[Thaumatology] Decans As Gods

scc · 08-03-2019, 04:41 AM

So it's been rattling around my brains for some time to use the Decanic Correspondences from Thaumatology to create a pantheon of gods for GURPS. The problem is that I'd really like to emphasise the existing connection to magic and spells, ideally each Decan/God will have a sphere of influence, a domain if you will, over roughly equal amounts of human existence and roughly the same number of spells.

Now these Domains don't replace the existing Colleges but rather supplement them, Domains control what you must do to gain a bonus with a spell, but don't strictly control casting. For example most Fire spells get bonuses from Eneuth, (current Decan of fire) but the spell Cold gets bonuses from a different Decan, because it cools things, and Fireball belongs to who ever gets a War Domain.

I'm OK with not all Decans getting spells as long as it makes sense and is balanced, so whoever get's a Law Domain might not have many spells but instead gets magical contracts is fine. I'm also fine with some spells being outside this system, and with extra gods being outside this system.

So does anyone have any suggestions or links to any useful resources?

johndallman · 08-03-2019, 05:12 AM

I think you're going to have to decide early on how readily the decanic gods manifest, and if they have servants who are easier to invoke. You can use the Aethyr of each decan as a basis for its god.

In my Infinite Cabal campaign, the Aethyrs are not gods, but they do rule areas of the Iconic Plane. The spells of each decan are living inhabitants of those realms, as are spells that nobody knows or casts any more, and many other spirits and creatures.

Gold & Appel Inc · 08-03-2019, 06:58 AM

I'm not seeing any difficulty here. Why not just call each spellcaster the cleric of one of the gods and make up a custom spell list for each?

Refplace · 08-03-2019, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

I'm not seeing any difficulty here. Why not just call each spellcaster the cleric of one of the gods and make up a custom spell list for each?

Yeah, I cant think of any simple formula or method here. Its doable just a lot of work.

Astromancer · 08-03-2019, 12:49 PM

I've suggested that control of the Decans would be the basis for a gods war. However, if you have the Cabal book, each Decan has a Lord or Lady that rules/embodies the Decan and its powers/potentialities. So you could have a powerful pantheon right there.

Perhaps these decanic spirits are amalgams of the various gods that struggling for control of the Decan itself.

dataweaver · 08-03-2019, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Refplace

Yeah, I cant think of any simple formula or method here. Its doable just a lot of work.

Don't forget that the table on p.248 assigns Colleges to all but twelve of the Decans; and fo<r of those have Paths assigned to them. The eight for which you have absolutely no spells or rituals to work with are Alath, Anostêr, Axiôphêth, Buldumêch, Hephesimereth, Methiax, Nefthada, and Tepsisem.

• Alath should provide spells grated toward creature comforts, countermagic, and stasis.

• For Anostêr, Is turn to the “Path of Daath” of Ritual Path Magic for guidance.

• Axiôphêth should get a College of Gravity spells.

• Buldumêch should get financial magic. From a more esoteric source, consider perusing White Wolf's Convention Book: the Syndicate (Revised Edition) for some ideas of what a College of magic dedicated to economic matters might look like.

• Hephesimereth is a contender with Anostêr for the Party of Daath: Anostêr comes at it from the perspective of “the impossible”; Hephesimereth comes at it from the perspective of “literally nothing”.

• Methiax governs creation and creativity. I'd align it with the Create verb in the same way that Knowledge and Protection align with verbs.

• Nefthada governs pleasure and delight.

• Tepsisem governs aesthetics.

AlexanderHowl · 08-04-2019, 08:56 PM

Alternatively, the Decans could represent 36 different Paths for RPM, with each Decanic Path representing a different principle of existence. In the case of Decanic deities, they would probably respond better to Ritual Magic (Decanic) rather than Thaumatology (Decanic). There could even be a secret war between those granted permission to practice magic by the decanic deities, represented by Ritual Magic (Decanic) and those who are the students of those who stole the secrets of magic from the decanic deities, represented by Thaumatology (Decanic).

In either case, I would otherwise suggest using the default rules for RPM for simplicity. Each Path would allow for lesser and greater effects within the seven possible rituals. Of course, some of the resulting rituals would have interesting effects, but I doubt it would be boring.

08-03-2019, 04:41 AM	#1
scc Join Date: Mar 2013	[Thaumatology] Decans As Gods So it's been rattling around my brains for some time to use the Decanic Correspondences from Thaumatology to create a pantheon of gods for GURPS. The problem is that I'd really like to emphasise the existing connection to magic and spells, ideally each Decan/God will have a sphere of influence, a domain if you will, over roughly equal amounts of human existence and roughly the same number of spells. Now these Domains don't replace the existing Colleges but rather supplement them, Domains control what you must do to gain a bonus with a spell, but don't strictly control casting. For example most Fire spells get bonuses from Eneuth, (current Decan of fire) but the spell Cold gets bonuses from a different Decan, because it cools things, and Fireball belongs to who ever gets a War Domain. I'm OK with not all Decans getting spells as long as it makes sense and is balanced, so whoever get's a Law Domain might not have many spells but instead gets magical contracts is fine. I'm also fine with some spells being outside this system, and with extra gods being outside this system. So does anyone have any suggestions or links to any useful resources?

08-03-2019, 05:12 AM	#2
johndallman Night Watchman Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cambridge, UK	Re: [Thaumatology] Decans As Gods I think you're going to have to decide early on how readily the decanic gods manifest, and if they have servants who are easier to invoke. You can use the Aethyr of each decan as a basis for its god. In my Infinite Cabal campaign, the Aethyrs are not gods, but they do rule areas of the Iconic Plane. The spells of each decan are living inhabitants of those realms, as are spells that nobody knows or casts any more, and many other spirits and creatures. __________________ The Path of Cunning. Indexes: DFRPG Characters, Advantage of the Week, Disadvantage of the Week, Skill of the Week, Techniques.

08-03-2019, 06:58 AM	#3
Gold & Appel Inc Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: One Mile Up	Re: [Thaumatology] Decans As Gods I'm not seeing any difficulty here. Why not just call each spellcaster the cleric of one of the gods and make up a custom spell list for each?

08-03-2019, 12:49 PM	#5
Astromancer Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Virginia	Re: [Thaumatology] Decans As Gods I've suggested that control of the Decans would be the basis for a gods war. However, if you have the Cabal book, each Decan has a Lord or Lady that rules/embodies the Decan and its powers/potentialities. So you could have a powerful pantheon right there. Perhaps these decanic spirits are amalgams of the various gods that struggling for control of the Decan itself. __________________ Per Ardua Per Astra! Ancora Imparo

08-04-2019, 08:56 PM	#7
AlexanderHowl Join Date: Feb 2016	Re: [Thaumatology] Decans As Gods Alternatively, the Decans could represent 36 different Paths for RPM, with each Decanic Path representing a different principle of existence. In the case of Decanic deities, they would probably respond better to Ritual Magic (Decanic) rather than Thaumatology (Decanic). There could even be a secret war between those granted permission to practice magic by the decanic deities, represented by Ritual Magic (Decanic) and those who are the students of those who stole the secrets of magic from the decanic deities, represented by Thaumatology (Decanic). In either case, I would otherwise suggest using the default rules for RPM for simplicity. Each Path would allow for lesser and greater effects within the seven possible rituals. Of course, some of the resulting rituals would have interesting effects, but I doubt it would be boring.