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Charles Phipps
2008-01-31, 06:56 AM
You can name any of the setting's gods or religions, so long as they're official or published. Say why and what you like about them. Also, share what makes them so much fun.

Baxbart
2008-01-31, 07:10 AM
Fictional... as opposed to Real D&D Deities?

Last time I checked, there wasn't a Follower of Mystra tick-box on the census... :smallwink:

Sstoopidtallkid
2008-01-31, 07:17 AM
Vecna. Anyone who becomes a god is awesome in my book.

Tempest Fennac
2008-01-31, 07:21 AM
Ehlonna is the closest diety to me ideologically, and the Beastlands would be my first choice regarding afterlifes in D&D.

Leon
2008-01-31, 07:31 AM
Wee Jas

The Somber Aspect and Alignment suit my typical playstyle and outlook, More or less undecided on the topic of Undead (Mileage may vary on that one)
The article in the Dragon added a softer side to the religion with the Romance aspect from that pantheon.

Ruby Knight Vindicator adds a whole new level of Awesome to the idea of playing a Jasite

Nebo_
2008-01-31, 07:42 AM
Lord Toruk is just plain awesome. Who doesn't love a dragon who's claw is bigger than your house?

Lady Tialait
2008-01-31, 07:53 AM
I personally like Boccob, but I act more like a Priest of Hextor when i'm mad, and a Priest of Ollie when i'm happy..so...i'm...Well, I dont care.

AslanCross
2008-01-31, 07:58 AM
Although I tend to like the lawful good deities, I really like Kelemvor (FR god of death). He's Lawful Neutral and promotes a healthy understanding of death as a part of life and as a necessary end, not an object of fear and uncertainty.

Ellisthion
2008-01-31, 08:02 AM
Fictional... as opposed to Real D&D Deities?

Haha, that was my first thought too, as soon as I saw the title.

I'd go for the 1st ed version of, er, can't remember her name. Elven deity where, even if you don't worship her, any elf who shouts her name whilst falling has a 2% chance of getting a feather fall. :-D

Drascin
2008-01-31, 08:04 AM
Selunite here. A Goddess whose basic doctrine is understanding, compassion, and empathy, with a side dish of unpredictability and chaos, and a liking for stargazing, is pretty much made for me. I'd enrole up as a cleric of her in a second if she actually existed.

The fact that the clergy is apparently about 80% girls and that the Moongates looks like a neat place to end up after croaking also helps, of course :smallwink:.

loopy
2008-01-31, 08:09 AM
Olildammara here, I'm all about romanticized thievery and tall stories.

What can I say? Its my nature.

warmachine
2008-01-31, 08:10 AM
Hieroneous. His ideology is the most humanistic.

Yami
2008-01-31, 08:12 AM
I've always felt a fondness for St Cuthbert's eye for an eye aproach to problem solving. The Bloody Lord, LN, god of retribution and vengance.

Any god who demands smiting for those who get in your way is okay by my book.

kamikasei
2008-01-31, 08:21 AM
Although I tend to like the lawful good deities, I really like Kelemvor (FR god of death). He's Lawful Neutral and promotes a healthy understanding of death as a part of life and as a necessary end, not an object of fear and uncertainty.

Thanks for reminding me. I've been fond of him since I first heard the story of the Time of Troubles. It helps that that image of him (is it in the FRCS or elsewhere?) cradling the body of a fallen warrior on the battlefield looks totally awesome.

Other cool deities: Wee Jas, Kurtulmak, Mystra. Oh, and Jergal! I kind of like him too.

And they're fictional D&D deities because various settings and sourcebooks have statted or incorproated real-world deities like the Norse or Egyptian gods.

Rutee
2008-01-31, 08:25 AM
Although I tend to like the lawful good deities, I really like Kelemvor (FR god of death). He's Lawful Neutral and promotes a healthy understanding of death as a part of life and as a necessary end, not an object of fear and uncertainty.

I'm going to agree with this, despite having nothing but your word. I like that style of portrayal for death.

KoDT69
2008-01-31, 08:28 AM
Saint Cuthbert all the way! 2 wrongs make a right, so says my god. Prepare to eat sweet vindication! :smallbiggrin: Really, I agree with Cuthbert on so many levels.

d-dave
2008-01-31, 08:30 AM
Hrm....

Paladine from Dragonlance, Reorx from Dragonlance, The Traveler from Eberron, and The Silver Flame from Eberron. I've had a lot of fun with various NPCs and PCs from those faiths from a RPing perspective.

Zincorium
2008-01-31, 08:30 AM
Haela Brightaxe, dwarven goddess from the forgotten realms.

Kill things, have fun, die wielding at least three weapons and smiling.

RTGoodman
2008-01-31, 08:34 AM
Last time I checked, there wasn't a Follower of Mystra tick-box on the census... :smallwink:

I think you mean 'there's not one yet.' :smalltongue:


Anyway, I've always been a fan of Helm, from FR, but I'm not sure about overall. I do love me some Kurtulmak, too - his background story, laid out in Races of the Dragon, is possibly the coolest ever (and to this day keeps me from having a character that worships Garl Glittergold).

Baxbart
2008-01-31, 08:48 AM
And they're fictional D&D deities because various settings and sourcebooks have statted or incorproated real-world deities like the Norse or Egyptian gods.

Ah, yes, very true. I forgot about those ones!

Saph
2008-01-31, 08:58 AM
Hanali Celanil, elven goddess of love, art, and beauty. Kind of like Sune, but without the jealousy.

She never gets more than a paragraph or so of write-up, but that also means she doesn't get stupid things credited to her, either. :)

- Saph

Wraith
2008-01-31, 09:22 AM
Fictional... as opposed to Real D&D Deities?

As opposed to ones like Odin, Thor, Ra, Horus and the other "real world" Gods that appeared in the Deities and Demigods book, I should imagine. :smallsmile:

I go for Bhaal, all the way. I still play a Paladin of Bhaal in Neverwinter Nights and once in a P&P game, for gits and shiggles.

Alright so he's dead, but he was so close.... :smallbiggrin:

Sleet
2008-01-31, 09:41 AM
I'm partial to Krynn's Habbakuk, the good god of the sea, perseverance, nature, and rebirth.

Sleet
2008-01-31, 09:44 AM
I'm partial to Krynn's Habbakuk, the good god of the sea, perseverance, nature, and rebirth.

Project_Mayhem
2008-01-31, 09:45 AM
I second The Traveller from Eberron.

Pronounceable
2008-01-31, 09:54 AM
Since Athena is out, I'll... Bah, all hail Pallas Athena!

...
Fictional DnD deities are usually a bunch of jerks and/or idiots. Still, there are some worthy of mention:

Cyric: You don't beat Cyric. Even if you do, you didn't.

Demogorgon: He's practically a deity. He fully owns 3 layers of Abyss, while most gods don't even own one.

Kurtulmak: Any who doesn't love the kobolds is a horrible human being. Plus his name fits SO well. (he's canine however, I don't give a gnome's nose to this reptilian nonsense)

Talya
2008-01-31, 09:56 AM
Haha, that was my first thought too, as soon as I saw the title.


Mine as well.

And how can I pick just one? There are so many fun ones...


Eilistraee. Vengeful, yet CG, bent on reclaiming the drow from the spider bitch. Matron of Bards and favoring the bastard sword.

Sune. Love, beauty, passion, wrapped in a CG divine rank 16.

Mystra. (RIP) Furthering the advancement of magic for the NG betterment of the realms...

Sharess. Mere demipower, but everyone loves the CG goddess of Hedonism.

