Favourite gods/deities??

[willistillam]

Over the past little while have been creating my own setting for a future campaign. One aspect I love is looking into all the quirky deities and the lore, followers, etc that come along with them. So the question is what is your favourite deity (any setting/edition or even outside of D&D) and why?

I really like Fir, lesser deity of Spite, isolation and Cold. Another god I like is Blipdoolpoolp just because it is ridiculous and because of the Volo's take on how it was birthed.

[Amaril]

I really like the Dark Souls pantheon. I'm not sure why, just something about it's always really grabbed me, and seemed to fit with how games like D&D suggest gods should be handled. Far as I can tell, gods in Dark Souls aren't necessarily all the same kind of being--while a lot of them are descendants of the First Lords who inherited the Flame (and even their nature is never exactly clear), there are also other powerful, ancient beings, like the mutant scaleless dragon who invented sorcery, who are treated as gods, and why shouldn't they be? I like settings where all that's necessary to be a god is to be powerful enough that people will call you one and worship you.

[Amphetryon]

As I frequently play LN Characters of a necromantic bent, I am often drawn to Jergal. I like him from the perspective of what he offers metagame-wise, and as a Greater God who stepped down due to ennui.

When playing a more martial role, I like Tyr for his sense of duty.

[Quertus]

Most any PC who has ascended to godhood trumps most any pre-published deity, in my book.

Of my own PCs, the most worshiped was Bendeth, god of Power (and War, Fire, and Empowerment). Although they got less love from my fellow players, I'm probably at least as fond of Erizar, god of Reality (and math, gaming the system, the fourth wall, and fly swatters), the Dark Lord of Creation, god of Creation (and Dreams, Constructs, Undead, and he kinda got railroaded by his followers into taking Fire), or even Paine, god of Malice (and Storms, Torture, and Economics).

One of my favorite stories to tell comes from my unusual cult of Death, but they likely won't survive modern games, what with "AC 10" being beyond their capabilities. And, if you think that's bad, don't even think about trying to run a PC Delvanti - their constant need to perform sacrifices to power their spells makes them ill-suited to an adventurer's lifestyle.

Of published deities, I guess I prefer Azuth and Tzeentch.

EDIT: oh, why I like them? Hmmm...

Bendeth has the common man appeal of Thor. Everybody loves him, and many people have their own take on him. It's been fun seeing the direction various PCs have taken the religion.

Erizar... represents gaming the system to the point of admission to divinity.

The Dark Lord of Creation not only fills a gap in that creation deities are always either good or natural, but also focuses on many of the things I care about most.

Paine? Eh, it'd be hard to explain. Let's just say he'd love my classic Magic deck, Ennui.

Azuth? I guess it's that, as god of Mages, he cares about things I do, but he doesn't get the love Mystra does.

Tzeentch? Magic, Mutations, and Madness, all in one handy package? **** yeah!

[Pex]

Heironeous, Torm, Ilmater, Mask

Heironeous - The Hero, the true Good Guy deity of Greyhawk. The unsung hero compared to Pelor (I ignore Burning Hate nonsense).
Torm - The Paladin, to do because it is Right. The deity who is not jealous and encourages his followers to cooperate with other non-evil faiths.
Ilmater - The Saint, the deity who loves mortals most of all.
Mask - The Anti-Hero, skulduggery abound, when it matters most he always chooses Team Good Guys. At least, every DM I had who used him always portrayed him that way.

[Quertus]

Mask - The Anti-Hero, skulduggery abound, when it matters most he always chooses Team Good Guys. At least, every DM I had who used him always portrayed him that way.

My favorite transformers were Mirage, the hero who really didn't get the mission, and Cyclones, the honourable villain. Sounds like I should look into this Mask character.

[Pugwampy]

Luthic the cave mother and wife of Grumsh . A protective mother figure type .

I think she makes for a better option for a CN half orc hero assuming he has a tongue for prayer . Just because i chose a half Orc barbarian does not mean i wish to have an evil all father orc as my diety . I am sure i am not the only half orc player who has had Grumsh shoved down my throat by the nerds. This Orc told the group that he would worship which ever god gave him a steady supply of healing potions . No luck for me in that department .


