In my campaign, I have a host of gods that were kinda sitting around in the void and went, "Hey, you know what'd be fun? Let's make a world."
So they all set off and make their own stuff to put into this vision of a world they have and Amati, one of the goddesses, sees that everyone else made cooler stuff than she did. So she wants to start a new world, because she could make cool stuff if she had some more time. But the other 6 gods are like "Nah, let's just play! It'll be fine."
So Amati wants to destroy the world in order to make a new one where she can contribute cooler stuff. Every thousand years, the gods are allowed to make one addition each to the world. Amati uses this chance to try and create something that will destroy the world. The issue is the other gods also get their one thing to add, so she can't just throw in a nuke set to go off in 10 seconds. The other gods would just put a case around it or something. She's got to be subtle.
So far I have, at some point in ancient history:
Amati made the sun burn really hot and bright, trying the burn the world and make it uninhabitable.
Amati created the monsters of the world (e.g. werewolves, beholders, liches, etc.)
Amati created some powerful weapons the mortals could use so they would destroy themselves.
I'm trying to think of other things that could be done to destroy the world in subtle ways. Any suggestions or ideas would be really appreciated. Thanks!
So depending on how much 'real' power Amati has and what you mean by destroy the world. If the God is just trying to destroy the living world, of mortal beings, you could say that she was responsible for the corruption that exits in the universe. Having long ago taken the perfect mortal spirit and infected it with hatred, lust, jealousy etc. All in a ploy to prevent the world from attaining peace, and sowing the seeds of it's eventual destruction at the hands of the Gods own creations.
For something more direct and threatening you could say that Amati was so enraged by the other Gods refusal to begin anew that she spat her hatred into the depths of the void where her venomous spittle grew into a monstrous being far from the sight of the Gods. A creature of utter malice which has been slowly moving towards the world of the Gods intent on destroying it, and the very Gods themselves. Including Amati whom it hates most of all for its light-less, love-less existence.
Depending on how much the other gods understand or how omniscient they may be ..
- she could replace a substantial fraction of the hydrogen in the sun with helium ... after having made it bigger and hotter in a previous iteration, the other gods may not notice that the sun will now nova within a limited time frame utterly destroying the world :)
- she could increase the level of background radiation in the environment (either by adding some transuranics to the soil, increasing the solar particle flux or reducing the magnetic field of the planet. In the extreme cases, this could cause radiation poisoning ... alternatively it could greatly increase the rate of both mutation and sterility in the various life forms on the planet. High enough levels should make the planet devoid of life in a hundred years or so without being immediately obvious to the other gods (unless they have a good understanding of how things work)
- she could destroy all the algae in the oceans ... by wiping out the bottom of the food chain that should eventually collapse the entire eco-system
- she could introduce a self-replicating nano organism whose goal is to infect all life - "you will be assimilated" - however, since they are small and need vast numbers to be sentient, it may just look like a regular disease at first
- introduce a nasty virus with a very high mutation rate such that the deadly version of the virus is very likely to express itself within the next 100 years, well before the other gods would be able to intervene again
- adjust the gravitational constant enough to modify the orbit of an asteroid to hit the planet in the next couple of centuries
- introduce enough green house gases into the atmosphere so that the planetary surface temperature rises outside the habitable range
- put a sleeping creature at the center of the world which if wakened will destroy it, put some clues about the great treasure to be found at the center of the world scattered on the surface
What is the purpose of this? Are you just trying to create legendary world lore? Are you thinking of having a campaign built around stopping Amati 's next "gift" to the world?
I'll take a stab at it. These are mostly around the legendary past:
Amati divided the one people into many races, so that there could be suspicion and hatred amongst them, so that they might use the weapons to war upon each other, and destroy the world.
Amati created commerce, so that some could accumulate great wealth, and others be thrust into poverty, so there was great strife amongst the mortals, so that they might war upon each other, and destroy the world.
Amati created Internet forums, so that people would argue with much fire and discord, and thus .... maybe not....
Amati gave great learning of magic to mortals, so that their power would grow faster than their wisdom, and thus they might war upon each other with great might, and destroy the world.
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I've had a while to think on this and I really have a more specific scenario. The purpose of this is to try to find the means by which Amati will fulfill her goal (Of destroying the world).
The lore of the world is a bit more mystical and varies based on culture and religions, but the truth of it is:
One day, the 7 gods sat down at a table and said "Hey, let's play a game. We'll make a world and see how it grows and changes. It'll be fun."
