Pesky Divine Meddling

We now have a Oldschool scene in my city with lunch meetups and a second minicon called Gazzacon I'm running Goat Quest for. I'm tempted to set up an overflow game as we had lots of ppl turned away in bookings full, then ppl booked didn't come, so maybe I could make an event to use overbooking ppl who can drop in games. It's good for the DMs to get to play too. 

As I'm running Theros and the gods are in your face more all the time i thought a quick table for some divine input. I'm still going through what are some of the most detailed d&d gods, except it didn't give all the cleric stuff for them. I think a cleric book with all domain subclasses would help character choice and world-building.

So all kinds of games can have jerk gods messing with players.
I do like in Theros, any god can be a friend or foe, and enemy gods will cooperate at times. 

In my games, divination is better than 5th ed, and players spend days checking up a dungeon first, which I like. Maybe a spell for a spirit to gather gossip would work for lazy rumour gathering. Large churches in cities have monasteries where everyone casts divinations daily, with priests asking questions in exhaustive studies using computational logic. Well, lawful churches do. Lots of D&D5 spells as a player, I won't use them because they were so bad vs versions I know, while Command now includes undead.

The Theros omen table is fantastic, as are lots of the other god tables (this book + Dyson map temples of every cult got me into d&d5).

Bronze age religion is poorly done in most games and poor set and nergal were very popular gods demonised by other people. They are not nice gods you want to like you and you want them to help you mess up your enemies. Not every naughty god is satanic in style and many still part of an orderly cosmos like demons. Will be having a stab at Exilon Gods again soonish now i have a system I am satisfied. RQ3 did a good job of domains. The problem of the 2nd ed splatbook on making religions is that it was quite involved in describing for a campaign while RQ had a paragraph and a small stat block. Oddly enough, I play retro D&D now because monster statblocks were smaller and less prep, but RQ3 sometimes did modular gods better.

At least gods are like parents who meddle and disaprove of lots of stuff and have an idea of your destiny thats good for you even if you dont agree. 

Also if you have more friendly divination, maybe the god drops some unwanted personal advice. 

d12 Those Meddling Gods Omens
1 An animal omen - odd colour or behaviour gives some lesson or message
2 Weather omen - clouds or other strange sky phenomena
3 Feast Omen - image seen in fire or food, food seems to rot or have worms or has a face for a moment
4 Plant omens - something grows into a shape or holy herb seen in odd place
5 Light - lighting or sunlight or unusual lights seen, something seem holy and blessed 

6 Sounds - thundercrack, whispers, shouting voice, cry for help or seems familiar, baby cry

7 Found art - find an image of a god or something that just looks like a god

8 Witing - find note in your pocket or burning letters on stone 

9 Shadows - make something look gloomy, sinister & nightmarish, see shadow move or silhouette of something moving or eyes in darkness

10 Dream omens - with symbols or signs of the god or some other world, perhaps a possible prophecy

11 Star omens - strange stars, constellations seems to move, unusual colours

12 Living art - a statue, relief art, ship prow or painting that seems to come to life for a moment to wink or even talk

Most omens should be petty and subtle enough to almost miss or interpret
Obvious omens are when the god really wants to be obvious
Blatant manifestations are for when the god is really nailing a point home with a personal command or unsolicited advice

d12 Petty Paternal God Messages
1 I dont like your outfit
2 Are you eating properly? 
3 You should proselytise more 

4 Have you maintained your arms and armour properly?

5 Evaluate your life decisions d4 1=love life, 2=money 3=

6 I'm watching you all the time, so make some effort to look good

7 Keep an eye on that rival cult for me

8 Visit a shrine or temple for me

9 I would like a sacrifice for a holy day

10 I would like a new shrine or idol

11 I hope you're stirring up and taunting our religious rivals

12 I hope you're hunting the wicked cults and heretic sects enough

d12 Serious Stuff Divine Missions
1 Aid a holy person in need of support
2 Recover a holy relic, like scriptures or an icon

3 Relocate a holy relic like a saint's hand or an idol

4 Heal these faithful worshipers in need

5 Recruit this almost-ready person into our faith

6 Write a scripture or make devotional art with divine guidance

7 Stop an outlaw spell caster from using spells on your church followers

8 Provide a funeral and protect the burial site with blessings

9 Espouse and punish a heretic within our church

10 Exterminate a forbidden cult for me

11 Exorcise evil spirits haunting a building or wild place

12 Locate an unholy menace hidden in a community

d12 Omens of Divine Displeasure

1 Howling winds
2 Clouds darken the sky

3 Rumbling storm clouds

4 Spooky small animal-like crow or cat or bat or rat, gives dirty looks and vocalises

5 Spooky, more dangerous animals, like a jackal or vulture, give dirty looks and vocalises

6 Flock or swarm or school of many animals, possibly vocalising loudly

7 Lightning bolt blasts something in the path

8 Crack in rock, damaging a building or dislodging rocks

9 Stinking miasma makes everyone gag

10 Curse spell requires removal or atonement

11 Sends a demon or devil to punish the wicked or just give a fright

12 Greater curse spell affects generations unless removed or atoned

Use lower dice for more mild stuff or a lower dice with a plus to control the range, as worse results tend to be higher numbers

d12 Manifestations
1 Mysterious cloud with a face
2 Booming voice from nowhere

3 Face appears in stone

4 Column of fire

5 Shaft of light

6 Face appears in flock or swarm or school of many animals

7 Appears as an attractive specimen of an animal

8 In disguise as an elderly, poor person

9 Appears as an attractive mortal with occupation apropriate

10 Appear as a noble with an entourage demanding the right of way

11 Appears as a magician, like a priest, druid or wizard

12 A monster d4 1=dragon 2=titan 3=elemental being 4=angel demon or planar being

If a god in disguise, it is a test to see if you have manners or treat strangers well.

d12 Evil Manifestations
1 Blood drips from a corpse or a living being and forms writing
2 Face of a figure forms in the shadows
3 Wound or burn in flesh is a symbol

4 A crack in the ground releases vapours that cause hallucinations

5 Evil animal glares at you and mutters abuse ot threats

6 Own face in reflection gives an angry glare with strange eyes

7 Possession for a round screams abuse from the evil one once a day

8 Minor mutation, possibly temporary at first 

9 Sewerage forms a humanoid form or face

10 Swarming vermin form a humanoid figure or face

11 Smokey choking vapour from a stinking foul humanoid figure or face

12 Stinking miasmas cause vomiting, which forms a creature or face or spreads a disease, causing hallucinations of an evil power