Need to make a pantheon

[Window459]

so in a D&D game im running i need to make a Pantheon that is worshiped by the savage races on one continent (Gnolls, Lizardfolk, Goblins, Orc, Etc) I know i want there to an Evil Snake God and a Dragon seen as the Creator other then that no ideas..., so if you guys have any advice Id love to hear, thanks in advance.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

I always look at these sources when I'm making up new cultures' deities:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European_religion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conceptions_of_God
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theism

I use these to look at what systems of belief exist in reality, and then build convincing new ones for my fantasy setting.
Of course, this board has a rule against religious discussion, so let's not get too involved in talking about real world faiths.

If you're starting out with a snake and dragon god, you might want to look at Egyptian and Chinese myth.

[Illithid Savant]

Think of things or concepts that would be important to these races. They're savage, so a god of war would be a good idea. Older religions in the real world had gods of the sun and the moon. Fire would be important to them, and if they live near a body of water, so would water (water gods are fun because you get to make up a Lovecraftian sort of being). Weather is also an important domain. Maybe a god of the hunt?

[Swordgleam]

If you want more advice from real world pantheons, Godchecker (http://www.godchecker.com/) is great.

I also have a random pantheon generator (http://chaoticshiny.com/pangen.php) if you like that sort of thing.

[Darklord Xavez]

Use elven slaves to build it. Their low constitution scores mean that they don't live long enough under forced labor to plot rebellions. :tongue::biggrin::cool::amused:

[Touchy]

If you want more advice from real world pantheons, Godchecker (http://www.godchecker.com/) is great.

I also have a random pantheon generator (http://chaoticshiny.com/pangen.php) if you like that sort of thing.

I'd like to mention you can occasionally get odd results, due to the random generation, ofcourse.

[Thomo]

Did you just want the positions the gods can fill? If so you could go something like this:

God of the Sun/Creator - your Dragon god
God of the Moon/Healing - maybe another dragon type figure (A Silver One?)
God of Storms/Seas/Destroyer -
God of Death - A reaper type figure, or maybe similar to a banshee
God of the Afterlife (different to the above) - Seen as almost benign
God of Hunting/Beasts - A massive Satyr type figure complete with a Wild Hunt
God of Sickness/Plague/Famine - not so much worshipped but more warded against. A sickly apparition of festering wounds and dripping bandages.
God of Magic - Sorcerer type god
God of Fire/Craftsmanship - A forge master (think Haphaestus)
God of Battle/Strength - A massive minotaur type god, revels in strength. Could be similar to Gruumsh
God of Nature/Wilderness/Life - similar to the God of the hunt (maybe brother/sister? or married)
God of Undeath/Evil - your snake god?

You could even incorporate spirit/ancestor worship as well.

[Project_Mayhem]

Or rip off the Aesir, because they rock