Honorable mentions to Selune, Lathander, Tymora.


If I'm playing evil, Mask or Loviatar would be my choices.

SilverClawShift
2008-01-31, 11:57 AM
Demogorgon: He's practically a deity. He fully owns 3 layers of Abyss, while most gods don't even own one.

I thought that was Graz'zt.

Anyway, my personal favorite is Evening Glory. The deathless beauty, the eternal lover. I worship her more often than not, and almost always list her as my deity if deity isn't central to the character build.

She's such a romantic deity. True love at any cost, even undeath.

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/libris_gallery/84704.jpg

ZeroNumerous
2008-01-31, 12:02 PM
Boccob.

Because our mortal whims mean nothing to The Archmage.

Toliudar
2008-01-31, 12:04 PM
I'll go with Blibdoolpool'p. What's not to love? A completely silly and unpronounceable name. A race of followers who are just as bats**t crazy as her, and - for no even remotely convincing reason - the form of a naked woman with a lobster (I think it was lobster) head. It's like Gygax read some Lovecraft and dropped a bit of acid.

Nerd-o-rama
2008-01-31, 12:08 PM
This is a tough one. FR has some neat deities, including Kelemvor, Shar, and Eilistraee. The Silver Flame, of Eberron, is both more popular than it deserves and more put-down by people who stereotype it, which gives me a conflicting sense of elitism and sympathy. And then there's Tem-et-nu from Sandstorm, whose priests can rebuke hippos...I think I'm going to have to go with her just based on that, though. The CotSF takes second place for having the most adorable high priestess ever.

Morty
2008-01-31, 12:20 PM
D&D pantheons other than the generic one are full of awesome dieties, but if I were to pick favorites, it'd be:
-Maglubyiet: he's a god of goblinoids, 'nuff said. Besides, I'm never sure wheter "i" or "y" go first in his name.
-Oghma: doesn't care about good, evil, law and chaos, just knowledge. I like that.
-Helm: I'm not quite sure why, but he's always been The god of paladins and Lawful clerics for me.

RTGoodman
2008-01-31, 12:32 PM
I'll go with Blibdoolpool'p. What's not to love? A completely silly and unpronounceable name. A race of followers who are just as bats**t crazy as her, and - for no even remotely convincing reason - the form of a naked woman with a lobster (I think it was lobster) head. It's like Gygax read some Lovecraft and dropped a bit of acid.

Ah! How could I have forgotten Blipdoolpoolp? She(?) has the best and most appropriate name for a deity ever!

And it's not entirely unpronounceable - you just have to make each syllable sound like a bubble or drop of water (onomatopoeia FTW!).

Mikeavelli
2008-01-31, 12:32 PM
Fharlaghn.

Not only do I have the wanderlust thing going on, but his name is just so friggin' impossible to spell\pronounce!

The_Snark
2008-01-31, 12:33 PM
In my RL games, St Cuthbert always seems to have "keeping the idiot party together by beating them about the head if necessary" added to his portfolio, so I have a certain liking for him.

Kelemvor and Sehanine Moonbow in FR are probably among my favorite good gods; Jergal gets honorable mention for the creepiest holiday of the year, in which all priests check off another year towards the eventual end of the world and chant, "Another Year Closer." Shar is my favorite of the evil gods in that world, I think.

In Ebberon, I've always liked the Inspired, although those aren't technically true gods. The Inspired are your friend, citizen. Be happy. Obey the Inspired.

Telonius
2008-01-31, 12:36 PM
Selune, with The Traveller as a close second.

Devils_Advocate
2008-01-31, 12:50 PM
Fictional DnD deities are usually a bunch of jerks and/or idiots.
As opposed to how deities act in real-world mythology?

Let's face it, if you give a bunch of entities Phenomenal Cosmic Power and basically human character, they'll tend to act about the same way that humans do when given lots of power, only more so. It isn't pretty.

"Always remember, kids: With great power comes great potential to abuse that power."

LCR
2008-01-31, 01:14 PM
Selunite here. A Goddess whose basic doctrine is understanding, compassion, and empathy, with a side dish of unpredictability and chaos, and a liking for stargazing, is pretty much made for me. I'd enrole up as a cleric of her in a second if she actually existed.

The fact that the clergy is apparently about 80% girls and that the Moongates looks like a neat place to end up after croaking also helps, of course :smallwink:.

Good news, everyone! You can be a cleric of a God without actually knowing whether he/she exists ... :smallwink:

I've always liked Helm. Mostly because I like the name. It means "helmet" in German and I've always found that hilarious when I was 12 and playing through Baldur's Gate.

Talya
2008-01-31, 01:17 PM
I've always liked Helm. Mostly because I like the name. It means "helmet" in German and I've always found that hilarious when I was 12 and playing through Baldur's Gate.

That's what it means in english, too.

kamikasei
2008-01-31, 01:18 PM
Fharlaghn.

Not only do I have the wanderlust thing going on, but his name is just so friggin' impossible to spell\pronounce!

Based on years of doing terribly in Irish classes, I'd go with "far-lan" and be done with it.

sonofzeal
2008-01-31, 01:21 PM
In my RL games, St Cuthbert always seems to have "keeping the idiot party together by beating them about the head if necessary" added to his portfolio, so I have a certain liking for him.
Definitely! I also like the determination, and the fact that he tends to get things DONE a lot better than most other gods, in my experience.

LCR
2008-01-31, 01:25 PM
That's what it means in english, too.

I've always thought helm was the guy in charge of steering a ship ...?

Captain van der Decken
2008-01-31, 01:25 PM
I always liked Bane. Partly because his rebirth killed Iyachtu Xvim. Myrkul and Bhaal, too. Ahh, the old trio.

It's a fairly old use of the term, but helm can refer to helmet.

fuzzywolf
2008-01-31, 01:34 PM
Definitely Ilmatar, with Sune as a close second. Put them together and what do you get? BDSM love party.

Telonius
2008-01-31, 01:36 PM
I've always thought helm was the guy in charge of steering a ship ...?

Helm also means the steering mechanism of a ship. I suspect that meaning was originally figurative; that guy was the guy in charge, the "head guy."

Illiterate Scribe
2008-01-31, 01:47 PM
Pun-pun.

Neutral good Kobold ultra-deity of rules-lawyering, sarrukhs, and the spell time stop.

Pyroconstruct
2008-01-31, 01:48 PM
Jergal, for reasons already mentioned. Garagos, cause he's awesome. The Red Knight, also awesome and fits with the way I like to play clerics. Gargauth is an awesome villain, a devil so evil Hell threw him out.

bosssmiley
2008-01-31, 01:58 PM
Wholly fictional: Azrai. :smallcool:

The rest of his pantheon ganged up to kill him. The explosion destroyed a mountain, his blood spawned two new gods, imbued all the BBEGs in the setting with divine power and tainted the Fey realms so they became what the Plane of Shadow always should have been.

Oh, and he ain'tn't dead neither.

Yeah, Azrai. Cyric, Hextor and Takhasis all look upon him and declare "He is one mean and ornery mothercuddling SOB!"

RL inspired: Odin.

Talya
2008-01-31, 02:13 PM
Oh, there's also the Arch-demon Succubus Queen Charna who was redeemed (only as far as CN) by my Sunite Heartwarder and allied herself to Sune and now has a Divine Rank and is trying to usurp Loviatar's portfolio. Of course, she only exists in a game I'm playing in.

(Actually, she also exists in a game I'm DMing, thanks to that.)

CASTLEMIKE
2008-01-31, 02:46 PM
Shaundakul from the Ruins of Myth Drannor as a demi-power willing to come to the aid of a worshipper in need including worshippers who take him as a secondary patron power.

