Campaign Setting Suggestions

[Stratovarius]

There are currently certain missing areas of the game world, such as the gods, domains, and I am sure other pieces that come to mind. This thread is looking for suggestions I can incorporate into the campaign setting thread up top.

[woodenbandman]

 

Okay, now that my smiling is done, I've gots a few ideas. What if you had gods that each ruled over a certain emotion, and the god whose emotion you identified most with was considered to be your god? Like the god of Anger, and the god of Kindness.

Dunno how many you'd want to have, but domain assignment would be real easy. My guy, Gwythyr, for example, would probably worship (or not) the god of Free-Spiritedness.

Now that i think about it, these wouldn't make much sense as a god. It's more of a "cosmic force" thingy. That way, you can worship a concept, and still be restricted to only a few domains.

That's just an idea, not sure how good it is.








 

[VennDygrem]

A couple standard Gods, with some provisions for SixthDeclension's Beguiler character.

[spoiler=Y Cyntaf]y Cyntaf:
N-The first of the Gods, little is known of him. As the pantheon grew, so did his paranoia. Expecting one of the younger deities to attempt to usurp his power, he went into reclusion, and none have heard word from him to this day.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Cysgodau Brenin]
Cysgodau Brenin:
CN-The Shadow King. For the longest of times, he barely registered as a power within the pantheon, particularly during the reign of the Empire of Arhosa. When that mighty place crumbled, Cysgodau Brenin rose up from its ruin, hoping to take some measure of its glory as his own- and he had an easy time of it, since the ruin of that empire cast more shadows upon the land than ever there was before. Not truly evil, as he has no particular love of suffering or cruelty, he is rather motivated simply by self-interest and a love for change. He craves attention, having been deprived of it for so long, and cares not where he gets it- he thus accepts worshipers of all alignments. He is also known for creating Shadow Magic.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Shadow Magic]Shadow Magic:
Watching the birth and use of magic from the shadows, the Shadow King was bored by its consistency, but excited by its potential for causing change. He attempted to duplicate the flow of Magic, and the results were unforeseen. This Shadow Magic was just as powerful as its cousin, perhaps more-so, but much more erratic and unstable. It would take particularly strong-willed individuals with a penchant for taking risks to master such a force, and doing so blocks access to certain other types of spells.
(The Shadow Magic feat works just like the Shadow Weave Magic feat [PGtF pg. 43] except it has prerequisites of Wisdom 15 or Patron Deity: Cysgodau Brenin.)[/spoiler]

More ideas for Aligned Gods (and otherwise) to follow.

[VennDygrem]

Okay, now that my smiling is done, I've gots a few ideas. What if you had gods that each ruled over a certain emotion, and the god whose emotion you identified most with was considered to be your god? Like the god of Anger, and the god of Kindness.

Dunno how many you'd want to have, but domain assignment would be real easy. My guy, Gwythyr, for example, would probably worship (or not) the god of Free-Spiritedness.

Now that i think about it, these wouldn't make much sense as a god. It's more of a "cosmic force" thingy. That way, you can worship a concept, and still be restricted to only a few domains.

That's just an idea, not sure how good it is.

 

I like the concept, but as you say, it doesn't work so much for Gods. Lesser Deities, perhaps. Otherwise, you'd have a hundred gods (and I doubt Strat wants his pantheon the size of the FR one )

[veekie]

Okay, now that my smiling is done, I've gots a few ideas. What if you had gods that each ruled over a certain emotion, and the god whose emotion you identified most with was considered to be your god? Like the god of Anger, and the god of Kindness.

Dunno how many you'd want to have, but domain assignment would be real easy. My guy, Gwythyr, for example, would probably worship (or not) the god of Free-Spiritedness.

Now that i think about it, these wouldn't make much sense as a god. It's more of a "cosmic force" thingy. That way, you can worship a concept, and still be restricted to only a few domains.

That's just an idea, not sure how good it is.

 

I like the concept, but as you say, it doesn't work so much for Gods. Lesser Deities, perhaps. Otherwise, you'd have a hundred gods (and I doubt Strat wants his pantheon the size of the FR one )

Just need to assign each emotion/concept to a demigod angel/fiend/whatever outsider, and group them into 'higher' concepts, moving up the divine pantheon as you do so. So you'd have Kindness presiding over a fleet(is that the right word?) of angels of the various facets of Kindness and ruled in turn by Love which goes up to the pantheon head of Good. The itty bitty ones at the bottom are legit to worship, but any divine power would actually come from the 2nd(Love) or 3rd(Kindness) tier, as the more minor ones are just uberangels.

You could probably just steal the entire 2nd tier off the 7 virtues.

