Anti-Pelor

[Raistlin1040]

Is there a god somewhere that is like an evil Pelor? Similar power, but dark and evil? I'm trying to find one, but I can't find any that's a really good fit.

[MandibleBones]

Nerull could do it - Darkness and Death vs. Light and Life, and all that - and I'm rather certain he's NE vs. Pelor's NG.

Similar power levels, too.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

There is no such god in the Greyhawk/"Standard D&D" pantheon of which I am aware.

Personally, I think gods are some of the easiest things to homebrew. All you really need starting out are an alignment, four or so fitting domains, a portfolio, and a small handful of basic tenets. Everything else can be fleshed out during play as the campaign evolves. So, if you can't find what you want, just make it up.

[jamroar]

Nerull could do it - Darkness and Death vs. Light and Life, and all that - and I'm rather certain he's NE vs. Pelor's NG.

Similar power levels, too.

Yup, Nerull is probably the closest match for a rival. Both primal Flan pantheon greater powers, Healing vs Death, Light vs. Darkness, NE vs. NG.

On the not strictly evil front, there's the rival Oeridian sun god Pholtus (LG/LN) of the Blinding Light, (Light, Resolution, Law, Order, Inflexibility), with worshippers commonly of the Lawful Annoying alignment. Imagine an entire flock of Miko Miyazaki clones, that's what his church is like.

[Rachel Lorelei]

I think he means an evil sun god, which is a great idea--but doesn't seem to be well-represented in D&D. Try Sandstorm--there's a lot of sun-related deities there, I'm sure there's an evil one.

For how the sun could be bad, well, pick up Stephen R. Donaldson's The Wounded Land.

[Inyssius Tor]

Actually, there don't appear to be any evil sun gods anywhere.

[Fax Celestis]

Actually, there don't appear to be any evil sun gods anywhere.

Not even in Athas?

[Rachel Lorelei]

Dark Sun has no gods.

[Attilargh]

Try Sandstorm--there's a lot of sun-related deities there, I'm sure there's an evil one.

There's ten deities in the book, and only one of them actually has the portfolio of the Sun. (He is Neutral, by the way.) Go figure.

[Rachel Lorelei]

There's ten deities in the book, and only one of them actually has the portfolio of the Sun. (He is Neutral, by the way.) Go figure.

Well. Um. So much for that then?

[DreadArchon]

Well, keep in mind that the D&D Sun domain has to be able to channel positive energy to do its thing. It'd be relatively easy to house rule in such a way as to allow clerics of evil gods to use the Sun domain, but by RAW, while you can choose Sun as an evil cleric, it won't do much for you.

[Inyssius Tor]

Deities and Demigods almost has one, the Destroyer aspect of Taiia, but not quite.

[reorith]

...Similar power levels, too.

they're both over 9000!

[Thanatos]

Actually, there don't appear to be any evil sun gods anywhere.

Well considering it's the source of energy for all life on a planet, that's to be expected. You're not going to cast something as evil in your mythology when you're ultimately dependent on it, because that would mean you're constantly accepting life supporting gifts from the evil side.

I agree with Nerull being the most opposed deity, although the Flan-origin pantheon seems more primal and less rigid, so you wouldn't necessarily have them as dire enemies as you would with Hieronius and Hextor.

[Dervag]

You could take the Aztec pantheon and run with it:

"The sun god requires a constant stream of human sacrifices to keep it burning!"

Of course, in the context of Aztec mythology, that shouldn't be considered evil, since everything required sacrifices, some of them human. But that's why you have to run with it.

[Inyssius Tor]

It would be an interesting situation if the Sun God really did need the sacrifices, and the sun would die without them...

[RTGoodman]

Well, if you're looking to keep Pelor and just have a rival for him that's sort of his opposite, that would be pretty easy to homebrew.

I'd call him Rolep (NE Greater deity), and then give him domains like Evil, Moon (I think there's a Moon domain somewhere), Death, and maybe Destruction.

I think Pelor already has a beard, though, so Rolep might not have the goatee customary to evil identical twins.

[Maxymiuk]

Alternately, just homebrew an Eclipse domain and stock it with darkness/shadow/vision related spells.

[0oo0]

Well, if you're looking to keep Pelor and just have a rival for him that's sort of his opposite, that would be pretty easy to homebrew.

I'd call him Rolep (NE Greater deity), and then give him domains like Evil, Moon (I think there's a Moon domain somewhere), Death, and maybe Destruction.

I think Pelor already has a beard, though, so Rolep might not have the goatee customary to evil identical twins.

Forgotten Realms does have a Moon Domain, and I wouldn't be surprised if it showed up in other divine books as well

And Rolep sounds awesome by the way

[Amphimir Míriel]

Actually, there don't appear to be any evil sun gods anywhere.

