A More Interesting Boccob?

[JBL564]

In my next game I’m looking to have religion and spirituality play a larger role in the lives of the players and NPC’s, so I’m wondering if anyone has any ideas for an alternative/more interesting take on Boccob? Since magic is such an important and powerful force in D&D naturally many people would be drawn to worshiping its patron deity but in the standard game Boccob is always presented as removed and uncaring. I’d like for people to have a reason to worship/become clerics to him but at present that isn’t really the case.

Any suggestions would be welcome!

[Eldan]

My answer is don't use Boccob. He's basically designed to be uninteresting. Use some other gods of magic. From the standard pantheon, how about a slightly less evil Vecna (horder of secrets) or maybe Wee Jas? I like Wee Jas. Stern, authoritative, commanding, traditionalist.

[Max_Killjoy]

Some very interesting takes on various "traditional" D&D deities:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...ich&p=19941626

[JBL564]

[QUOTE=Max_Killjoy;24116150]Some very interesting takes on various "traditional" D&D deities:

Yeah I love that guys take on the Greyhawk Pantheon, hope he gets back to it one day!

[Pronounceable]

Boccob is intentionally boring as mentioned. You're gonna have to basically make a whole new magic god from scratch and name it Boccob if you want something interesting/cool. Such as;

Boccob is the incarnation of the desire to understand things. While this eventually made him the bigshot god of science and magic, what he truly is at the core is the god of curiosity and learning and wonder and questions. He particularly likes divination/prophecy sort of stuff but ultimately magic (also science) is just a means to get more knowledge and understanding, specifically for the sake of having knowledge/understanding with no other goal or aim.
As the personification of curiosity, Boccob is an addict of learning. Thus he's a giant ******* who only cares about getting more knowledge and will do anything it takes to get his fix.

(Also his bosom buddy is Oghma the communication, who found talking about regular **** too easy/boring so became god of music and painting to relay inexplainable emotional stuff. They critique mortal art in their spare time.)

[Max_Killjoy]

In my next game I’m looking to have religion and spirituality play a larger role in the lives of the players and NPC’s, so I’m wondering if anyone has any ideas for an alternative/more interesting take on Boccob? Since magic is such an important and powerful force in D&D naturally many people would be drawn to worshiping its patron deity but in the standard game Boccob is always presented as removed and uncaring. I’d like for people to have a reason to worship/become clerics to him but at present that isn’t really the case.

Any suggestions would be welcome!

Can you give us a short summary of the setting you want to run?

I have an idea or two but I'd want to narrow it down to what would fit the sort of setting you want to run.

[JBL564]

Can you give us a short summary of the setting you want to run?

I have an idea or two but I'd want to narrow it down to what would fit the sort of setting you want to run.

I'd imagined a mostly human kingdom. The recent death of the King has led to a child of eight sitting on the throne and a weak regent attempting (and failing) to hold the realm together. The harvest has failed, disease is spreading like wildfire and a strange fog has begun to descend. There's a general sense with the common folk that the gods have abandoned them or that they've somehow been angered (there is some truth in this). As for Boccob specifically, there's a town/city in the realm which is essentially magic central, most of the population are magic users of some sort and I'd imagined that Boccob would pretty much have his own cathedral there.

[Evil DM Mark3]

I imagine Boccob as sort of the ultimate academic, an entity that spends its time in the divine equivalent of the campus library pouring over journals or comparing tiny differences in results of practical experiments Vs expected theoretical results and trying to chase down if its instrumental error or not. Not a very interesting or engaging sort of chap, unless his interest is piqued.

