Seeking Suggestions for PC Deities

[Ghost Nappa]

I am currently in progress of building a world that I plan to use for basically every game further on down the line. The history will itself be written by the players and the decisions and trends that they start will become the status qup for future games.

Right now, the world is in a Pre-history "Genesis" sort of era. The world has been made but there only actually two people: the creator deity and the first player character. This first PC I intend to reach Godhood and become one of the most powerful beings in all of existence (I am going to deliberately let them break the game eventually) but I don't know how I want the character creation to actually start. (I intend for this to be a small campaign with the first PC literally creating and giving life to the rest of their party as they either become lonely or need others.

I'd like suggestions on how to take the existing races and make them more obviously divine and powerful besides +1 to all stats on top of normal racial mods.

I think of this as conceptually similar to a template for 3.5.

I have already determined that I want this character to be able to absorb the powers and features of magical items and make them their own sort of passive abilities (absorb a periapht of wound closure? You're not dying ever), but I don't really know how far I should extend the limits of PC-dom.

[Magic Myrmidon]

I like the idea for a campaign, but it might be risky to have ONE PC be the most powerful being in existence. Sure, they won't be playing with other people, but that can be a bit of a drag for the other players, who will live in the shadow of another super-NPC. I would think it'd be fine to have the whole party eventually reach apotheosis, and have 4 ultimate powerful beings or whatever.

As far as character creation, maybe just start them at a really high level? If you want to make the RACES super powerful, try supercharging the abilities. High elves don't start with a cantrip, they start with a 5th level spell. Halflings aren't just lucky, they can choose to succeed on a check 3 times per day. Dragonborn's breath is 60 feet, and does more damage, and they're immune to their element. Half Orcs don't ever die or go unconscious until negative double their hitpoints.

Obviously, most of these are ridiculous, but if that's what you're going for, that's a possible direction to go.

[Shining Wrath]

My suggestion: don't map PC abilities, e.g., arcane spellcasting, back onto deities; most people aren't PCs. Instead create divinities that correspond to primal urges and characteristics; freedom, tyranny, lust, love.

[Ghost Nappa]

I like the idea for a campaign, but it might be risky to have ONE PC be the most powerful being in existence. Sure, they won't be playing with other people, but that can be a bit of a drag for the other players, who will live in the shadow of another super-NPC. I would think it'd be fine to have the whole party eventually reach apotheosis, and have 4 ultimate powerful beings or whatever.

As far as character creation, maybe just start them at a really high level? If you want to make the RACES super powerful, try supercharging the abilities. High elves don't start with a cantrip, they start with a 5th level spell. Halflings aren't just lucky, they can choose to succeed on a check 3 times per day. Dragonborn's breath is 60 feet, and does more damage, and they're immune to their element. Half Orcs don't ever die or go unconscious until negative double their hitpoints.

Obviously, most of these are ridiculous, but if that's what you're going for, that's a possible direction to go.

Most of the early characters are going to become Gods too. It's less one super-NPC and more "Odin, Thor, Freya, and Loki walk into a bar..." kind of situation...in theory.

They aren't going to be the most powerful being: but they are going to be the most important deities of all future mortal pantheons and religions as well as the foundation of all mortal societies. Right, now though I've only designed a small section of the world (roughly a small town) that is going to be sort of the "home base" and early dungeon and tests set by the creator god for what is in theory a 1 or 2 person adventure.


My suggestion: don't map PC abilities, e.g., arcane spellcasting, back onto deities; most people aren't PCs. Instead create divinities that correspond to primal urges and characteristics; freedom, tyranny, lust, love.

I have kind of been playing with a rise to godhood inspired by Hercules. The characters are deities, but they are young, vulnerable and suffer from power incontinence. It's only by tests and trials that they come to control, manipulate and define their powers, goals, values, and creations. I want the players very much aware of just how much they affect the world around them - even if they don't know it - they're mistakes, follies, successes, traits, and powers are going to define the world around them and I don't really have a secondary system for creating playable deities.

In fact, the fluff of the wish spell implies that deities (who are in theory above Level 20 mortals) are capable of magic far stronger still...but that doesn't mean they wouldn't be able to wield lesser spells as well.