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skychrome
Senior Scribe
713 Posts |
 Posted - 27 Apr 2011 : 00:15:01
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Voted Pantheon.
I don't know, but it is difficult for me to imagine my preferred fantasy setting without a pantheon of gods. It just feels right (and different from reality, and that's what I like about fantasy). |
"You make an intriguing offer, one that is very tempting. It would seem that I have little alternative than to answer thusly: DISINTEGRATE!" Vaarsuvius, Order of the Stick 625 |
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MrHedgehog
Senior Scribe
688 Posts |
Posted - 27 Apr 2011 : 00:36:19
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| What does the Po mean in regards to Divine Rank? |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3746 Posts |
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BARDOBARBAROS
Senior Scribe
Greece
581 Posts |
Posted - 07 May 2011 : 14:07:38
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| Pantheon |
BARDOBARBAROS DOES NOT KILL.
HE DECAPITATES!!!
"The city changes, but the fools within it remain always the same" (Edwin Odesseiron- Baldur's gate 2) |
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Acolyte
Australia
33 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2011 : 09:57:32
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| I like to have a pantheon, or actually multiple pantheons for different cultural groups. However I dont like them to be bound to domains, I have them more as extremely powerful beings who watch over things in their interest. I also like their power to be seperate from worship, but that worship allows them to work on the mortal realm. No worship means no influence on the world, not extinction. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2011 : 19:52:58
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Did I mention that all my deities would assume handsome human forms? Even the gods of death and undeath would be "darkly" attractive. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3746 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2011 : 05:57:41
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quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
Did I mention that all my deities would assume handsome human forms? Even the gods of death and undeath would be "darkly" attractive.
-For whatever reason, in my setting, The Raven Queen (the Grim Reaper), I often envision her as a dark haired, emo little girl, kinda like Raven from Teen Titans (the cartoon), only maybe a little younger (10ish, instead of 14ish). |
(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)
Elves of Faerūn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerūn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2011 : 07:38:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Lord Karsus
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
Did I mention that all my deities would assume handsome human forms? Even the gods of death and undeath would be "darkly" attractive.
-For whatever reason, in my setting, The Raven Queen (the Grim Reaper), I often envision her as a dark haired, emo little girl, kinda like Raven from Teen Titans (the cartoon), only maybe a little younger (10ish, instead of 14ish).
Isn't that too young?
If I were to make a god look that young, I'd pick the God of Mischief. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Chosen of Asmodeus
Master of Realmslore
1221 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2011 : 13:44:52
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quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
quote:
Originally posted by Lord Karsus
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
Did I mention that all my deities would assume handsome human forms? Even the gods of death and undeath would be "darkly" attractive.
-For whatever reason, in my setting, The Raven Queen (the Grim Reaper), I often envision her as a dark haired, emo little girl, kinda like Raven from Teen Titans (the cartoon), only maybe a little younger (10ish, instead of 14ish).
Isn't that too young?
If I were to make a god look that young, I'd pick the God of Mischief.
Ever watch the TV show Angel? Spin off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Good show; had a character, evil incarnation of the setting sun, as a little girl. Couldn't have been more than ten. Very creepy.
That being said most art I've seen for the Raven Queen makes her look to be in her late thirties to early forties appearance wise. |
"Then I saw there was a way to Hell even from the gates of Heaven"
- John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress
Fatum Iustum Stultorum. Righteous is the destiny of fools.
The Roleplayer's Gazebo;
http://theroleplayersgazebo.yuku.com/directory#.Ub4hvvlJOAY |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2011 : 16:25:34
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Hmmm. Jane from Twilight could pass as a goddess of undeath. And the demonic fetus Xingax from the Haunted Lands would be a horrifying god of plagues.
I think I'll have to reconsider my previous post... |
Every beginning has an end. |
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AleksanderTheGreat
Seeker
90 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2011 : 16:32:13
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| I voted "Other", as in "Multiple pantheons", just like in Forgotten Realms pre-spellplague. I love to have many choices and a pletora of dieties makes the setting more interesting and colorful. :D |
Fighting for order! - Join me in the battle! |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 11 May 2011 : 05:23:14
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I'm not sure if I'd use Chosen. Avatars, yes. They are a necessity. But Chosen? Most probably not. I prefer my wizards to be indifferent to the gods. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3746 Posts |
Posted - 11 May 2011 : 05:26:39
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-In my own setting, I don't use Chosen. Powerful Clerics, or religious non-Clerics wholly dedicated to their deities? Yeah. But, Chosen? No.
