List of Dungeons & Dragons deities

1976–1999 The first official publication to detail god-like beings for use in the Dungeons & Dragons game was Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes, published in 1976 as the fourth supplement for the original edition. This work was superseded by the Deities & Demigods sourcebook, which was first published in 1980. The first printing included the Cthulhu Mythos, but both this and the Melnibonéan mythos were removed by the third printing because of potential copyright issues. In 1985, when the sourcebook was reprinted, Deities & Demigods was renamed Legends & Lore. On this change, Gary Gygax wrote it was due to "bowing to pressure from those who don't buy our products anyway" – Shannon Appelcline explained this was a reference to "fundamentalist religious groups, who had by then begun actively attacking TSR under names such as" Bothered About Dungeons & Dragons (B.A.D.D.). Nick Ozment of Black Gate highlighted the game did use "one aspect of Judeo-Christian myth: the devils and demons (although they can be found in many other mythologies as well)" so "puritanical fear mongers took this and ran with it". Ozment commented that "early editions were kinda silly" in terms of game mechanics for deities because even though the designers "assigned crazy-huge hit points and breathtakingly strong armor classes to the gods, said deities still had stats that could be overcome by powerful enough characters". Appelcline commented that this sourcebook "probably preserves more continuity from those 15 years of publication than any other D&D book". Appelcline highlighted that many of the deities in Demihuman Deities either originated in Deities & Demigods or in Dragon articles, noting that means "about half of the Realms demihuman deities were created by Lawrence Schick and Roger E. Moore five to seven years before the Forgotten Realms became an official AD&D setting". Deities and Demigods (2002) outlined various pantheons and included stat blocks for deities along with roleplay guidance on religions, the actions of deities in gameplay, and the creation of homebrew pantheons and religions. The sourcebook features a list of 115 Forgotten Realms gods, with "slight updates" for 3E compatibility. while Dragon magazine articles and various other sources dealing with extraplanar entities added stats for further aspects. The 4th Edition default pantheon included deities from the Greyhawk and the Forgotten Realms campaign settings, as well as several original gods. Although some gods are patrons of specific races, they are worshipped by all, and racial pantheons do not exist in this edition. Many lesser gods from previous editions (such as the Seldarine or most members of the dwarven pantheon) now have the status of Exarch, a demipower in service to a greater god. The 5th Edition Players Handbook (2014) included lists of deities from the Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Eberron, and the deities derived from historical pantheons such as the Celtic deities and Norse deities. The historical deities have been removed "from their historical context in the real world and united into pantheons that serve the needs of the game". The 5th Edition ''Dungeon Master's Guide (2014) later provided the "Dawn War Deities" as a sample pantheon, an updated version of the main pantheon of 4th Edition. These updates included readjusting some of the alignments, because 5th Edition returned to the previous schema of nine alignments, as well as adding suggested cleric domains of the available domains from the PHB and DMG. A more detailed and expanded overview of nonhuman deities was printed in the Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes'' (2018). ==Characteristics==

Deities in Dungeons & Dragons have a great variety of moral outlooks and motives, which have to be considered by cleric player characters. In some editions of the game, deities were given statistics, allowing mighty player characters to kill a god like a powerful monster. Every deity has certain aspects of existence over which it has dominion, power, and control. Collectively, these aspects represent a deity's portfolio. Additionally, each deity that can grant spells has multiple domains that give clerics access to extra spells and abilities from that domain. Which domains are associated with a deity is largely a function of the deity's portfolio. Categories The deities are grouped into three categories: • Core powers – Deities