D&D 5E To make D&D's Cosmology/Deities make more sense, they should introduce the idea of a fantasy version of Henads and Seirai

[Umbran]

I'm happier if they give some vague suggestions, but leave the actual metaphysics to the individual GMs. I have no need to have the deities "make sense" across multiple prime material worlds.

I mean, making a unification of this sort wouldn't set me packing or anything, but I would likely not buy products that hinged on it being true. I don't find much value in hopping among different Prime Material planes for my games anyway, so I don't need them to be rationalized.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Uh this could be fine in some settings. But feels overly complicated to just adapt wholesale as the main way. Greater and Lesser is simple enough.

 

[Orius]

No. They should avoid imposing top-down edicts about what deities are in D&D. In some games, they are abstract and may not even exist. In others, they live in cities and can be slain by mid-level pcs. Both approaches are great.

Definitely agreed. This is a DM thing depending on what the DM wants for the campaign.

 

[delericho]

To make D&D's Cosmology/Deities make more sense, they should introduce the idea of a fantasy version of Henads and Seirai.

Adding those is a fine idea, except... I'm not sure it's necessarily desirable that either D&D cosmology or its deities should make sense.

 

[Rogerd1]

You could of course use something from DC comics with the Sphere of the Gods. Such that they are stories, from a pure neo-platonian realm of ideas. So some of the gods may have different names, but they're the same.

I remember one poster, rather brave actually, drawing parallels between Darkseid and Lucifer. Both are the same, just that they are one particular story told slightly differently.

Said poster got a lot of stick, and I even said that I was not sure I agreed but applauded him for the original theory. But it is easily something you could use in DnD for your greater gods.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

IMO all the D&D cosmology really needs is to give up the Great Wheel.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

IMO all the D&D cosmology really needs is to give up the Great Wheel.

Nah it's fine.

 

[Rogerd1]

IMO all the D&D cosmology really needs is to give up the Great Wheel.

Yes it does, and do something different.
But, DC Comics Sphere of the Gods is technically the Great Wheel.

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/marvel_dc/images/6/6e/Map_of_the_Multiverse_002.png/revision/latest?cb=20141104181338

Sphere of the Gods

The Sphere of the Gods gives the universe magic, as wielded by the Gods and those granted godlike powersStarman The Sphere of the Gods is a metaphysical reality that is the home to all the gods and extradimensional creatures of the Post-Flashpoint Multiverse and is the source of all magic...

dc.fandom.com

Above this is the Fifth dimension where Mxy lives, then above that is the Sixth dimension, the multiversal control room, where the three Primal Monitors reside.

So it has taken the great wheel, expanded and improved upon it. If I was to use the wheel cosmology it would likely draw heavily upon DC.