In The Court Of Gods

[Inerrant Lust]

A Poison To The Gods
Things have never been quite like this before. The Gods are dying. No, something worse than death. When a God dies, their power is drawn by their heir in a manner not even the Gods themselves know entirely... though most of the time their domains end up in the hands of their chosen successors. Most of the time. Occasionally their domains and powers are drawn by force, but never in entirety. In such a way, the universe need never fear the death of a God. The rivers will continue to flow, the Sun will rise and set, mortal and immortal will remain. But this is different. The Gods are not dying, the very concept of divinity is dying. A blight is upon them, and it saps their power from them without letting them die. The dead rise, the earth quakes, the beasts go mad and the sun is dimmer. The mortal realm is apocalyptic, the immortal realm nearly so itself. In this moment of weakness, the Devils waged war on the Court of Gods. The Demons waged war on the mortal realm.

The Mother, Goddess of Death, had chosen a mortal to be her successor. Unbeknownst to any of the other Gods, she gave her life (and her power) to this man, who thence became known as Skullface. He was branded a usurper and was immediately set upon by the other Gods. He slew the Goddess of War and by right of combat, became her heir. He was offered peace by the Devils, but refused. Now the three sides, Devils, Gods, and Skullface remain locked in a cold war. Should one press the attack on another, the third will crush them.

The Court
In the heavens, there are Greater Deities, Lesser Deities, and Demigods. If it were a kingdom, the Greater Deities would be Dukes, the Lesser Earls or Counts, and the Demigods as barons or minor lords. There is a hierarchy in the domains, in that a Greater Deity may have the domain of 'War', while a Lesser Deities beneath them has 'Naval War', and a Demigod is worshipped as the Patron of 'Oarsmen' It is not uncommon for lesser deities and demigods to have domains relating to multiple Greater Deities, such as 'Oarsmen' being both a concept of 'Naval War' and 'Water'

Gods can succeed domains from one another, and in this way it resembles a feudal society. Mortals ascending to even Lesser deityhood is extraordinarily rare. To a God, a mortal is considered even less than a commoner would be to a mortal noble. They are another species, and a lesser one than that. Few mortals become demigods. Most demigods are the children of mortals and Gods or other demigods.

The Players
You are a demigod. You may be of whatever domain you wish and you will (nominally) be in the hierarchy under whatever Lesser or Greater Deity you desire, even those not named below. This makes you a potential successor for their power and (in theory) their subordinate and vassal. In reality, the Blight and war has realigned the allegiances somewhat. Most Gods and Demigods are neutral, trying to eke out their last remaining centuries amidst this God-killing apocalypse. Some have joined Skullface, others remain true, and a few have sided with the Devils.

System? I hadn't really thought of it. Perhaps freeform. Scion was suggested, but I don't know it very well.

The War

Skullface, the God of Death and War
Claims to be unaffected by Blight, with the implication that only death and succession will free a God's powers of the blight/

The Father, the God of Life and Craftsmanship
Incapable due to the Blight, breathed life into mortals in his never ending pursuit of 'perfect' creation.

The Son, the God of Light
Shines light onto the mortal realm, neutral in the conflict

The Maiden, Goddess of Love
Leader of the Greater Deities in the Father's absence, inspires kindness and benevolence

The Sage, God of Knowledge and Magic
Incapable due to the Blight, now considered mad

The Girl, Goddess of Plants and Animals
Missing

The Boy, God of the Earth and Weather

Moloch, the Devil Patron of Wrath
Engaged in a war against Skullface and the other Greater Gods

Baal, the Devil Patron of Pride
Missing, along with most of his infernal Host.

Beelzebub, the Devil Patron of Gluttony
Killed by Skullface, currently regenerating in the hells

Nergal, the Demon Patron of Greed
Currently in the mortal realm seeking conquest

Ashtoreth, the Demon Patroness of Lust
Was previously shackled to a mortal's will by the three great devils. Freed by Skullface upon his ascension, she is his only ally.

Adramelech, the Demon Patron of Envy
Currently in the mortal realm seeking conquest

Mephistopheles, the Demon Patron of Sloth
Neutral in the conflict[/color]

[ShadowFox89]

 I'd say Legend, Scion, Mutants and Masterminds 3e, or FATE for systems. Otherwise just freeform with maybe a simple point system.

[TheHangedOne]

I'd go with Legend, personally.

Also, nice job with the list. I even saw one up there I had to wiki. 

Personally, I am thinking of a Demigod of Martyrdom, who is probably underneath The Maiden, at some level.

Let me know if I'm getting this order right, too. In the case of my characters hierarchy, it would be like:
The Maiden > God of Suffering > Demigod of Martyrdom (a.k.a 'willing suffering').

I'm being inspired by Ilmater from D&D 3.0 pretty heavily.

