I am a God.......well maybe!

[Guanase]

So my DM has sent us on a quest to find as many villagers as we can. We are being chased by the BBEG and his goal is to kill all of the villagers and towns people as she can to become a God. I have talked all members of my party to gather them all in one general location in the largest city. I already got a focusing crystal i'm also setting up traps in all the buildings in the town. I told my team that they will be used against the BBEG. So far we've gathered 25,000 people to the town. They are all placed in the Town square. I have placed large canisters of oil The streets will be filled with the oil. I will then raise focusing crystal and light the oil on fire. By the time I do this we should have around 35,000 people in the square. I read somewhere that doing this can get you to ascend so behind my teams back I'm going to become a God. I don't even think the DM knows this is possible hell I don't even know if this will work. Any one have any advice or can any one confirm this.

[Living_Dead_Guy]

Well if this is the BBEG's own tactic to become a god then it should work for you as well. Just remember that killing the party will mean the end of the campaign, this may leave the other players and DM...... unhappy. If you don't kill the players then you will start to overshadow the other players, you might end up having to reroll.

In my own campaigns however I wouldn't allow it. A first level psychopath could pay low level wizards (through a contract that guarantees them lets say 80% of the income generated) to create the largest known carnival, set up bombs, then play the ring master. Once everyone is gathered you give them a smile and boom your a god.

[Guanase]

My plan is to Reroll a cleric under my god. Also I will not be killing my party and the god I create will be neutral.

[Guanase]

That's understandable at level 1 not allowing it but we are in the late teens. The DM is been dragging this campaign on for a long time I'm actually more or less looking for a way to end. It has been fun but it should of came to an end a long time ago. And if anything will have a homebrew deity to use.

[Mordokai]

My plan is to Reroll a cleric under my god. Also I will not be killing my party and the god I create will be neutral.

I have no idea if your idea would work, I'll leave that to clarify to forumers more savvy than myself.

But how in the blackest depths of Gehenna can you become a neutral god by performing a mass murder of innocents?

[Guanase]

Because it's not like I'm completely bad. Yeah it's a screwed up way to ascend but it's my only option to stop the BBEG and surprise my group at the same time sacrifice many for the peace of all. That's fairly neutral in my eyes.

[The Oni]

So you'll become Desperatio, the God of Limit Breaks, 11th Hour Super Powers and The Ends Justifying The Means. Your holy symbol will be a big red button with a nuclear launch symbol. Your clerics will probably be some of the scariest clergy in all of existence, called upon in times of great need and shunned at every other time ever.

[Guanase]

I'd like that very much

[Thrudd]

I think you will end up being an evil deity who is in denial. The credo of your followers is "No, really, I'm neutral!". The clerics all wear grey to prove it.
The holy book of Neutral lays out tenets which establish the neutrality of murdering innocents in the pursuit of power, as long as "you're not really that bad of a guy".

[The Oni]

You're welcome. Your "heralds" should all be monstrously destructive creatures, so dangerous that they'd only be unleashed in case of even more imminent destruction. In fact, if the DM allows this ascension, you should request that the Tarrasque be your herald, since he's generally considered the equivalent of Godzilla in D&D settings.

And yeah, a general philosophy of being "above good and evil" might fit well for this hypothetical apotheosis. Your church should actually reject or at least sort of disdain the alignment system, despite the fact that many of your clerics have a tendency to ping south of neutral.

[Khedrac]

How certain are you that the BBEG is just killing loads of people to become a god? It seems far too simple if that is all it is.

I would predict that there is a good chance that the DM will rule (and may already have in place) that the BBEG has done/is doing lots of rituals etc. to gather the power of all the sacrificed people to fuel his/her/its ascension.

If this is the case then, at best you will just become a mass-murderer, and at worst you will help fuel the BBEG's ascension.

What you are suggestion actually had a historical RL parallel - Cargo Cults. Some of the natives of more remote pacific islands saw strangers come in and set up cleared strips of land with the result that flying things brought gifts from the heavens, so they tried setting up replicating them to see if they could attract more gifts. Needless to say, transport plans don't land on runways without a lot more planning than that...
It sounds to me like you are effectively trying to replicate what the BBEG is doing without knowing what is actually happening - just what the visible part are.

[Guanase]

I'm almost positively sure this is what the DM is doing. I'm sort of the one that pushed towards the bad guy ascending. It was not my intention to do this at first but as I have gotten bored playing this campaign I intend to end it soon my group agrees it's run it's natural course. And as I stated before you have to campaign ends will have a New DEity for homebrew. Also I'm really liking the whole chaotic neutral properties of this new god I'm going to be.

[Mordokai]

Because it's not like I'm completely bad. Yeah it's a screwed up way to ascend but it's my only option to stop the BBEG and surprise my group at the same time sacrifice many for the peace of all. That's fairly neutral in my eyes.

The lesser of two evils is still evil. In this case, very much so.

