Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
White Dwarf Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Nest
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions, OSR, & D&D Variants
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
EN Publishing
Twitter
BlueSky
Facebook
Instagram
EN World
BlueSky
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
Twitch
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions, OSR, & D&D Variants
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Let's make 5e specific setting, starting with a pantheon
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Tonguez" data-source="post: 9809900" data-attributes="member: 1125"><p>I no longer build pantheons for my homebrews, especially polytheistic ones. Instead, I focus on <strong>Religious Institutions</strong>, which function as the true “adventure engines” for PCs.</p><p></p><p></p><p>First, decide what type of religious structure exists in your world:</p><p><strong>Polytheist</strong> – Many gods. Your deity could be a village god, trade patron, nature or war god—one of thousands. There are many temples, small shrines, and roadside altars. The religion is highly tolerant of new gods.</p><p><strong>Henotheist</strong> – One divine “royal dynasty.” Your deity is a relative or aspect of this royal family of gods. There is a Royal Cult Temple and an elite priesthood; all clerics and sects owe fealty to the Royal Cult.</p><p><strong>Duotheist</strong> – Two cosmic forces. Your god is aligned with one side. The institution may take the form of a philosophical school or militant order, with seasonal rituals to maintain balance between the paired sects.</p><p><strong>Monotheist</strong> – One supreme being. Your deity is a saint, angel, or intermediary. The religion has a central hierarchy and elite priesthood, but is prone to schisms and heretical sects.</p><p><strong>Animist</strong> – The world is full of spirits of the land, rivers, storms, or ancestors. Your deity is a powerful spirit, immortal entity, or even a dragon. There may be no central structure or formal priesthood.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Once the institution is defined, players can create their own gods by choosing:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>1 Major Domain</strong> and <strong>2 Secondary Domains</strong></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Name</strong> and Symbol/Description eg Gruumsh One-Eye, Father of Orcs</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A statement of <strong>why the PC follows the god</strong> (tradition, family duty, personal vow, direct revelation, seeking power)</li> </ul><p></p><p>From there, the discussion expands (if required) to include:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The PC god’s status in the religious institution and society (<em>major diety, minor, demigod, messenger, aspect, servant, exile, enemy</em>)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">One core myth/backstory</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">PC devotions: morning prayer, ritual, offerings</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Priestly roles/sacraments: healer, scholar, warrior, judge, oracle</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Sacred sites and seasonal rites</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Core Tenets</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Common miracles (for channel divinity or divine intervention)</li> </ul><p></p><p>This approach allows me, as DM, to focus on the important elements: religious factions, heresies, and adventure hooks, while giving players freedom to shape the divine landscape.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tonguez, post: 9809900, member: 1125"] I no longer build pantheons for my homebrews, especially polytheistic ones. Instead, I focus on [B]Religious Institutions[/B], which function as the true “adventure engines” for PCs. First, decide what type of religious structure exists in your world: [B]Polytheist[/B] – Many gods. Your deity could be a village god, trade patron, nature or war god—one of thousands. There are many temples, small shrines, and roadside altars. The religion is highly tolerant of new gods. [B]Henotheist[/B] – One divine “royal dynasty.” Your deity is a relative or aspect of this royal family of gods. There is a Royal Cult Temple and an elite priesthood; all clerics and sects owe fealty to the Royal Cult. [B]Duotheist[/B] – Two cosmic forces. Your god is aligned with one side. The institution may take the form of a philosophical school or militant order, with seasonal rituals to maintain balance between the paired sects. [B]Monotheist[/B] – One supreme being. Your deity is a saint, angel, or intermediary. The religion has a central hierarchy and elite priesthood, but is prone to schisms and heretical sects. [B]Animist[/B] – The world is full of spirits of the land, rivers, storms, or ancestors. Your deity is a powerful spirit, immortal entity, or even a dragon. There may be no central structure or formal priesthood. Once the institution is defined, players can create their own gods by choosing: [LIST] [*][B]1 Major Domain[/B] and [B]2 Secondary Domains[/B] [*][B]Name[/B] and Symbol/Description eg Gruumsh One-Eye, Father of Orcs [*]A statement of [B]why the PC follows the god[/B] (tradition, family duty, personal vow, direct revelation, seeking power) [/LIST] From there, the discussion expands (if required) to include: [LIST] [*]The PC god’s status in the religious institution and society ([I]major diety, minor, demigod, messenger, aspect, servant, exile, enemy[/I]) [*]One core myth/backstory [*]PC devotions: morning prayer, ritual, offerings [*]Priestly roles/sacraments: healer, scholar, warrior, judge, oracle [*]Sacred sites and seasonal rites [*]Core Tenets [*]Common miracles (for channel divinity or divine intervention) [/LIST] This approach allows me, as DM, to focus on the important elements: religious factions, heresies, and adventure hooks, while giving players freedom to shape the divine landscape. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Let's make 5e specific setting, starting with a pantheon
Top