[Stratovarius]

Not had the time to assimilate all of these, but the many faceted gods and choirs of angels are more likely to not happen simply because I'm a lazy sod, and unlikely to create all of them. However, I'd like a fairly sparse pantheon, with probably no more than 5 or 6 gods, on reflection, rather than a large collection of gods and goddesses. Also, fairly abstract ideals, I expect.

[ravenkith]

Suggested Cosmology:

There are some pretty common threads in pantheons, mostly because gods spring up when mankind is confronted with something beyond his control or understanding. With that in mind, I present the following:

12 gods, 1 overgod.

Overgod: Father Figure/Authority

1. Magic
2. Trade
3. Hearth
4. Revelry/Excess/Repentance
5. Sun
6. Creation (Manufacturing)
7. Travel
8. Nature
9. Love
10. Life
11. War
12. Death

Because of this limited number of gods (each with their true name, known only to their followers, and their titles, used by all ofthers to refer to them), multiple domains and responsibilities would need to be assigned to each one.

I submit for your approval, the God of War:

Name: Nietzsche
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: War, Contests, Challenges, Defense, Competitions, Earned Wisdom.
Domains: War, Protection, Strength, Chaos, Destruction, Competition (CDIV)

Known as the War God, the god of Struggle, or The Tester, Nietzche rules the battlefields of the world with an even hand, but also provides the challenges for individuals to overcome in everyday life.

While Nietzsche himself favors no person, race, or society over another, his fickle nature can be addressed through careful employment of his priesthood and worshippers, as he does care deeply for each of them, and if he has any lasting loyalty, it is to those who follow him.

An article of the faith is that no-one can achieve their true potential without first undergoing the tempering of facing hardship and adversity - and that those who have passed more tests than others are inherently more worthy of the afterlife than those who have not.

Soldiers, Generals, and Adventurers tend to be the chosen of Nietzsche, but those who have survived to reach old age are also valued for the wisdom they have accumulated, as well as those that have faced and triumphed over considerable difficulty.

[Stratovarius]

Going to take the ideas here and come up with a first pass at some point today.

[Stratovarius]

Gods and Goddesses

Fasnachu
"None have but one aspect."
- Fasnachu the Two-Faced

Portfolio: Trade, Deception, Conversation, Arts, Creation, Luck, Wealth
Domains: As appropriate.

Description
There are many things that could be said about Fasnachu, for she is a goddess of many forms and many faces. Called by some the deciever, and by others lady luck, she oversees the process of creation and trade and negotation. Her greatest trick is leading men into temptation, then withholding from them the goods they so earnestly desire. Prayed to by merchants, thieves, artisans, traders, and all manner of men and women, she is perhaps the most despised deity within Arhosa, for it seems that she has left the lands, taking her blessings and departing until some further time. Men speak no more of luck, or of good fortune, and ward daily against evil happenings.

Drancedigaeth
"All end within my domain, and I welcome them."
- Drancedigaeth the Solemn

Portfolio: Death
Domains: As appropriate.

Description
All aspects of the afterlife fall within the sphere of Drancedigaeth, and he welcomes saints and murderers with equal aplomb. The dead form his province, and it is a grey realm of flat, unending, land, in which each spirit can only see themselves, and no other. Death is solitary, and Drancedigaeth enforces that upon all within his realm. A friend of no man and no god, he most hates Lledrith, for that creature will pry away the spirits of the dead to be slaves and servants to the living. There may be a war brewing there, and it would be foolish to wager against Drancedigaeth, for he is the greatest, and yet the most silent, of all the deities of Arhosa.

Lledrith
"I will control you, and all that you might offer."
- Lledrith the Bright

Portfolio: Magic, Undeath, Ambition
Domains: As appropriate.

Description
The very soul of ambition and magic, Lledrith strikes all who speak to him as the mage always striving to be better than he is, to live longer than he would, even as a god. He seeks power over death, over life, over all aspects of the creation.  Often he will bleed through into the minds of his servants and worshippers, imbuing them with the desire to move above their station. Worshipped almost exclusively by mages and seekers for power, his is the most rapidly expanding power among the gods, but it is soon to run into those who will push back, forcing Lledrith into drastic action.

Challineb
"The growl of the lion, the cry of the gazelle, the wind in the trees. All of these are part of me."
- Challineb the Green

Portfolio: Nature, Wisdom, Psionics, Dream
Domains: As appropriate.

