Deities & Demigods
Encyclopedia
Deities & Demigods alternatively known as Legends & Lore (abbreviated L&L or LL), is a reference book for the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy role-playing game
(D&D). The book provides descriptions and game statistics of god
s and legendary creature
s from various sources in mythology
and fiction
. The book allows dungeon master
s to incorporate aspects of religion
s and myth into their D&D campaigns.
Deities & Demigods was originally published in 1980 by TSR, Inc.
and is now published by Wizards of the Coast
, who acquired the D&D brand with their purchase of TSR in 1998. The book has been through numerous printings in multiple editions; the current edition bears little resemblance to the earliest printings.
The various editions of the sourcebook are frequently inconsistent with the myths and legends from which they draw inspiration and should not be considered a general reference work. The entities and beings described within are in many cases altered from their historically accurate roots to better serve the needs of the D&D game.
The original 1980 edition was the first print appearance of various fictional non-human deities, such as Corellon Larethian
, Moradin
, Gruumsh
, and others, many of which have become standard features of the D&D game and its derivatives. These deities were the creation of Jim Ward
.
of gods:
The third edition version of the book contains only four pantheons:
The third edition version of the book also discusses in detail how one would go about the creation of their own pantheon, as well as individual gods, for use in Dungeons & Dragons.
and Robert J. Kuntz
, served to update the material they had earlier included in 1976's Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-gods & Heroes
for the original D&D ruleset. The book presents the game statistics and background information for the gods, heroes, and legendary monsters from different mythologies. The original edition covered 12 pantheons of gods from myth and folklore, plus gods for various nonhumans, and four fictional groups: the Arthurian heroes, Fritz Leiber's "Newhon Mythos", Michael Moorcock's "Melnibonean Mythos", and H.P. Lovecraft's "Cthulhu Mythos". These statistics are presented in a fashion similar to that of the Monster Manual
, and the statistics are accompanied by illustrations, as well as a short descriptive piece that details under what circumstances the god will appear, what the god might do if he does appear, and what his responsibilities and penchants may be. The book also details the mythos of these religions, as well as how their clerics should behave, and describes the known planes of existence and how the afterlife applies to characters. Interior illustrations were submitted by Jeff Dee
, Eymoth (Kenneth Rahman), Paul Jaquays
, Dave S. LaForce
, Jeff Lanners, Erol Otus
, Darlene Pekul
, Jim Roslof
, David C. Sutherland III
, and D.A. Trampier
.
The original Deities & Demigods was reviewed by Andy Slack in issue #23 of the magazine White Dwarf
(February/March 1981), who gave the book a rating of 8 out of 10. Slack called the book "an integral part of the rules", and he found the quick reference chart for clerics particularly worthwhile, which describe items such as what a cleric should wear, what his holy colors and animals are, when and where he should worship, and what he should sacrifice. Slack felt that the book provides an alternative to the approach of inventing one's own religions, "which I expect most AD&D DMs will employ".
For the first 1980 printing, TSR obtained permission from Michael Moorcock
for inclusion of Melnibonean
material (from his Elric series of books). The Cthulhu Mythos
was believed to be in the public domain
, so TSR assumed they could legally use it without any special permission. However, Arkham House
, who held the copyright
on most Cthulhu books had already licensed the Cthulhu property to the game company Chaosium
. Furthermore, Chaosium had also licensed the Melnibonéan copyright from Moorcock. When Chaosium threatened legal action, the first printing was halted and the two companies agreed on a compromise: TSR could continue to use the material but must provide a credit to Chaosium to do so. TSR added the credit for the second printing of the book.
The Cthulhu and Melnibonéan mythoi were removed from the 1981 edition, making it a 128-page hardcover (and giving the original edition a high collector's value). TSR felt its material should not contain such an overt reference to one of its competitors and removed the two pantheons altogether, thus negating the need for the credit. For this reason, the first and second printings have generally been in greater demand by D&D fans and collectors. The credit to Chaosium and some references to the deleted pantheons were still included in some of the subsequent printings.
