D&D General The purpose of deity stats in D&D.

[dave2008]

Well, yes, they're mortal. I don't give PCs you-can't-die plot protection.

In 4e and 5e where there's no lingering penalty for death-and-revival no matter how many times you repeat that cycle, you have a point. It's a serious bug in those editions' designs, though, and greatly cheapens death as a loss condition over those editions where a death-revival cycle carried a long-term penalty (loss of a Con point in 0-1-2e).

That is not what I mean at all. PCs can become literal gods. I'm not talking about level 20 pcs with a few epic boons. I'm talking about PCs who transcended mortality and have gained godhood. If you want to play at that level (and some do) then you need god stats.

 

[dave2008]

Among those stats will be hit points. By D&D rules, run it out of hit points (while maybe also meeting some other conditions) and it's dead.

For example: A greater god in my game will have something around 2,000,000 hit points and DR of, IIRC, around 10,000. That is effectively unkillable to mortal (lvl 20 or less) PCs; however it is approachable by intermediate gid level PCs.

 

[Lanefan]

That is not what I mean at all. PCs can become literal gods. I'm not talking about level 20 pcs with a few epic boons. I'm talking about PCs who transcended mortality and have gained godhood. If you want to play at that level (and some do) then you need god stats.

I didn't think the bolded was a thing since BECMI (and I wasn't impressed with that system at the high end).

But if indeed they still can in fact become gods and start operating as equals in that arena, I'd posit at that point you're playing an almost completely different game that just happens to have the same characters. Were it me I'd be looking to jump on the fly to a kitbashed supers system to run it rather than try to shoehorn it into D&D.

 

[dave2008]

But if indeed they still can in fact become gods and start operating as equals in that arena, I'd posit at that point you're playing an almost completely different game that just happens to have the same characters. Were it me I'd be looking to jump on the fly to a kitbashed supers system to run it rather than try to shoehorn it into D&D.

And that is your prerogative, but I (and others) prefer to keep playing D&D. There is nothing wrong with that either. Regardless of system, you still need god stats!

 

[Vaalingrade]

3e's Deities and Demigods had divine rank rules, and the ELH had epic levels, which was basically better than divine rank if you were a caster.

4e had epic destinies that could end in something like godhood or higher.

Really, 5e is the outlier in terms of letting you become or surpass a god.

 

[cranberry]

Just because something has stats doesn't mean it can be killed

I was being facetious.

 

[dave2008]

I was being facetious.

I was pretty sure you were.

 

[cbwjm]

Rather than stats, I like to create power levels, a rough scale of where the movers and shakers of the cosmos are in relation to each other.

In order of most power I have:

1. True Gods, Immortals from the upper planes who harnessed the corners stones of reality.
2. Demi-Powers. Elder dragons, elemental primordials, and Titans (immortals who harnessed elemental power)
3. Arch Powers. Angelic, fiendish, or fey lords. Some dragons are also at this level.
4. Immortals. The race or beings from which the true gods and titans belong.
5. Fiends, elementals, celestials, fey, and dragons.

Ranks 3 to 5 can be defeated by powerful mortals working together. The immortals (aided by other celestials) and fiendish powers were once at war until certain immortals became the gods and cast them back to the lower planes. Other than ranks 3 to 5, I normally don't need stats for the cosmic powers since most parties are unlikely to face them.

 

[GreyLord]

Yes, the purpose of giving them stats is so that Players can Kill them.

Now let me go out and kill Set and I'll tell you how it felt after I do so (saying we don't all die in the process).

 

[Cordwainer Fish]

Now let me go out and kill Set and I'll tell you how it felt after I do so (saying we don't all die in the process).

Just don't whack Ra, or we're all bleeped.