[Greg 1]

Just for the hell of it, I’m working on a new setting. I’m not sure how to best set up the magic system so that the gods are flavorfuly woven into it, and I’m looking for ideas. In the setting, magic comes directly from the gods and requires petitioning the gods correctly. In magic as in ordinary life, few people rely on only one god, since no one god oversees all aspects of the world. Instead, the wizard learns to interact with “the gods”. Wizards are like voodooists, dealing with multiple loa. Priests exist, but there is no separate system for “clerical magic”. Priests who want to cast spells have to learn the same magic as everyone else.

I’m leaning towards some version of path/book magic, with modifiers for how well the rituals incorporate the relevant gods, and how those gods feel about the spellcaster and their goal. However, that would be difficult to implement for the following reasons.

1. There are many gods. At my last count, there are 67 major ones who have worshipers all over the continent where campaigns are assumed to be set.

2. The jurisdictions of these gods overlap. So, for instance, there are eight competing major gods responsible for the element of fire.

3. Some gods have much broader jurisdictions than other gods. So, for instance, one god is a deity of agriculture, drugs, fire, law, and war, while other gods have jurisdiction over only one of those areas.

So, any thoughts on how to set up the magic system?