presented in the 3.5th edition ''Player's Handbook or substantially introduced in the other two core books (Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual''). Most of these deities are worshipped by humans. There is a subset within this category called Additional Deities which has deities not mentioned in the core rulebooks but instead in supplements and as such considered additions to the core category. • Alternate human pantheons – This lists the pantheons and the deities within them that are presented in the supplement book Deities & Demigods. Most are based upon real-life mythology. • Non-deity powers – These beings would fit into the previous category, but are not actually deities, plus most of them aren't the patron of a specific monstrous race. This includes the demon princes and archdevils as well as some other godlike beings. Before third edition, there was no Core Setting, so the distinctions above are not as clear-cut. For the most part, materials which did not specify a setting were assumed to be at least compatible with the World of Greyhawk if not outright parts of the canon. As such, those prior materials are covered in the setting-specific lists of deities. The book Monster Mythology, however, was considered to be canon for core materials for the gods of non-human races in second edition. Ranks of divine power Each deity has a divine rank, which determines how much power the entity has, from lowest to highest: • Quasi-deities or hero deities. Beings of this rank are immortal but usually cannot grant spells to worshippers. • Demigods. They are the weakest of the deities, and are able to grant spells and perform a few deeds that are beyond mortal limits. • Lesser deities (or Lesser powers). These entities can perform more powerful deeds than demigods can, and have keener senses where their portfolios are concerned. • Intermediate deities (or Intermediate powers). These entities control larger godly realms than demigods or lesser gods. • Greater deities (or Greater powers). These entities typically have millions of mortal worshippers, and they command respect even among other deities. Some rule over pantheons of other deities. • Overdeities. These entities are beyond the understanding and knowledge of mortals and care nothing for worshippers. Many deities are arranged in pantheons, which are often led by Greater deities which are their direct superiors. The individual deities in a pantheon may not be forced to obey their superiors, although they typically respect and fear the superior deity. ==Initial pantheons==

Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes (1976) included 10 pantheons of gods for Dungeons & Dragons. This supplement updated the material which was included in 1976's Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes for the original Dungeons & Dragons ruleset. Later printings removed the Cthulhu and Melnibonéan sections due to copyright concerns. ==Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition==

In 1990, Legends & Lore (formerly titled Deities & Demigods) was expanded and fully revised from the 1st Edition AD&D volume to be used with the 2nd Edition rules. Baervan Wildwanderer, Baravar Cloakshadow, Flandal Steelskin, Gaerdal Ironhand, Nebelun, Segojan Earthcaller, Urdlen • Gods of the Halflings: Yondalla, Arvoreen, Brandobaris, Cyrrollalee, Sheela Peryroyl, Urogalan, Kaldair Swiftfoot • Goblinoid Deities • Gods of the Orcs: Gruumsh, Bahgtru, Ilneval, Luthic, Shargaas, Yurtrus, Gerdreg • Gods of the Goblins: Maglubiyet, Khurgorbaeyag, Nomog-Geaya, Bargrivyek • Gods of the Bugbears: Hruggek, Grankhul, Skiggaret • Gods of the Kobolds: Kurtulmak, Gaknulak • Other Goblinoid Deities: Kuraulyek, Meriadar, Stalker • Gods of the Underdark • Gods of the Drow: Lolth, Kiaransalee, Vhaeraun, Zinzerena • Gods of the Underdark Dwarves: Laduguer, Diirinka, Diinkarazan • The Lost Gods: The Elder Elemental God, Juiblex, The Dark God • Gods of the Illithids: Ilsensine, Maanzecorian • Gods of the Myconids: Psilofyr • Gods of the Beholders: Great Mother, Gzemnid • Gods of the Svirfnebli: Callarduran Smoothhands • The Giant Gods, Annam, Stronmaus, Hiatea, Grolantor, Iallanis, Karontor, Memnor, Skoraeus Stonebones, Diancastra; The Interloper Gods: Baphomet, Kostchtchie, Vaprak, Yeenoghu, Gorellik • Gods of the Seas and Skies: Deep Sashelas, Demogorgon, Eadro, Jazirian, Koriel, Panzuriel, Persana, Quorlinn, Remnis, Sekolah, Surminare, Syranita, Trishina, Water Lion, Stillsong • Gods of the Scaly Folk: Blibdoolpoolp, Laogzed, Merrshaulk, Parrafaire, Ramenos, Semuanya, Sess'innek, Shekinester; Io, Aasterinian, Bahamut, Chronepsis, Faluzure, Tiamat • Gods of the Dark Folk: Cegilune, Kanchelsis, Mellifleur, Squerrik, Balador, Ferrix, Daragor, Eshebala • The Sylvan Gods: Titania, Oberon, Caoimhin, Damh, Eachthighern, Emmantiensien, Fionnghuala, Nathair Sgiathach, Skerrit, Squelaiche and Verenestra, forming the Seelie Court, and their enemy, the Queen of Air and Darkness ==Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition==

