Basic Pantheon Makeup suggestions?

[ThomasBJJ]

I'm starting to work on a new campaign world, and one thing I want to get away from are a HUGE number of Gods.

So, I decided that there will be a small number of Gods, and several Hero/Demigod-level guys in the mix.

Each of the DemiHuman pantheons will be reduced down to 1 "main" god, all the rest are Hero/Demi-level

For the Human Pantheon, There should be 4-6 "main" gods, and 12 Hero/Demi-levels.

Now, I'm having some trouble filling out the ranks to cover all the aspects. Here's what I've got so far:

Main Gods:
1. Nature
2. War
3. Knowledge
4. Death
5. ?
6. ?

Worshipers of the Main gods can advance in Cleric as normal.


DemiGods/Heroes:
1. Justice, Vengeance, Retribution
2. Law, Honor, Chivalry
3. Chaos, Destruction
4. Discipline, Strength, Endurance, Skill
5. Magic
6. Skill-at-arms, Weaponsmithing, tactics
7. Trickery, Stealth, Thieves
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Worshipers of the Heroes can advance limited as a Cleric. Cannot cast higher than 3rd level spells. Multiclassing will be encouraged to emulate the Hero.

Magic will be powerful, but RARE and not well understood. I purposely did not have a Main god of magic. The Hero/Demigod of magic does has not even unlocked the secrets of magic.

The Demigods will have a more active role in the world, the main gods more a static "force".

Any suggestions on filling out the roster, or even changes ???

 

[rounser]

What if....

...the only Greater God of the world was a god of something not universal (like Good or War or summat) but obscure, like moss, or rocks, or insects? How would that affect the world? Maybe everyone gets around with a lucky patch of moss in a pouch, and worships at shrines covered in moss. It would have interesting ramifications, methinks.

Something to consider...

 

[Avatar_V]

If you've got death, you can toss in life. This could be portrayed a number of ways... healing, fertility, harvest... actually a god/dess of harvest and stuff like that could be another one. Hmm.. or maybe just a sub-deity under the life god.

 

[Mouseferatu]

If you've got death, you can toss in life. This could be portrayed a number of ways... healing, fertility, harvest... actually a god/dess of harvest and stuff like that could be another one. Hmm.. or maybe just a sub-deity under the life god.

Seems to me that "life" is already subsumed under "nature." (Although one could argue that death is, too.)

Nature's a pretty broad category, really. Animals, plants, weather, mountains, ocean... It's a bit much for a single god to handle in a polytheistic setting. I also think that knowledge is a bit obscure to have its own god (Forgotten Realms notwithstanding.) It's pretty much a concept so abstract as to be nearly undefinable. Herbal skills, sword-fighting, history, and basketweaving could all qualify. How do you break it down?

But hey, that's just my opinion, and this is your pantheon, so ignore it.

What about plague for one of the other gods? Sure, modern science knows that diseases are part of the natural order, but to many folks in the middle ages, they were strange, evil things, often due to malicious spirits or curses.

What about love/procreation? One of the primary human drives/emotions, that. Prominant enough that almost every pantheon has it.

 

[Blackwind]

A few ideas:

Main gods:

5. Fertility
6. Magic
7. Agriculture/Harvest
8. Sun/Moon

Demigods/heroes:

8. Nobility, royalty
9. Healing
10. Peace
11. Neutrality
12. Music and arts (like the Muses)
13. Fate

In a campaign with only a few major religions, you can also have numerous saints, which is fun. PC Clerics and Paladins can aspire to sainthood, etc.

 

[ThomasBJJ]

I like the Plague demigod idea, I'll work on it, try to find some existing examples from some settings.

A "Creation" god could fit, but I don't want there to be one main god that is more powerful than the rest.

 

[Darraketh]

How about a household god/goddess of the hearth, birth, death, marriage, luck and or good fortune.

For this god there would be no temples as every home with a hearth would be an altar. Worshipers would having sayings or little prayers they would express at certain times.

Some examples:

• before a meal
• before bedtime
• when entering someone else's house
• when returning home, particularly after a long journey
• protection from fires in the home
• at a marriage/engagement ceremony
• at a birth or funeral
• whenever they felt they needed luck or good fortune
• whenever they believed they'd experienced good fortune

Clerics of this god/goddess would be commonplace in most towns. They would be called upon to preside over marriage ceremonies and funerals, even deliver babies. They'd officiate contests, provide counseling and may have a role as an arbitrator.

 

[Avatar]

As for demigods, it's not unusual to have Gods that watch over particular classes, kind of like patron saints in Catholicism.

You know, a God of seafarers and travelers.
A god of thieves and brigands.
A god of bards and liars, etc.

Things along those lines.

 

[dinsdale]

Pantheon Makeup Suggestions

Rouge
Foundation
Mascara
Lipstick
Eyeliner
Entrails (for barbarian gods)
...


(Sorry)

 

[Henry]

For a unique change, create gods with a zodiacal element to them. Create like 12 gods, and have each one equate to not only a broad portfolio, but also a time of the year and a constellation. You could have a gods of

1. valor, heroism, justice
2. Protection, healing, love
3. The elements, animals, plants
4. Creation, inspiration
5. pain, suffering, dominance
6. disease, death, entropy
7. war, violence
8. the sky, weather
9. the earth


Actually, this is starting to remind me more of dragonlance the further I go...