For the 1985 printing, the book was repackaged and its name was changed to Legends & Lore. This sixth printing featured the name change to avoid potential conflicts with fundamentalist Christian
groups such as Patricia Pulling
's BADD. Despite the name change and new cover artwork (by Jeff Easley
), the interior material was nearly identical to the fifth printing.
, with interior illustrations by George Barr
, Terry Dykstra
, Erol Otus
, Erik Olsen, Jean Elizabeth Martin, Jeff Easley, Carol Heyer, Roger Loveless, John and Laura Lakey
, and Keith Parkinson
. Legends & Lore was expanded, completely revised from the 1st Edition AD&D volume, and rewritten for the 2nd Edition rules. This edition had pared-down content in comparison to the original; the sections on Babylonian, Finnish, Sumerian and non-humanoid deities were wholly excised. The Central American mythos was renamed the Aztec mythos, while the Nehwon mythos was retained. A separate sourcebook, Monster Mythology, later covered the non-human deities in much greater detail than any previous source, introducing several new deities in the process. Furthermore the late 2e Planescape book, 'On Hallowed Ground', gave a virtually comprehensive look at the various pantheons present in the D&D shared universe up to that point, and a level of detail not since exceeded.
For the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons, the name was changed back to Deities & Demigods and the cover artwork was changed again to bring it more in line with other third edition D&D manuals. The interior material bears little resemblance to the previous printings of the book (first through sixth). Additionally, this edition presents only a few historical pantheons and in something of a vacuum, without any reference to or inclusion of their development in previous D&D sources, choosing instead to detail them as one-off campaign options.
Another large difference between the old Legends & Lore and Deities and Demigods, is that the latest edition book is presented with actual stats of deities, which were included in the original Deities & Demigods manual as well. This has created debate on Wizards own forum (FEB 07) as many fans perceive deities to be beyond stats, while others believe they should have stats as well. Those who prefer the deities to be beyond stats, tend to use the stats presented in the book as Avatar stats instead of actual deity stats.
The third edition volume was written by Rich Redman, Skip Williams
, and James Wyatt
. The cover illustration was by Sam Wood
, with interior illustrations by Kyle Anderson, Glen Angus
, Matt Cavotta
, Dennis Cramer
, Tony DiTerlizzi
, Jeff Easley
, Donato Giancola
, Lars Grant-West
, Rebecca Guay
, Matt Mitchell, Eric Peterson, Wayne Reynolds
, Darrell Riche, Richard Sardinha
, and Brian Snoddy, with Justin Norman, Arnie Swekel
, and Sam Wood.
, Erol Otus
, Eymoth, Darlene Pekul
, Paul Jaquays
, Jim Roslof
, David S. LaForce
, David C. Sutherland III
, Jeff Lanners, and David A. Trampier
. Each artist usually providing all the artwork for an entire pantheon. Erol Otus produced the cover artwork.
The most recent printings of the book contain illustrations from numerous artists and are more in line with the Wizards of the Coast
modern treatment of Dungeons & Dragons. These illustrations are in full color, as compared to the black and white art of the original.
regarding the Dangerous Journeys
role-playing game and various rulebooks/sourcebooks designed for that game. One section of this lawsuit argued that "The Plane of Shadow in MYTHUS (pages 190 and 402) and MYTHUS MAGICK (pages 21-22, ...) is derived from the Plane of Shadow in the AD&D DEITIES & DEMIGODS book (Appendix 1, page 129); ..."
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
(D&D). The book provides descriptions and game statistics of god
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
s and legendary creature
Legendary creature
A legendary creature is a mythological or folkloric creature.-Origin:Some mythical creatures have their origin in traditional mythology and have been believed to be real creatures, for example the dragon, the unicorn, and griffin...
s from various sources in mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
and fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
. The book allows dungeon master
Dungeon Master
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Dungeon Master is the game organizer and participant in charge of creating the details and challenges of a given adventure, while maintaining a realistic continuity of events...
s to incorporate aspects of religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
s and myth into their D&D campaigns.
Deities & Demigods was originally published in 1980 by TSR, Inc.