Curious if he will be killed off in 4E.

Selune since she was originally attributed with a stronger connection to the Infinite Stairway.

BloodyAngel
2008-01-31, 02:51 PM
From Forgotten Realms... Sharess. Sharess all the way. How can you not love a goddess whom you worship by having drunken revels? In the last big D&D game I ran, the following of sharess was awesome. They were basically hippies of the "Free love, do what makes you happy" sort. The whole group loved their "Holy Gatherings".

From the base setting... I'm really only so-so on the gods from the PHB... but of the limited few, I would have to say Olidimara is my favorite. St. Cuthbert being a close second, for no other reason than he's the god of appropriate vengence. Though what I'd really like to see, is a god of incredibly INAPPROPRIATE vengence!

"You ate the last slice of pizza? That was my slice of pizza!" *Finger of Death*

The_Werebear
2008-01-31, 04:01 PM
Malar is all kinds of awesome. He is a CE deity who isn't a god of random slaughter. Yay purposeful slaughter.

I have also been partial to Kord. Doing what needs to be done, including beating the stupid out of the Lawful Stupid Paladins. And the clerics are fun too.

Vhaeraun is also a cool one. Yay rooting for the underdog, even if he as just as evil as the one on top.

CockroachTeaParty
2008-01-31, 04:13 PM
I like Fharlanghn and Blipdoolpoolp, but I think my favorite is The Patient One. He doesn't even have a real name, or at least one pronounceable with human lips. He just sits in the darkness and eats people. Spooooky.

zaei
2008-01-31, 04:30 PM
Xan Yae is pretty awesome... TN goddess of psionics, shadows, and stealth? Heck yes! Bonus points for having a Black Lotus for a holy symbol.

I've always had a soft spot for Nerull, my first 3e character's deity. You have no idea how much fun it is to, when a party member asks for healing, look at them with an evil grin, and say "I'll heal you." Spontaneous Inflict == fun. Also, Badberry Pie.

KIDS
2008-01-31, 04:43 PM
Ehlonna. Serene, at peace with the world, unburdened by prejudices but a really really good god among other squabblng deities. A lot of my characters, nature-bound or not, have her as patron deity.

Fax Celestis
2008-01-31, 04:54 PM
I'm a particular fan of Shar, Ellistraee, Selune, and Doresain (if only for the Hunger domain).

Pronounceable
2008-01-31, 06:17 PM
Wholly fictional: Azrai. :smallcool:

The rest of his pantheon ganged up to kill him. The explosion destroyed a mountain, his blood spawned two new gods, imbued all the BBEGs in the setting with divine power and tainted the Fey realms so they became what the Plane of Shadow always should have been.



Isn't that from Birthright?

Prometheus
2008-01-31, 07:20 PM
Fharlaghn is seconded (I always pronounced Far-law-thin). Something about the idea that isn't the destination but the journey that counts is particularly relevant to D&D campaigns, and actually to a lot of life adventures.

I also like the fact that he is true neutral, because as the many alignment threads show, good and evil, law and chaos tend to be more like red and blue than black and white.

I one of my campaigns, involving a celestial war of the Gods that uses the material plane as a surrogate, Fharlaghn is still neutral but has had enough with their wars. Therefore, he renounces his domain of travel and uses up the bulk of his divine power to build a massive wall that separates the world.

Bag_of_Holding
2008-01-31, 07:32 PM
I'm rather fond of Erandis d'Vol from ECS.

Hyrael
2008-01-31, 09:00 PM
I can appreciate the play value of Eberron's Silver Flame, and I love to use it in my games. but, I have a horrible weakness for portraying it as a bunch of brainless fanatics and corrupt, self-serving bastards that very competently manage to prevent the small number of genuinely non-dip**** people from doing any good. The Lycanthrope Purge, plus the way thrane kept the Last War going long after it should have ended, only add to my instinctive dislike of any religion like that. (frankly, it's the one that seems the most modern and beleivable out of all the D&D religions.)

Yeah, I'm a horrible person. what of it?

SurlySeraph
2008-01-31, 09:11 PM
Jergal gets honorable mention for the creepiest holiday of the year, in which all priests check off another year towards the eventual end of the world and chant, "Another Year Closer."

I realize that I'm a boring nerd, but having a holiday that culminates with filing all the documents you've written that year really, really appeals to me.

Hell yeah, Jergal is my favorite. Almost all of my characters are death-obsessed, paladins, or both, and virtually all of them are lawful. Jergal is a Lawful Neutral death god. His philosophy is to quietly record the deaths of all things as the world slowly dies over time. It's morbid and hopeless, but morbid and hopeless in a responsible way. I've played several paladins of Jergal, their philosophy being: "Every last one of us is going to die, but it is my duty to make sure that the evil ones die first." And did I mention the name of his order of adventurers? "The Companions of the Pallid Mask." I definitely like the ring of that.

And he's not all about death and filing cabinets, either. He gave most of his divine power to three deeply evil mortals because he was bored. That's not a very lawful or paladin-y thing to do, no, but he was right to do it. Why? Because he knew they'd just kill each other off and leave dominion over death to someone more responsible, and kill a lot of other people at the same time.

Jergal: the scariest accountant ever.

Nerd-o-rama
2008-01-31, 09:17 PM
I can appreciate the play value of Eberron's Silver Flame, and I love to use it in my games. but, I have a horrible weakness for portraying it as a bunch of brainless fanatics and corrupt, self-serving bastards that very competently manage to prevent the small number of genuinely non-dip**** people from doing any good. The Lycanthrope Purge, plus the way thrane kept the Last War going long after it should have ended, only add to my instinctive dislike of any religion like that. (frankly, it's the one that seems the most modern and beleivable out of all the D&D religions.)

Yeah, I'm a horrible person. what of it?See, to me, playing the big monotheistic church-militant as a bunch of omnicidal lunatics just seems unoriginal and like a lazy attempt at social satire. I have the utmost respect for Keith Baker making them as much of an interesting morality case-study as the rest of the setting (apparently against the wishes of the editorial types). They've done good things for good reasons, good things for bad reasons, bad things for good reasons, and bad things for bad reasons, at different points in their history (and due to different individual leaders, rather than ever acting as a monolithic block). Their members run the gamut from Exalted LG trying to do their best by the world to really blatantly evil. And that's just in the top couple levels of hierarchy.

In fact, my only beef with the CotSF's canon portrayal is that so much time is spent on them that people forget about Khorvaire's #1 religion, the Sovereign Host.

de-trick
2008-01-31, 09:28 PM
Mines Helm, got to love the god of protection, first time I said it the whole group laughed for over a minute, the god of condoms:smalltongue:

The_Snark
2008-01-31, 09:31 PM
The Sovereign Host is interesting, too; they're most popular by virtue of simply assimilating most small faiths they came across, agreeing with whatever the local dogma was and presenting local gods as their gods by another name, or by adopting a new god into the pantheon if necessary. Very much in the style of a lot of real-world religions, such as Roman myths.

"Hey, we have a god of good luck and a goddess of home and hearth just like that. Strange coincidence—they must be the same ones!"

They're probably the least monolithic of any of Ebberon's religions, excepting cults of the Dragon Below—who can't even make up their minds about what they're worshipping, and shouldn't really be counted as a single religion. (They're often viewed as one by outsiders, though, because most people aren't familiar enough with them to tell the difference between demon-worshippers, daelkyr priests, or others, and don't really know how the cults work.)

Charles Phipps
2008-01-31, 09:31 PM
Mines the Triad.

