D&D General Have we ever done a god making thread?

[Mind of tempest]

in dnd gods are one of the things that most settings sooner or later have to hammer out have we ever done a god making thread as it might be fun to make one god per portfolio

no need to list alignment as what any of us think is good is likely to be different anyway.

you can make one for a portfolio someone else has already done but a god only gets one no death and knowledge as the more overlap there is the harder it is to see the original concept.

 

[SehanineMoonbow]

Gods are actually among my favorite aspects of D&D.

 

[cbwjm]

Do you mean making stats for gods or just writing up a description of a god with their portfolio, tenets, holy days, etc.

 

[Blue]

I put together a document with a bunch of related domains (english word, not game definition). Planning next time I want to make a pantheonI'm going to print them out and cut them up. Grab the group and we just go around a bit with each picking one, talking a bit about the relate to the others that have been picked, and then everyone picks a second "minor" domain to represent the organic "real world" growth by absorbing other religions. I know that wouldn't necessary happened where gods can be show as real, but it does emulate the organic feel of real world mythos. The second one you can shift a bit on the "related domains" document I made to fit a bit better, as an example of the propaganda of absorbing them. So you can have a god of storms and passion, which you flavor as storms and fury, for example.

 

[Shiroiken]

One idea that I like, but haven't had a chance to use, is the multi-aspect deities. For example, the god of death might be "Orgoth the reaper" to the orcs, while the elves have "Elindara, the spirit guide." It's the same deity, but viewed and worshiped completely differently based on racial bias and different forms of worship. Those well versed in religion would know the differences between each aspect and how they're worshiped, but the average person would view them as completely different deities. This way a DM can have a single pantheon, but still grant a lot of variety to players.

 

[Tonguez]

Yes give a list of Domains, let each participant choose two and then they get to build not only the Diety and its domain spells and domain powers but also create the world from the dietys persepctive - terrain, sacred sites, favoured race(s), monsters, champions, legends, rituals and artifacts.

In 3e I did a God War ‘game’ using point buy to balance the characters

 

[Blue]

One idea that I like, but haven't had a chance to use, is the multi-aspect deities. For example, the god of death might be "Orgoth the reaper" to the orcs, while the elves have "Elindara, the spirit guide." It's the same deity, but viewed and worshiped completely differently based on racial bias and different forms of worship. Those well versed in religion would know the differences between each aspect and how they're worshiped, but the average person would view them as completely different deities. This way a DM can have a single pantheon, but still grant a lot of variety to players.

I did something related to this in one homebrew setting that I used for two campaigns back in D&D 3ed/3.5 days. There were 18 "mantles" or archetypes for gods, and mortals can and had ascended (usually long ago) to fill those mantles, but forming distinct pantheons. And not every mantle matched well for each culture so most of the races had 13-15 gods in them, with some of them being weaker (lesser or demigods) because they had less worshipers from that culture. So the northern orc tribes had their pantheon, and the archipelago slaver orc pirates had a different one, and the halfling who predated the humans had their pantheon, the Kingdom of Errantas had a pantheon and so on. And if you looked closely you would realize that it was the same set of gods, just each with their own twist for the culture they came from. There was a metropolitan empire that accepted intelligent monsters that had in their capital "The Street of A Thousand Gods", the major thoroughfare of the city and wall-to-wall temples to various deities of the many cultures that made up the Empire.

 

[Blue]

Here's just a dump of a document I have with pantheon building ideas. Take each bit as separate that could be combined if wanted.

Multiple Sects
Have gods that have sects seeing them from multiple (compatible) aspects. So the sects may have a general alignment, not the gods themselves.

For instance, there could be a god who is revered for passion, lust and revenge.

Ideal + Primitive
Another god idea – in a “more advanced” civilization (think Roman vs. Greek), the gods are based off of human ideals and aspects. (Like passion/lust/revenge above). But they have absorbed (often literally) more primal aspects of other gods as they took over their portfolios like storms.

