Alright I am really curious what gods people like and why. There are just so many with all these interloping lores and sweet stories.. so who is your favorite good, neutral, and then evil god.
For me? Good: Torm, the generation of orphans he made fighting Bane is one of the coolest stories I can think of for a good deity.
Neutral: Hoar, what a guy, Lord of vengeance Slayer of gods. I enjoy how dynamic and real he feels. That and the constant tug between good and evil gods that he courts intrigues me. Oh and who can't dig that he talks with beshaba and tymora for his own raw sense of justice.
Evil: Bane, man, the epitome of evil and a story of human ambition all in one. This guy stole Ao's tablet of fates in his desire for ascension. That is freaking awesome. His pragmatic evil is something I feel really fits with his ambitions. I also love the idea of whispered prayers echoing eternally in his zhentil temple. That is just cool.
I like Eilistraee a lot, Lolth is intersting too. Good and evil, daughter and mother. The only redemption of the Drow.
Beside that I think I like the Ravenloft gods of Ezra and Morning Lord. Bit different mutations all those gods from Faerun overall. But those gods are impossible to follow here since they are Ravenloft only and that is a prison plane pretty much for the wicked bastards.
EDIT: Not sure I really have a neutral one. So evil and good is covered but not neutral!
I go with Shevarash. A Elven god of Vengeance is just awesome.
_________________ Plays: Sylveera : Sun Elven fury packed in an Arcane Archer, not a Drow, promise. Tetrik : Greed incarnate in a Duergar. Budly : Has gone to a better place. Barrililath : Shadowy Drow, probably less Drow than Sylv ever be.
Last edited by Budly on Tue, Jan 24 2017, 22:02 PM, edited 1 time in total.
Joined: 20 Apr 2008 Location: The downeaster "Alexa"
It's hard for me to think of a god that I like, given there is much about FR's system for godhood that I dislike. Mainly that it's so clear-cut(Ao either says you are or you aren't) and that there are so damn many deities, but they all operate by the exact same divine rules(largely a symptom of the first point).
There are gods who I think have interesting stories, though. I enjoy Torm's story during the ToT, specifically him in Tantras. His lion-headed avatar, the lion statue, and coming to the rescue of his faithful remind me very much of Narasimha. This worked well with the idea of a wrath and dharma-themed paladin, and so Zammikyra was created as a Tormite.
Mystra I find interesting only through the possibilities for sects and cults that could exist to her, however unexplored they are in FR. I like the idea of science-as-religion and magic-as-religion for much the same reason I like WH40k's lore for the Warp, the Emperor of Mankind, and the Adeptus Mechanicus. In the case of her actual cannon, Mystryl, Mystra, and Midnight, I actually dislike her a lot, because she is basically only there to be used as a lever to pull and explain changing game rules. The eternal shoehorn. But inasmuch as there is potential for new twists on what she is, her nature, and how people can choose to venerate her, I at least like the concept of her, despite my gripes with how she is actually presented.
_________________
You think Magic is your ally... but you merely adopted the Art. He was born in it. Molded by it. Sometimes, an angel is simply a devil with better intentions.
In no particular order: Bane, because ruthless law and order Lolth, because LOLTH TLU MALLA Hoar, because the goddamned Batman And idk for Good, really, lol
_________________ Whomst've'll'd'mn't I play: Salema Nefahri::A penny for your thots Zrae'a'stra'fryn::That which nightmares are made of Khasir::From the East a storm is coming
Tymora: Because being lucky is better than being good sometimes. I think she's a good godess that motivates adventurers, especially ones looking for "the big score". I think it's a fun god to have, but not necessarily one that drives a hard agenda. Some PCs are good for that.
Selune: Goddess of the moon with a healthy dose of vengeance. Can be interpreted many different ways, and allows for heresies in the faith, which means PCs and players don't feel pigeonholed into a certain sort of RP (BANE. TYR. TIAMAT. LOVIATAR. VELSAHROON.) that other deities can come across like. She can be redemptive or vengeful, reactive or proactive, and these things can drive a PC as well as bring intra-faith issues.
Neutral:
Hoar: For many of the same reasons as Selune. His dogma allows many types of characters to be motivated but individualistic and allows for intra-faith RP and complexity based on this fact. He's a well thought out deity.
Shaundakul: Fuck if I know why, to be totally honest with you. I think the fact that he's a deity who takes such an investment into his mortal charges, going so far as to manifest personally to induct new members of the faith, and having his avatar fight demons alongside his knightly order, is extremely cool. I think his fluxes in power being so directly tied to his love for his worshippers, compared to other deities who remain powerful, but by comparison hardly intervene, is an interesting contrast in FR, especially given the ToT and the lessons it tried to teach.
Kelemvor: I think Kelemvor is interesting largely because I think it's interesting that the god of death isn't a boring grim reaper analogue. Myrkul is boring, sorry. I think he's a clever inversion of the classical "God of Death" stereotype.