It's a much more subtle Catholic Church analogue. You've got the Father (Tyr), the Son (Torm), and the Holy Spirit (Ilmater). You've got a Cross Symbol potential (Torm's Sword) and it's a bunch of holy knights.

Best of all, they're all LG.

But the Church of the Silver Flame is fun because I enjoy playing with the fact that everyone expects them to flip out and kill everyone but the majority of them are all LG.

;-)

Nerd-o-rama
2008-01-31, 09:37 PM
Oh, we all know why you like the Silver Flame, Mr. Worst Party in Eberron. Your thread is responsible for half the fan-characterization of Jaela. In both good and bad ways.

mikeejimbo
2008-01-31, 09:45 PM
Reorx all the way for me. I've always loved dwarves, and I like how he's Neutral. And also, likes crafting stuff. And gnomes!

de-trick
2008-01-31, 09:53 PM
Mines the Triad.

It's a much more subtle Catholic Church analogue. You've got the Father (Tyr), the Son (Torm), and the Holy Spirit (Ilmater). You've got a Cross Symbol potential (Torm's Sword) and it's a bunch of holy knights.

Best of all, they're all LG.

But the Church of the Silver Flame is fun because I enjoy playing with the fact that everyone expects them to flip out and kill everyone but the majority of them are all LG.

;-)

I always thought Helm was in the triad


Homeplane House of the Triad guess helms the forth wheel

snoopy13a
2008-01-31, 09:53 PM
Eldath, the goddess of peace and nonviolence.

Seriously, I'm a bit of an idealist :smallsmile:

Eksar Lindisfar
2008-01-31, 09:55 PM
I like St. Cuthbert, it is somehow a good allowance to beat up undead, chaotic and evil.

Sune and Lliira are my seconds, Sune for obvious reason and Lliira because is the goddess of party! and any character from the goddess of party is a good character to RP

Ganurath
2008-01-31, 10:41 PM
Fharlanghn here. He's pretty much the patron deity of half-elves and half-orcs, if you think about it.

Serenity
2008-01-31, 11:04 PM
Sune and Ellistrae. I really, really want to play a Sunite Paladin, and Ellistrae requires her clerics to occasionally kill things while in the nude.

On the evil side, Malar. He's one of the few Chaotic Evil gods I could see someone worshiping without being a ravening, mindless murderer.

Tam_OConnor
2008-02-01, 01:30 AM
Ao, the Overgod. Because I'd love to see someone play a cleric of him, and not get any spells, and be totally okay with that.

Besheba is great when your players need someone to curse out after three natural ones in row.

Solo
2008-02-01, 01:36 AM
Fictional DnD deities are usually a bunch of jerks and/or idiots.

As opposed to, say, the Greek gods?:smallamused:

osyluth
2008-02-01, 01:49 AM
Erythnul is fun because you don't need the pathetic excuse 'but I'm chaotic neutral' when your character kills random NPCs (and possibly other PCs). You're just doing what your god demands.

Yami
2008-02-01, 03:54 AM
It is good to see the Mad Hound of Truth get some love.

I honestly think more adventurers should worship him, considering that his portfolio is chaos and slaughter. At least, that's what follow parties in my campaigns.

bosssmiley
2008-02-01, 12:50 PM
Isn't that from Birthright?

What, me? Rave about Birthright as being probably one of the greatest settings TSR ever wrote? Naaaaah. :smallwink:

Talya
2008-02-01, 01:09 PM
Sune and Ellistrae. I really, really want to play a Sunite Paladin, and Ellistrae requires her clerics to occasionally kill things while in the nude.


All of Eilistraee's rituals are performed skyclad.

I'm hoping the new Lady Penitent series by Lisa Smedman doesn't make Eilistraee less appealling that way.

Belteshazzar
2008-02-01, 01:32 PM
Ghuanadaur. Because he is the closest you get to Cthuhlu in the Forgotten Realms. Besides, his name just kinda rolls right out. He and Lolth were the only deities I felt a need to import to my own campaign because the slimes need a deity and because in my mind Dark Elves and their Unseelea cousins always seem to be the type do things for the Lol...th. She is the daemon queen of teh Webz, right? Beware lest she call upon the dark unnamed powers of fourchan.

Mordokai
2008-02-01, 01:39 PM
Well, my signature speaks for me in this case :smallsmile: I'm not really sure why I picked those two. Bahamut is a dragon god. I mean, is this cool or what? Plus, his dogma is close to my beliefs and I feel some connection to him. I don't really consider myself LG, but good enought. As for Mielikki, she is goddes of rangers, woods, animals... all the things I hold dear. I adore animal life in all it's forms and forest is my favourite type of landscape. She is also NG, alignment I consider to be my own and is my favourite. So, I also feel certain fondness for her.

I feel certain fondness towards every good aligned deity, but those two are my all time favourite.

The_Blue_Sorceress
2008-02-01, 02:20 PM
Lathander.

Spring, dawn, optimism, creativity and kicking the holy crap out of undead and evil in general.

-Blue

Armoury99
2008-02-01, 02:35 PM
Apomps, the Triangular God!

...although I also have great affection for Asterius, Mystaran god of both merchants and thieves (or two kinds of thieves, depending on your view).

puppyavenger
2008-02-01, 03:24 PM
IO because
1. He's the god of Dragons
2. HE'S THE GOD OF DRAGONS!
3. noone seems to be able to decide how powerful he is
4. half the Planer creation theories I've center around him
5. I find it amusing to imagine him as a Father tired of keeping his kids from killing each other.
also the idea of a TN god of eating dragon slayers is just awseome

Pronounceable
2008-02-01, 05:16 PM
The Lady of Pain doesn't count, does she?

Collin152
2008-02-01, 05:35 PM
Does she, has she ever, or does she have any plans to grant clerics spells?

Fishy
2008-02-01, 08:24 PM
Yondalla!

Be nice to people, raise a family and take care of them, and if anyone tries to mess with your peeps, smack them will Illusion spells!

Theli
2008-02-01, 08:29 PM
But...but...what about banjo?

GrassyGnoll
2008-02-01, 10:08 PM
He might only be a demigod and a dead one at that but I count Selvetarm as my favorite. He has the spider cajones to proclaim himself the champion of Lolth, who he utterly hates.

Plus, whenever I think of his domains War and Spider I get the image of some 40ft tall tarantulas wading through a giant battle. Breaks a lot of those stereotypes of the stealthy, subtle spider god variety.

Nerd-o-rama
2008-02-01, 11:51 PM
The Lady of Pain doesn't count, does she?
*steps back*
*gets popcorn*
*watches flaying*

SilentNight
2008-02-01, 11:59 PM
Raistlin Majere. Barring him, Yondalla or Mask.

LibraryOgre
2008-02-02, 12:26 AM
Hanali Celanil, elven goddess of love, art, and beauty. Kind of like Sune, but without the jealousy.

She never gets more than a paragraph or so of write-up, but that also means she doesn't get stupid things credited to her, either. :)

- Saph

Go looking for the 2nd edition Forgotten Realms supplement "Demihuman Deities". She and the rest of the Seldrane get three to four pages a piece.

Of the "core" D&D pantheon, I've always liked Boccob; in FR, it's recently become Denier and Oghma.

EDIT: And having studied the history of Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman England, let me just say that it's always weird to see poor old St. Cuthbert (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Cuthbert) described as a deity of vengeance. I still want to ask Gary what he was thinking.

Charles Phipps
2008-02-02, 01:27 AM
Oh, we all know why you like the Silver Flame, Mr. Worst Party in Eberron. Your thread is responsible for half the fan-characterization of Jaela. In both good and bad ways.

