Is this really fair to ask of a DM?

[Morithias]

One of my favourite animes that I really need to get back to watching is "Spice and Wolf" which in my opinions has one of the best back stories for the "wolf" character Holo. Namely that she's a basically almost forgotten harvest goddess seen mostly as superstition now who decides to abandon the village she watches over since well....she's grown obsolete.

Most of what I want to do is fluff, and not really any super benefiting crunch. I'm planning to try to run a spark (dragon 306) unseelie fey (dragon compendium) kitsune (pathfinder) Healer (miniatures handbook) with the Wedded to history feat (Dragon 354).

What this in effects give me a fox spirit who is basically ageless most of her powers like the Magic Circle of Nature fluffed as basically the last of her divine power after the people of her village forgot about her.

But this has got me thinking, is this greedy for me to ask? I haven't actually talked to most of my group (mainly cause they're never on MSN). But do you consider it to be rude or cheap to basically ask to play someone who was once a god or at the very least a divine minion?

I mean her goals are pretty simple, buy a cart, buy a horse, and see the world while making money while helping those in need with her healing magic. So she's not going to be some arrogant prideful person who tells everyone who she once was and expects them to worship her. She's accepted that the world has moved on and that she's more or less obsolete.

But still something about asking it, just...well..I like the concept, but it just seems off for some reason.

Can I get some opinions on this? Would you let a player in your campaign pull something like this, or have they done something like this before? Do you have any suggestions that might make this more acceptable as a backstory?

[Dusk Eclipse]

I don't see why not, as long as you are not asking "Since my character was a god do I get better X?" if it is only in fluff it shouldn't affect the game negatively.

[valadil]

I think it's fair game if you ask permission first. Just tell your GM you had a cool idea, but it comes with a hefty backstory. Make sure to let him know that you're cool with playing something else if the character is asking too much.

I also think this is going to depend on the trust between you and your GM. I've definitely played with people who would present something like this as fluff and then exploit it as soon as they get a chance. A GM you haven't played with before may not give you the benefit of the doubt.

[ClockShock]

The bigger concern is how your DM views you as a player, and then the playstyle of the remainder of the group thereafter.

If the DM thinks you might be using this fluff as a power trip, or a way to spring more power on them at a later date, then they'll either think it unfair, or adjust to take into account powers that you don't use (or simply do not have).
It's never good to have a DM that views your character as a potential game wrecker.

As for the players, will they see it as just some fluff, or will they think the DM is granting you a lot more power than them. Are they likely to look at your character and go, "Well if they get to be a god, so should I"

The character sounds interesting however, so if everyone can see it as just some extra fluff (and stick to it) it shouldn't cause any problems.

[NichG]

It really depends on what your DM is trying to run, and what having been a god truly means in their setting. For a concept like this it is very important to be on the same page as the DM, and to be willing to drop it if the DM seems uncomfortable with it.

If 'what being a god means' is different to you than to the DM, then you bringing the character in can damage the consistency of the setting or can cause a lot of friction due to the DM expecting one thing and you expecting another.

For instance, if your DM has it such that all gods of the setting are very tight-knit, interconnected, and centrally important then it seems like it'd be a bit unfair. Not only does your character break the theme of 'all gods are major', but even if the DM says sure,whatever it implies you have contacts among the major gods. Which might mean you can go and personally ask the pantheon questions when something pops up, which is certainly not a trivial thing even if it isn't mechanical in nature.

On the other hand, if your DM is running a world with zillions of animistic spirits - that rock over there has a god, that tree over there has a god, etc - then you would fit in just fine, and I wouldn't see it being a problem.

I should say, I played a character whose concept was even more of an imposition to my DM - a former greater god who had gotten stripped of nearly all of his power, and the residual divine abilities were refluffed Swordsage maneuvers - and he ran with it beautifully, so this can work if you are both on the same page. However, that was a campaign in which the DM had explicitly said 'you can play literally anything or anyone from any source, but you must make a Lv5 version of them' - he had clearly prepared his setting for the impact of this kind of thing.

[Belril Duskwalk]

For instance, if your DM has it such that all gods of the setting are very tight-knit, interconnected, and centrally important then it seems like it'd be a bit unfair. Not only does your character break the theme of 'all gods are major', but even if the DM says sure,whatever it implies you have contacts among the major gods. Which might mean you can go and personally ask the pantheon questions when something pops up, which is certainly not a trivial thing even if it isn't mechanical in nature.

On the other hand, the DM could cause the gods to have a grudge against the ex-god. Attempting to leverage your formerly divine nature could backfire impressively, as it turns out you managed to tick off most of the pantheon back when you were a god. Or, perhaps being in the presence of a formerly divine being makes the gods uncomfortable, like being stuck in a room with someone deathly ill and possibly contagious.

I'll admit that trying to play a god could disturb the balance, but there's certainly a few ways to deal with some of the stickier points. On the whole, it's a matter of if the DM and the other players are comfortable with it.

