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<blockquote data-quote="KirayaTiDrekan" data-source="post: 6322690" data-attributes="member: 6755061"><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><strong>Dungeons & Dragons Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><strong></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><strong></strong><span style="font-size: 10px">Originally published July, 1976</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px">Version being read and reviewed: <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Premium-Original-Dungeons-Dragons-Roleplaying/dp/0786964650/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1427579093&sr=8-5&keywords=Dungeons+and+Dragons+Premium" target="_blank">Original Dungeons & Dragons RPG - Original Edition Premium Reprint</a> (November 2013)</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px">"Rules for Fantastic Medieval Wargames: Campaigns Playable with Paper and Pencil and Miniature Figures" by Rob Kuntz & James Ward</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px">This supplement is notable for being the first without Gary Gygax's name on it somewhere (he co-authored all of the booklets up to this point except Blackmoor, which he wrote the forward to). The forward here is by Timothy J. Kask, Publications Editor. I'm not sure what that title meant at the time, but it sounds as though TSR had already started to expand fairly significantly by D&D's second year. The forward states that Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes is the last D&D supplement and that further material will be coming in the periodicals. Hindsight shows us just how far from the truth that is. The forward also talks about "Monty Hall" campaigns and how the stats for gods are meant to demonstrate how absurd characters above 40th level or so are. This seems to imply that gods are meant to be the ultimate challenge to be overcome. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px">The book is divided up by pantheons rather than the standard format in the previous supplements.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"><strong>Egyptian Mythology</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px">The first thing of note is that most gods throughout the book have an AC of -2, with a few notable exceptions here and there having lower AC. From my experience with the Mentzer "Red Box" and the Rules Cyclopedia, AC -2 doesn't seem too overwhelming. Nothing terribly surprising in the Egyptian section, though Ptah is noteworthy if only because I remember him coming to prominence in Spelljammer as a deity accessible throughout the spheres.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"><strong>Indian Mythology</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px">Another notable trend is that the ruler of each pantheon has 300 hit points while the others have some lower amount, usually in the 200s. The Indian gods are interesting due to many of them having multiple heads and limbs, though the book doesn't provide illustrations of the gods so one is left to come up with deity anatomy on one's own (or look it up). This section also introduces us to several monsters that would later come into more prominence in D&D: maruts, rakshasas, and nagas.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"><strong>Greek Mythology</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px">No big surprises here either except... The Erinnyes (two n's) Furies are much different from the creatures that borrowed their name in later editions. These erinnyes are three whip-wielding crones, not fallen angel-looking devils. Also of note is the tendency among these gods to take a liking to mortals and gift them with something if the mortal does something particularly noteworthy. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"><strong>Celtic Mythology</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px">Here we see the first of several deities that were later commandeered by the Forgotten Realms, specifically Oghma and Silvanus. We also meet Balor (not a balor demon, but a disembodied head with eyes that kill and no other abilities). </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"><strong>Norse Mythology</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px">This is the longest and most extensive section in the book, apparently the favorite of the authors. Odin, himself, gets a page and a half (compared to the paragraph devoted to the other heads of pantheons). Tyr makes his debut here, another god that would find himself rubbing elbows with Elminster later on. Hel is noteworthy for having the most detailed "how do you get to her lair" description. Given the prevalence of elves and dwarves in norse mythology, as noted in this book and in norse folklore itself, it could be argued that D&D's fantasy roots lie more with the Norse than they do with Tolkien (though, of course, D&D borrows heavily from multiple sources of inspiration).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"><strong>Finnish Mythology</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px">This section bears an introduction that notes that folk heroes and mortals tend to feature more prominently than gods. Thus, unlike other sections, we are introduced to a selection of heroes first, though they are just as powerful as most of the gods throughout the book. Each of these heroes bears a variety of magic items, however, which tip the scales a bit in their favor. Oddly, Mothers get their own monster entry and are quite formidable. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"><strong>Mexican and Central American Indian Mythology</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px">This section is the smallest and the introduction notes that this is mainly due to space reasons and because information on these gods was hard to find at the time. My main point of interest here involves a personal anecdote from my second ever D&D campaign as a DM. One of my players was quite the fan of Incan, Aztec, and Mayan lore and named her wizard Mictlan Tecuhtli, after the god of death. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"><strong>Chinese Mythology</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"><strong></strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px">The introduction here notes that the concepts of Yin and Yang should take precedence over traditional D&D alignment, though it is very sparse on the details of those concepts. The section ends with a note about Chinese dragons, offering us our first glimpse at the Lung dragons that would be fully detailed in later editions.