D&D 4E 4e Legends & Lore: Stats for Gods or ?

[JoeGKushner]

So should 4th edition have stats for gods? Legends & Lore seems to be one of the books that gets an update in every edition so I imagine we'll see one, especially since Greyhawk is getting the boot as default and mention was made of using other popular mythology (perhaps due to shows like Rome?).

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

I don't really mind having stats for Gods, and it wouldn't surprise me if we see them again.

Only thing is, if you do stats, just don't neglect all the other important information. Followers, temples, dogma, etc. That's MORE important than the stats. Some campaigns may want to kill the Gods, and that's fine, but even more will want the fluff type information.

 

[Aloïsius]

1) Explain that there are many interpretation of what is a god. And that you have to choose wich one to use in your campaign
2) Release stats that can be use either as "aspect" of a god, or, if your campaign's gods are somewhat "weak", as the gods themselves.

However, in 99% of the campaign I knwo, there is no need for gods stats. So, please WOTC : don't waste 60% of a book with godly statblocks.

 

[Victim]

Yes, and the stats should be sucky. Not like 1e bad, but level 80 gods with tons of extra abilities are BS, IMO. Nigh omnipotent gods don't make as much sense when you have whole bunches of them, especially if other powerful outsiders like Solars are supposed to significant in comparison.

But other information about rituals, policies, holy days, etc is important too.

 

[Szatany]

I voted no as they are unncessary for most gamers most of the time. However, it would be nice if a hypotetical book about deities contained a small chapter on how to create stats for a god (any god, including demigods, avatars) so the minority that wants to tackle a god can actually do that. IMO that would make everyone happy.

 

[blargney the second]

I went with no stats fluffy fluffy, because I likes me some Eberron.

 

[Kaodi]

No, I think that they should only have statistics for avatars, but those should be confined to their own book, that comes out AFTER the book with information on all the important stuff about religions, temples, worshippers, traditions, et cetera.

Something like, Divine Adversaries: Servants & Avatars.

Also, as had been said, some setting need nothing of the sort, like Eberron. But, I think we can rule out stats, avatars or aspects of Eberron deities because that would constitute a world shaking event, which there are none of.

 

[delericho]

I don't really mind having stats for Gods, and it wouldn't surprise me if we see them again.

Only thing is, if you do stats, just don't neglect all the other important information. Followers, temples, dogma, etc. That's MORE important than the stats. Some campaigns may want to kill the Gods, and that's fine, but even more will want the fluff type information.

I agree with this.

 

[ruleslawyer]

I voted no for the simple reason that stats vs. fluff seem to involve a tradeoff rather than having one's cake and eating it too. (Check the 2e FR gods books vs. Faiths & Pantheons, for instance). If that weren't the case, I'd take both, with a mechanical emphasis on gods' stats that would more generally affect play rather than the ones that make them combat beasts. For instance, Zeus's control of thunderstorms, or Apollo's ability to dispense wisdom and prophecy, or Vecna's to cloud knowledge and guard secrets, or Tempus's to influence the course of a batle.

 

[Evilusion]

I voted yes. Just because I tend to use the stats as the avatar(if needed). Besides it make the players a little mad when I use the full stats as the avatar.