POP-001 - The Pantheon of Gods

I'm starting to piece together the Pantheon of Gods for the Lost Temple. It ain't much of a temple without a god or gods to worship. In this case, these gods became lost when the temple was abandoned so the PC's will not have any knowledge of them. 

The first god is going to represent liminal spaces. While he is not the most important God in the Pantheon, he is the vehicle behind the PC's ability to explore this magical place. Rather uncreatively, I've been thinking of naming him Lumo. I'll probably come up with something better. Lumo is a placeholder for now.

The term "liminal space" is new to me. This post is talking me through the idea. 

"Liminal spaces" refer to transitional or in-between spaces that are not easily defined or categorized. These are places where boundaries between different realms, states, or stages of being become blurred or permeable, creating a sense of ambiguity or uncertainty. Examples of liminal spaces include doorways, thresholds, bridges, crossroads, and shorelines, as well as certain times of day (such as dawn and dusk) or stages of life (such as adolescence).

This abandoned temple is somewhat like El Castillo, Chichen Itza. At least, that's what I've modeled the cover image after. I have come to discover that pyramids are really very boring as dungeons. They don't have many, if any rooms. El Castillo challenges my understanding of the pyramid dungeon as it was built on top of other structures. It does have interior spaces that have nothing to do with being a pyramid or temple. These would be an example of a liminal space, crossing from one time period to another or one function to another. 

Now this will require a modification of my original idea, adding long tunnels around the perimeter of the pyramid. These would serve as an entry point to the older temples, a sort of dungeon space, and a way into the vertical shafts. 

And Lumo has always been a part of this culture from the beginning. He is a prime mover here. Where these spaces exist, he is able to exist. 

In The Revenants of the Lost Temple, he will play a special, unique role in a modified wandering monster mechanic. The fun part of this is the player characters will have the ability to control the wandering monster rolls. It is simple and intuitive, while also creating an atmosphere of dread. 

I can't wait to get this thing released. I can't wait to create several other gods to join the heroes in their quest. 

POP-001 - The Pantheon of Gods

Welcome back. Tick-tick-tick! The counter is down to 90 days. What do I got? 

A lot more and less than what I need. First, let me do a shout-out to Evlyn Moreau over on Dice.Camp. You can also find her on:

patreon.com/evlynmoreau
https://ko-fi.com/M4M85ZSV
https://evlyn.itch.io

She sent me a collection of jungle-theme images, which will go in POP-001. So I'd better get this thing done. 

One item that stands out in this work is that I must devise a pantheon of gods. Typically, I don't do whole pantheons of gods in my campaigns. I let the players tell me about what gods they know. 

It's easier that way. The alternative is: "Hey... can you fit your character in this tiny box you can see? Perfect!" 

When roughing out a campaign, I will typically have the barest minimum of divine beings. I'll have one God of Light, one of Dark, one in between, and one alternative choice that doesn't fit within these three groups. The last category is for the first NPC cleric or druid the characters encounter and it is a hint that the players can be creative in what they believe. 

When I have a city where a large number of different people reside, there is a Temple Row. I keep the gods non-descript unless someone asks me about them. Invariably, the players will come up with a god that won't fit any of my description and I will have to wing it.  

I personally love this trick. 

As the players search the Temple Row, they will not find a temple to their god but they will have a feeling that they are in the presence of something powerful and familiar. If they continue searching, they will find a place that feels right. An NPC will mention this is "the place of the lost ones" and if the character makes an offering or prayer in this space, they will find a path to their God's temple. For a while, they will be able to interact on a personal level with this space, describing it to me. When they have given me a good idea of what it is like, I let them leave. As they exit, that temple, their temple bends and warps reality until it becomes real. Even if the row, the road, the city, or even the world itself has to get bigger to accommodate it. 

Players often find this experience wonderful. 

An AI rendering of a Moon Goddess

This is a consequence of my trying not to impose my will on the players, nor waste time creating stuff that will never be used. It's cool if the players hop right into my world, but I can't expect this outcome and need to invoke a bit of magic. 

Revenants of the Lost Temple must be different than what I am used to doing. I lead with "its a temple". It must follow that I must have gods here. These creatures will be cameo actors to be sure as the module is created for first to third-level characters. I need them to be unique avatars for a whole culture that vanished. 

I have selected a couple of ideas for them to embody. A goddess of the sea, a god of the land, a goddess of the Moon, and a god of the Earth. That sounds like a good AI photo prompt. 

It's pretty... pretty much not what I wanted. As I flesh these beings out, I will post updates over on my Ko-Fi page. Why don't you follow me there?