Fireheart

You beat me to it. I had a very similar idea the first moment I thought about possible gods! A god who has forgotten about his godhood (for example by another god's curse) and thinks he lives just a normal life while his every whim has some tremendous consequences elsewhere on the planet. Would open up hilarious (or very serious) plot possibilities. Or a god who tries to renounce his godhood and lives as a hermit in constant meditation. Maybe because he has brought great suffering when meaning well - and now does not want to be involved into mortal affairs any more. Yet, he is the only one with the power to [plot element]. The player could then try to reason with him... with a chance to get him involved again - OR be convinced by said god that the [plot element] is best achieved without godly intervention, because only more conflict and harm would arise from it. EDIT: That last idea would also blend in very neatly with Blob's idea of a God of Humility.

Exactly what Chris Avellone said. Make relationships include all shades of human interactions and emotions.

Personally, I loathe the whole amnesia approach. It has been SO overdone. KotoR 1, Kotor 2, PST, New Vegas, heck even Bioshock. What bothers me most is that it burdens the player: All the roleplaying I do is completely dependent on some thoughts I have come up with on how my character is like. There are no ties in the actual gameworld that explain (and sometimes enforce) a certain decision. I can change my past and character at the blink of an eye - and that means I have to constantly hold on to the character image I created, there is no other element in the game that helps me with that. Then - I'm really baffled on how most posters claim there is no freedom of choice with a given background. That is just not true. Anyone of us could just quit her or his job in the real world any day and go on an adventure, say in central Africa. We probably won't do so, because.... But if we did so nevertheless, it would make for a lot more interesting adventure than waking up in central Africa with Amnesia. A king's son can opt to become a hermit against all resistance. A wizard guild member can stay true to his guild or rebel against it. What I'm trying to say is: A given background does not restrict your choices or roleplaying - it makes them a lot more interesting because of just that background you are making them on (or against).

I love the idea! It appeals to me way more than the KotoR notion of having a strong influence on almost every party member. There should be a lot of interaction and dialogue with all members, maybe even a "bonding meter" or some such. But I'd prefer a mixture of very strong personalities on one hand - like e.g. Dak'kon from PST who will stay true to himself no matter what and maybe even influence me more than I can him. And on the other hand there should be one or two weaker personalities, whose outlook on life is not set yet and who (knowingly or unknowingly) are looking towards the player for guidance. This does not necessarily have to be a child. There are endless possibilities: it could be a former cult fanatic who has broken free of the brainwashing... a being from another plane who just tries to understand the rules of this world... some father whose family was killed and who seems commited to revenge but in truth has no idea how he could go on. Or, yes, maybe a child... like the OP mentioned, Alvin from The Witcher was a great character. It would make for some challenging and often hilarious plot to have an immature child of immense power in your party.

For me, the conflict of Kaelyn in Mask of the Betrayer was by far one the most thrilling, touching and thought-provoking plots in my gaming history. It was this story that brought MoB almost on par with Planescape Torment. So as deities and their power are a given fact, I would love to see some A) NPC, B) faction or C) part of the main plot dealing with a conflict between the power of the gods and the freedom of individual destiny.