Godlike subraces ?!

[Mr. Magniloquent]

If P:E takes a kind of Planescape stance where gods are reliant on faith, then I would like to see god-like creatures have features which represent the abstracted portfolios of these gods. If your soul has been molded/touched/influenced by the Lord of Famine, I'd like to see them have features of a person who might be starving. The same applies to any other domain. I'm not expecting something so ambitious, but I would prefer god-like races to be a bit more high concept than Elemental/Alignment influenced.

[Greydragon]

Plague, venom/poison and pestilence would also be interesting.

Severe drawbacks but unusual and deadly powers that in adventuring would be very useful. Plus the various reactions to your appearance.

Plague godlike: "Are you well?" or "No one can enter this area, there's plague ... oh gods! How did you get out!?"

Poison godlike: "I wouldn't drink from that cup, I just had a sip ..." or poison tasting scenario leaves you unharmed, etc.

Pestilence godlike: Waitress screams upon seeing ****roaches scurry into your clothing. "What? They're born and raised in your kitchen."
 

[Lephys]

A god-like touched by the god of Simplicity could simply be rendered as an 8-bit sprite.

[Micamo]

While planetouched are some of my favorite D&D races, I have to agree that Godlikes have yet to earn their place, as a concept. It's yet to be shown exactly what a godlike is or what being one means, or if godlikes existing at all is even appropriate given the setting's relationship between mortals and the divine.

 

Also, that name is just stupid. Godlike. Makes me think of those stupid quake announcer mods some TF2 servers use (M-M-M-M-M-MONSTER KILL!!!). I also keep accidentally mistyping it as "Goldike" and have to go back and correct myself.

[Lephys]

Also, that name is just stupid. Godlike. Makes me think of those stupid quake announcer mods some TF2 servers use (M-M-M-M-M-MONSTER KILL!!!). I also keep accidentally mistyping it as "Goldike" and have to go back and correct myself.

I have to admit, that name makes me think of the same thing every time I say it, haha. That same announcer is in so many things now (or at least the exact same style of announcer), like DOTA/DOTA 2.

 

Anywho, while I don't think it's outright stupid, I don't disagree that there might be a better name, like "The Favored," or "godborn," or "deitite." Hehe. That last one's just silly. 8P... Hmmm... maybe "godkin"? Or something-kin... *ponders*

[Eiphel]

'Godlike' also has the connotation of superiority. Even something like 'godtouched' might be preferable. Godlike being an actual word meaning 'on the level of a god' it doesn't really feel appropriate. Hopefully it'll be tweaked along the way.

[Lephys]

*snap*... I've got it! "Godlings"! 8D!

[Micamo]

While we're throwing out names: Godscarred.

[Scottfree6000]

While planetouched are some of my favorite D&D races, I have to agree that Godlikes have yet to earn their place, as a concept. It's yet to be shown exactly what a godlike is or what being one means, or if godlikes existing at all is even appropriate given the setting's relationship between mortals and the divine.

 

Also, that name is just stupid. Godlike. Makes me think of those stupid quake announcer mods some TF2 servers use (M-M-M-M-M-MONSTER KILL!!!). I also keep accidentally mistyping it as "Goldike" and have to go back and correct myself.

How about "Godspawn".

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

The Exalted? Transcendents? Tainted(because it is believed that something leaked into their souls, causing them to manifest unnatural qualities)?

[Eiphel]

Something simple and functional like 'changed' might ultimately flow better when used in dialogue and such. For a more jazzy name, I think it's still important to avoid any specific connotations which might not be true for the character. (I mean, I am assuming from a game balance perspective godlikes are not just better than normal races.)

[Lephys]

Maybe even just something simple, like "The Altered." *shrug*. I'd think the main focus in their agreed-upon-name, as a group, according to all the people of the world, should be their difference from "regular" people. The nature of that difference is obviously going to vary drastically between the people who think they're more special than everyone else (in a good way) and those who believe they're tainted or just-plain bad news, as well as between those who actually believe their difference has anything to do with the gods and those who doubt this with absolution and believe them to be man-made abominations or genetic freaks.

 

Or, if the majority of people believe they ARE sparked by the influence of the gods (for better or for worse), maybe something like "Tampered" would work. Hmm... too bland, maybe...

 

"Otherborn"? Oooh! "The Aberrant," maybe? One meaning is "differing from the right/correct," while another is simply "differing from the usual," so it could actually be used negatively OR positively. It could be flawed, OR exceptional. 8P

 

You could even have the people who view them negatively mock their "official" title by referring to them as "Abhorrent" instead of "Aberrant."

Edited July 2, 2013 by Lephys

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Perhaps different factions would call them something different? It would make sense, given that some groups vehemently despise them while some revere them.

[Micamo]

Something simple and functional like 'changed' might ultimately flow better when used in dialogue and such. For a more jazzy name, I think it's still important to avoid any specific connotations which might not be true for the character. (I mean, I am assuming from a game balance perspective godlikes are not just better than normal races.)

Connotations are exactly what we want in a name, at least connotations of things that hold for all characters. This is what I was going for with "Godscarred": The Goldikes are the result of a god tampering with a soul for whatever reason, and their physical differences are a manifestation of this tampering. I imagine that most godlikes, one way or another, struggle to deal with the consequences of this. Some can handle their scars and come out stronger for them, others can't and are destroyed by them.

[Lephys]

^ The one and only (albeit minor) problem I have with "godscarred" is that it doesn't really flow very well. Well... I guess that and the people who think them to be divine/blessed beings wouldn't really want to refer to their blessing's manifestation as the after-effects of a wound. *le shruggles*. But they could always call them something different.

Edited July 2, 2013 by Lephys

[Cultist]

D&D - Races Of Renown - Bastards And Bloodlines - A Guidebook To Halfbreeds

That book covers most bizarre things you may find in RPGs about weird races and species. At second part of the book they go full retard with half-beholders and stuff but first part is quite reasonable...to some point...if you learn to ignore zoophilia remarks.

Edited July 2, 2013 by Cultist

[Eiphel]

 

Something simple and functional like 'changed' might ultimately flow better when used in dialogue and such. For a more jazzy name, I think it's still important to avoid any specific connotations which might not be true for the character. (I mean, I am assuming from a game balance perspective godlikes are not just better than normal races.)

Connotations are exactly what we want in a name, at least connotations of things that hold for all characters. This is what I was going for with "Godscarred": The Goldikes are the result of a god tampering with a soul for whatever reason, and their physical differences are a manifestation of this tampering. I imagine that most godlikes, one way or another, struggle to deal with the consequences of this. Some can handle their scars and come out stronger for them, others can't and are destroyed by them.

 

'Avoid any specific connotations which might not be true for the character.'

'Connotations are exactly what we want in a name, at least connotations of things that hold for all character.'

 

You manage to make agreeing with me sound remarkably like disagreeing.