There are over 100 deities in the Greyhawk setting, and when creating Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition Wizards of the Coast selected a subset to become iconic deities. They selected and altered deities to correspond to "iconic" aspects of core D&D. Most core deities are human deities; except for the chief gods of the demihuman races. Certain aspects of the deities were altered to make them more generic – for example: the "Core" Heironeous favors the longsword (in order to make the favored weapon of the "God of Chivalry" more traditionally knight-like), as contrasted with the original "Greyhawk" Heironeous, who favors the battleaxe. The designation of "greater" vs. "intermediate" comes from Legends & Lore (1990). It is not used in any edition of the ''Player's Handbook, but it is used in Deities and Demigods'' (2002) and various v3.5 Edition materials. Core D&D-pantheons Greater deities • Boccob, god of magic, arcane knowledge, balance, and foresight. • Corellon Larethian, god of elves, magic, music, and the arts (also a demihuman power). • Garl Glittergold, god of gnomes, • Gruumsh, god of orcs (also a monster power). • Erythnul, god of hate, envy, malice, panic, ugliness, and slaughter. • Beltar, lesser goddess of malice, caves and pits. (Complete Divine) • Bralm, lesser goddess of insects and industriousness. (Complete Divine) • Cas, demigod of spite. (Heroes of Horror) • Celestian, intermediate god of stars, space and wanderers. (Complete Divine) • Chaav, god of enjoyment, delight, and pleasure. (Book of Exalted Deeds) • Cyndor, lesser god of time, infinity and continuity. (Complete Divine) • Dallah Thaun, the dark aspect of Yondalla. Intermediate Goddess of secrets, guile, lies, half-truths, flattery, intrigue, manipulation, and all things done by stealth. (Races of the Wild) • Delleb, lesser god of reason, intellect and study. (Complete Divine) • Doresain, demigod of necromancy. (also the monster power of ghouls) (Libris Mortis) • Valarian, god of forest, forest creatures, and good-aligned magical creatures. (Book of Exalted Deeds) • Valkar, god of courage. (Complete Warrior) • Valkur, god of sailors, ships, favorable winds and naval combat. (Stormwrack) • Vatun, god of northern barbarians, cold, winter and Arctic beasts. (Frostburn) • The Xammux, composite god(s) of analytical thinking, forbidden lore, experimentation and amorality. (Book of Vile Darkness) • Xan Yae, lesser goddess of twilight, shadows, stealth and mental powers. (Complete Divine) • Yeathan, god of drowning, aquatic calamities, watery death and dark water. (Book of Vile Darkness, Stormwrack) • Zagyg, demigod of humor, eccentricity, occult lore and unpredictability. (Dragon Magazine #338) • Zarus, greater god of humanity, domination and perfection. (Races of Destiny) • Dagon, demon prince and patron of the deep sea. • Lolth, demon princess of spiders, evil, darkness, chaos and assassins. (also a core power and the monster power of Drow) • Obox-ob, demon prince and patron of vermin. • Zuggtmoy, demon princess and "Lady of the Fungi"; long associated with the world of Greyhawk, chroniclers of the art of Dungeons & Dragons Michael Witwer et al. counted her among the characters who gained iconic status through the history of the game. • Dispater, an arch-devil, ruler of Dis, the 2nd layer of the Nine Hells. Although they are not truly rulers of their planes, archomentals like to consider themselves as much and often grant themselves regal titles like Prince or Princess. They are compared in the source material to the archfiends or celestial paragons, and are considered to be the elemental equivalent of such beings. Evil archomentals The evil archomentals are collectively known as the Princes of Elemental Evil. At their introduction in Fiend Folio (1981) reviewer Ed Greenwood considered them "worthy additions to any campaign". The five most famous are: • Cryonax, prince of evil cold