World Building: Essential Deity Domains

[The Shadowdove]

Hey Forum-lurkers,

I like to brainstorm homebrew worlds sometimes, usually if I have some downtime at work or on my days off.

One thing that always seems to Drag on and take forever, that I'm unsure whether or not I'm being too thorough or not enough, is the domains.

I understand that it's homebrew and there isn't any designated way to array such things.

However, let's say we're building a traditional fantasy world. All of the traditional fantasy races, all of the basic classes, typical greyhawk, Krynn, or forgotten realms setting.

Which deities do you consider essential if trying to cover the typical needs of a fantasy world with a variety of cultures and divine casting classes?

I realize the normally individual races have their own deities in most settings. If it's your style, also feel free to combine domains. Perhaps the moon goddess also is a symbol of hope. Or the sun god is also the fire good, and commonly worshipped as a deity of renewal.

If you'd like to design your own basic layout or bullet point style list/ format to portray or name off which deities should exist that'd be awesome too.

Off the top of my head here are the domains I think are probably pertinent. Not necessarily in this order or limited to these combinations, but overall I feel these would exist in a world of my creation. Perhaps multi deities for many of them or different aspects for different beliefs. And racial deities are mostly cultural or based upon relevant historical context.

Earth / nature / beasts
Ocean / water / tempest
Moon / beauty / love
Sun / fire/ virility / renewal
Air / healing / renewal
Agriculture / fertility / civilization
War / battle / strategy
Wealth / luck / fortune
Death / undeath / passing
Time / fate
Arcana / knowledge
Light / dark

What does your world look like?

-Dove

[Naanomi]

My current homebrew world:

Two ‘greater gods’; both neutral and distant
-Sun/life/masculinity
-Moon/death/femininity

A cycle of four ‘intermediate gods’ of the elements, the seasons, and magic; more accessible and active than the two greater Gods, but very ‘big picture/don’t care about people much’ Gods who run the world more than they interact with mortals
-fire/law/summer/(evocation, Divination)
-Earth/Evil/fall/(abjuration, necromancy)
-water/Chaos/winter/(transmutation, illusion)
-air/good/spring/(enchantment, summoning)

And a group of 16 lesser ‘animal Gods’ who are much more involved in mortal life; answering prayers and the like
-bear: Healing/motherhood/protection
-monkey: surprises/humor/teaching
-owl: watchfulness/wisdom/destroying threats
-songbird: music/inspiration/heroism
-butterfly: children/transformation/cheating fate
-bat: creativity/breaking rules/science
-tiger: anger/hunting/personal combat
-crow: greed/cleverness/cowardice
-snake: seduction/hedonism/ruthlessness
-tortoise: protection/caution/honoring the past
-spider: manipulation/planning/wealth
-wolf: War/leadership through power/competition
-bee: scholars/civilization/routine
-horse: chivalry/honor/opposing corruption
-stag: nobility/purity/just nobility
-ox: agriculture/self-sacrifice/strength

[PhoenixPhyre]

I agree that making pantheons (or deity lists/duties) is a hard bit of worldbuilding.

I have 16 (4 is a holy number in my setting) major gods and innumerable minor deities (who generally work under one of the majors or have their own micro-domain. There are 4 over-gods, but they explicitly don't grant spells or get involved with mortals, they're not listed.

The major gods and their domains (5e mechanical domains in italics) are:

Pinwheel, The Fox
Domain: Change, Chance. Trickery, War

The Hollow King, The Betrayer
Domain: Untimely death, murder. Patron of assassins. Death, Trickery

Yogg-Maggus, Lord of Magic
Domain: Arcane Magic. Arcana, Knowledge

Melara, Lady of Mercy
Domain: Timely death. Endings. Peace. Winter. Death, Life (once I get Xanthar's I'll probably switch death for grave as it fits her better).

