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Small Gods
- Thread starter Breakstone
- Start date
I Definitely have the Small Gods going in my current campaign (Exalted). One of the published cities in the setting has a marketplace where spirits and humans live together. At dusk I have lantern spirits awaken from inside their little wax paper lanterns that line the rooftops of the plaza. They climb out of their little homes, light the candles in the center and then lift them up to illuminate the streets below.
Every road has a spirit, every mountain and tree does. One of my players excited the spirit of an alley no one goes down just by walking through it. "How's life out in the wide world?" he asked. "It's quite exciting" the PC replied in haste. "Isn't that grand to hear." said the alley spirit, waving.
Storms spontaneously cause storm spirits to be born, and they rage malevolently against any ships caught within or, if there are none, strain to pull their cloud towards the nearest boats or ports while their mother cloud spirit objects, trying instead to remain on the course of the trade winds.
As for "what make them gods?"... the rule of the heavens decrees that each aspect of the world has some force to guide it and account for it. The wind blows because of wind spirits, and mountains stand so long as their spirits (earth elementals and the like) remain strong. In a setting devoid completely of accepted modern science (not only the knowledge of it, but the presence of it), it is spirits who push the celestial spheres across their orbits, the apple spirits that cause their homes to fall from the tree at the precisely appointed moment, and the tree spirits that make those apples come to life, by the order of the seasons and their spirits. Every aspect of the world has a duty and purpose, and that duty and purpose are realized by the spirits who attend them.
That is not to say that this works perfectly, but that's the fun part. When the spirit of a river becomes idle and corrupt, there's plenty of reprocussions that characters in a campaign can deal with. Unlike haughty "Here are spells and Don't give me Lip or I shall Smite You" gods who are mostly hands off barring little snippets of sage wisdom, little gods are always an aspect of such settings- an intrinsic part of the environment.
Every road has a spirit, every mountain and tree does. One of my players excited the spirit of an alley no one goes down just by walking through it. "How's life out in the wide world?" he asked. "It's quite exciting" the PC replied in haste. "Isn't that grand to hear." said the alley spirit, waving.
Storms spontaneously cause storm spirits to be born, and they rage malevolently against any ships caught within or, if there are none, strain to pull their cloud towards the nearest boats or ports while their mother cloud spirit objects, trying instead to remain on the course of the trade winds.
As for "what make them gods?"... the rule of the heavens decrees that each aspect of the world has some force to guide it and account for it. The wind blows because of wind spirits, and mountains stand so long as their spirits (earth elementals and the like) remain strong. In a setting devoid completely of accepted modern science (not only the knowledge of it, but the presence of it), it is spirits who push the celestial spheres across their orbits, the apple spirits that cause their homes to fall from the tree at the precisely appointed moment, and the tree spirits that make those apples come to life, by the order of the seasons and their spirits. Every aspect of the world has a duty and purpose, and that duty and purpose are realized by the spirits who attend them.
That is not to say that this works perfectly, but that's the fun part. When the spirit of a river becomes idle and corrupt, there's plenty of reprocussions that characters in a campaign can deal with. Unlike haughty "Here are spells and Don't give me Lip or I shall Smite You" gods who are mostly hands off barring little snippets of sage wisdom, little gods are always an aspect of such settings- an intrinsic part of the environment.
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Psion
Adventurer
I sort of consider shamanism and "small gods" two ends of the same stick. Minor spirits might not have the power of gods, but a shaman who has a rapport with several of them can get power along the lines of a cleric. Some spirits become powerful enough that they can drive an empowered religion all by themselves, and are on the doorstep of true godhood.
From that vantage point, I use Green Ronin's Shaman's Handbook and Path of Faith. If you are interested in making detailed handling of these sorts of creatures, I recommend them. You might also check out mongoose's EA Shamans if you want a more detailed look at minor spirits.
From that vantage point, I use Green Ronin's Shaman's Handbook and Path of Faith. If you are interested in making detailed handling of these sorts of creatures, I recommend them. You might also check out mongoose's EA Shamans if you want a more detailed look at minor spirits.
dream66_
First Post
Anyone in this thread who hasn't should definattly read J. Gregory Keyes The WaterBorn He does a fantastic job of presenting Shamanism with small gods, and Monotheism in the same world, both working under the same metaphysical laws.
I havn't actually ran a campaign with it (never enough time to do all the cool campaign ideas) but i've considered doing a small gods thing. not with everything being a god, just some things.
Every rock, and tree and creature having a lifeforce and spirit of course, but not every tree is a god. The old oak in the center of town, there before the town was built however, she's different, she's old, she's wise, she speaks to people, watches over the town, sometimes she walks in human form. The difference comes from her age, the things she's see, and just the spirit of all that's happened around her has added to her.
To the person who asked how are these gods, at least in my interpretation your looking from the wrong angle. The catcus isn't a god becuase it's a cactus, the god is a cactus becuase that's the form it holds.
They are just like any other gods, in any other world, just on a smaller range and scale, and they are actually tied to a physical form.