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px">So, the idea of gods as monsters to be fought originates here, something that would be expanded and more detailed in Deities & Demigods later on. Hardly any information is given on worshipping these entities, their mortal followers, religions, and so forth. By providing stats for gods, the authors were unintentionally fueling the "Monty Hall" style of play they sought to thwart.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></span>Next up: Swords and Spells</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="KirayaTiDrekan, post: 6322690, member: 6755061"] [SIZE=3][B]Dungeons & Dragons Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes [/B][SIZE=2]Originally published July, 1976 Version being read and reviewed: [URL="http://smile.amazon.com/Premium-Original-Dungeons-Dragons-Roleplaying/dp/0786964650/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1427579093&sr=8-5&keywords=Dungeons+and+Dragons+Premium"]Original Dungeons & Dragons RPG - Original Edition Premium Reprint[/URL] (November 2013) "Rules for Fantastic Medieval Wargames: Campaigns Playable with Paper and Pencil and Miniature Figures" by Rob Kuntz & James Ward This supplement is notable for being the first without Gary Gygax's name on it somewhere (he co-authored all of the booklets up to this point except Blackmoor, which he wrote the forward to). The forward here is by Timothy J. Kask, Publications Editor. I'm not sure what that title meant at the time, but it sounds as though TSR had already started to expand fairly significantly by D&D's second year. The forward states that Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes is the last D&D supplement and that further material will be coming in the periodicals. Hindsight shows us just how far from the truth that is. The forward also talks about "Monty Hall" campaigns and how the stats for gods are meant to demonstrate how absurd characters above 40th level or so are. This seems to imply that gods are meant to be the ultimate challenge to be overcome. The book is divided up by pantheons rather than the standard format in the previous supplements. [B]Egyptian Mythology[/B] The first thing of note is that most gods throughout the book have an AC of -2, with a few notable exceptions here and there having lower AC. From my experience with the Mentzer "Red Box" and the Rules Cyclopedia, AC -2 doesn't seem too overwhelming. Nothing terribly surprising in the Egyptian section, though Ptah is noteworthy if only because I remember him coming to prominence in Spelljammer as a deity accessible throughout the spheres. [B]Indian Mythology[/B] Another notable trend is that the ruler of each pantheon has 300 hit points while the others have some lower amount, usually in the 200s. The Indian gods are interesting due to many of them having multiple heads and limbs, though the book doesn't provide illustrations of the gods so one is left to come up with deity anatomy on one's own (or look it up). This section also introduces us to several monsters that would later come into more prominence in D&D: maruts, rakshasas, and nagas. [B]Greek Mythology[/B] No big surprises here either except... The Erinnyes (two n's) Furies are much different from the creatures that borrowed their name in later editions. These erinnyes are three whip-wielding crones, not fallen angel-looking devils. Also of note is the tendency among these gods to take a liking to mortals and gift them with something if the mortal does something particularly noteworthy. [B]Celtic Mythology[/B] Here we see the first of several deities that were later commandeered by the Forgotten Realms, specifically Oghma and Silvanus. We also meet Balor (not a balor demon, but a disembodied head with eyes that kill and no other abilities). [B]Norse Mythology[/B] This is the longest and most extensive section in the book, apparently the favorite of the authors. Odin, himself, gets a page and a half (compared to the paragraph devoted to the other heads of pantheons). Tyr makes his debut here, another god that would find himself rubbing elbows with Elminster later on. Hel is noteworthy for having the most detailed "how do you get to her lair" description. Given the prevalence of elves and dwarves in norse mythology, as noted in this book and in norse folklore itself, it could be argued that D&D's fantasy roots lie more with the Norse than they do with Tolkien (though, of course, D&D borrows heavily from multiple sources of inspiration). [B]Finnish Mythology[/B] This section bears an introduction that notes that folk heroes and mortals tend to feature more prominently than gods. Thus, unlike other sections, we are introduced to a selection of heroes first, though they are just as powerful as most of the gods throughout the book. Each of these heroes bears a variety of magic items, however, which tip the scales a bit in their favor. Oddly, Mothers get their own monster entry and are quite formidable. [B]Mexican and Central American Indian Mythology[/B] This section is the smallest and the introduction notes that this is mainly due to space reasons and because information on these gods was hard to find at the time. My main point of interest here involves a personal anecdote from my second ever D&D campaign as a DM. One of my players was quite the fan of Incan, Aztec, and Mayan lore and named her wizard Mictlan Tecuhtli, after the god of death. [B]Chinese Mythology [/B] The introduction here notes that the concepts of Yin and Yang should take precedence over traditional D&D alignment, though it is very sparse on the details of those concepts. The section ends with a note about Chinese dragons, offering us our first glimpse at the Lung dragons that would be fully detailed in later editions. So, the idea of gods as monsters to be fought originates here, something that would be expanded and more detailed in Deities & Demigods later on. Hardly any information is given on worshipping these entities, their mortal followers, religions, and so forth. By providing stats for gods, the authors were unintentionally fueling the "Monty Hall" style of play they sought to thwart. [/SIZE][/SIZE]Next up: Swords and Spells [/QUOTE]
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