Portfolios
(Lightly grouped)

• Passion, Lust
  • Revenge, Vengeance
  • Love
  • Youth
• Cruelty
  • Rivalry
  • Hatred, Anger
    • Murder (also Secrets?)
• Insanity, Madness
  • Wrath, Slaughter (could be related to Murder)

• Justice
  • Retribution (which is not Revenge)
• Valor, Glory
  • (Warfare)
  • Courage
  • Chivalry
  • Bravery
  • Honor
  • Victory

• Society, Civilization
  • Roads, Messengers (possible sub of Travelers, Wanderers)
  • Order, Authority
    • Law
    • Nobility, Rulers
    • Tyranny, Oppression
    • Fate, (Divination)
    • Judgement
• Exchange, Merchants/Commerce, Trade, Gold, Wealth
  • Greed (might be connected to thievery)
• Friendship, Loyalty
  • Guilds, Institutions (though may also be under Community, Civilization)
• Happiness, Joy, Mirth
  • Celebration, Revelry, Festivals, (Spectacle)
    • (Could be connected to alcohol)
  • Zeal
• Hearth, Home
  • Community, Fellowship (could also be under Society, Civilization)
  • Protection
• Childbirth, Birth, Motherhood
  • Renewal
  • Fertility (would include animals and husbandry?)
• Marriage, Family

• Truth, Honesty

• Wit, Slyness, Cleverness, Cunning
  • Treachery, Trickery
• Secrets (could be related to knowledge)
  • Shadows, (Night), (Moon)
  • Illusion
• Thievery (though might be under Exchange)

• Death
  • Grief
• Underworld

• Freedom, Liberty
  • Change
  • Chaos
  • Travel, Wanderers
• Luck, Fortune, Misfortune, Random Happenings

• Knowledge, Study
  • Reason
  • Invention
  • (Study of Magic – not magic as a whole)
  • (Divination)
  • (Warfare)
  • Medicine
  • Speech, Writing (might be under crafts, creation)
  • Strategy
• Success though hard work
  • Apprentices
  • Labor, Handiwork (though could be under craft)
  • Self-Sacrifice
  • Self-Improvement (Could also be under Study)
• Craft, Creation (this could probably be broken up some)
  • Smithing, Metalworking
    • Weapons
  • Building
  • Art
  • Poetry, Song, Music (related to Beauty?)

• Suffering, Pain
• Corruption, Taint
  • Sickness, Plague
  • Decay, (Old Age)
  • Curses
  • Undeath
  • Poison
  • Famine

• Time, Immortality, (Longevity)
• Magic
• Healing
• Peace, Serenity

• Destruction
  • Violence, Strife
    • Battle (or might be related to Glory)
      • Warfare, War, Soldiers (or might be related to Civilization)

• Agriculture, Harvest, Planting, Growth, Crops
  • Plants
  • Alcohol
• The Hunt

• Athletics, Sport
• Beauty
  • Envy, Covet
  • (Maybe Song, Music, Poetry?)
  • Inspiration

(More explanation instead of concept based below this)

• Untamed Wilds, Nature
  • Forests, Woodlands
• Sky (can have a bunch under it, like storms, or sun and moon)
  • (Might have Wind even if it doesn’t have Storms)
• Storms, Wind, Lightning, Rain, Tempest, Thunder
  • Weather
• Animals, Beasts
  • Husbandry
  • (Connected to but separate from The Hunt)
  • (Various specific important categories, like Serpents or Cats)
• Stone, Mountains, Earth
  • Caverns, Caves
  • Metals (maybe related to Smithing)
  • Earthquakes, Volcanoes
• Winter, Cold
• The Sun, Dawn
  • Light
  • Heat, Fire/Flame
• Moon (can be connected to various)
• Water
  • Currents, The Seas, Oceans, Tide
  • Rivers, Lakes
  • Fish, Sea Creatures
  • (Often connected to healing and the moon)

 

[Steampunkette]

That is an invaluable post, there, @Blue! I love it.

 

[Stormonu]

I am in the midst of revising the deities for my homebrew - it’s a Roman/Norse/Greek mix, with a touch of Mesoamerica/Native Americanism. This is a dump from my Homebrewery document.

