Who hears him?

Legends & Lore is a compendium of possible answers. It provides AD&D© game statistics and role-playing details for dozens of deities from the pantheons of eleven different cultures. Included in this book are sections on the mythoi of the American Indians, Aztecs, Celts, Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks, Indians, Japanese, and Norse peoples. In addition, there are sections detailing the tales of King Arthur and the gods of Fritz Leiber’s Nehwon.

Legends & Lore also describes a few of the heroes and monsters from the mythology of each of these societies, as well as presenting a brief summary of their cultures. In short, it is a resource book filled with useful information for any Dungeon Master who wishes to enrich his AD&D© game campaign .

As many readers will note, this is not the first edition of Legends & Lore. With the publication of the AD&D 2nd Edition game, updating the original volume seemed a must. The Legends & Lore revision is much more than a readjustment of game statistics. It is a complete rewrite from top to bottom, with many completely new entries. Even the old entries have been researched again and examined in a fresh light.

The volume has been expanded from 128 to 192 pages. Where the old Legends & Lore placed its emphasis on game mechanics and weapons, the new book is concerned with role-playing and using the gods in a fantasy campaign. It also stresses cultural flavor, beginning each section with a short summary describing the society and civilization of the people who worshipped the pantheon in question.

Despite the volume’s increased size, the decision to concentrate on role-playing has necessitated some difficult decisions. The entry for each deity has been expanded to at least half a page, emphasizing such things as divine relationships with worshipers and the special duties and powers of the priests who follow the god. No doubt, some readers will take issue the content of some of the entries themselves. In a project of this nature and scope, such disagreements are unavoidable.

When reading and using Legends & Lore, it is important to keep its intent and purpose firmly in mind. This book is not, in any way, a judgment on the validity or value of any religion practiced in any part of the world, either currently or in the past. It does not encourage or discourage belief in any of the deities listed herein, nor does the omission of any religion reflect in anyway upon that religion’s value or validity. Such judgments have no place in fantasy role-playing.

Nor does Legends & Lore make any claim to being a scholarly work. A comprehensive study of the mythology of even one culture would fill many volumes of this size. To complicate matters further, the study of mythology is far from an exact science. For the large part, mythology is based upon an accumulation of stories handed down from generation to generation over a period of thousands of years. As these stories passed from one teller to another, the details were quite naturally altered, either intentionally to fit the current needs of the society, or, less obviously, through inaccurate memorization or shifting cultural biases. Invariably, the end result is that several versions of the same myth exist side by side, presenting the serious student with a tangle of legend, fact, and fiction that cannot be unsnarled.

Legends & Lore does not even attempt this formidable task. Instead, it simply selects the version most suited to its purpose and presents it for the Dungeon Master’s consideration. In at least one case, that of the American Indian, many of the deities are complete fabrications of the author, designed to capture the spirit of the culture, not to present accurate descriptions of gods once worshipped by true Native Americans .

When deities in an AD&D© game deign to notice or intercede in the lives of mortals, it is the Dungeon Master who must play their roles. Running a god is a far greater challenge than assuming the role of a sage, merchant, or talkative monster. The players will pay careful attention to the words and actions of divinities, so the DM must make sure he thoroughly understands his deities and be careful to present them in a special light.

The most important principle in having gods in a fantasy role-playing campaign is to use them judiciously and sparingly. It is certainly possible to run a high-level role-playing game in which gods commonly appear for the purpose of helping player characters. But such a campaign would stretch the game’s rules to the point where it could hardly be called an ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS© game at all. The AD&D© game is designed for a more mortal level of play. The player characters are heroic not because of the tremendous powers they might or might not accumulate, but because of the terrible risks they take in the face of imminent death. To use a god to save characters from those risks time and time again is to sully the heart of the game.

On the other hand, neither are the gods super-powerful monsters. Most of them are capable of destroying a mortal at the merest whim. To set the characters into direct conflict with a deity is, almost always, to ensure a quick and inescapable death for the individual concerned — not much fun, no matter how one looks at it.