[GenghisDon]

sounds fair to me. It's even interesting & maybe good for the game.:smallsmile:

OTOH, try not to be upset if the DM isn't inspired by the idea, or wants you to wait for a different game to play her.

[Urpriest]

Yeah, your post is missing the first information you need to make a character: what story is the DM trying to tell? This sort of character would be perfect for some stories, but utterly alien in others. What is the campaign about?

[Rallicus]

A kitsune god? Am I reading this right? Ripped straight from an anime?

Uh, anyways, no, it's not greedy for you to ask. It's not really greedy to ask for anything when it comes to tabletop games. It's only greedy if you refuse to play because your character concept got shut down.

Basically, just ask and see.

As for what I'd do if I was your DM (hey, you asked): it'd really depend on the campaign, and who I was playing with. If you're playing with friends they might be a little more open to suggestion, like how I allowed Krillen with super saiyan hair and an under-optimized monk build play in my campaign. However, if they're more like acquaintances and want the campaign to be a certain way, such as when someone gave me a catfolk character sheet that told me they took up necromancy "for the lulz" (no joke) and were basically humans with cat ears and a tail, you might get shut down.

Either way, it doesn't hurt to ask.

[Morithias]

Yeah, your post is missing the first information you need to make a character: what story is the DM trying to tell? This sort of character would be perfect for some stories, but utterly alien in others. What is the campaign about?

No idea. Sorry people, but I can't give any real info about this cause I tend to mass make characters ahead of time when I'm bored (I'm not kidding I have around 10-15 characters on standby all planned out).

When I post questions about concepts I can rarely if ever give you campaign data cause my friend are rarely on msn and we meet for D&D even more rarely.

Sorry!

Edit:
A kitsune god? Am I reading this right? Ripped straight from an anime?

Her backstory is largely ripped, but I like the concept of dead gods. *snip*
It has a lot of philosophical ideas and concepts that could become interesting plot points.

Of course if the people don't want to discuss complex philosophy you could always go the Dragon Quest IX route and just work your way into society and help as best you can.

[Exediron]

It really depends on what your DM is trying to run, and what having been a god truly means in their setting...

Absolutely true. I don't think it's inherently imposing too much - I certainly wouldn't have a problem with it - but it might not work with the DMs setting. Gods (lesser ones, at least) in my setting operate in a pretty standard fashion, but there are some other concepts which might seem innocuous to a player but would clash.


Her backstory is largely ripped, but I like the concept of dead gods. You're a former deity, do you have the right to tell people what they can and can't worship? Was your philosophy flawed and that caused people to stop worshipping you? Did you just not do good enough at your job? Was it an outside source like a devil that caused your fall? It has a lot of philosophical ideas and concepts that could become interesting plot points.

Of course if the people don't want to discuss complex philosophy you could always go the Dragon Quest IX route and just work your way into society and help as best you can.

Some interesting questions, but a dangerous topic to discuss on this forum, skirting as it does certain banned topics (real-world religion, specifically). I do find the concept of dead or diminished gods interesting, however, as well as the closely related topic of the nature of divinity. Both figure prominently in the coming arc of my big campaign.

[Morithias]

Some interesting questions, but a dangerous topic to discuss on this forum, skirting as it does certain banned topics (real-world religion, specifically). I do find the concept of dead or diminished gods interesting, however, as well as the closely related topic of the nature of divinity. Both figure prominently in the coming arc of my big campaign.

You're right I should probably edit that and at least mark it as rhetorical or something, I've gotten a lot of warnings lately.

[Tyndmyr]

But this has got me thinking, is this greedy for me to ask? I haven't actually talked to most of my group (mainly cause they're never on MSN). But do you consider it to be rude or cheap to basically ask to play someone who was once a god or at the very least a divine minion?

It depends on the game. If everyone else is humble villagers trying to scramble to make a buck, then yeah, it's probably out of place unless the DM wants to base his plot around you.

There's nothing inherently wrong with the idea, it just won't work in every setting, with any group. If it seems like a reasonable request given the context of the current setting, go ahead and ask.

[mcv]

Ask the GM, not us. Your GM might be really enthusiastic and work this into sub-plots, or this might completely not fit the setting and kind of game he/she wants.

[DarkEternal]

As a GM, I would allow it. It's good fluff, and why not? Just don't be disappointed, as a player of said character when a previous Godling dies from a pissed off barbarian's critical hit.

[Jay R]

The short answer is, yes, anything is fair to ask of a DM. But the DM always has the right to say "no", often for reasons that he or she cannot tell you.

[Averis Vol]

In regards to being a god Id say it's no different then a player wanting to be a tier 1 class, because at about level 17, well...... They are gods.

[Kelb_Panthera]

I just watched that series the other day. Good stuff. I wish it were longer.

Nothing about holo seems to me like it would indicate divine rank.

"God" was probably transalted from "kami," a word that doesn't really translate well. She could just as easily have been called a harvest spirit, which IMO would've been a more appropriate translation.

All that in mind, I wouldn't have any problem allowing such a character in my game.