Lurue The Unicorn Queen

........and gives free rides to some major goddess which i dont care about but Drizzt likes . A very happy go lucky nature diety . I have a thing for fairies and this is your cute fairy religion .
If you want to be a hippy in DND land , this is your cult. Peace and Love . Everyday is a party. I recommend the magic shrooms , they are so groovy man .

[Pronounceable]

Giantmother Othea, because it was about time one of those goddamn Zeus knockoffs permeating fantasy genre got cuckolded.

Blipdoolpoolp, because duh.

Duerra the Axe Princess of Conquest, because look at that name.

Orcus, because his meme inducing rod still amuses my inner 12yo, and yes he totally counts as a god.

Maybe Mystra if you count loving to hate as favor.


And those are their canonic versions. I did a whole bunch of rewiring for many DnD deities, including these, that I like muchos. It's on a thread somewhere around here but homebrewed stuff doesn't answer this question in my opinion, so my own little Gruumsh doesn't make it.

[hymer]

Wee Jas is the first name that leaps to mind. What can be cooler than a goddess of magic, death, and vanity, who yet is lawful? I enjoy the disparate spheres of influence, giving her so much more character.

[Eldan]

Of the Big Names, I would also name Wee Jas as my favourite. SHe just has a lot of style. Plus her domain is quite awesome.

Others who are cool:

Hades. Proper-ish Greek Hades that is. I'd place him as Lawful Neutral, with Earth, Wealth and Death as his main spheres. Probably some of those Cave domains, too.

Piscaethces the Blood Queen is one of the more fun Eldritch Abominations around. Plus she's progenitor of the Aboleths, which makes her automatically awesome. She lives in a pool of blood and slime in hell, she travels the planes and sometimes creates aberrations more or less by accident just by brushing against the physical universe. As far as I know, she doesn't really have worshippers or clerics, though.

[Seclora]

Wee Jas, always a favorite. The Ruby sorceress' clergy are almost explicitly a stodgy old money organization that supports magical research, regardless of whether or not the general public agrees. And she herself is a born survivor from past pantheons and with both paladins and warlocks in her service, real no-nonsense type.

Hades, because he's basically the rich, hard-working uncle to the Greek Pantheon. Does not relinquish the dead to resurrection or necromancy, will always pay when called to do so, and no ill-will toward the living. Also his wife is a badass.

Njord, Norse sea god and patron of fishermen, merchants, and anyone who is seriously just doing his job, please don't drown me. This is the unluckiest god, but he really honestly cares about mortals and wants them to have good lives. I like to think he'd be really popular among the common folk, if not adventurers.

[Guizonde]

i've played devotees of pelor, heironeous, st cuthbert, olidamarra, and cayden caillean. my least favorite of those was heironeous, and it's a toss-up between cayden and pelor. i like the "screw the rules, i'm doing what's right" that's so common among their followers (the gods, on the other hand, tend to be very laissez-faire).

in the elder scrolls, i really like dibella, who just enjoys beauty in all its forms. including fighting, so long as it's tastefully overdone. if not, then you probably go into house of troubles territory. one day, i'll play a beautiful maiden with long flowing locks who kills people to death using a dobro guitar while dancing around the battlefield. i just need to find a play on words on "el kabong" for it to work (and a dm who's drunk enough to accept it).

i'm not big on evil deities, or even deities in general, but that's more due to my personal beliefs than anything else. unless i have to, i tend to leave the space blank on character sheets. unless of course if there's a god of indifference, in which case i'll blandly say "meh."

[NecroDancer]

I've heard a lot of good things about this "Jesus" fellow.....

In all seriousness I love the bugbear gods Hruggek and Grankhul just because the lore of Volos was so well done.

[spinningdice]

Well, I seem to be in a majority.

Just finished an AD&D2e as a priestess of Wee Jas, and it was pretty cool, though I think it's probably one of the more overpowered 2e speciality priests in retrospect (at least at higher levels). But maybe I just like playing wicca inspired goths...

[Eldan]

in the elder scrolls, i really like dibella, who just enjoys beauty in all its forms. including fighting, so long as it's tastefully overdone. if not, then you probably go into house of troubles territory. one day, i'll play a beautiful maiden with long flowing locks who kills people to death using a dobro guitar while dancing around the battlefield. i just need to find a play on words on "el kabong" for it to work (and a dm who's drunk enough to accept it).

