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An Adventure
Chapter Two 11
Integrating the Event
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When gods die,they always die many sorts ofdeath. —Friedrich Nietsche
By now you have decided on the god that shall die and the nature ofhis demise.Next you must determine all the various ways to incorporate the event into your game,as well as the ramifications ofdoing so.These challenging issues are at the heart ofthis book.
Staging the Death
Essentially,you must determine how the PCs,and perhaps the rest ofthe world,learn ofthe god’s death.There are many options for this revelation,but three ofthe best ways are:revealing the secret through an adventure,announcing it officially,and allowing the truth to come to the fore in the unraveling ofa mystery.
An Adventure
First you might decide to create an adventure involving the death ofthe god.This is most appropriate for high-level characters,but with a little work you can design one for characters ofany level.Here are some ideas for such a scenario.
The PCs find the dead god unexpectedly,as a part ofa different adventure. Somewhere dangerous and remote,and preferably unexpected,the PCs come upon the corpus dei.They might not know exactly what they have discovered until they investigate closely.Perhaps all they find is a colossal petrified hand,reaching up through the ground,for the actual corpse lies underground.Or they walk atop a strange hill,only to discover that it is,in fact,in the rough shape ofa gigantic humanoid figure.
Before they see the body,the PCs might first come upon some relic belonging to the god:a fallen scepter,a broken crown,or something similar.Or they might first find the corpses ofthe god’s servants,such as the giant bulls that pulled a war god’s chariot,or the 20 mariliths who attended a god ofchaos and evil.
In a completely different approach,a cleric character who worships the doomed god might hear,while in the midst ofcasting a spell like commune, the god calling out one last gasp.This shock comes in the middle ofsome other concern and alters the course ofthe current adventure entirely.Ofcourse,the PC cleric would have noticed the lack ofall spell power soon after anyway,but this way is much more dramatic. Pure Happenstance
The PCs happen to be on the scene when the god dies.While traveling the planes,wandering the wilderness,or exploring a dangerous area—or ifthey just happen to be in the wrong temple at the wrong time—they come upon a battle,a murder,a suicide,or the “deathbed” ofdying god.There might be others about (including the deity’s killers,ifany) or they might find themselves alone with him.
Perhaps the god has some dying wish,command,or quest to give to the PCs,which could become the start ofsome grand adventure.The deity might want to be avenged,raised, or simply have some last task completed.He might want his followers cared for,a message delivered,his citadel safeguarded,or some item ofimportance retrieved and given as a last legacy to those who followed him.
Another variation on this idea is to have the god summon the PCs (assuming they have some relationship with him, such as being devout worshippers or champions ofa similar cause) to give them his last request to fulfill.This scenario makes the death all the more dramatic,but it also runs the risk ofseeming a bit forced.
Help or Hinder
The PCs have a hand in aiding or attacking the god.This option could involve truly powerful (20+ level) characters, with divine aid and lots ofartifacts,taking on a longstanding foe ofdivine stature.Or,conversely,those same characters could be summoned before their patron to help defend him or her against an overwhelming horde ofgodsbloodthirsty foes.
Although it is probably best,characters do not have to be artifact-laden heroes ofepic proportions to help fight a god. Ifthe DM wishes,the characters could be some extremely minor players,more witnesses than participants,in a cosmic battle that shakes the very foundations ofthe world.Perhaps huge armies ofmortals are actually involved,with the battle fought on two levels—one among the armies and one among the warring divine patrons ofthose armies.
The First to Hear
The PCs learn about the death ofthe god before anyone else.They encounter a being who was there when the god died,or one who saw the corpse.This is sure to be a power-
