Divine Progression for the quasi-deity

[Funeris]

Ok. So here's what happened. I was on the boards here at Enworld and I saw an article about the Deck of Many Things. They said it was a game breaker. I decided to throw it into my game to see if it would actually break it. Its early in the campaign...and I'm always curious to see how random stuff turns out.

Well. The most impulsive of the group just HAD to draw from the deck. I only allowed up to three draws. So...first card: Donjon. He cursed. A few of us laughed. Second card: 3 wishes. Just his luck. Third Card: Major Magic Weapon.

So...major magic weapon is easy. I already made it. His wishes were where the bantering began. First wish: Not to be imprisoned (duh). Second wish: He wanted to be a god (after much thought and metagaming and what-ifs). Third wish: He found he had no other desires...so he wished that another member of the party had the wish. This other member (the Yeti here on the boards) has decided to wish that the remaining PCs were also deities. To keep the game fair and make things interesting (they're all chaotic neutral).

So I set about re-reading the SRD on Divinity (the Yeti is borrowing my Deities & Demigods). And like quite a few people, I don't really care for the book. But I decided to take the rules and modify them. I'm allowing the wishes to grant Divine Rank 0 so they're all quasi-deities or hero deities. And now I've come up with a 20-level "class" (I use the term loosely mind you) so that they can sink XP into the class to unlock other quasi-deity abilities (AND TO MAKE SURE MY GAME BALANCE ISN'T TOTALLY WACKED).

So, my request to you all....check it out...read it over, and give me your input. I need it. Just remember this "class" is in no way balanced. But it'll at least split up their divine abilities so I can kill them sometime within twenty levels (especially if they're still increasing their normal classes) Just kidding.

Divine Progression

Alignment: Any
Hit Die: 1d8 (max per level)
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) X 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier
Class Skills: Class Skills are per previously earned Classes. If there are no previous classes, then all skills are treated as Class Skills.

Notes:
- Deity Progression only pertains to Deities of Divine Rank 0. All Deities of Divine Rank 1 or more have already fulfilled/earned these levels/abilities.
- Creature Type changes to Outsider
- The Deity 'Class' does not count in determining XP for multi-classing.

Level Special

1 Immortality*, Deflection Bonus to AC (Cha)***, Aligned Weapon, Hit Point Max ****
2 DR 1/Epic, SR 2, Immunity to Polymorph
3 Feat, Immunity to Petrification and any Form Altering Attack
4 Ability Increase, DR 2/Epic, Energy Resistance (1/Energy)
5 Natural Armor Bonus 2***
6 Feat, Leadership Feat**, DR 3/Epic
7 SR-4, Natural Armor Bonus 4***
8 Ability Increase, DR 4/Epic, Energy Resistance (2/Energy)
9 Feat, Immunity to Energy Drain
10 DR 5/Epic, Immunity to Ability Drain
11 Natural Armor Bonus 8***
12 Feat, Ability Increase, DR 6/Epic, Energy Resistance (3/Energy), SR-8
13 Natural Armor Bonus 10***
14 DR 7/Epic, Immunity to Ability Damage
15 Feat, Immunity to All Mind Altering Affects
16 Ability Increase, DR 8/Epic, Energy Resistance (4/Energy)
17 Feat, SR-16
18 Feat, DR 9/Epic
19 Natural Armor Bonus: 13***
20 Ability Increase, Feat, DR 10/Epic, Energy Resistance (5/Energy), SR-32

* Aging effectively stops. Death can still occur through violent means.
** If the character already has the Leadership feat, choose another.
*** All Divine AC Bonuses stack.
**** Deities always receive maximum hit points from hit dice. This is retroactive for any previously earned classes.

Other Notes:
- The ability to obtain Divine Rank 1 is left entirely in the hands of the DM.
- BAB, Saves, and Spellcasting abilities (including caster level) do not increase with Divine Rank 0.

 

[TheYeti1775]

Just subscribing to keep up with it.

Just subscribing.
I'm going to finish my emails now.
Have a day off and get 500 some emails.
Half our from friends, the other 225 notifications about stuff.
And out of the remainder only about 5 pretain to work.

 

[Funeris]

Anyone? Thoughts? Opinions? Comments?

 

[Aust Diamondew]

You should need some sort of prerequisites, such as worshippers and very high ability scores (nothing below 18 with out racial modifications.)

 

[Funeris]

Prerequisites sound good. But I'm not sure what I would do. I gave ability score increases within to make sure by the time they're completely a quasi-deity they would have (hopefully) one score that was exceptional.

I don't intend to use it as a real class...in that a PC can pick it. It can be earned (or wished with the Deck o' many things, unfortunately).

As far as worshippers go, quasi-deities tend to not have worshippers (or if they do its only a handful). Demigods starting with Divine Rank 1 actually have a few hundred to a few thousand (according to the SRD).

So I'm not sure I can require that, either.

Thanks for the feedback. Anyone else?

 

[andargor]

I don't mean to nitpick, it's your game. But I was surprised at what you allowed:

1) The Moon card grants 1d4 wishes, as per the 9th level spell. Becoming deities doesn't fit into any of the options... Wish isn't nearly as powerful as the effects you describe. The greatest result the player could've had from 3 wishes, for example, would have been a +3 bonus to an ability.

2) The Donjon card explicitly says that you "draw no more cards". It's effects occur immediately. So if the player drew this card first, then no other cards could have been drawn, including Moon.

If it were me, your player would be imprisoned, and that's it... But that's me

Andargor

 

[Rikandur Azebol]

Heh, You made it for Yourself.

Suggestions ? Let them try to increase their standing ... and then toss over their heads divine responsibility for worshippers. Deck isn't game breaking, Players can be.

 

[Funeris]

Right. It was house-ruled since he had to call out the amount of cards he wanted that the other 2 cards would still affect him afterward. So, he pulled Donjon first. If he had pulled it last, he still would have been imprisoned and without a wish to break himself out.

I could go into the cosmology of my Homebrew and why so much is changed, but that would take forever. So I'll not say much else on it, to try to keep this thread on its due course.

As for responsibility for worshippers, they need worshippers first. I'm going to work on a Divine Leadership feat (which they will gain @ 6th level instead of Leadership). It will allow them a number of worshippers (albeit small). If they make it that long, it will become their responsibility.

But Divine Rank messes up the entire CR system (moreso than usual IMHO). That's why I classed this out. To ease up the damage to the CR system. It nearly makes them playable. As it is...they won't be getting much XP for whatever they face (if its what a normal character would face at their level). As a result, leveling up will slow. Their divine abilities will slowly gather (if they spend the XP on it). And if not...then they'll be "immortal" with a few other perks.

Point is, they can still die (so that threat and the enjoyment created by it are still in the game).

Quite the hole I dug myself into

 

[Eolin]

I'd do this entirely different.

I'd immedietly grant them all the benefits of Divine Rank 0. And everyone would notice just how different they are. Kings would fear them, and want and expect them to help them. Which means that instead of doing whatever piddley low-level quests they have been doing, they'll suddenly be expected to be the first line of attack against anything epicy showing up.

I'd use it as an excuse to have a high-level game that still feels like a low-level game. It'd be great.

 

[Funeris]

Don't worry Eolin, if the king didn't fear them before, he will now.
But I'm still going to keep a progression for them.