Leira: She's a dead deity but I think she's a neat idea, and the very idea of worshipping the goddess of lies and deception raises alot of questions (haha...) among their followers, like the fact that if the Goddess of Lies sends you a vision: What the fuck do you do? HER JOB IS LYING.
Deneir: I think the god of glyph, runes, and knowledge would be a cool thing to play in PnP where you're sort of int his compact with the DM that says "I made a character like this, so it's reasonably understood that I'll come across things that make me relevant." In a world like Amia, where this sort of "expertise" or spell capability isn't as readily available, he definitely loses a lot of his luster compared to some of the more traditional gods of magic like Azuth, Savras, and Mystra.
Evil:
Beshaba: Same reason as Tymora. Beshaba owns, top tier evil god.
Talos: I just like lightning, this is totally a personal bias choice, I just think he owns.
Ghaunadar: Sort of the same deal as Talos. I think the mystical God of Monsters and Things That Lurk is a neat idea. I think he's over-represented in just oozes and would like if he also had some sway among other monster types that more typically have their own perfect pantheons rather than just undead stuff - sort of like Rovagug from Pathfinder. If I was going to do a monstrous horrific PC, I would definitely worship Ghaunadar.
Bane gets an honorable mention just for being iconic, but I don't really have any great love for The Tyrant. I think PCs on Amia have done the guy way more justice than I ever could, so I'll let them take care of that. I think we could have done a lot worse than repping Bane as our Big Bad Evil.
_________________ Davion Telemos - Monk of the Four Winds Korthan Isharnos - Dragon Shaman of Thunder Spirit Zamasham
Joined: 12 Nov 2015 Location: The belly of the beast
Jubilex: What's not to like about a pile of ooze, covered in eyes that is all but impossible to kill, curses his enemies with a ravenous, unyielding hunger and shacks up with the mushroom queen. Wolololo
_________________ Jace Fenneril: Cleric of Sharess.
Joined: 29 Jul 2007 Location: Norway: Home of the Trolls
Mask - Because all the manipulations and shit he's done while messing with the gods, especially while he was Godsbane. He's the proverbial stick in the wheel.
_________________ Adair - Druid and part time treant cosplayer
Cyric is definitely cool. Self made man there. No freebies like jergal unto the dead three. His madness and his followers madness is something I have always found daunting to ever attempt to RP. At least as a devout of his. He himself seems to be a sociopath and megalomaniac. What is curious to me is how followers shifted to him from Bane in his absence. Is it the one true God and absolute servitude that enticed Bane's faithful or was it the portfolio aspects that cyric stole (strife) that drew them.
I legit wish I knew why in lore that was a big thing.
I tend to be very inconsistent with that. I found the clergy of Myrkul interesting, as described in Faiths and Avatars (or whatever that 2e book is), becauae they seem to deal with their grim reaper in a very strange way. It seemed to me like they were greedy bastards leeching off Myrkul.
Then Moander. I mean, rot, fire, evil seems like a good combination. Sentient moving piles of rotting things? Awesome!
Mask. Reasons already explained. Amd because he unites so many characters. Thieves, Assassins, all kinds of rogues, etc. Similar almost of Shar, because darkness, but Mask doesn't have as much betrayal and sadness in him.
Vhaeraun. I don't know. I like him. *shrugs*
Nuetral I really wouldn't be sure. The list is too long and too short at the same time. I'd like Ibrandul, but 2e. I like shaundakul because travel, Red Knight because Lawful WM god...
My all time favourite would have to be Selvetarm. Unlike most deities his origin story actually does have a bit of meat to it; a tale of corruption, of being caught between opposing moral forces, setting out with good intentions and ultimately falling to corruption. But more than that, he represents what I see as a conscientious rejection of drow society without opposition; the rest of the Dark Seldarine is all about secrecy and treachery, regardless of whether or not they're a part of the established order. Followers of Selvetarm reject this pointless infighting in favour of devoting themselves to kicking tremendous amounts of arse on the battlefield. They strengthen not only themselves, but their society by refusing to partake of the fundamentally flawed social structure. They remain nominally part of the mainstream, in order to avoid simply being a nuisance.
There are a couple evil gods I'm fond of, like Mask, though among the neutrals/goods it's a bit harder to pick the standouts. A lot of them are really samey or just don't stand for anything interesting. Garagos is up there for me, being a no-frills sort of war god not based upon the imaginary ideal of valour (and an underdog, kinda have a soft spot for those), but he is otherwise a less interesting Selvetarm for surface-dwellers.
I'm gonna have to put Dallah Thaun up there; being the Chaotic Neutral shadow of her Lawful Good, pantheon-chief counterpart, I like the idea of her emergence from Yondalla as the one who does the dirty work for the greater good of her people. It makes the narrative of the pantheon slightly more interesting than a gaggle of goodly shortstacks who have never been corrupted or have anything interesting happen in their history. Which to be fair is kind of the point of halflings (although Ghostwise have their bit, and so on). Oh, the ultra-secrecy of her cult is pretty cool too and works well with the insularity factor of halflings.
