In the wake of 5th edition, I am trying my hand at world-building, currently gathering all thoughts that come to mind.
Right now, i am thinking about the gods of the world. There are a few things I am uncertain about. How many gods should there be? I kind of want to avoid the "cluttered" pantheons of Greyhawk, the FR and Golarion, but I also want most major concerns of life to be covered.
Also, I am not certain whether or not to include truly evil gods - as in, gods that actively try and supplant or conquer others instead of just being foul-tempered. Looking at the pantheons of Earth's own history, even the "evil" gods were usually having their fixed role (Apep being the only exception). Loki, Hel, Morrigan, Arawn, even Set had their place in the pantheons, unlike, say, Bane from FR.
What would be the best solution here? I am quite uncertain. I mean, with the demon princes and archdevils, there are enough threats to life& sanity, with all forms of evil covered from many angles....
Any thoughts on this?
There really is no right or wrong answer as this is entirely subjective. I often follow the rule of thumb of something that fits the campaign. Look at the real world for examples. Note that Ancient Egypt, a desert culture, reverred the sun whereas the warlike Norse paid homage to warrior deities. Keep in mind what type of "culture" you want to evoke in your campaign world and go from there. Is it a hostile world? Then include several war divinities each focusing on a certain aspect of war (bloodlust, violence, chilvary, protection, skill at arms). Is it an agrarian world, then most likely nature deities will be dominant: woods, fields, seasons, agriculture, growth.
In terms of good vs evil. You can go either way. Personally I like to throw in some evil gods to create a cult around to challenge the players. But you can also follow the rule that the gods are not truly good nor evil. They can be aloof and dispassionate or even combine aspects of each. The gods can be helpful and beneficial when they are pleased but dark and violent when angered.
Sometimes the easiest method is to stick to an elemental theme. Have gods of air, earth fire and water. These elements can be very specific OR very generalized. Like the god of air can be strictly elemental in nature OR can also represent breath, flight, movement, storm, obscurement and avians. The earth can also be charged with all things found in the earth such as lost treasures, minerals and even death. Fire can also be hope, emotion, inspiration, destruction and chaos. Water can be life, fishing, travel, change, purification, drowning, etc.
I base all my gods on historical pantheons, and mostly the Greek. I also make a difference between gods that are widely worshipped, and those that are more minor (I love adding local deities and saints that receive limited worship). Some of my gods only get worshipped during special festivals or times a year. For example, the goddess of love and fertility received a lot of prayer right before a large festival with lots of drinking. I do have evil gods, but they are not officially recognized as gods in my world. Whether they are actually gods, or just cosmic horrors, is a mood point, and not one I plan to delve into deeply. I also involve my gods in the naming of places in my world (such as naming a deadly strait after the god of death), and have them appear as figureheads on ships for specific purposes. I also think up festivals that honor these gods, and then have the players take part in these celebrations. A giant religious festival in one of the cities is the perfect moment for a giant robbery of a temple by some villains, or by the players themselves.
I think most importantly when building a world, it should not be so much about cramming the world full with a god for every element, but to figure out how these gods fit into daily life. I try to imagine how these people in my world live, and under what circumstances they would worship these gods. How does it fit into their lives? What do these people imagine their gods to look like, and how do they honor them? Thinking up all these details helps a great deal in getting your players immersed into your world.
I would also advise to avoid cliches. I personally feel the default DnD gods are incredibly boring and lack imagination. So I make up my own, and come up with gods that are far easier to identify with. Such as a god for merchants and travel, that sailors honor before going on a long voyage. I also make up saints that are linked to these gods, and have their own churches, and interesting backstory. In my setting I have for example the Church of St Anna, dedicated to a local saint who died for her beliefs, and was burned at the stake for claiming to have visions from the gods.
Well basically it's a style choice. The more gods you have granting spells the more important their squabbles and agendas become to the world. Eberrron for example had about the upper limit of major gods for a world with largely passive dieties. Aber Toril on the other hand has tons of them and you'll note they're little more than particulalry obnoxious NPCs as far as how often they're met, and they have a lot of influence on both the macro and micro levels.
As a general rule the fewer gods you have the more elemental and encompassing they have to be, you can violate this rule of course but be aware that you are if you choose to do so. Look at real world religions, the more gods each one has, the less broad spectrum and more focused each one is.
Say you decided on 5 gods, you could then make one for each of the five elemental chakra transformations from Naruto: Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, and Lightning.
However each god would represent not on that element but also be associated with the traits, disciplins, techniques, and philosophies that draw inspiration from those elements. So for example the god of fire would likely also be associated with the forge, lanterns, fireworks, the sun, rage, passion, energy, swordsmanship, etc.
