D&D 5E (2014) The Gods in your Pantheon, Where Do They Live?

[Rogerd1]

It seems that most people use "grand, cosmic force gods" as opposed to lots of "little" gods.

In my stuff they are nothing special and more akin to those from DCEU and Clash of the Titans.
I have incorporeal beings that can take different forms, and can pose as gods if they need to.
While true cosmic gods are more akin to those seen in Marvel and are so far above everyone else.

 

[Yora]

I had not actually thought about this. But since gods aren't like people, don't show themselves in the world, and people don't know how to contact them directly, there doesn't really need to be a defined space where they exist.

 

[JustifiedSweetness]

For me, my current project is actually about lighting up these ancient lighthouses along the coast that are actually built to hold in an elder god. But!! I have quite a few deities and gods running around.

First, my cursed god of the sea is forced to live on this floating disk of a city in the middle of the ocean that he has turned into a city with his followers being pirate who come back to bring him things to play with since he cant leave the island.
My main gods who will be interacting with characters are moon goddesses who are in charge of the lighthouses, and so they are allowed on the physical plain whenever its their phase of the moon. They typically are in said lighthouses, but I have these glass shards from the lighthouses that you can use to be transported to whichever lighthouses the active moon goddesses would be in at the moment.
Than I have run of the mill tiny deities, like harvest gods and muses and stuff. They live in whatever region they are in charge off but I have a very long strip of a river in the mountains that acts as a spirit bathhouse that these lumberjacks keep running. So its well known if you need to look for a blessing either look their or offering a trip to the magical spa for gods is a good way of doing it.

But in all fairness, my whole story revolves around bringing active magic back to the world, even though there hasnt been a single war since it left after a great war between Kings and Titans. So they are just everywhere all the time. I think having islands far off the coast could also be super fun!

 

[jgsugden]

It seems that most people use "grand, cosmic force gods" as opposed to lots of "little" gods.

I break down the Divine into a few tiers:

Abstract Greater Gods - there are three (The Universe, the Positive Energy Plane, the Negative Energy Plane). They are similar to some of the greatest cosmic entities in Marvel Comics (like Eternity, etc...). There are a few pieces of Lore that describe them taking actions, but those are interpretations of things beyond the comprehension of mortals. These three are known as the Ancients.

I have ~50 'Corporeal' Gods, all but one of which are banished from the Prime Material Plane (Raven Queen lives on the Prime). They're the Gods of Greyhawk + Dawn War pantheons now ... which is a reskin when I rebooted the setting. They used to be my own homebrew, but I realized most of my homebrew Gods had clear equivalents, so when I moved I went with a more accessible pantheon. These beings stay in their Realms and collect power primarily through the worship of mortals, which they then use to empower their agents to pursue their agendas. The unique element for me about my gods is that they do not fall neatly into alignments. There is a 'Greek' feel to my Gods in that the desires of mortals do not matter much to most of them. Mortals are a means to an end, but they need mortals to decide to worship them to give them their power. These Gods are classified as Greater, Lesser, or Deceased. When a God is killed, they do not go to an afterlife. Instead, they continue to exist in a parmanently weakened form - and can still be prayed to and offer spells to clerics. However, they are more of an Echo of their former existence. For Example, the four Elemental Elder Evils are Deceased Gods in my world - who were slain, banished to the Elemental Plane, and then corrupted by the Far Realm.

I also have 'Powers', which are not Gods, but wield Divine Might. They include Demi-Gods, Demon Lords, Arch-Fey, Arch-Devils, and Elder Gods. I have about 35 defined. Their power comes primarily from Pacts, such as a Warlock pact. They don't rely upon faith for their power boost - they rely upon agreements. While a Devil may have a literal contract, a Demon Lord may bind a soul to them with a few words. Elder Gods and Demi-Gods rely as much upon faith as they do deals, but all of them rely upon Divine Pacts to one extent or another.

 

[Werehamster]

I break down the Divine into a few tiers:

Abstract Greater Gods - there are three (The Universe, the Positive Energy Plane, the Negative Energy Plane). They are similar to some of the greatest cosmic entities in Marvel Comics (like Eternity, etc...). There are a few pieces of Lore that describe them taking actions, but those are interpretations of things beyond the comprehension of mortals. These three are known as the Ancients.

I have ~50 'Corporeal' Gods, all but one of which are banished from the Prime Material Plane (Raven Queen lives on the Prime). They're the Gods of Greyhawk + Dawn War pantheons now ... which is a reskin when I rebooted the setting. They used to be my own homebrew, but I realized most of my homebrew Gods had clear equivalents, so when I moved I went with a more accessible pantheon. These beings stay in their Realms and collect power primarily through the worship of mortals, which they then use to empower their agents to pursue their agendas. The unique element for me about my gods is that they do not fall neatly into alignments. There is a 'Greek' feel to my Gods in that the desires of mortals do not matter much to most of them. Mortals are a means to an end, but they need mortals to decide to worship them to give them their power. These Gods are classified as Greater, Lesser, or Deceased. When a God is killed, they do not go to an afterlife. Instead, they continue to exist in a parmanently weakened form - and can still be prayed to and offer spells to clerics. However, they are more of an Echo of their former existence. For Example, the four Elemental Elder Evils are Deceased Gods in my world - who were slain, banished to the Elemental Plane, and then corrupted by the Far Realm.

I also have 'Powers', which are not Gods, but wield Divine Might. They include Demi-Gods, Demon Lords, Arch-Fey, Arch-Devils, and Elder Gods. I have about 35 defined. Their power comes primarily from Pacts, such as a Warlock pact. They don't rely upon faith for their power boost - they rely upon agreements. While a Devil may have a literal contract, a Demon Lord may bind a soul to them with a few words. Elder Gods and Demi-Gods rely as much upon faith as they do deals, but all of them rely upon Divine Pacts to one extent or another.

Depending on how active they all are in your campaigns, it seems like an awful lot to manage 50 in one tier alone. And if they aren't all active, is it worth trimming some of that fat? Seems like the ole, "When everyone is special, then nobody is" kind of thing...at first glance.