Sakara, Lady of the Dawn
Domain: Growth. Beginnings. Spring. Life, Nature

Tor-Elan, Sun-Lord
Domain: The Sun. Honorable Warfare. Light, War

Loran Hae, Shadowed Sun
Domain: Harvest. Agriculture. The Moon. Night. Knowledge, Nature

Lon-Ka, The Hammer
Domain: The forge. Technology. Patron of smiths and engineers. Knowledge, Tempest (will get Forge as well)

Korokonolkom, The King Below
Domain: Mountains. The earth. Patron of the Dwarves. Knowledge, War

Selesurala, Mistress of Storms.
Domain: Oceans. Cold. Storms. Nature, Tempest

Lae-loara, The Huntress
Domain: Wilderness. Travelers. The Hunt, Nature, Trickery

Ytra, The Evenhanded
Domain: Justice, Law. Covenants. Light, Knowledge

Roel-Kor, The Red Knight
Domain: Tyranny, Control. Power. Destruction. War, Tempest

Peor-fala, Hearth-keeper
Domain: The home. Domesticity. The hearth. Life, Light

Aerielara, The Jeweled Lady
Domain: Lust. Sexuality. Beauty. Art/Music. Life, Trickery

Kela-Loran, Lady Luck.
Domain: Commerce. Wealth. Patron of thieves and con men. Knowledge, Trickery

[Anonymouswizard]

I can't remember what my old homebrew setting had, other than there being eight gods.

I'm currently working on a new one, and if I was going for pantheon the following are the musts for me:
-Nature/harvest
-Weather/storms
-Knowledge

That's about it for must haves, I'd also throw in:
-Love (all varieties in one deity)
-Sovereignty/politics
-Lord of the dead
-Creation (both art and engineering)
-Oceans

I'd stop at eight, because it's easier to design eight religions than twenty eight.

The actual setting is monotheistic, and uses the following list:
-Geoff, domain: everything except brussel sprouts.

[JackPhoenix]

The actual setting is monotheistic, and uses the following list:
-Geoff, domain: everything except brussel sprouts.

It should be dualistic. Brussel sprouts deserve divine representation! Christianity has its Satan too, after all...

[The Shadowdove]

Thank you for your replies.

I like the idea of a holy number.

I started throwing together a structure for deities in a world based off of your advice and the number 3 as well as 9 as a squared number being considered sacred, or power numbers.

One powerful being that brought the others into existence (kind of like IO in that they're detached yet exist) by creating 9 greater powers, who each were given power to create 3 additional aspects of themselves.

This is the most direct look at these. Assume that the aspects of the greater powers have other domains associated with them for example, knowledge is probably also looked to by inventors and the fire aspect created by the sun greater power also has the destruction domain.

~Origin power~

*Sun
-Rebirth
-Fire
-Virility

*Moon
-Dark
-Light
-Love/Beauty

*Water
-Tempest
-Oceans
-Travel

*Earth
-Excavation/mining
-Exploration
-Strength

*Air
-Healing
-Weather
-Renewal

*Arcane
-Magic
-Trickery
-Destruction

*Spirit
-Life
-Death
-Creation

*Nature
-Beasts
-Agriculture/Harvest
-Forests

*Time
-Fate
-Fortune/Luck
-Knowledge

The idea is that every race / culture will have one or multiple aspects of the deities that they primarily worship. They probably each have a different way that they choose to view these powers as a god of their people. Personality, alignment, good/evil, race, temperament, etc.

How might you rearrange these differently? What aspects might you change or add/remove?

[Louro]

While creating a world a wild teocracy appeared... so I neede some gods.
Based on Forgotten Realms I came up to this:

The three high gods
This ones are the "rulers" on that teocracy nation, cause they saved the world during the Time of troubles, just added chauntea to make them... kind of a trinity.

- Torm: Lord of the sunrise, Champion of "insertworldnamehere"
God of justice, loyalty, chivalry, duty and self sacrifice.

- Midnight (fomerly Mystra): Mother of all magic, lady of the mysteries
Her very body is the fabric from wich casters pull their powers

- Chauntea: Great Mother, lady of the cereal :)
Goddess of fertility, harvests...


The Moon twins
- Selune (the bright moon): Silver lady, ruler of the firmament
Goddess of divination, stars, wanderers, navigation, travellers...

- Shaar (the dark moon): Lady of the secrets, ruler of the night
Goddess of everything everyone want to keep as a secret, gliphs, shadows, caves, underdark...


Other gods

-Gond: The outrageous ;)
God of wonders, crafting, architechture, handmade stuff, forgery...

- Kelemvor: lord of the dead, judge of the condemned!!!
He makes sure every soul goes to the correct place, scourge of the undead

-Mashkara: Lord of the shadows, he who has one thousand faces
God of scenic arts, thieves, lies, bluffs, spies...
Actually a dead* god, so some bards act as his clerics (funny/stupid idea)

- Tymora: Lady of fortune, the smiling lady
Goddess of luck, gamble, games, adventurers, improvisation and lost causes

- Tempus: Lord of the battle, hammer of enemies
Because you always need this! War, battle, duels...