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
and is now published by Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
, who acquired the D&D brand with their purchase of TSR in 1998. The book has been through numerous printings in multiple editions; the current edition bears little resemblance to the earliest printings.
The various editions of the sourcebook are frequently inconsistent with the myths and legends from which they draw inspiration and should not be considered a general reference work. The entities and beings described within are in many cases altered from their historically accurate roots to better serve the needs of the D&D game.
The original 1980 edition was the first print appearance of various fictional non-human deities, such as Corellon Larethian
Corellon Larethian
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Corellon Larethian is the leader of the elven pantheon, and the god of Magic, Music, Arts, Crafts, Poetry, and Warfare. Corellon is also considered a member of the default D&D pantheon. He is the creator and preserver of the elven race, and governs those...
, Moradin
Moradin
Moradin is the chief deity in the dwarven pantheon in the Dungeons & Dragons game and is a member of the default D&D pantheon. Moradin's domains are Creation, Earth, Good, Law, and Protection. His titles include Soul Forger, Dwarffather, the All-Father, and the Creator...
, Gruumsh
Gruumsh
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Gruumsh, also known as Gruumsh One-Eye, is the patron deity of orcs, who regard him as the god of Conquest, Survival, Strength, and Territory. He is also considered a member of the default D&D pantheon of deities...
, and others, many of which have become standard features of the D&D game and its derivatives. These deities were the creation of Jim Ward
Jim Ward (game designer)
James M. Ward , is an American game designer and fantasy author. He is most famous for his game development and writing work for TSR, Inc., where he worked for more than 20 years. In 1989 he was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design Hall of Fame...
.
Pantheons
The original edition of Deities & Demigods contained 17 pantheonsPantheon (gods)
A pantheon is a set of all the gods of a particular polytheistic religion or mythology.Max Weber's 1922 opus, Economy and Society discusses the link between a...
of gods:
- American IndianNative American mythologyNative American mythology is the body of traditional narratives associated with Native American religion from a mythographical perspective. Native American belief systems include many sacred narratives. Such spiritual stories are deeply based in Nature and are rich with the symbolism of seasons,...
Mythos - ArthurianKing ArthurKing Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
Heroes - BabylonBabylonBabylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
ian Mythos - CelticCeltic mythologyCeltic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the religion of the Iron Age Celts. Like other Iron Age Europeans, the early Celts maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure...
Mythos - MesoamericaMesoamericaMesoamerica is a region and culture area in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, within which a number of pre-Columbian societies flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and...
n Mythos (i.e. AztecAztecThe Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
and MayaMaya civilizationThe Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
) - ChineseChinese mythologyChinese mythology is a collection of cultural history, folktales, and religions that have been passed down in oral or written tradition. These include creation myths and legends and myths concerning the founding of Chinese culture and the Chinese state...
Mythos - Cthulhu MythosCthulhu MythosThe Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
(from H. P. LovecraftH. P. LovecraftHoward Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
and related fiction) - EgyptianEgyptian mythologyAncient Egyptian religion was a complex system of polytheistic beliefs and rituals which were an integral part of ancient Egyptian society. It centered on the Egyptians' interaction with a multitude of deities who were believed to be present in, and in control of, the forces and elements of nature...
Mythos - MelnibonéanDeities in the Elric seriesDeities and supernatural beings play an active part in Michael Moorcock’s fantasy series of books about the character Elric of Melniboné. It is nearly certain that a god will be summoned, or at least mentioned, in every story...
Mythos (from Michael MoorcockMichael MoorcockMichael John Moorcock is an English writer, primarily of science fiction and fantasy, who has also published a number of literary novels....
's ElricElric of MelnibonéElric of Melniboné is a fictional character created by Michael Moorcock, and the antihero of a series of sword and sorcery stories centering in an alternate Earth. The proper name and title of the character is Elric VIII, 428th Emperor of Melniboné...
novels) - FinnishFinnish mythologyFinnish mythology is the mythology that went with Finnish paganism which was practised by the Finnish people prior to Christianisation. It has many features shared with fellow Finnic Estonian mythology and its non-Finnic neighbours, the Balts and the Scandinavians...