Your character can delude him/herself that it's not evil. In fact, I can totally see that happening. Hell, it's hell of an interesting concept to explore.

But I seriously hope that you, the player, doesn't really believe that. Because if you do, is there any wonder humanity is as screwed as we are?

[Guanase]

Throughout history's thousands of people of been sacrificed for the greater good no more different than what I'm doing on this character except I become a god for doing it. If I become a God who rallies more towards helping people neutrally that I'm not An evil god. I sacrificed 35,000 people to become a god and stop another person from essentially becoming a God and enslaving the entire world. I understand that I would be more towards chaotic neutral. Also as previously stated the fact that as a deity above good and evil would make more sense also. As a person in RLI realized that this would be an evil act. But only because it would be viewed is a perception of humans as we are. Think of the millions of people who will be saved because of the act.

[Mordokai]

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

That's all I have to say on the subject. And with that, I rescind myself from the further debate, less we go off topic even further.

[Brookshw]

Personally I'm with the Evil crowd. Also skeptical it'll work, I can't think of any rules justification for it.

Something else to mention, you're doing this behind the parties back. Be careful with that.

[AuraTwilight]

Generally, not being the bad guy means having the moral high ground. That means not doing exactly what the bad guy is doing in order to win an arms race.

You are probably intended by your GM to either stop the ascension from taking place at all, or to exploit some sort of weakness that will undermine the omnipotence they're after.

I highly doubt becoming a God via genocide is the only way your GM intends for you to win, and if there is another way, you should probably pursue it for the sake of your own character's safety and the fun of your other players.

[Doorhandle]

So my DM has sent us on a quest to find as many villagers as we can. We are being chased by the BBEG and his goal is to kill all of the villagers and towns people as she can to become a God. I have talked all members of my party to gather them all in one general location in the largest city. I already got a focusing crystal i'm also setting up traps in all the buildings in the town. I told my team that they will be used against the BBEG. So far we've gathered 25,000 people to the town. They are all placed in the Town square. I have placed large canisters of oil The streets will be filled with the oil. I will then raise focusing crystal and light the oil on fire. By the time I do this we should have around 35,000 people in the square. I read somewhere that doing this can get you to ascend so behind my teams back I'm going to become a God. I don't even think the DM knows this is possible hell I don't even know if this will work. Any one have any advice or can any one confirm this.

Hmmm... I'm worried about the plot twist where committing this massacre doesn't actually make you a god at all, and the BBEG is just a delusional fanatic.

Still go for it though. Would make a great story.

[Mastikator]

[snip] so behind my teams back I'm going to become a God. I don't even think the DM knows this is possible hell I don't even know if this will work. Any one have any advice or can any one confirm this.

The person you have to ask if the DM, not anyone here. Only the DM can decide (yes decide) if this would work.

Though if I was your DM I'd let your character go down in history as a genocidal monster.

[Mnemnosyne]

Just so you know, there is absolutely no RAW way to become a god to my knowledge. The rules simply do not cover it, it happens only via DM fiat and Plot Magic. Therefore, if you're trying to surprise your DM with this, it has a decent chance of him just looking at you weird and it just doesn't work, or has effects completely different to what you intend.

[TriForce]

The lesser of two evils is still evil. In this case, very much so.

Your character can delude him/herself that it's not evil. In fact, I can totally see that happening. Hell, it's hell of an interesting concept to explore.

But I seriously hope that you, the player, doesn't really believe that. Because if you do, is there any wonder humanity is as screwed as we are?

im in full agreement here.

sacrifising 35000 unwilling lives for ANY reason is evil. its literally impossible to become a good or neutral god if THATS the way of ascension used, no matter why you do it, no matter what you plan on doing as a god, the lives and souls of the ones you murdered for your own power (yes, you are doing this for yourself, since its not even a last resort, and you tricked the people into thinking you were going to save them) make it impossible for the resulting god to be anything less then Evil

[Red Fel]

Going to agree with several points.

1. A mass sacrifice of innocents is indisputably Evil by most RPG terms, regardless of the reason. If your character does become a god, it will be an Evil god.

2. That's assuming this works. You keep assuming that "all the BBEG is doing is killing lots of people, so it should work for me too." We have no evidence that the BBEG hasn't done something else, like possess a mystic relic that harnesses the souls of those sacrificed in his name, or anoint himself in profane oils that draw in the recently deceased, or coat his weapons and armor with a metal that magnifies the despairs of the dying, or something. If you haven't followed the same steps, you have no expectation of success.

3. Even if it should work, the DM has the ability to say that it doesn't, for any number of reasons. Apotheosis is an undefined quantity in many games, and within the DM's discretion to grant. So all that work could still be for nothing.

