Slaadmaster, I hope you don't mind if I take a crack at some of these, though some of them will have to be answered by U_K.
Slaadmaster said:
3) I found that some existing deities would be hard to create using these rules due to the lack of some portfolios or how some portfolios are opposing (what portfolios would be most likely for Helm from FR - stoicism does not seem to really fit). Likewise some of the inherent weaknesses did not make sense to me such as a penalty to Wisdom for the Moon Portfolio. However, with the customisation of these been so easy (thanks to the explanation of the mechanics) this should not be hard to rectify or change.
Well, this system isn't set up to exactly replicate the existing deity rules in D&D. It's true that some abilities laid out for existing gods in
Deities and Demigods, as well as
Faiths and Pantheons can't be exactly replicated by what's here. That said, this is still a more useful, balanced system (IMO), and the best thing to do is probably retool existing deities you'll be using in your game, along with using the IH guidelines to create any new domains/abilities that you want to use (as you noted).
5) How many domains does a deity start with and/or is able to grant to worshippers - 2 or 4? And if it is 4, can they use all of the spells as spell-like abilities or just those to which he has corresponding portfolios?
A deity normally only has two domains, though there are some abilities that let them take more than that. That said, most deities only have two domains, which is the number of domains they can grant to worshippers. Deities can use the spell-like abilities of any domain they have.
6) Would I be correct in thinking that all First Ones have a double portfolio?
That's the implied theme, but there's no particular reason they have to. First Ones are supposed to be the incarnation of a particular force or idea, so it makes the most sense for them to have a double portfolio.
7) I would have found it very helpful to have some example of deities created with these rules. I understand Gods and Monsters will help here.
Check out the write-up I did for
Death with these rules. Death is a First One with the double death portfolio. This write-up is based on the write-up U_K did for Surtur (an Elder One), which I've attached at the bottom of this post.
8) If I had the Pariah of Magic ability, would my own magic still work?
I believe that's the intent, yes.
9) When an outsider is assumed to have a divine template by parallel due to its HD, I do not have to add the template myself - it is assumed to be already built in, correct?
Not exactly. It's already added in for Outsiders that U_K wrote himself (such as in the
IH Bestiary), but for standard d20 Outsiders, you'll need to make the divinity changes yourself. For example, all balors are effectively Hero-deities, but you'll need to give them maximum hit points per die, divine bonus to various stats and dice rolls, etc.
The tricky part is figuring out what to do when they already have particular stats. I think the thing to do there is retool the existing stats under the
Ascension guidelines. For example, figure out what a balor's natural armor bonus would be under
Ascension's rules, and then throw out the existing natural armor bonus in favor of that one. Ditto for spell resistance, etc.