Description
Challineb is not a kind goddess, and in many ways is barely a deity at all. More akin to the awakened consciousness of the world, she cares almost nothing for prayer, and does not mark her strength to the numbers who worship her, as so many others do. She considers all living creatures to be within her purview, and that simply by being alive, they revere what she has offered to them. She also considers the realms of the mind to be hers, and that all thoughts and dreams are aspects of her being. After all, are they not created by the creatures that she birthed? In this, she sometimes conflicts with Fasnachu, but neither side cares about the other, and so tend to ignore any irritants.

Hannhangnefedd
"I glory in war, in chaos, in combat, in all things that test man."
- Hannhangnefedd Heavyblow

Portfolio: War, Chaos, Strength, Blood
Domains: As appropriate.

Description
Hannhangnefedd is a brutal deity, concerned with combat and little more. Wherever one man fights another, he is there watching. When army clashes with army, he gloats and cheers, egging on either side to brawl and die, and curses those who retreat as cowards and little men. Never one to give thought to tactics or strategy, for him wars revolve around the beauty of the charge, that first heady crash of sword on shield. Unsurprisingly, he glorifies those servants of his who vanquish the most in combat, and glares down upon those who stab in the back, who assassinate, who corrupt the brutal essence of war, and steal from it the honour gained in combat. Upon those he will lay his deepest curses.

Awyr Leuad
"I see all, for my vantage point is the light upon your face."
- Awyr Leuad

Portfolio: Sun, Sky, Weather, Moon, Stars, Vision, Day and Night, Prophecy
Domains: As appropriate.

Description
The far-seeing goddess, Awyr Leuad, is the watcher, the sky above, observing all that takes place on Challineb below. Hidden within the sun and the moon, the stars and the sky, Awyr Leuad is the source of all prophecies and predictions, but often grants only the tiniest fragment of what she can see, and then lets the creatures below attempt to understand what it might mean. Controlling all that passes through the heavens, she is responsible for day and night, light and dark, and sees through it all, recording the behaviour of those creatures below. She watches with trepidation as Lledrith begins his war against death itself, for even she will be forced into the conflict upon one side or another. She fears death, the extinction of all light, not merely the dimness of night, but Lledrith with power over death frightens her equally, if not more. It is a poor choice she must soon make.

[ravenkith]

Hannhangnefedd
"I glory in war, in chaos, in combat, in all things that test man."
- Hannhangnefedd Heavyblow

Portfolio: War, Chaos, Strength, Blood
Domains: As appropriate.

Description
Hannhangnefedd is a brutal deity, concerned with combat and little more. Wherever one man fights another, he is there watching. When army clashes with army, he gloats and cheers, egging on either side to brawl and die, and curses those who retreat as cowards and little men. Never one to give thought to tactics or strategy, for him wars revolve around the beauty of the charge, that first heady crash of sword on shield. Unsurprisingly, he glorifies those servants of his who vanquish the most in combat, and glares down upon those who stab in the back, who assassinate, who corrupt the brutal essence of war, and steal from it the honour gained in combat. Upon those he will lay his deepest curses.

Two things:

1: Wars are fought for many reasons, but two of the principle ones are to claim new territory and to defend oneself. The portfolio and description you have created makes this pretty clearly the god of the aggressors - will there be a god of defense?

(E.G: Arvoreen, from FR.)



2: If there will not be a seperate god, will this god's domains include both War and Protection?

[Stratovarius]

Currently, I have no plans to add other gods, but if I come back later and see a hole that must be filled, then I will add another god.

Right now, there isn't a god who I'd feel would have the Protection domain, although I'd probably place Drancedigaeth as the closest, if one was to have that domain.

[veekie]

Heh, perhaps a cat goddess of Protection, Luck and Trickery? Say, adopted from some civilisation which has since fallen by the conquerers(sorta like how the Romans pick gods up left, right and center). To the new order, shes a sly trickster and thief, to the conquered, she helps them in minor, subtle ways, protecting them from greater powers with guile rather than force.

The less tricksy gods of their old pantheon could have suffered mass deicide.

[Stratovarius]

Well, at least two of those (Luck and Trickery) fall under the domain of Fasnachu. All of the gods (death aside) have fairly large areas of coverage.

[veekie]

Well, there can be overlaps, especially when they aren't in the same pantheon.

[Stratovarius]

I'm only doing one pantheon 

[VennDygrem]

What is it about the Protection domain that you want so badly?

[veekie]

'you' being?
If it's me, I'm just idly tossing out suggestions.

[VennDygrem]

Sorry, I meant to say "you guys" since raven brought it up first.

[AfterCrescent]

Being that I am the self-appointed Lord of the Clerics [TM], I state that there is no reason to want the protection domain, and that it is a terrible domain choice.

[TheWordSlinger]

It's a decent Devotion choice. It's not Knowledge, but at least it's not Chaos...