Despite the two precautions above, gods are a vital part of a fantasy world. Since the dawn of history, every culture has strived to explain the mysteries of the world in terms humans can understand, and men have always tried to influence their fates by appealing to the wondrous forces that shaped their lives. In almost every case, these forces have been given names, shapes, and personalities which men could, at least to some small degree, comprehend. In addition, magical powers have been attributed to these forces. To gain the favor of these supernatural beings, the people who created them began offering them gifts of food, wealth, and even life itself. This is how the gods of the ancients were born, and no fantasy campaign is complete without its own pantheon of such beings.

The nature of a society’s gods is both a reflection and a catalyst of its culture. Its pantheon embodies its world-view, greatly influencing what the characters in that society desire, how they behave, and their motivations for undertaking heroic deeds. In practical terms, then, gods should be used not only to provide flavor to a campaign, but to provide guidance and motivations for player characters. Each player character should select a deity from his culture’s pantheon, then use that deity’s ethos as guide for his character’s actions. For example, while a search for wealth and adventure would be sufficient reason for a Norseman worshipping Thor to undertake an unprecedented sea voyage, a mountain of gold would hardly motivate an American Indian venerating the Great Spirit to paddle his canoe across a small lake.

More importantly, character alignment assumes its full importance only when tied to the worship of a deity. When it comes to behaving properly for one’s alignment, the fear of evoking divine wrath is a much better persuader than the threat of having one’s alignment involuntarily changed.

Of course, the presence of deities has a much greater impact upon the priest class than it does on any other. Priests are expected to actively serve their deities, and each entry contains a special section that delineates exactly what the deity in question expects from his priests. At the same time, the wide range of choices available should make priests a more important part of the campaign, with even greater possibilities for creative innovation and role-playing on the player’s behalf.

At first glance, it may prove difficult for the Dungeon Master to choose which gods to make available to his player characters. He should begin by considering the nature of his campaign, then selecting the pantheon (or pantheons) which has the closest flavor. For example, those running Oriental campaigns might consider the Chinese or Japanese pantheons, those running a medieval campaign could select the Arthurian, Celtic, or Norse mythos, and those running campaigns set in classical times might select the Egyptian, Greek, or Indian mythos. The different pantheons included in Legends & Lore have been selected to provide a range of possibilities wide enough to cover almost any setting.

Once the DM has selected the pantheon, players should chose their characters’ deities from within that pantheon. In certain cases, a DM might want to use two or more pantheons in his campaign. Although this must be handled carefully (for each pantheon comes with its own peculiar world-view that may not be compatible with that of another pantheon), it is a perfectly acceptable decision. Perhaps, as in ancient times, different pantheons are worshipped in different parts of the world. Perhaps two cultures have only recently come into contact with each other, and the natives of each society are still worshipping the gods of their own pantheon. It is even possible to envisage a campaign in which deities from all of the pantheons are worshipped.

The most important thing to remember in selecting a pantheon and using Legends & Lore is that it presents resource information, not rules. Although all of the material in this book has been carefully researched, the information presented here should be considered as a collection of guidelines, to be altered and changed according to the specific needs of the campaign.

For the most part, the relationship between the gods in this book and player characters is of the same magnitude as that of men to ants. While the gods are certainly aware of the existence of men, and occasionally find them interesting or annoying, men hardly merit all of their attention. If a man is foolish enough to irritate a god, he will almost certainly be noticed — and then quickly crushed by the deity’s supernatural finger.

Unlike the relationship between men and ants, though, there does seem to be something more vibrant in the association between a god and his worshipers. The exact nature of this connection, unfortunately, remains a mystery far beyond the comprehension of mortals and (some say) immortals alike. Suffice it to say that gods need worshipers and will often go to some little trouble to make sure they have a good supply.