I havn't actually ran a campaign with it (never enough time to do all the cool campaign ideas) but i've considered doing a small gods thing. not with everything being a god, just some things.
Every rock, and tree and creature having a lifeforce and spirit of course, but not every tree is a god. The old oak in the center of town, there before the town was built however, she's different, she's old, she's wise, she speaks to people, watches over the town, sometimes she walks in human form. The difference comes from her age, the things she's see, and just the spirit of all that's happened around her has added to her.
To the person who asked how are these gods, at least in my interpretation your looking from the wrong angle. The catcus isn't a god becuase it's a cactus, the god is a cactus becuase that's the form it holds.
They are just like any other gods, in any other world, just on a smaller range and scale, and they are actually tied to a physical form.
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Christian Walker
First Post
A large fish swims the waters of the Streele River. Fishermen have tried to land it for generations, but the fish always eludes capture. It nibbles at the most succulent baits, leaving only the bare hook behind. It navigates the flood waters expertly. It always finds the deepest and most cool ponds during the hot summer months.
Wise travelers revere this small god in the hopes that they, too, will be able to avoid any pitfalls that lay in their path.
Wise travelers revere this small god in the hopes that they, too, will be able to avoid any pitfalls that lay in their path.
Christian Walker
First Post
I gots another one...
Langstom Hughes wrote a poem to the effect of:
Turtle, turtle,
I wonder why
other animals pass you by?
Turtles
travel
very
slow,
yet
still
they
get
where
they
need
to
go.
So, I envisage this Ancient Tortoise that wanders the desert. This spirit embodies determination, wisdom, and patience. Those facing terrible decisions often seek it out. They look into it's eyes and clarity is upon them. In retrun they leave behind some succulent fruit. Those who do not have the vision fade from their minds...
Langstom Hughes wrote a poem to the effect of:
Turtle, turtle,
I wonder why
other animals pass you by?
Turtles
travel
very
slow,
yet
still
they
get
where
they
need
to
go.
So, I envisage this Ancient Tortoise that wanders the desert. This spirit embodies determination, wisdom, and patience. Those facing terrible decisions often seek it out. They look into it's eyes and clarity is upon them. In retrun they leave behind some succulent fruit. Those who do not have the vision fade from their minds...
Breakstone
First Post
That tortoise is great!
This morning I was translating some of the Player's Handbook gods into Small Gods. This is what I came up with:
Boccob is a giant tome, the size of a doorway, that lies in the center of an ancient library. They say his pages hold all the knowledge of the world, but only receive his wisdom.
Erythnul is a towering, savage ogre, face contorted with the lust for slaughter, who roams the mountain sides. Valley villages fear his coming, for he leaves behind no survivors.
Kord is a giant bear who resides in the northern forests. Lumberjacks and pioneers envoke his name to give them strength, and they say blizzards are a sign of his anger.
Obad-Hai is a monolithic tree at the center of the forest, with a trunk as wide as a house and branches that expand over the treetops. They say his roots spread through all the earth.
Hey, this is pretty fun!
This morning I was translating some of the Player's Handbook gods into Small Gods. This is what I came up with:
Boccob is a giant tome, the size of a doorway, that lies in the center of an ancient library. They say his pages hold all the knowledge of the world, but only receive his wisdom.
Erythnul is a towering, savage ogre, face contorted with the lust for slaughter, who roams the mountain sides. Valley villages fear his coming, for he leaves behind no survivors.
Kord is a giant bear who resides in the northern forests. Lumberjacks and pioneers envoke his name to give them strength, and they say blizzards are a sign of his anger.
Obad-Hai is a monolithic tree at the center of the forest, with a trunk as wide as a house and branches that expand over the treetops. They say his roots spread through all the earth.
Hey, this is pretty fun!
This all sounds very much like the cosmology in Princess Mononoke. The forest is full of ancient spirits and gods, from the little glowey forest sprites to the giant, talking archetypical animals, to the very top-of-the-food-chain Great Forest Spirit. All very real and physically present, but still gods. I think you could have a lot of fun with this.
One thing to keep in mind if you have Small Gods walking around on the face of your world...they're much more likely to get directly involved in worldly affairs. If you have a Wall God that protects a town, you have to expect that if that town is attacked, the Wall God will take some direct actions to thwart the attackers (defensive spells or something). Gods no longer have to rely on their followers to take on worldly tasks if they're physically present. And if you can wade into a river and meet its' River God, you can bet your players are going to be wandering into rivers looking for favors. Not that any of this is a bad thing, but you should have some guidelines in mind as to what these god/spirits will and won't do.
One thing to keep in mind if you have Small Gods walking around on the face of your world...they're much more likely to get directly involved in worldly affairs. If you have a Wall God that protects a town, you have to expect that if that town is attacked, the Wall God will take some direct actions to thwart the attackers (defensive spells or something). Gods no longer have to rely on their followers to take on worldly tasks if they're physically present. And if you can wade into a river and meet its' River God, you can bet your players are going to be wandering into rivers looking for favors. Not that any of this is a bad thing, but you should have some guidelines in mind as to what these god/spirits will and won't do.
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