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Slayer Lord
2016-10-28, 05:10 PM
I'm working on an ancient world style campaign setting that takes inspiration from several different real world cultures, with each of the major nations having their own pantheon. As the title says, my biggest trouble is figuring out how to portray demi-gods in a manner useful to my players. I've looked at a couple of similar campaign books (like the New Argonauts on Paizo), and the typical response is for a demigod to get stat boosts, abilities, or skill bonuses dependent on their divine parent, which I like, but those settings have all had one pantheon, while I have six (plus a smattering of universal divinities). Currently, we're experimenting with a feat tree (to be provided below) that provides sorcerer powers and some stat bonuses, which I felt could be useful for customization and game balance (since we presently have one demigod in the party) but it doesn't really feel like it captures of being an epic hero. So, should I knuckle down and provide individual powers for each potential divine parent- and if so, what sort of guidelines should I follow?- or is there someway to improve on the feat tree idea?

Pantheons used:
- Greek Pantheon
- Egyptian Pantheon
- Norse Pantheon
- Mesopotamian Pantheon (skewed more towards the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian period)
- Celtic Pantheon
- Lovecraftian deities
- Lesser Pathfinder deities, such as the Empyreal Lords, Demon Princes and Four Horsemen

Current feat tree in use:

Divine Blood
Prerequisites: The Auspicious Birth trait* (custom trait, still unsure how to employ this)
Benefit: Your divine ancestry is revealed. Choose either the Abyssal, Celestial, Destined, Elemental, Fey or Infernal sorcerer bloodlines. Add that bloodline’s skill to your class skills. You may also use your bloodline’s first level bloodline power as if you were a sorcerer of your character level. Sorcerers who take this feat must choose their original sorcerer bloodline even if it is not on this list, but may use any bloodline power with per day uses an additional three times.

Divine Heritage
Prerequisites: Level 9, Auspicious Birth*, Divine Blood
Benefit: You gain the 3rd or 9th level bloodline power from your chosen bloodline, player choice. Increase one physical ability score of your choice by +1.

Divine Legacy
Prerequisites: Level 15, Auspicious Birth*, Divine Blood, Divine Heritage
Benefit: You gain one 15th level or lower bloodline power from your chosen bloodline. Increase one mental ability score of your choice by +1. Reduce your rate of aging by half; any effects of aging that are already in place are unaffected

I'll provide the full deity list in the next post.

Slayer Lord
2016-10-28, 05:12 PM
The Olympian Pantheon
Chiefs:
Zeus- N- God of the sky, lightning, thunder, justice
Hera- LN- Goddess of marriage, women, family and childbirth

Good:
Apollo- CG- The sun, arts, music, healing
Artemis- CG- The moon, the hunt, forests, archery
Athena- LG- Wisdom, warfare, crafts
Hephaestus- NG- Smiths, metalcrafting, fire, masonry
Heracles- CG- Strength, heroism, athletics, protector of mortals, gatekeeper of Olympus
Hermes- CG- Travel, thieves, magic, trickery, messenger of the gods
Hestia- NG- The hearth, home, family, domestic life
Persephone- NG- Spring, rebirth, fertility, queen of the underworld

Neutral:
Aphrodite- CN- Love, beauty, sexuality
Demeter- N- Agriculture, fertility, the harvest
Dionysus- CN- Wine, revelry, madness, the theater
Hades- LN- The dead, wealth, king of the underworld
Hecate- N- Magic, crossroads, ghosts, necromancy
Nike- LN- Victory
Pan- CN- Nature, the wilds, shepherds, herd animals
Poseidon- CN- The sea, earthquakes, natural disasters, horses
Prometheus- LN- Creation, fire trickery
Thanatos- N- Death
Tyche- N- Fortune, the prosperity of the city

Evil:
Ares- CE- War
Cronus- LE- Tyranny, usurpation, the harvest, time
Echidna- CE- Monsters, madness
Medea- NE- Magic, vengeance, the breaking of oaths
Porphyrion- LE- Giants
Tartarus- NE- Eternal punishment
Typhon- CE- Chaos, monsters, natural disasters, destruction


The Pharonic Pantheon
Chiefs:
Ra- LG- King of the gods, the sun
Hathor- NG- Queen of the gods, love, fate, motherhood

Good:
Bast- CG- Cats, love, vengeance
Horus- LG- Kingship, justice
Isis- NG- Magic, fertility, marriage
Khepri- NG- Freedom, honest labor, rebirth, the rising sun, trickery
Neith- NG- Archery, hunting, primal waters, war, weaving, wisdom
Nepthys- CG- Death, grief
Osiris- LG- The underworld, mummification, agriculture
Selket- CG- Embalming, healing, scorpions
Tefnut- NG- Moisture, dew, rain