Another thing to consider is the naming of your gods. As a general rule, I try to use names that are easy to pronounce and spell by the players. Gods that are supposed to be intimidating, tend to have names that sound a little creepy as well. While popular and happy gods, tend to have happy names that sound pretty, and innocent. Most importantly I think, is that the gods resonate with the players. I want my players to be facinated with the religions in the world I create, so wether they want to follow that god is a choice they really consider. I involve my gods in every day life, and show the players how the npc's in my world interact with their gods. This makes it easier for the players to make a choice whether they want to follow a particular deity or not.
Another thing you need to consider is how do the religions interact? Unless you have fairly active and direct dieties odds are you'll have different religions popping up, now on toril there's so many gods running around that no one cares about encountering adherents of a new one unless you're deep in Drow territory or something like that, and then it's not so much a denial of your god's existance as a punishment for not following the state approved gods. On different worlds where gods are less common or less forthright encountering people with a different god may be a much bigger shock to the system, especially if evidence o ftheir power is demonstrated through divine magic, because people are more likely to believe their god/pantheon is the only one.
Basically you need to decide what makes a god in your world. Is it a mantle that can be passed on or taken? Can gods produce spawn? are those spawn gods themselves? Is it an immutable state of being? Is it a garauntee of eternity or just a shot? Were all gods part of the world's creation and thus woven into it's very being or did they come from elsewhere? Do they have anything mortals would recognize as an identity or are they more elemental forces than sentient beings? Do mortals have the ability to influence them?
Some of the gods in my setting can send forth avatars (even the evil ones). This allows some gods to manifest themselves in a physical form on rare occasions. But I tend to make a point out of how far the influence of a particular god reaches. The avatar of a god is unable to enter an area that has been dedicated and blessed in the name of another opposing deity. In one particular session, the avatar of an evil goddess appeared on the ship of the party. But because the ship was dedicated to a deity of an opposing alignment, the avatar was severely weakened, and could easily be driven off by the players. The gods can also send spies, sometimes in the form of patron animals, who obey the same rules.
For example, during a celebration the players noticed that a large moth was peeping on them from the ceiling. The priest of the party started praying to his deity, and the moth quickly left. What the player did was basically turn the attention of his deity to the celebration, and called upon her presence. Since the moth was a spy of a lesser god of opposing alignment, it couldn't possibly stay in the room. Much like a vampire, it was literally forced out of the building.
Regarding evil gods, you could do what I did, and make them not quite gods. The evil gods in my campaign aren't really gods, but more like powerful evil entities that are worshipped as gods. But it is important to know what their goals are. They shouldn't be evil simply for the sake of being evil. For example, I have one goddess who corrupts the people that worship her. She seeks mortals to be her avatar, and she literally transforms their bodies. She bestows great powers upon that person while doing so, so from the point of her followers, she is a good goddess. And since her followers are mostly cruel cannibals, they don't consider any of their deity's actions as wrong. This is also a great excuse to introduce powerful villains with special powers later on in the campaign.
Another demi-god in my campaign is a cosmic horror, in the style of Cthulhu, but completely water themed. It's motives are beyond that of the understanding of mankind, but it seeks to replace the existing pantheon. It has armies of evil cultists that worship it, and it can also manifest special creatures into being, that execute its will in the realm of mortals. For example, at some point in the campaign it summoned forth a living ship from the depths, to attack the players. The players considered their victory over this monster as a blessing from their own deity, since their deity is represented as their ship's figurehead.
In my campaign I tend to keep the acts of the gods very modest. I don't want them to be very visible. But their influence is noticed through minor bonusses that are bestowed on the players, when they are near representations of their deity. For example, the players have a figurehead of their deity, that bestows better ship handling on their vessel. But I am careful not to simply have a god pop up in front of the players. This sort of powerplay is a common trap for DM's, where they constantly have gods intervene with the players. But that is why it is a very important matter to think about how your gods will interact with the players, if at all.
A theoretical structure in Religious studies goes like this
First we venerate the dead and the spirits, but then as we advance and defeat them
Then we venerate the elements and nature, but then we advance and defeat them,
then we venerate deities of abstract concepts, but then we advance and defeat them,
and finally we get to the one true god
so not only do the deities worshiped (as others speak to) represent the values of the people it also represents their social and technological progress
I tend to avoid racial gods, and style gods after classic patheons, that have gods for different aspects of life. I rarely have a nature god, as I think gods by their nature are the lawful force of the comos, that is to say, they follow patterns and only make major changes if one of them dies or a new god rises. How ever, Archfhey can be as powerful as gods, as are Demon Kings. So gods do occasionally get slain. But anyways, it really depends on the flavor of your world
I pretty much use a fixed pantheon for my entire campaign world. But there are cultural differences regarding which races predominently worship which god. All gods are recognized, but some more so than others. For example, the goddess of love and virtility is mostly worshipped during special festivals and celebrations, or right before a marriage. Other gods, such as the god of the storms, and the god of merchants and travels, receive a lot more worship on a day-to-day basis. There are some gods that only have a statue, but are never really worshipped at all, like the god of trickery, since they mostly inhabit folklore and legends (and don't really serve any purpose in daily life).
