Dioneo wrote:that's fairly uninteresting and, as you point out, is also already a thing with both undead and demonspawn.
Is everything supposed to be interesting? Some people might like orcs precisely for what they are, communal ebul race.
And remaking the orcs brings above complications with other relative races. Tho it might not be a bad idea to allow worshipping Beogh at least to them.
Dioneo wrote:As for other gods, my assumption has always been that Jivya is simply indifferent to the other gods. We're not really sure what it means to be fully accepted into the pantheon, but I don't feel like Jivya would be much into such cosmic "politics", given its chaotic nature.
Not really. Xom is similarly chaotic, heck, he's the embodiment of it, and yet he's there.
Jiyva isn't really indifferent to other gods or potential followers, since, as fluff says, the Slime Pits were once a place of some ancient civilization, forcibly taken over by slimes. Similarly, very rarely temple can be seen taken over by Jiyva. Why would it do something like that if it didn't care? Temple is anything but very appetizing place with no items at all.
Dioneo wrote:I assumed Lugonu's excommunication to be self-imposed, due to its hatred of the other deities. The pantheon doesn't seem to mind "evil" gods, given Makhleb, Yredelemnul and Kikubaaqudgha, so I don't see why Lugonu should be given special treatment unless it was by its own doing.
Lugonu's descriptions states she has been banished to the Abyss and no notion of it being self-imposed. Given that Ashenzari is somehow shacked to the sky, gods able to intervene to prevent other gods' actions, it is entirely possible for some of them to be banished.
Dioneo wrote:Beogh is no more hateful or evil than some of the other gods
He's somewhat is tho, since his motto is
"Drown the unbelievers in a sea of blood!" with no option for non-orc believers to join.
Dioneo wrote:so I feel there could be room for something interesting there, which could be used to reform Orcs into a more distinctive species.
Probably, but they shouldn't be defined by their faith, at least because they aren't bound to worship Beogh. It's Beogh who doesn't accept anyone but orcs.
If someone is to remake the orcs, this should include their kin as well.
Because why do we have ogres, trolls and goblins, which are similarly a staple of any generic fantasy setting and complains are heard only towards orcs?