Sea of Stars RPG Design Journal

In ages past, when the Dragon Empress led her brethren in a successful bid to cast down the gods, a time now known as the Gods War, but not all gods fell before the claws of the gods . . . All know that the Sun and the Moon survived. But in fact many, if not multitudes, of lesser divinities survived as well.

The gods that the dragons sought to engage and destroy were the major gods, the ones that ruled the heavens and earth, the King of the Sky, the Law Lords, the Queen of the Fields, and other such powers. This they did along with their courtiers and guardians, hangers-on and servants; the heavens ran with divine and draconian blood.

But the small gods, gods of place and home, as long as they did not interfere (or were not in the heavens), they were initially ignored. But it was probably the Sundering, the shattering of the world, that caused more damage to the petty gods as their habitats were changed and destroyed. Most of those that survived went into hiding. It was in the aftermath of these great events that some of the dragons started hunting the little gods. The Empress, naturally, did not stoop to such, but many of the other dragons fear that any god, no matter how small, could become a potential threat. Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to the RPG Blog Carnival for the Month of July 2026, on the theme of Small Gods, Saints, and other minor divinities.

In a mixup of scheduling, Seed of Worlds is also hosting this Carnival! So go look at their thoughts too!  Still, the more the merrier!

In most fantasy worlds, and some other game worlds, there are gods and divine powers capable of great things! But not all matters require the attention of the greatest of beings.

It is these lesser divinities that we will be looking at:

Small Gods, are deities (or subdieties) of minor things or narrow aspects of a greater portfolio. Such as:

Gods of particular rivers or streams, mountains, or other natural features or phenomena.

Minor deities embodying an aspect of a greater gods portfolio, such as the war god Ares‘ sons, Deimos and Phobos, who embodied the Terror and Panic of war.

Deities with a very narrow or small portfolio, such as Hypnos, the god of sleep.

Saints, for this discussion, I am defining as intercessors between the mortal and divine world.

These might be ascended heroes, martyrs to the faith, or liminal beings who will act as a conduit between the world of mortal beings and the realms of the divine.

Minor Divinities, this is a catch-all for all other sorts of divine beings, most of which do not have their own cults but may have a few eccentric people who worship them, and the smallest of gods, such as the Lares, the household guardians of the Romans.

For this Carnival, we will look at these small divinities and intercessors and see how they can be best used to make games and campaigns more interesting.

Some thoughts and ideas:
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