Questions tagged [religions-and-deities]

For questions about religions and deities in tabletop role-playing games, usually when relating to custom faiths and pantheons within a campaign setting or the worship thereof. (See also: the [divine] tag.) Do not use this tag to indicate that a question is about the religious beliefs of individuals in the real world (players or otherwise).

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
11 votes
1 answer
2k views

Do Japan's "Kami" have a divine rank?

Do Japan's "Kami" have a divine rank? Japanese Shintoism is a type of animism, and it seems that Kami exists in rice fields, toilets, and even grains of rice. Will all of them have divine ...
16 votes
1 answer
1k views

How old is Lathander?

I know some gods are rather young – mortals from hundreds of years ago that ascended - but I assume Lathander is much older. Have Lathander's origins ever been officially stated? How old is Lathander?
16 votes
2 answers
553 views

Vampires of the Levant

The Levant is the one region that is home to two of the Abrahamic religions: Judaism and Christianity. While most Vampires see themselves as cursed by the Abrahamic god (they carry Caine's curse after ...
17 votes
5 answers
4k views

Is there a grand scheme at work for buying worship?

This involves two player characters: A wealthy cleric and a sorcerer with detect thoughts. They are cooperating whereby the cleric is giving gold to NPCs for free, simply asking them to pray to a god ...
22 votes
5 answers
5k views

What is a Cleric in D&D?

I was recently involved in an argument in a D&D subreddit where I was told repeatedly that I do not understand what a D&D cleric is. I have always understood clerics to be priests of some kind ...
9 votes
2 answers
2k views

Were clerics without a god limited in how many levels they could gain?

It's been almost two decades since I last played D&D, so my memories of it are slightly fuzzy. I know that third edition allowed clerics to follow an ideal rather than a god, and still get spells ...
20 votes
6 answers
49k views

Can Clerics have divine power without it being provided by a god?

I have an experienced player wanting to create a tempest cleric who doesn't worship a god. His back story will be something along the lines of 'walking through a storm one day he is hit by lightning, ...
5 votes
3 answers
773 views

Clerics in Mystara - Which divine spheres does each Immortal allow?

Can anyone help me because I can't find any reference to what, or how many Divine Spheres each Immortal allows to their clerics. I own the Karameikos, kingdom of adventure book, and it tells about ...
9 votes
1 answer
230 views

Are Norse Dwarf Chaos cults plausible?

I've decided to run a little campaign for a four player group and they together came up with a glorious idea that certainly produced a solid laugh. They ALL want to play as Norse Dwarves, each ...
7 votes
1 answer
298 views

Is there any in game explanation from any edition of D&D for why Greyhawk Powers/Outsiders lost their psionics?

In the original edition of D&D (white box plus supplements version), Outsiders (meaning those who are not from the Prime Material plane, and more specifically Powers; I'm aware that this is ...
2 votes
1 answer
865 views

What are Hestia's spheres of influence?

For my cleric character, she worships Hestia. I want to know what domains Hestia has control over(besides Life) so I can better determine how my cleric should progress in her faith.
11 votes
3 answers
11k views

Did Kelemvor lose the death domain to Myrkul?

I was reading the Basic Rules (V2) and Appendix B has a table with the Forgotten Realms' deities. In this table, Myrkul is listed as the "god of death", while Kelemvor is "god of the ...
8 votes
2 answers
2k views

Do gods in 5e still have a "portfolio"?

Having studied the sources available to me on the 5th edition, I did not find any mention of the portfolio. We only know that now all the gods except Ao and demigods are inferior gods and nothing is ...
13 votes
1 answer
1k views

How to reconcile Planescape's multiversal gods with the Time of Troubles?

The Forgotten Realms setting's cosmology famously clashes with the Great Wheel cosmology, but large parts of it, for example the tree placement of their Outer Planes, can be easily dismissed as "...
21 votes
5 answers
17k views

Where can I find more information about the Cat Lord?

I'm writing my own D&D universe and there are two deities I've chosen from the official setting to incorporate: Lolth and the Cat Lord The Cat Lord seems to be depicted as a deity for the Tabaxi ...
5 votes
1 answer
176 views

Deity Suggestions [closed]

the character I'm making for my next campaign is a female drow cleric to Lolth. She believes wholeheartedly that Lolth is a good goddess. Eventually, she will face the truth that Lolth is actually ...
5 votes
2 answers
3k views

Can I use the name Vecna for a different character in my own work?

