This post is a simple question: what's the effect of downplaying gods in Greyhawk, or even replacing the whole pantheon with something else? I know that they are a late addition, so maybe it's not a big deal.
As a grey box person I always felt Greyhawk gods were a bit too "gonzo" for my taste, and not in a good way like Barrier Peaks. The new DMG gave that grayhawk itch again and I'm thinking of trying to create my "Rubyhawk" based on a mix between the 1980 folio, things I stole from other sources and whatever 2024 DMG give us.
And one more question: if you think I should keep the Greyhawk original pantheon, or at least part of it, why do you think so and how to make the most of it?
PS.: I thought it was a good idea to make this post a "question", and now that I know what it means I regret it. This post should've been a discussion. If a mod see this and can fix my mistake I would be very grateful.
I am kidding! Okay, serious answer time. Well, serious for all "Snarf is being serious" values of serious.
Background, because this is something I really dove into the history on. Two parts- one is specific to Greyhawk, and one is more general history.
Some days, you feel like the Count in Sesame Street. Five! Five Greyhawk-adjacent threads! Muahahahahahahahaha! I was asked very nicely in another thread to post about the mythos of Greyhawk. Which is a fascinating topic that deserves a lot of interest! But in my opinion, the most...
www.enworld.org
I truly enjoyed the recent, excellent review of the new Mythic Odysseys of Theros that can be found here. One particular quote stood out to me: In Forgotten Realms, 5th Edition D&D's default setting, gods exist – they power clerics and paladins – but they've taken a step back. They aren't...
www.enworld.org
I think that those are helpful to this discussion, but I also know that nobody actually bothers to read the links, so I'll try to make this simple.
Let me make the following observations-
1. There is no "wrong" way to do Greyhawk. Seriously. Greyhawk is now your world. Do whatever feels best! As I've come to realize, the magic of Greyhawk is that you can make it your own. Do it. DO IT NOW.
2. Early Greyhawk did not have set deities. If you look back to the pieces I wrote, you'll notice the timing. Early D&D wasn't all about the deities, and when it finally was, they, um, appropriated the deities from other mythos (
Gods, Demi-gods & Heroes (Kuntz & Ward 1976),
Deities & Demigods (Ward 1980)). In other words, as you correctly note ... when the original Folio was released, there was no "Greyhawk pantheon." It wasn't until the 1983 Campaign Setting that we received the Greyhawk pantheon (as previously detailed in Dragon magazine articles). So there was a time when people were playing in Greyhawk with a whole mismatch of different deities.
3. Early D&D, and the Greyhawk pantheon, actually has an interesting approach to divinity. One of the things that i love about the Greyhawk approach to deities is that "godhood" is actually not something set in stone, but more of a continuum that can be achieved. Players can actually aspire to be quasi-deities (and, eventually, demi-gods, but they should have been removed from play before that!). Because of that, the deities of Greyhawk have a different feel to them, and I kinda like them. I don't find them gonzo, I find them relatable in that way,* but YMMV.
4. Some Greyhawk deities may be required. Okay, even if you move away from all that cruft (no judgment!) you may want to keep a few because they are kinda sorta important. Iuz tops that list. I would add Pholtus as well, mostly because you need a jerky good god for various theocrats. Zagyg. And, of course, Thari.... SHUT YOUR MOUTH!
All that said, the deities in Greyhawk are as present, or as absent, as you want them to be.
*Okay, okay. St. Cuthbert. Maybe he just goes by Cuthbert.