Another interesting aspect of the gods is that they cannot be killed by anything save another god of greater stature, or by a god of any stature using an artifact. This means that no mortal may ever kill any god. He might be capable of inflicting enough damage to drive off or dissipate a god, especially if he is wielding an artifact, but the god will always recover from its damage. Needless to say, gods that have been attacked, and especially injured to such an extent, will not be very happy with the responsible mortal. More often than not, they will deal with such fools quickly — and permanently.

Fortunately for such daring and unwise mortals, even finding a god is no easy matter. For the most part, they inhabit the outer planes. They never visit the Prime Material Plane in their true forms, for this plane is the focus of so much divine attention that it is impossible for any deity, no matter how powerful, to enter it personally. Therefore, heroes wishing to confront a true god must first find a way to travel to the outer planes and then track down the god they wish to find. The latter action, of course, is no easy matter, since the gods can move between the planes at will, and often take advantage of this ability as they pursue their individual agendas.

At the DM’s discretion, campaigns that utilize only one pantheon may take place in an alternate Prime Material Plane. In this alternate Prime Material Plane, the gods of that pantheon (and that pantheon only) are permitted to visit the plane in their true forms. In some cases, a god’s true form is described as being the earth, the sky, the moon, or some other natural phenomena. In these instances, the form described is in an alternate Prime Material Plane. If the campaign takes place in the true Prime Material Plane, then the description refers simply to the god’s essence, which has been projected into the appropriate body in the true Prime Material Plane.

When a god has business upon the true Prime Material Plane, he must send an avatar. An avatar is simply a manifestation of the god upon the Prime Material Plane. This manifestation is not nearly as powerful as the god himself, and is merely a projection of the god’s power to the Prime Material Plane. Always remember, there is great difference between the god and the avatar. The avatar embodies just a small portion of the god’s power.

Unlike the god himself, an avatar can be destroyed, which is never looked upon kindly by the true god, and often results in some sort of divine retribution. Although avatars may take many different forms, the number that can be created and the frequency with which they may be replaced depends upon the god’s stature (explained below). Often, avatars possess magic items of incredible power. Unless stated otherwise, these items always teleport back to the god when the avatar is destroyed.

Avatars are unaffected by the restrictions which apply to normal characters. For example, they often have attribute scores over 18, magic resistance, can be of any class without regard to alignment, dual- or multi-class restrictions, and can even possess a character class while in animal form. They also receive a damage (but not THAC0) bonus for strengths of over 18. In order to reflect their supernatural natures, however, their statistics are presented more in a monster type format than in that of a character. Their hit points are always calculated at 8 points per hit die, and they use the THAC0, saving throw, and other statistical tables for monsters. Always use the listed THAC0 for the avatar; they do not receive any THAC0 bonuses for Strength or magical weapons.

Many avatars use weapons in combat. When they have multiple attacks with the same weapon, the weapon’s damage is listed only once, followed by any magical bonus it may receive, the weapon’s name (in parentheses), and then the avatar’s strength bonus. If multiple weapons are employed, the word “weapon” will appear and if attacks are made unarmed, then no parenthetical information will appear. For example, the damage statistic of an avatar wielding a sword +3 with a Strength of 19 would look this way:

Most avatars have the ability to move only over land. However, some can also fly, swim, or burrow, often at the rate that the avatar moves over land. In these cases, the total movement mode is indicated by an abbreviation following the movement rate, like this: MV 15 sw. If the fly or swimming rate is different, the abbreviation will be preceded by the appropriate number. In cases of flying avatars, they are always assumed to have a maneuverability class A.

Often, avatars have special abilities in addition to their normal class abilities. These are described in the individual entries under “Special Att/Def”.

Many avatars have the ability to cast spells. Such avatars a cast spells while in any form, even that of an animal. they do not need to make any gestures, speak any words, or use any material components. When they decide to cast a spell, it simply goes off.

The spheres or schools to which the avatar has access are listed in his description. An avatar always has access to any spell in the school or sphere, providing it is of the appropriate level for level of expertise. In addition, he may only cast the same number of spells of a given level that a wizard or priest or comparable rank would be able to cast. For example, an avatar with the abilities of a 12th level wizard access to the illusion/phantasm school of magic could cast four illusion/phantasm spells from each level up to five, and any one phantasm spell of level six.