creatures. • Imix, prince of evil fire creatures. • Ogrémoch, prince of evil earth creatures. • Olhydra, princess of evil water creatures. • Yan-C-Bin, prince of evil air creatures. Good archomentals The good archomentals are collectively known as the Elemental Princes of Good. The four most famous are: • Ben-hadar, prince of good water creatures. • Chan, princess of good air creatures. • Entemoch and Sunnis, prince and princess of good earth creatures. • Zaaman Rul, prince of good fire creatures. Lesser evil archomentals Three other archomentals are first mentioned in Manual of the Planes (TSR, 1987). • Bwimb, prince of ooze creatures. • Chlimbia, prince of magma creatures. In The Inner Planes (TSR, 1998) he is described as evil tyrant. • Ehkahk, prince of smoke creatures. Slaad Lords The Slaad Lords are the de facto rulers of the Slaadi race and the plane of Limbo. Although true to their chaotic nature they often do not appear anything like other Slaadi. • Chourst, lord of randomness. • Rennbuu, lord of colors. • Ssendam, lord of madness. • Wartle, domain unknown. • Ygorl, lord of entropy. Primus Primus is the leader of the modrons and is the epitome of order, and possesses god-like powers in the game. Artist Tony DiTerlizzi became fascinated by Primus and the other modrons when he got the challenge to redesign them from their first edition appearance for the Planescape campaign setting. Reviewer Scott Haring found the process successful as the "once-silly Modrons" were "given a new background and purpose that makes a lot more sense". Titans "Titans are closer to the well spring of life and thus experience more pronounced emotion including Deity-like fits of rage. In ages past some rebelled against the deities themselves..." The Lady of Pain The Lady of Pain is an enigmatic being who oversees the city of Sigil in the plane of the Outlands. Almost nothing is known about her; her origin, her race, her motives and her level of power are all obscure, although she is sometimes shown to have absolutely immense power. The Lady of Pain refuses to tolerate anyone who worships her, killing those who do so. Again; virtually nothing is known about her, apart from the fact that she has the power to slay gods who displease her. Vestiges These entities are outside the boundary of life, death, and undeath. They are untouchable by even the most powerful deities although they can be summoned and used by the weakest mortal through pact magic and binding. Binders are often feared and hunted down by "Witch Slayers." The list of vestiges that can be bonded with include: • Acererak: The Eternal. • Agares: Truth Betrayed. • Amon: The Void Before The Altar. • Andras: The Grey Knight. • Andromalius: The Repentant Rogue. • Aym: Queen Avarice. • Balam: The Bitter Angel. • Buer: Grandmother Huntress. • Chupoclops: Harbinger of Forever. • Dahlver-Nar: The Tortured One. • Dantalion: The Star Emperor. • Eligor: Dragon's Slayer. • Eurynome: Mother of the Material. • Focalor: Prince of Tears. • Geryon: The Deposed Lord. • Haagenti: Mother of Minotaurs. • Halphax: Angel in the Angle. • Haures: The Dreaming Duke. • Ipos: Prince of Fools. • Karsus: Hubris in the Blood. • Leraje: The Green Herald. • Malphas: The Turnfeather. • Marchosias: King of Killers. • Naberius: The Grinning Hound. • Orthos: Sovereign of the Howling Dark. • Otiax: The Key to the Gate. • Paimon: The Dancer. • Ronove: The Iron Maiden. • Savnok: The Instigator. • Shax: Sea Sister. • Tenebrous: The Shadow That Was. • Zagan: Duke of Disappointment. Vestiges were introduced in D&D: Tome of Magic supplement by Matthew Sernett, Ari Marmell, David Noonan, Robert J. Schwalb. Wizards of the Coast, March 2006. The supplement Dragon Magic, by Rodney Thompson and Owen Stephens published in September 2006, introduces this vestige: • Ashardalon: Pyre of the Unborn ==Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition==

