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Deities & Demigods: Cyclopedia of Gods and Heroes from Myth and Legend is a 128-page sourcebook for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition released in 1980.

A subsequent printing removed some content for copyright reasons. Later, the book was re-released with new cover art as Legends & Lore (1e) (1984) to avoid offending religious individuals in the United States.

Official synopsis[]

Original printing[]

Deities & Demigods™ Cyclopedia provides the Dungeon master with gods, heroes and monsters from myth, fiction and legend for use in rounding out an Advanced D & D™ campaign. Within this book are seventeen pantheons of divinities, each profusely illustrated. Also included are new material on clerics' conduct and their relationships with their deities, information on character mortality and immortality, and more!

Later printing[]

Deities & Demigods™ Cyclopedia provides the Dungeon master with gods, heroes and monsters from myth, fiction and legend for use in rounding out an Advanced D & D™ campaign. Within this book are fifteen pantheons of divinities, each profusely illustrated. Also included are new material on clerics' conduct and their relationships with their deities, information on character mortality and immortality, and more!

Content[]

The book opens with various supporting rules for deities in AD&D. It includes rules for the benefits of superhuman ability scores from 19 to 25 and of negative Charisma scores from -1 to -7. It describes special divine abilities of deities, advice for the DM running deities, the interaction of clerics with their deities, and immortality and ascension to divinity.

The bulk of the book describes various pantheons of deities from real-world mythoi or fiction. These include the American Indian pantheon, Arthurian heroes, the Babylonian pantheon, the Celtic pantheon, the Central American pantheon, Chinese pantheon, Cthulhu mythos, Egyptian pantheon, Finnish pantheon, Greek pantheon, Indian pantheon, Japanese pantheon, Melnibonéan pantheon, Nehwon pantheon, non-human deities of D&D, Norse pantheon, and Sumerian pantheon. Subsequent printings removed the Cthulhu mythos and Melnibonéan mythos for copyright reasons.

The book continues with appendices onthe planes of existence, temple decorations, a table of information for clerics and a bibliography.

Development and release[]

Development[]

The book was written by James M. Ward and Robert J. Kuntz. Art was provided by Jeff Dee, Erol Otus, Eymoth, Darlene Pekul, Jennell Jaquays, Jim Roslof, David S. LaForce, David C. Sutherland III, Jeff Lanners and D. A. Trampier.[1]

Release[]

Deities & Demigods (1e) was released by TSR in for $[missing data] US or $[missing data] Canadian.

The book originally included the Cthulhu mythos, created by H.P. Lovecraft, and the Melnibonéan mythos, from the works of writer Michael Moorcock. TSR initially believed that the Cthulhu mythos was out of copyright, and secured an agreement with Moorcock regarding the use of his characters in the book.[1]

Following publication, it was discovered that the copyright to Lovecraft's works was in fact owned by Arkham House and that the RPG company Chaosium, Inc. owned a license to both Lovecraft and Moorcock's works. An amical deal was reached with Chaosium, and subsequent books in the first printing were changed to grant permission to use these works.[1]

TSR's Brian Blume disliked that the book was forced to credit a rival RPG company, and from the second printing onward, the Cthulhu and Melnibonéan mythoi were omitted instead. It would actually take until the subsequent printing for the back of the book to correctly state that the book contains only 15 pantheons, and to remove the credit for Chaosium on page 4.[1]

An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 copies of the book were printed prior to removing the two pantheons.[1]

From the fifth printing onward (1984), the book was renamed to Legends & Lore (1e) (1984), which was reprinted until at least 1990.

On January 22, 2013, it was re-released in digital format. It is currently available on DriveThruRPG and Dungeon Masters Guild for $5.99.

Reception and influence[]

Critical reception[]

Gary Gygax admitted that he did not use Deities & Demigods in his own campaigns.[2]

As of 2023, Deities & Demigods (1e) reached the rank of Platinum seller on DriveThruRPG.

Influence on other works[]

Deities & Demigods would be reprinted as Legends & Lore (1e) (1984).

The book would lend its name to Deities and Demigods (3e) (2002).

External links[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Deities & Demigods. The Acaeum.
  2. Q&A with Gary Gygax, page 318. ENWorld, Aug 23, 2006.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition
Core rules
Players HandbookDungeon Masters GuideMonster Manual
Supplements
Battlesystem: Fantasy Combat SupplementThe Book of LairsThe Book of Lairs IIDeities & Demigods (Legends & Lore) • Dungeoneer's Survival GuideFiend FolioManual of the PlanesMonster Manual IIOriental AdventuresThe Rogues GalleryUnearthed ArcanaWilderness Survival Guide
Adventures
Desert of Desolation (PharaohOasis of the White PalmLost Tomb of Martek) • Queen of the Spiders (Against the Giants (Steading of the Hill Giant ChiefThe Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant JarlHall of the Fire Giant King) • Descent Into the Depths of the EarthShrine of the Kuo-ToaVault of the DrowQueen of the Demonweb Pits) • Realms of Horror (Tomb of HorrorsWhite Plume MountainExpedition to the Barrier PeaksThe Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth) • Scourge of the Slavelords (Slave Pits of the UndercitySecret of the Slavers StockadeAssault on the Aerie of the Slave LordsIn the Dungeons of the Slave Lords) • The Temple of Elemental Evil (The Village of Hommlet) • DungeonlandThe Land Beyond the Magic MirrorThe Secret of Bone HillThe Assassin's KnotDeep Dwarven DelveThe Sinister Secret of SaltmarshDanger at DunwaterThe Final EnemyAdventure Pack IAgainst the Cult of the Reptile GodAll That Glitters...Baltron's BeaconThe Bane of LlywelynBeyond the Crystal CaveDark Clouds GatherDay of Al'AkbarDestiny of KingsDwellers of the Forbidden CityEgg of the PhoenixEye of the SerpentThe Forest OracleThe GauntletThe Ghost Tower of InvernessThe Hidden Shrine of TamoachanThe Lost Island of CastanamirMidnight on Dagger AlleyNeedleRavager of TimeRavenloftRavenloft II: The House on Gryphon HillThe SentinelThe Shattered StatueTales of the Outer PlanesTo Find a KingTomb of the Lizard KingTreasure HuntWhen a Star Falls