The reader will note that there are no statistics for the powers and abilities of true gods listed anywhere in this book. This is because the power of the gods is such that it is impossible to quantify it. Statistics quite simply become meaningless when dealing with the gods.

Nevertheless, some gods are more powerful than others. In Legends & Lore, the gods are divided into several different statures: Greater, Intermediate, Lesser, and Demigods. There also a separate class for heroes. These legendary men and women are of such renown that they deserved inclusion in this volume. Each class possesses certain abilities and powers, which are outlined below.

All gods, from Lesser to Demi-, have the powers described this section. Although these are powerful abilities, they are taken for granted by the deities in this book.

Immortality: All gods are immortal. The only way for a god to die is to be destroyed by a god of higher statue in magical or physical combat. Otherwise, any god that suffers an attack that should destroy it simply disperses, then reassembles later (roll percentile dice to determine number of days). So, for example, a god which is seemingly torn apart by a powerful artifact would simply be dispersed, only to reassemble later.

Teleport: All gods possess the innate ability to instantly teleport to any point on the same plane. They can do this at will and without any chance of error.

Initiative: When dealing with mortals, all gods automatically receive the initiative. Of course, they can choose to simply wait and see what the mortals opt to do, but they may always act first if they desire.

Comprehend Languages: All gods understand and can speak any language. It is assumed that this includes written and spoken languages as well as other, more unusual, forms of communication like the light and color based dialect of the will o’wisp.

Magic Use: All gods may use any spell of any level. This includes the spells of priests or wizards and does not require the use of spell books, prayers, or material, verbal, and somatic components. In short, invoking such powers requires the slightest act of will on the part of these incredible beings.

In addition to the abilities above, Greater gods can do practically anything. In most cases, they are the gods who created the rest of the pantheon. Some of their additional abilities include.

Shapeshifting: Greater gods can transform themselves into any object, animate or inanimate, of any size. In some cases, beings of this stature have been known to assume planetary proportions.

Magic Resistance: Greater gods are 100% resistant to mortal magics, 75% resistant to the magic of gods of lesser ranks, and 50% resistant to the spells of other greater gods.

Saving Throws: All greater gods are assumed to automatically make all saving throws required of them. This is a reflection of their great abilities, mental powers, and physical stamina .

Planar Travel: Just as they can teleport across space without error, so too can they travel between the various planes of existence at will. As mentioned earlier, however, even these powerful beings cannot enter the true Prime Material Plane.

Sensing Ability: These beings are truly omniscient. That is, they know what is happening everywhere at all times. In many cases, they can accurately predict the precise actions of mortals and other gods based on their vast knowledge.

Creation: Greater Gods can create any object, animate or inanimate, they can think of. This process is draining, however, since they are converting their own energy stores into physical objects. Therefore, the god must rest for one turn per ton of mass he or she wishes to manifest. Thus, the creation of a 10 ton stone statue would require that the god rest for 10 turns (100 minutes) afterward.

Life and Death: Greater gods can kill any living mortal creature with but a thought. Likewise, they can bestow life upon any slain mortal being anywhere. Of course, another greater god can reverse effect immediately if so desired.

Communication: Greater gods can speak directly and secretly to any being across any void and through any physical or mystical barrier. This power transcends the bounds of space and planes, but not (as a rule) time.

Multi-tasks: Greater gods can perform any number of tasks at once. Of course, natural limitations based on their current physical form may apply, but there is never a penalty on their actions due to complexity.

Avatars: Greater gods can employ up to ten avatars at a time, moving them between planes at will. If one is destroyed, it requires one day to make another.

Granted Abilities: A greater god can grant any power or spell of any level to his or her priests. It is through this ability that deities give priests and paladins their magical powers.