I'm glad that meme spread.

:smallbiggrin:

two_fishes
2008-02-02, 01:31 AM
My favorite is Rafiel, from the old Shadow Elves Gazeteer. How can you not love a physicist who accidentally became a god and then used a bunch of weirdo, misfit elves to... I can't remember what he was trying to do exactly... save the world or something? It had something to do with collecting underground crystals.

Anyway, I mean, he even had glasses and a lab coat!

Sanzh
2008-02-02, 01:35 AM
I have to go with Kord, St. Cuthbert, and Halymr. The god of having barbarian-style parties, law, and tactics.
And they all are about killing things. That's crucial for adventurers.

Hectonkhyres
2008-02-02, 01:36 AM
Tiamat. But only due to her completely awesome, if off-kilter, portrayal in our circle. Lets just say that whoever is currently DMing in my circle is almost required to do humorous cutscenes.

And, oh my god, you have to hear somebody say 'Meanwhile, On The Plane Of Avernus' followed by a rundown of the (often irrelevant) crap the baddies are doing at least once each session. In the same voice you would expect to hear 'Meanwhile, In The Hall Of Justice'.

The thought of Tiamat writing in her diary was rather much though. One of our DMs made her a billion year old angsty teenager.

Mr. Diggs
2008-02-02, 01:36 AM
Lord Toruk is just plain awesome. Who doesn't love a dragon who's claw is bigger than your house?

gotta love the iron kingdoms love, but my vote is going to have to go to Menoth, The Lawgiver. if only because his followers, mainly the Protectorate of Menoth are so friggin zealous that they supply hours of fun. More props for Menoth and the Menites! though i do admit that Toruk is awesome, i mean anybody that has iron liches in their employ has to be badass.

LibraryOgre
2008-02-02, 02:11 AM
Tiamat. But only due to her completely awesome, if off-kilter, portrayal in our circle. Lets just say that whoever is currently DMing in my circle is almost required to do humorous cutscenes.

And, oh my god, you have to hear somebody say 'Meanwhile, On The Plane Of Avernus' followed by a rundown of the (often irrelevant) crap the baddies are doing at least once each session. In the same voice you would expect to hear 'Meanwhile, In The Hall Of Justice'.

The thought of Tiamat writing in her diary was rather much though. One of our DMs made her a billion year old angsty teenager.

You frighten me with your badwrongfun. :smallbiggrin:

Hectonkhyres
2008-02-02, 02:18 AM
You frighten me with your badwrongfun. :smallbiggrin:
What other kind of fun is there?

Xuincherguixe
2008-02-02, 02:36 AM
I don't know all that much about all the D&D gods. That being said, I'm going to say Gruumsh.

Leon
2008-02-02, 02:54 AM
gotta love the iron kingdoms love, but my vote is going to have to go to Menoth, The Lawgiver. if only because his followers, mainly the Protectorate of Menoth are so friggin zealous that they supply hours of fun. More props for Menoth and the Menites! though i do admit that Toruk is awesome, i mean anybody that has iron liches in their employ has to be badass.

I dont mind menoth, but i prefer the Old faith to the Protectrates

mostlyharmful
2008-02-02, 07:19 AM
All hail the great god Ronson, just not anywhere he can hear you:smallsmile:

http://www.rmcomics.com

bosssmiley
2008-02-02, 08:35 AM
The Lady of Pain doesn't count, does she?

I dare you to try and worship her. You'll get flayed and mazed so fast even the Mercykillers will wince and say: "Oooooh, touchy much?" :smalleek:


My favorite is Rafiel, from the old Shadow Elves Gazeteer. How can you not love a physicist who accidentally became a god and then used a bunch of weirdo, misfit elves to... I can't remember what he was trying to do exactly... save the world or something? It had something to do with collecting underground crystals.

Anyway, I mean, he even had glasses and a lab coat!

Mystara; stoopidest pantheon ever. Although Ka, the dinosaur god of extinction-prevention (not a gag (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IAmNotMakingThisUp)) was funny-cool.

puppyavenger
2008-02-02, 11:02 AM
Although Ka, the dinosaur god of extinction-prevention (not a gag (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IAmNotMakingThisUp)) was funny-cool.

What setting/book?

comicshorse
2008-02-02, 11:26 AM
Shaundakul, for being on the edge of civilization and protecting his worshippers and because during the Time Of Troubles when the gods walked the earth he didn't hide but grabbed his weapons and went off and killed a couple of goblin gods.

Sune because during the Time of Troubles she went straight to her biggest temple and hid there until it was all over. Also because any goddess whose clerics have to protect literature and beauty is fine in my book. ( And, if I'm honest cause I'm playing an 17th level cleric/Heartwarder of Sune)

Eldath for idealistic pacifism and calm and grace. Also because I really like quiet ponds.

bosssmiley
2008-02-02, 11:32 AM
What setting/book?

Ka was a big cheese in the OD&D "Wrath of the Immortals" box. He/it also featured in the related "Hollow World" setting. IIRC there were 3.5 updates for his worshippers in Dragon #315 and #318.

Ka's patron Kronos (Ruling Heirarch of the Sphere of Time) was an odd one too. He managed to sponsor himself into immortality thanks to a temporal paradox he initiated. :smallconfused:

Hectonkhyres
2008-02-02, 03:08 PM
I dare you to try and worship her. You'll get flayed and mazed so fast even the Mercykillers will wince and say: "Oooooh, touchy much?" :smalleek:
Just because you can't worship or pray to the Lady (twice) doesn't mean you can't like her as one of the powers-that-be. Face it, she rocks.

John Campbell
2008-02-02, 03:20 PM
Malar is all kinds of awesome. He is a CE deity who isn't a god of random slaughter. Yay purposeful slaughter.

I kind of like Malar because he's pretty much the only nature deity in the game who even vaguely resembles real-world nature gods. All the other nature deities are all about hugging trees and dancing with unicorns and totally overlooking the fact that the natural order of things involves a whole lot of cute animals killing and eating other cute animals. Malar is "nature, red in tooth and claw"... and, of course, is presented as being evil and insane.

I mean, yeah, blood sacrifices, but... D&D religion really could use more blood. That's where all the really powerful myth comes from.

Curmudgeon
2008-02-02, 03:49 PM
For a Favored Soul character, Kossuth is pretty nifty. FS gives you bonuses with the god's favored weapon, which in Kossuth's case is the spiked chain. So you get as class abilities the following "free" feats:
Exotic Weapon Proficiency (spiked chain)
Weapon Focus (spiked chain)
Weapon Specialization (spiked chain)
Also Kossuth is treated as both NN and LN for alignment, which means that 7 out of the 9 alignments are within 1 step of Kossuth's alignment(s). That leaves a lot of room for character choice.

puppyavenger
2008-02-02, 04:47 PM
Also Kossuth is treated as both NN and LN for alignment, which means that 7 out of the 9 alignments are within 1 step of Kossuth's alignment(s). That leaves a lot of room for character choice.

Trust wizzards to break their own rules..

Doomsy
2008-02-02, 04:53 PM
Xan Yae is pretty awesome... TN goddess of psionics, shadows, and stealth? Heck yes! Bonus points for having a Black Lotus for a holy symbol.

I've always had a soft spot for Nerull, my first 3e character's deity. You have no idea how much fun it is to, when a party member asks for healing, look at them with an evil grin, and say "I'll heal you." Spontaneous Inflict == fun. Also, Badberry Pie.