Most races in my campaign have their own local deities as well. Some worship important figures, such as saints, bishops, or important captains. And the way they worship these figures differs as well. For example, in my campaign I have a group of pirates called the Speakers of the Dead, who worship their female captains (both living and dead) as if they are in connection with the gods. They bring gifts to the statues of deceased captains, such as jewelry, fruit, coin, teeth, bones, or blood. A captain notorious for her bloodshed would of course be more likely to receive rather unpleasant looking gifts, to gain her blessing (fingers of slain foes, blood, etc.). They also satisfy their living captains with gifts or with sex, before setting out on a trip. They believe that if their captains are content, that the seas will be gentle on them as well.
In the city of Vertesaux, there is an annual celebration dedicated to the Lady of the Waves. Everyone in town applies blue paint to their faces, and many also dress in blue. They have a large golden wagon that parades through the city, while people throw flowers on it, and try to touch it (for good luck). Touching the wagon can be difficult due to the huge mob of people trying to do so. The celebration also comes with much drinking and dancing, and of course also that other thing that people do when they are really drunk. I can highly recommend any DM to include religious celebrations in their story. Try to make the players understand why these deities are popular, and how worshipping them does not have to be a dreery boring affair.
I think a good place to start from is having a "basic" pantheon. A deity for each of the following: sun, nature, death, harvest, fertility, luck/fortune, battle, etc.
Cover the basic needs that people are likely to pray to a deity for. From there, you can add and expand as you see fit for your campaign. In my own homebrew world, I have a fairly complex diety system, complete with Elder Gods (birthed by the original god), Lesser Gods (granted ascendance by the Elders), and Exarchs (mortals granted immortality so as to serve a particular god). I began with the Elder Gods, and they serve the functions I mentiond before: Solas, god of the sun. Adhuil, goddess of the harvest, for example.
As everyone else has mentioned, it's really subjective and up to you. Have as few or as many as you want, so long as you can keep track of them all, how they interact with one another, and how they interact with and influence the mortal world.
My setting doesn't have many widely worshipped deities. A god or goddess is largely only worshipped in the city they founded, the tribe they started, or the group they established. In most cases and with most groups there's a deity in charge, and a group of their companions who are also worshipped to cover parts of the world that aren't within their interests. And some enemy deities, who are often recognisably variants of the "Founder" deity/pantheon from neighbours they don't like. If you think this sounds like an adventuring party that establishes a city might end up being worshipped, then you'd be right. There are cases where a deity or group has become more widely known, a few deities are famous as travellers (for example, there's a few Travelling Merchant deities around with a network of shrines across wide areas, some of which overlap) and others have become widespread as a result of a city conquering territory and devising a structure where their god is head of a pantheon including the lesser gods of other cities, but there's not many like that.
Since I'm also willing to let players define the deities in a lot of cases (and sometimes those deities are previous PCs, ones who established something of importance, that leaves me with rather a large collection of deities. 1386 according to my current spreadsheet listing of them. Less than twenty are widespread; some exist only from one particular player character having a slightly bizarre idea for the deity their character would worship, and that character coming from an area which otherwise has little information established about it.
Another point regarding evil gods. In my opinion they really only serve two purposes. Evil gods are generally speaking not adversaries that the players fight. They can be an excuse to send forth powerful (mortal) villains, that can be defeated by the players (unlike the gods themselves). Evil gods are generally not there to be worshipped, but you can of course have evil cultists that defy this rule. This is yet another example of evil gods serving to introduce mortal villains.
Secondly, evil gods serve as antagonists to the good gods. They play a part in the backstory of the good gods, rather than serve a purpose in the foreground. Evil gods are there to make the good gods look good. They help to quickly identify one god as good, because according to the tales he fought with that other god who is clearly evil. That is one very important reason to have evil gods in your campaign. If you take cues from the Greek pantheon, the stories surrounding these gods can be absolutely absurd (which makes them fun).
The way I approach this is as follows :
1) I have a pantheon of Gods who are the primary one in the setting. These Gods are merely the ones who are most interested in the world. They have a leader, but he depending on the area he may or may not be the primary god. Some regions venerate the 'leader' as the only God deserving of worship and treat all the other dieties as his servants. Some areas believe that there is a power struggle between the 'leader' and one or two rivals. Worship of this Pantheon was spread by the earliest and oldest nation on the continent I focus on. Those who had been 'civilized' by this nation eventually absorbed its worship of these Gods. As this nation weakened in influence and the balance of power shifted the patterns of worship have changed as well. Areas that resented their civilizers tended to see the weakening of the civilizers as being a sign that the primary diety had shifted his favor to them and that they were now the chosen ones. Some areas see that they have been specially chosen by other members of the pantheon and worship them as primary or even monotheistically.
