[Dieties and Demigods] Good for general info?

[fba827]

I tend to buy my books in batches and was considering buying Dieties and Demigods.

I've read the reviews (well, skimmed some of them rather than a complete reading).

I don't need it to have the players battle Gods or have the Gods battle one another (i.e. I can not forsee any reason to have the Gods fully stat blocked out). Frankly, the only things I do with Gods in my campaign is have them as beings to worship with personalities and followings, etc.

So, from that perspective (I only use Gods as a pantheon) does anyone have any insight as to if this book can provide assistance in that regard? Or might it not be that helpful if that is all I would use it for ...?

Thanks in advance for any input / insights / opinions.

 

[Terraism]

Well, it's a pretty good reference, if you're going to use one of the sets that's in it. The standard PH gods are all detailed - there's probably about a half page on each diety's dogma and churches, so it's of more use than the information in the Player's Handbook. They've also detailed the Greek, Egyptian, and Norse pantheons, but if you don't want to use one of them, then it's pretty much worthless to you, I'd expect. In short - if you're going to be using the standard gods, it might be worth it (though I'd suggest the Living Greyhawk Gazeteer, instead) but not something to put on a top ten list.

 

[I'm A Banana]

It's handy.

I'd say if you're a stickler for some historical accuracy in your mythos, it'll fall a bit flat....Hades is EVIL, Aphrodite is GOOD!

But if you'd like a biiiiig book o'Gods, it's not bad.

I'd stick with the link in my sig, though.

 

[fba827]

Forgot to mention, I use a homebrew pantheon. I only use premade gods as a reference for a portfolio I may not have considered yet or for new ideas on dogma, etc.

But, based on what has been said so far (and the research I've done so far) it seems this book may not be that helpful to me considering the limited needs I would have for it.

(other opinions still welcome -- just wanted to add the point that I am using a homebrew pantheon in a homebrew world...)

 

[WayneLigon]

Try the GURPS Religion book for pantheon or portfolio ideas. Another good source of ideas is the Gloranthan Pantheons page, with brief sketches of most Gloranthan pantheons and gods. Those should give you some ideas. Kamikaze Midget's thread is a good source as well.

 

[Mark CMG]

I don't need it to have the players battle Gods or have the Gods battle one another (i.e. I can not forsee any reason to have the Gods fully stat blocked out). Frankly, the only things I do with Gods in my campaign is have them as beings to worship with personalities and followings, etc.

-snip-

Thanks in advance for any input / insights / opinions.

It's like we're speaking the same language...and the price is right. Check this review, please.

 

[Hardhead]

I don't need it to have the players battle Gods or have the Gods battle one another (i.e. I can not forsee any reason to have the Gods fully stat blocked out). Frankly, the only things I do with Gods in my campaign is have them as beings to worship with personalities and followings, etc.

Then no, don't buy it.

My favorite religion book for D&D was On Hallowed Ground, from second edition. You might want so see if you can locate that. It doesn't have the 3e info like domains, though, of course.

EDIT: Good lord, why hasn't a publisher come out with a 3e book that contains the real-world gods and their domains/religions/PrCs for worshipers yet? It's a gold mine waiting to be taped (or whatever you do to mines)!

 

[demiurge1138]

EDIT: Good lord, why hasn't a publisher come out with a 3e book that contains the real-world gods and their domains/religions/PrCs for worshipers yet? It's a gold mine waiting to be taped (or whatever you do to mines)!

It could be because making books = making stats, and making stats for Jesus would offend some people.
Anyways, if you need general ideas about portfolios, pantheon structure and tha like, I'd recommend Faiths and Pantheons over Deities and Demigods. It's Realm-specific, but it's a better read and has better ideas than Deities and Demigods.

Demiurge out.

 

[seasong]

Personally, I wouldn't buy it for what you want. It's a stat book, plain and simple. More than 3/4ths of each god's page is stat block, or rules for the special abilities on the stat block. Only some of the remainder of that is actual flavor text.

And except for a few weak paragraphs at the beginning (of the "Make it look cool" variety), there is nothing on how to roleplay the gods. The Monster Manual provides more than this.

With that said, it's darned useful to me, because I already know how to do all that, and I tend to create my own gods, or use real gods from mythology... but stat blocks for a god take a lot of time, so it's really, really useful to me to be able to take a stat block from DD, tweak it a bit, and rewrite the flavor text.

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

I was very disappointed in the book. Stat blocks for Gods seem kind of meaningless to me. After all, you only need stats for stuff you're fighting, and if you're fighting Gods then you should be a good enough DM to make up your own stuff...

For general information, it's pretty rubbish.