Intermediate gods wield a great deal of power, but are by no means as powerful as greater gods. One important difference is that they lack the vast creative powers of greater gods, and are generally not the creators of their pantheons (although they may be the fathers or mothers of other gods). Their powers include:

Shapeshifting: Intermediate gods can change into any object, animate or inanimate. The limitations on their powers prevent the object from being bigger than the largest natural or enchanted item of its size already in existence. Thus, an intermediate god could assume the shape of a huge bull elephant, but not one which is larger than the largest ones found in nature.

Magic Resistance: Intermediate gods are 95% resistant to mortal magic, 70% to magic of gods of lesser stature, 50% resistant to magic of gods of same stature, and 25 % resistant to magic of gods of greater stature.

Saving Throws: Intermediate gods have a saving throw of “2” in all categories. Thus, they will only fail on a natural roll of “1”

Planar Travel: Intermediate gods have the same ability to travel between planes as greater gods. They are still unable to enter the Prime Material Plane, but otherwise have no chance of error.

Sensing Ability: Intermediate gods always know what is happening within 100 miles of their current position. In addition, they can extend their senses and learn what is happening within 100 miles of any worshiper of any god in their pantheon, or any holy object of any god in their pantheon.

Creation: While they cannot create objects out of nothing, intermediate gods can summon or create a duplicate of any object they hold, providing suitable materials are available on the same plane. This is a tiring process, however, and they must rest one turn for every 100 pounds of the object’s weight .

Life and Death: Intermediate gods, while unable to directly cause the death of a living creature, can arrange accidents that can will kill any mortal being anywhere. They can raise any previously living being from the dead at will, regardless of the time that has passed since that being died or the current location or condition of the body.

Communication: Intermediate gods can speak directly and secretly to any being across any void or through any physical barrier. In this regard, their powers are the equal of the greater gods.

Multi-tasks: Intermediate gods can perform up to 100 tasks at once without suffering any penalties of any sort. Obviously, there may be physical limitations imposed on this based on the current physical form of the deity.

Avatars: Intermediate gods can use up to five avatars at a time, moving them between planes at will. If one is destroyed, the deity requires one week to make another.

Granted Abilities: Intermediate gods can grant any power that does not exceed their own powers, or spell of any level, to priests. Like the greater gods, they use this power to give spells to their priests.

Lesser gods often serve other gods in the capacity of helpers or domestics. Their powers are mighty, but in no way equal those of greater or intermediate gods.

Shapeshifting: Lesser gods can change into any animate object they desire. Their power is restricted, however, so that their new form will be an average example of the creature. Thus, if a lesser god wished to become a stallion, it would look much like any other stallion.

Magic Resistance: Lesser gods are 90% resistant to mortal magic, 60% resistant to magic wielded by gods of lesser ranks, 45% resistant to magic of gods of same stature, and 20% resistant to magic of gods of higher stature.

Saving Throws: Lesser gods have a saving throw of “3” in all categories. Thus they will only fail their saves on natural rolls of “1” or “2”.

Planar Travel: Like the greater and intermediate gods, lesser gods can travel between planes at will. No physical or material barrier can hinder such transit and they have no chance of error.

Sensing Ability: Lesser gods always know what is happening within 10 miles of themselves. Like intermediate gods, they can extend their senses to include knowledge of all that is transpiring within 10 miles of any of their worshipers or any of their holy objects.

Creation: Lesser gods cannot create or duplicate any object. But they know where to find any object that they desire that already exists. If they desire an object which does not exist, they can sense the location of those who can manufacture it.

Life and Death: Lesser gods share the ability to raise any previously living mortal being from the dead. They can do this at will and across any distance or barrier no matter what the current condition of the body.

Communication: Lesser gods can communicate with their worshipers only through dreams or by means of an avatar. In some cases, they create special holy objects which allow them to communicate directly with their followers.

Multi-tasks: Lesser gods can perform up to five tasks at once without penalties of any sort. Obviously, in some forms they may encounter physical limitations to the number of actions which can be attempted.