Even some who were not in contact with the civilizers worship this pantheon, but have different ways of doing so and even different names for the gods themselves.
2) I have a patron diety for every large city or empire. Usually this is one of the Pantheon but sometimes it is not. I make diety status dependent on number and strength of worship as well as geographic. The Pantheon are dieties no matter where their followers go, but a patron diety of a city may be supreme within the cultural holdings of the city but have no power (or even interest in acting) outside of that sphere of influence. One of my dieties is the patron diety of the major Trading city-state on the continent. He originally started out as a spirit that guarded an oasis in the desert. When this oasis was settled he offered his help to the settlers so long as they promised to preserve the oasis and protect it. Over time he became interested in the people themselves and expanded his protection beyond the oasis to the city itself. Now he is a very powerful entity which even the Gods fear. The city has festivals in his honor and the order that began as protectors of the oasis now act as a shadowy arm of the police force. They protect or avenge the citizens of the city when the Laws cannot, with extreme force. These are his 'priests' They wear the skins of demons which once plagued the oasis and have powers granted to them by these skins and the entity. They use these to enact justice on those who harm the cities inhabitants. The 'diety' is a trickster archetype, but he has a very strict sense of justice. He is thanked more than he is worshipped and he has no interest in matters beyond the city and its inhabitants. He is not a true diety and he still resides on this plane of existence, but his power increases as the city prospers and today even the Gods of the Pantheon make sure that their priests and servants ask for permission to operate within his sphere of influence. Noone makes sacrifices to him but he is left small offerings by those who are grateful for the actions of his 'priests'. The Pantheon Gods have temples in this city and worshipping them is not forbidden but even their priests will face The Shadows if they do things that are viewed as harming the people of the city. He is not jealous of worship, but he does know he has the power to enforce his will.
3) Most races have a diety that they consider to be especially concerned with their welfare. In most cases this is one of the Pantheon but sometimes it is a diety that is concerned only with these people. In the case of the Halflings of this region (known as the Brandi-Mantrans) they have an entire family of dieties that act as their patrons. This pantheon is known as the Ontani and is headed by its Matriarch Nadara. Nadara did not create the Brandi-mantrans but she is seen as the being who helped bring their scattered tribes together and helped them forge laws to live together in peace. In this case Nadara and the Ontani are not the only dieties these people worship. They worship members of the Pantheon as well but within the Brandi-Mantran lands the Ontani are more powerful than the Pantheon. There are no known worshippers of this Pantheon who are not Brandi-Mantran and the concerns of the Ontani do not extend beyond issues that affect their charges.
4) Gods are affected by their worshippers to some degree. Gods can be changed by worshippers under certain circumstances. A good example of this is the Goddess Shroud. She was once a member of the Pantheon but decided to take a more active role on the mortal plane. This lessened her power but it also made her more interested in the day to day affairs of her followers. She was a goddess of the night originally. She was a patron of thieves and especially women who were thieves. Over time her followers were almost exclusively female thieves and that became her focus. With this very specific focus she also began to take interest in other women who made their livings in darkness adn secrecy. Thus she began to become the patron of not just female thieves, but also prostitutes, barmaids and spies. Her followers were small and over time they began to be almost entirely focused on a single city that was a haven for wealth, secrets and clandestine activities. Her followers became very powerful in the underground economy of this city. They used the secrets they gathered to give themselves more and more power. Then along came one particular follower who rose to new hieghts. In her quest to find the kidnapped children of her slain friends this follower began to draw other followers into her quest. Eventually the very small number of actual followers of Shroud was helping in this quest to find the children. When they found the children the Follower who had started the quest adopted them as her own children. Shortly thereafter the city erupted in civil war. This follower (named Arvanda) rallied the other 'Shadow Maidens' and they used their secrets and influence to put together a coalition that eventually emerged victorious. Arvanda was appointed as Ruler of the City. Today Shroud is not just a patron of female thieves, spies and prostitutes. Today she is also known as a protector of orphans and has put the city Arvanda rules under her protection. Her worship has expanded beyond this city once again and her priestesses are not just running brothels, but are opening schools, hospitals and orphanages for the poor and underprivelaged. Once she was almost forgotten with a handful of followers but today she is powerful enough to be able to force concessions from the Pantheon when they are operating within her sphere of influence.
