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Lore of the Gods $19.99
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Lore of the Gods
Publisher: DragonWing Games
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 08/19/2007 12:22:53

An RPG Resource Review:

Originally intended as a rewrite of the 3 PDFs Greek Gods, Norse Gods and Egyptian Gods to take advantage of the 3.5 version of the D&D ruleset and the desire of readers for a 'dead tree' book on this topic, this project survived the demise of Bastion Press and has come to fruition with DragonWing Games, the company started by lead author Steve Creech. The intention, as stated in the introduction, is to take the stories, myths and legends surrounding some of the 'real world' deities of the past and present them in terms suitable for use in role-playing - be it fantasy or contemporary settings. Fantasy worlds, in particular, often have their own pantheons created for them, but even if you adventure there, some of the ideas herein may be suitable for mining for ways in which the affairs of your setting's deities may impact on the people dwelling there.

Chapter 1 looks at Avatars and Divinity. A staple of fantasy literature is the 'avatar of the gods' who does mighty deeds in the name of his patron deity and who may even ascend to godhead himself one day. It's one way in which a deity, who may well have other unfathomable concerns and not wish to meddle personally (or perhaps who does not wish to take the risk of mixing with those who may have little time for him!), can take a direct hand in what goes on in the 'real world' for which he is a deity. Here, an avatar is defined as a construct, directly made by the deity, rather than an inspired ordinary person, and the appropriate rules for creating one in the light of the deity for whom he will act are given. There is a whole range of special abilities to choose from, depending on the nature and interests of the deity involved.

For ordinary mortals, there is an option called Path of the Devout where by following strictures based on their chosen deity, they can receive specific benefits from their holy lifestyle. This is more aimed at the fanatical follower of a faith rather than those for whom it is a profession such as clerics. A follower of this path is constrained to choose classes, alignments and weapons based on what is appropriate for their deity, and swear an oath to him. In time, such characters may aspire to godhead themselves which, depending on how gods 'work' in your world may be possible. Characters of epic levels with such aspirations of grandeur need to take a feat called Divine Potential to even qualify for consideration, and when you read that a requirement to take this feat is to be 45th-level you can see that this is going to be an unusual event! The character will then be set a quest by his patron deity, and on completion of that can set about finding some worshippers.

Overarching mechanics dealt with, Chapter 2 turns to an examination of Egyptian Mythology. It's a complex area to explore, as even the Ancient Egyptians themselves had four conflicting views of how the world came to be and precisely which deities had a hand in it! One important note is how religion and state entwined, the Pharaoh was closely linked with the gods and many of his duties as ruler were religious in nature, while the priests were as much civil servants as servants of the gods! After an overview of how religion worked in Egypt, each deity is presented in turn, with all the game-related information you need should you wish to include that deity in your setting: symbols, domains, duties and rights of clerics, the requirements laid on those following the Path of the Devout and a complete rundown on an Avatar. There's even enough on the beliefs of the faith for people playing clerics to sound convincing about it!

Next, in Chapter 3 Greek Mythology is given the same treatment. Again there is a plethora of deities whose stories read as much like soap opera as they do of heroic legend. After an overview of Greek cosmology and life, each deity in the vast multi-layered pantheon is given the same individual treatment as the Egyptian ones, enabling you to introduce some or all of them into your setting.

Treading on more unfamiliar ground, Chapter 4 looks at Mesopotamian Gods. Again there is a vast array of deities, who all seem to be related to each other. The underlying theme is that there is a deity for every aspect of life - and again they are listed with copious game details.

Chapter 5 moves back to a more familiar theme: Norse Mythology. The Norse gods have one unique feature - they themselves are mortal and can be slain if they are very, very unlucky. Again, the major members of the Norse pantheon are given the 'game treatment' as with the preceding pantheons.

Chapter 6 is titled Heroes, and looks at heroes of legend - the ones who battled against enormous odds to succeed in a quest. Each one is presented with full game statistics, should he happen past where your adventurers are... or if you harbour designs on running the quests with the originals attempting them once more! It's an interesting mix with Beowulf, Perseus and Jason (the Argonaut one who hunted the Golden Fleece) rubbing shoulders with Cleopatra and Homer. I'm not sure just how much use these will be to most campaigns.

Chapter 7 is more promising - Magical Creations and Divine Artefacts. Drawn from legends and presented in game terms, these are unique items, often gifts from the gods themselves, and are powerful enough that they should be used in a game with caution lest they make things too easy... Best use probably as the goal of a quest (the Golden Fleece is in there for traditionalists!) or as a symbol held by a temple or ruler as a mark of divine favour - it would be a terrible shame if someone stole it after all.

Next, Chapter 8 presents some Prestige Classes which characters can work towards. While rooted in the deities and legends on which this work is based, many are general enough that, with some work on the backstory, you ought to be able to make those you like applicable to your own campaign world even if your deities are different. Several would also be well-suited to NPC use, such as the God Seeker who roams the world looking for those who have that divine spark within them.