So each god made something to add to the world and Amati looked at what she made, and looked at what everyone else had made, and said "Wait, my thing isn't cool at all. You guys made way better stuff. Let me make something else."
The other gods went "Nah, it's fine! You're being too hard on yourself. You did great." And they started the world. Amati still really wants to start a new world, because she has some cool new ideas that would be way better than what she made. So the gods just kinda made a world and hung around it and saw stuff and changed it how they wanted it to change. But with 7 all-powerful gods wandering around changing everything, it got a bit chaotic. So they all sat down at a table again and said "Ok, listen, we got a little crazy. We need some rules or this isn't fun." Then they made some rules for themselves and limited their powers.
Amati still wants to start a "New Game" but she also doesn't want the other gods to be mad that she ruined their game. Imagine if your friend just flipped the table at a game you were really enjoying. Why on earth would you invite them back if they were just going to ruin the fun that you and your friends were having?
So she needs to make the 'game' boring to the other gods, in such a way that they won't be mad at her specifically when the world ends. Keep in mind the other 6 gods can try to "correct course" to anything she does.
I particularly like the idea that early on, she made a monster to destroy the world and the other gods sealed it. I think that's an adventure waiting to happen.
So the other gods like different things about the world.
Nami is the god of death and the afterlife. He's mostly in this to hear the stories the mortals tell him in Shadesmar. So long as the mortals keep telling good stories, he wants to keep playing.
Suko is the god of the moon. He cares about watching how the mortals overcome their problems with science and discovery. So long as the mortals keep discovering new and exciting things about the world, he wants to keep playing.
Tempest is the god of war. He's really into training montages and seeing how strong mortals can get. So long as people continue to grow and advance themselves, he wants to keep playing.
Malora is the goddess of nature. She cares deeply for the mortals, and as long as the mortals are alive, she wants to keep playing. She is also the most fiercely and personally protective of the mortals.
Rokil is the god of Law. He had his god-ness taken by him in a game by a mortal. He can still observe the game, but he can't do anything anymore. He is on the fence about playing another game, but doesn't want to be a sore loser.
I hope this helped. I really hope this can act as a springboard for other people, as well. Thanks to everyone for your great ideas already.
Also, I'd like to make it clear that I as the DM don't want to start a new game. I just thought it was a good way to explain the dynamic going on between these gods. I hope my players can save the world. But if not, oh well.
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In my campaign, I have a host of gods that were kinda sitting around in the void and went, "Hey, you know what'd be fun? Let's make a world."
So they all set off and make their own stuff to put into this vision of a world they have and Amati, one of the goddesses, sees that everyone else made cooler stuff than she did. So she wants to start a new world, because she could make cool stuff if she had some more time. But the other 6 gods are like "Nah, let's just play! It'll be fine."
So Amati wants to destroy the world in order to make a new one where she can contribute cooler stuff. Every thousand years, the gods are allowed to make one addition each to the world. Amati uses this chance to try and create something that will destroy the world. The issue is the other gods also get their one thing to add, so she can't just throw in a nuke set to go off in 10 seconds. The other gods would just put a case around it or something. She's got to be subtle.
So far I have, at some point in ancient history:
Amati made the sun burn really hot and bright, trying the burn the world and make it uninhabitable.
Amati created the monsters of the world (e.g. werewolves, beholders, liches, etc.)
Amati created some powerful weapons the mortals could use so they would destroy themselves.
I'm trying to think of other things that could be done to destroy the world in subtle ways. Any suggestions or ideas would be really appreciated. Thanks!
Ok I'll give it a shot,
So depending on how much 'real' power Amati has and what you mean by destroy the world. If the God is just trying to destroy the living world, of mortal beings, you could say that she was responsible for the corruption that exits in the universe. Having long ago taken the perfect mortal spirit and infected it with hatred, lust, jealousy etc. All in a ploy to prevent the world from attaining peace, and sowing the seeds of it's eventual destruction at the hands of the Gods own creations.
For something more direct and threatening you could say that Amati was so enraged by the other Gods refusal to begin anew that she spat her hatred into the depths of the void where her venomous spittle grew into a monstrous being far from the sight of the Gods. A creature of utter malice which has been slowly moving towards the world of the Gods intent on destroying it, and the very Gods themselves. Including Amati whom it hates most of all for its light-less, love-less existence.
"Confusion is the first step toward clarity" - Syd Field
Depending on how much the other gods understand or how omniscient they may be ..
