Ending a campaign through ascending to Godhood

[evisiron]

I am currently running a DnD game (homebrew setting), with a Good/heroic theme. Players have leveled quickly and the campaign is about to end. Most of the camapign has been based on finding 3 parts of a key to the Armoury of the Gods (read as over powered loot) so they can have a chance at killing a Red Dragon cleric who is summoning a new Dark God into the world. Of course, the birth of this god would destroy most of the planet.

I have the last few bits of plot are ready to go, except the fianal 'scene'. If the players manage to defeat the draon and the newly formed god, I want to offer the chance for the characters to become gods themselves (and be able to worship these new gods in future games). The thing I am haveing trouble is: how can I do this in game? Would it be shafts of light from the sky, or some booming voice telling them?

So far they have been following a Prophecy (written by themselves as gods while casting the parts of the key into the past) and I was considering using it to explain what was happening as it was revealed that the 'future characters' wrote it. Still this may be more confusing than necessary.

So, does anyone have any experience or ideas on how to carry this out, or reference to where it has been done before?

[Attilargh]

Have a huge mass of followers gather after them as they travel towards their ultimate goal. Then, when they emerge victorious, everyone of the unbelievably huge crowd kneels before them. That should give them something of a hint what they've just achieved.

Then ask what they'll do for the next couple centuries or so.

When you start your next campaign, slip their names into the list of gods available, and give them appropriate domains. Be sure to include quite a few temples dedicated to them, and if you're feeling nasty, have a religious conflict or two.

Less is more, as they say.

[martyboy74]

How has the mood of the campaign been running? You could just make them gods, with no visible (or auditory, tactile, mental, olfactory, or gustative) displays.
On the other hand you could have the god's heart (assuming that it wasn't destroyed by, say, a holy sword) split up and rush at the PCs. Have them make a reflex save v. divinty. :smallamused:

[TheDon]

Just have the dragon cleric's spell go awry as it is unfinished. The magic energy of such magnitude being released into the world with out a purpose binds with the already power godly artefacts that players have, granting them access to godhood.

[Bender]

When the dragon and dark god are slain, an old manlike creature appears (it doesn't really appear, they just noticed him as if he was already there). He is small, bald, wrinkled, almost nude, blind (with big empty unseeing/all seeing eyes); he doesn't really belong to any gender/race. He suddenly starts to speak to the PC's, without opening his mouth (duh), in riddles (duh)...
slowly the PC's gain understanding and insight, they feel power and perceive that their mortal time has ended.
The old man mentions that all around the country/world, people had already started praying to them, because their heroic deeds are known throughout. Soon the first shrines will be built...

They don't suddenly become gods, it was an ongoing process that just reached its climax and an uberpowerful messenger comes to bring the "joyful" news.

Note: if they attack the messenger, they die inexplicably

[Rad]

You could have them ruin the set up for the BBEG (big bad evil god) creation but not enough to completely shut it down... now the energy is threatening to destroy the world by sheer explosion!
Have some guy roll a knowledge (whatever) check and tell them (whatever the result :smalltongue: ) that the energy needs to be channeled somewhere. In short, they will go to the [# of PCs] focal points for the magic circle and "sacrifice" themselves to save the world taking the energy into them. Life stealing items found in the dragon's lair can be a good fluff device to do the thing rather than just standing there and provide a safe "buffer".

Then have them lose some HP (subdual damage maybe, but they do not need to know) and gain like one level per round until their head explode; keep them that way so that they feel getting more and more powerful, but also worrying about their low HP. Characters going unconscious awaken floating in the open space, their bodies vanished.
Their followers/cohorts/helpful NPCs will use some divination magic to find out what happened and become their first clerics; bards will sing their deeds and in some time their cult will be started...

[Kurald Galain]

I second the idea of only leaving a few subtle hints without telling them outright, and then adding them to the Pantheon list of the next campaign. Watch as the realization dawns :)

[Matthew]

Hmmn. You really want to have them ascend at the end of the Campaign? Demi Gods presumably? If so, just have it happen after their (eventual) deaths. A Greater Deity sponsors their elevation or somesuch thing, then you can mix things up nicely by dropping subtle hints and then just 'adding' them to the pantheon for the next game.

[Dark Knight Renee]

Only place I remember seeing it done before was in a not-so-great Forgotten Realms novel, where two of the main characters were ascended to godhood by the Overdiety after the Time of Troubles. If there's anything resembling an overlord or spokesperson of the pantheon, using the Booming Voice approach should work fine, and deliver the plot exposition about the prophesy. (Or multiple gods can speak, that works too.)