Kamikaze Midget said:
Dude, they're not the same beings, any more than Lolth is the same for both worlds. I mean...Ehlonna...Mielilkelioiljeljka an a house rule, because it doesn't matter what rule is in place. It doesn't unbalance anything.
You're wrong about the former, correct about the latter. Lolth in the Forgotten Realms is the same Lolth from Greyhawk... just slightly altered to meet the needs relative to FR. On the other hand, Ehlonna and Mielikki (sp?) are two different deities (at least there's never been anything to suggest that they are one and the same).
Forgotten Realms has a number of what they refer to as "Interloper gods." These gods, like most of the Mulorundi Pantheon, the Seldarine, the Dwarves, and so on, all came the FR as their respective races did. The gods manifestation and myths associated with them were adjusted within this new world. Lolth's FR history is an example of this.
In many ways, this reflects the power of gods. There's a passage in the book that refers to the tense relationship between Clangeddin and Labelas Enoreth (sp?) due to a conflict between the two during the Time of Troubles. While this tenseness exists in FR, it does not necessarily exist elsewhere.
Does this complicate things? Sure, but how often have gods made sense (look at the real world, for crying out loud). But I think this makes for very interesting role-playing, world-building opportunities for enterprising, creative DMs.
As for the Demon Princes and the Lords of the Nine, I like the manner in which they are "worshipped" in FR 3ed. This makes them distinct from actual powers and reduces the number of servants they can expect to have since they require constant sacrifices. However, I am once again sensing a preference for demonic worhsip rather than diabolical. I've always been of the opinion that Asmodeus allows for priests through unique arrangements with the other Lords of the Nine (not with pacts with gods. That's silly). Yet, we rarely see this.
Incidently, in A Paladin in Hell by Monte Cook, the text explicitly states that the chief villainess in the adventure is a cleric of Asmodeus...