Activity of Deities in Faerun [Archive] - Wizards Community

Activity of Deities in Faerun [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Alleran
06-19-07, 11:13 AM Okay, so the way it goes, I'm trying to work through a campaign, and as a part of it, the PC characters have the "assistance" of a deity. Because Deities are quite overpowered when considering "standard" battles short of world-altering ones (this campaign is a semi-sort of one - the PCs are into their Epic levels by now), I've imposed limits on the deity by ruling that he is refusing to use many of his Divine Abilities and/or feats, instead only making use of his pre-divine spellcaster levels (magic which is pretty much above and beyond anything that the PC's can themselves handle anyway). Even that much use is quite rare, though much like you would see Gandalf only using his magic in desperate situations throughout the LotR books/movies. And so far, at least one of the PCs has been killed because he thought that the Demigod would just bring him back. More fool him. :D

Anyway, my question more or less revolves around whether it is technically possible for a Deity to have even that much "physical" activity in Faerun, given that a Deity running amok (so to speak, though I've made significant efforts to reduce the level of influence he possesses) could have repercussions on the balance that Gods are supposed to protect.

Anyway, is it possible? I don't really want to remove the deity entirely, since it lends an epic feel to the whole story without throwing the Chosen or anything of that calibre into the mix, but if said deity is breaking the rules by acting as he is, then I can see reason to remove him before too much longer.
The_Wrath_of_Talos
06-19-07, 05:06 PM It is rare for a deity to leave the protection that their domain gives them. I remember in a book I read not long ago a deity left his plain in order to kill another deity and in turn was killed or at least imprisoned by the target(the story has not yet been concluded).

So if your God is walking openly on the material expect trouble from other deities. That is if Ao will even allow it. But if your campaign takes place on the deities native plane, they can do what they want it's their home.
Zandilar
06-19-07, 07:16 PM Heya,

I think a deity is actually far more likely to act through a proxy rather than an avatar. Proxies are representatives of the deity, but are not the deity themself. Think of them as more powerful Chosen (and even then, some proxies will only be about the same power level as Chosen - particularly in the case of Mystra)... This fits far better into an Epic campaign, at least in the low Epics (like 20s to 30s)... After about 35, lower level deity avatars (demideities) might work without overshadowing the PCs.

However, the trouble with using an Avatar in a game is that it gives the PCs an unlimited number of "get out of Jail free" cards, particularly if you're not careful of balancing things... There still will be problems - even if you are ultra careful to balance things you need to bear in mind that if the deity is actively active (heh) in the Realms, his or her enemies will also be actively active in opposition. This can very quickly blow the entire game out of proportion. (Doesn't mean the game can't be fun, but it is something to bear in mind - directly meddling deities will change the gamescape considerably.)

In the end, I think Ao might raise some objections... So as I said... Proxies or Chosen not Avatars. ;)
Alleran
06-19-07, 11:26 PM I'm aware that the game can fairly easily spiral out of control if they're not strictly regulated, which was why I decided to tone back the ability of the deity to intervene (he's only rank 4-5 anyway, but I removed his access to divine abilities while on the material plane). One player's already died as a result of thinking that there's a "get out of jail free" card, as I said. It was perhaps a bit cruel, but single-handedly attacking a couple of quite-strong Devils while shouting "resurrect me if I die!" was deserving of death. :)

As to other deities being active in opposition, it plays off a previous campaign where the two surviving characters (prior to reaching divinity) were both mortals and were in the same party. One was good, one was evil (NG and LE respectively). When they ended up as gods at the conclusion of a long series of adventures, they became opponents. So basically, while the PCs are working with the good deity, the evil one's also doing his own things to oppose them, through his own agents. It's taken a while to get around to even this point in the campaign, since the characters had to start from low levels and work their way up.

I'll look at turning the deity going with them into a proxy instead, though. I figured Ao might have problems with a god walking around, but wasn't sure of how much objection it'd take for him to decide that the deity needs a lesson in proper etiquette. :P
Bloodtide_the_Red
06-20-07, 07:07 AM Gods in the Realms do this all the time. It's quite common for a god to send down a lesser powered part of themselfs to wander the Realms.

Some notable examples-

-Mystra walked the Realms for years as Myrjala 'Darkeyes'
-Finder Wyvernspur spends a good amout of time walking about
-Selune lived in the Realms for years as Luna, the owner of the bar Selune's Smile, in Waterdeep
-Cyric still moves around the Realms

BT
XHereticX
06-20-07, 11:09 AM Ao does meddle around a little too much don't you think, why coudn't he be like the High God of Krynn, just out of the pantheon's business.

A deity would most likely send an Aspect or a Proxy to aid the adventurer, only sending an avatar when it is a real crisis and the God needs to show that amount of power to solve the situation. Anyway, gods in the Realms are very involved in the affairs of the world and it is perfectly fine to include a deity in a campaign as long as the deity dosen't outshine the PCs too much.

Or the deity could do a Gandalf-type thing and just leave the party for long periods of time and drop on in once in a while to check on them (make the deity come in after a terrible battle and say, "did I miss anything?":D)
Alediran
06-20-07, 12:39 PM Or the deity could do a Gandalf-type thing and just leave the party for long periods of time and drop on in once in a while to check on them (make the deity come in after a terrible battle and say, "did I miss anything?":D)

That's more a Fizban-type thing.
XHereticX
06-20-07, 01:00 PM That's more a Fizban-type thing.