- Sune: the Firehead (redhead) lady
Goddess of beauty, muse of artists, inspiration...

- Oghma: Lord of the knowledge, he who ties everything that is known
God of curiosity, learning, documentation, travellers, research...

---

As a hint, give your gods titles and make people refer to them by those titles

[The Shadowdove]

Titles definitely will make it easier to identify them, thanks!

[Nifft]

One of my longest-running games used a pantheon of six gods:

Raelor - Lawful Good
The Shining Lord is the paragon of Goodness and Law. He stands for nobility and just rule. He is chief among the gods and patron to the line of ____ monarchs (currently house _____).
Portfolio: the Sun, Justice, Nobility, Honor, War, Tactics, Leadership, Summer
5e Domains: Light, War

Selene - Lawful Neutral
The Pale Lady is a contemplative goddess. She represents secrets and knowlege, magic and death, cycles of nature and order among men. Her power and domains include the Ocean (especially tides), so her worshippers include many sailors. She is the patron of Wisdom and those who seek it.
Portfolio: the Moon, Tides, Death, Magic, Knowledge, Water, Law, Winter
5e Domains: Arcana, Knowledge, Grave

Alrainna - Neutral Good
The Earth Mother is well loved by those who work Her land. Her holidays are many, particularly in the Spring and Fall. She has few Paladins, but many Clerics, Druids and Rangers.
Portfolio: Fertility, Growth, Harvest, Protection, Community, Agriculture, Earth
5e Domains: Life, Nature

Kassoth - Neutral
The Forgemaster is lord of fire: the illumination of a candle, the utility of a forge, and the destructive might of an inferno. He teaches that the Flame of Faith simultaneously consumes and purifies. He teaches that destruction is a vital step along the Great Wheel of Life, as much a part of the natural order as creation. His Holy Flame both disintegrates and concentrates, burning the old into ash and forging the new. He has as many students among the Druidic circles as he does in Priestly garb.
Portfolio: Forge, Artifice, Fire, Civilization, Runes, Creation, Destruction
5e Domains: Forge

Eilonwy - Chaotic Good
The Dancing Maiden is a trickster. She is represented as a child as often as she is represented as a beautiful or tomboyish woman. She has few temples, but many shrines. She is a patron to gamblers and thieves, investigators and musicians.
Portfolio: Love, Trickery, Truth, Luck, Air, Travel, Music, Spring
5e Domains: Trickery

Cernunos - Chaotic Neutral
The Horned Hunter (also known as the Stormlord, the Thundering Stag, and the Blade of Fate) is followed by those who prize strength and personal excellence. Some communities pay Him tribute to ward off His wrath; others, to celebrate victories in His name. His "clergy" are as often anamists as they are theists.
Portfolio: Storms, Battle, Hunting, Vengeance, Fury, Chaos, Autumn
5e Domains: Tempest


This pantheon includes typical mythical patterns like Maiden / Mother / Crone => Eilonwy / Alrainna / Selene.

On the male side Lord / Soldier / Worker => Raelor / Cernunos / Kassoth.

The two Chaos gods handle seasons of transition (Spring & Autumn); the two Law gods handle Summer & Winter.

The two Neutral gods handle Artifice+Civilization and the Cycles of Nature.

[Anonymouswizard]

It should be dualistic. Brussel sprouts deserve divine representation! Christianity has its Satan too, after all...

I'm more going for 'god versus the ever changing forces of chaos' in-theory, although the world isn't very clear cut on if it's religion is (or 'religions are', there's less prominent faiths) right. So brussel sprouts don't lac divine representation, they're bits of leftover elemental chaos. That's why lawful people can't eat them.

[Kobard]

However, let's say we're building a traditional fantasy world. All of the traditional fantasy races, all of the basic classes, typical greyhawk, Krynn, or forgotten realms setting.

Which deities do you consider essential if trying to cover the typical needs of a fantasy world with a variety of cultures and divine casting classes?You could alternatively just use one (or even none), but have domains express the portfolios of patron saints, angels, etc. of a particular singular religion.

