D&D 5E 5e Pantheon

[Aldarc]

It would mirror real life mythology, though. War and fertility deities were always popular. Local gods of city-states usually had 3 or 4 of what D&D called domains, and war/protection was usually one of them (even if it wasn't their primary domain).

This. The Sovereign Host of Eberron is probably one of the best constructed pantheons in that it's a small collection of deities that common folk are actually likely to worship rather than the bizarrely-constructed pantheons that grace most settings.

 

[Ichneumon]

The Raven Queen is the only true god. She just lets people believe in all those other imaginary gods because it keeps them out of her hair.

Anyway, whatever the 5e pantheon is, I'd like to see it with relationships and rivalries, as you see in the classic old god-groups (e.g. Greek, Norse). Not just along alignment axes either.

 

[Tallifer]

I like the Points-of-Light pantheon, but I think that for the sake of unity, simplicity, consistency and convenience, the default pantheon and cosmology of the core books should be from the Forgotten Realms. With sidebars pointing out the differences from Eberron and Dark Sun (even before they are inevitably published).

I really think the cool concepts of Points-of-Light shoudl be made into a full new setting however. I would get that book!

 

[Mark CMG]

Rules system and setting should be separate, especially if this is meant to be a system where it can be dialed up and down. The system can explain how things like divine magic work in regard to any given pantheon and allow GMs to integrate it with their pantheon. Setting books would have this information built into them.

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

I think the default pantheon should be that of the default setting. Although the points of light concept was cool and functional, I think we would all be better served if they took a more Pathfinder-like approach. Make either Greyhawk or the Forgotten Realms the default setting, and support that with everything they have.

 

[Howndawg]

I think the default pantheon should be that of the default setting. Although the points of light concept was cool and functional, I think we would all be better served if they took a more Pathfinder-like approach. Make either Greyhawk or the Forgotten Realms the default setting, and support that with everything they have.

I'm not a big fan of Pathfinder's pantheon. Too many esoteric deities and not enough classic archetypes.

I don't want a default setting or default deities. I'd rather just have domains. A storm cleric could worship the storm god, the storm aspect of the Sky Father, or the family of storm spirits. I'd rather have the building blocks and be able to build upon them than have them presented in a manner I don't want to use.

 

[Dire Bare]

I think that D&D needs to return to the crazy literary, mythic, and non-specific gestalt cosmology pre-3rd Ed. There would not be a core or default campaign setting at all, and no core pantheon of gods. The various categories of gods would be outlined and referred to, the Astral Gods, Elemental Primordials, Archfey (need a better name for them) and other similar beings of cosmic power. Perhaps a chart in the Player's Handbook (or Red Box) that lists sample deities with just enough information to tie them mechanically to clerics.

Beyond the Red Box and core three rulebooks, supplements such as the Manual of the Planes and Deities and Demigods would describe the D&D cosmology and reference the classic crazy mish-mash of gods. Tell me where the Olympians hang out, where the Aesir and Vanir battle for eternity, where the various deities of the Realms claim turf. I'd like to see a return to the "meta-setting" of D&D, where the various campaign worlds all exist in the same multiverse, perhaps even interacting in the Astral Sea, the Elemental Chaos, or even in Shadow or Faerie.

Yeah.