These are the deities for the non-Greyhawk default campaign setting of 4th edition Dungeons & Dragons (informally referred to as the "points of light" setting). Good and Lawful Good deities • Avandra – Good Goddess of Change, Luck and Travel, Patron of Halflings. She is revered by rogues, travelers, and merchants, and is the enemy of Zehir, Asmodeus, and Torog. • Bahamut – Lawful Good God of Justice, and Patron of Assassins. Deceased and former deities • Amoth – God of Justice and Mercy. Killed by the demon princes Orcus, Demogorgon, and Rimmon. • Aoskar – God of Portals. Killed by the Lady of Pain. • Gorellik – God of Hunting, Beasts, and Gnolls. Killed by the demon lord Yeenoghu. • He Who Was – A god of good and possibly peace, he was killed by his archangel and exarch, Asmodeus. Implied to be the creator of humans, the devils wiped out all knowledge of his name, which they fear is powerful enough to revive him if it is ever spoken aloud again. The Nine Hells were originally his astral domain, now a prison for Asmodeus and his devils. A holy chalice belonging to him is mentioned in Divine Power. • Khala – Goddess of Winter, wife of Zehir, Khala sought to trap the natural world in an eternal winter to secure power over it. Her plans convinced the primal spirits to expel gods and primordials from the world. She was killed by the other gods in a conflict called the War of Winter, who afterwards made a compact to balance darkness and light (Zehir and Pelor), and the natural seasons (Corellon, Pelor and Sehanine). Her power over winter was taken by the Raven Queen. • Lakal – God of Healing and Mercy who was also her own Astral Dominion. She was an impersonal deity who communicated with her chosen people, the Quom, through "ecstatic moments of personal communion." She extolled mercy and urged her followers to dedicate themselves to pursuits that benefited the whole cosmos. Lakal's death was accidental – when Bahamut battled Nihil, the Primordial of nothingness, the pair crashed into Lakal. Bahamut was able to use the distraction to slay Nihil, but the primordial's death throes also caused Lakal to explode. The surviving quom now roam the planes, retrieving any shards of Lakal that they can find, including those unknowingly consumed by living creatures. Such creatures, including humanoids and player characters, are considered collateral damage in the quom's quest to restore Lakal. Ironically, even if the quom succeed in their quest, the restored Lakal would be disgusted with their methods. • Maglubiyet – God of Goblinoids. Defeated by Bane. • Nerull – God of Death and the Dead. Killed by The Raven Queen. • Tuern – God of War. Killed by Bane. • Nusemnee – Nusemnee was the daughter of Zehir. When she failed to assassinate a high priest of Pelor, she was abandoned and then mortally wounded by a paladin's holy blade. Expecting only death, she was surprised when the high priest healed her, showing her compassion and forgiveness. Intrigued, she decided to honor a promise to the high priest and aid him in his holy quest until a time that she could save his life in turn. Nusemnee thus became a symbol of redemption. When she finally died at the end of the high priest's quest, she rose again, this time as a minor goddess. In this form, she opposed her father by offering redemption to all who would turn away from evil. She was later killed by a poison that could kill anything—even a deity—that was distilled from Zehir's blood. == Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition ==

These are the deities for the 5th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons, which mostly are printed in the Appendix section of the 5th Edition Players Handbook (2014). • Auril - Neutral evil goddess of winter. Auril's symbol is a six-pointed snowflake. • Azuth - Lawful neutral god of wizards. Azuth's symbol is a left hand pointing upward, outlined in fire. Beshaba's symbol is a pair of black antlers. Deneir's symbol is a lit candle above an open eye. Tyr's symbol is a pair of balanced scales resting on a warhammer. Deities of Greyhawk • Beory – True neutral goddess of nature. Beory's symbol is a green disk. • Boccob - True neutral god of magic. Boccob's symbol is an eye within a pentagram. • Aureon - Lawful neutral god of law and knowledge. Aureon's symbol is an open tome. • Moradin – Lawful good dwarf god of creation. Moradin's symbol is a hammer and an anvil. • Skerrit – True neutral centaur and satyr god of nature. Skerrit's symbol is an oak growing from an acorn. • Avandra - Chaotic good goddess of change and luck. uses a variation of the Dawn War pantheon. This setting divides the pantheon into the Prime Deities and the Betrayer Gods; it also adds Raei, the Everlight, to the Prime Deity side of the pantheon – this god is adapted from the Pathfinder god Sarenrae. James Grebey, for Syfy Wire, commented that the Luxon religion "allows for souls to be reborn in another body" resulting in a society which is "race-neutral in a way that's rarely seen in fantasy lore. It's borderline progressive, even". == See also ==