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Thread: Why aren't there more gods?
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2021-05-05, 03:31 PM (ISO 8601)
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- May 2015
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- Germany
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Re: Why aren't there more gods?
The main risk for newly ascended deities is that their concept might not exist in the next world, I think.
Sure, messengers, beauty and stuff are universal, so as long as they can bridge the time between worlds they're fine.
Racial gods though? Like Dwalin, the Elven Gods or the Dark one?
If Rat decides to revive the "cyberpunk animals" thing or Marduk wants another food based setting or Odin goes for shapeshifting warforged they're out of luck.
Makes me wonder how Tiamat is still around though.
Not every world can have had dragons.
On the other hand Monkey threw ninjas into a generic western fantasy setting, so as long as they stay in theme dragons can probably be pretty broad a category.
He's a pantheon of one, so he kinda has to.
Even if it's just killing the emissaries of other gods."If it lives it can be killed.
If it is dead it can be eaten."
Ronkong Coma "the way of the bookhunter" III Catacombium
(Walter Moers "Die Stadt der träumenden Bücher")
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2021-05-05, 03:46 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2020
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- Right behind you
Re: Why aren't there more gods?
....Except the entire plot hinges on the fact that the Dark One has a unique quiddity, because he's the only member of his "pantheon". It's literally impossible for him to belong to a known pantheon, and unless there's suddenly a bunch of purple gods that never appeared/weren't ever mentioned before that undermine the entire plotline, I doubt he's part of a new one.
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2021-05-05, 04:33 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2013
Re: Why aren't there more gods?
Oh yeah- forgot about the unique colour xD
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2021-05-05, 04:51 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2017
Re: Why aren't there more gods?
There's a lot of explanations for why there aren't more Gods in the world. Along with the attrition that Thor talk about, Gods fight amongst each other, and its unlikely the evil Gods would necessarily go easy on the new guy. Minor Gods might willingly give up existence out of despair, or in the hopes of keeping their idea alive with a higher Deity (My Headcanon now for the Elven Pantheon; in a previous fantasy world, the Western Pantheon had sponsored a bunch of Elven demigods, but none of them survived the pause till the next world. In their memory, the Western Pantheons more Lawful Gods agreed that they'd open up demigod sponsorship to elves whenever they did fantasy worlds, so elves could have their own worship and religion as they were meant to.)
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2021-05-05, 05:08 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2013
Re: Why aren't there more gods?
Not every world will have dragons as we would recognise them. But it doesn't have to be literally dragons either. I think we should think more in the realms of concept than physical beings. I don't know what the snack based food world equivalent of dragon is, but am sure it exists and Tiamat is the 7, 9? headed goddess of hot kebab pizzas with lots of sriracha or something. I guess Fenrir made e-coli bacteria for that world.
This is also why I think the elven gods predate the current world. Some fantasy world had them. And the concept of elves is recycled each time thereafter.
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2021-05-05, 07:56 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2008
Re: Why aren't there more gods?
Where are the Mesoamerican Gods? The Egyptian Gods? I see a Babylonian God or two with Ereshkigal being there. But if Ereshkigal is there, where's Ishtar and company?
D&D had a gigantic number of Gods to play with, like Bast, etc.
There may be three or four Quiddities, but the pantheons may have more Gods than that.
I mean, you have the Chinese zodiac gods, or a pastiche of them. Does that mean Tsukuyomi isn't around, too? Or Amaterasu?
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2021-05-05, 07:59 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2020
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2021-05-05, 08:08 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2011
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Re: Why aren't there more gods?
Here, but she's mentioned in... a bit of an unpleasant context.
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2021-05-05, 08:08 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2020
Re: Why aren't there more gods?
This might not always be true. Odin is still top of the Northern pantheon, but he's been badly weakened by how the last world went. It's possible he's the leader of it in this world solely out of respect for tradition by the other northern gods. Additionally (though we don't have basis for comparison beyond the northerners of the last world being able to get away with dismissing magic) this world doesn't seem especially like the product of a process where the god of magic had unusually little say in the design. Maybe the other pantheons have other voices for magic, maybe it actually is pretty low-magic as compared with most other worlds the gods have made, or maybe this is also the other gods recognizing that Odin's impairment is temporary and honoring what he would have pushed for had he been up to the task.
Last edited by Thales; 2021-05-05 at 08:08 PM.
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2021-05-05, 08:22 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2017
Re: Why aren't there more gods?
It might be that some of the sillier parts of the world were when Odins turn didn't coincide with his more lucid moments.
Odin: my turn? OK, fruit pie sorcerer!
Thor: *sigh* sure thing dad.
Tyr: he did specify only one of those, right?
Odin: yes, but he can only be slain by one who rejects his delicious goods!
Tyr: *nudges Fenris* any chance you could add fruit intolerances to goblins?
Fenris: y-b-fff... Why are you acting like we owe each other favours!?
Tyr: is that a yes or a no?
Fenris: they're already fruit intolerant so stop talking to me!
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2021-05-06, 08:22 AM (ISO 8601)
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- May 2015
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- Texas
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Re: Why aren't there more gods?
Avatar by linklele. How Teleport Worksa. Malifice (paraphrased):
Rulings are not 'House Rules.' Rulings are a DM doing what DMs are supposed to do.
b. greenstone (paraphrased):
Agency means that they {players} control their character's actions; you control the world's reactions to the character's actions.
Second known member of the Greyview Appreciation Society
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2021-05-06, 11:30 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2011
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- Virginia
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2021-05-07, 12:07 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Feb 2019
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- Russia, Siberia
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Re: Why aren't there more gods?
Thor mentions he could kill The Dark One immediately after the latter's ascencion if not for Loki. While fights between pantheons are limited by snarls (unless there's a huge difference in power, so one side is killed before the snarl can form), fights inside pantheons may be a thing, contributing to a turnover rates.
Also, I think old gods purviews are deliberately broad - basically, Tiamat can either create a type of beings, declare them dragons and morph into their believed form regardless of the setting, and/or holds other, more universal positions, like avarice, tyranny, vengeance and seawater.
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2021-05-20, 02:56 PM (ISO 8601)
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- May 2015
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- Texas
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Re: Why aren't there more gods?
Avatar by linklele. How Teleport Worksa. Malifice (paraphrased):
Rulings are not 'House Rules.' Rulings are a DM doing what DMs are supposed to do.
b. greenstone (paraphrased):
Agency means that they {players} control their character's actions; you control the world's reactions to the character's actions.
Second known member of the Greyview Appreciation Society
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2021-05-21, 09:25 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2018
- Location
- Nice try FBI
- Gender
Re: Why aren't there more gods?
I’m honestly leaning very strongly for 3, because there actually is a reason.
Its a DnD parody, and DnD specifically has rules for gods and ascension. That seems to me like it would make for ideal god-creating conditions.
Perhaps ascensions were never allowed (or at least very difficult) and then when they made the DnD parody world they decided, “since it’s in the rules, we might as well add it” not thinking much of it.Homebrew setting: UnintensifiedFailure's Setting Please check it out, I'd love feedback.
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