Honourable mention to Helm for being in the not-so-exclusive Mystra-killing club I guess.
Lliira: She's one of the dieties that often goes forgotton on Amia, except by Kurchin, but Lliira is the god that commands the sphere of joy. When you're happy, she keeps you happy. You dream about it. She lets you remember it when you're down. She's... important, really. Which is why she's a god. If she died, people would essentially... Become greyer and loose a part of themselves.
I like Lliira, due to being an exemplar of a rather primal force. I could care less for truth and justice when I'm miserable, I only want one thing. To be happy.
Neutral:
Waukeen: She seems like a pretty respectable god; she's essentially about using wealth for the betterment of civilisation. Also personal achievement and plenty. However, the reason she's my favourite is that her weapon of choice is the most hiliarious thing I have read for a while:-
Quote:
Her weapon of choice was a pummeling stream of gold coins that emitted from either hand (the coins did not disappear, so they could also be given as a boon). The coin cloud acted like a +5 impact evil outsider bane nunchaku. In addition, she could either spit molten gold up to 6 ft (1.8 m) or call down a flame strike that resembled a conflagration wrapped in a rotating helix of gold coins (which did disappear afterward) on any creature within 200 ft (61 m). Rather than fly she chose to walk on air, levitating and appearing to take strides as she moved.
Death by taxes. >:D
Evil:
Beshaba: I first ran into Beshaba in a PnP Campaign, I had no idea who she was or why one of her Wormlucks was demanding we offer her praise. In the early days of Forgotton Realms I refused to read the DM sections of the book so everything about the setting would remain this new and wonderous thing, so I was blissfully unaware of who I'd just slighted by saying my own god would protect me. The priest cast his hand toward my character and told me I'd 'feel her scorn'. I rolled a will save, failed it and the DM described a slightly cold feeling of dread. Nothing more. For the next few hours I experienced the horror of debuffs for the first time, I couldn't hit anything, my damage got worse! I was incapable of handling skill rolls in a pinch. . . I asked our party cleric if she knew who Beshaba was and she luckily passed her skill check on religion. My character secretly prayed to her begging for mercy and I had a very cool quest line as a result.
I like Beshaba for her undiluted spite, her allure, her wits. She's quick tongued, sarcastic and insidious. Secondly, her brand of evil is very different from most, it's hard to spot at first. It's that beggar on the street corner, once a wealthy merchant. It's the sailor who can't seem to find North, and his cargo spoils before getting to port. It's the general who was shot through the eye slit in his helmet; the army that never came home from war. She revels in her dark power over fortune. Also... her origin story with Tyche splitting in two is pretty damn cool.
Lliira: She's one of the dieties that often goes forgotton on Amia, except by Kurchin, but Lliira is the god that commands the sphere of joy. When you're happy, she keeps you happy. You dream about it. She lets you remember it when your down. She's... important, really. Which is why she's a god. If she died, people would essentially... Become greyer and loose a part of themselves.
I like Lliira, due to being an exemplar of a rather primal force. I could care less for truth and justice when I'm miserable, I only want one thing. To be happy.
Good Mielikki - She's a boss, really. Her druids are often confused for rangers and they can wear metal (unlike any other druid). Very fun druid/ranger deity.
Evil Lolth - I could go on for days about Lolth because her story is a great one. When I first made a drow I wanted to learn more about the spider queen.. it's a shockingly sad story of how Lolth really became what she is 'today'. It makes you feel like she has a greater drive other than 'lol evil'. You get really attached to her and actually do feel bad for what she had to go through. Seriously, go read her story.
Leira has always been my favorite. There's just something cool about a dead goddess of lies still worshiped by cultists who believe her death is her greatest lie.
1) Dallah Thaun: Such a complex goddess, when you consider she and Yondalla are always linked together. Justifies generally good people sometimes doing arguably bad things, for good reasons. She is proof that not everything has to be Black and White when faced with Good and Evil within the FRCS.
2) Kurtulmak: The fluff is what I like most about him. He kind of has a whole "Evil Buddha" thing going on, if you consider the Kobold belief in reincarnation. Plus, he absolutely hates Gnomes about as much as I abhor the NWN stock model choice for Gnomes. (Seriously, those arms are absolutely ridiculous. They're supposed to look like mini-Elves, not Hin/Orangutan hybrids, but I digress.)
3) Io: A not so rude, scaly dude. He has a super inclusive dogma, and while full clerics of his are rare, they're a bit more common than Ao's, which I have taken to mean he cares about mortals with Draconic lineage, at least a little. Pretty cool in my book.
4) Araushnee (Lolth): Her story is an in-Realms cautionary tale of the greed and corruption that can come with power.
5) Bhaal: Like many of us, I too played the Baldur's Gate saga. As a result I just have a bit of a nostalgic soft spot for the dead god of murder.
_________________ Eli Hodgewall<{/,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X Sven<=={o===========> Qeelak\ | / ,
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 13 guests
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum