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Bobo
2009-07-19, 07:37 AM
Within the written rules of dnd, is it possible to become a god? I read somewhere that if you kill a god, you take their place. Are their smaller gods you could start off with, before moving on to the main deities like Pelor? Could you take the place of the entire pantheon? Is this an incredibly stupid idea to have?

kamikasei
2009-07-19, 07:39 AM
There are rules about how to be a god (divine ranks, portfolios, salient divine abilities etc.) but not, AFAIK, how to become one. It's something to work out with the DM, for excellent reasons. Within the context of Forgotten Realms, you may find more structured rules about how it all works (or rather, how it works there).

hamishspence
2009-07-19, 07:40 AM
Depending on the setting, you still need some kind of sponsor to actually do the place-taking.

Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkyl killed a deity (Borem, patron of Anger), but this was only the first step in their route to becoming gods themselves, they still needed to do more. Eventually they won divinity off a god in a game (Jergal).

AslanCross
2009-07-19, 07:43 AM
In Forgotten Realms, where this happens all the time, you either have an existing deity sponsor you and give you a divine rank, (subject to approval by the Overdeity Ao) or kill a god. This happened a lot during the Time of Troubles, though I think there's a difference between a god killing another god and taking their portfolio (Cyric and Tiamat did this), and a mortal killing a god and taking that god's place (Kelemvor, for example). The former case seems to be automatic; the latter case is subject to Ao's approval IIRC.


Now in Eberron, things are different. The Lord of Blades, a powerful Warforged messianic figure, is not a god. But his clerics get spells. The LoB technically does not grant spells, but his followers get spells simply because of their faith. Lady Vol is a lich. She has worshipers. They gain spells, but Vol remains a lich, and does not become a god.

hamishspence
2009-07-19, 07:54 AM
Kelemvor stole Cyric's place as Lord of the Dead, but didn't kill him.

Finder Wyvernspur, in the case of Moander (and Cyric himself, in the case of Bhaal) fit more closely than Kelemvor. Since, in both cases, neither were gods at the time that they killed gods, though they had help from gods (Tymora, reputedly, for Finder, Mask, for Cyric),

AslanCross
2009-07-19, 08:05 AM
Didn't Kelemvor and Mystra kill Myrkul, though?

hamishspence
2009-07-19, 08:14 AM
More Midnight (renamed Mystra) than Kelemvor, who was killed shortly afterward by Cyric.

(It turned out his soul was imprisoned by the sword Godsbane- which is why he turns up ten years later to lead a revolt against Cyric.)

Biffoniacus_Furiou
2009-07-19, 08:15 AM
The Dragon Ascendant prestige class in the Draconomicon grants deific status, though at a minimum ECL of 42.

Epic VoP (http://forums.gleemax.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-554563) grants divine rank at level 40. It's technically homebrew though its development was supported by WotC employees, plus VoP sucks, and if you lose your exalted status you lose all benefits including your divine rank, but maybe worth a shot.

There's the trick of casting Ice Assassin from Frostburn to make a copy of a deity, then have it make you a proxy thus granting you divine rank, then have it use Alter Reality to make it permanent. Repeat that to gain additional divine rank and given enough time you could get your divine rank as high as you want.

hamishspence
2009-07-19, 08:19 AM
in Kelemvor's case, it was "kick Cyric out of Hades, thus leaving the God of the Dead position empty", followed by Ao offering him, as leader of the revolt, the new job.

Some deities got their power after they died (Uthgar being the most obvious example- die heroically and in a legendary way- be revered by people- ascend to divinity)

Rather like OOTS's The Dark One, except the "reverence" was shown by a massive purge of his killers in revenge.

AslanCross
2009-07-19, 08:38 AM
More Midnight (renamed Mystra) than Kelemvor, who was killed shortly afterward by Cyric.

(It turned out his soul was imprisoned by the sword Godsbane- which is why he turns up ten years later to lead a revolt against Cyric.)

Ah, thanks for the clarification.

ex cathedra
2009-07-19, 09:50 AM
Cyric took Bane's, Bhaal's, and Myrkul's portfolios, though I don't recall if he actually killed any of them; I'm fairly positive that Bane (in the form of a colossal obsidian statue) was killed by one of the colossal aspects of the paladin-like gods (I'm thinking Torm or Tyr; Probably Torm). The more I think on it, It seems like Cyric may have actually kill Bhaal.

I must say, Mask might have been the best intelligent weapon ever.

hamishspence
2009-07-19, 10:28 AM
yes. Cyric killed Bhaal, Torm killed Bane (and was killed by Bane, getting resurrected by Ao at the end of the Time of Troubles), Midnight killed Myrkul.

Panda-s1
2009-07-19, 08:57 PM
@OP

Paizo asked that very question, and created the Test of the Starstone for their Pathfinder setting. Basically some meteor or comet or someting fell to Golarion, and made the Inner Sea, putting the world into a dark age... and well I forget the details, but one guy, Aroden, retrieved the stone from the bottom of the sea and became a god (and started the first year of the current calender). He then placed the Starstone on an island which became the center of the city of Absalom, which is like the biggest city in Golarion. He also put around the stone a maze of traps and magic and other potentially lethal things so that anyone worthy of achieving divinity can do so. Many people have tried over the last 5,000 or so years, but most die, and very few manage to escape. Only three people have ascended to godhood after Aroden this way: Norgorber, god of murder and poison, Cayden Cailean, god of freedom, bravery, and alcohol, and Iomedae, Aroden's herald and goddess of paladins.

Actually, Cayden Cailean's story is one of my favorites. One day he was drinking with his companions when his friend made a drunken bet that he couldn't pass the Test of the Starstone. Cayden Cailean, who was also really drunk, took his bet. Three days later, he came back as a god. The best part is he can't remember how he passed the test :smallbiggrin:

mistformsquirrl
2009-07-19, 10:07 PM
@Panda-S1 - That is fantastic lol ><; Truly a drunken master <T_T>