What is she from? I think my psychics just found a goddess they won't talk smack about when they think nobody is paying attention.

Also, it is possible to worship the Lady of Pain.
Especially if a Tiefling tricks you into making a shrine to her and saying a prayer on a bet from the CE party member.
It's just not a long term relationship thing.

bosssmiley
2008-02-02, 05:40 PM
What is she from? I think my psychics just found a goddess they won't talk smack about when they think nobody is paying attention.

Greyhawk? Suel goddess possibly?
The name's rings a bell from the old "Scarlet Brotherhood" sourcebook (which was a parcel of entirely under-rated awesome).

Innis Cabal
2008-02-02, 05:47 PM
Worshiping The Lady of Pain is like worshiping a blender with your arm....short, painful, and alot more problematic for you then the blender

on topic-Shar just for the internal power plays of her church

DeathQuaker
2008-02-02, 05:57 PM
My favorite's probably Sune, in part because I think love's more powerful than most want to give credit for, but mostly because I played a cleric of Sune for a long time and she is easily one of my favorite characters to play.

In fact, I think it's more that I roleplayed my character's adoration of her goddess to the point that I almost started to feel that way about the deity myself. :smalltongue:

AslanCross
2008-02-02, 05:58 PM
I do love me some Kurtulmak, too - his background story, laid out in Races of the Dragon, is possibly the coolest ever (and to this day keeps me from having a character that worships Garl Glittergold).

I remember that. D: I know gnomes are predisposed to pranks, but collapsing an entire cavern onto the heads of a fellow earth-dwelling race is going too far. <_< I have a feeling that kobolds wouldn't be an evil race had this not happened.

As for evil deities:

Shar: Frankly I think she's the scariest evil deity in FR. It's so easy to worship the Lady of Loss in a world full of misery. It seems she's done the most damage as well. Cyric and Bane are too overt and are scary; Shar can appeal to practically everyone. (Though an alliance between the three would probably be the scariest thing ever.)

Bane: I like Lawful Evil BBEGs. Bane's religion is an entire church of potential LE BBEGs. The Zhentarim are awesome too.

Tiamat: If only for that one picture of her where she looks like Godzilla incinerating a city. I can't remember where it is, though.

Mask: Now he is a god of thieves and trickery. I think he's double-crossed every single deity he allied with. Not to mention that he did so in the form of a god-killing sword.

Cyric: If only for the title of being the FR deity with the most number of grudge matches. Even the other evil gods hate him (except probably Shar, who hates everyone anyway).

metalbear
2008-02-02, 06:08 PM
I gotta' throw in my support to Kord. When I'm playing a cleric, it's almost always a cleric of Kord, because I love having strength and luck as my domains. Also, favored weapon is a greatsword, and that is just plain amazing.

fuzzywolf
2008-02-02, 06:55 PM
Tiamat. But only due to her completely awesome, if off-kilter, portrayal in our circle. Lets just say that whoever is currently DMing in my circle is almost required to do humorous cutscenes.

And, oh my god, you have to hear somebody say 'Meanwhile, On The Plane Of Avernus' followed by a rundown of the (often irrelevant) crap the baddies are doing at least once each session. In the same voice you would expect to hear 'Meanwhile, In The Hall Of Justice'.

The thought of Tiamat writing in her diary was rather much though. One of our DMs made her a billion year old angsty teenager.

My favorite part of my last game was Branchala, god of bards, music and whatnot, portrayed as a goth-emo kid with a guitar singing songs about how Mishakal forgets his name.

Krimm_Blackleaf
2008-02-02, 07:06 PM
My own deity, Levakross. I've kind of a thing for fiends and so I made a god for them, who's half-demon himself. I'd go into more but then I'd just feel like I'm pimping out my creations in a place it doesn't need to be. If you wanna know more just go to the Nation of the Dead Campaign Setting link in my sig.

EndgamerAzari
2008-02-02, 07:09 PM
Despite my being described as having a "Lawful Good personality", my favorite's Kord. He reminds me of those "Breathe, my pasty friend, breathe!" guys from the Ricola commercials, and who couldn't like a god whose worships services often include wrestling matches?

RTP
2008-02-02, 07:53 PM
There is only one true god: Mask

"Never lie when you can tell the truth but leave a mistaken impression."

Curmudgeon
2008-02-02, 08:14 PM
Trust wizzards to break their own rules.. Yeah, well, it's the Forgotten Realms. There are a lot of rules broken there.

Jheral
2008-02-02, 08:41 PM
Not that I know much about D&D deities, but whatever...
Out of those I know of, I'd have to say I like Wee Jas most.
I guess there's just something about the thought of a non-evil goddess of magic and death that I like. :smallamused:

EagleWiz
2008-02-02, 09:37 PM
Tharizdun. The perfect foe for the PCs. The look on thier faces when they realise that the cult of some obscure nature god ("Elder Elemental Eye? Sounds like some harmless druids.") that they have helped actualy is attempting to bring back the god of destroying the universe is great.

hap_hazard
2008-02-02, 10:17 PM
Vhaeruan all the way. I'm OK with Lloth, and I absolutely HATE Eilistraee.

I can't believe he died...:smalleek:

Devils_Advocate
2008-02-02, 10:17 PM
Just because you can't worship or pray to the Lady (twice) doesn't mean you can't like her as one of the powers-that-be. Face it, she rocks.
That was my thought as well. My initial reaction to cnsvnc's post was admittedly of the "NO! You FOOL!" variety being expressed by many. But upon reflection, I'm pretty sure that the Lady only objects to actually being worshiped. Those that merely classify her as a goddess are probably safe.

Not that "probably won't piss off the Lady of Pain" is a commendation of anything, mind you.

Talya
2008-02-02, 11:04 PM
Vhaeruan all the way. I'm OK with Lloth, and I absolutely HATE Eilistraee.

I can't believe he died...:smalleek:

She's my favorite thing about Faerun's pantheon.

Sune and Sharess are not far behind.

Rachel Lorelei
2008-02-02, 11:26 PM
Sune would be up there if she wasn't portrayed as, well, a total ditz. Sharress is nifty. My favorite is a minor deity called Lliira, though--the Goddess of Joy in FR. I'm not religious in the slightest... but if I were to be in Faerun, I'd still become a cleric of her.

Lizardfolk Lich
2008-02-02, 11:31 PM
Nerull, just because.:smallamused:

Shraik
2008-02-02, 11:33 PM
Ubtau, Faerunian God of Chult. Its fun to say, and he's pretty damn awesome. That god or the guy in the block of ice that rules Stygia.

ForzaFiori
2008-02-02, 11:38 PM
I dont know how to pick just one! lol.

Blibdoolpool'p just has a funny name, and earns major points for that.

Wee Jas is cool, for the whole not bats***crazy evil god of death thing. (by the same note, Kelemvor also gains points for that)

Mask. any god that actively promotes that possession is 9/10 of the law gets my favor, as i'm a huge rogue fan.

Tymora. always good to say you like a god/goddess of luck, even if they are fictional.

AslanCross
2008-02-03, 12:18 AM
Ubtau, Faerunian God of Chult. Its fun to say, and he's pretty damn awesome. That god or the guy in the block of ice that rules Stygia.

Doesn't Ubtao have a giant tyrannosaur form? He gets points for that.

Mukluk
2008-02-03, 12:20 AM
Well if I had to choose a favorite I guess it would have to be...

Tiamat

A lawful evil five-headed dragon goddess that rules the first level of Hell (or used to anyway) and has her own batch of devil minions (the Aabishai) as well as the Dragonspawn under her command? I think I'm in love.

