OK, lots and lots of ideas here, so first of all thank you all, for your input. I'll try to answer to each suggestion.
How about the Princes of Elemental Evil? Or maybe look into some of the powerful mythic fey of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts?
The Princes of Elemental Evil certainly have a lot going for them, not the least of which is their roots and history in D&D.
However, they have a few things going against them as well. I wanted to keep most elementals out of the "godservant" territory to have some planar beings that aren't of divine nature. Also, they don't really offer much to potential worshipers.
I'll probably have them in the setting, but as powerful elementals or titans, not as gods.
The Seelie/Unseelie might be a good choice though, but I sadly don't know much about them. Anyone know where I can read up on them?
I got one for you: The Triad.
While this is a neat concept, it probably works better in a setting where this is the only pantheon.
Oooh, I've done that. Except I don't really make a distinction between my archfiends, so archdevil and demon lords are all fair game. As are slaad lords (or even just black slaads), powerful oni, elemental princes, efreet, etc. Any kind of fiend is a fiend, and any kind of fiendish ruler is a de facto god.
In my setting, there wer only bad guy gods, but if you wanted some quick and dirty good guy gods too, you could always take the arch celestials from Book of Exalted Deeds and work them up as good-aligned gods.
These are actually one of the possibilities I've already looked at.
The Eladrin Paragons are to few and imho to booring to use for this. I just feel that there are far better choices for "divine fey".
The Guardinals would need a lot of work, though they might make a very nice Pantheon, with a great appeal to peasants and peasants heroes everywhere, once that's done.
I feel the best choice are the Archon Paragons, with their odd mix of themes that combine "martial self-righteous crusaders" with "asketic and monastic seekers of enlightenment". 4th Edition angels are a perfect fit for their servants and Mount Celestia could be used as is for their realm.
Some typical Seelie/Unseelie Sidhe type stuff would be fun; Titania, Oberon, Queen Mab, etc. as another "family" of gods too.
And another vote for Seelie/Unseelie. I should really look into these.
Azathoth, Cthulhu, Hastur, etc. could be another.
These have a high overlap with the Abyssal Pantheon (heck Dagon is already in there), so if any
Make your setting monotheistic with deist tendencies and servitors. Each servitor could easily hold a portfolio, but there don't have to be an enormous amount of furious divine combats. Perhaps instead of normal aspects they possess followers... the Gods Among Us thing seems... a bit played. It would make your pantheon stand out, allow for all sorts of differences (good, evil, neutral aspects/servitors), and give plenty of oddities to work with.
Slainte,
-Loonook.
I would go with a monotheistic god with a whole cadre of saints. Clerics would be dedicated to a particular saint and have domains (or divine feats) based on the particular saint.
I know a lot of people don't like fantasy religions so like real world ones though, so careful with this idea.
Chad
These both a bit in the same direction. Obviously I don't want to go completely monotheistic.
I could certainly see a few goods standing alone, without any supporting pantheon. These could be former mortals that even risen to divinity on their own or old "Overgods" that never saw a need to raise divinities to stand besides them.
I feel split on the idea of Saints serving a god much as a lesser deity would. Honestly, if it looks like a divine duck and quacks like a divine duck, it's probably a duck-god even if t claims to be a saint.
However, I could see a pantheon that completely consists of gods that started as mortals that call themselfs saints. Especially if they turn the traditional image of what a saint is on its head.
Try animism/Shinto: earth spirits, river gods, forest nymphs, desert djinn, etc. Each is the personification of actual geographical features, i.e. the river god actually IS the river itself. They are cruel, fickle, and amoral like all aspects of nature....each can bring life and death, bounty and bane. The scale of the incursion by the interloper pantheons (demon and devil) is enough to stir them to action. They are not particularly interested in watching the natural world (their domain) fall to demons or devils and so they are willing to act as patrons to adventurers working to stop otherworldly incursions. Some may be "true neutral" and actively interested in preserving the balance/homeostasis of nature...they might act against massive incursion by a morally good pantheon as well. Some may be "chaotic neutral" and only really interested in protecting themselves (if demons begin to cut down a forest to forge weapons, the local spirits retaliate. They don't really care if the demons kill the humans in the settlement 50 miles to the east).
I'll most likely do this. But as a (self proclaimed) "god" of one river, mountain or other natural/elemental manifestation would have little in common with a classical D&D god, both in type and scale of power, this would be one of the faiths represented by the primal powersource.
Dragons. "We are the benevolent ancient powerful race who deserve your servitude and reverence. And we are in this world, not another like those icky fiends."
Giants/Titans. "No. The dragons are not deserving of your reverence and devotion. We are. Dragons are not human/oid at all. We are superhuman."
Could get a whole Diamond Throne style conflict going on.
I certainly see many dragons and titans accepting worshipped by "common mortals", but they wouldn't be granting divine power, nor would they themself be truly divine.