Mythos - GreekGreek mythologyGreek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
Mythos and Heroes - IndianHindu mythologyHindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...
Mythos - JapaneseJapanese mythologyJapanese mythology is a system of beliefs that embraces Shinto and Buddhist traditions as well as agriculturally based folk religion. The Shinto pantheon comprises innumerable kami...
Mythos - NehwonNehwonNehwon is the fictional world created by Fritz Leiber in which his heroes, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, adventure. It is notable for the city of Lankhmar."Nehwon", the reverse spelling of "No When", alludes to Erewhon.-Ilthmar:...
Mythos (from Fritz LeiberFritz LeiberFritz Reuter Leiber, Jr. was an American writer of fantasy, horror and science fiction. He was also a poet, actor in theatre and films, playwright, expert chess player and a champion fencer. Possibly his greatest chess accomplishment was winning clear first in the 1958 Santa Monica Open.. With...
's LankhmarFafhrd and the Gray MouserFafhrd and the Gray Mouser are two seminal sword-and-sorcery heroes appearing in stories written by Fritz Leiber . They are the protagonists of what are probably Leiber's best-known stories....
novels) - Nonhuman's Deities (original TSR creations)
- NorseNorse mythologyNorse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
Mythos - Sumerian Mythos
The third edition version of the book contains only four pantheons:
- A condensed GreyhawkGreyhawkGreyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
pantheon meant for insertion into any game world ("Core D&D Pantheon") - Greek Mythos and Heroes ("Olympian Pantheon"), among them: Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Demeter, Dionysus, Hades, Hecate, Hephaestus, Hera, Hercules, Hermes, Hestia, Nike, Pan, Poseidon and Tyche
- Egyptian Mythos ("Pharaonic Pantheon"), among them: Re-Horakthy, Anubis, Apep, Bast, Bes, Hathor, Imhotep, Isis, Nephthys, Osiris, Ptah, Set, Sobek and Thoth
- Norse Mythos ("Asgardian Pantheon"), among them: Odin, Aegir, Balder, Forseti, Frey, Freya, Frigga, Heimdall, Hel, Hermod, Loki, Njord, Odur, Sif, Skadi, Surtur, Thor, Thrym, Tyr and Uller
The third edition version of the book also discusses in detail how one would go about the creation of their own pantheon, as well as individual gods, for use in Dungeons & Dragons.
1st Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
TSR published the first version of Deities & Demigods in 1980 as a 144-page hardcover for the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules. This edition, by James M. WardJim Ward (game designer)
James M. Ward , is an American game designer and fantasy author. He is most famous for his game development and writing work for TSR, Inc., where he worked for more than 20 years. In 1989 he was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design Hall of Fame...
and Robert J. Kuntz
Robert J. Kuntz
Robert J. Kuntz is a game designer and author of role-playing game publications. He is most famous for his contributions to various Dungeons & Dragons-related materials.-Works:...
, served to update the material they had earlier included in 1976's Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-gods & Heroes
Gods, Demi-gods & Heroes
Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes is a supplementary rulebook for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:The work provides information on the pantheons and constructs of the Egyptian, Hindu, Greek, Celtic, Norse, Finnish, Aztec, Mayan, Chinese, and Japanese mythologies, as well as...
for the original D&D ruleset. The book presents the game statistics and background information for the gods, heroes, and legendary monsters from different mythologies. The original edition covered 12 pantheons of gods from myth and folklore, plus gods for various nonhumans, and four fictional groups: the Arthurian heroes, Fritz Leiber's "Newhon Mythos", Michael Moorcock's "Melnibonean Mythos", and H.P. Lovecraft's "Cthulhu Mythos". These statistics are presented in a fashion similar to that of the Monster Manual
Monster Manual
The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It includes monsters derived from mythology, and folklore, as well as creatures created for D&D specifically...
