How to do a lowlevel demigod? dnd 3.5

[adampate5577]

so I am a DM and am running a game where one of the pc's by my design is the artificial genetic splice of two greater gods, the god of truth(knowledge) and the god of lies. so technically speaking he should be a demi god right? so I put myself in a pickle because I am struggling to decide what his portfolio would be and how to regulate his powers so they slowly manifest instead of the way 3.5 rules just give TONS of buffs all at once. I am very open to ideas, so far I've thought of the Death domain as death is an inescapable fact by is also an illusion as it is not the end. my other idea was the portfolio of emotion and they are self made illusions but make up the fact and truth of how one feels and acts. I really need some ideas on how I could slowly have his character gain in power throughout the game in a balanced but interesting way. the character is currently a level 4 rouge tiefling that is wanting to go into master of mask.

[Rabidmuskrat]

Level 4 is already basically a superhero by ordinary human standards, so that fits. As to why his powers arent in full bloom, Truth and Lies are apparrent opposites. They would 'cancel each other out' until he starts to properly figure out how they are compatible.

So for most gods yes, he would be a demigod. But because it was THESE two gods, he ends up being about PC strength. Then his whole power gain would be as he begins to put them together synergystically.

[Eldan]

What I would consider is just, for now, to ignore the fluff and the name of various templates and so on. Instead, sit down with the player and discuss "What kind of abilities do you think this demigod should have"?

If you just want to give him a bit of divine power, why not just give him some cleric or favoured soul levels?

[adampate5577]

Level 4 is already basically a superhero by ordinary human standards, so that fits. As to why his powers arent in full bloom, Truth and Lies are apparrent opposites. They would 'cancel each other out' until he starts to properly figure out how they are compatible.

So for most gods yes, he would be a demigod. But because it was THESE two gods, he ends up being about PC strength. Then his whole power gain would be as he begins to put them together synergystically.

Yea I agree I think that makes perfect sense. The only question would be what specifically by the time he is level 20 would he have power over exactly. Like if a god of fire and a god of darkness had a kid id say he be basicly like a blackflame zealot but what would truth and lies actually produce in terms of unique power

[adampate5577]

What I would consider is just, for now, to ignore the fluff and the name of various templates and so on. Instead, sit down with the player and discuss "What kind of abilities do you think this demigod should have"?

If you just want to give him a bit of divine power, why not just give him some cleric or favoured soul levels?

The only thing is I never like forcing my pc's to take any certain class, id like to find a way to add flavor to his character however I'm stuggleing to decide what his power would actually be, me and him did talk and we kept hitting a wall when it came to his eventual portfolio, that's y I hoped u guys could give me some new ideas that I just wasn't thinking of.

[Beneath]

Does the player know you're doing this with their character's background? If they do then you can work with them about their build to make something compatible.

Another option if you want to give extra abilities is to just do that and not sweat balance. Though, only do that if it won't cause problems for your players.

[adampate5577]

Does the player know you're doing this with their character's background? If they do then you can work with them about their build to make something compatible.

Another option if you want to give extra abilities is to just do that and not sweat balance. Though, only do that if it won't cause problems for your players.

yes he discovered it last session as he met his father the god of truth and was granted one question and he ask who his parents were. some of the players are new so I don't want them to feel as though they don't matter compared to him but I also want him to feel like the son of two gods and to eventually be a divine force of his own of the world.

I also still need help deciding what kind of portfolio he could control as the son of those two gods.

[Quertus]

Well, I would have required him to take his first 20 levels as Outsider HD, and given him portfolio-related powers as he leveled, similar to a Weapon of Legacy.

Obviously you went a different route, but perhaps the second half of that is still on the table?

[adampate5577]

Well, I would have required him to take his first 20 levels as Outsider HD, and given him portfolio-related powers as he leveled, similar to a Weapon of Legacy.

Obviously you went a different route, but perhaps the second half of that is still on the table?

I'm not familiar with weapon of legacy, could u explain a bit further

[LibraryOgre]

The Mod Wonder: Moved, because this is edition-specific.

However, depending on the power of the rest of the party, why not simply gestalt him with Favored Soul? Like, he can take whatever other classes he wants, but he will get the benefits of Favored Soul on top of that? It would do a decent job of emulating "I have innate divine power that grows as I get more powerful." You might even make him an Aasimar, and give him some of those feats from Players Guide to Faerun.

[Quertus]

I'm not familiar with weapon of legacy, could u explain a bit further

... AFB, but I'm referring to, I believe, the Weapons of Legacy book. If it's available free online, take a look; otherwise, skip it. It's cool, IMO, but generally considered suboptimal, just above Truenamer.

For the low, low price of some expensive rituals, plus penalties to your HP, attacks, saves, skills, and/or spells, you get some random, semi-thematic abilities added to an item (not necessarily a weapon) that scale with level.

If you already had the book, I was suggesting that its list of abilities could serve as a starting point.

[adampate5577]

... AFB, but I'm referring to, I believe, the Weapons of Legacy book. If it's available free online, take a look; otherwise, skip it. It's cool, IMO, but generally considered suboptimal, just above Truenamer.

For the low, low price of some expensive rituals, plus penalties to your HP, attacks, saves, skills, and/or spells, you get some random, semi-thematic abilities added to an item (not necessarily a weapon) that scale with level.

If you already had the book, I was suggesting that its list of abilities could serve as a starting point.

Ah Ok, I think I have a good idea ofnhow to do this now with a few utility spell like abilities and perhaps a bonus to bluff and sense motive. However I still need help figuring out what aspect of the universe he would become the demi God of.

[Feantar]

so I am a DM and am running a game where one of the pc's by my design is the artificial genetic splice of two greater gods, the god of truth(knowledge) and the god of lies. so technically speaking he should be a demi god right? so I put myself in a pickle because I am struggling to decide what his portfolio would be and how to regulate his powers so they slowly manifest instead of the way 3.5 rules just give TONS of buffs all at once. I am very open to ideas, so far I've thought of the Death domain as death is an inescapable fact by is also an illusion as it is not the end. my other idea was the portfolio of emotion and they are self made illusions but make up the fact and truth of how one feels and acts. I really need some ideas on how I could slowly have his character gain in power throughout the game in a balanced but interesting way. the character is currently a level 4 rouge tiefling that is wanting to go into master of mask.

For a (somewhat powerful but kinda balanced) way, if he is playing a noncaster, just give him the domain powers and 1/day domain spells of his future domains - limited by his level. If he is a spellcaster, replace the spell-likes for just giving him access to the spells and a(n extra) domain slot, and keep the domain powers. For higher levels begin giving him some quasi-deity traits and some spontaneous divinations on his portfolio (mimicing a suckier portfolio sense).

If you want to include the other pcs, it would be interesting to spread the power arround. If one of the pcs is closer to one of the domains, maybe that pc gets the domain powers (something like a favoured soul) because the demigod pc is subconsiously bestowing power to their closest allies.

As to his portfolio depending on good or evil, you can make his a deity of art/stories/narrative (Using lies to tell the Truth) or politics (using truth to tell a Lie) respectively. In the abstract he can even be a deity of perspective (truth for the individual, lie for the collective).