So, as part of my project, I’ve been looking at the existing goblinkin pantheons, and they really feel like they are too small. The orcish pantheon isn’t too bad, with seven deities (including Dukagsh), but the other pantheons only have four each.
There’s a mention in DMGR4 Monster Mythology of minor bugbear gods of earth and fertility, so clearly we can bump up the bugbears to six there, and the fertility deity would probably work as a female (I kind of feel each one should have at least one female deity…). Obviously, due to the personality of the goblinkin, most of these new deities should have some sort of violent/combat/war/negative take on the portfolios, and many of the typical “good” portfolios would be non-existent, unless they can be twisted (as Luthic’s healing portfolio, in which she only heals warriors after combat). However, I would kind of like to avoid a situation of “this is the goblin version of Luthic, this is the kobold version of Luthic” and that sort of thing, so I’ll need to look at different interpretations, or different twists on the portfolios.
So what sorts of portfolios do I think would make good additional gods for the goblinkin races? Here’s some of the items I am thinking of, with notes:
Fertility (Orcs already have this portfolio, in the form of Luthic, and to a lesser extent Gruumsh; the pantheon heads could be considered male fertility gods for the other goblinkin.)
Mining (Already exists amongst kobolds in the form of Kurtulmak; bugbears wouldn’t need one, and an orcish god would be in competition with Shargaas to a degree. I feel that goblins definitely need one.)
Smithing/Weapons/Tools (Could easily be combined with others, or added to existing portfolios. Mining would be a good crossover. Again, probably not a good fit for bugbears.)
Sieges/Siege Warfare (Only really applicable in my opinion for orcs and hobgoblins; in the latter case, such a god would make a good subordinate of Nomog-Geaya.)
Greed (Represented by Kuraulyek amongst the kobolds. Possible crossover with mining.)
Time (Specifically the slow destruction of time. Not sure if this is a good fit for any of the goblinkin.)
Archery/Skill at arms (Another type of portfolio that would work well applied to existing gods, which specific deities representing specific weapons. Not sure it is really necessary, though. Once again, I think this works better for orcs and hobgoblins.)
The Moon (Not sure what I’d do with this portfolio; could be a deity they try to appease. I think it would be most likely found amongst the bugbears.)
Eating (Over-indulgence, abundance, that sort of thing. Again, not sure if it really fits.)
Bad Luck (Definitely feel like at least one pantheon needs this god, possibly coupled with fertility for an added twist.)
Volcanoes/Eruptions/Lava (Orcs, goblins, and kobolds might have a deity with these portfolios, and it would be another destructive type god.)
Strife/Hatred/Tyranny (Probably better applied to existing gods rather than assigned to a new one; Ilneval and Nomog-Geaya are prime candidates.)
Storms (DMGR4 says the goblinkin have no gods of atmospheric events, and I can see that for gentle winds, life-giving rain, etc., but violent storms seems like an appropriate exception to the rule.)
Cold/Winter (Stalker already has the cold portfolio, and that could be extended to winter.)
Mountains (Possibly related to a volcano god.)
Aboveground Living/Construction (Most appropriate for orcs and hobgoblins, and could also be shared with siege warfare.)