5) I even have one 'Diety' who isnt a diety at all. It is a collection of magic users who have convinced many that magic is unstable and dangerous and that only those magic users who follow this 'Diety' can do so safely. In most human lands folllowers of this Diety (known as Minsil) are the only magic users who arent put to death on sight. They supply their followers with crystal topped staffs that act as their spell books and provide all non-verbal components necessary. This increases the power of the Mages behind the ruse. This God has been in existence for only about 35 years but in human lands its 'worship' has spread due to the inherent fear that most humans have of magic use. The vast majority of Magic Users do not follow this 'Diety' but its worship is spreading. The exact reason for this ruse is unknown even to those who know it as such. Since none of the Pantheon has ever really had much influence on Magic and its use they do not seem to be concerned about the spread of this new diety.
6) I also have an Elder God who is not at all concerned with the Mortal Plain. He is like the God that the Gods pay veneration to. Every so often this diety decides that the Gods need to be reminded of their place. He strips them of their power, hides it somewhere on the Mortal Plane and then casts the Gods into the Mortal Plane. These gods are still powerful but not anywhere near the diety level. Each god must find and regain their power. Whoever finds and claims the power of a diety becomes the diety concerned with whatever the power derived from. A mortal could find and clam the power that once belonged to the God of Nature and thus become the God of Nature. A former diety could reclaim his own power and/or that of another diety and become even more powerful. A former diety of fire could claim the powers of the God of Culture and thus become the new god of culture. During this time some of the Former Gods choose not to pursue their lost power and live and die as mortals. it is not known how many times these 'Gods Walks' have occured but it is known that the Goddess Shroud never chose to leave the Mortal Plane after she regained her power and also the God Parisi is known to have claimed the Power once held by the God od Death Muergi and is now the God of Death. Parisi has put his own particular spin on how he executes his duties and his worship is very different from that of Muergi.
Dreadnought12 wrote:
DM_Craig wrote:
In my campaigns I have multiple creation myths, that differ depending on the region the players are in. Some of the myths are completely absurd, but that makes for a lot of fun at the table. I make great use of the idea that people believe a lot of nonsense, and I also show the players how these beliefs are easily accepted in society. For example, the wild tribes in the east believe in totem animals. And they believe that the world was once shrouded in darkness, because the great serpent Barbas had swallowed the sun. The great bear then did battle with the serpent, and sliced open its belly, which created the rivers and the oceans. He then asked the wise owl to carry the sun back to the heavens, and he did so. Thus ending the years of darkness.
But if you head over to the western continent, you'll find that people believe that the years of darkness were the result of two gods (from another pantheon and of opposing alignments) doing battle with one another; the goddess of chaos and the goddess of light. After the goddess of chaos was defeated, the goddess of light was so exhausted, that the world remained in total darkness for many years.
Similarly, I have established that in my campaign a great pirate captain was defeated, due to an entire strait collapsing on his ship. But there are many myths regarding how it happened. When the party visited the city of Vertesaux, they noticed a prominent statue in the main square, showing a rather inaccurate portrayal of the events. It showed the king shooting lightning from a sword, down upon the ship of the dreaded pirate. And the king was shown disproportionally large compared to the ship. It is important to note that the king wasn't even directly involved with this event in the slightest, and it was mostly the betrayal by the Marquis (who used to be among the crew of this dreaded pirate captain) that lead to the defeat of the pirate captain. But the statue did not show the Marquis at all. And it still is a total mystery how the strait was brought down on the pirate captain. But this is a great example of misinformation and myth creation. The players are aware that this is an inaccurate portrayal of the events, which makes it amuzing to describe all the details the statue got wrong.
The greek pantheon obviously springs to mind, its a small family. Egyption is pretty much the same with basically the gods being a family. The idea is that a pantheon of gods is used as a cultural teaching tool that instructs the youth. The sun rises because the sun god is dangeling it in the river that is the world in order to catch the sky bear. Day is when the great turtle inhales and night is when he blows the sun from the sky with his exhaled breath. Rain comes when the moon daughter cries. These things can be pretty symbolic, but if that is the way you want to go with it even Athena was more prone to send one of her Owls or whatnot to do her bidding. So you meet a talking turle and he sighs, and then tells you that you are the dragon warrior - the hero of destiny.
Ongara does not simply step out of the sky and chat for no everyday reason, but the lamps of Ageela may light you and your companions way.
Was thinking about this thread and an Idea that may be pertinant popped to mind. I have abstractly created countless gods. But I have only actualized maybe ten. Yeah, I know ya know that there is a Lord of Dark Water in the pantheon of the Emperial New Gods, but I have never used it. Pretty much other than the original "Triune" which was Dwarf/Elf/Ogre god combo and then Mira and Jakanar who are the lord of darkness and light good/evil pair. The gods have had little impact on the games I have conducted. I have also actualized and statted Tanzia and Fara which are two gods that have interacted with players in various tales. Then I needed a paired Light and Dark wind god which I ended up making brothers. Dak'Na'UL and Ft'Rod the twins of the changing winds..