As a rule, a plan that states "I'm going to kill a whole big bunch of people and that will fix everything ever" is (1) Evil, and (2) poorly thought out. Your DM is unlikely to grant your request unless you do it in a particularly epic and awesome way, and frankly, your description suggests your method will be to simply say, "Now I light a bonfire and the people all die and I become a god." And as a DM, I would laugh, and respond, "No, you become wanted by every government on the continent for unjustifiable mass-murder. Asmodeus can't wait to meet you in person. He has some very special things he wants to do to you."

[Lord Torath]

I'm almost positively sure this is what the DM is doing. I'm sort of the one that pushed towards the bad guy ascending. It was not my intention to do this at first but as I have gotten bored playing this campaign I intend to end it soon my group agrees it's run it's natural course. And as I stated before you have to campaign ends will have a New DEity for homebrew. Also I'm really liking the whole chaotic neutral properties of this new god I'm going to be.

My first recommendation would be to talk to the DM about feeling bored, before you try to trash his campaign.

Also, is there a semi-colon between "...end it soon" and "my group agrees..."? Or should it be "...end it as soon as my group agrees..." Or something else entirely? Either way, I'd suggest communication with the DM (and the rest of the group) before you start breaking things.

It sounds like the DM is building up to the finale anyway. Can you tough it out a bit longer?

Plus, see everyone else's posts about this being undeniably evil.

[Drogorn]

I like it, but you'll need to discuss it with the GM. Your character could become the neutral evil god of Desperate Measures with Fire, Destruction, and Trickery as his domains.

Or something similar.

[Dorian Gray]

I must ask- is there any other way you could potentially stop the BBEG? Like, say, shoving several feet of enchanted carbonized steel through his skull? I've been told that that's the accepted method. What I'm trying to say is, if there is any, any, any! other option, going through with what you're planning is Evil. Furthermore, killing a bunch of people to stop someone from killing an equal number of people is... also Evil. Honestly, why can't you just have the people flee into the countryside?
What I'm trying to say, is that while it could be awesome for you to go through this, there is No. Possible. Way. that you would be Chaotic Neutral. You might be Lawful Evil ("I considered the possible outcomes, and made an appropriate trade-off"), Neutral Evil ("I did what I had to, no matter how terrible it was"), or Chaotic Evil ("I solve problems... my way!"), but never anything anywhere close to Neutral on the Good-Evil axis.

[Trickquestion]

Dude, you're playing Sarevok. You're evil, and I'm not entirely sure your mass sacrifice plan is fully based in reality. Just saying.

[rmnimoc]

I'm pretty sure your BBEG has a bit more to the plan than just killing them. That being said however....

I advocate killing them. I understand this sounds horrible, and if I were in the situation I probably couldn't live with myself afterwords, but you have to do what you have to do. I strongly suggest if you do go do this, you die with them. Make it your last effort to save the world, and you very well might be a martyr, not a murderer.

Also leave all of your WBL to a bard so he can spin your tale in the best possible light. You may not be a god, but you just might be a saint.

(Please note that under no circumstances am I suggesting or advocating such a solution in real life. If such a solution does occur in real life, I strongly suggest contacting your local authorities and/or Chuck Norris.)

Edit: I also agree that you should discuss this with the DM beforehand.

[tahu88810]

You should definitely privately discuss this with your DM beforehand.
Like without a doubt. 100% you should discuss this beforehand.

[GoblinArchmage]

Throughout history's thousands of people of been sacrificed for the greater good no more different than what I'm doing on this character except I become a god for doing it. If I become a God who rallies more towards helping people neutrally that I'm not An evil god. I sacrificed 35,000 people to become a god and stop another person from essentially becoming a God and enslaving the entire world. I understand that I would be more towards chaotic neutral. Also as previously stated the fact that as a deity above good and evil would make more sense also. As a person in RLI realized that this would be an evil act. But only because it would be viewed is a perception of humans as we are. Think of the millions of people who will be saved because of the act.

"Genocide is totally acceptable if it is for the greater good! I'm not evil; I'm a good guy, just like all of the mass murderers throughout history."

[rmnimoc]

"Genocide is totally acceptable if it is for the greater good! I'm not a psychopath; I'm a good guy, just like all of the mass murderers throughout history."

That is totally not fair. It's more like:

"These townspeople will die one way or the other, this way may be horribly inhumane and painful, but by doing this I can potentially save the world. Also, knowing what I know of BBEGs, death by fire is probably a step up from how they would have gone."

You seem to be implying that those people are totally safe until he kills them, when in reality it is totally possible that the PCs will die, and the poor peasants will have their soul torn out and eaten or whatever it takes to accend. Also, you seem to forget the fact that if the BBEG kills them all, he gets to be a god. I'm pretty sure BBEG will kill far more than 35,000 people if he becomes a god.

I'm not saying it isn't horribly evil, but Knight Templars, Necessary Evil, Totalitarian Utilitarian, and "I did what I had to do" are tropes for a reason.

Edit: I meant ascend, not accend, but the unintentional typo is too fitting to remove.