Preface
This pantheon began in my first ever home game for D&D and has evolved significantly over the past few years. For around a decade, divinity in my games (both those I ran and played in) always seemed like an afterthought or something that was shoehorned in. This attitude was cemented in place after years of it being the status quo and reading stories about nightmare Game Masters using a character's faith as a looming threat: "Your god says you must do this, or you will lose all of your class abilities!"
It wasn't until I stumbled across The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson that I began to rethink the nature of divinity in the fantasy worlds I participated in. While worship isn't front-and-center in Sanderson's Cosmere novels, they introduced the concept of divine beings that are incredibly simple to understand, vague enough to have variations within the same faith, flexible enough to adapt to player desires, and alien enough to feel otherworldly. Part of this also included separating racial deities from their traditional races. For example, Lolth is the Goddess of Solitude, and not the Goddess of the Drow. Anyone can follow her, and the Drow can follow any gods they want to.
As things grew and took form, one of the major goals of this project was to make all of the greater deities interesting and compelling. Part of that involved stripping away any sense of alignment and instead focusing entirely on how each god manifests their Ideal and how that Ideal can be both helpful and useful or harmful and hindering. Each god in this pantheon has one sect that is widely accepted in society and one that is generally ostracized or kept at arms length.
Additionally, I discovered that I would need to overhaul the nature of how divine spellcasting worked. For more information on this, check out the Mortals and Faith section of the Overview.
Additional notes
When I began officially putting together the core of the pantheon I for my game, I started with the Dawn War pantheon listed on pg 11 of the DMG, and assigned each god an Ideal and an Outer Plane to call home and the language within this document will reflect those particular deities and planes. However, if you don't use the Dawn War pantheon, you can swap out one deity for another that has a similar feel.
The Nature of Divinity
The beings that fill this pantheon derive their power from a Shard in their possession. Each Shard is a physical manifestation of the Ideal it contains and appears as a slender, crystalline material that radiates a holy light. Each Shard will bond to whoever carries it and, if the host survives the process, it will eventually corrupt them and turn them into a being that is an extension of its Ideal.
While most mortals assume the gods are truly immortal, a more accurate understanding would be that they are former mortals that are now custodians of their Shard or Splinter. If a deity's avatar is damaged enough, the Shard within can be revealed and claimed by a challenger. In this case, the Shard will claim the challenger's body as its new vessel and the previous body will wither away to dust. However, barring this, deities are effectively immortal; they do not age, and are not generally subject to other lethal things like poisons or curses.
Greater Deities
As the most powerful beings in the cosmos, Greater Deities can have an enormous influence over the spaces they inhabit. Although they cannot act directly outside of their domains, they are effectively omnipotent within them. A divine being in this category can shape the space around them, banish tresspassers, or summon allies to them.
A Greater Deity can also create a Lesser God by investing a Splinter of their Ideal within a creature. Lesser gods will all have some affinity for the particular Ideal of the Greater Deity they serve, but they tend to retain their sense of identity. Additionally, a Greater Deity can appoint Champions to do their bidding out in the world beyond their domain. These Champions are quasi-mortal and cannot die from old age, but otherwise are generally a step or two above 20th level PCs with a particular boon from their patron god to help them perform whatever tasks have been given to them.
Divinity and Magic
This pantheon assumes that all magic - both arcane and divine - ultimately come from The Weave. While mortals access the Weave through a wide variety of methods, a god exists partially within the Weave; they can shape magic around them with their subconscious thoughts as long as they are within their Domains. Additionally, this connection to The Weave helps to sustain them and repair damage to their bodies.
However, this connection does not extend outside of a god's home turf. If they are drawn out of their seat of power, this connection is strained and less effective. Because of this, most deities stay in their personal realms.
Planar Thrones
This pantheon consists of 16 Greater Deities, and assumes each one is native to a particular Outer Plane that has manifested a physical embodiment of their Ideal. This results in many of the Gods being found in places that do not match Wizards of the Coast's canon. Tiamat is now in Gehenna instead of the Nine Hells, The Raven Queen is in Hades instead of the Shadowfell, and so on. A future project involves making an Atlas of the Planes document to go with this one and outline those locations and the effects the Ideals have on phsyical space.
For now, that project is far in the future, but will still be hinted at in the rest of this codex series.
Mortals and Faith
The nature of Divinity as Ideals makes it incredibly easy for characters and NPCs to venerate multiple deities. A classic lawful-good character might follow the God of Honor and the God of Endurance. Another character might pursue Ambition and Cultivation as a means to grow and reach their goals.
This pantheon doesn't require or gain power from the worship of mortals by default. Instead, there's a trickle-down effect derived from the actions of mortals. When someone acts with or pursues honor; part of the energy of that action contributes to the God of Honor, creating empty spaces lends power to Desolation, and being generous gives energy to Endowment. And the list goes on. While there is a church following for each Ideal, and PCs are welcome to dedicate themselves to a single deity (or none!), it is likely that every person in your world will support several members of the pantheon through their actions. Still, the gods welcome worship as a way to encourage mortals to act in line with their Ideal as often as possible.