Halna LeGavilk
2008-02-03, 12:54 AM
If homebrewed gods count, then I'd have to say one of two gods I created:

The Gray Knight:He is the son multi-muli-versal being (called The Being) of such unimaginable power that to speak The Being's true name will destroy the soul of the speaker, god or not, kill all with a 200 mile area, and blinds, deafens and makes mute all those within a 2000 mile area, in a perfect circle. Just knowing The Being's true name almost causes the knower to go insane with power.

The Gray Knight's true name destroys the soul of the speaker, kills those who heard it, and deafens everyone within a 200 mile area. The Gray Knight was imbued with the power of two Entities, whose very precense destroyed half the multiverse after the gods had finished making it, and they weak, by the standards of the really powerful things in the setting.

The Gray Knight's main job is to protect the multiverse from the forces of Insanity, led by 20 God-things whose sole existance is to destroy this Multiverse.

And as an added bonus, some of the Gray Knight's other main portfolio elements include sex, cooking, romanticism, and hedonism. He is LN. He is also the father of half the gods in my pantheon.

The other is:

Darun, God of Sacrifice: He is as him name says. He does NOT sacrifice things, he is the sacrifice. He was elevated to god-hood when he fought off thousands of Insane Ones by himself, sacrificing his life, his soul, and his sanity for his party members. The Gods took pity, and restored his soul and sanity, though his body still bears the scars of that fight.

His form is a man swathed in so many bandages you can't see his skin, underneath full plate. If you see his face, you automatically are converted to NG, no save, and take 200d20 damage, overriding all damage reduction. But, he never take his bandages off, so, meh.

That's how much he has sacrificed. Darun is NG, and his portfolio also includes death, teenagers, and morningstars. Don't ask why.

NOTE: This setting makes Exalted look balanced. It's supposed to be like that.

Out of the core D&D gods, it has to be St. Cuthbert.

the_tick_rules
2008-02-03, 02:48 AM
thor, a strength score of 98, holy crap.

hap_hazard
2008-02-04, 07:16 AM
She's my favorite thing about Faerun's pantheon.

Sune and Sharess are not far behind.

Meh. To each his/her own. :smallwink:

shaggz076
2008-02-04, 09:01 AM
I would have to go with Arioch from the Elric Saga (Yes it is a printed and published in the AD&D version of Diety's and Demi-gods) Along with the fact that he is considered a greater god and a Demon Prince he is elegent in the way he presents himself and pure eveil incarnate. He gives his worshipper a sword (one of a pair) that drains souls, has a mind of it's own and is capable of killing gods (The power that was bled through to Elric almost made him explode!). Not to mention the many different forms he appears directly to his followers in.

kamikasei
2008-02-04, 09:13 AM
She's my favorite thing about Faerun's pantheon.

Sune and Sharess are not far behind.

See, I would have an easier time taking a goddess with a penchant for dancing naked under the moon - with swords! - if I didn't know she was thought up by Ed Greenwood. That puts a dirty-old-man spin on it that I can't say I like.

...By any chance was she not a Greenwood creation? Perhaps some later splat-author or even, gasp, authoress?

Renx
2008-02-04, 09:28 AM
Dragonlance - Raistlin. The pre-chaos war Raistlin, before they effectively stuck a male reproductive organ inside his skull.

FR - Istishia. Just because.

Greyhawk - Boccob, the 2nd edition one. Uncaring, as opposed to a random serene (silly) God of knowledge&magic of 3.x.

In general - The DM, All Powerful Herbert, He Who Livith in his Parent's Basement and Workith at Starbucks Part Time. He, Who Kickith Ass at World of Warcraft But Can't Getith a Date to Save His Life. (gotta love goblinscomic)

Charles Phipps
2008-02-04, 09:47 AM
...By any chance was she not a Greenwood creation? Perhaps some later splat-author or even, gasp, authoress?

Sorry.

Entirely Ed's creation. Bob Salvatore still bemoans the fact Good Drow have an entire religion to themselves.

Ed Greenwood also created the Nine Hells.

kamikasei
2008-02-04, 10:38 AM
Ed Greenwood also created the Nine Hells.

Jeez man, all right if you don't enjoy his work, but reading it can't be that horrible.

Charles Phipps
2008-02-04, 10:40 AM
Jeez man, all right if you don't enjoy his work, but reading it can't be that horrible.

At the bottom of the ninth layer, under the Serpent, lies "Elminster's Naughty Adventures"

Devils_Advocate
2008-02-04, 02:49 PM
thor, a strength score of 98, holy crap.
I'd rather have the Alter Reality salient divine ability than a magic belt that doubles my strength. (Do any of the PHB deities not have Alter Reality? Hmmm. Come to think of it, the ability to grant your own wishes is so ridiculously useful that you'd pretty much have to have it to be one of Oerth's most influential, notable deities.) Thor gets points for uniqueness, though, and is clearly very good at Smashing Things to Bits.

Shademan
2008-02-04, 03:02 PM
Olidammarra!
does ONLY what he wants! chaotic and free! and a true SCOUNDREL!

LibraryOgre
2008-02-07, 12:09 AM
Ed Greenwood also created the Nine Hells.

I'm afraid I'm going to need a source for that, because my 1978 Player's Handbook has a 9 Hells from Gary Gygax, not Ed Greenwood.

Krusty Kobold
2008-02-14, 03:16 AM
Ooh ooh ooh..... The Great BANJO!!! God of Puppets!

or failing that Aasterinian
ooh or the 4ed Bahamut Tiamat story is cool

Talya
2008-02-14, 01:10 PM
Greenwood's "perversion" used to bother me...but then I realized it's because he's an ugly old fart. If my husband or girlfriend came up with that stuff, I'd think they were awesome kinky-sexy plot-points.

So I just try not to imagine Ed while reading it. Heck, I've actually used parts of the Book of Erotic Fantasy in campaigns.

Mesfens
2008-02-14, 04:13 PM
Um... if there was a deity of bogs and marshes I'd pick him/her/it. For now, I'm going with Umberlee. :smalleek:

Charles Phipps
2008-02-18, 11:00 PM
So, if you were a servant of an evil god then who would you pick?

Nerd-o-rama
2008-02-18, 11:09 PM
The Fury. Hooray for hedonism!

Bane and Hextor are also great because their doctrines basically tell you to act like a greedy ambitious jerk, which is usually beneficial.

Now without the evil requirements, I'd probably worship some of Faerun's CG/CN beauty/pleasure goddesses (or Eillistraee), if only for the awesome rituals.

GrassyGnoll
2008-02-18, 11:13 PM
So, if you were a servant of an evil god then who would you pick?

Selvetarm of course, killer dreadlocks wielding priests (http://drowcampaign.roleplaynexus.com/Selvetarm.html), 'nuff said.

Xefas
2008-02-18, 11:38 PM
I like Hextor, but I feel like there's a better god out there for me.

Are there any (non-homebrewed) deities out there whose doctrine is essentially "Be ambitious and try to assert your authority over others to make your own life better. However, treat those under you with respect/dignity, and be nice to them. Its okay to beat to a pulp anyone who directly stands in your way, but it isn't okay to kill or cause unnecessary suffering. People who kill, cause undo suffering, or abuse/mistreat their subordinates are bad and need to be imprisoned/forcibly reformed until they get the point."

Sort of a nice/caring/good-hearted Lawful Evil.

Helios Sunshard
2008-02-19, 12:13 AM
I know few gods, but i like Oghma for the "knowledge for everybody" aproach and the domains.