Chapter 9 looks at Skills, in particular Craft, Knowledge and Profession ones which are directly applicable to the divine focus of this book. Some are of universal application - Knowledge: Siege Warfare for example - while others depend on the beliefs of your setting - so if it is believed that you can divine the future from the stars, a character might wish to learn Knowledge: Astrology to do so. Being able to craft clay tablets or cylinders is appropriate in those cultures where they are used, while the nature of your campaign will determine whether Profession: Temple Prostitute is allowed or not!

Chapter 10 turns to Spells and Domains, introducing many new ones based on the deities presented earlier in the book and the legends surrounding them. There is plenty here that will be of use either if these gods will have a place in your setting or if you are looking to design new deities for your world. Several of the domains turn up in different formats according to which pantheon they draw upon for inspiration. There are quite a few new spells which you might wish to use even in settings without these particular deities - most are of general application even if based on the mythologies discussed here.

Chapter 11 presents Creatures, Monsters and Lesser Powers - myths and legends are well-populated with beasts fit to test the mettle of the most competent adventurer, and while many have already found their way into monster books, here are some more. There is also a Child of the Gods template you can add to any being - so if your deities have a habit of seducing mortals you can cope with the results - and a selection of Divine Mounts so that if your gods visit the world in person they can ride in appropriate style.

Overall, this is a comprehensive presentation of four mythologies from the real world's past, with supporting rule material which would allow you to use them as is, or adapt those features - such as domains, spells and so on - which will fit into your own world. If you like devising your own deities and their mythology, this should give you some ideas on how to put it together as a coherent whole.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Lore of the Gods
Publisher: DragonWing Games
by Shane O. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 07/20/2007 00:00:00

Lore of the Gods is a massive d20 sourcebook from DragonWing Games. The zipped file is sizable, weighing in at almost forty-five megabytes, and contains the single PDF of the product. The book itself is a whopping three hundred twenty-one pages long, including covers, the OGL, etc. Luckily there's a table of contents (conveniently hyperlinked) and bookmarks.

Art is rather plentiful in Lore of the Gods. Each chapter opens with a page of full color art (all but one of which depicts a sexy woman). Each of the major gods in the chapters devoted to a religion has a black and white picture of that god. Most of the monsters in their chapter also have a picture of them. Numerous other pieces of artwork, both in color and not, also dot the product. There are no page borders, save for a small design around the page numbers. Needless to say, a printer-friendly version would have been very, very helpful here.

The book is divided into eleven chapters, and the first one goes over the basics of divinity. Interestingly (and perhaps rather oddly) it follows the rules for divinity laid out in the SRD, but never gives stats for the gods themselves; always presenting their avatars instead. It's also a bit of an oddity that the SRD rules are subtly altered here; for whatever reason, this book has its own take on what divinity adds to a deity's speed, AC, etc. The section also covers how a character can live a devout life, and that (with a pair of new feats given here) how they can eventually attempt divine ascension.

Chapters two through five cover, respectively, the Egyptian, Greek, Mesopotamian, and Norse religions. Each opens with listings of what planes of existence are defined by each mythology, giving those planes very brief coverage and then laying out their planar traits. It will then briefly cover living in that area at the time of that religion before moving onto the gods themselves. Each has divine listings (expanded from what you'd find in the PHB), and then depicts their mythology, the tenets of their faith, where their faith was based out of, religious sects, rights, responsibilities, and restrictions of clergy members, rituals and vestments, and following the devout path of that god, before giving stats for the god's avatar.

Chapter six covers historical personages, giving just over a dozen heroes of ancient lore a paragraph of text and full stats. The seventh chapter covers magic items and artifacts, many, if not most, of which are used by avatars. Chapter eight presents almost a dozen new prestige classes, followed by a brief chapter on new skills. Chapter ten presents a wealth of new domains and spells, and the last chapter presents almost fifty monsters from divine lore, a number of which are epic level.

Lore of the Gods is a massive book that is epic in scope, and at first it seems like the answer to the prayers of those who want another manual for using deities more actively in their game. However, the devil is in the details, and its here that the book becomes less impressive. While the book present a wealth of gods, the material here seems more like a historical recap than anything that'd make them seem like real characters. Telling us that Bast's main temple is found in Bubastis, and that she's the goddess who guards the passage of Ra into night, doesn't feel helpful in the context of a high fantasy game. How do gods relate to each other, beyond simply retelling their mythology? How do they interact with creatures, and the god of creatures, found in the SRD? What are their long-term goals and desires? What's laid out here is the gods as they appeared in history and mythology, and while that's interesting, it's of limited usefulness in any d20 game that doesn't take place on historical Earth. It's also worth noting that minor errors crop up in a lot of the stat blocks. From Outsiders not having the Extraplanar subtype to incorrect hit point listings, a lot of the gods and monsters here needed another round of editing, which is discouraging. Ultimately, if devil is in the details for both fluff and crunch, then this book is bedeviled for both. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The book is massive in what it covers. Everything from four huge chapters of gods and their religions, to divine ascension, new feats, skills, prestige classes, spells, and monsters. This book has far more than almost any other book of gods out there.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Unfortunately, in terms of presentation, this book falls into all of the same pits that WotC's Deities and Demigods did. The gods here read more like treatises on actual mythology with some stats thrown in, than they do living characters in a fantasy world. Combine that with some stat block errors, and no printer-friendly version, and you could have a book that looks great, but might not be as useful as you were anticipating.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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