In Elder Scrolls, I'm all about Azura. Also, some of the non-Imperial versions of the gods are quite fun. The Norse gods, a bit warlike for my tastes, perhaps, but they are fun interpretations of the gods. I do quite like Kyne, Jhunal, Herma-mora and Orkey. The old Redguard pantheon is quite interesting. I'd quite like to know more about Onsi Boneshaver or Saint Leki and Sep might just be the most interesting version of Lorkhan.

Edit: and Baan Dar, the Bandit God.

[Guizonde]

In Elder Scrolls, I'm all about Azura. Also, some of the non-Imperial versions of the gods are quite fun. The Norse gods, a bit warlike for my tastes, perhaps, but they are fun interpretations of the gods. I do quite like Kyne, Jhunal, Herma-mora and Orkey. The old Redguard pantheon is quite interesting. I'd quite like to know more about Onsi Boneshaver or Saint Leki and Sep might just be the most interesting version of Lorkhan.

Edit: and Baan Dar, the Bandit God.

you mean arkay right? orkey does not ring a bell (in the elder scrolls, anyway). were i to choose a daedra, i'd probably go with sanguine, perhaps mephala or nocturnal, but definitely not meridia. i love fragging undead, but i don't like the church militant aspect that reminds me too much of the pf deities iomedae and sarenrae (i mean, burning out the eyes of your followers that failed? how is that a good act?!)

azura brings back fond memories of morrowind more than skyrim, but the pantheon of the nords is very well done. i liked it a lot too, despite my misgivings of the rest of the game.

[JAL_1138]

Zagyg, the god of humor. Tongue-in-cheek self-insert of Gygax.

Heward, god of bards.

Fharlanghn, god of travel (and presumably of unpronounceable names).

Celestian, brother of Fharlanghn, patron of wanderers.

The original, Lawful Good(!) version of St. Cuthbert, whose dogma included manually inserting common sense into people's heads by dint of whacks from a cudgel.

Reorx, for cursing creating Tinker Gnomes.

Although definitely, absolutely not in any way a god (please don't maze me) and whom no one should ever attempt to worship in any way whatsoever, the Lady of Pain bears mention here.

The Dark Powers of the Demiplane of Dread (at least the 2e version; 5e has rather bungled them by attempting to identify them).

Armok, God of Blood. Losing is Fun!

'Umr-at-Tawil, non-hostile and non-insanity-inducing manifestation of Yog-Sothoth, who shares the secrets of the multiverse.

The Great God Om, who learned kindness from His last and greatest prophet, Brutha.

Bilious, the Oh God of hangovers. I have called upon Him many times.

Anoia, Goddess of Things That Get Stuck In Drawers, formerly known as Lela the Volcano Goddess.

The Creator of the Disc, a small fellow with an uncanny resemblance to a certain British author, who once created an entire world and completely forgot the fingles. Its inhabitants never caught on, because they evolved there and didn't know there were supposed to be fingles, but they had a nagging sense that something was missing and it caused them all sorts of psychological problems.

And last but not least, Di'Em, the mercurial god of the ancient Pi'Ci tribe, who took over the position of Supreme Being in the multiverse when the feuding creator-gods Yragxagyg and Evadnosenra left the world.

[Pex]

I like the name Wee Jas. I also find it cool her portrait in 3E's Deities and Demigods have her look like Kate Mulgrew. I was a fan of her even before Star Trek Voyager.

[Psykenthrope]

I have a new favorite coming out of Starfinder: Yaraesa, Lady of Wisdom.
She's the goddess of science, knowledge and skepticism.

[SirBellias]

YS ATUN VRAMA PRESH (https://killsixbilliondemons.com/liturgy/)

But yeah, I'll have to second Armok, God of Blood. If only for all the sacrifices made in his name (Dorfs' ability to avoid obstacles is incredibly overestimated).

[JAL_1138]

But yeah, I'll have to second Armok, God of Blood. If only for all the sacrifices made in his name (Dorfs' ability to avoid obstacles is incredibly overestimated).

