How does one become a god?

[arouetta]

I will admit to having skimmed through D&G, rather than in-depth cover to cover reading. But I saw one section where it said that many gods are dimensional travelers that pop in, do awesome things, pop out, and peoples' prayers keep a doorway open that lets PPE through. However I saw another section that said gods are pure PPE.

So, how does a person make the transition from mortal to sentient PPE bubble? Especially non-mages?

I'd like to present the possibility as a retirement quest to my players, so they can spend the next several levels achieving each individual step (each being a quest in and of itself), and at level 14-15 they make the final step into being pure PPE. I'd like to hear people's take on what those "ladder-climbing" steps should be.

[kiralon]

I did it by an epic adventure where a which of Netosa found an item from the chaos wars that summoned all the gods to palladium in a greatly weakened state. There assassins were sent after them to kill them, and when one of the gods died its essence would form into a large coloured ball that was the essence of their power, and whomever touched the ball absorbed that essence, and if after the end fight scene find the player was still standing and had touched a ball he became that god (with feet of clay hehehe).
Wherever a god died the was a magical explosion of whatever the god represented, eg when heim died a town got over run by wilderness and wild creatures, when belimar (I think) all the metal in the area around him for several miles became A+++ grade metal and magical to boot. The utu died nothing in the area stayed dead (or died completely, people with swords in their bellies wouldn't die etc).
Its where I also used pretty much every fantasy book I had ever read plot elements in some way shape or form.
But 1 pc became the Sun God
1 pc become the god of the undead
1 pc became the god of time (Called Frank, the person in control was and is terrible at naming characters, Nurple Buttkiss anyone)
1 pc became the Goddess of runes, because she was made out of ppe on the inside, and was contained with a beautiful person shaped shell of tiny glowing runes that was her skin. Some of the little buggers kept running off and hiding as well.
So something epic that will stick in the minds of your players will usually do, especially if retiring the characters. Otherwise its the old get really powerful, then attract followers type routine.

edit: That was when they retired, but I use their replacement characters for those gods since then as it gives a sense of continuity, as those people still play.

[Tor]

Seeing as how Demon/Deevil Lords are rather on par with gods, the closest guideline I've gotten on how to be a god would be in the Dyval sourcebook. It lists the amount of worshippers you need to attain certain Deevil ranks all the way up to Lord, which ends up giving you a deific power or four.

Of course it doesn't explain whether or not you get the special Deevil Lord powers listed in D&G, or how the other Lords have ALL the deific powers.

[Alrik Vas]

Most gamers do seem to look at it as, "If you can kill a God, you can replace that God."

That might be one way.

However, you seem to be looking for a way to allow your players to create their own legacies and forge a niche of their own in a divine way. It sounds pretty personal, really. So i'm going to suggest you take them down the road of what their character really is. Are they good, bad, selfish people? What do they fight for and why? Do they fear interpersonal conflicts to the point where they lie to avoid them? Does the temporal world concern them more than the spiritual? There are a lot of factors.

Also, they may have a connection to a signature piece of equipment. Does a character have a hat that's always been lucky, a sword that's never failed to kill? These things can become power all on their own. I like it when magic is more mystical than crunch, it allows you to make the journey full of more wonder rather than a checklist. So try and create places, items and people that work differently than you're used to. A +1 Flametongue does what it does. However an earring that always tells you when someone is lying can create all kinds of interesting situations. I bring this up because God's often have symbols associated with them, and an item held by a PC who becomes a God would become a sought after piece of gear indeed.

Godly powers should be like this. Not explosions or massacres via the snap of a finger, but the players should experience magic rather than just gain it. If they're going to transcend into PPE beings, they'll need such an understanding.

In the end though, a good way to do it is to die and ascend.

[eliakon]

Very Carefully (this is actually not spelled out anywhere and probably for the simple reason that it should be completely up to a GM when/if something becomes a god. If they put in specific rules, someone would try to say 'but I did blah blah blah from page x of book y, so I'm a god now.)

Actually the ritual of apotheosis requires a circle drawn in a mixture of Narativium, Handwavium, and Plotonium in a precices balance.

[kiralon]

Actually the ritual of apotheosis requires a circle drawn in a mixture of Narativium, Handwavium, and Plotonium in a precise balance.

This here (with maybe a little unobtanium thrown in)

[zyanitevp]

I did it by an epic adventure where a which of Netosa found an item from the chaos wars that summoned all the gods to palladium in a greatly weakened state. There assassins were sent after them to kill them, and when one of the gods died its essence would form into a large coloured ball that was the essence of their power, and whomever touched the ball absorbed that essence, and if after the end fight scene find the player was still standing and had touched a ball he became that god (with feet of clay hehehe).
Wherever a god died the was a magical explosion of whatever the god represented, eg when heim died a town got over run by wilderness and wild creatures, when belimar (I think) all the metal in the area around him for several miles became A+++ grade metal and magical to boot. The utu died nothing in the area stayed dead (or died completely, people with swords in their bellies wouldn't die etc).
Its where I also used pretty much every fantasy book I had ever read plot elements in some way shape or form.
But 1 pc became the Sun God
1 pc become the god of the undead
1 pc became the god of time (Called Frank, the person in control was and is terrible at naming characters, Nurple Buttkiss anyone)
1 pc became the Goddess of runes, because she was made out of ppe on the inside, and was contained with a beautiful person shaped shell of tiny glowing runes that was her skin. Some of the little buggers kept running off and hiding as well.
So something epic that will stick in the minds of your players will usually do, especially if retiring the characters. Otherwise its the old get really powerful, then attract followers type routine.

edit: That was when they retired, but I use their replacement characters for those gods since then as it gives a sense of continuity, as those people still play.

Thinking of a continuation of Rebuilt as going this direction, as one of the options at the end.... are you in?