Ft'Rod was a god a player literally made as part of their character's backstory. One of the ~countless lesser gods~ that owe allegience to empiriel pantheon ( of the 21 seats I have statted ... seven? I made thorn the beast god of the emperial councel ( awakened Bird King who Mastered Arconistics and transcenede durring the wizard wars and then took the Seat of Nuetral Beast god Lord. The third and current Lord of Nuetral Beasts in the emperial council ) .. and never used him in anything since. There are maybe twelve of those gods just kinda in the backdrop of Sty~rn.
I have a pantheon that I only ever refered to as the Prideland Gods or The Gods of the Pridelands. But, beyond mentioning their existence I have never really statted them and that is really because I have only had one player play a proper Taurn. It would be very easy to say that ....Nearn is a god of the Pridelands. Then you can say ... he has to represent the Pride of Dismembering. Or.. that Reet is the Pride God of The Run. It takes a little more work to say that Nearn was once an ... Orcnin warlord that won great Honor in a Championship of Ogran and Reet was ... a Tuathan Arconist that transcended durring an ancient war in the Pridelands Region. It is exactly like Imaculata says: Its all about how a god gets used in to enhance the story.
When you are implementing the gods into your world you have to ask two questions. Why do I need a god and what is it going to do in the game. Sometimes a god simply needs be there. You simply need to be able to say that periwinkle the brilliant walked out from the sky and found the world empty so theirin he created space etc etc etc creation god/gods. Then you have the gods that you are going to have the players interact with. What is that god going to do in game. These gods could be pantheonic options for clerics. In a world with mass pantheism it is a simple thing to ask the player to choose either one of the GREATER ( bwa~~~ ) gods like the creator or one of the god kings or whatever or as in my experience it has been much more enjoyable to let them craft their own god for their own character. Which you can then steal and continue to use 
for later games.
The ultimate cheat is to just call Garl Gllittergold or Grumsh something like :: Diearandon and call him the god of war and have him give a player a sword.
No paperwork necessary to change a name! All the stats are right there in the Dragonlance 5e supplement 
I was thinking about this recently as well.
I would prefer a smaller amount of deities - why can't the same god or goddess of the sun be worshipped by humans, elves, halflings, etc?
Maybe to the humans, the God of War is Mars, Ares, Tyr or whatever, while to the elves, the God of War is whoever the elf god of war is (drawing a blank right now) - same deity, just envisioned as a human by humans, as a dwarf by dwarves, etc. Breaking it down further, an asian inspired human race envisions their deities as asian in appearance, while an african insipred race pictures their deities as african looking.
While there are cultural differences between many historical pantheons, they did have many things in common, and I think that could easily translate to a fantasy world worshipping different aspects or differnt visions of the same deities. Many ancient religions, from the Aztecs to the Greeks and Romans to the Egyptians and Hindus had a Sun God, while other cultures had a sun goddess.
I would guess just having one deity for each of the major domains - god or goddess of knowledge, life, light, nature, temptest, trickery, war (and, death, of course) - might work for my idea. Of course, if they add new domains in future supplements... 
NewJeffCT wrote:
Dreadnought12 wrote:
Dreadnought12 wrote:
NewJeffCT wrote:
Dreadnought12 wrote:
How many Gods depends on your campaign; it could be one, thousands or none. But, usually Gods are present in all human cultures and there is definately the belief in the super-natural, ie, a world beyond our own. About a dozen seems right; each god representing an aspect of life (fire, lightning, fertility).
I have a world in which there are no Gods, what-so-ever. There are supernatural spirits though, but these spirits were once living, humans that died thousands and even tens or hundred of thousands of years ago; most of which, do not even know they were human, had a physical-body or any memory of not being a spirit. Sometimes, a sacrific will release another ghost and appease a spirit to do a task for the physical-world. The spirit will do it for its own reasons; the humans will assume some God they made up did it.
I've got 8 good deities and 1 evil deity (god of the undead). However they are on par with the Titans (which they npc had a war with ala Greek mythology/4th ed) while cultists to Demonlords and Arch Devils serve as the main antagonists (arch devils and Demonlords aren't as powerful as gods but are the next step down). Equal to Demonlords are Devas, Archons, Muses and Beastlords who are revered by different peoples.
Humans of my Indian-esque land worship devas and their monks seek to escape the cycle of death/rebirth and ascend to a higher state of being as devas. Knights and Dwarven warriors revere Archons (planar exemplars of justice) and upon death go to the fields of Elysium (or Valhalla in the case of dwarves) where they forever fight in tourneys or hunts. Bards each have a patron muse whose company they join in death.