[Inerrant Lust]

Also the players are mostly unaffected by the Blight, it works from the top down.

The hierarchy also isn't strict. Some demigods are directly under Greater Deities and some Lesser Deities are at the top of their respective chain of command. All the Gods mentioned so far are Greaters, though.

Consider the Demons/Devils roughly equivalent to Greaters (but each one is progressively weaker than the last, Moloch being the strongest and Mephy the weakest)

Also you own a small 'fief', which is a little spot on the heavenly plane that is yours to shape- full of your most loyal followers and retainers.

[ShadowFox89]

 Well, if we go with Legend, doing mass combat and everything would be easy... Plus, I know what kind of a character I want to make

[Inerrant Lust]

This will very much be an intrigue sort of game. As you can tell, it's a little bit more complex than 'good vs evil', so the players will kind of be able to sand-box explore possible alliances/rivalries with Gods and demons alike. Even mortals, as that is an option too.

[Palabra]

I don't know anything about playing by systems, but I am intrigued by the Ashtoreth character.

[Inerrant Lust]

It wouldn't be impossible to play a character somehow related to her. Though the hellspawn don't have any official domains or influences over mortals like the gods do, they can at times be comparable in power. You could play a demon or devil who has aligned themselves with Ashtoreth, or a demigod who has aligned themselves with the Skullface/Ashtoreth faction.

Shadow mentioned on AIM the possibility of playing a half-demon character. Consider the court as something of a medieval kingdom. 15th century England, for instance. The demons/devils are arabs (probably similar to how europeans viewed them at the time...), believers of a different faith and inherently inferior in their minds. A half-demon might be able to become a lord in the court of gods, but they will not be too fondly thought of. It is possible to ascend the ranks of succession this way but at every turn the other demigods and lesser gods will attempt to disinherit them.

The rules of inheritance and succession are murky even to the Gods. They know at least that a few factors come into play;
Having the previous God's blessing as an heir possibly
Being similar to the previous God or having appropriate traits to the powers in question
Being nearby or involved somehow when the God dies

[Muse]

  I'll bite, especially if you've decided to use Legend system.  :) 

[kckolbe]

I'm willing to go with Scion or Legend.  It'd be good to be in a game of yours again.  Still considering a domain.

EDIT:  I think I'd prefer Scion.  I've only played each game once, but Scion is made for this, and makes concepts easier to transfer on paper.

[Inerrant Lust]

It could still be freeform, and I confess I haven't played either system. I'll have a look at both of them, but I do tend to lean towards the system that is thematically similiar...

More or less all of the heavens are a manifestation of that particular deity's persona, although not manifestations of their will. Skullface's fief is filled with fort-like architecture and battlefields, the Father in a massive workshop-machinery castle (that is super decrepit and barely functioning), the Maiden in an extravagant decorative palace (that is starting to lose its color)

Same with their abilities and appearance. The older Greaters appear in armor or fine regalia, with a lot of decorative accessories. Their fiefs match. Skullface, being an ascended mortal, is more or less just a shadowy figure with the titular facial features, while devils/demons are beast-like and monstrous with some decorations and clothing. Your characters are much the same, their appearance and their fiefdoms matching their status and personality innately.

The current Greaters, with the exception of Skullface, are all very ancient. They are not the first 'pantheon', but they have outlived memory by a wide margin. They tend to have esoteric names, where as a certain ascended mortal has a more appropriate name and the infernals have proper names. When Devils or Demons are killed and reborn, they always come back the same but a bit different. They retain their old names but can have very different personalities. They are petty and prone to infighting.

Also, I'm pretty butt hurt that I JUST watched the MGS5 trailer and there's a character named Skullface.

[ShadowFox89]

Not full finished, but here's what my character would look like so far. Daughter of Ba'al, Kat shows a combination of pride and greed, but also a strong sense of wanting to protect what she considers hers. Threaten any of her "property" and she'll hunt you down across every plane of existence.

Katherine Kazuoto "The Bladedancer"

Class: Sentient Construct/Path of War (Dervish)/Earth Elemental
Race: Half-Demon
Age:

HP: 143 ([10 class+3 KDM]x11)
Damage Reduction: 5

Speed: 45ft
Senses: Darvision

Strength : 14 (12 base + 2 Ability 3)
Dexterity : 14 (14 base)
Constitution : 20 (16 base + 4 Ability 1) [KOM]
Intelligence : 10 (10 base)
Wisdom : 12 (10 base + 2 Ability 4)
Charisma : 16 (14 base - 2 Race + 4 Ability 2) [KDM]

Armor Class: 25 (10 + 5 KDM +  Armor + 10 BAB)
Awareness: 11
Saves: Fort +13, Ref +7, Will +12
Resistance and Immunity: [Resistance] Elemental Damage and Magic
Base Attack Bonus: +10

Class Features:
Track 1: Sentient Construct (fast, 1/3/6/9/12/15/18)

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

You gain a +1 bonus to all damage for every circle of this track that you possess, and a 5 ft. bonus to your movement speed for every even circle of this track that you possess. You also gain a +2 bonus to saves against combat maneuvers.

