Amphytrion
Explorer
I am starting an FR game (2014 5e) soon, and I would like to give the Piety subsystem from Mythic Odysseys of Theros a try. For those unaware, Theros offers players a detailed breakdown of 15 gods, with associated benefits depending on how much the player furthers their patron god’s agenda. My intention is to do the same for the FR pantheon, in a campaign that makes heavy use of all matters divine.
My players are enthusiastic about a divine-driven campaign, but are mostly unfamiliar with FR lore. I would like them to come in with a passing idea of who the main players in the pantheon are. Therefore, I will prepare a handout that somewhat mimics the player-facing section on the gods in Mythic Odysseys of Theros. The idea is that each player will pick a god as a patron, and that will shape the campaign ahead. As I create this handout, I would kindly request some advice from other DMs and players on two topics:
Roster
FR has dozens upon dozens of gods. I would like to present a number that can be reasonably read or skimmed by players interested (20 at maximum). The rest will be available should players like them, they just won't be explicitly detailed. In this list of "Core" gods, I would like to (a) include the best-known deities of the setting, (b) cover a good range of portfolios, and (c) include the “main” deities of each playable race in the 2014 PHB.
I'm thinking that the best way to deal with racial deities is probably to lean onto 4e’s idea that some gods in the Faerûnian pantheon go by a different name for other races. 4e explicitly called out that Chauntea is Yondalla, Selûne is Sehanine, Talos is Gruumsh, etc. Corellon and Lathander could also probably be one and the same.
My questions to anyone who has played or DM-ed in FR are: have you ever prepared/received a similar “core” roster of the deities? If so, which gods made it? Did it include evil gods? Are there any portfolios/domains that you felt were missing that I should make sure to include? What gods are so intrinsic to either your D&D experience or your love for the FR setting that they should be included no matter what? Any and all advice is welcome.
Presentation
The player-facing section on gods from Theros includes all sorts of bits for each god: a description, presentation, influence, goals, divine allies and enemies, as well as typical worshippers. It adds suggested classes, races, backgrounds, a random table for that god’s ideals reflected by the PC, and a random table of how that god called the PC.
To anyone who has either issued handouts on gods or received them, is there anything that is missing, or that is perhaps overkill? If you were a player, what do you like to see, when you are reading through a pantheon to select a deity that will have considerable impact on the game? Are things like holidays, texts and rites (found in other 5e products describing religions) useful to create an evocative idea, or just too much? Experiences from those who have played any game heavily featuring gods (e.g. Pathfinder) are also very welcome.
My players are enthusiastic about a divine-driven campaign, but are mostly unfamiliar with FR lore. I would like them to come in with a passing idea of who the main players in the pantheon are. Therefore, I will prepare a handout that somewhat mimics the player-facing section on the gods in Mythic Odysseys of Theros. The idea is that each player will pick a god as a patron, and that will shape the campaign ahead. As I create this handout, I would kindly request some advice from other DMs and players on two topics:
Roster
FR has dozens upon dozens of gods. I would like to present a number that can be reasonably read or skimmed by players interested (20 at maximum). The rest will be available should players like them, they just won't be explicitly detailed. In this list of "Core" gods, I would like to (a) include the best-known deities of the setting, (b) cover a good range of portfolios, and (c) include the “main” deities of each playable race in the 2014 PHB.
I'm thinking that the best way to deal with racial deities is probably to lean onto 4e’s idea that some gods in the Faerûnian pantheon go by a different name for other races. 4e explicitly called out that Chauntea is Yondalla, Selûne is Sehanine, Talos is Gruumsh, etc. Corellon and Lathander could also probably be one and the same.
My questions to anyone who has played or DM-ed in FR are: have you ever prepared/received a similar “core” roster of the deities? If so, which gods made it? Did it include evil gods? Are there any portfolios/domains that you felt were missing that I should make sure to include? What gods are so intrinsic to either your D&D experience or your love for the FR setting that they should be included no matter what? Any and all advice is welcome.
Presentation
The player-facing section on gods from Theros includes all sorts of bits for each god: a description, presentation, influence, goals, divine allies and enemies, as well as typical worshippers. It adds suggested classes, races, backgrounds, a random table for that god’s ideals reflected by the PC, and a random table of how that god called the PC.
To anyone who has either issued handouts on gods or received them, is there anything that is missing, or that is perhaps overkill? If you were a player, what do you like to see, when you are reading through a pantheon to select a deity that will have considerable impact on the game? Are things like holidays, texts and rites (found in other 5e products describing religions) useful to create an evocative idea, or just too much? Experiences from those who have played any game heavily featuring gods (e.g. Pathfinder) are also very welcome.
