Old Daemons

 Dyson Logos #Dicember2021

Did some research on Daemons. Interesting stuff, a lot of Daemons in the western tradition predating Christianity actually being entities that bring good fortune. It reminds me how much influence Abrahamic religions actually have in RPGs which, on the surface, appear to lean into pantheons with multitudes of gods.

It makes me want to really lean into a world where there are countless divine beings among the mortals. In Mesopotamia after sacking a rival city-state they would sometimes take the statue of the city-state's god and move it to their own capital, effectively holding the god of that city-state captive. That is wild and sparks a million campaign ideas in and of itself.

What if all the clerics in a city-state lost their magic if their god or goddess was taken from the city and held hostage in another city-state. What if by holding a god hostage, a city-state's clergy gained the powers of that god or goddess?

Having the protection of a god or goddess within your city-state in that world would literally fend off disease, bring good weather, and improve security. Just look at some of the magic the clergy in the city-state would have access to!

1. Cure Light Wounds
2. Purify Food and Water
3. Speak with Animals
4. Cure Disease
5. Remove Curse
6. Create Water
7. Neutralize Poison
8. Speak with Plants
9. Commune
10. Create Food

 Now you have a "points of lights campaign" where these Daemons are highly localized, and due to political maneuvers not necessarily evenly distributed. And on the fringes where the smaller towns and villages have been stripped of their guardian Daemons the people start to look for older more capricious alternatives to fill the gap <insert Magic Users>.