, and the statistics are accompanied by illustrations, as well as a short descriptive piece that details under what circumstances the god will appear, what the god might do if he does appear, and what his responsibilities and penchants may be. The book also details the mythos of these religions, as well as how their clerics should behave, and describes the known planes of existence and how the afterlife applies to characters. Interior illustrations were submitted by Jeff Dee
Jeff Dee
Jeff Dee is an American artist and game designer. Based in Austin, Texas, he is a recognized figure in the role-playing game community and game industry...
, Eymoth (Kenneth Rahman), Paul Jaquays
Paul Jaquays
Paul Jaquays is a game designer and artist of table-top role-playing games and video games.Some of his notable works include the Dungeons & Dragons modules "Dark Tower" and "Caverns of Thracia" for Judges Guild; development and design of conversions on games such as Pac-Man and Donkey Kong for...
, Dave S. LaForce
David S. LaForce
David S. LaForce is an artist, noted for his artwork in fantasy role-playing games.-Career:Along with Jeff Dee, Erol Otus, Jim Roslof, David C. Sutherland III and David A...
, Jeff Lanners, Erol Otus
Erol Otus
Erol Otus is an American artist and game designer, known internationally for his contributions to the fantasy RPG genre, most notably for the early Dungeons & Dragons franchise...
, Darlene Pekul
Darlene Pekul
-Biography:Pekul graduated from Beloit College in 1976.After college Pekul dated Mike Carr, who was working as an editor at TSR Inc., the publisher of Dungeons & Dragons. As a result of this connection Pekul started to do freelance work for TSR...
, Jim Roslof
Jim Roslof
James Paul "Jim" Roslof was an American artist and graphic designer particularly well known for cover art and interior illustrations of fantasy role-playing games published by TSR, Inc. during the "golden age" of Dungeons & Dragons...
, David C. Sutherland III
David C. Sutherland III
David C. Sutherland III was an early Dungeons & Dragons artist. Sutherland was a prolific artist and his work heavily influenced the early development of Dungeons & Dragons.-Early life and inspiration:...
, and D.A. Trampier
David A. Trampier
Dave A. Trampier is a former artist and writer who worked on some of the earliest editions of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and was the creator of the Wormy comic strip that ran in Dragon magazine...
.
The original Deities & Demigods was reviewed by Andy Slack in issue #23 of the magazine White Dwarf
White Dwarf (magazine)
White Dwarf is a magazine published by British games manufacturer Games Workshop. Initially covering a wide variety of fantasy and science-fiction role-playing and board games, particularly the role playing games Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest and Traveller...
(February/March 1981), who gave the book a rating of 8 out of 10. Slack called the book "an integral part of the rules", and he found the quick reference chart for clerics particularly worthwhile, which describe items such as what a cleric should wear, what his holy colors and animals are, when and where he should worship, and what he should sacrifice. Slack felt that the book provides an alternative to the approach of inventing one's own religions, "which I expect most AD&D DMs will employ".
For the first 1980 printing, TSR obtained permission from Michael Moorcock
Michael Moorcock
Michael John Moorcock is an English writer, primarily of science fiction and fantasy, who has also published a number of literary novels....
for inclusion of Melnibonean
Melniboné
Melniboné , also known as the Dragon Isle, is an imaginary country, an island featured in the writings of Michael Moorcock. It is the homeland of Elric, one of the incarnations of the Eternal Champion....
material (from his Elric series of books). The Cthulhu Mythos
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
was believed to be in the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
, so TSR assumed they could legally use it without any special permission. However, Arkham House
Arkham House
Arkham House is a publishing house specializing in weird fiction founded in Sauk City, Wisconsin in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei to preserve in hardcover the best fiction of H.P. Lovecraft. The company's name is derived from Lovecraft's fictional New England city, Arkham. Arkham House...
, who held the copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
on most Cthulhu books had already licensed the Cthulhu property to the game company Chaosium
Chaosium
Chaosium is one of the longer lived publishers of role-playing games still in existence. Founded by Greg Stafford, its first game was actually a wargame, White Bear and Red Moon, which later mutated into Dragon Pass and its sequel, Nomad Gods...
. Furthermore, Chaosium had also licensed the Melnibonéan copyright from Moorcock. When Chaosium threatened legal action, the first printing was halted and the two companies agreed on a compromise: TSR could continue to use the material but must provide a credit to Chaosium to do so. TSR added the credit for the second printing of the book.
