Buff Beogh
The really short version is that Beogh, for most practical circumstances plays like a gimped Yredelemnul. The permanent orcish followers are relatively weak compared to Yred's bone drakes, ghouls and servitors. The armour bonus is generally smaller than Ash's bonus to cursed armour; or just a couple enchant armour scrolls and smiting is probably the single weakest Invocation any god has, especially for the MP and Piety Cost. You do get the nice bonus of deciding your partner's equipment; but generally you can't expect them to survive past lair branches, unless you risk your life for them (definitely not optimal play); or get really lucky equipment spawns to throw together nice stuff for both you and some partners. It can be fun; but it still needs a buff for the power level to be a practical choice.
Smiting costs 3 MP and 3 Piety to do 6 + 1d(5 + Invocation Skill) [Max 38] damage. It has the nice bonus of being smite targeted and being irresistible (not blocked by any resistance, AC or EV; just like Hellfire). But with a max of 38 and average of 21 damage (again at max invo); it'd take several blasts to kill anything with any substantial HP and it's simply not worth the cost.
Afterall (Qazlal's) Upheaval damage in a radius 1 or 2 explosion for the same piety cost (and one more MP); for the same MP cost you could have Airstrike; which is just as weak in late game; but more reasonably spammable, being as it has no piety cost. And PProj paired with a decent ranged skill would have better effect as well. (Though admitted; actual spellcasting would take more XP cost to get to reasonable power and require wearing medium armour over heavy). But, it's still just not worth training the skill for smiting and it's comparatively weak compared both to other godly attack invocations; and all other smite-targeted options in general.
As to how to buff Beogh:
- Make smiting actually have more decent damage at reasonable Invo; with hellfire level (3d20) level dam at max. OR drop the MP and piety costs to make it more spammable like Makhleb's Lesser Destruction.
- Add additional Invocations. Most obviously applicable (thematically) that would be different than anything else the player has practically would be a communal song of slaying; similar to the orcish hymn warlords 'sing' to might lower HD Orcs; though in this case giving a slaying bonus for communal kills? Maybe? (Just an idea; no idea if it'd be worth it in practice.)
- Some other kind of invocation? Fitting with the "Jesus" theme; healing allies directly as an Invo could work (and help keep them alive longer).
I mean Yred gets three of the most powerful Invocations in the game and decent god-gifted perma-allies. Beogh gets the worst invocation in the game and passable early-to-midgame allies. Real power disparity which should be closed. NOT because all gods have to be equal, but because there isn't a practical reason to choose Beogh from a reasonable standpoint. All reasons to go 'orc-jesus' involve wanting the flavour associated with being 'orc-jesus' and not with the practicality of it; as Yred is better in almost all ways there (and still not that great of a choice for extended as the gifts get to being the same strength as enemy spawns rather than helpfully stronger and drain life doesn't work on undead/demons).
Can we discuss (1) if the buff is necessary and (2) how to buff without breaking the theme?