Portfolios for an Obscure God

[Rubik]

Okay, so, this game has the party as agents of very obscure gods of small things. It's not a particularly serious game, so we've got patrons of things like leather protective gear and animal training.

Mine will be the patron god of male homosexuals, since someone else wanted the female half of THAT particular pie.

So! I'm going to assume that the god is True Neutral, since anyone can shelter under this particular set of auspices. What portfolios would complete the divine package?

[Red Fel]

Hmm... Here's the thing. A deity of love and/or sex will already have a sorely finite list of options, unless you expand your influence somehow. "Love," "Romance," and "Lust/Sex" are obvious choices, but do nothing to distinguish your deity from any other love/sex deity. "Masculinity" is an option, I suppose. "Poetry" and "Theater" tend to go well with most love/sex deities.

You could always lay claim to your setting's equivalent of Sparta, I suppose.

My advice would be to elaborate on who this deity is, what his doctrines are, and how he's worshipped. Consider also balancing your portfolios with those of your female counterpart. For example, if her portfolio includes noisy, raunchy, public displays of a highly inappropriate nature, yours may include quiet, private, intimate romance, or vice-versa.

Think about your deity as a person, and expand the portfolio to encompass those personal traits.

And remember that if you step on another deity's toes without their express permission, they will probably eat you.

[Rubik]

Is voyeurism a portfolio? :smallamused:

[Fouredged Sword]

For a funny game, I would do the following domains.

Magic, Fire, Strength.

Think about it.

[Ravens_cry]

I agree, we need more details. Some extra detail about she of the Sapphic Mysteries would also be handy, so we know what *not* to add. Does he also include what's often now called 'bro-mance', love between two men that isn't sexual but is a deep bond? Or is he purely the physical side of things? Heck, is he also got anything to do with prisons and the naval institutions?

[Rubik]

I'm not entirely certain what the female half will include, but I'm the one working on the male half, so technically it could include anything I want it to, so long as it's thematic.

I suppose I could broaden it a bit, and call out exceedingly close relations between two non-related males could work. It'd make him a bit more powerful as a god. I know for sure it'd be more than just the sex side of things. Physical and emotional affection both, for sure. I'm just not entirely sure how far to stretch it out. Perhaps push it far enough so that it encompasses any relationship between two males, even as platonic as familial relationships and friendships.

But that's getting a bit beyond "obscure," I think.

I definitely want it to be more than physicality, though there's that, too.

[Clistenes]

Navigation and Seafaring - The god has N alignment - Travel, Trade, Commerce, Weather, Ocean Domains.
Riders - The god has N alignment - Animal, Strength, Travel, Celerity, Competition Domains.
Librarians and Bookbinders - The god has LN alignment - Law, Knowledge, Spell, Craft Domains.
Dogs - The god has LG alignment - Animal, Law, Good, Community, Protection Domains.
Cats - The god has CN alignment - Animal, Chaos, Luck, Pleasure, Shadow Domains
Cattle - The god has N alignment - Animal, Strength, Protection Domains.


EDIT: Oh, I see you have already chosen portfolios for your small gods...nevermind.

[Red Fel]

See, that's the thing. Starting from a vague concept gets us vague results.

If I said I wanted a god with a death concept - say, death of natural causes - there's only so much I could do with that. Sickness, Old Age, Disease, Injury, sure. But that's vague.

But suppose I said, instead:

Bordos
Lesser God
Alignment: LN

Bordos appears as a shriveled old man, hunched over a gnarled cane. One leg is rotted and gangrenous, his hair is mangy and balding, and his flesh is jaundiced and covered with pustules.

Bordos has few worshippers; most who offer him praise do so either in hopes of having an easy silver age, or of dying young.

Bordos represents the ravages of time. Unlike other gods, who symbolize sudden things, like passion or war, Bordos embodies the slow inevitability of age. He brings with him sickness, decrepitude, senility, and a sense of bittersweet nostalgia.
Suddenly, the imagery evokes itself. Sickness and Age, sure. Also Eternity, Time. Madness. Despair. Love. Loss. Grief. Wisdom. Strength. The deity itself, not merely the concept, creates a portfolio.

So try doing that with your deity. Tell us about him as an individual.

[Ravens_cry]

Is voyeurism a portfolio? :smallamused:
Heck, there's a whole school of magic about it: Divination.:smalltongue:

[HaikenEdge]

See if you can get a God of "Magic", that is to say, the magic we have in this world, ie, street magic, stage magic, etc.

[Ravens_cry]

See if you can get a God of "Magic", that is to say, the magic we have in this world, ie, street magic, stage magic, etc.
I don't think that would be called magic, especially in a world with actual magic. Legerdemain describes such pretty well. Might also have certain connections with thieves, for obvious reasons.