- she could replace a substantial fraction of the hydrogen in the sun with helium ... after having made it bigger and hotter in a previous iteration, the other gods may not notice that the sun will now nova within a limited time frame utterly destroying the world :)
- she could increase the level of background radiation in the environment (either by adding some transuranics to the soil, increasing the solar particle flux or reducing the magnetic field of the planet. In the extreme cases, this could cause radiation poisoning ... alternatively it could greatly increase the rate of both mutation and sterility in the various life forms on the planet. High enough levels should make the planet devoid of life in a hundred years or so without being immediately obvious to the other gods (unless they have a good understanding of how things work)
- she could destroy all the algae in the oceans ... by wiping out the bottom of the food chain that should eventually collapse the entire eco-system
- she could introduce a self-replicating nano organism whose goal is to infect all life - "you will be assimilated" - however, since they are small and need vast numbers to be sentient, it may just look like a regular disease at first
- introduce a nasty virus with a very high mutation rate such that the deadly version of the virus is very likely to express itself within the next 100 years, well before the other gods would be able to intervene again
- adjust the gravitational constant enough to modify the orbit of an asteroid to hit the planet in the next couple of centuries
- introduce enough green house gases into the atmosphere so that the planetary surface temperature rises outside the habitable range
- put a sleeping creature at the center of the world which if wakened will destroy it, put some clues about the great treasure to be found at the center of the world scattered on the surface
What is the purpose of this? Are you just trying to create legendary world lore? Are you thinking of having a campaign built around stopping Amati 's next "gift" to the world?
I'll take a stab at it. These are mostly around the legendary past:
Amati created Internet forums, so that people would argue with much fire and discord, and thus ....maybe not....My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
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Take a look at the old module the Apocalypse Stone for some inspiration. It was specifically made to wipe the slate for DMs who wanted a fresh start.
"What do you mean I get disadvantage on persuasion?"
I don't know, Sneet, maybe because your argument is "Submit and become our pet"?
-Actual conversation in a game.
I've had a while to think on this and I really have a more specific scenario. The purpose of this is to try to find the means by which Amati will fulfill her goal (Of destroying the world).
The lore of the world is a bit more mystical and varies based on culture and religions, but the truth of it is:
One day, the 7 gods sat down at a table and said "Hey, let's play a game. We'll make a world and see how it grows and changes. It'll be fun."
So each god made something to add to the world and Amati looked at what she made, and looked at what everyone else had made, and said "Wait, my thing isn't cool at all. You guys made way better stuff. Let me make something else."
The other gods went "Nah, it's fine! You're being too hard on yourself. You did great." And they started the world. Amati still really wants to start a new world, because she has some cool new ideas that would be way better than what she made. So the gods just kinda made a world and hung around it and saw stuff and changed it how they wanted it to change. But with 7 all-powerful gods wandering around changing everything, it got a bit chaotic. So they all sat down at a table again and said "Ok, listen, we got a little crazy. We need some rules or this isn't fun." Then they made some rules for themselves and limited their powers.
Amati still wants to start a "New Game" but she also doesn't want the other gods to be mad that she ruined their game. Imagine if your friend just flipped the table at a game you were really enjoying. Why on earth would you invite them back if they were just going to ruin the fun that you and your friends were having?
So she needs to make the 'game' boring to the other gods, in such a way that they won't be mad at her specifically when the world ends. Keep in mind the other 6 gods can try to "correct course" to anything she does.
I particularly like the idea that early on, she made a monster to destroy the world and the other gods sealed it. I think that's an adventure waiting to happen.
So the other gods like different things about the world.
Nami is the god of death and the afterlife. He's mostly in this to hear the stories the mortals tell him in Shadesmar. So long as the mortals keep telling good stories, he wants to keep playing.
Suko is the god of the moon. He cares about watching how the mortals overcome their problems with science and discovery. So long as the mortals keep discovering new and exciting things about the world, he wants to keep playing.
Tempest is the god of war. He's really into training montages and seeing how strong mortals can get. So long as people continue to grow and advance themselves, he wants to keep playing.
Malora is the goddess of nature. She cares deeply for the mortals, and as long as the mortals are alive, she wants to keep playing. She is also the most fiercely and personally protective of the mortals.
Rokil is the god of Law. He had his god-ness taken by him in a game by a mortal. He can still observe the game, but he can't do anything anymore. He is on the fence about playing another game, but doesn't want to be a sore loser.
I hope this helped. I really hope this can act as a springboard for other people, as well. Thanks to everyone for your great ideas already.
Also, I'd like to make it clear that I as the DM don't want to start a new game. I just thought it was a good way to explain the dynamic going on between these gods. I hope my players can save the world. But if not, oh well.