How about this for an idea, in your setting, Boccob IS a distant and uninterested deity for the most part. He sponsors libraries, academies, records offices etc but that's about it. He is a god that is either key to your life, or irrelevant to it. That is, right up until the recent cataclysm. Even if the gods are angry, Boccob might not know why, he is the professor in the attic, how is supposed to know why everyone on the ground floor is suddenly shouting at each other? When he goes down and they have all left, how is he to know why? And these strange phenomena, if he doesn't know what they are or why they are happening, or just wants to know more about them, his clergy are going to be getting quests left and right. Boccob hasn't changed, the world is just suddenly a lot more interesting than hitherto. And the wide alignment range of his clerics is useful here, from the Humanitarian faction looking to use their knowledge to ease the suffering to the Experamentalists trying anything and everything they can think of without heed to the consequences to the Black Cloister performing unspeakable rites and doing terrible things in search of the answers to the Divine Archivists simply compiling as much information as they can to The Synod of Questions insinuating themselves into local goverments everywhere to try and take control of the situation. Adventurers are sent to long forgotten battlefields because of history texts that record them as the last instance of a certain item being used, rare and strange spells are used to glean information from places best left alone. Rare herbs known to grow only in dangerous fey glades are needed. Journals belonging to historians who died in castles now infamous for being haunted must be consulted. In short, adventure hooks abound.

[JBL564]

I imagine Boccob as sort of the ultimate academic, an entity that spends its time in the divine equivalent of the campus library pouring over journals or comparing tiny differences in results of practical experiments Vs expected theoretical results and trying to chase down if its instrumental error or not. Not a very interesting or engaging sort of chap, unless his interest is piqued.

How about this for an idea, in your setting, Boccob IS a distant and uninterested deity for the most part. He sponsors libraries, academies, records offices etc but that's about it. He is a god that is either key to your life, or irrelevant to it. That is, right up until the recent cataclysm. Even if the gods are angry, Boccob might not know why, he is the professor in the attic, how is supposed to know why everyone on the ground floor is suddenly shouting at each other? When he goes down and they have all left, how is he to know why? And these strange phenomena, if he doesn't know what they are or why they are happening, or just wants to know more about them, his clergy are going to be getting quests left and right. Boccob hasn't changed, the world is just suddenly a lot more interesting than hitherto. And the wide alignment range of his clerics is useful here, from the Humanitarian faction looking to use their knowledge to ease the suffering to the Experamentalists trying anything and everything they can think of without heed to the consequences to the Black Cloister performing unspeakable rites and doing terrible things in search of the answers to the Divine Archivists simply compiling as much information as they can to The Synod of Questions insinuating themselves into local goverments everywhere to try and take control of the situation. Adventurers are sent to long forgotten battlefields because of history texts that record them as the last instance of a certain item being used, rare and strange spells are used to glean information from places best left alone. Rare herbs known to grow only in dangerous fey glades are needed. Journals belonging to historians who died in castles now infamous for being haunted must be consulted. In short, adventure hooks abound.

This is brill! Thanks!!

[Max_Killjoy]

If the gods have all gone hostile and the world is in turmoil, you mind find a use for some of the crazy stuff in this thread, such an adaptation of Kyrpech, might work as an ally or rival or Boccob).

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...s-for-Everyone

[Max_Killjoy]

I imagine Boccob as sort of the ultimate academic, an entity that spends its time in the divine equivalent of the campus library pouring over journals or comparing tiny differences in results of practical experiments Vs expected theoretical results and trying to chase down if its instrumental error or not. Not a very interesting or engaging sort of chap, unless his interest is piqued.

How about this for an idea, in your setting, Boccob IS a distant and uninterested deity for the most part. He sponsors libraries, academies, records offices etc but that's about it. He is a god that is either key to your life, or irrelevant to it. That is, right up until the recent cataclysm. Even if the gods are angry, Boccob might not know why, he is the professor in the attic, how is supposed to know why everyone on the ground floor is suddenly shouting at each other? When he goes down and they have all left, how is he to know why? And these strange phenomena, if he doesn't know what they are or why they are happening, or just wants to know more about them, his clergy are going to be getting quests left and right. Boccob hasn't changed, the world is just suddenly a lot more interesting than hitherto. And the wide alignment range of his clerics is useful here, from the Humanitarian faction looking to use their knowledge to ease the suffering to the Experamentalists trying anything and everything they can think of without heed to the consequences to the Black Cloister performing unspeakable rites and doing terrible things in search of the answers to the Divine Archivists simply compiling as much information as they can to The Synod of Questions insinuating themselves into local goverments everywhere to try and take control of the situation. Adventurers are sent to long forgotten battlefields because of history texts that record them as the last instance of a certain item being used, rare and strange spells are used to glean information from places best left alone. Rare herbs known to grow only in dangerous fey glades are needed. Journals belonging to historians who died in castles now infamous for being haunted must be consulted. In short, adventure hooks abound.