Avatars: Lesser gods can only use two avatars at a time, moving them through planes at will. If one is destroyed, it requires one month to make another.

Granted Abilities: Lesser gods can grant their worshippers any power that does not exceed their own powers, or spell of up to 6th level.

Demigods are the least powerful deities of any pantheon. Frequently, they are mortals who have earned divine status through great deeds. They have the following powers:

Magic Resistance: Demigods are 70% resistant to mortal magic, 40% resistant to magic of other demigods, and 20% resistant to magic of gods of greater stature.

Saving Throws: Demigods have a base saving throw of “4” in all categories. Thus, they fail their saves only on a natural roll of “3” or less.

Planar Travel: Unlike other gods, demigods can travel between planes only via magic spells and devices. Because of this limitation, they tend to remain on one plane more than any of the other types of gods.

Sensing Ability: Demigods have the ability to know what is happening within one mile of themselves or any of their own worshipers.

Communication: Demigods can speak only through their avatars. In rare instances, they have fashioned holy objects which also allow them to converse with their followers directly.

Multi-tasks: Demigods can perform any two tasks at once without penalty. In rare cases, the physical form they select may limit this further, but that is seldom the case.

Avatars: Most demigods can use but one avatar at a time. If this avatar is destroyed, they require one full year to fashion another. Many demigods, however, are wholly unable to employ avatars.

Granted Abilities: Demigods can grant any power or spell of up to 5th level to their worshippers and priests.

Heroes are legendary mortals who have performed such great feats that they become part of a culture’s mythos. They have no godlike powers, although they are generally well-known to the gods and may have frequent dealings with immortals. Their only powers are that they often have very high attribute scores, maximum hit points, and are not subject to dual- or multi-class restrictions.

As mentioned in the previous section, it is possible for a hero to become a demigod. In order for this to happen, the following conditions must be met:

The hero must have advanced to an experience level at least twice as high as the average experience level in the campaign. No matter what the average experience level is in a campaign, however, the hero must be at least 15th level.

The hero must have at least one Attribute score that has been raised to 19 or above.

The hero must have a charisma of 18, with a body of at least two hundred followers that regard him as virtually a deity already.

The hero must be a true and faithful follower of his alignment, having committed no more than one incongruous act during his lifetime.

If all of these conditions are met, the DM may, at his option, elect to invest the character with demigod status. Characters granted such status become part of the culture’s pantheon. If they are player characters, they are removed from play and treated as a demigod from that point on.

As one might expect, the relationship between a priest and his god is of the utmost importance. It is through his deity’s favor that a priest receives his special powers and the ability to cast spells.

These blessings have their price, however. In return for this benison, most gods expect a great deal of service from their priests. First and foremost among a priest’s many obligations is the duty to work toward his deity’s goals. For example, if a priest’s deity is dedicated to peace, he must always strive to promote peace and harmony.

Second, he must behave in an manner exemplary of his faith’s teachings. Even when conducting everyday business, the priest must stand out as a shining example of the values his god advocates.

Another important duty is the obligation to expand the influence of his faith. No matter where a priest is, he must miss no opportunity to explain the teachings of his religion to the uninitiated, taking special care to emphasize the rewards worshipping his deity can bestow. In accordance with this duty, the priest must always conduct himself in a manner which reflects properly upon his deity.

The Dungeon Master must also be sure that the priest has a good sense of his position within his community and religious hierarchy. In most societies, fellows of the clergy are respected (or sometimes feared) members of society. Priests who engage in adventuring are usually considered unorthodox and tolerated only with reluctance. As they advance in level and importance to the order, senior members will no doubt exert increasing pressure on the individual to settle down and apply himself to a more sedentary lifestyle. Of course, this is probably not what the deity himself wants from the priest, and the conflict may lead to many a minor controversy.

Even if he is an “adventuring cleric", a priest is expected to support his order. Often, this takes the form of giving part (or all) of his treasure to the order. But his superiors may also ask him to undertake some dangerous missions on the order’s behalf .