Divine Spellcasting Classes
As a consequence of divine power being separated from worship, you might consider unlinking the usual relationship between gods and clerics or paladins. Instead, link a cleric's spellcasting to their faith and let the player decide what that cleric has faith in. It might still be faith in a divine being, but when those divine beings are really Ideals, it can turn into having faith in the Honor of humanity, the Preservation of life, or the Endurance of the world. Likewise, a Paladin can swear an Oath for their power in a similar fashion.
This change doesn't really impact the mechanics of the game but gives the players much more control over how characters can participate in their faith. A cleric losing their own faith is a much more impactful moment than a god showing up and pulling the power plug for breaking the rules. The same can be said for Paladins as well. If they swear an Oath and then break that oath, it is much more compelling than an external figure determining their worthiness.
A Note on NPC Clergy
Each of the deities outlined in this document has two primary denominations, and each of those offers an Optional Rule ability to its higher ranking clergy members. These abilities are powerful and not designed for PCs to have access to.
The assumption with these NPCs is that they forego the opportunity to adventure in favor of wholly dedicating themselves to their chosen Ideal. In addition to the obvious ability benefit, these powers can also give the players a reason to seek out other faith leaders instead of just always asking the party cleric or paladin about the Thing at hand.
That said, if your party is seeking out boons from the gods, these abilities can provide a good starting point for the abilities a god could bestow.
Gods of the Pantheon
This document uses the pantheon I've set up for my home game. It is based on the Dawn War pantheon and will ultimately include all of the deities in the table below. However, if you prefer to use other deities to better fit your worlds, feel free to do so! Take what works for you and your group and mix it up with other things to make something unique to your group!
Gods & Ideals
| Ideal | Deity | Home Plane |
|---|---|---|
| Ambition | Tiamat | Gehenna |
| Autonomy | Avandra | Limbo |
| Brutality | Bane | Archeron |
| Cultivation | Melora | The Beastlands |
| Desolation | The Raven Queen | Hades |
| Destruction | Tharizidun | Pandemonium |
| Devotion | Moradin | Elysium |
| Domination | Gruumsh | The Abyss |
| Endowment | Ioun | Mechanus |
| Endurance | Kord | Ysgard |
| Harmony | Erathis | Arcadia |
| Hatred | Asmodeus | The Nine Hells |
| Honor | Bahamut | Mt. Celestia |
| Passion | Sehanine | Arborea |
| Preservation | Pelor | Bytopia |
| Solitude | Llolth | Carceri |
Art Credits
Cover image by /u/pfenixartwork
Ambition: Tiamat
Too many people choose to focus on the rare times when ambition gets out of hand and worry that it will always lead to tyranny. Those concerns have a speck of merit, but does that mean we should condemn every person that acts to achieve their goals? Could you imagine living in a world where nobody aspired to reach new heights or where nobody wanted to change the world for the better?” - Uthemar Liadon, Gilded Guardian
Divine Names
As a Prime Deity associated with the Ideal of Ambition, people use several different names to refer to Tiamat. Among the more popular titles are Mother of Dragons, Goddess with Golden Eyes, and the Queen of Desire.
Domains
As one of the Prime Deities, Tiamat has a set of domains that fall under her influence. These Domains center around her Ideal and provide a broad foundation for her followers.
Ambition. Tiamat’s primary domain is that of Ambition and is the biggest source of her power. Whenever mortals work to achieve their goals, reach new heights, or gain power and authority, they lends power to Tiamat. In turn, Tiamat drives her followers to pursue the things they want in life.
Law. The Law helps people to plan ahead and plot a path to achieve their various goals. Although reckless ambition and risky strategies can sometimes pay off in the short term, Tiamat advocates a methodical approach provided by the structure that comes with abiding by legal codes.
Desire. Intertwined with the Ideal of Ambition, this broader domain includes any craving that people can feel no matter how small or powerful. Any type of desire, longing, want, or yearning falls under the domain of Tiamat, and any actions people take to attain those wants contributes to Tiamat's power in the cosmos.
Dogma
While her personal goals are rather grandiose, Tiamat's dogma tends to manifest in ways that encourage subtlety, although she does sometimes appreciate boldness and those that take action. Officially, her dogma does not promote recklessness, but also does not forbid or discourage it.
Rise to Your Ambitions. Pursuing goals and reaching them is the greatest thing in life. The size of the goal matters little, so long as people achieve them. So define an objective, make a plan to reach it, complete the task, and then do it all over again with a new goal.
