Consensus Poll - Pantheons

[Khaalis]

Hello all!

I am working on a new Home Brew campaign world idea and I need a general consensus to see what you think is the more powerful Pantheon. Any comments, details, explenations, etc would be greatly appreciated. This will help form the basis of the campaign world.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

Well, I think there really should have been an "Other", but Multitude is closest, so I went with that. I find the alignment pantheon just way to metagamey, and I don't see any reason why you couldn't have intermediate or greater gods in a multitudinous pantheon. I usually build my pantheons around 4 or 5 greater gods, and surround them with various "underling deities". For example, a Greater God of Death would have underlings of various power representing war, disease, assassins, necromancy, burial, etc. Thus, each cluster of greater deity + minor associated deities would be like a mini-pantheon within the larger pantheon.

 

[Tonguez]

I have no idea what you mean by 'more powerful' so can't answer that

but my preference is to create a few Greater gods that suit the needs of the campaign world and then give them 'families' of lesser gods of similar ilk (eg the god of harvest is son of the Earth Goddess.

Remember Monotheism is also fun...

 

[Nifft]

Can't really answer, as my 6-God Pantheon would kick both of their butts.

http://klimt.cns.nyu.edu/~fishman/DnD/religion.shtml

-- N

 

[Khaalis]

The point here is to get an opinion on which of the two you would consider more powerful....
9 Greater Deities vs. a Score or so of Demi-Lesser Deities.

The basic concept is a world where thousands of years ago the "Old Gods" grew complacent and lax in their dealings with mortals and slowly lost power to the "New Age" deities. Now the "New Age" deities have been in power for the past few thousand years but now the "Old Gods" have decided to set asside their personal differences for the meantime and have learned from their mistake about complacency - and are coming back with a vengeance.

My personal opinion is that the 9 Greater deities are more powerful than a score or so of Demi-Lesser deities, but I wanted to get other's opinions. The Old Gods would be the more primal deities of the alignments and the portfolios that most often fall under them. The New Age deities would be Demi-Lesser deities of specific pantheons more akin to Greyhawk/Realms - more things of Fad and passing need than deities of all encompassing power.

Hope this helps to clarify it.

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

Whichever one you want to win; that's going to be the more powerful one.

Now if you are asking who'd win in a fight, 9 greater gods or 20 or so demigods in some D&Dg "This is why we statted them, suckas!" bloodfest, I'd lean towards the greater deities. But ultimately it's however you want your campaign to go.

 

[Chacal]

I'm in the "you decide" camp.
I really don't see on what basis (besides campaign flavor) you can answer that question.
But I never ran (as opposed to storytell) dieties fights, so I might be biased.



Chacal

 

[Aaron L]

Just a few greater gods are lot more powerful than even a score of demi to lesser gods.

 

[Li Shenron]

I think the lesser the number of greater gods, the more stability in the pantheon's affairs, more or less obviously. Dozens of gods of about the same power may have much more competition for supremacy as in FR, while a group of deities who is more powerful than the others can still fight against each other but in general I think they would still control the rest quite easily.

 

[Argent Silvermage]

I've always thought of working with 5 "Forces" on each of Good, Law, Evil, Chaos, and Neutrality. These forces are not "Gods" per say but the interaction of these forces has created any number of deities. There is no one ruleing deity they rely on thier worshipers to make them powerful. That explains war and dewath. the deities are competing for the mortals attention.

OOC: Maybe I should sleep before I type. LOL