I am creating my own ttrpg and have reached the pantheon section. I was wondering whether or not I could use the name Vecna (not necessarily the same character) without receiving a lawsuit. Is it ...
7 votes
2 answers
827 views

To what domains does Iyachtu Xvim grant access?

The feat Godsblood Spelltheft has as its benefit the ability to select a domain granted by Iyachtu Xvim, the Baneson who assumed his father's hatred and tyranny portfolios for about a decade until he ...
6 votes
1 answer
572 views

Are quasi-gods really unable to hear the prayers of their followers?

On page 11 of the Dungeon Master's Guide we can read: Quasi-deities have a divine origin, but they don't hear or answer prayers, grant spells to clerics, or control aspects of mortal life This could ...
11 votes
2 answers
2k views

Who is the High God?

Spelljammer indicates Krynn (world of the Dragonlance setting) exists in a shared universe with the rest of D&D. Krynnspace is a crystal sphere containing the world Krynn Astinous (Krynn’s most ...
13 votes
6 answers
8k views

Is Bahamut the same deity as Paladine?

The DMG confirms that Takhisis and Tiamat are the same. Under the description of the Orb of Dragonkind in the DMG (p. 225): The dragon essence within the orb might want many things: the annihilation ...
3 votes
1 answer
77 views

Does Primal Base commited to Omnipresence count for the sake of calculating evolution?

To clarify the scenario I have in mind is a deity using limited omnipresence on their biggest temple on a particular plane since the religious dogma they cultivated involves them always being in that ...
14 votes
3 answers
11k views

Is there a God of the Sea other than Umberlee in the Forgotten Realms?

In the near future I'll be taking part in the campaign of Waterdeep: Dragon heist. I'm currently working on my character for it, which will most likely be a human Tempest Cleric with the Sailor ...
8 votes
2 answers
3k views

Is there an incarnation of Death in D&D?

Simply put, I was wondering if there was a lawful neutral god whose portfolio is transporting the souls of the dead from the Material Plane to judgement. Marvel has Lady Death, the Greeks have ...
10 votes
3 answers
2k views

How do magic items work when used by an Avatar of a God?

So unbeknownst to my group I DM for, the young child in the village they are at is an aspect of Chauntea, Goddess of the Harvest. Having recently acquired a Bag of Beans, one party member gave 2 beans ...
9 votes
1 answer
2k views

What benefit is provided by divine abilities?

The P2E Archives of Nethys deity list includes a column for a list of "Ability" scores/boosts associated with each deity. It isn't mentioned in my copy of the Core Rulebook, so I'm guessing ...
14 votes
3 answers
11k views

What deity holds the Time Portfolio in Faerûn's modern times (from the Time of Troubles to after the Second Sundering)?

The time portfolio (not to be confused with the 3e+ time domain - I'm talking strictly about lore here) is one of the most elusive portfolios to track in Realms lore. From the Realms wiki on portfolio:...
-3 votes
1 answer
195 views

Is this a good homebrew pantheon? [closed]

For my homebrew setting, I was wondering if this pantheon was balanced, with enough deities for every role and not too much overlap. Ink-The god of knowledge, study, and learning. They have made it ...
20 votes
5 answers
5k views

What should I do when a player who plays clerics doesn't want to use any of my deities?

So, my D&D group is pretty set in stone and has been for a while. One player almost always plays Clerics. Its his favorite class. I'm going to be the DM for a new campaign, this is my second time ...
7 votes
1 answer
2k views

Is there a Chaotic Evil God of the Sea in the Forgotten Realms?

I'm running a narrative that revolves around consumption, centered around three factions that worship evil gods based around that theme. I have a group of gnolls and cultists that worship Yeenoghu, ...
4 votes
1 answer
204 views

What is origin of mankind according to common wh40k beliefs?

In wh40k universe, the Imperium of Man is based on religion that generally says "emperor protects" etc. But is there some religious explanation regarding origin of mankind? I'm pretty sure ...
14 votes
4 answers
2k views

How can I create a mechanic for players to evolve the relationship with their deity?

For context: recently one of my players asked me if a mechanic could be created to evolve his relationship with his deity (Eldath), like he had seen in another game. I suspect this request was made ...
11 votes
3 answers
1k views

Are there any Chosen left in Faerûn following the Second Sundering?

Throughout Toril's history, its various deities have engaged in a practice of vesting mortals with power and purpose. Those mortals are sometimes called Chosen. The Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide ...
5 votes
1 answer
421 views

Where would Zorquan (Forgotten Realms' dragon god of dragonness), be today?

