PDA

View Full Version : Salient Divine Abilities.



Aquillion
2008-02-19, 03:45 AM
Ok. I know (or at least I assume) that the rules for deities aren't supposed to be used by characters, as they're written. You don't just level up and pick some new salient divine abilities, right?

But even with that, the number of abilities is keyed to your divine rank, so it's supposed to mean something. A deity with more abilities is supposed to be better than one with less, and, in other words, WotC thinks that they're roughly equal in value, accounting for prequisites and so on.

Well.

Alter Reality
Prerequisite
Cha 29.

Benefit
This ability is similar to the wish spell. The deity merely thinks of something and then makes it so. Doing this requires at least a standard action.

Notes
The deity can duplicate any spell of 9th level or lower as a standard action. The duplicated spell has no material or XP component, and the DC of its saving throw (if one is allowed) is 20 + the deity’s rank + the deity’s Charisma modifier.

The deity also can duplicate a spell with any metamagic feat (so long as the metamagic feat is available to characters of 20th level or lower). This use of the ability requires the deity to rest for 1 round for each level that the feat would normally add to the spell. It still takes a standard action to use this ability, so there is no point in using the ability to duplicate a quickened spell.

The deity can render a magical or supernatural effect permanent. The rest requirement varies with the effect: 10 minutes per level of the effect times the number of subjects affected, 10 minutes per total Hit Dice of creatures affected, or 10 minutes per 10-foot cube affected. Use the highest applicable value.

The deity can create temporary, nonmagical objects. This works like the Create Object ability (including the required rest period), except that the items last one day per rank.

The deity also can create permanent nonmagical objects as if using the Create Object ability except that all rest requirements are doubled and there is no reduction in rest time for being on an Outer Plane or in the deity’s own realm.

The deity can create temporary magic items or creatures. This works like the Divine Creation ability (including the required rest period), except that the items or creatures created last 1 hour per rank. This ability cannot create permanent magic items or creatures.

The deity can reshape a landscape, creating any type of terrain the deity can imagine. Each 10-foot cube of material to be reshaped requires 1 round of effort, and the deity must rest for one day per 10-foot cube shaped after the work is completed.So. Compare and contrast:


Divine Celerity
Prerequisite
Dex 29.

Benefit
The deity acts as if hasted for a number of minutes per day equal to its divine rank. The duration of the effect need not be consecutive rounds. Activating this ability is a free action. So. Any spell up to 9th level as a standard action, any of which you can make permanent (including, of course, haste), plus absurdly enhanced save DCs... or one third-level spell for, at most, 20 minutes a day? Take your time in deciding.

There are other stupid abilities (Divine Monk? Divine Paladin? Divine Radiance?), but that comparison in particular stands out for absurdity. They have basically the same prequisite... and one gives you Wish at will as a standard action only much, much better, while the other gives you Haste under very limited circumstances.

What, were they worried that letting Divine Celerity make you hasted all the time would be too good?

Nebo_
2008-02-19, 04:29 AM
Is it supposed to be some huge revelation that the rules for deities are stupid? They just slapped some stuff together and stuck it in a book.

BabyPukeAttack
2008-02-19, 07:44 AM
mine favorite is the divine archer one, if you can see you can shoot it.

a mid god can see what, roughly 12 miles away, fun times when gods start hurling mauls and at hobos 9 mines miles away for a form of sadistic godly game of horse shoes.

Serenity
2008-02-19, 07:58 AM
This is why I never plan on having deities in my game with character rules. They're gods. They can do whatever they want, and no mere mortal is going to be anything more than a speed-bump to them.

Closet_Skeleton
2008-02-19, 08:08 AM
There's also Divine Dodge, which gives a 50+% miss chance against everything.

AtomicKitKat
2008-02-20, 11:41 AM
mine favorite is the divine archer one, if you can see you can shoot it.

a mid god can see what, roughly 12 miles away, fun times when gods start hurling mauls and at hobos 9 mines miles away for a form of sadistic godly game of horse shoes.

"See the sun there? Watch me hit it with Mjolnir!"

Sstoopidtallkid
2008-02-20, 02:55 PM
This is why I never plan on having deities in my game with character rules. They're gods. They can do whatever they want, and no mere mortal is going to be anything more than a speed-bump to them.Check out the level 20 Wizard thread.

Aquillion
2008-02-20, 07:57 PM
This is why I never plan on having deities in my game with character rules. They're gods. They can do whatever they want, and no mere mortal is going to be anything more than a speed-bump to them.And, in any case... there is some mythological and fantasy-genre precident for letting people fight the gods. Lots of stories have the heroes fighting desperately against a dark deity, say, or have good gods dying tragically.

Just look at D&D gods as closer to Norse deities than anything else;they're like humans, only moreso. They embody specific aspects of the world and human life and all their attributes and abilities are vastly magnified, but that can include their flaws as well as their strengths, their tragedies as well as their victories; they can be defeated or even killed if the situation is right.