Your opinion on god killing?

[Tinker Gnome]

Spawned due to a recent thread. What is your opinion of PCs rising up and challenging the gods themselves? I myself like it if it is good for the story I guess you could say. An example would be a dark god himself has come to the world and has captured someone important to absorb his power so he can become utterly omnipotent. Naturally the other PCs must save him from the dark god, and the god is only going to let you get him from his lifeless corpse.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I'm not a fan of god-killing in most campaigns. In some worlds with the right feel, I suppose it should be possible. (Greek/Norse-type settings come to mind, or any others where the gods have a true physical presence in the world.) In most fantasy settings, though, I prefer the idea that the gods are--well, gods. Even the most powerful mortals are as flies to them, and if you want a god dead, you either wipe out every last one of his worshippers, or you get another god to do it for you.

 

[Crothian]

In the right campaign, its great. But few campaigns are right for it.

 

[res]

I'm not a fan of god-killing in most campaigns. In some worlds with the right feel, I suppose it should be possible. (Greek/Norse-type settings come to mind, or any others where the gods have a true physical presence in the world.) In most fantasy settings, though, I prefer the idea that the gods are--well, gods. Even the most powerful mortals are as flies to them, and if you want a god dead, you either wipe out every last one of his worshippers, or you get another god to do it for you.

That pretty much sums up my thoughts on the situation.

In the right world, it would be ok, but in a world like the Realms or Greyhawk, you don't stand a chance. Have you read the rules for gods in the Deities and Demigods book? They are pretty powerful, and even if you had a character of about equal level as the god, you would still probably get yourself handed back to you on a plate.

Perhaps there would be another way to rescue the victem from the clutches of the big evil god that is trying to become more powerful?

 

[heimdall]

I'm in the camp against god slaying, though I know my players want to take out Bane right now and would if they could. As with others, I could see cases where this might happen, but I would lean towards players achieving some sort of immortal status, first. If that's written into the campaign, that would make more sense to me.

 

[Wombat]

Well.... Under very specific, very, very limited circumstances I can see godkilling, but it had better have something to do with an overarching plot AND there are going to be huge implications, not the least of which involving possibly having other gods come down for vengeance.

In 99.9% of cases, leave godkilling out. Such acts normally strike me as a Munchkin's Paradise kind of deal, rather than serious gaming, but that is just one person's opinion.

 

[Pants]

It's a classic part of most mythology (okay maybe not the killing part, but more the mortals 'besting gods' part). I could see it as a cool plot hook, a campaign arc or something. I wouldn't immediatley classify it as munchkin powergaming, because I could see a campaign culminating in the death of a god, possibly by the players.

I especially like how Steven Erikson handles gods in his Malazan Books of the Fallen. They can beat nearly any mortal, but they are neither omniscient, all-powerful, or all knowing, they are just one step beyond most mortals.

 

[Ibram]

Personaly I'm very much against characters killing gods. A true god should be lightyears beyond the power of any mortal. But then I like my gods Lovecraftian.

 

[dead]

2 reasons I think it would be OK:

1) Powerful mortals toughed it out with gods in mythology (not to mention modern day novels: Look at Raistlin taking on Takhisis!).

2) Powering up and up and up and up is something D&D seems to encourage with its level progression system. This continues in the Epic Level Handbook. So, it only seems natural to wanna kick some godly butt once you've got to 4Oth level!


1 reason I think it would not be OK:

1) It might sully the mystery and the "almighty" concept of gods.

 

[VirgilCaine]

Killing anything isn't necessarily evil, murdering something is always an evil thing.

Some deities, with the right weapons, you can kill them, IMC.
Other, bigger gods, if they so choose, fighting them is like trying to fight Monty Python's Big Left Foot.