*looks at the ruins of last fort*
They can avoid obstacles at all?

[Eldan]

you mean arkay right? orkey does not ring a bell (in the elder scrolls, anyway). were i to choose a daedra, i'd probably go with sanguine, perhaps mephala or nocturnal, but definitely not meridia. i love fragging undead, but i don't like the church militant aspect that reminds me too much of the pf deities iomedae and sarenrae (i mean, burning out the eyes of your followers that failed? how is that a good act?!)

azura brings back fond memories of morrowind more than skyrim, but the pantheon of the nords is very well done. i liked it a lot too, despite my misgivings of the rest of the game.

Not Arkay, no. Orkey. Okay, explanation time.

Skyrim forgot the Nord pantheon. Up to Skyrim, the games mentioned that the Nords worship gods that are very similar to the Imperial gods, but not quite the same. AMong the more important changes is that Lorkhan, who for the elves is an evil trickster god who destroyed their lives and for the Imperials at best a neutral trickster is called Shor and is the king of their gods. While Akatosh, the dragon god of time, rulership and other such things is for them called Alduin and is not a benevolent god responsible for ordering the universe but an evil devourer of the world and bringer of the apocalypse.

IT very nicely shows the past history of conflict between elves and men and how Alessia tried to integrate both beliefs into one pantheon.


Skyrim didn't go there. Skyrim just pretends that Alduin and Akatosh were always different gods, instead of two ways to look at the same god and that the Nords don't worship their own pantheon but the IMperial one. Which was a bit of a wasted opportunity. The nordic gods fit the culture quite a bit better.

Lorkhan - Shor. For the Imperials a trickster, for the Nords king of the Underworld, ruler of Sovngarde and creator of the world.

Tsun : no IMperial equivalent. Shor's shield thane who died defending his master from the elves and the first being to die and go to Sovngarde.

Stendarr - Stuhn: the second thane. God of war, raiding and prisoner taking for the Nords, god of righteousness and mercy for the Imperials.

Kynareth - Kyne: For the Nords, Shor's wife, goddess of storms, warriors and hunters. The Valkyrie who brings the dead to Sovngarde. Creator of the sky and of the Voice. For the Imperials, god of stars, skies, wind and fortune, as well as travellers and sailors.

Mara - Goddess of love and marriage. Basiaclly unchanged in both religions.

Dibella - Goddess of sex, beauty and art. Basically unchanged.

Arkay - Orkey. For the Imperials, god of life and death, burial, the seasons. For the Nords, he's Old Knocker, the spiteful patron of the Orcs, who is responsible for bringing Alduin into the world and making men mortal.

Akatosh - Alduin: as above. For the Imperials, the god of rulers, time, dragons. For the Imperials, he is the god who makes emperors and makes the Empire last forever. For the Nords, he's the devourer of worlds, the incarnation of entropy.

Talos - Ysmir: The hero god, who ascended from mortality to godhood. For the IMperials, he is the first Emperor of the current dynasty who ascended to godhood. For the NOrds, he's more complicated. Ysmir is a title that is bestowed to a series of great kings who are all said to have been aspects of the same divinity. Wulfarth was the first, Talos was a much later one, the Dragonborn of Skyrim may be a another one.

Julianos - Jhunal: Imperial god of law and magic, Nordic god of runes and magic, who invented magic.

So yeah. A much wilder pantheon for a wilder people.

[Velaryon]

I've always been partial to Shaundakul, Faerun's god of travel. It amuses me how once a year, he just picks up all his clerics and dumps them in random new places, like "hey, see what mischief you can get into over here." Plus, I just love having teleport as a Cleric spell.

[gkathellar]

There's a "lol" in "Lolth" for a reason. You have to appreciate the sheer panache of a demon goddess who routinely murders her own worshippers and designed their entire society to maximize their suffering, pretty much for the sole reason of lulz. It really shows an ideological commitment to schadenfreude, and I can respect that.

[NecroDancer]

I wonder if Lu-Tze counts? I suppose he does if you remember rule 1.

[solidork]

I've thought Tzeentch was pretty cool ever since I played the Warhammer MMO. The fact that they encompass ostensibly good things (like hope) while still being one of the big bads is pretty cool. Still can't spell their name without looking it up though.

