Pantheon of one?

[Ripzerai]

Is there a product that describes how one might pare down polytheistic pantheons down to a monotheistic one (or possibly a small number of gods), but still "fuels" various clerics / priests / holy persons?

The Player's Handbook provides all the rules you need for this. Just choose what domains you want available and a favored weapon, and behold! Your monotheistic deity is ready for use! Maybe the monotheistic deity grants all domains, or maybe only some of them. Other domains might be granted by saints, angels, demons, spirits, or even genies, if you want.

 

[Shane_Leahy]

I remember reading way back when an article someone posted on the internet about using a Christian style god. The problem was they wanted some difference in the priests. The solution was quite nice and one I have been meaning to use for a long time.

Make the God a fire god, sun god, one of light. Whichever you prefer. Now this Overgod is the only god but he has servants, archangels if you will. Now most people simply worship the god. However there are sects within the church that serve the God through his servants. Now they are not worshipping the servants but still the god. The servants simply change how they interact with the god. The way it was put is that the God is the light in a lantern, the servant is a colored pane in the lantern. So the priest still serves the light, he just sees it differently.

So you could pick a few domains that any cleric can pick from, those are the Gods main domains. Then choose a few of the servants and one or two domains that they have depending on how they serve. There could be a servant that is for War and Combat, one for Knowledge, Healing, etc etc.

 

[Wolv0rine]

Or you could be really devious and have your One True God be, in reality, a trickster god of michief who goes around telling various people he's any number of made-up gods, comprising an entire pantheon from just himself.
Granted, this makes god a big fat liar, but you know in basic concept that worked for Loki.

 

[Wraith Form]

The Player's Handbook provides all the rules you need for this. Just choose what domains you want available and a favored weapon, and behold! Your monotheistic deity is ready for use! Maybe the monotheistic deity grants all domains, or maybe only some of them. Other domains might be granted by saints, angels, demons, spirits, or even genies, if you want.

You and Klaus both had the same idea. It's simple, and by god I love simple. But--I haven't finished reading all the replies yet.

 

[Wraith Form]

Or you could be really devious and have your One True God be, in reality, a trickster god of michief who goes around telling various people he's any number of made-up gods, comprising an entire pantheon from just himself.
Granted, this makes god a big fat liar, but you know in basic concept that worked for Loki.

And we all know that to be the ultimate truth of our real worl--uhh, I'll stop now.

I don't need to get banned for starting some religious post flame-troll-war or some junk like that.

 

[Nightfall]

You and Klaus both had the same idea. It's simple, and by god I love simple. But--I haven't finished reading all the replies yet.

Simple solutions are often the best.

 

[Starman]

If you want to do some reading, Sepulchrave's most excellent Tales of Wyre story hour has a very interesting monotheistic religion.

 

[Nightfall]

Or for fun read Pratchetts "Small Gods" It amounts to same thing.

 

[harmyn]

I went the saints route myself. One overgod, the "Holy Matron". Within her church there were various saints who each venerated a different aspect of her religious philosophy. The priests would all worship the same goddess but do it through the faith and teachings of different saints, or find their own path and choose their own domains.

 

[Nightfall]

didn't someone once say that all the sinners are saints?