What if the only gods in your campaign setting were the freaks at the top of the Fiend Folio food chain?
Lolth - Spider Queen of Demons
Cryonax - Prince of Freezing Blood and Shattering Ice
Imix - Prince of All-Consuming Flame
Ogrémoch -Prince of Crushing Stone
Olhydra - Princess of the Drowning Waters
Yan-C-Bin - Invisible Prince of Thunder and Lightning
Ssendam - Lord of Insanity
Ygorl - Lord of Entropy
I think that would be a pretty gruesome set-up. No deity is particularly beneficent towards mankind, instead cultic practices would lean towards the warding off/begging for mercy school of worship. Also, the high priest Kyuss (of the "Sons of ...") would probably be a revered figure in the temples of his master Ygorl.
And I might actually give a crap about that stooge Ogrémoch.
PoP!
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I have drawn three pieces today, and this -- with no hint of irony or
self-deprecation -- is the best of them all.
That's be an interesting, albeit dark, campaign setting :)
ReplyDeleteAnything elemental-themed is always good ;3
ReplyDeleteThe pantheon says a lot about the campaign; how directly gods are involved, how quantifiable they are, how comprehensive they are expected to be, who the big dogs are, and so on. I think the one you've sketched out would make for a great Swords and Sandals setting--like Conan, praying to Crom, "and if you don't listen, to hell with you!" Not a lot of high expectations for protection, but instead the idea gods are alien...
ReplyDeleteI've just finished making up a pantheon for Old School Hack with each god offering unique spells (that tells you something about how the gods work, too, how much magic they share in common), so pantheons have been on my mind lately. http://fictivefantasies.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/fictives-portable-pantheon-2012.pdf
(I have to post with my google account, it won't accept my wordpress account...)
It's got a great sword & sorcery vibe.
ReplyDeleteHell, go all the way: the only monsters in the campaign are ones from the Fiend Folio. No goblins, just nilbogs.
These guys could also be good chaotic deities opposing the Church of Law in my next campaign. Thanks, Jeff!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting idea. Mythology must be on the blogger brain of late. I have been doing a lot of European mythology research, and it is interesting to trace the commonalities and history of Hittite, Germanic, Norse, Indian myths. Slowly writting up various posts starting with Children of Odin
ReplyDeleteAs for elementals, I have been reading about BFRPG Stormbringer and its interesting magic system revolving around summoning elementals to produce spell like effects.
I'm thinking Ygorl would be the "best" choice. Once entropy destroyed the whole universe, you might end up with better options . . . ;)
ReplyDeleteOgremoch is the Kool-Aid Man of D&D.
ReplyDeleteThe cyanide-laced Kool-Aid Man.
DeleteThis would be the greatest universe ever.
ReplyDeleteThat would be in the same ballpark as Carcosa.
ReplyDeletepoor Ogremoch. Just underlines the importance of art in stimulating the imagination. I wonder how many of the "classic" d&d monsters might have been overlooked if a different artist had been assigned (and more interestingly, which overlooked ones might have actually been recognized as cool monsters).
ReplyDeleteThis is so common that when I hear other gamers telling some setting is unique, imaginative non-standard fantasy it translates as it has really good illustrations.
Deletethis sounds like a crazy mash-up of your favourite edition of D&D with call of cthulhu. in fact, i think "swords against the outer dark" (http://swordandsanity.blogspot.com/) attempts to do just that.
ReplyDeleteTwo big thumbs up for the Folian Mythos!
ReplyDeleteThat's a campaign world in a nutshell right there.
ReplyDeleteThat's an amazying idea and I believe that Blood of Prokopius is working on a similar premise.
ReplyDeleteThere's definitely cross-pollination with the work being done on Prokopius.
DeleteGreat idea, would work perfectly for a Crypts & Things Campaign!
ReplyDeleteI like it. I actually really like Ogremoch - great name, sounds ominous, dangerous stats and cool summoned minions. He just looks goofy. Make him less Stay Puft and he'd be just fine.
ReplyDeleteOgremoch is the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man of this pantheon.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking that would be some gods worth having around. Also? I intially did not read "shattering ice" as shattering ice, but something that had most of the same letters.
ReplyDeleteThere's something I like about ogremoch, like his avatar is the equivilent of "what? I'm wearing pants ain't I? Oh suddenly I'm the bad guy, because I'm not taking this seriously? Fuck this noise, I'm hung over"
I think you might also get something interesting if you just used the Monster manual for your campaign mythology.
ReplyDeleteDragons:
Bahamut
Tiamat
Demons:
Demogorgon
Orcus
Juiblex
Yeenoghu
Devils:
Asmodeus
Baalzebul
Dispater
Geryon
You sort of wind up with a world where Bahamut is fighting alone, probably a losing battle, against Tiamat and her demon and devil allies.
If you wanted more in the MM mythology, I guess the vaguely described Djinni Caliph, Efreeti Sultan, elemental lords, and titans could be used as an add-on.
I used the Lords of Elemental Evil to daydream a little about an alternate planar set-up.
ReplyDeleteI like that worshippers of the Spider Queen would do most things "for the Lolth". :D
ReplyDelete