I found it fascinating that so long as you pay tribute or believe in something that you give it power. You can wake up and be thankful for the colors of the sunrise and warmth of the rays. And, even though you don't worship the sun god, you've given them power just by thanking someting they have domain over.
That dead gods floating in the astral plain, protected by Anubis himself, can just wake up because someone found and old tome of worship and decided they liked the sound of it.
That, new gods can accend just by accident if too many people show them attention or if they invent something new by mistake.
That when you kill a god, you're marked, and you either take up their role or burst at the seems from the power. You could also get hunted by the other gods for it, because now your a threat or maybe they want the power. Because, if a god kills a god , they absorb the domain. But, if the dead god revives then that causes complications. You either have to share or fight for it.
The thought that clerics, warlocks, paladins, and eldritch knights do really have their own magic. They borrow everything they use. It's their own mana limits that they're pullin g from, but not their own soul. So, don't dare cross the god who gave you your gifts. Don't dare stray from your path, instructions or alignment. Becaue, what they give can be just as easily ripped away.
And, that aasimars can be personified, living magic. A sculpture crafted, and emissary summoned, made from their god's divine. Two years old, but a full adult with all the knowledge they need for their main core focus, their goal or quest which is the only reason they exist. But, then they can also be born? That they just are the celestial version of a teifling in some cases. Very mortal, "human" with their thoughts and emotions, but dealing with the strength of their other half.
Okay, so this one I'm jumping in because literally just today I was trying to design two religions to use in an upcoming campaign I'm the DM for. Coming from a religious background, I was trying to think what the core tenets of these religions would be, and then it hit me that they're not required to have any serious core tenets, other than appreciation for a particular aspect of life. I also had to stop myself from thinking in terms of good and bad, and think more in terms of both sides thinking that they are doing what is best for the people around them, and that they are legitimately trying to help everyone have a better life by the way that they worship these particular deities.
That's the thing about D&D; there is no good and bad. I mean, obviously there is, but the spilt is all wrong. Asmodeous can canonically weild Excalibur, but there are good aligned dieties who can't. Teiflings are only "evil" because they're outcasted by society for their heritage of devils or demons. (Yes, there's a difference between devils and demons in D&D. Devils are from the hells. Demons, or tanari, are from the abyss. Both are classified as fiend for game balance's sake.) But, aasimars are blessed and a god send, even though they can be of eldritch making a well.
In my opinion, which no one asked for, there is no difference between clerics/paladins and warlock/eldritch knights when it comes to good or bad. The only difference to me is how the bond was forged. Clerics and Paladins devote themselves fully to a set of beliefs; they live their lives that way. And, that could be because of the smallest things, like the sun or music in the air. You can absolutely have clerics of Asmodeous or a paladin of the Demigorgon, so long as they are a devoted follower who doesn't care to gain anything or pay back a debt. Warlocks and Eldritch knights make pacts; they make deals. I'll do this for you, you give this power to me, and then I can use this power for my own goals as well. It's an exchange. So, if Mystra needs some idiot making tenth level spells killed, she could absolutely temporarily recruit. If a god grants very few followers power to begin with, like Auril, then it would almost make more sense for them to have warlocks, not clerics. Because you have to prove yourself; you have to do something for them first. It isn't just a reward for your devotion.
And, I'd like to clarify that this doesn't just apply to the gods. Titans, eldritch horrors, great wyrms, arch fae, krakens as old as time. Anything that's strong enough; anything which is shown worship or offered a binding contract. So long as they have the magic for another being to pull from, they can forge that connection.
And, gods and arch fey and the lords of the abyss and devil lords all have such varying domains. there is a domain for everything, just look it up. Leahrue of unicorns. Mab of air and darkness. Ion of knowledge. Belzabub of pestilence. Lolth of spiders. Mask of trickery. Loki of deception. Thor of thunder. Anubis the protector of death. Ao of all creation. Titania the fey queen. You, the creator, are a viable god.
Don't ask good or bad. It's the actions of the characters that define their alignment, not just what they worship. Because I could be a paladin of Bhaal of murder, but only ever kill bad people. Create your gods with domains that feel fitting. They can have more than one, and they can overlap with others. Because in D&D, whatever you give power then has power to give you in return.
There are gods with rules, but not all off them. In D&D they're rarely that controling. Mystra has forbidden magic above ninth level for mortals. Lolth requires a very dedicated practice, but Elistreea only requires you to dance and give joy. Auril requires chasity and usually only blesses women. Malar blesses lycanthropes and has a holiday were they hunt abusive men. (Which is terribly ironic give Malar's track record.) And, so many of them twist their rules, so long as it benifits them. And, that's when they decide, "Should I bless them as a cleric or a warlock?"
See, I'm relatively new to DnD. So a lot of the lore with the deities eludes me still. I only have wound up DMing because I'm the one in my little friend group with the most experience.
I'm other words, I'm frantically taking notes over here XD
(Not me just subtly watching this, lol… I honestly know a fair amount of lore with the DnD pantheon, but only through reading the novels [namely the Legend of Drizzt Saga]. I’ve technically never actually played DnD… yet, grin)
(I wish I had access to all of the novels! I love drow culture and lore so much!)
I by no means know everything. I only played for three years straight, then my group crumpled. But, I've done research and watched a lot of videos. Ultimitly, everything is up to dm's descretion; the number one rule is have fun. I myself have pulled together 1e through 5e lore; I like to knit it all together. They often rewrite and remove things to make the game more balanced or certain entities easier to fight. As a result, we lose so much epic lore and beautiful powers.
If there are any particular pantheon questions, give me a shout. If I don't know, I love looking into these things. This applies to anything about D&D really.
(Same here, lol! I actually have the entire Drizzt series. I haven’t read the newest trilogy yet though. I plan to eventually, but IRL stuff… But, I’ve also been trying to expand into the Elminster and Erevis Cale sagas. Plus a couple others that I’m researching. I love the characters/stories as much as the world/pantheon lore, hehehe)
(I saw them out in the wild at a yardsale once, but I wasn't deep into it all yet. My " 'I'm not your dad.' But then maybe he should stop acting like it" figure grew up reading the books. So, he pulls from those whenever we talk about D&D.)
