more for Vodyanoi and Cactacae), Fighter, Monk, Ranger (I suggest Urban Ranger too), Rogue, Sorcerer, Wizard and Artificer. No paladins. As for the clerics... The outsiders that have been mentioned as existing are Devils and Weavers (crazy chaotic spiders with unlimited casting of wish, but it took 1d8 hours or so for each wish. Can cast any 0 to 2nd level spells as a full-round action.) Every sort of elemental imaginable exists, including water, salt water, fire, lightning and flesh. Vampires are seen as junkies begging for blood. Called Vampirs. No e. That just about sums up most of it. I read the articles and the first two novels, so that's really all I can add in there for you.
ZeroSD 10-29-07, 02:27 AM	So, anyone have some original ideas? I'm getting the impression this is an undertapped alignment.
Orchomenos 10-29-07, 12:00 PM	IMHO, Chaos doesn't not necessary equal to the ever-changing plane of Limbo. You can have anything between The Heroic Domains of Ysgard and the Windswept Depths of Pandemonium. So you could have a kind of celtic/viking world where many tribes of CG barbarians joyfully fight together and against CE orc tribes, which they hate but respect. They have a barter economy (no gold piece). Every dispute is resolved in a duel, either to first blood for minor issue or to death for major issue. Then, a LN Empire (Roman?) appears and slowly begin to wipe everything, introducing concepts such as money (how will a bag of gold pieces feed your familly?), blood-right nobility, and prison.
Outsider Subtype 10-29-07, 03:50 PM	Yeah, I suggest that you take a look at Celtic or Mesopotamian myth. I seem to remember that both of those cultures had stories about younger deities rebelling against or fighting tyrannical older deities.
ZeroSD 10-30-07, 02:36 PM	IMHO, Chaos doesn't not necessary equal to the ever-changing plane of Limbo. You can have anything between The Heroic Domains of Ysgard and the Windswept Depths of Pandemonium. Or even a lot wider than that, there's Alice in Wonderland, Eladrin courts, etc. :) Interesting ideas, I wouldn't have thought of a world with two parts chaos (CG and CE) and one part lawful (LN) in that respect. Thanks for the ideas!
Orchomenos 10-31-07, 07:34 AM	You could even make it more complicated. You could split the LN part in two. A strong LE, militaristic part, bent on conquest, slavery, and tribute collecting, and a LG religious part, who wish to bring spiritual enlightment to wild tribes.
ZeroSD 10-31-07, 11:25 AM	Although then doesn't it become the more traditional, less chaocentric Law vs Chaos struggle with equal sides?