By John Grigsby, Staff Reviewer, d20 Magazine Rack
Norse Gods is a free PDF download from Bastion Press and serves as a preview of The Lore of the Gods series, detailing mythological figures in d20 format for use with the Dungeons & Dragons® role-playing game produced by Wizards of the Coast. It is written by Steve Creech and Kevin Ruesch.
The layout is pretty straightforward, with the listing for each deity including alignment, domains, symbol, and favored weapon, but there are also a few new entries that I find add a new dimension to the game. Favored classes, described in my previous reviews of The Lore of the Gods series. The exact benefits of being a favored class vary from deity to deity, but it makes each deity-character relationship unique. This information is followed by a brief background of the deity and then a stat block with the standard write-up for the deity's avatar. As with other works in the Lore of the Gods series, the material presented in Deities & Demigods is not utilized for these write-ups, which means that you don’t have to own a copy of that work to utilize this one.
This supplement also includes a brief write-up of Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Gods, in which the gods will be defeated and the Earth ravaged and then begin anew. This tale is a staple of Norse mythology and it’s good that it was included here as it truly brings to life the mythos. It is highly recommended that any DM using the Norse deities also remember that they are well-aware that they will die in Ragnarok and that nothing they do can prevent its coming.
The artwork in this book is done by Todd Morasch and Michael Nickovicch. As with Egyptian Gods, their work just doesn’t strike me as appropriate. Don’t get me wrong. Some of the art is very nicely done and the effects are both startling and hauntingly beautiful, but it’s just not what I would have expected in a gaming manual. There are only 13 gods described in this volume, but hey, it’s free! What more do you want? Once again, we are given some new domains to play with: Balance, Heaven, Music, Sea, Storm, Underworld, Vigilance, Weather, and Winter.
These are followed by two of heroes from Norse myth; the mighty Beowulf and Sigurd! I had forgotten that the Beowulf epic was essentially Nordic in origin and it was a happy surprise to see him included in this work! Diligent research would probably have turned up a handful of other heroes that could have been added to fill out this section, but then, most people wouldn’t get the reference anyway.
The next section presents a gathering of monsters and lesser powers and it is here that we find such terrors as the Fenris Wolf and Odin’s menagerie. Of course, if you’re going to feature Sigurd and Beowulf as heroes, you’ll need to include Fafnir and Grendel and the guys at Bastion don’t disappoint us. Grendels are presented as a new race of monsters, not only putting a twist on the tale (which leads one to believe that Grendel and his mother were unique creatures), but also provides a brand new foe for DMs to terrorize player characters. More commonly known monsters from Norse myth are here as well, such as Garm (the guardian of the Hel-gate) and the Midgard Serpent.
A secret society leads up the new prestige classes, The Society of the Dark Serpent. These mysterious and evil folk worship the Midgard Serpent and seek to hasten the coming of Ragnarok. They’re very secretive and make a fine addition to campaigns with a Norse flavor (and could be pretty easily adapted to more standard fantasy campaigns as well).
Norse Gods also offers four new prestige classes (the Asgardian Berserker, the Asgardian Hunter of Giants, the Doombriner, and the Sisterhood of the Valkyrie), two new Knowledge subskills, and 40 brand new spells! Finally, we are offered a new template (the Asgardian Humanoid) to round out the new offerings that can be easily transported to any game setting. If I might offer a reminder, this is a free download!
As with all Bastion Press Products I've reviewed thus far, everything in here is designated as Open Game Content except the artwork. Once again, their compliance with the d20 standard is perfect. I’m giving a rather high mark for originality simply because of the way that things are presented herein. The Norse pantheon has been done to death, but never quite like it is here.
There’s plenty here to satisfy even DMs who have no intent of adding a Norse-type milieu to their campaign world. Most of the spells fit nicely into any typical fantasy setting, and the new domains are generic enough to find a niche as well. With a little work, even the most setting-specific monsters could be wedged into a new mold.
Overall, the quality is extremely high for a free download. The artwork is certainly intriguing, though as I said, I think it’s a bit over-the-top for a gaming publication (but then, what do I know?). I repeat it only because it’s worth saying again, this is a free download! Do yourself a favor and pick it up!
To see the graded evaluation of this product, go to The Critic's Corner at www.d20zines.com.