Yeah, that too:D

Hey that fits, Fizban/Paladine was a god too.
Green Elven Vampire
06-21-07, 01:46 AM Erevan Ilesere is by far one of the most eccentric, far traveled, never on his home plane kinda deity. He is always tricking and pranking other gods and goddesses on Toril and other planes. So yes, I'd say it's not uncommon for some deities like Erevan to be VERY active on Toril and other planes.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Alleran 06-19-07, 11:13 AM	Okay, so the way it goes, I'm trying to work through a campaign, and as a part of it, the PC characters have the "assistance" of a deity. Because Deities are quite overpowered when considering "standard" battles short of world-altering ones (this campaign is a semi-sort of one - the PCs are into their Epic levels by now), I've imposed limits on the deity by ruling that he is refusing to use many of his Divine Abilities and/or feats, instead only making use of his pre-divine spellcaster levels (magic which is pretty much above and beyond anything that the PC's can themselves handle anyway). Even that much use is quite rare, though much like you would see Gandalf only using his magic in desperate situations throughout the LotR books/movies. And so far, at least one of the PCs has been killed because he thought that the Demigod would just bring him back. More fool him. :D Anyway, my question more or less revolves around whether it is technically possible for a Deity to have even that much "physical" activity in Faerun, given that a Deity running amok (so to speak, though I've made significant efforts to reduce the level of influence he possesses) could have repercussions on the balance that Gods are supposed to protect. Anyway, is it possible? I don't really want to remove the deity entirely, since it lends an epic feel to the whole story without throwing the Chosen or anything of that calibre into the mix, but if said deity is breaking the rules by acting as he is, then I can see reason to remove him before too much longer.
The_Wrath_of_Talos 06-19-07, 05:06 PM	It is rare for a deity to leave the protection that their domain gives them. I remember in a book I read not long ago a deity left his plain in order to kill another deity and in turn was killed or at least imprisoned by the target(the story has not yet been concluded). So if your God is walking openly on the material expect trouble from other deities. That is if Ao will even allow it. But if your campaign takes place on the deities native plane, they can do what they want it's their home.
Zandilar 06-19-07, 07:16 PM	Heya, I think a deity is actually far more likely to act through a proxy rather than an avatar. Proxies are representatives of the deity, but are not the deity themself. Think of them as more powerful Chosen (and even then, some proxies will only be about the same power level as Chosen - particularly in the case of Mystra)... This fits far better into an Epic campaign, at least in the low Epics (like 20s to 30s)... After about 35, lower level deity avatars (demideities) might work without overshadowing the PCs. However, the trouble with using an Avatar in a game is that it gives the PCs an unlimited number of "get out of Jail free" cards, particularly if you're not careful of balancing things... There still will be problems - even if you are ultra careful to balance things you need to bear in mind that if the deity is actively active (heh) in the Realms, his or her enemies will also be actively active in opposition. This can very quickly blow the entire game out of proportion. (Doesn't mean the game can't be fun, but it is something to bear in mind - directly meddling deities will change the gamescape considerably.) In the end, I think Ao might raise some objections... So as I said... Proxies or Chosen not Avatars. ;)
Alleran 06-19-07, 11:26 PM	I'm aware that the game can fairly easily spiral out of control if they're not strictly regulated, which was why I decided to tone back the ability of the deity to intervene (he's only rank 4-5 anyway, but I removed his access to divine abilities while on the material plane). One player's already died as a result of thinking that there's a "get out of jail free" card, as I said. It was perhaps a bit cruel, but single-handedly attacking a couple of quite-strong Devils while shouting "resurrect me if I die!" was deserving of death. :) As to other deities being active in opposition, it plays off a previous campaign where the two surviving characters (prior to reaching divinity) were both mortals and were in the same party. One was good, one was evil (NG and LE respectively). When they ended up as gods at the conclusion of a long series of adventures, they became opponents. So basically, while the PCs are working with the good deity, the evil one's also doing his own things to oppose them, through his own agents. It's taken a while to get around to even this point in the campaign, since the characters had to start from low levels and work their way up. I'll look at turning the deity going with them into a proxy instead, though. I figured Ao might have problems with a god walking around, but wasn't sure of how much objection it'd take for him to decide that the deity needs a lesson in proper etiquette. :P
Bloodtide_the_Red 06-20-07, 07:07 AM	Gods in the Realms do this all the time. It's quite common for a god to send down a lesser powered part of themselfs to wander the Realms. Some notable examples- -Mystra walked the Realms for years as Myrjala 'Darkeyes' -Finder Wyvernspur spends a good amout of time walking about -Selune lived in the Realms for years as Luna, the owner of the bar Selune's Smile, in Waterdeep -Cyric still moves around the Realms BT
XHereticX 06-20-07, 11:09 AM	Ao does meddle around a little too much don't you think, why coudn't he be like the High God of Krynn, just out of the pantheon's business. A deity would most likely send an Aspect or a Proxy to aid the adventurer, only sending an avatar when it is a real crisis and the God needs to show that amount of power to solve the situation. Anyway, gods in the Realms are very involved in the affairs of the world and it is perfectly fine to include a deity in a campaign as long as the deity dosen't outshine the PCs too much. Or the deity could do a Gandalf-type thing and just leave the party for long periods of time and drop on in once in a while to check on them (make the deity come in after a terrible battle and say, "did I miss anything?":D)
Alediran 06-20-07, 12:39 PM	Or the deity could do a Gandalf-type thing and just leave the party for long periods of time and drop on in once in a while to check on them (make the deity come in after a terrible battle and say, "did I miss anything?":D) That's more a Fizban-type thing.
XHereticX 06-20-07, 01:00 PM	That's more a Fizban-type thing. Yeah, that too:D Hey that fits, Fizban/Paladine was a god too.
Green Elven Vampire 06-21-07, 01:46 AM	Erevan Ilesere is by far one of the most eccentric, far traveled, never on his home plane kinda deity. He is always tricking and pranking other gods and goddesses on Toril and other planes. So yes, I'd say it's not uncommon for some deities like Erevan to be VERY active on Toril and other planes.