Combining Monotheism with D&D deities

[Ry]

Hi everyone;

I know a lot of people like monotheisms in their custom worlds, to get a real medieval feeling, or facilitate church intrigue that just isn't as important when there are 7 different viable churches.

But these same people are often just as fond of using straight-up D&D modules as the rest of us. I've found a great way to have both the monotheism and the rest of D&D: Take all the gods that you want the players to like, and make them Archangels.

So, in my campaign, there is a God, but he has a large volume of Archangels. Common people typically have a favorite angel (somtimes called their guardian angel), and shrines are typically devoted to the archangels - because they're easier to grasp and more personal than Kaiyeste himself. Small alters to Kaiyeste are always present, however. Taking that perspective, I've been free to import material from lots of setting-specific sources; I've got Archangels named Pelor, Heironeous, and Cuthbert, as well as Corean, Madriel, and Hedrada.

D&D gods that don't fit into the angels category don't need to be given godly status, either; for that, I have what we call "Pandemic spirits", which is a great loose collection of spirits - good, neutral, and evil - that aren't affiliated with God. Some of these are eventually brought into the fold (as per historical conversion of local myths to saints), others hunted, and others remain aside from the conflicts (nature spirits, etc.)

It's not a big change, but I found it felt big when I wasn't rejecting modules like the Ettin's Riddle just because they didn't mesh well with my setting.

 

[The_Universe]

Hi everyone;

I know a lot of people like monotheisms in their custom worlds, to get a real medieval feeling, or facilitate church intrigue that just isn't as important when there are 7 different viable churches.

But these same people are often just as fond of using straight-up D&D modules as the rest of us. I've found a great way to have both the monotheism and the rest of D&D: Take all the gods that you want the players to like, and make them Archangels.

So, in my campaign, there is a God, but he has a large volume of Archangels. Common people typically have a favorite angel (somtimes called their guardian angel), and shrines are typically devoted to the archangels - because they're easier to grasp and more personal than Kaiyeste himself. Small alters to Kaiyeste are always present, however. Taking that perspective, I've been free to import material from lots of setting-specific sources; I've got Archangels named Pelor, Heironeous, and Cuthbert, as well as Corean, Madriel, and Hedrada.

D&D gods that don't fit into the angels category don't need to be given godly status, either; for that, I have what we call "Pandemic spirits", which is a great loose collection of spirits - good, neutral, and evil - that aren't affiliated with God. Some of these are eventually brought into the fold (as per historical conversion of local myths to saints), others hunted, and others remain aside from the conflicts (nature spirits, etc.)

It's not a big change, but I found it felt big when I wasn't rejecting modules like the Ettin's Riddle just because they didn't mesh well with my setting.

I make their equivalents IMC saints, although I don't really use prewritten modules.

 

[jester47]

I would use a combination of both. If the god in question was once a mortal, then they are saints, if they are demonic (say lolth) or angelic (?) in origin then they are archangels.

Aaron.

 

[Narfellus]

Didn't the FR setting have an overgod named AO? I suppose not many citizens knew about him, but that could be your monotheistic god, with the hundreds of underling gods as saints, demons, and angels. I liked the Realms, but that was always my peeve, too many dieties. The logical interaction of that many faiths was hard to keep track of.

 

[Krug]

Not too far from what Iron Kingdoms has, with Morrow and various Ascendants representing domains.

 

[Three_Haligonians]

I treated the different gods as people choosing to worship different aspects of God, (kind of like different sects of Christianity), but I like your way better!

R from Three Haligonians

 

[Aust Diamondew]

I like the Archangle type idea and I've toyed with the idea making them saints in the past.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Dragonstar had an interesting take on this. Clerics of the good god (according to the dualist heresy--which is similar to monotheism, but, of course, not identical) could just pick any two domains (Chaos, Evil, Death, and Trickery excepted). Based on my Dragonstar experience, I think it could work.

 

[Captain Tagon]

In the setting I'm working on, there is one true god. The fallen angels or daemons or whatnot turned the mortals against him and in his anger he withdrew from the world for a time, though there are a few small sects that still worship him. The rest of the world is polytheistic though, like the typical DnD world. Except even the good gods are really daemons in disguise.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Interesting captain.

three questions:

can those who worship the one god still cast spells?

how do you work the "good" gods being demons in disguise? (Presumably, if they're demons, they're not really good).

And third, aren't you dead? I mean it's not like we saw you die, but Kevin has already taken over your mercenary company and sent the reverend to inform your father of your demise.