I'm not actually a fan of most D&D/RPG pantheons, with a few exceptions (e.g., Eberron, Iron Kingdoms, Book of the Righteous, Tekumel, etc.). If you are have difficulty creating a pantheon (and associated domains), I strongly recommend Green Ronin's Book of the Righteous for one of the best plug-and-play pantheons. It was originally published for 3E, but it has since been updated within the past year for 5E. It covers a lot of the basics, but it also depicts the pantheon as (1) a complicated family (with some odd "how did they get there" elements), and (2) as a pantheon that humans would reasonably follow.

When coming up with a homebrew pantheon, I recommend making only 10 or less actual deities. Anything else is generally more effort than its worth. Most players will not care outside of their one to none that they may follow. In terms of verissimilitude, it's important to remember in regards to pantheons that gods rarely are so narrowly restricted in their scope as D&D (and its obsession with portfolios) make them out to be. One is rarely, if ever, just a sky god. But that same deity may also be a deity of judgment, male fertility, fathers, rulership, storms, crops and agriculture, etc. And there will, and perhaps should, be overlap between deities.

For the record, I often don't make D&D-style pantheons for my own games. Instead, there are a series of different cosmologies and faiths that I often re-use for my homebrews, depending on what I hope to achieve or want. If I want something more Manichaean or Christian, for example, I may adopt something akin to the Diablo games where there is not so much a pantheon, but, rather, there are powerful angels and fiends* with mortal pawns in between. Or I may adopt something akin to the Record of Lodoss War anime where the gods are "dead" (or maybe never truly gods, but merely powerful giants/titans who once walked the earth) - who often self-sacrificed to contain a great evil - but the remains of their spirits now slumber in the world itself. I will also frequently use powerful archfey who serve the function of paganistic "deities" associated with the seasons (e.g., winter, summer, spring, autumn) and related cultural associations (e.g., death, fertility, harvest, etc.). If I use the archfey idea, I will typically create eight, two for each season: a ruler and their lesser consort.

* I'm not a fan, in general, of D&D's devils vs. demons vs. yugoloth divde. So either I will (1) combine them all into fiends, or if I don't: (2) have demons represent malevolent spirits of a Spiritworld, or (3) have demons be the manifestation of spirits corrupted by their desire to break away from and destroy the natural order and/or the Cycle/Wheel of Reincarnation.

[PhoenixPhyre]

* I'm not a fan, in general, of D&D's devils vs. demons vs. yugoloth divde. So either I will (1) combine them all into fiends, or if I don't: (2) have demons represent malevolent spirits of a Spiritworld, or (3) have demons be the manifestation of spirits corrupted by their desire to break away from and destroy the natural order and/or the Cycle/Wheel of Reincarnation.

I did something similar (but different) with my fiends (and angels for that matter). The big difference between them is not a fundamental matter of essence, but of power source.

* Angels are astral beings who are devoted to a single purpose--the maintenance and defense of the universe. They get "paid" a tithe from the universe itself (more precisely the Great Mechanism that distributes energy around). They are immortal via immediate reincarnation (but require retraining). They don't serve gods as much as order.

* Devils are astral beings that aren't devoted to that purpose. They have the duty (and get paid starvation wages) for doing the gods' work in the mortal plane. Any intervention of a "celestial" is actually a devil in angel's garb. THey also make deals with mortals for fragments of soul energy (that regenerate). Basically the Mob families.

* Demons are beings (formerly mortal or astral) that oppose the current order of the universe. They get power by devouring souls (willingly or unwillingly sacrificed), live in the Abyss, and can interfere more directly in mortal affairs. They are weaker than the equivalent devil or angel, but much more unfettered in operations.

Part of this was that I abandoned the idea of absolute alignment. Any of these creatures can be good, evil, or neutral--and can change over time. One of the demon princes is a pretty nice guy. Pity that his interests involve creating intelligent undead, a practice which directly consumes soul energy, leading to an imbalance and the eventual destruction of the universe. He's also not so choosy about the source of his food.

The stat blocks are whatever is most useful and relevant for the encounter at hand. I freely mix demon and devil stat blocks.

[KorvinStarmast]

Re: World Building: Essential Deity Domains
I didn't design my world with a 5e methodology. But the essential domains in that world are
Light
Dark
Earth
Air
Water
Fire
Spirit
Nature (which has a little chaos built into it)
Death

Where worship/religion has grown in various parts of the world, there is usually a fusion of a number of those domains in a given cult, religion, or faith. The powers of the world are a lot less like 'persons" than the kinds of people pantheons of Faerun, for example, and only a little like the Valar of Tolkien's Middle Earth in terms of being aloof for the most part.