Ascended gods and outsider levels

[Albions_Angel]

Hi all

This is more of an exercise in pointlessness than something that needs doing, but I like statting up everything in my world, gods included. Running them off of the methods provided in Deities and Demigods. Looking to make gods between level 60 and level 40 (they will vary), and 20 of those levels, by the book, should be outsider. (I will come up with their divine ranks later.)

But my gods are ancient, ascended humans. So, heres the thing. I want them to have the outsider levels. Kinda vital for gods to have them, right? But how would ascended humans get hold of them? Do they acquire them at ascension? over time? All academic, of course, but Id like your opinions.

[Douglas]

Only "most" gods have 20 outsider hit dice. I couldn't find it explicitly spelled out in Deities and Demigods, but I believe the usual distinction is that gods that were born (or otherwise came into existence) as gods have 20 outsider hit dice, while ascended former mortals do not. For example, Vecna's stats in Deities and Demigods give him hit dice only for his wizard and cleric levels, and he's an ascended mortal.

Aha, found a reference! Deities and Demigods page 122: "As an ascended mortal, Hercules does not have outsider Hit Dice as other members of the pantheon do."

So by the book, your ancient ascended humans should actually not have outsider hit dice.

[Albions_Angel]

Well, a mod answering my post, and with a RAW answer too. No home brew required. I feel blessed.

So now the question is, what do I bump their levels with?

[Âmesang]

More levels!!

Prestige classes should work. No one ever said deities have to have 20 levels of this and 20 levels of that (aside from Salient Divine Ability prerequisites). Speaking of Vecna, I was thinking of restatting him; still at 40th level, but more wizard/loremaster/archmage (with a focus on Truenaming) than the default wizard/cleric.

EDIT: That reminds me! It never actually flat out said what a natural born deity's racial class skills are for its 20 outsider HD, at least not anywhere I could have found. Typically a creature's racial class skills are based on what the creature is (troll, nymph, dragon, &c), but deities are more unique… so I house-ruled that, for the purpose of a deity's 20 outsider HD, all skills were considered class skills (but they treated class skills from actual classes normally).

[Bohandas]

Hi all

This is more of an exercise in pointlessness than something that needs doing, but I like statting up everything in my world, gods included. Running them off of the methods provided in Deities and Demigods. Looking to make gods between level 60 and level 40 (they will vary), and 20 of those levels, by the book, should be outsider. (I will come up with their divine ranks later.)

But my gods are ancient, ascended humans. So, heres the thing. I want them to have the outsider levels. Kinda vital for gods to have them, right? But how would ascended humans get hold of them? Do they acquire them at ascension? over time? All academic, of course, but Id like your opinions.

I think they acquire them over time. In the web enhancement the newly ascended deity Erbin lacks outsider levels, as do Vecna and Hercules, as mentioned earlier in this thread. However, Cuthbert of the Cudgel who ascended long long ago has 20 outsider HD just like most other gods.

[Âmesang]

Isn't the idea that Saint Cuthbert was once a man merely myth? :smallwink: Although if one were to associate him with the real-life Saint Cuthbert (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuthbert), and use the 1st Edition adventure, The City Beyond the Gate, as a point of Oerth-to-Earth time conversion, then I believe that would put Saint Cuthbert's "death" at approximately –9490 CY (almost four thousand years before the beginning of the Suloise Dating calendar).