Related: What is the difference between a god and a primordial? (see section regarding Dragon gods) Related: Where do dragon souls go after their deaths? Related: Are there any other published ...
23 votes
4 answers
4k views

Is it possible to cast spells above 9th level in a crystal sphere that is not under the influence of Mystra?

Mystra's Ban was a decree that the goddess Mystra made about the mortal use of powerful magic. In -339 DR Karsus seizes Mystryl's powers through the casting of Karsus's Avatar, but they are too great ...
84 votes
14 answers
32k views

What should I do about a religious player who refuses to accept the existence of multiple gods in D&D?

I am working on a campaign which I am going to run for a group of friends, all of whom are new to D&D. I was discussing available classes with one of the players, more specifically classes with ...
8 votes
1 answer
424 views

Where do the souls that worshiped Kelemvor go?

If the souls of the faithless go to the Wall, the souls of the false get punished or put to work, and the souls of the faithful go to their god's realm (and true atheists go to Nessus for Asmodeus to ...
22 votes
5 answers
3k views

Which D&D deity's religious practices and beliefs are the most comprehensively detailed in official published material?

I've been reading a lot of Brandon Sanderson lately, and the thing I love most about his worlds, aside from the magic systems, is the treatment of religion. The characters have personal beliefs that ...
6 votes
3 answers
2k views

Can a cleric of the grave's god be Sarenrae?

Would I be reasonable to argue that in 5e, a cleric of the grave's god can be Sarenrae as she is originally a Pathfinder god with the subdomains Restoration and Resurrection? (Sarenrae is already in ...
-3 votes
1 answer
609 views

Can you make a sacrifice for dark gods in d&d 5e? [closed]

Ok so here is the story. We are currently having a campaign of neutral/evil characters, we take what we want and of of course there are always consequences of our actions. We have acquired a deck of ...
13 votes
2 answers
8k views

Is a Kuo-Toa god on the same power level as those found in other pantheons?

The kuo-toa, according to the Monster Manual (p. 198), have a unique power detailed in the section God Makers: Kuo-toa worship gods of their own insane creation, but if enough kuo-toa believe that ...
8 votes
3 answers
524 views

What would be the outcome of ingesting a part of a Deity?

Is there anything in 3.5e lore about a mortal ingesting the body parts or blood of a Deity? Or the effects that something like that would have on a PC? For context, I play a Dragonborn Bard in ...
9 votes
1 answer
272 views

Lore help sought: how might my players change a deity's domains?

The short setup: my players believe they've angered a major deity and want to atone for their actions. Since the deity in question is Desna, who wants to reclaim the Beasts domain from Lamashtu, one ...
16 votes
9 answers
10k views

What prevents a God from giving full power to a cleric?

Each god has an agenda. This is propagated to the clerics, in the sense that if a cleric follows a certain god, (s)he does so because the god's agenda reflects the mindset of the cleric. Thus, a god's ...
5 votes
1 answer
3k views

Which deities grant the pride domain?

The pride domain appears in the D&D 3.5 Spell Compendium, but does not list any gods that grant it. Does anyone know of an official source with any gods with this domain? I've read in some places ...
4 votes
1 answer
125 views

Are there any other published attestations of Zorquan, besides Draconomicon (1990) & Cult Of The Dragon (1998)?

I haven't found any mention of Zorquan, draconic god of "dragon-ness" (perhaps most famed as a critic of the draconic holy wars), except the two books Draconomicon (1990), & Cult Of The ...
11 votes
1 answer
897 views

Can Memories Stolen by the Raven Queen Be Restored?

Spells like modify memory can be undone with a greater restoration spell. What about memories literally stolen? The Raven Queen collects memories and other things and keeps them in her Fortress of ...
8 votes
2 answers
340 views

Does the Halfling deity Brandobaris have any known offspring?

I'm writing an adventure that features an Emyprean, who for story purposes would ideally be an offspring of Brandobaris. I'd like to know if there are any offspring of Brandobaris referenced in any of ...
7 votes
1 answer
469 views

What controversial things has Oghma done that might test the faith of a cleric who worships him?

There are probably no gods who are completely good acording to "modern standards". A few days ago, I read here this post on the /r/DnDNext subreddit talking about how Corellon is kind of a ...
50 votes
6 answers
13k views

What differentiates "Gods" from other entities in the Forgotten Realm cosmology?

I am creating a campaign world that is supposed to be a “refuge from the gods”: no true deities can come here, no intervention in the affairs of mortals. People came here from the Forgotten Realms to ...

1
2 3 4 5
7