The New Core Pantheon

[Remathilis]

New Edition, New Fluff, New gods.

I think a couple old-schoolers will make the list (Vecna, Asmodeus, Lolth, Bahamut, Tiamat), but I think the bulk of the new gods will be brand new, fresh, and highlight the elements of 4e better than the Select GH gods did 3.5.

You'll have the classics (sun god, magic god, war god), something unique or two (god of changlings?) and maybe a borrowed name or two (Thor, Set) very much akin to what the Forgotten Realms Pantheon does.

In essence: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Uh, you get the picture...

 

[Klaus]

I liked the 2e Domains of Dread notion that dwarves followed the Norse pantheon, elves follow the Celtic pantheon, gnomes followed the Greek pantheon and so on and so forth.

That being said, if Thor is in as "the" barbarian deity, Athena should be in as "the" paladin deity.

 

[Gold Roger]

That being said, if Thor is in as "the" barbarian deity, Athena should be in as "the" paladin deity.

I don't like to have gods of *class*. However, if 4th edition really borrows gods from elsewhere, I agree that Athena would be an excellent choice.

 

[zoroaster100]

I wish WOTC would create a brand new pantheon perfectly suited to the 4e rules and implied setting. They should take a cue from Paizo and their newly created pantheon for their new OGL campaign world for the Pathfinder adventure paths. Interestingly, Paizo also chose to include Asmodeus as their deity of lawful evil in this new pantheon. Paizo also elevated a demon lord, Lamashtu, mother of monstrous birth, to deity status. I think all the other deities in their pantheon were new and seemed built specifically to fit the needs of a campaign (gods suited for the common folk, gods suited for major NPCs and gods sutied for various types of player characters).

 

[Mercule]

I'm betting that there won't be any "core" gods in the 4e PHB/DMG -- though there may be some implicit racial deities in the MM. I suspect that any differenciation of clerical abilities will be very menu-driven in the PHB and that it will come off as sort of "roll your own" deities. They may add some real-world samples of which gods would have each ability/sphere/widget and, of course, each campaign setting book will have its own list of defined gods.

Personally, I think that would be a great way to go.

 

[Frostmarrow]

In essence: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Uh, you get the picture...

-Something blue! Does this mean a god of incarnum is in?

 

[hopeless]

Hmm...

Thor? Hm. I can't help but think of one campaign world that we know features Thor as a deity for a certain Dwarf Cleric.

I wonder if Banjo the Clown might make the list..

Smiles.
I believe it was Odin who said he likes puppets...

 

[Wolv0rine]

Well personally, I hope that the folks at WotC realize that presenting One pantheon of anything is a terrible idea. It says to the new or unfreethinking that "These are the gods, right here. Look ye no further, bucko". Complain all you want about the shortcommings of the D&Dg books (any edition), but one thing D&Dg does do is throw multiple pantheons at you, it says "Here's the buffet table, folks, grab ye some divinities!"
See, I like that. I don't want a "Core pantheon" portmanteau created by throwing gods from hither and yon together, nor do I want an invented pantheon of invented gods I've never heard of before. Take a (very) few pages and give me some good options, then move it along until D&Dg comes along again.

 

[Blackwind]

Personally I would prefer that the implied setting of 4E made room for a vast array of thousands of deities, major and minor, global and local, scattered across the dark and foreboding landscape. I do like the idea of bringing real-world deities into Core -- I find that many of them are more evocative than the (mostly) invented gods of Greyhawk and FR. In previous campaigns, my players have tended to make deities like Pelor or Lathander objects of ridicule, whereas nobody laughs at Odin or Set.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I would love it if the implied setting was pantheon neutral just like it is setting neutral. Sort of like the BECMI sets.

4e could list dozens and dozens of hypothetical deities in the DMG, for DM's to pick and choose at their will. The PHB could just list domains (or whatever 4e clerics have to distinguish one deity's clerics from another) and the players could chose from those lists of abilities . . . until the DM selected his pantheon. If a DM wants a core pantheon, he can refer to the DMG for sample pantheons.

I mean, the pantheon is so integral to a DM's role that all pantheon details should be in the DMG.