The Cthulhu and Melnibonéan mythoi were removed from the 1981 edition, making it a 128-page hardcover (and giving the original edition a high collector's value). TSR felt its material should not contain such an overt reference to one of its competitors and removed the two pantheons altogether, thus negating the need for the credit. For this reason, the first and second printings have generally been in greater demand by D&D fans and collectors. The credit to Chaosium and some references to the deleted pantheons were still included in some of the subsequent printings.
For the 1985 printing, the book was repackaged and its name was changed to Legends & Lore. This sixth printing featured the name change to avoid potential conflicts with fundamentalist Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
groups such as Patricia Pulling
Patricia Pulling
Patricia A. Pulling was an anti-occult campaigner from Richmond, Virginia, and the founder of Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons , an advocacy group that was dedicated to the regulation of the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons and other such games.-Biography:Pulling formed the organization...
's BADD. Despite the name change and new cover artwork (by Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley is an oil painter who creates fantasy artwork in the tradition of Frank Frazetta.-Early life:...
), the interior material was nearly identical to the fifth printing.
2nd Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
When the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game was released, a new Legends & Lore was written for it. Cover art is by Jeff EasleyJeff Easley
Jeff Easley is an oil painter who creates fantasy artwork in the tradition of Frank Frazetta.-Early life:...
, with interior illustrations by George Barr
George Barr (artist)
George Barr is a US science fiction and fantasy artist.-Career:Barr's work shows influences from Arthur Rackham, Hannes Bok and Virgil Finlay. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction describes him as one of the least appreciated SF/fantasy artists. His work is often romantic and whimsical...
, Terry Dykstra
Terry Dykstra
-Works:Terry Dykstra has produced interior illustrations for many Dungeons & Dragons books and Dragon magazine throughout the 1990s.Dykstra also illustrated a number of Endless Quest series books.-External links:*...
, Erol Otus
Erol Otus
Erol Otus is an American artist and game designer, known internationally for his contributions to the fantasy RPG genre, most notably for the early Dungeons & Dragons franchise...
, Erik Olsen, Jean Elizabeth Martin, Jeff Easley, Carol Heyer, Roger Loveless, John and Laura Lakey
John and Laura Lakey
-Biography:John and Laura Lakey are a husband and wife team of illustrators. While each of them has produced solo artwork, they more commonly work together.-Works:...
, and Keith Parkinson
Keith Parkinson
Keith Parkinson was an American fantasy artist and illustrator known for book cover and game artwork for games such as EverQuest, Guardians, Magic: The Gathering and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes.-Early life:...
. Legends & Lore was expanded, completely revised from the 1st Edition AD&D volume, and rewritten for the 2nd Edition rules. This edition had pared-down content in comparison to the original; the sections on Babylonian, Finnish, Sumerian and non-humanoid deities were wholly excised. The Central American mythos was renamed the Aztec mythos, while the Nehwon mythos was retained. A separate sourcebook, Monster Mythology, later covered the non-human deities in much greater detail than any previous source, introducing several new deities in the process. Furthermore the late 2e Planescape book, 'On Hallowed Ground', gave a virtually comprehensive look at the various pantheons present in the D&D shared universe up to that point, and a level of detail not since exceeded.
3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons
Another large difference between the old Legends & Lore and Deities and Demigods, is that the latest edition book is presented with actual stats of deities, which were included in the original Deities & Demigods manual as well. This has created debate on Wizards own forum (FEB 07) as many fans perceive deities to be beyond stats, while others believe they should have stats as well. Those who prefer the deities to be beyond stats, tend to use the stats presented in the book as Avatar stats instead of actual deity stats.
The third edition volume was written by Rich Redman, Skip Williams
Skip Williams
Ralph Williams, almost always referred to as Skip Williams, is an American game designer. He is married to Penny Williams, who is also involved with the games industry...
, and James Wyatt
James Wyatt (game designer)
James Wyatt is a game designer and a former United Methodist minister. He works for Wizards of the Coast, where he has designed several award-winning supplements and adventures for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game...
