PDA

View Full Version : D&D 3.x Other Formating Carthaginian deity Baal-Hamon to 3.0/3.5/Pathfinder



Vunguard
2015-01-03, 04:12 AM
So, I was attempting to make a character who was, for all intents and purposes, supposed to be Carthiginian (just using a fictionalized variant thereof) and I stopped to look at what god would fit him best. Unfortunately, I realized that no D&D-formatted god really suits them, as at best Carthage was flat neutral with a strong leaning towards commerce, making them ideal for Kol Korran, but their tendency to sacrifice people (especially children) to their gods threw a monkey wrench into that portrayal. So after altering that character to better suit Kol Korran I've started looking into what I would do if I wanted to try this again or if someone else wanted to make a Carthaginian-type character in D&D.

Their main god, Baal-Hamon, or perhaps simply Hamon as the term Baal seems to be an honorary rather than an actual part of the name, isn't too clear in origin, though he appears to be a god of the sky and vegetation. Figuring out his domains shouldn't be too difficult on a basic level, but a lot of that figuring relies on knowing his alignment, and I should include the fact that this is a god to whom the Carthaginians regularly performed sacrifices to. I mean, any god that gets sacrifices isn't exactly going to be partying with paladins any time soon, but everything else about his portrayal that I find alongside the way the Carthaginians were doesn't portray a society or god that would be remotely as hostile as other D&D evil gods such as Gruumsh or Lolth. The Carthaginians were merchants first and foremost rather than conquerors, and for the most part their military was mercenary in nature rather than being a true extension of the state, so I'm not certain whether to count their combat actions as representative of their culture.

Basically what I'm asking for is input on thoughts regarding Hamon's alignment (and that of Carthage itself I suppose). Domain input is appreciated but not really required. Again, I know this god isn't going to be good, that much is clear, and he doesn't seem particularly chaotic either, but that leaves four very different alignments still available, and trying to piece together a nature out of him is difficult, especially with the minimal information available. Thanks for any help ahead of time.

Eldan
2015-01-05, 03:06 AM
I'm reasonably sure I've seen Baal statted up somewhere for D&D already. Probably Planescape, they did a lot of old real-world mythologies. I'll look up what they did there.