Small Gods

[Robbert Raets]

In a low-magic, slow advancement game, (and possibly using the generic classes from Unearthed Arcana) without thee regular cleric domains and pile-of-equipment style treasure, any high-level character, or the wielder of a powerful magic item coud be godlike to the common folk (and even to beginning adventurers!)

 

[blargney the second]

Great thread! You guys have sold me on using small gods in my new game!

An idea for meshing high-level cleric spells with small gods: who do small gods worship?

That giant tree in the middle of the forest could revere a BIG tree on another plane. The clerics who pray to Obad-Hai are using him as a conduit to the god's god. (Who is called Oba-Dhai.. )

-blarg

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

Try reading Small Gods by Terry Pratchett. That's how my campiaigns idea of small gods got started...

Absolutely. I'm glad a couple of other people have picked up on this.

Small Gods tells the story of a particular Small God, and his attempts to become a Great God again. It's full of fantastic ideas.

 

[Macbeth]

Absolutely. I'm glad a couple of other people have picked up on this.

Small Gods tells the story of a particular Small God, and his attempts to become a Great God again. It's full of fantastic ideas.

my current campiagn runs much along the same lines, in that the PCs are trying to make a small god into a major power. The difference is that this small god is the last chance to save the world from a doomsday wepon left by the older, more powerful gods. The PCs have to try to give this small god power, as the small god is the only chance (that they know of) to defeat the old gods' doomsday weapon.

 

[Olive]

One of the probelms with this is what makes a small god divine rather than just magical?

For exampole, take Varianor's corpse (not his literal corpse however). The villagers could be worshipping some ordinary powerful undead creature. Does that in and of itself make the corpse divine? And if so is every dragon with fanatical kobolds divine? :\

 

[Varianor Abroad]

For exampole, take Varianor's corpse (not his literal corpse however). The villagers could be worshipping some ordinary powerful undead creature. Does that in and of itself make the corpse divine? And if so is every dragon with fanatical kobolds divine? :\

Over my cold dead body.

Now that I've got that out of my system....

I think it's an interesting supposition. I'd redefine undead as spirits, just to make it easy and solve this conundrum. Then you just have to figure what power spirits grant?

 

[Lalato]

In the Shaman's Handbook from Green Ronin... The Shaman gains access to certain domain spells through totem spirits. Perhaps an "undead" spirit would grant access to the Destruction or Death domains.

--sam

 

[Laslo Tremaine]

I like this idea a lot.

Buttercup's suggestion of getting rid of all the casters except for sorcerers in this type of setting led me to a further game mechanic to tie it all together.

If one were to rate all of the small gods on a scale from 0-9, then you could say that by paying the proper respects, prayers and/or sacrifices, you could gain spells from them.

A Clear Fountain (1) in a secluded grove might grant the following spells;
0 - Create Water
1 - Bless Water

A Fallen Star (4) that is now worshipped by a band of bugbears in the hills will grant their shaman the following spells;
0 - Light
1 - Burning Hands
2 - Flaming Sphere
3 - Meld with Stone
4 - Flame Strike

You get the idea. That way it would behove you character to seek out, and interact with the small gods.

 

[Lalato]

I like this idea a lot.

Buttercup's suggestion of getting rid of all the casters except for sorcerers in this type of setting led me to a further game mechanic to tie it all together.

If one were to rate all of the small gods on a scale from 0-9, then you could say that by paying the proper respects, prayers and/or sacrifices, you could gain spells from them.

A Clear Fountain (1) in a secluded grove might grant the following spells;
0 - Create Water
1 - Bless Water

A Fallen Star (4) that is now worshipped by a band of bugbears in the hills will grant their shaman the following spells;
0 - Light
1 - Burning Hands
2 - Flaming Sphere
3 - Meld with Stone
4 - Flame Strike

You get the idea. That way it would behove you character to seek out, and interact with the small gods.

In that case... what you're really looking for is Mongoose Publishing's take on the Shaman. You would have to modify it slightly for the idea that different spirits/small gods have differing power levels and therefore grant differing numbers of spells.

--sam