A pantheon of pantheons [Archive] - Wizards Community

A pantheon of pantheons [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
jadehawk
03-23-07, 01:56 PM I don't know how to move a thread to a new area so I'm just copy pasting this. I had this originally in the Deities and Demigods section, but seeing that I'm looking for suggestions about how to use knowledge checks for my homebrew pantheon for when I DM, maybe this is a better spot.

***

I've got a pantheon working out where the reality of divinity is relatively simple (5 eternal forces with immense divine rank granting divine rank to certain risen mortals), but the mortals of earth do not understand this point. Instead, they are left to figuring out their own interpretation of pantheon structures based on the hodgepodge of clues that mostly clerics attempt to decipher.

As a result, there are a number of pantheons from culture to culture (and indeed conflicting ideas within the same culture), ranging from praising animal's primal behaviour to an ancestral lineage of mortal gods oddly symbolizing our current day periodic table of elements. Anyways, all of the pantheons are in one way or the other correct, reflecting the actual pantheon, but none are perfect. As a side note, no mortal truly understands how the divine pantheon truly works; if they did they would cease to be mortal and rise into godliness (Divine Rank 0).

This brings up a trouble of knowledge checks. I've been thinking because religion is now so localized I would have knowledge: religion checks using knowledge: local as a double check (ie. you roll them both), or possibly as synergy whenever you are attempting to determine something about a mortal pantheon. So say you are trying to determine what a certain cult believes is the form and type of some god that is similar but not the same as the god in your pantheon. Perhaps you roll a knowledge local (DC 15?) before rolling knowledge religion.

Of course, if you are just rolling to determine what kind of undead creature there is or if you are determining something about the true nature of the divine pantheon (something about the 5 eternal forces perhaps), it would just be a straight up knowledge: religion check.

Any suggestions?
Kouk
03-24-07, 07:59 PM I would just let the local religion have Knowledge(Religion) checks as normal, and increase the DC for the other versions of religon, if they are really so different.
jadehawk
03-26-07, 01:16 PM right, so if you are of the local religion you roll the check normally, but if it is out of your element so to speak the DC would increase by 10 or something. I would think someone with knowledge: local could somewhat offset the penalty, perhaps 1 point per rank?

Btw, yes they are dramatically different as far as their teachings. For instance, while the elven pantheon believes that there are 5 elemental forces each expressing an element and sensory perception (or lack there of), the dwarven pantheon is a list of 60 some deities of mortal origins, representing certain chemical element traits, with complicated lineages and family trees.
darkneolink
03-26-07, 01:25 PM well, you might do something like this

before you continue this reading i'm warning you that this will use Real life religions as examples so if you are somwhow offended by it please don't flame

A Catholic Priest wanting to make a knowledge within the catholich church needs a 10, but if he wants to make a knowledge of the judaism traditions (wich is the root of the catholich church) the DC would be 11 or 12 (they are not so diferent from each other really) and then he makes a check from the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl he'll have to make a DC 20+ because they are quite diferent religions with quite diferent cultures and diferent backgrounds
jadehawk
03-26-07, 03:08 PM No offense taken on this side. I am pro-choice.

So I think what's going to happen is that for all religious questions to do with a particular faith I will have it rolled normally for anyone who follows the faith (or is locally familiar with it) and increase the DC of the check for all others (+2 for slight variation, +5 for significant, +10 for no relation). That increase can be reduced 1:1 for every rank in knowledge: local the character has.
darkneolink
03-26-07, 03:13 PM well the reduction... i'll say make the reduction for every2-5 ranks in knowledge local (5 ranks would be the best because of the synergy)
also, knowledge history could work
maybe nobility and royalty but don't think so
knowledge the planes might be 2:1

etc etc etc

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
jadehawk 03-23-07, 01:56 PM	I don't know how to move a thread to a new area so I'm just copy pasting this. I had this originally in the Deities and Demigods section, but seeing that I'm looking for suggestions about how to use knowledge checks for my homebrew pantheon for when I DM, maybe this is a better spot. *** I've got a pantheon working out where the reality of divinity is relatively simple (5 eternal forces with immense divine rank granting divine rank to certain risen mortals), but the mortals of earth do not understand this point. Instead, they are left to figuring out their own interpretation of pantheon structures based on the hodgepodge of clues that mostly clerics attempt to decipher. As a result, there are a number of pantheons from culture to culture (and indeed conflicting ideas within the same culture), ranging from praising animal's primal behaviour to an ancestral lineage of mortal gods oddly symbolizing our current day periodic table of elements. Anyways, all of the pantheons are in one way or the other correct, reflecting the actual pantheon, but none are perfect. As a side note, no mortal truly understands how the divine pantheon truly works; if they did they would cease to be mortal and rise into godliness (Divine Rank 0). This brings up a trouble of knowledge checks. I've been thinking because religion is now so localized I would have knowledge: religion checks using knowledge: local as a double check (ie. you roll them both), or possibly as synergy whenever you are attempting to determine something about a mortal pantheon. So say you are trying to determine what a certain cult believes is the form and type of some god that is similar but not the same as the god in your pantheon. Perhaps you roll a knowledge local (DC 15?) before rolling knowledge religion. Of course, if you are just rolling to determine what kind of undead creature there is or if you are determining something about the true nature of the divine pantheon (something about the 5 eternal forces perhaps), it would just be a straight up knowledge: religion check. Any suggestions?
Kouk 03-24-07, 07:59 PM	I would just let the local religion have Knowledge(Religion) checks as normal, and increase the DC for the other versions of religon, if they are really so different.
jadehawk 03-26-07, 01:16 PM	right, so if you are of the local religion you roll the check normally, but if it is out of your element so to speak the DC would increase by 10 or something. I would think someone with knowledge: local could somewhat offset the penalty, perhaps 1 point per rank? Btw, yes they are dramatically different as far as their teachings. For instance, while the elven pantheon believes that there are 5 elemental forces each expressing an element and sensory perception (or lack there of), the dwarven pantheon is a list of 60 some deities of mortal origins, representing certain chemical element traits, with complicated lineages and family trees.
darkneolink 03-26-07, 01:25 PM	well, you might do something like this before you continue this reading i'm warning you that this will use Real life religions as examples so if you are somwhow offended by it please don't flame A Catholic Priest wanting to make a knowledge within the catholich church needs a 10, but if he wants to make a knowledge of the judaism traditions (wich is the root of the catholich church) the DC would be 11 or 12 (they are not so diferent from each other really) and then he makes a check from the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl he'll have to make a DC 20+ because they are quite diferent religions with quite diferent cultures and diferent backgrounds
jadehawk 03-26-07, 03:08 PM	No offense taken on this side. I am pro-choice. So I think what's going to happen is that for all religious questions to do with a particular faith I will have it rolled normally for anyone who follows the faith (or is locally familiar with it) and increase the DC of the check for all others (+2 for slight variation, +5 for significant, +10 for no relation). That increase can be reduced 1:1 for every rank in knowledge: local the character has.
darkneolink 03-26-07, 03:13 PM	well the reduction... i'll say make the reduction for every2-5 ranks in knowledge local (5 ranks would be the best because of the synergy) also, knowledge history could work maybe nobility and royalty but don't think so knowledge the planes might be 2:1 etc etc etc