Are those all actual factions in Boccob's clergy, or "off the cuff"?

One thing I don't get about Boccob... I understand why he'd be Neutral in terms of not caring, but not why he'd be Neutral in terms of actively pushing the old "True Neutral advocate of Balance" agenda.

[Evil DM Mark3]

Are those all actual factions in Boccob's clergy, or "off the cuff"?

Off the cuff based on the alignments. NG CN NE NN and LN. (Actually, the Humanitarians and Eperimentalists are naff names).

Also, when it comes to Balance, you need all viewpoints if you want to the objective truth.

[Max_Killjoy]

Off the cuff based on the alignments. NG CN NE NN and LN. (Actually, the Humanitarians and Experimentalists are naff names).

Also, when it comes to Balance, you need all viewpoints if you want to the objective truth.

A recurring comment in descriptions of Boccob -- "can travel to any time or dimension". I'd probably drop that, kinda takes the point out of sending his agents and clerics and "independent contractors" out into the world to investigate if he can just pop off to whenever and see what happened or will happen.

[lightningcat]

Are those all actual factions in Boccob's clergy, or "off the cuff"?

One thing I don't get about Boccob... I understand why he'd be Neutral in terms of not caring, but not why he'd be Neutral in terms of actively pushing the old "True Neutral advocate of Balance" agenda.

Too much good, no one needs to innovate. Too much evil, and no one has time to. Too much law, nothing is allowed to change. Too much chaos, no one has time to write stuff down.

[Max_Killjoy]

Too much good, no one needs to innovate. Too much evil, and no one has time to. Too much law, nothing is allowed to change. Too much chaos, no one has time to write stuff down.

I'm not sure if "too much good" means no one innovates, "good" does not equal "perfection", but I get your point.

[Bohandas]

Two possibilities

1.) Maybe they worship Boccob specifically because he isn't overbearing

2.) Maybe focus instead on some of Boccob's minions, like Zagyg, the tutelary deity of mad scientists and commedians

[KatteLars]

The simplest approach, to me, seems to be to make Boccop active. He protects knowledge and magic, even the dangerous kinds, and those who would remove or hide it are his enemies. His neutrality then stems from him not caring about alignments at all, and he can even oppose the other gods, be they good or bad, when they try to stymie progress. Thus his followers can be divided into academics trying to gather, gain and distribute knowledge of all kinds, and a militant branch that fights secret societies, cults and inquisitions, work as spies, and so on, all in the name of bringing knowledge to the masses.

[Max_Killjoy]

The simplest approach, to me, seems to be to make Boccop active. He protects knowledge and magic, even the dangerous kinds, and those who would remove or hide it are his enemies. His neutrality then stems from him not caring about alignments at all, and he can even oppose the other gods, be they good or bad, when they try to stymie progress. Thus his followers can be divided into academics trying to gather, gain and distribute knowledge of all kinds, and a militant branch that fights secret societies, cults and inquisitions, work as spies, and so on, all in the name of bringing knowledge to the masses.

Boccob as hacker -- "information wants to be free".

[denthor]

Boccob has the trickery domain. He is not so much boring as subtle. Play up the tricky aspect with your clerics. They are thuth seekers balance bringer.

If a,world is over run by law they team up with thieves and bring the over law down a notch.

Example law has decided the skeleton patrol the streets as guards led by Lawful nuetral/evil clerics. Your adventures are taking out the patrols. Your teammates chaotic neutral of the god of Thieves and paladins

Chaos Reigns in the streets No One Is Safe your teammates are paladins and those that wish to protect.

When playing a Boccob remember the clerics are held in the highest order with Mages being the secondary order. All others are disposable.

[KatteLars]

Boccob as hacker -- "information wants to be free".

Essentially, yes :)