It's been 10 years since I last read a Forgotten Realms book, but wasnt there a Touareg-like-tribe in Anauroch that had an evil Sun Goddess?

You could take the Aztec pantheon and run with it:

"The sun god requires a constant stream of human sacrifices to keep it burning!"

Of course, in the context of Aztec mythology, that shouldn't be considered evil, since everything required sacrifices, some of them human. But that's why you have to run with it.

Actually, Huitzilopochtli (major deity of War and the Sun) would probably qualify as NE.
He killed his sister Coyozhautli (the Moon), and demanded that their followers wage wars against their enemies with regularity in order to provide him with human sacrifices from the enemy soldiers captured in battle.

[PlatinumJester]

Pelor must die. I say we feed him too the tarrasque along with Jozan (like in Ali's avie).

[Callix]

Evil sun god? Desert campaign, anyone? Aside from that, what would Orcs make of the sun? It hurts their eyes. Much better to go by moonlight. If orcs aren't always evil, I can see a good tribe of Moon-worshippers who sustain themselves in the woods where the light isn't too harsh, and an evil tribe dedicated to the Sun-god who go out and murder and pillage. They might even adapt to sunlight and take over human communities, using the people as slaves. Change some basic assumptions about "people" and you can change all manner of things.

[Vespe Ratavo]

Well, I think the Sun is always considered good due to the fact it gives light and life.

But what about its evil parts? We're talking about a giant ball of fire orbiting dangerously close to the planet here.

I imagine an evil Sun cleric would focus on dehydration, fire, burning, and such.

[Neko]

course if you wanted to go anti-sun and not go moon... could always custom make some sort of Blackhole domain since a blackhole is made from a sun

[Dervag]

Actually, Huitzilopochtli (major deity of War and the Sun) would probably qualify as NE.
He killed his sister Coyozhautli (the Moon), and demanded that their followers wage wars against their enemies with regularity in order to provide him with human sacrifices from the enemy soldiers captured in battle.

Well, the first part of that (murdering family members) is practically typical in polytheistic pantheons. Look at Zeus, for instance.

As for demanding that his followers wage war and provide him with sacrifices, again, that was normal in the Aztec context. Human sacrifice was a very recurrent theme in Aztec mythology, and one that they considered to be necessary and appropriate.

So if you approach the Aztec pantheon from an Aztec perspective, ther would be plenty of neutral and good deities who requested or required human sacrifice.

On the other hand, if you approach the Aztec pantheon from the more standardized perspective of a D&D setting, you come to the conclusion that practically all their deities are evil.

[Leon]

Not even in Athas?

No, Clerics worship Patron Elements (ones that saved them somehow) or the Sorcerer Kings, Templars worship the Sorcerer Kings

[Neko]

course when I created a pantheon for my world I made I think 22 or 23 gods in total to cover most everything including a god that was an elemental

[Amphimir Míriel]

On the other hand, if you approach the Aztec pantheon from the more standardized perspective of a D&D setting, you come to the conclusion that practically all their deities are evil.

Not true, there were several Mexica (AKA Aztec) deities that asked for flower sacrifices, or agricultural sacrifices (Xochiquetzal, Centeotl), or no sacrifices at all (Quetzalcoatl)

The fact that spaniard missionaries all painted the Mesoamerican peoples as bloodthirsty savages does not necessarily mean it's all true...

...and yes, the Sun and War god Huitzilopochtli was the main god of the aggressive and expansionistic Mexica nation, but that doesnt mean all the pantheon was the same

[Hectonkhyres]

they're both over 9000!

...
I hate you. So very much.

[Starsinger]

Is there a god somewhere that is like an evil Pelor? Similar power, but dark and evil? I'm trying to find one, but I can't find any that's a really good fit.

Why, Pelor of course.. I mean my personal favorite idea, is that Pelor is actually an evil deity, biding his time until he can take over the world from the other deities. Sort of like Thakisis. I mean it's the perfect disguise really, who actually cares about Pelor? So he just sits around waiting for the opportunity to strike, and then BAM! He'll take over the world. Or destroy it, I'm particularly fond of the notion that he's Therizdun (sp?).

But, you say, Pelor turns undead, how can he be evil? Pelor is obviously just anti-undead, like St. Cuthbert. Especially if he's Therizdun, then he's anti-undead because they represent a step backwards in the destruction of all things.

And what's this you say? Access to the domains that Therizdun doesn't possess? The answer lies in Deity-less clerics. They can use domains of their choice, obviously Clerics of Pelor are deity-less clerics who believe in the same "false" deity, the Persona of Pelor.

And there's my crack-pot conspiracy theory that Pelor is evil, boiled down to the shelliest, nuttiest, nutshell.