Divining Awesome

The DnD world is big on religion and features grand, sweeping pantheons of powerful deities. The Gods, prophets, and otherworldly Pasta Monsters that make up the religious landscape of our daily lives cannot be found in the Player's Handbook, however. DnD presents you with eleven choices of primary worship, all of which are notable in their own ways. To help you out with what must be a very difficult choice I have selected five notable deities to count down.

Number Five: Pelor
Alignment: Good
Domains: The Sun, Summer, Not Liking Evil Much
Overview: Those of you versed in ancient Greek and Roman mythology are no doubt familiar with Apollo, the God of the Sun. He is an exceptionally strong and handsome man who drives the fiery sun chariot across the sky each day. Pelor, despite also being a sun god, is nothing like that. He's far more of a priestly god, using his powers to heal the sick, bring mercy and compassion into areas of darkness, and oppose undead things.

Assessment: Pelor is, without question, the most boring deity in Dungeons and Dragons. You know they're struggling for material when "hates undead" makes it into the description of a good deity. Can you imagine any god with even a glimmer of good intention seeing the desecration and reanimation of loved ones and saying, "You know what the world needs? More of that." I didn't think so.

Number Four: Moradin
Alignment: Lawful Good
Domains: Dwaves, Creation, Really Big Hammers
Overview: Moradin is the epitome of Dwarven ideas: a master craftsman (craftsdwarf?) with unwavering loyalty and a taste for good booze. He is deified proof that Lawful Good doesn't mean you don't know how to party. Moradin is also the creator of the Dwarves, though he didn't exactly shake a leg once they were enslaved by the giants (A deity letting his "chosen people" be enslaved? Never).

Assessment: Moradin claims to be Lawful Good, but I think his alignment is more "Dwarf." If you are a dwarf, you should consider following the divine forge-master. If you aren't a dwarf, you may still find Moradin's passion for metalwork and/or heavy drinking to be right up your alley. Tradition is also a big part of Moradin's fellowship so no matter what your taste, he's the one deity that will never come up short.

Number Three: The Raven Queen
Alignment: Unaligned
Domains: Dying, Fate, Brooding, Crawling in Thy Skin, The Wounds That Will Not Heal
Overview: Ah, The Raven Queen. No other divine being captures the tradition of brooding dark heroes quite as well as she. Hers is the domain of dying, but not death. She guides each departed soul through the bleakness of the Shadowfell and on to their ultimate destination (conveniently retaining those souls who don't know exactly where they're headed). She is death, but not the Grim Reaper we're so used to.

Assessment: I have a love/hate relationship with Miss Raven. Conceptually, she's pretty cool. There's something very interesting about anyone tasked with the safe transit of the departed. Unfortunately, those who follow her tend to fall into the Brooding Anti-Hero camp that I hate so much. A hero who worships the person who will ultimately decide their fate can be played many ways. Make sure yours is played one of the ways that hasn't been done a million times before.

Number Two: Bahamut
Alignment: Lawful Good
Domains: Good Dragons, Protection, Setting Evil on Fire
Synopsis: Bahamut is The Platinum Dragon, the one being able to make dragons feel inferior. He's a strict Lawful Good, stomping out Evil and Tyranny wherever it can be found. His teachings don't focus on the destruction of evil however, emphasizing instead the protection of the injured and oppressed. If the baddies don't get the hint and shape up, you may bring down the holy wrath of wtfpwning.

Assessment: As a dragon, Bahamut already gets a ton of bonus cool points. The lack of Draconic rampaging may be a disappointment for some, but you should get over that by reminding yourself that you worship a dragon. I do find his Lawful Good alignment to be limiting. As an adventurer, it can be a pain in the ass to follow all the rules all the time. Thankfully, Bahamut prefers to observe and keep his hands out of mortal affairs.

Number One: Kord
Alignment: Unaligned
Domains: Storms, Battle, Kicking Ass, Taking Names, Chewing Gum
Synopsis: Kord is the Lord of Battle and the god of storms. He is the ideal adventurer's deity, endorsing the wanton violence that seems to follow a party of heroes wherever they go. Despite being unaligned, Kord still has some sense of justice. He doesn't endorse beating up anyone, anywhere. There's still an expectation that the fight will be in the name of greater justice.

Assessment: Kord is an excellent choice for any race, any class. His focus on combat fits in with the adventuring life and his monosyllabic name fits into any battle cry. Kord is a deity for anyone who enjoys the thrill of combat, contests of strength, and occasionally punching someone in the face just because they deserve it.