[Rubik]

Chauncer is often considered the patron of gay love, geared exclusively toward males of all species. This is incorrect. In actuality, he's the god of male empowerment, which manifests most strongly in exclusively male gatherings and relationships. The more intense and satisfying the relationship in question, the more powerful the connection. The most satisfying relations are those where everyone receives the maximum amount of emotional benefits, and so he encourages males of all species to engage in healthy, positive relationships which empower them to become better than they are, and encourage self-improvement for all parties involved. This exists throughout a wide spectrum, from platonic father/son and brotherly relations to romantic relationships between two (or more) male lovers. Basically, he encourages positive relationships between his faith's constituents, open communication, and honesty wherever possible. He eschews pointless cruelty and encourages debates, but those who cross him and his followers can expect them to do whatever it takes to defend those they care about, like wolves defending their packs. He encourages his followers to be open and honest whenever possible, both among themselves and in the world at large, displaying their relationships (and the benefits thereof) for the whole world to see. However, in areas where society is more puritanical, he guards secret relationships to protect them, giving him somewhat of a dual nature. His dogma remains quiet on relationships with those of the female persuasion, save that marriage to a woman should not be used to deceive or to cover for romantic relationships if at all possible, nor should any man subject himself to subservience to a woman to his detriment. (A healthy mother/son or husband/wife or brother/sister relationship is perfectly acceptable, however.) His relationship with the drow and their spider-deity Lolth is particularly at odds.

His holy symbol is a thin, clear, triangular crystalline prism, designed to split white light into a spectrum of colors, often stylized as:

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3728/12468145945_1fc94d3ed8_o.png

His faithful come from all walks of life. Arcane casters in particular tend to take levels in the initiate of the sevenfold veil, in honor his holy symbol, which symbolizes the wide spectrum of relationships which can enrich and empower everyone involved.

[The Oni]

I take it that means that his temple is on the dark side of the moon?

[weckar]

For domains.... I know PF has an 'exploration' domain :P

Also to be considered are Charm, Glory, Friendship, Freedom, Ferocity & Deception.

[Rubik]

Is there a Prismatic domain?

[weckar]

I think the closest you'd get is the Radiation subdomain, effect wise.

[Rubik]

I dunno about domains yet, but I think Chauncer's portfolios would contain close m/m relationships (of any variety), m/m love (again, of any variety), m/m sex (yeah, there's only one variety here, really), m/m-related family matters, hearth and home (with obvious limits), and truth and secrets (both when related to m/m relationships only).

Anything I'm forgetting?

[Coidzor]

See if you can get a God of "Magic", that is to say, the magic we have in this world, ie, street magic, stage magic, etc.

Isn't that just one small part of the standard Rogue's God such as Olidammara/Mask(Masque?), being the god of Misdirection, Bluffing, Manipulation, and Confidence?

[nedz]

Is voyeurism a portfolio? :smallamused:
Well, there's the Oracle Domain.


Is there a Prismatic domain?
There's a Radiance domain, which is close to what you are looking for


Granted Powers: You are immune to pattern effects. This is a supernatural ability.

1 - Color Spray
2 - Hypnotic Pattern
3 - Searing Light
4 - Faerie Fire (Widened)
5 - Rainbow Pattern
6 - Rainbow
7 - Prismatic Spray
8 - Scintillating Pattern
9 - Prismatic Wall

It's from Faerûn

[Slipperychicken]

You could make his favored weapon the longspear. Because phallic imagery, that's why.

This god would likely get some divine bards' worship, which would make him well-known to Archivists by extension :smallbiggrin:

Also, I imagine this guy's holy text would be half-full of relationship advice.

[Rubik]

You could make his favored weapon the longspear. Because phallic imagery, that's why.Harpoon? Or maybe his clerics prefer clubbing. And possibly the whip.


This god would likely get some divine bards' worship, which would make him well-known to Archivists by extension :smallbiggrin:I imagine the clergy provides certain spells normally only found in 3rd party (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Encyclopaedia_Arcane:_Nymphology) supplements (http://www.amazon.com/Book-Erotic-Fantasy-Gwendolyn-Kestrel/dp/1588463990) to assist their petitioners, as well. :smallamused:


Also, I imagine this guy's holy text would be half-full of relationship advice.Totally agreed. His clergy and holy texts are basically walking, talking self-help booklets.

[Slipperychicken]

Harpoon?

Harpoons don't pull out easily.

[veti]

Depending how stereotypical you want to get... a "male homosexual" portfolio might include fashion sense, mildly amusing speech defects, manicures, musical theatre, over-expressive intonation and/or gesticulation, taking one's shirt off in public, and mirrors.

For other minor gods, I've played in the past with a god of moving traffic violations, a god of mechanical kitchen implements, a god of small animals forced to wear clothes, and a god of blocked drains. Some of these can be quite surprisingly powerful...

[Slipperychicken]

For other minor gods, I've played in the past with a god of moving traffic violations, a god of mechanical kitchen implements, a god of small animals forced to wear clothes, and a god of blocked drains. Some of these can be quite surprisingly powerful...

I almost feel like such beings would be classified as spirits like kami (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kami) (i.e. manifestations of the spirit energy which all things possess), rather than as proper deities.

Such spirits would have influence over their own domains, and can be worshiped. So one might make a small sacrifice to the traffic spirits before driving to work, in the hope they won't harry him with delays or make him late for a big meeting. Or one might make sacrifices to a computer spirit (much like WH40K techpriests do) to ward off viruses and increase the machine's processing speed.

[Rubik]

Harpoons don't pull out easily.Harpoon it is, then.