Depending upon the religion, and the DM’s decision, priests are sometimes required to perform certain rituals or services. Many of these are listed under “Duties of the Priesthood” in the individual entries, but the DM should feel free to replace or modify the listed responsibilities if he desires.

Priests may occasionally fall away from the worship of their deities. This always results in a loss of powers and spells, at least temporarily. If the priest transfers his worship to another deity, and has been a worthy follower of the first, there is a 75% chance that the second deity will accept the character as a priest. Such a transfer is always accompanied by a loss of enough experience points to place the priest in the midrange of the level below his current level.

Of course, there are many ways for priests to anger their gods other than a change of loyalties. Behavior violations of alignment codes are always considered at least minor transgressions, usually punished by the temporary loss of low level spells. Minor transgressions can usually be corrected by an act of penance, such as fasting, meditation, or the gift of minor amount of money to the order.

Neglecting to perform the proper rituals or failing to strive toward fulfilling the deity’s goals are examples of moderate transgressions. Such infractions are punished by the loss of granted powers and high-level spells, and can only be rectified through major penance. In addition to a period of fasting or meditation, the priest must give at least one moderately powerful magic item to the order (never to be used by again), and/or undertake some dangerous quest on the deity’s behalf.

Any priest who commits heresy, a second moderate transgression, or who willfully disobeys or ignores his deity, has committed a major transgression. Such transgressions are always punished by an immediate and total loss of all priestly powers and spells. If the deity is a neutral or evil one and the offense serious enough, major transgressions may even be punished by death (in whatever form the god has the power to arrange). Penance, if the deity allows it, must be accompanied by a complete sacrifice of all possessions (save one set of normal clothing and one non-magical weapon). Then the errant priest must undertake a seemingly impossible quest involving a high risk of death, donating all treasure recovered, including magic items, to the deity’s order.

Fortunately, the path for most priests is a narrow but well-marked one. For a true and faithful priest, the commission of even a minor transgression should be a rare thing. By and large, the majority of priests should never have to make penance for anything worse than a minor transgression.

The ability to drive away or destroy undead is a major advantage shared by the worshippers of many deities. In the AD&D© game, there are two versions of this power. One is available to priests of good alignment and the other to priests of evil alignment. Characters who are neutral (whether lawful, chaotic, or true neutral) are usually unable to employ turning powers.

The good version of this power is described briefly on page 33 of the Players’ Handbook and in more detail on pages 67 and 68 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. The evil version of this power is defined on page 68 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. The latter power is refereed to as “commanding undead” in this book.

Legends & Lore draws upon history for its gods and heroes. As such, the deities in its pages reflect only the human experience. If the AD&D game were purely historical in content, this would present no problem. However, the AD&D realm is more than that. It includes races such as elves who never truly graced our own world.

When setting up a campaign and deciding which of the pantheons presented in this book to use, remember to think of the non-humans in your game world. Be sure that deities are set up as the patrons of elves and others for dwarves, gnomes, halflings, and so forth. In many cases, the way to do this is to adapt one (or more) of the gods listed in Legends & Lore. When selecting gods for non-humans or demi-humans to worship, be sure to keep in mind ideals of their race. Elves, for example, might find the Norse god Baldur to be worthy of respect because of his inherent beauty and charisma. Dwarves, on the other hand, might not be too impressed with such a figure — but Thor, now there’s a god a dwarf can give respect to.

In order to provide as much information in as little space as possible, we have followed a strict format in Legends & Lore. Each entry will be in a standardized style, the major elements of which are:

The introduction to each section includes a short summary of the culture that created the pantheon in question. This background information will prove helpful in placing the gods of that mythos into context, and in adding flavor to campaigns using those gods. If the Dungeon Master intends to set his campaign in one of these historical periods, however, he would do well to take a trip to his local library or bookstore in order to do some further reading. It is impossible to provide all the detail needed to flesh out such a campaign in just a few pages.