Beastlords are revered by barbarians and Druids.
The worship of gods while widespread on the main continent, isn't a global practice. Failing to worship a god doesn't condemn you to spend eternity in purgatory, although failure to revere any celestial (or fiendish) being may (depending on whether you followed your life in a way that is satisfying to a celestial/fiendish being).
The aim was to keep things manageable while also having a variety of options available for players.
If the players cannot remember the name of a deity, then the deity is probably redundant, so I'd like to strive for few memorable gods, and let the players invent the rest when needed.
But then again my group has a very bad memory :-)
bob_goes_up wrote:
bob_goes_up wrote:
I tend to approach my pantheon based on cleric domains.
Here are my notes on religion for a campaign revolving around only 2 deities:
Humans in the lands around Marrogar primarily follow Ket and Kess, known as The Two, who are alternately depicted as a single deity with Two faces, as Twins, or as Lovers.
Primary fields of domain include wealth, fortune, and luck, but both deities spectrums encompass all matters of life. successes or failures in life are typically attributed to one deity's favor or the other's wrath. The primary difference is that one deity is attributed good fortune while the other is attributed to bad fortune. It is commonly believed that no endeavor can be successful without the blessing of both Ket and Kess.
Ket, the male deity, is in charge of honesty, the sun, life, healing, protection, good fortune, growth, peace, land, construction, and is generally called upon to bless all endeavors with his favor.
Kess, the female deity, is in charge of deceit, the moon, death, destruction, storms, war, bad fortune, the sea and is generally called upon to spare her wrath upon any endeavor, or to wish it upon your enemies.
The Church of Marrogar is divided into five temples, each representing one of the facets of each of the two deities. The temples are named according to the metals used in the various coins of the land. Worshippers at each temple are expected to donate coins according to the name of the temple; thus each of the temples have earned nicknames based on their patronage.
Coinage in the land is minted with depictions of The Two, an image of Ket on one side and an image of Kess on the other, stylized to show the aspects of the deities that the value of the coin represents. Clerics and Paladins use specially made large versions of these coins as their holy symbols.
1) The Copper Temple, known as the "Peasants' Temple," is the Temple of Land and Sea.
Clerics of Land-Ket take the Nature Domain. They are called WARDENS of the LAND.
Other typical followers are farmers and hunters.
Clerics of Sea-Kess take the Tempest Domain. They are called WARDENS of the SEA.
Other typical followers are sailors and travelers.
Peasants come here to pray for things like rain or abundant harvests, good fortune on a hunt, or to ward off bad storms; for the healthy growth of a child or calf, or to wish curses on those who wrong them.
2) The Silver Temple, known as the "Scholars' Temple" or the "Soldiers' Temple" is the Temple of Peace and War.
Clerics of Peace-Ket take the Knowledge Domain. They are called WARDENS of PEACE.
Other typical followers include sages, craftsmen, artisans, and practicers of magic.
Clerics of War-Kess take the War Domain. They are called WARDENS of WAR.
Other typical followers include soldiers and guardsmen.
Scholars and Craftsmen come here to pray for divine guidance in their research or art; and soldiers for success in warfare.
3) The Electrum Temple, known as the "Traders' Temple," or the "Traitors' Temple" is the temple of the Sun and the Moon.
Clerics of Sun-Ket take the Light Domain. They are called WARDENS of the SUN.
Other typical followers are merchants and tradesmen.
Clerics of Moon-Kess take the Trickery Domain. They are called WARDENS of the MOON.
Other typical followers are thieves, and spies.
The Electrum Coin of Marrogar is gold on one side, with an image of the sun, and silver on the other, with an image of the moon. It is said that honest trade is done by the light of the sun, and dishonest trade by the light of the moon. While wealthy merchants are the primary patrons of the Electrum Temple, Thieves and other criminals will often sneak into the Electrum Temple after dark and make a donation towards success in their shady endeavors.
4) The Gold Temple, known as the "Nobles' Temple," is the temple of Life and Death.
Clerics of Life-Ket take the Life Domain. They are called WARDENS of the LIVING.
Other typical followers are Nobles and Beaurocrats.
Clerics of Death-Kess take the Death Domain. They are called WARDENS of the DEAD.
Other typical followers are assassins, executioners, and bounty-hunters.
To purchase someone's life, or have someone killed, you typically have to pay in gold. Gold Coins are used to buy slaves, pay dowries, ransom hostages, pay bail, and order assassinations. The Gold Temple is primarily patronized by the Noble Families of Marrogar.
5) The Platinum Temple, known as the "Kings' Temple" or "Knights' Temple," is the temple of Love and Wrath.