[90sMusic]

My campaign setting has 5 gods.

They're unique from others I have seen though because I created each one based off of PCs i've either created or played with in games.

The catch is, they aren't actually gods at all, they're all just very powerful former adventurers and using the various powers they had developed over their lifetimes created means of approximating themselves as deities. They live in extra dimensional spaces where they no longer age, they have shaped these spaces to look like whatever they wanted and each one's idea of their "heaven" is different and filled with different sorts of denizens.

Best part is, everything they did to achieve this state was done using spells and magical items that exist in game without changing any of the rules. People have revered and worshiped them for thousands of years, believing they really are gods, but they're basically just ex-adventurers living in retirement.

[JAL_1138]

I wonder if Lu-Tze counts? I suppose he does if you remember rule 1.

Lu-Tze is far too clever and competent to be a Discworld god. :smalltongue:

[Flitz]

I'm not much of a person for gods, but the Raven Queen holds a special place in my heart. I also like any deity that is associated with nature or the moon, and "dark" goddesses.

[cobaltstarfire]

I really like the Draconic Deity Tamara, a compassionate and merciful goddess who will always stand strong against evil (and undeath especially) to protect others from harm and sadness.

She just has an interesting duality to her nature, in that she is both peaceful, but willing to fight with all her might when she must.

I also like Lendys, though I haven't thought as much about why. I don't usually like ultra dogmatic sorts, but the way he intertwines with Tamara forms a relationship that interests me I guess.

Also: they're dragons



Ehlonna is pretty nice too, though I've not played a character that worshipped her since I first started playing D&D, so I haven't thought a whole lot into what I like about her. She's just a friendly nature goddess and I like nature?

[BWR]

Lessee...

Ka the Preserver: basically an intelligent allosaurus who is tens of millions of years old and likes to preserve dying and dead cultures and creatures, most of which are in giant living reservations in the center of the planet.

Nyx: lover of darkness, night, undeath and the beauty thereof. She isn't evil even if she's inimical to light. She likes the living because she feels they are children that can grow up into beautiful undead some day. Gets along well with the Immortal who hates undead and likes light.

Valerias, the girder-on of weapons: so ancient she doesn't remember her mortal life, but she wasn't human. Bored out of her mind until humans come along. Then she is overjoyed at watching their antics based on romance, passion and drama. Basically someone who likes romance stories in any shape or form, as long as there is plenty of drama and excitement. If she sees a good opportunity she will often discretely, or not so discretely, get involved to get a story started (like giving weapons to some poor swineherd whose love has been kidnapped by bandits, hence the moniker). Good friends with her biggest rival/enemy.

If and when my players' PCs reach Immortality, they'll go on the list. Seeing people work their way up from level 1 to godhood is pretty cool,

Honorable mention goes to Protius, the old man of the sea. Not because he's a porpoise-like creature who predates humans/elves/dwarves etc. and doesn't really give a damn about anything but protecting the sea, but because his other name is the Spuming Nooga. I can't help but like him for that reason alone.

[2D8HP]

In looking over the 1980 Deities & Demi-Gods, which has... uh... inspired a lifelong interest in mythology! I see candidates from that tome, on pages 24, 36, 50, 52, 60, 64, 69 ("Why, how now, Hecate! You look angerly"),76, 78, 89, 95, 110, 126, YOWZA!,

"...is able to use any magic-user or illusionist spell as often as she likes without restriction as if she were 20th level. From sunset to sunrise, she is able to cast two spells per melee round in any combination. During the day, she casts once per round.

She has twin spheres of annihilation with her at all times that move to attack her enemies. These devices move by themselves after being started and cannot be controlled by mortals.

She has 9 he'll hounds as servants...."



...holds a special place in my heart. I also like any deity that is associated with nature or the moon, and "dark" goddesses.

Yep going with Hecate.


There's a "lol" in "Lolth" for a reason....


https://1d4chan.org/images/thumb/d/d9/LOLth.jpg/600px-LOLth.jpg

[Bastian Weaver]

Well, if we speak of Elder Scrolls, then no one's cooler than Ius the Animal God. The story of the king who liked to lick the royal hamster and throw it into a wall has taught me much.