[kiralon]

Definitely

[The Beast]

I will admit to having skimmed through D&G, rather than in-depth cover to cover reading. But I saw one section where it said that many gods are dimensional travelers that pop in, do awesome things, pop out, and peoples' prayers keep a doorway open that lets PPE through. However I saw another section that said gods are pure PPE.

So, how does a person make the transition from mortal to sentient PPE bubble? Especially non-mages?

I'd like to present the possibility as a retirement quest to my players, so they can spend the next several levels achieving each individual step (each being a quest in and of itself), and at level 14-15 they make the final step into being pure PPE. I'd like to hear people's take on what those "ladder-climbing" steps should be.

Last time I played with my friends back home I joined in the last half of a mission they were given by Thoth. At the conclusion Thoth gave us a "special batch he just whipped up."

[The Dark Elf]

To become a god one must simply redefine the word god to mean something that represents themselves.

sorry.

[kiralon]

Depends on what your initial thoughts on the meaning are. I'm pretty sure your definition is different to my definition is different to the next persons, but I didn't have to redefine my meaning for Palladium, the definition is already mostly there.
Extremely powerful, and has to get worshipers to give it/him/her extra powers. Tolmet was just an ordinary kid from what I remember, until something extraordinarily cruel happened and hey presto, godhood (or something like that, I don't have D&G about to check).

[Witchcraft]

I did it by an epic adventure where a which of Netosa found an item from the chaos wars that summoned all the gods to palladium in a greatly weakened state. There assassins were sent after them to kill them, and when one of the gods died its essence would form into a large coloured ball that was the essence of their power, and whomever touched the ball absorbed that essence, and if after the end fight scene find the player was still standing and had touched a ball he became that god (with feet of clay hehehe).
Wherever a god died the was a magical explosion of whatever the god represented, eg when heim died a town got over run by wilderness and wild creatures, when belimar (I think) all the metal in the area around him for several miles became A+++ grade metal and magical to boot. The utu died nothing in the area stayed dead (or died completely, people with swords in their bellies wouldn't die etc).
Its where I also used pretty much every fantasy book I had ever read plot elements in some way shape or form.
But 1 pc became the Sun God
1 pc become the god of the undead
1 pc became the god of time (Called Frank, the person in control was and is terrible at naming characters, Nurple Buttkiss anyone)
1 pc became the Goddess of runes, because she was made out of ppe on the inside, and was contained with a beautiful person shaped shell of tiny glowing runes that was her skin. Some of the little buggers kept running off and hiding as well.
So something epic that will stick in the minds of your players will usually do, especially if retiring the characters. Otherwise its the old get really powerful, then attract followers type routine.

edit: That was when they retired, but I use their replacement characters for those gods since then as it gives a sense of continuity, as those people still play.

Thinking of a continuation of Rebuilt as going this direction, as one of the options at the end.... are you in?

count me in! But only for the VEGAS REBIRTH SESSION!?!!?

[Tor]

Perhaps we should ask Lord Coake.

[Alrik Vas]

He's not available for comment, he tries to avoid photo-bombing class pictures of trainees now as well.

[AZ_RUNE]

I did it by an epic adventure where a which of Netosa found an item from the chaos wars that summoned all the gods to palladium in a greatly weakened state. There assassins were sent after them to kill them, and when one of the gods died its essence would form into a large coloured ball that was the essence of their power, and whomever touched the ball absorbed that essence, and if after the end fight scene find the player was still standing and had touched a ball he became that god (with feet of clay hehehe).
Wherever a god died the was a magical explosion of whatever the god represented, eg when heim died a town got over run by wilderness and wild creatures, when belimar (I think) all the metal in the area around him for several miles became A+++ grade metal and magical to boot. The utu died nothing in the area stayed dead (or died completely, people with swords in their bellies wouldn't die etc).
Its where I also used pretty much every fantasy book I had ever read plot elements in some way shape or form.
But 1 pc became the Sun God
1 pc become the god of the undead
1 pc became the god of time (Called Frank, the person in control was and is terrible at naming characters, Nurple Buttkiss anyone)
1 pc became the Goddess of runes, because she was made out of ppe on the inside, and was contained with a beautiful person shaped shell of tiny glowing runes that was her skin. Some of the little buggers kept running off and hiding as well.
So something epic that will stick in the minds of your players will usually do, especially if retiring the characters. Otherwise its the old get really powerful, then attract followers type routine.

edit: That was when they retired, but I use their replacement characters for those gods since then as it gives a sense of continuity, as those people still play.

Thinking of a continuation of Rebuilt as going this direction, as one of the options at the end.... are you in?

Oh hell yes!!!

[Tor]

Being that Deevil Lords are essentially gods, Dyval gave the best guidelines, in that it gave specific numerical requirements on how to attain godhood.

Essentially... all you need to give is this.

[drewkitty ~..~]

So, how does a person make the transition from mortal to sentient PPE bubble?

Die.

(in game terms) Soul=sentient PPE bubble.

[Library Ogre]

My rule of thumb is worship. Basically, people have to start praying to you, which associates a fair amount of their PPE with their concept of you. If enough people are doing it often enough, you become a deity once you learn how to tap into that power. The help of another deity (a sponsor) is quite useful, though you might wind up paying a tithe of power to them for a few millenium in exchange for the help.

[Tor]

how does a person make the transition from mortal to sentient PPE bubble?

Die. (in game terms) Soul=sentient PPE bubble.

Souls can exist without PPE though. Even if a Mage or Cosmo-Knight permanently burns off all their PPE they would still have a soul. Some pure-chi beings who may lack PPE also have souls. Jury's out on the Machine People, probably not, sadly.

A soul is something more, though it tends to bring PPE and some other stuff along for the ride.