Paladins of Love-Ket take the Oath of Devotion. They are called KNIGHTS PROTECTOR.
Paladins of Wrath-Kess take the Oath of Vengeance. They are called KNIGHTS AVENGER.
The Platinum Temple is available only to the Royal Family of Marrogar, his two orders of knights, who swear exacting oaths of service, and the highest ranking church officials.
Worshippers typically choose one or the other as a patron, but churches and shrines always have altars to both. Priests typically wear grey. Worshippers are encouraged to donate equally to each deity so that one or the other doesn't become jealous.
My current campaign has only 4 gods. Each is given two cleric domains:
Cosmology and Religion
High above the dawnrocks, the sky is home to a bright yellow sun and three moons. These celestial bodies are home to the world's pantheon.
SAMURU - The sun, Samuru, is the God of light and knowledge, protector of the good peoples of Ashkar. He is king and father of the gods. Mammet, Eshkit, and Azuumuk are his children.
His followers include Humans, Halflings, High Elves, College of Lore Bards, Clerics of the Light and Knowledge Domains, Monks of the Open Hand, Paladins of Devotion, and Wizards.
MAMMET - The black moon, Mammet, is the Goddess of trickery and death, who makes her home in the shadowfell. She is the patron of Necromancers, thieves, and other nefarious sorts.
Her followers include Kobolds, Lizardfolk, Clerics of the Trickery domain, Druids of the Circle of the Moon, Monks of Shadow, Rogues, and Sorcerers.
ESHKIT - The green moon, Eshkit, is the Goddess of nature and life, who makes her home in the feywild.
Her followers include Wood Elves, Forest Gnomes, Clerics of the Nature and Life Domains, Druids of the Circle of the Land, Paladins of the Ancients, and Rangers.
AZUUMUK - The red moon, Azuumuk, is the God of storms and war. A devastating thunderstorm storm circles the dawn rocks, following his orbit, and many warfaring peoples pay him homage.
His followers include Dwarves, Rock Gnomes, Orcs, Gnolls, Berserker Barbarians, College of Valor Bards, Clerics of War and Storms, Champion Fighters, and Oath of Vengeance Paladins.
RELIGIOUS GROUPS
The Church of Samuru the Lightbringer
The Order of Dawn - Clerics of Light
The Order of Truth - Clerics of Knowledge
The White Knights – Oath of Devotion Paladins
The Church of Mammet the Duskmaiden
The Order of Whispers – Clerics of Trickery
The Order of Dusk – Clerics of Death
The Black Knights – Oathbreaker Paladins
The Church of Eshkit the Green Lady
The Order of Wood – Clerics of Nature
The Order of Life – Clerics of Life
The Green Knights – Oath of the Ancients Paladins
The Church of Azuumuk the Stormlord
The Order of the Storm – Clerics of Storm
The Order of Iron – Clerics of War
The Red Knights – Oath of Vengeance Paladins
Our campaign design team is currently working on a deity system that involves permanent and non-permanent domains. There are 12 permanent domains that never change (sun/light, moon/dark, law, chaos, magic, nature, knowledge, etc.), and 12 lesser domains. These lesser domains will change during every cycle of creation (the world and realms undergo a cataclysmic shift every few thousand years), but there are always 12. For example, during one cycle, there could be a goddess of love and a god of the hunt. In the next cycle, there might not be a god of the hunt, but there might be a god of art instead.
The gods themselves are not permanantly tied to any particular domain. Instead, as the cataclysm occurs, the pantheon is jumbled and shifted, with each god taking up either a major or minor domain. The deity Kerrok might be the sun god during one cycle, and become the god of magic in the next cycle, or he could even lose his position in the upper domains and become a god of the harvest or the god of thieves.
The gods are not inherently immortal (they won't die naturally, but can be killed, although it's next to impossible to do so), but those who occupy the permanent domains become permanant (truly immortal) so long as they remain in that upper echelon. The gods occupying the lesser domains can be killed, even by powerful mortals, who can then take their powers and rise to godhood. Thus the upper gods will do anything they can to ensure they remain in the permanent domains come the next cataclysm, and the lesser gods will try not to die, while possibly scheming to assassinate another god or to try and find a way to move up in the next cycle.
Despite all of the domain shifting however, the gods always retain their individual personalities and at least some of their alignment - good, neutral, or evil. This means that in each cycle, there is no assurance that the current sun god will be benevolent, even though the previous incarnation was. You might end up with a sun god who, while not entirely evil, has a mean streak, causing droughts and heat waves. In one cycle, the god of death might abhor the undead, while another god of death will try to raise an undead army to bring destruction upon the world.
Sorry if that's confusing at all, but I can't go into too much detail without giving away all of our game mechanics 
Just thought I'd share our basic concepts.