Charwoman Gene
Adventurer
stats = meh.
Non-stats = HOLY FREAAKING CRAP AwESOME!
Non-stats = HOLY FREAAKING CRAP AwESOME!
Green Ronin's Book of the Righteous: any fans?
- Thread starter LoneWolf23
- Start date
Wombat
First Post
BotR is one of the best rpg supplements for any system I have seen in 30+ years of gaming, ranking up there with the best GURPS supplements (don't like the system, love the 3e supplements) and other great beyond-system supplements.
I love the pantheon that has been created in BotR, especially as it integrates into the society in general, gives dozens of tales that allow for world colour as well as potential storyhooks and character backgrounds. The gods are not simple, static individuals, but have nooks and crannies that alter their "portfolios". Most D&D pantheons feel cardboard-like -- limited, flat, simply there to serve adventurers. Real world pantheons are messy, organic, and have no neat limits. The Gods of the Tree make a lovely compromise position.
Simply put, this was probably the best 3.x supplement printed.
I love the pantheon that has been created in BotR, especially as it integrates into the society in general, gives dozens of tales that allow for world colour as well as potential storyhooks and character backgrounds. The gods are not simple, static individuals, but have nooks and crannies that alter their "portfolios". Most D&D pantheons feel cardboard-like -- limited, flat, simply there to serve adventurers. Real world pantheons are messy, organic, and have no neat limits. The Gods of the Tree make a lovely compromise position.
Simply put, this was probably the best 3.x supplement printed.
Celebrim
Legend
Those are not simple questions.
Briefly, the cosmology borrows several traditions of Western theology and interweaves them. So, there is a monotheistic creator behind the universe - an 'All Father' figure - who has for reasons left up to the DM either abandoned his creation, or is a blind watchmaker, or else is only interested in interfering in the most subtle of ways. The universe was left in the hands of four primal deities representing the elements. The fire elemental diety suffers a lucifer like moral fall after attempting to claim to be the creator deities sole and rightful representative.
In addition to the four elder dieties, there is a primal font of life in the form of the World Ash Tree/Tree of Life. From that font, are fruited a second generation of deities that have a much more traditional Olympian character, albiet with the twist that the 'Zeus' figure Tekal is quite weak (politically) and the nominal head of the pantheon is a rather unmartial female diety.
All of this is held together by a thick mesh of myths about the various dieties. Each is given at least one short story to represent their character and nature, and express their relationship to the other deities.
Sure, its not very original. There was alot that reminded me of my own ideas. But I think that that is part of its strength, not its weakness. It borrows themes and images from Norse mythology and from Milton's Paradice Lost because those themes and images have preexisting mythic force. The particular way he has shaped those images and themes is highly original and very well suited to setting that needs to support D&D. What it meant for me is that not only could I adopt the ideas peicemeal into a campaign, but I could at a future point simply run with his fully developed cosmology and not feel I was losing much of anything.
Fantastic book and one of the gems of my RPG collection. It is the gold standard of fantasy RPG religions. It's useful for players and DMs alike, also provides toolkit examples and suggestions and meaningful advice for integrating it into a campaign setting. And, thankfully, no stats for deities! As has been pointed out, the "gods can be killed by PCs" idea has been dusted off but it's just as ridiculous to me today as it was back in 1E.
My only quibble is that clerics didn't get the same treatment as the Holy Warriors.
My only quibble is that clerics didn't get the same treatment as the Holy Warriors.
Well, keep in mind the book was written for 3rd edition, therefore the clerics already had domains that offered the variation that the holy warriors have... so it was a little unnecessary to have a new game mechanic for cleric differentiation - they just added to the domains.
LoneWolf23
First Post
Well, 3.5 Clerics already had Domains, so they probably figured they were already sufficiently customisable.
Charwoman Gene
Adventurer
I'm starting to froth at the mouth trying to connect the 4e cosmology with the book of the righteous. There is something there...
One connection is that the BBEGod has an alias which has appeared in previous editions and also appears in 4E as a god for the first time.