-That is not to say I don't like the concept of Chosen, though. I do. I just don't use it. |
(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)
Elves of Faerūn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerūn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 11 May 2011 : 05:39:14
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I don't like nor dislike the concept. I just don't see how it could work well in my setting. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3746 Posts |
Posted - 11 May 2011 : 05:54:25
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quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
I don't even use avatars. The gods in my setting appear directly, much like the ancient Greek ones did. They just dial down the divine aura and such when they appear to mortals.
-That's my definition of avatar. I imagine deities as, more or less, as formless- "globs" of spiritual energy (Incarnum, in 3e). They need to manifest physical forms to interact with the material world, so those material forms that they create are their avatars, and that's that. |
(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)
Elves of Faerūn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerūn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium |
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Acolyte
Australia
33 Posts |
Posted - 11 May 2011 : 08:32:50
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quote:
Originally posted by Lord Karsus
quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
I don't even use avatars. The gods in my setting appear directly, much like the ancient Greek ones did. They just dial down the divine aura and such when they appear to mortals.
-That's my definition of avatar. I imagine deities as, more or less, as formless- "globs" of spiritual energy (Incarnum, in 3e). They need to manifest physical forms to interact with the material world, so those material forms that they create are their avatars, and that's that.
Mines fairly similar. My gods live in a dimension of almost pure energy, when they come to the material world they create a body, but that body can only hold a fraction of the gods power. That fraction of power is however about at much power as any mortal could develop, so there is no way any wizard could take on a god in its own dimension. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2011 : 07:49:56
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I wouldn't have lesser deities. Making them all equal would be easier to keep the balance. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3746 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2011 : 18:12:25
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-Why? The deity of nature would (a) be in charge of something more important and (b) have more followers than, say, the deity of ham sandwiches.
-I can agree, though, that generally speaking, I don't differentiate too much between the followers of strong deities and less strong deities. |
(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)
Elves of Faerūn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerūn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium |
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Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4460 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2011 : 19:06:49
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For myself, I chose Pantheon because I feel the greater versatility is needed in a gaming-setting. Having multiple deities that all sort of rival with eachother (or create factions) makes it more Dynamic IMO plus it allows people that play in that setting for creativity overall.
But of course, it all depends on the world, setting, etc... if there is a large Divine aspect. For example, I think it's the book series by Feist that doesn't really have any Divine aspect (same goes for the books revolving around The Black Company) and it works well for those series. The fact that in those settings people believe in God(s) yet don't really have any evidence makes a connection with the reader (more or less). |
Diffan's NPG Generator: FR NPC Generator |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 13 May 2011 : 01:52:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Lord Karsus
-Why? The deity of nature would (a) be in charge of something more important and (b) have more followers than, say, the deity of ham sandwiches.
-I can agree, though, that generally speaking, I don't differentiate too much between the followers of strong deities and less strong deities.
My deities would have their "areas responsibilities" [portfolios, if you wish], and in those areas, they are omnipotent---completely in charge. So there's no need for "assistants"---no lesser deities, no Chosen. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3746 Posts |
Posted - 13 May 2011 : 06:30:31
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quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
My deities would have their "areas responsibilities" [portfolios, if you wish], and in those areas, they are omnipotent---completely in charge. So there's no need for "assistants"---no lesser deities, no Chosen.
-So, the deity of nature would be just as strong as the deity of ham sandwiches?
-That kind of thing, I think, is the most annoying part of pantheons, personally. Once you step away from singular, more omnipotent deities (as in singular, or close to them), you start breaking things down further and further, to the point that you can really split hairs, and then with all of that in mind, have to balance things, and yada, yada, yada. Partially why I started moving away from a pantheon in my setting. |
(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)
Elves of Faerūn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerūn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium |
Edited by - Lord Karsus on 13 May 2011 06:30:56 |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 13 May 2011 : 06:36:06
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I wouldn't have too many dieties, anyway, so breaking things down won't be a problem.
----
Edit:
Something struck me after rereading A Kingdom Besieged by Raymond E. Feist...
Pug, Tomas, and some members of the Conclave of Shadows postulated on the nature of their Overgod. And what they came up with is this: that despite his billions of years of existence, he is still like a child, grappling the meaning of what is good and evil, creating beings and watching them closely, trying to understand concepts from their behavior.
So, how would you want your Overgod to be? A fully aware being dedicated to maintaining the Balance (like Ao), or a child-like being learning things from his own creation (like the Overgod of Feist's Universe)? |
Every beginning has an end. |
Edited by - Dennis on 27 May 2011 11:38:39 |
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How do you like the Divine set up in your fantasy?