. The cover illustration was by Sam Wood
Sam Wood (artist)
-Works:Sam Wood has continued to produce interior illustrations and cartography for many Dungeons & Dragons books and Dragon magazine since 1997, as well as cover art for Deities and Demigods , Underdark , Frostburn , and Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss...
, with interior illustrations by Kyle Anderson, Glen Angus
Glen Angus
Glen Michael Angus was a Canadian artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games and video games.-Early life:Glen Angus was born August 18, 1970. Angus was a native of Windsor, Ontario, Canada...
, Matt Cavotta
Matt Cavotta
Matt Cavotta is an American artist and writer. His artwork is currently focused on the fantasy genre, with notable contributions to popular games such as Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons.-Career:...
, Dennis Cramer
Dennis Cramer
-Works:Dennis Cramer has produced interior illustrations for many Dungeons & Dragons books and Dragon magazine since 1995, such as Player's Option: Spells & Magic , The Sunless Citadel , and the Fiend Folio ....
, Tony DiTerlizzi
Tony DiTerlizzi
Tony M. DiTerlizzi is an American fantasy artist, children's book creator, and motion picture producer.DiTerlizzi created The Spiderwick Chronicles series with Holly Black, and was an executive producer on the 2008 film adaptation of the series. He won a Caldecott Honor Medal for his adaptation of...
, Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley is an oil painter who creates fantasy artwork in the tradition of Frank Frazetta.-Early life:...
, Donato Giancola
Donato Giancola
Donato Giancola is an American artist specializing in science fiction and fantasy illustration.-Biography:Donato Giancola was born in 1967 and raised in Colchester, Vermont, near Burlington, Vermont...
, Lars Grant-West
Lars Grant-West
Lars Grant-West is an American artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games.- Early life and education :Lars Grant-West was born in Brooklyn. He attended New York City's School of Visual Arts. As of 1997, he lives in North Scituate, Rhode Island...
, Rebecca Guay
Rebecca Guay
Rebecca Guay is an artist specializing in watercolor painting and illustration. She is mostly known for her work commissioned by Magic: The Gathering, White Wolf, and DC Vertigo comics, World of Warcraft TCG, Wizards of the Coast, Dungeons & Dragons and Bella Sara TCG.-Early life:Guay received a...
, Matt Mitchell, Eric Peterson, Wayne Reynolds
Wayne Reynolds
Wayne Reynolds is a British artist whose work has appeared in comics and role-playing games.-Early life and education:Wayne Reynolds was born in Leeds, UK...
, Darrell Riche, Richard Sardinha
Richard Sardinha
Richard Sardinha is an American artist based in Providence, Rhode Island, whose work has appeared in role-playing games.-Works:Richard Sardinha has been illustrating books since the 1980s. He provided the art work for At Lovecraft's Grave by Brett Rutherford.Sardinha has produced interior...
, and Brian Snoddy, with Justin Norman, Arnie Swekel
Arnie Swekel
-Background:Swekel was born May 2, 1964 and grew up in River Rouge, MI. After graduating high school he briefly attended The Center for Creative Studies in Detroit but left after only one semester. Swekel's interest in art continued unabated, however and, while largely self taught, began his...
, and Sam Wood.
4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons
While there has yet to be a complete edition of the book made for the fourth edition of Dungeons & Dragons, several Deities & Demigods articles have appeared in online issues of the Dragon and Dungeon magazines. Each article focuses on a different deity.Artwork
The artwork for the first several printings of this "cyclopedia" was created by artists Jeff DeeJeff Dee
Jeff Dee is an American artist and game designer. Based in Austin, Texas, he is a recognized figure in the role-playing game community and game industry...
, Erol Otus
Erol Otus
Erol Otus is an American artist and game designer, known internationally for his contributions to the fantasy RPG genre, most notably for the early Dungeons & Dragons franchise...
, Eymoth, Darlene Pekul
Darlene Pekul
-Biography:Pekul graduated from Beloit College in 1976.After college Pekul dated Mike Carr, who was working as an editor at TSR Inc., the publisher of Dungeons & Dragons. As a result of this connection Pekul started to do freelance work for TSR...