Neutral:
Anubis- LN- Guardian of the dead, judgement
Bes- CN- Luck, music, protection of children
Imhotep- LN- Architecture, mathematics, medicine
Ma’at- N- Cosmic balance, truth, supreme justice
Ptah- N- Crafts, creation
Sekhmet- CN- Fire, healing, judgement, love, revelry, war
Shu- N- Air, void
Sokar- N- Death
Thoth- N- Knowledge, magic, the moon

Evil:
Ammit- NE- Judgement, oblivion
Apep- CE- Chaos, destruction
Set- LE- Desert storms, drought, betrayal, darkness
Sobek- LE- Water, crocodiles, river hazards
Khonsu, Seshat, Nut, Apis, Aker, Kebchet, Serqet, Babis,


The Gods of Asgard
Chiefs:
Odin- NG- King of the gods, knowledge, war, magic, wisdom, fate
Frigga- N- Queen of the gods, birth, love, fertility

Good:
Balder- NG- Beauty, light, poetry
Frey- NG- Agriculture, elves, the sun
Freya- NG- Fertility, love, magic
Heimdall- LG- Vigilance, loyalty
Njord- NG- The sea, commerce
Odur- CG- Light, the sun, travel
Sif- CG- Beauty, duels, war
Thor- CG- Storms, lightning, thunder, protector of mortals (particularly dwarves and humans)

Neutral:
Foresti- N- Justice, law
Skadi- CN- The hunt, snow, mountains
Tyr- LN- Courage, learning, strategy, valor
Uller- CN- Archers, hunting

Evil:
Aegir- NE- Sea, storms
Fenrir- CE- Beasts, destruction, monsters
Hel- NE- Death, the underworld
Jormangandr- NE- Sea monsters
Loki- CE- Fire, magic, thieves, trickery
Nidhoggr- CE- Destruction, dragons
Surtur- LE- Destruction, fire, giants, war
Thrym- CE- Cold, giants, war

The Gods of Anu
Chiefs:
Marduk- LN- King of the gods, the harvest, judgement, magic, war
Ishtar- CN- Death, love, passion, vengeance, war

Good:
Belet-Lli- NG- Earth, motherhood, nature
Enlil- LG- Agriculture, breath, storms, wind
Gerra- CG- Fire
Nanshe- LG- Justice, prophecy, fertility, fishing
Ninurta- NG- Agriculture, youthful vigor, champion of the gods
Utu- CG- Justice, travelers, the sun

Neutral:
Adad- CN- Storms, weather
Anu- LN- The skies, stars, first king of the gods
Arah- N- Fate
Dagon- CN- Fertility, fish, the sea
Ea- LN- Crafts, knowledge, trickery, water, second king of the gods
Nabu- N- Wisdom, Writing
Nergal- N- Lord of the underworld, death, plague, war, the destructive nature of the sun
Sin- N- The moon, wisdom

Evil:
Druaga- CE- Chaos, destruction
Ereshkigal- LE- Queen of the underworld
Lamashtu- CE- Destruction, madness, mother of monsters
Lilitu- NE- Death of children, mother of demons, plague
Pazuzu- NE- Demons of the air, protection, wind
Tiamat- CE- Destruction, dragons, salt water

The Tuatha Dé Danann
Dagda- NG- King of the gods, lord of all Faerie, crafts, knowledge, protection
Danu- CG- Queen of the gods and Faerie, magic, motherhood, nature

Good:
Arawn- NG- Life and death, lord of the underworld
Belenus- NG- The sun
Brigid- LG- The dawn, dwarves, fertility, healing, poetry, smithing, spring
Dian Cecht- LG- Healing, medicine
Goibhniu- NG- Healing, smith
Gwydion- CG- Bards, heroes, magic, music, war
Nuada- NG- Healing, nobility, protection, the sea, war, warriors

Neutral:
Abarta- CN- Heroism, trickery
Dunatis- N- Mountains, fortresses
Epona- N- Horses, wild animals
Gwyn ap Nudd- LN- God of the honored dead, lord of fairies, king of the Wild Hunt
Ogma- N- Crafts, knowledge, skill, speech, wisdom, writing
Ler- N- The sea
Lugh- CN- Crafts, strength, war
Manann an MacLir- LN- Oceans and sea creatures
Math Mathonwy- CN- Magic
Silvanus- N- Nature and forests

