One step Orders

[Brix]

Hi good folks.
I am currently working on my home campaign pantheon. I am using the one step rule to create different cults/orders, splittergroups of the main faith. Below I have listed what I have so far (no names for the gods, but only their stereotypes) I put the alignment (one stepped) under each entry. I would like to ask you if you have some ideas for one faith or another regarding these gods. Maybe in this process some problems come up, worth discussing.

The Ravager

Alignment: chaotic evil
Portfolio: destruction, disease, hatred, tyranny, strife, violence, murder. bloodlust, decay, wasting, plunder, cruelty, fear

ne, cn


The Green Huntress

is on good terms with the animal lords
Green daughters/sons, wilderness, forests, tracking, woodland signs

ng, ne, cn, ln


The Master of Trades (ln)

Crafts, Metalwork, Artifice, Construction, Invention, Inspiration, engineering

lg, le, n


The Lorekeeper (ln)

Knowledge, Fate, Destiny, Literaure, Wisdom, Scholar, Sage of the gods, Scribes, Cartography, Divination, diviners, faith, truth

lg, le, n


The Healer (ng)

Healing, Birth, Children, Easing of pain, Peace
tends the holy wells of life, light, the sun

n, lg, cg


The Lovegoddess (cg)

Love, Beauty, Sensation, Passion, Hedonism, excess, lust, pleasure, marriage

ng, n, cn


The Warrior (cn)

War, Battle, Might, Strenght, swordmanship, skill at arms, Strategy, Planning, Conflict, Death on Battlefield

n, cg, ce


The Minstrel

Poetry, Music, Dance, Art, Bards, Songwriting, festivals, song, eloquence, Joy, Happiness, carefree celebration
holy symbol: bloody sword

ng, ne, cn, ln


Trickster (cn)

Rouge god, Luck, Mischief, Trickery, Prosperity,

n, cg, ce

The Wanderer (cn)

Travel, exploration, traders, adventurers, adventuring, journeys, Messager

n, cg, ce


The Moongoddess

magic, moon, moonlight, oracles, seer, prophecy mystery

ng, ne, cn, ln

 

[gpetruc]

It seems a nice idea.

I'm also trying to have different clerical orders following the same god (because part of my world resembles much the middle ages, and so I want military orders of paladins but also clerics).

Now about your gods:
1) there are too few evil gods, (you don't even have a LE god). I know that it's more difficoult to create them but I think that only one evil god is too less. If you want only one big evil, put a few lesser evils, just like in Middle Earth there was Morgoth (major) but also Gothmog and Sauron (and the latter became major after the end of the first).
If you have some ideas about this post them, as I've also the same problem in my world, having about 7 good and 7 neutral gods and only 3 evil (LE, NE, CE).

2) There is no Lawful god for guards, soldiers. also "Death on the Battlefield" seems more heroic, and so lawful, and not chaotic. If an important LN or LG god does not fit you could have a lesser one, maybe a heroic paladin or soldier that was raised to divine status.

3) I think you mistyped: the holy symbol "bloody sword" should be perhaps the warrior and not the minstel.

-----------------------
Now some ideas for the cults

- In some cases a cult can be considered "heretic" by some radical exponents of the main faith, leading to
religous tension.
For example, citizens of a LG town would not like the LE followers of the Lorekeeper.
Or there might be some discussions between LG paladins of the Healer ("it is better to fight and kill evil") and N/NG clerics ("we shall not fight, as fight produces death and suffering. we should instead heal everybody")
Actually I don't know what might happen in case of religious discussions in a world were gods act directly in an easy to see way.

- LG lorekeepers might travel around to spread knowledge, while LE would instead gather knowledge and kept it secret ("beacuse in that way it will be safer") a bit like in the library of The Name of the Rose)

- A similar thing might happen for the Master of Trades (and crafts): LG followers enjoy the crafting itself "art for art's sake", while LE might want the power that derives from it (or the money).

- Some cults may also derive part of their power by lesser gods of their allineament and that work as cohorts of the greater god (an example could be a LG minor or demigod followed by paladins, or a minor god of hunting (CN) , marriage (NG instead of CG), ...
You might even have one "minor god" for each 1-step allineament (and maybe demigods under them, also for every 1-step); it will make up an interesting pantheon.
Also, things could be like that at the creation of the gods, and changed later (for example a LN demigod following a N minor god under the god of war (CN) might pass under the LG minor god of paladins, causing a split between the churches).
(This is similar to the Valar/Maiar in Middle Earth, and the fact that some Maiar changed alliance and passed under Morgoth: balrogs were aule's maiars, for example)

If I'll find other ideas later, I'll post them

 

[HalfElfSorcerer]

Seems like a good idea. However, beneath some of your gods, true neutral is listed as a follower alignment. The PHB says that a cleric cannot be true neutral unless their diety is true neutral.

 

[gpetruc]

About the true neutral followers of neutral gods.
It's true that the the PHB states so.
Anyway I think that, at least for some of these gods (namely: lorekeeper, trader, wanderer) a true neutral follower seems ok.
maybe you can simply change the allineament of the god adding the notice "true neutral followers allowed". in FR there are many gods that have more relaxed allineament requirements.

 

[starwolf]

The Minstrel

Poetry, Music, Dance, Art, Bards, Songwriting, festivals, song, eloquence, Joy, Happiness, carefree celebration
holy symbol: bloody sword

ng, ne, cn, ln

This seems rather strange IMHO...I just don't see any evil beings following a god of joy and festivals

Maybe the Minstrel should be NG

and have an antithesis

The Gossip...or Dark Whisperer who could be NE and have a portfolio including Lies,Secrets,Envy,Sadness,Mourning...etc.