Choose my Gods, week 1

[Trauco]

The deal is that i'll be creating a D&D campaign setting to distribute for free in PDF, and i would love to have your input. I'll be using a topdown approach (starting big then going to the details), so I decided that i'll begin creating the gods that rule this particular universe, and since i'm a visually driven person i began with the artwork.

The input I want from you is:

*Do you think that this kind of artwork would look good for a D&D campaign setting or is it too odd?

*Week after week i'll be posting 3 or more gods I've drawn and you will help me decide wich one stays and wich one goes, until i get the 20 gods I want.

Through your voting i'll be able to know what kind of "look" you want for the gods so (maybe, and hopefully) the images will get better each week.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1246/937878780_54effa49aa_o.jpg
link to photo page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/borracho/937878780/)

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1195/937878582_a6e6834163.jpg
link to photo page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/borracho/937878582/)

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1390/937878502_8b824e686d_o.jpg
link to photo page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/borracho/937878502/)

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1252/937878426_c3bbda5578_o.jpg
Link to photo page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/borracho/937878426/)

PD: i'm not exactly sure where to post this, so i'm very sorry if this is not the proper forum

The voting so far:

11
22222
333333
44444

By: Zeta Kai, from Giant in the playground Forums (interpreted this as 3, 4)
By: palindrome, from Giant in the playground Forums (interpreted this as 1)
By: nerulean, from Giant in the playground Forums (interpreted this as 2)
By: Cryopyre, from Giant in the playground Forums (interpreted this as 2)
By: Deesix, from Giant in the Playground Forums (interpreted this as 3)
By: mf11, from Giant in the playground Forums (interpreted this as 2, 3, 4)
By: crazy_monkey1956, from Gleemax Forums (interpreted this as 2, 3, 4)
By: SarinFuzz, from Gleemax Forums (interpreted this as 1, 3, 4)
By: Jangotat13, from Gleemax Forums (interpreted this as 4)
By: XPmagus, from Gleemax Forums (interpreted this as Nil)
By: aozora, from Gleemax Forums (interpreted this as 2)
By: Nocte, from Giant in the playground Forums (interpreted this as 3)

[Zeta Kai]

Definitely the third one; it would make a wonderful Thanatos-type deity. You could also add the fourth as a nature god.

[palindrome]

I'd go for the first one.
One thing you may want to keep in mind is that creating a dnd campaign setting is a truly obscene amount of work, and for sanity's sake you might not want to worry about art until you get most of your letterwork done.

[nerulean]

That is weird but absolutely awesome. I think the second's most interesting.

[Cryopyre]

Second definitely, it is nice and solid like I'd imagine a holy symbol, and could be easily simplified.

[Deesix]

I must say, I really like the third one. It has a kind of...Deathgod, but he's obviously a tool, not a master.

[ForzaFiori]

2nd, 3rd, and 4th are good.

i dont much like the first though.

2nd and 4th could be like nature deities, 3rd is definatly a death deity.

[Trauco]

One thing you may want to keep in mind is that creating a dnd campaign setting is a truly obscene amount of work, and for sanity's sake you might not want to worry about art until you get most of your letterwork done.

I'm completely aware of the amount of work needed to create a campaign setting, but the way things look i wont be able to play any roleplaying games for the next year, so i'm gonna get my RPG fix creating this campaign setting.

As I can tell from your nickname you are a word driven person, but for me it's easier to "think" visually then translate to words. It will be a back and forth process but i decided to began with the image of the gods, because it will be easier for me, specially because english aint my native language and i wont be able to express what i want properly, so instead i'll let you to put the words in my mouth.

Descriptions of the gods is the next step i'll take. (and i will be requesting your help again)




Abstraction can be good for a deity, but there also has to be something concrete...real, so to speak, in order for mortals to worship it. The images you've created speak more to me of the symbolism the deities or their worshippers might use, rather than actual representations of the deities themselves.

In many D&D campaign worlds, the deities are simply at the top of the "if it has stats, we can kill it and take its stuff" food chain. Using abstract concepts for deities renders that particular aspect moot.




When I think of D&D gods I think of the Greek gods. Idealistic versions of human creatures. The top of the food chain. What your images make me think of are the astrological signs. Abstract representations of the god's personality types.

You both hit the nail, I don't want my gods to be just another monster to stomp, what i want is them to be abstract concepts that represent different powers in the world (religious movements, nations, nature), driving forces that shape reality to their image (for example god number 3 beign the god of war and undeads, would "like" to shape the world as a featurless dust ball with undead hordes fighting for eternity, while god number 2 would represent awakening of concience and domain over nature, and his world would end up as a huge forest with sentient animals, something like Narnia).




How about sharing some of your motivations and visions to help us along?

What I want is a campaign setting where fluff and mechanics entwine, i want player characters to be heros because they have growing control over their fates, while other beigns just drift with their fates. The 20 gods represent 20 possible "endings" of a continual cicle of change.



What your images make me think of are the astrological signs.

20 gods from the 20 outcomes of the resolution mechanic from D20, but i want to replace the dice with a deck of cards, with some resemblances of a tarot deck (designed and illustrated by me) and use a sistem based on the card system presented on the "Advanced Gamemaster's Guide" from Green Ronin publishing.

Basically each player has a number of cards in hand, lets say 4, each card has a number from 1 to 20, and on each "roll" the player decides wich card to use, while the DM has a bigger number of cards because he has to control a bigger amount of NPCs, Monsters, etc.. and he can pull his punches saving the better "rolls" for the BBEG, avoiding first turn save-or-die and leading to mayor drama. And once the hands are completely used you get to draw a new hand, that way you are forced to use all results, good or bad (you just get to decide when)

This world will be a world of tension, where the players will be the unbalancing factor that will decide the Fate of it.

[Nocte]

I like the 3rd one. All are more or less the same style. Aren't they?

They are made with one photograph and an illustration. I think it will be better if you merge more the style. In other words, make the photo more like an illustration. Or the illustration more like the photo, maybe with the same detail of shadows and lights.

I like your style.