Evil:
Agrona- NE- Battle, fate, slaughter
Balor- CE- Demons, destruction, fire, giants
Gruagach- NE- Giants
Morrigan- LE- Doom, fate, shapeshifters, war
Nemain- CE- Battle, fate, fury

The Great Old Ones
Chief:
Azathoth- CN- Patriarch of the pantheon- Chaos, creation, magic, space, thought

Neutral:
Bokrug- CN- Reptilllians, storms, water, weather
Mhar- CN- Caverns, mountains, volcanoes
Yog-Sothoth- CN- Fate, space, time

Evil:
Cthulhu- CE- Chaos, dreams, madness, the sea
Father Dagon and Mother Hydra- CE- Destruction, duality, mutation, the sea
Hastur- CE- Corruption, magic, nobility
Nyarlathotep- CE- Conspiracies, corruption, dangerous secrets, forbidden magic
Orgesh- CE- Alchemy, caverns, entropy, hunger
Shub-Niggurath- CE- Fertility, forests, monsters
Xhamen-Dor- NE- Decay, parasites, transformation

Universal Deities
Apsu-Wadjet- LG- Creation, good dragons, universal order
Arch-Devils- LE-
Asmodeus- LE-
Demon Princes- CG-
The Empyreal Lords- LG, NG, CG-
The Fates- N- Destiny, fate, prophecy
The Four Horsemen- NE
Gaia- N- Primordial Earth
Ouranos- N- Aether, primordial Sky
The Serpent of Chaos- CE- Destruction, evil dragons, primordial chaos

I am taking a few liberties with the mythology for the purpose of a more structured pantheon and storytelling. For example, combining Apsu (from Mesopotamia) and Wadjet (from Egypt) into a representation of universal order, or using Gaia and Uranus as a common stand-in for universal Father Sky and Mother Earth archetypes, when those particular gods are specifically Greek. And Lovecraft is mostly in there for ****s and giggles, but also because I thought it would be a little redundant to have the Greek and Atlantean expies worshiping the same gods.


Thanks in advance for the assistance.

Bohandas
2016-10-29, 07:10 PM
You could use Unearthed Arcana-style bloodlines

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/bloodlines.htm

edit:
nevermind

Bohandas
2016-10-29, 08:02 PM
The Olympian Pantheon
Chiefs:
Zeus- N- God of the sky, lightning, thunder, justice
Hera- LN- Goddess of marriage, women, family and childbirth

Good:
Apollo- CG- The sun, arts, music, healing
Artemis- CG- The moon, the hunt, forests, archery
Athena- LG- Wisdom, warfare, crafts
Hephaestus- NG- Smiths, metalcrafting, fire, masonry
Heracles- CG- Strength, heroism, athletics, protector of mortals, gatekeeper of Olympus
Hermes- CG- Travel, thieves, magic, trickery, messenger of the gods
Hestia- NG- The hearth, home, family, domestic life
Persephone- NG- Spring, rebirth, fertility, queen of the underworld

Neutral:
Aphrodite- CN- Love, beauty, sexuality
Demeter- N- Agriculture, fertility, the harvest
Dionysus- CN- Wine, revelry, madness, the theater
Hades- LN- The dead, wealth, king of the underworld
Hecate- N- Magic, crossroads, ghosts, necromancy
Nike- LN- Victory
Pan- CN- Nature, the wilds, shepherds, herd animals
Poseidon- CN- The sea, earthquakes, natural disasters, horses
Prometheus- LN- Creation, fire trickery
Thanatos- N- Death
Tyche- N- Fortune, the prosperity of the city

Evil:
Ares- CE- War
Cronus- LE- Tyranny, usurpation, the harvest, time
Echidna- CE- Monsters, madness
Medea- NE- Magic, vengeance, the breaking of oaths
Porphyrion- LE- Giants
Tartarus- NE- Eternal punishment
Typhon- CE- Chaos, monsters, natural disasters, destruction


You left out Eris (CN - Discord, Confusion, Chaos, Shouting Arguments, Marital Problems, Bar fights, Free Thought, Change, Progress, Underdogs, non-conformity)

EDIT:
Also, another way to represent demidivinity with feats would be to drop the level requirements for epic feats

enderlord99
2016-10-29, 08:05 PM
...Why are the demon lords chaotic good?

nikkoli
2016-10-29, 08:47 PM
Maybe as a whOle they have risen? Or a typo.

Sayt
2016-10-30, 08:12 PM
Have you considered giving the emigods a better base array and/or giving them the mythic rules?