## Cleric

<div class='wide'>
##### Dieties of Amberos
|Diety |Alignment|Domains |Symbol |
|:--- |:---: |:------------------ |:------------------------------------ |
|Aspus |NE |Nature, Strength, Traveler |A coiled white cobra ready to strike |
|Aztech |LN |Knowledge, Light, Protection |A golden blazing sun with silver lines |
|Belli |N |Elemental (Bludgeoning), Nature, Life|A oak leaf and acorn cluster |
|Competius |CG |Adventure, Fellowship, Fortune|A checkered bandana|
|The Dark One |LE |Evil, Trickery, Tyranny |A field of black with a red star|
|Deor |NG |Elemental (Acid), Forge, Order|A cave entrance|
|Dhorian |CG |Good, Order, Strength |A golden crown atop a sword planted in the ground|
|Discoff |CN |Fortune, Love, Trickery |A lady's face surrounded by star-filled hair|
|Gosend |LG |Good, Messenger, Traveler |A pair of golden sandals|
|Gweize |NE |Evil, Darkness, Trickery |A blackened shepard's staff|
|Fir |LG |Adventure, Forge, Protection |A hammer striking an anvil|
|Hamma |N |Knowledge, Nature, Protection |An upward thrust silver sword|
|Harp |N |Life, Time, Traveler |An hourglass with a single, suspended sand in the middle|
|Jhalah |NE |Chaos, Death, Evil |An unblinking, monstrous eye|
|Kerundinius |NE |Evil, Knowledge, Magic |A red, taloned hand grasping an upthrust wand|
|Ko Kassa |N |Elemental, Prophecy, Strength |An erupting volcano|
|Lepornunse |CE |Evil, Disease, Traveler |A diseased, bandage-wrapped hand|
|Logres |LG |Good, Healing, Peace |An upraised hand surrounded in light|
|Lorius |N |Air, Fellowship,Traveler|A white blank|
|Luna |NG |Light,Twilight,Darkness |A white cresent on a black background|
|M'Kree Malka |CE |Evil, Ocean, Tyranny |A shark attacking its own tail|
|Magius |NG |Good, Light, Magic |A broken wand|
|Menos |N |Knowledge, Order, Prophesy |A bowed head emitting a starburst|
|Morian |NE |Knowledge, Magic, Trickery |A black cauldron|
|Opheus |LG |Good, Order, Light |A beaming,rising sun|
|Nazgaduum |CE |Chaos, Prophesy, Time |A whirlpool with shark's teeth|
|Phromus |N |Light, Order, Prophesy |A blazing sun, eclipsed|
|Shame |NG |Art, Love, Trickery |A downward-pointing dagger|
|Shurdeua |LG |Agriculture, Light, Protection |A woman outlined in a sunburst|
|Silamus |N |Order, Grave, Twilight |A reaping scythe|
|Ssrell |N |Knowledge, Prophesy, Time |A stepped pyramid|
|Tageus |LN |Fortune, Order, Prosperity |A gold coin being flipped|
|Teeth |CE |Chaos, Death, Undead |A pair of vampire's teeth|
|Titanicus |CE |Strength, Tyranny, War |A blood-stained double axe, upraised|
|Triton |N |Nature, Travel, Water |A trident overlying a pearl|
|Tzuckamus |LE |Art, Chaos, Elemental(Fire, Ice)|A winged serpent|
|Tuma |CE |Destruction, Disease, Undead |A black, smoking mace|
</div>
\page
<div class='wide'>
##### Dieties of Amberos (cont)
|Diety |Alignment|Domains |Symbol |
|:--- |:---: |:------------------ |:------------------------------------ |
|Urdeus |CG |Chaos, Good, Protection|A shining spear on a starry background|
|Vermnia |CN |Chaos, Elemental(Lightning, Thunder), Tempest|A forked lightning bolt|
|Visha |LG |Good, Protection, War|Twin spears crossing a golden helmet|
|Xygleon |NG |Fellowship, Knowledge, Protection|A white, tapering tower|
|Ziga |NE |Chaos, Evil, Trickery|A "Z" made of blood|
|Zzadasa |N |Order, Prophecy, Time|A gray circle on a half-white, half-black background|
|Cults |||
|Animaters |LE |Undead |A skull in red robes|
|Brass Circle |NG |Light |A tarnished brass ring|
|Brotherhood of Glory |LG |Order |A crown of thorns|
|Circle of Good |NG |Good |A golden circlet|
|Derrogathins |CE |Chaos |A downward pointed kris dagger dripping with blood|
|Gazers |CG |Travel |A telescope|
|Masters of the Species|NE |Nature |A white fox mask with curved, black lines|
|Iron Circle |CE |Evil |A thick band made of spiked, rusted iron|
|Tuma's Waybreath |CE |Destuction |A bald man's head breathing ash|
|Way of Immortality |N |Time |A golden sunburst outlined in red|
|Way of Pleasure |CN |Trickery |A golden cup overflowing with wine|
</div>