Heavy Metal

As a standard action, you deal damage equal to your character level + your Key Offensive Modifier to every opponent in [Melee] range. Opponent dealt damage by this ability are [Knocked down]. A successful Reflex save (DC 10 + ½ your level + your Key Offensive Modifier) negates being [Knocked down].

Sensor Suite

Your advanced senses enable you to penetrate illusions that would fool organic creatures. You gain [Immunity] to effects with the [Figment] descriptor. You also gain [Tremorsense] out to [Close] range and [Blindsight] out to [Melee] range.

Spell Disruption

You gain [Resistance] to energy and magic damage.

Track 2: Path of War (Dervish) (medium, 1/4/7/10/13/16/19)

War Dance

You can whip yourself into a war dance, a state in which you gain heightened
morale and maneuverability. As a swift action, if you are not [Fatigued], [Exhausted], or in a war dance, you can enter a war dance, which lasts for a maximum number of [Rounds] equal to 3 + your Constitution modifier (if positive). While in this war dance you gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls, damage you deal with attacks, and Acrobatics checks per circle you possess from this track, a +1 bonus to Reflex and Will saves, and a +2 bonus to saves against combat maneuvers. You can always prematurely end your war dance as a free action. When your war dance ends (either before the beginning of your turn due to its duration running out, or on your your turn due to your ending it prematurely) you cannot begin a war dance on either the turn it ends or on your following turn. In addition, you are [Fatigued] for as many [Rounds] as you spent war dancing (minimum 1).

Frenzied Strikes

Your frantic movements become more focused and lethal. While in a war dance, you gain a [Bonus attack] whenever you take an attack action and you gain a 5 ft bonus to your movement speed, which increases to 10 ft at 4th circle and 15 ft at 6th circle.

Razor Wind

Your whirling attacks amaze friend and foe alike, leaving vicious wounds at blinding speed. You gain a +2 bonus to Acrobatics checks. The first hit with an attack you make against each opponent each [Round] inflicts the [Burning] and [Bleeding] conditions on that opponent.

Greater War Dance

Your war dance increases in potency, and you become adept at avoiding the sharp pointy bits of metal other people want to stick in you. Your bonuses to Reflex and Will saves while in a war dance increase to +2. While in a war dance, you gain 20% [Miss chance].

Cloaked Dance: While in a war dance, you can use the Surprising an Opponent function of the Acrobatics skill as part of a move action without halving your movement speed. Additionally, whenever you deal damage to a [Flat-footed] opponent, you deal additional damage equal to your KOM.

Track 3: Earth Elemental (slow, 2/5/8/11/14/17/20)

Earthspike

The ground heeds your call, biting into nearby enemies. Once per [Round], as move action, you may create a 5 ft radius spread originating from you, dealing damage equal to your character level plus your KOM to opponents within the area as a [Ground] effect. The radius increases to 10 ft at 5th level, and to your [Close] range at 10th level.

Earth Affinity

You gain [Damage reduction] equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum 1). In addition, moving out of a square of difficult terrain does not cost you extra movement.

Earthen Pull

As a standard action, you may deal damage equal to twice your character level plus your KOM to target opponent within [Medium] range, and cause the opponent to lose the [Flying] condition, the Fly movement mode, and any further access the opponent may gain to that movement mode until the end of the [Encounter]. This requires a successful ranged attack roll. In addition, you may choose to ignore any effect that would grant you [Flying].

Feats:

Skills:

Items:


Attacks:

[Kimera]

Looks interesting. Might make a character for this as well.

[ShadowFox89]

 Well, my concept for a character is: Katherine Kazuoto, the daughter of Ba'al and a mortal priestess of The Maiden. She's a master swordsman and skilled linguist, taking upon herself the domain of Conquest in the godly courts. This means conquest in all it's forms- through loyalty, skilled negotiations, and the taking of lands. Her appearance is that of a tall redheaded woman with two ivory horns pointing out of her forehead, belaying her demonic heritage.

If we go with Legend, I'd be going with Ranger: Sentient Construct/Iron Magi/Battle's Tempering/Earth Elemental

[Muse]

How's this: 

Amalea Winterstep, Goddess of snowflakes. 

   Daughter of Aronan Draconus, dragon god of Frost, and a mortal maiden so beautiful he could not bring himself to take her by force, Amalea Winterstep is a mighty winter-drake in the shape of a maiden.  She has the strength and resilience of a dragon, the deft beauty of a dancer.  Normally genteel and even sweet, her wrath is as cold as the arctic frost which comes at her command.