To kill a god...

[Drobney Falcor]

This aeon long cycle of deity eviction isn't very secret if networks of clerics are enlisted to make deity panic fortresses. Word of what they are doing is bound to leak out.

You bring up a good point. Maybe the more magical of the deities would have set up bases, having the spells to trick and deceive the senses. This makes me wonder how i will handle artifacts.

The others might be a bit different in aspect. Olidammara hiding in the city or Gruumsh and his tribe constantly on the move.

Does anyone have any suggestions on handling the god in combat? Stat wise. I figured I would use a player character as a model, scaling the challenge based on the deities' divine ranks.

 

[Aar Khalim]

This is a very good concept you are building up.
If i was to hadle a god character under these conditions, i would make him a simple living been with minor minor minor supernatural abilities but with strong charisma wisdom scores, or with strong strength and constitution scores if he was a god of war like, and he would had to make his way undetected through the world for the duration of this event. something like jesus for instance.
A god in the material plane should have a hard time but propably be undetectable at the same time due to his lack of powers.

 

[xigbar]

I would just make them like an optimized humanoid character, with some supernatural abilities frequently possessed by outsiders. The Deities and Demigods book has stats for the gods, but you'd have to scale them down. A lot.

 

[Drobney Falcor]

The salient divine abilities from deities and demigods seem like something i could use on top of an optimized character. Anything that would make the finding and killing more difficult without completely blocking any attempts to do so.

I honestly don't know how many gods will be killed (if any) during the course of the campaign. Whether it be individual hatred towards a specific god by each player, certain portfolios that player wants to have control over, or if complete deicide is required. I imagine I'd have to start off the player's at least at some level beyond 1st and have them gradually defeat greater gods-lesser to intermediate to greater.

Or i could have them at level 1 and not until later do they acquire the knowledge of the possible shift in power.

 

[xigbar]

Also, it would be worth planning some really epic battlefields. How about climbing the tallest mountain to have a battle against Gruumsh, while he hurls smaller mountains at you?

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

I imagine any divine realms left unoccupied would still be guarded by followers native to the plane, or at least summoned. If those wishing to take over the domain have any chance at doing so, it would be to take action in the mortal realm. And if they do succeed on claiming their homes, when the deities return (new or old) there will be drastic consequences for the squatters.

So, since the gods have their realms in planes that match their alignment, what happens when the individual who kills a god and assumes their base of operations is of a different alignment? If I'm Chaotic Evil and kill Bahamut, do I gain a Castle that can move along 4 layers of Celestia? This would through the entire Outer Planes into Chaos!

Granted, you can simply anything pertaining to the outer planes out of your campaign, since it's all about what takes place on the Material Plane. Figure out what the ascended players and NPCs do afterward.

 

[Drobney Falcor]

So, since the gods have their realms in planes that match their alignment, what happens when the individual who kills a god and assumes their base of operations is of a different alignment? If I'm Chaotic Evil and kill Bahamut, do I gain a Castle that can move along 4 layers of Celestia? This would through the entire Outer Planes into Chaos!

Granted, you can simply anything pertaining to the outer planes out of your campaign, since it's all about what takes place on the Material Plane. Figure out what the ascended players and NPCs do afterward.

I'm still quite uncertain on how to handle the repercussions of taking a deity's power. The outer planes are too interesting to forgo in this campaign. I'd hate to rule out any possible plot hooks involving the planes and the residents. I see several options i can take:

1. Grant the killer ascension to godhood when the time is up and all the portfolio control of the previous deity be transferred. In this case the player wont be able to change his ways, else lose followers and in turn power.

2. Grant the killer ascension to godhood but instead give the individual free reign over how to handle his own divinity. Such as a chaotic evil killing Bahamut and using his or her power to instead side with Tiamat creating a devilish duo. They will of course lose much power when followers of Bahamut recoil at the sight of the new god. Then again there are always puny mortals to attract with promises of power, wealth and fame! I'm leaning towards this option because I'd like to see how my players would roleplay when given the status of deity.

3. Rewrite the laws of the universe (a bit silly but could work) and have this new figure remain exactly where the last stood, the mortals none the wiser. This kind of ascension would most certainly require the force of overdeities. If they choose not to accept their role as a lawful good deity (or whatever it may be) they could return to their mortal life, allowing another perhaps to take their place. That chaotic evil adventurer may have just wanted St. Cuthbert out of the way for past discrepancies.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

You could handwave the trouble of what to do with the denizens of a deposed god's former planar residence with a bit dark ages mysticism. Recall that there was the bit about how a king was tied to the land. As went the health of the kind so went the health of the land.

Handwave.

When the new replacement god (king) assumes the mantle and arrives on his plane (land) the mere presence of the new god causes the plane become a manifestation of the new god's essence, and thus complementary to the god. Even the plane's denizens divinely become right proper agents for the god. Fill in the details later.

 

[gwyllgi]

honestly i like the second one, i have to ask my DM to allow me to do that when i become a god.

 

[Hunter99]

I think that your campaign has a message of godlessness and free inquiry, which calls for repentance on your part. You should be ashamed that you are trying to lead people away from faith by allowing them to entertain such blasphemous and ungodly thoughts...jk.

How about you have the gods permanently killed in a war between men and gods?

You could have a 2500 year cycle where the gods become mortal and thererfore vulnerable for a certain brief period of say 100 years.

I have always found that a campaign where men fight the gods and overcome them permanently establishing a godless world to be deeply appealing.