Other than that, Crom. There's no sense in praying to him because he's evil and cruel and loves to watch people suffer. He gives you the courage to deal with it, and that's it. Now deal with it.

[2D8HP]

. ...Other than that, Crom. There's no sense in praying to him because he's evil and cruel and loves to watch people suffer. He gives you the courage to deal with it, and that's it. Now deal with it.


"I pray to the four winds... and to Crom... but I seldom pray to him, he doesn't listen"
-Conan

Upon reflection, most adventures eventually call on "The Lady, She-who-shall-not-be-named... The 'Million-to-One' Chance - and all of the other chances as well... The One who will desert you when you need Her the most - and sometimes She might not..."
Her suitors can be distinguished by their distinctive repetitive prayer;
"Please-oh-please-oh-please-oh-please."

Tyche is a goddess from Greek Myth (and also the Forgotten Realms) - the deity of ****. From the Forgotten Realms wiki:

"Tyche’s faith taught that one should be bold, for to dare was to live. The battle cry of the followers of Tyche was “Fortune favors the bold.” Those who had no direction or goals soon encountered ill ****, for those on no set course were at the capricious mercy of misfortune, which was no mercy at all. A brave heart and willingness to take risks beat out a carefully wrought plan nine times out of ten. One had to place oneself in the hands of fate (meaning in the hands of Tyche) and trust to one’s own ****, and priests of Tyche were supposed to be showing their good fortune—and acceptance of bad fortune—as a confidence in the Lady and in themselves. Lady **** bid that each mortal chase his or her own unique goals—so long as they didn’t counter the express wishes of herself—and it was in this chase that the Lady aided her followers."

And from Greek Myth, Tyche granted mortals the ability to break the chains for fate and forge their own destiny (for good or ill).

Tyche is generally perceived as neutral in alignment, and a patron of adventurers.

In latter "Realms" lore Tyche (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyche:) was changed into: Tymora (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tymora) and her sister,Beshaba, (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beshabato) the goddess of misfortune, having been created when
Tyche (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyche), the former deity of ****, was infected by Moander's (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moander) evil essence, and split apart by Selûne (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sel%C3%BBne).
Tymora is commonly revered by adventurers and others who rely on a mixture of **** and skill to achieve their goals. She is also a known ally of the demipower Finder Wyvernspur (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finder_Wyvernspur)

And...we don't say the "L" word, it's bad lu..
it's just bad!


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Tyche_Antioch_Vatican_Inv2672.jpg/170px-Tyche_Antioch_Vatican_Inv2672.jpg
Fortune, good night, smile once more; turn thy wheel!https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/CarminaBurana_wheel.jpg/220px-CarminaBurana_wheel.jpg
"How, therefore, is she good, who without discernment comes to both the good and to the bad?...It profits one nothing to worship her if she is truly fortune... let the bad worship her...this supposed deity"

O Fortuna (O Fortune)
velut luna (like the moon)
statu variabilis (you are changeable)
semper crescis (always waxing)
aut decrescis; (and waning;)
vita detestabilis (hateful life)
nunc obdurat (first oppresses)
et tunc curat (and then soothes)
ludo mentis aciem, (as fancy takes it)
egestatem, (poverty)
potestatem (and power)
dissolvit ut glaciem. (it melts them like ice.)

Sors immanis (Fate - monstrous)
et inanis, (and empty)
rota tu volubilis, (you whirling wheel)
status malus, (you are malevolent)
vana salus (well-being is vain)
semper dissolubilis, (and always fades to nothing)
obumbrata (shadowed)
et velata (and veiled)
mihi quoque niteris; (you plague me too;)
nunc per ludum (now through the game)
dorsum nudum (I bring my bare back)
fero tui sceleris. (to your villainy.)

Sors salutis (Fate is against me)
et virtutis (in health)
michi nunc contraria, (and virtue)
est affectus (driven on)
et defectus (and weighted down)
semper in angaria. (always enslaved.)
Hac in hora (So at this hour)
sine mora (without delay)
corde pulsum tangite; (pluck the vibrating strings;)
quod per sortem (since Fate)
sternit fortem, (strikes down the strong)
mecum omnes plangite! (everyone weep with me!)



https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AdIpoE2LEps