, Paul Jaquays
Paul Jaquays
Paul Jaquays is a game designer and artist of table-top role-playing games and video games.Some of his notable works include the Dungeons & Dragons modules "Dark Tower" and "Caverns of Thracia" for Judges Guild; development and design of conversions on games such as Pac-Man and Donkey Kong for...
, Jim Roslof
Jim Roslof
James Paul "Jim" Roslof was an American artist and graphic designer particularly well known for cover art and interior illustrations of fantasy role-playing games published by TSR, Inc. during the "golden age" of Dungeons & Dragons...
, David S. LaForce
David S. LaForce
David S. LaForce is an artist, noted for his artwork in fantasy role-playing games.-Career:Along with Jeff Dee, Erol Otus, Jim Roslof, David C. Sutherland III and David A...
, David C. Sutherland III
David C. Sutherland III
David C. Sutherland III was an early Dungeons & Dragons artist. Sutherland was a prolific artist and his work heavily influenced the early development of Dungeons & Dragons.-Early life and inspiration:...
, Jeff Lanners, and David A. Trampier
David A. Trampier
Dave A. Trampier is a former artist and writer who worked on some of the earliest editions of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and was the creator of the Wormy comic strip that ran in Dragon magazine...
. Each artist usually providing all the artwork for an entire pantheon. Erol Otus produced the cover artwork.
The most recent printings of the book contain illustrations from numerous artists and are more in line with the Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
modern treatment of Dungeons & Dragons. These illustrations are in full color, as compared to the black and white art of the original.
Legal history
Deities & Demigods was one of many items named in a 1992 lawsuit between TSR and Game Designers' WorkshopGame Designers' Workshop
Game Designers' Workshop was a wargame and role-playing game publisher from 1973 to 1996. Many of their games are now carried by other publishers.-History:Game Designers' Workshop was originally established June 22, 1973...
regarding the Dangerous Journeys
Dangerous Journeys
Dangerous Journeys is a roleplaying game created by Gary Gygax, the co-creator of the original Dungeons & Dragons system. The game was originally announced as Dangerous Dimensions but was changed to Dangerous Journeys in response to a threat of a lawsuit from TSR, Inc., the publishers of Dungeons...
role-playing game and various rulebooks/sourcebooks designed for that game. One section of this lawsuit argued that "The Plane of Shadow in MYTHUS (pages 190 and 402) and MYTHUS MAGICK (pages 21-22, ...) is derived from the Plane of Shadow in the AD&D DEITIES & DEMIGODS book (Appendix 1, page 129); ..."
Reception
Lawrence Schick, in his 1991 book Heroic Worlds, was critical of the format used for the original Deities and Demigods: "Unfortunately, the book is usually used merely as a sort of Monster Manual that describes very high-powered monsters. This usage is encouraged by the book's format, which emphasizes the gods' physical abilities over their religious significance." Shick calls the second edition of Legends & Lore for the 2nd edition rules "a vast improvement... with a much greater emphasis on mythology and the duties of each deity's priesthood".Additional reading
- "Tuatha de Danaan", DragonDragon (magazine)Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#65. - Reviews: Different WorldsDifferent WorldsDifferent Worlds was an American role-playing games' magazine, now defunct.-History:Different Worlds was launched in 1979 by Greg Stafford to promote the role-playing games from his own editing house, Chaosium...
#19 (1982), The Space GamerThe Space GamerThe Space Gamer was a magazine dedicated to the subject of science fiction and fantasy board games and role-playing games. It quickly grew in importance and was an important and influential magazine in its subject matter from the late 70s through the mid-80s...
#34 (1980); Legends & Lore was reviewed in White Wolf #27 (1991)
External links
- Deities & Demigods (first edition) from the Pen & Paper RPG Database
- Legends & Lore (second edition) from the Pen & Paper RPG Database
- Deities & Demigods / Legends & Lore from the Acaeum.com
- http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_7815.html
- http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/12/12867.phtml