Following the historical summaries, is a section of new magic items and spells which have been designed especially for campaigns utilizing deities from that mythos. In some cases, new character classes have been added or substituted to this section. As these new spells, items, and character classes have been designed especially for that mythos, we do not recommend using them outside of campaigns utilizing the gods of that mythos.

The introduction also includes a map of some structures that might be encountered in that culture, such as a temple, farm, or castle. These are included as examples of architecture that will add flavor to campaigns in those mythos.

After the introduction comes the entries describing individual gods, heroes, and monsters. Each entry describing a deity is arranged in a similar order:

0. Deity name (and stature)

0. Deity description

0. Role-playing information

0. Avatar description

0. Duties of the Priesthood

Entries describing heroes and monsters are similar to those describing the deities, making use of statistical abbreviations to present game information in condensed form. However, the text of hero and monster entries tends to be shorter, only presenting a summary of the hero or monster’s history and abilities.

The following abbreviations are used in Legends & Lore. Alignment abbreviations: lg (lawful good); ng (neutral good); cg (chaotic good); ln (lawful neutral); cn (chaotic neutral); le (lawful evil); ne (neutral evil); ce (chaotic evil); g (good); e (evil); c (chaotic); n (true neutral); 1 (lawful).

Deities’ statistics: All deities will have their AD&D© game statistics presented in the following format:

Statistics: AL lg; WAL any g; AoC sun; SY ball of light.

AL = the god’s alignment

WAL = alignments of those worshipping the god

AoC = area of control; in other words, the aspects of nature over which the deity exerts influence

SY = a short description of the symbol used by the deity’s worshipers

Avatar’s statistics: All of the avatars presented in Legends & Lore will have their AD&D game information presented in the following format:

Str 18/00 Dex 18 Con 18

Int 18 Wis 18 Cha 18

MV 15 f SZ 6’ MR 15%

AC -2 HD 16 HP 128

#AT 2 THAC0 3 Dmg ld8 (sword) +4

Str = strength

Dex = dexterity

Con = constitution

Int = intelligence

Wis = wisdom

Cha = charisma

AC = armor class

HD = hit dice

SZ = size (Note that sizes are given in feet).

MR = magic resistance

THAC0 = to hit armor class 0

HP = hit points

MV = movement rate; f = flying rate, sw = swimming rate, br = burrowing

#AT = number of attacks per round

Dmg = typical damage done per attack (see “Avatars above)

Following the avatar’s statistics will be a section which detail its special attacks or defenses.

Lastly, we will present information for the deity’s priests as well. All of these entries will be formatted as follows:

Requirements: AB standard; AL lg; WP mace and staff; AR a; SP all, healing, divination; PW 1) heal, 10) raise dead; TU turn.

AB = attribute scores required to become a priest of the deity’s order. “Standard” means that the standard requirements listed in the AD&D© 2nd Edition Player’s Handbook apply.

AL = acceptable alignments for priests of this deity

WP = weapons priests of this faith are allowed to use

AR = armor restrictions for priests of this faith. The following codes may appear:

SP = spheres of clerical spells to which the deity grants access for his or her priests. A sphere followed by a “*” indicates only minor access is allowed to that sphere.

PW = special powers commonly granted to priests by the deity. A number followed before a power indicates that the listed power is granted when the priest reaches that level. Unless otherwise indicated, these powers may be used once per day. For example, “10) raise dead” means that at tenth level, the priest is granted the ability to raise dead once per day.

TU = The ability to turn or command undead.

Legends & Lore also gives the statistics for many heroes and monsters specific to a given mythology. Heroes are presented in a format similar to that used for avatars. Although the order of the statistics listed for them is different from that used for avatars, the abbreviations are the same and should cause no confusion in the reader’s mind.

Monster statistics are presented, like heroes, in a format similar to that used for avatars. However, the following entries appear only for monsters:

No. = Number appearing in a typical encounter.

ML = Morale level of the monster.

XP = Experience point award for defeating the monster.