SyrkthTheGreedy
2008-02-19, 01:15 AM
Myself, I'm a fan of Talos. Nature god of destruction?? Wooooooo!!
The Beast Lord, Malar, is also great for the above reasons.

As a flavour deity though, I'll have to go with Ulutiu (FR 2nd Ed - Giantcraft), the dying/dead god (killed by Annam, father of all true giants), father of the giant-kin (with Annam's wife Othea) and creator of the Great Glacier and Endless Ice Sea (which began to freeze when his amulet and body were thrown into the Cold sea by Annam). He's a minor/major part of the lore concerning giant/giant-kin relations in Forgotten Realms in 2nd Ed.
That and I've seen his name come up in Frostburn and some other places.

Kompera
2008-02-19, 04:53 AM
I'm also for Blipdoolpoolp. I had a blast several centuries ago running in those modules, and discovering the worship of the Kuo-toas.

SurlySeraph
2008-02-19, 05:01 AM
So, if you were a servant of an evil god then who would you pick?

Tharizdun has a sort of purity to his evil that is rather appealing.

"The very threads of existence must be torn asunder, then burned, then the ashes scattered, until all is nothing and no one exists to remember existence."

It's so... thorough. And then, once he's annihilated existence, he'll destroy himself too. Such dedication to oblivion is beautifully terrible.

Of course, being a paladin, I must not think such thoughts. *goes off to flagellate self*

BabyPukeAttack
2008-02-19, 07:01 AM
the Wurm, who doesnt love a god who pats you on the back when you rape an emeny to death, and stuff his arms,legs, and sheild up his cornwhole once you done having fun with the dead body.

Leon
2008-02-19, 07:01 AM
So, if you were a servant of an evil god then who would you pick?

Talos - Storms FTW!


Although Lord Toruk is undeniably a good choice too

KillianHawkeye
2008-02-19, 11:08 PM
You can't go wrong with a few dragon gods. Bahamut is just awesome, and Tiamat is cool and has huge armies of minions and stuff.

From the core pantheon, Kord is definitely the coolest. Also, I think Ehlonna makes a way better Nature deity than Obad-hai.

But I think my favorite is Sune. Playing a cleric of the Goddess of Love & Beauty is just way too much fun. :smallwink:

Devils_Advocate
2008-02-20, 12:42 PM
I like Hextor, but I feel like there's a better god out there for me.

Are there any (non-homebrewed) deities out there whose doctrine is essentially "Be ambitious and try to assert your authority over others to make your own life better. However, treat those under you with respect/dignity, and be nice to them. Its okay to beat to a pulp anyone who directly stands in your way, but it isn't okay to kill or cause unnecessary suffering. People who kill, cause undo suffering, or abuse/mistreat their subordinates are bad and need to be imprisoned/forcibly reformed until they get the point."

Sort of a nice/caring/good-hearted Lawful Evil.
That's a direct contradiction in terms. Acting out of concern for others is pretty much Good by definition. And even if you're only ever nice to other people because that encourages them to be nice back to you, that alone doesn't make you Evil. Evil doesn't mean serving yourself, it means screwing people over. "Evil, but good-hearting and caring" is kinda like "burning water", but even moreso.

You seem to be unclear on the whole "Evil" concept, is what I'm saying.

I'm not sure what alignment I would associate with the doctrine you give. Basically, it's "Avoid killing, avoid cruelty, maintain for your subordinates Arbitrary Standard of Living X, and treat them with respect. Oppose the violation of these rules by anyone else. Other than that, use authority over others to obtain the greatest benefit to yourself that you can get." One of the many flavors of Neutral, I'd say.

Lawful Evil is more "My society/culture/nation/religion/race/house/etc. is the most awesome thing ever. And therefore, it stands to reason that anyone or anything that differs from it is inferior at best. I hate inferior people. Not that I actually, y'know, care about the individual members of my own group or anything."


I know few gods, but i like Oghma for the "knowledge for everybody" aproach and the domains.
I was perusing a list (http://www.wizards.com/rpga/downloads/LG_Deities.zip) of the World of Greyhawk deities (http://www.greyhawkonline.com/wogcomic/cast/deity1.htm) recently, and noticed a few Good-aligned gods of knowledge I liked. There's Lirr, godess of written stories, poetry and prose, pictures, backup copies, and freedom of information; Delleb, god of study, practical knowledge, detatched intellectualism, and nerds; and Lydia, goddess of music, daylight, education, open records, and female empowerment.


Tharizdun has a sort of purity to his evil that is rather appealing.

"The very threads of existence must be torn asunder, then burned, then the ashes scattered, until all is nothing and no one exists to remember existence."

It's so... thorough. And then, once he's annihilated existence, he'll destroy himself too. Such dedication to oblivion is beautifully terrible.

Of course, being a paladin, I must not think such thoughts. *goes off to flagellate self*
Hey, now, the destruction of the multiverse means an end to suffering, hatred, wrongdoing, ignorance, want, and all sorts of unpleasant things. All unpleasant things, actually.

Of course, it also means an end to pleasure, love, virtue, knowledge, achievement, and all other pleasant things. But you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs!

"The extinction of the cosmos is clearly inevitable, but here at Doomguard, Inc., we don't think that that's any excuse not to help it along. Doomguard! Because it's never too early to obliterate all that is."

Sstoopidtallkid
2008-02-20, 02:46 PM
Vecna. See my earlier post. :smallbiggrin:

God of secrets, knows anything of importance, and bad enough to become a God? I just love all of that.

Callos_DeTerran
2008-02-20, 04:04 PM
Hextor. 'nuff said.

Sir_Leorik
2008-02-20, 04:44 PM
From Greyhawk I'm partial to Ehlonna/Ehlenestra and Kuroth.

From Dragonlance there's Reorx and Mishakal.

No one's mentioned the Ravenloft goddess Ezra, Our Champion in the Mists yet.

I hate all the Forgotten Realms deities, with the exception of Bane. The guy's like a Timex: he takes a licking and keeps on ticking. :smallsmile:

Gmmaster42
2008-02-20, 08:38 PM
Definitely Contradictus, God of Atheists. :smallbiggrin:

Ok, seriously, my favorite is Lolth. Why? Because she's the only thing in the universe that keeps the drow from wiping themselves out. Plus, she's awesome. Her chaos is so great that no one ever knows what her true motives are. Salvatore really brings out her good side (no pun intended of course).

Parvum
2008-02-20, 09:27 PM
Blibdoolpoolp is up there just because of the name. And so that I can say that I shall make my enemies Blibdoolpoolp their pants in fear of my goddess.

Me and a friend plan on worshipping an old shoe in a game as revenge for a god forcing him to convert. No, I don't mind people being smote on my watch. HAIL HOBOSHOE! (Hoboshu!)

But on a more serious note, I love Ka (no, different Ka). A god of lizardfolk (and dinosaurs) that focuses on the preservation of endangered species. The reason I admire this so much is that he is a monstrous god (of lizardfolk) that is not evil. Admittedly, lizardfolk are neutral, but Lawful Good God is a ways to go from 'miscellaneous PC fodder'. I don't know many monster gods with an alignment different from their subjects. It's just a shame there appears to be little/no information on him.

PaladinBoy
2008-02-20, 11:32 PM
In Greyhawk? Heironeous. LG god of justice and paladins! I also like the afterlife - the Radiant Arsenal in the holy city of..... (insert name that I've forgotten here)... on the sixth layer of Celestia.

As for Eberron, I'm partial to the Silver Flame and Dol Arrah.

(Anyone notice a theme here? :smallamused: )

strayth
2008-02-20, 11:52 PM
Wee Jas - I like her style.