Be Cunning. Sometimes, reaching a goal requires boldness. Sometimes it requires subtlety. Sometimes it requires subterfuge. But succeeding in these quests always requires a level of cunning to know which approach is best. So stay sharp, play smart, and use whatever tool is best for the job at hand.
Tenets
Tiamat's followers are diverse in their practices due to the broad spectrum of goals people wish to achieve, but clergy preach a few common tenets to those in their communities. The most frequently preached tenets areas follows:
Pursue Your Goals. The first, and most central tenet instructs followers to define and make a plan to achieve their goals. The size and scope of the goal matters little, as long as people work to reach them.
Climb to the Top. In whatever goals a person finds themselves pursuing, they should always seek to be the best. This is sometimes interpreted to be better than anyone else, and sometimes interpreted as achieving a personal best, but in both instances, seeking to rise to the top is encouraged.
Guard What You Have. In order to continue making progress, it is imperative to not lose ground. In the pursuit of Ambition, keeping a close guard over resources, connections, and other valuables is vital; these things can be used to reach future goals, and should be kept for such occasions.
Allies of the Faith
Because of it's goal-oriented nature, the Church of Ambition maintains strong alliances to the following faiths:
Church of Cultivation
Melora's followers are dedicated to fostering and creating opportunities for growth - a theme that has plenty of space to help people grow to their full potential. While Cultivation is more concerned with the personal growth rather than the actual achievement, these two faiths often feel very intertwined.
Church of Destruction
In pursuit of goals, encountering hurdles or difficulties is common. When this happens, destroying the imposition is often necessary. Although this can sometimes involve violence, Gruumsh's followers are quick to emphasize that there are many non-violent ways to eliminate such issues.
Church of Endurance
For small goals, the road to achievement is short. But for long-term and big goals, staying on the path is hard. In difficult moments, many will turn to the Church of Kord for the support and encouragement to stay the course.
Enemies of the Faith
Despite being one of the most flexible faiths, Ambition and her followers sometimes come into conflict with other faiths. The faiths that most frequently oppose Tiamat's clergy are:
Church of Endowment
Ioun's followers advocate for generosity and charity. Giving up time and resources purely for the betterment of others is very frequently in opposition to the idea of guarding and hoarding resources.
Church of Hatred
The majority of tensions between Asmodeus and Tiamat comes down to a fundamental disconnect between their Ideals; where Asmodeus focuses on hatred and anger, Tiamat focuses on desires and wants. The repulsion and attraction that forms the core of these two faiths makes it difficult for these Ideals to ally with each other.
Church of Honor
Although these two faiths can work together in certain situations, Bahamut and Tiamat are classic enemies for good reason. Where Bahamut requires his followers to behave honorably in all ways, Tiamat encourages her followers to do whatever is necessary to reach their goals. As such, those that worship Tiamat will often sidestep more honorable behaviors if it means they can achieve more.
Clergy & Temples
People from all walks of life are welcome among the clergy of Ambition. As long as they work to reach their goals and accomplish great things, they fit in well with this Ideal and the religion that surrounds it. To encourage the pursuit of greater power, the Church is organized into three core ranks.
Copper Claw. A reflection of the lowest denomination of coins, Copper Claws are made up of the newest and lowest ranked members of the church. These individuals are responsible for organizing self-help seminars and other such events for the people in their communities.
Silvered Wings. Promotion to the rank of Silvered Wing is a prestigious event, and these priests work to teach others the core tenets and dogma of Tiamat's faith, all the while keeping a focus on their own goals, whatever they may be.
Gilded Guardians. The few individuals that hold the rank of Gilded Guardian have earned the title through hard work and cunning. They are wary of anything that might threaten the leadership they've earned, but fulfill their duties as head of the Church with enthusiasm and dedication.
Temple Designs
All temples to Tiamat must adhere to a strict construction design code, which includes specifications for seating, storage, and altars, as well as architecture guides to create grand, vaulted open spaces. Even in crowded cities, these places of worship have vast interior areas. Many people assume the Church acquires so much room through bribes, but most temples are constructed in undesirably challenging locations that require cleverness and cunning to build on properly.
Besides the general construction, the inside of these temples are ornately decorated, and full of rich fabrics, intricate sculptures, gilded surfaces, and plush furniture. The priests and clergy come from all walks of life, but dress in black robes with copper, silver, or golden trim based on their rank within the church.
Common Symbols & Icons
Due to Tiamat's draconic form, images and themes that involve dragons are common within this faith. They represent the ideas of power, wealth, and prosperity that can be gained through achieving commonly set goals.
While metallic colors are used often, the majority of colors used within holy spaces match the different colors of the chromatic dragon species; white, black, green, blue, and red.
Holy Days & Festivals
Tiamat's worshipers celebrate often, primarily around the times that a goal is reached, but celebrations also occur in tandem with large public events such as coronations and elections. Essentially, any event that involves prestige, promotions, or climbing a social ladder is likely to have involvement from the Church of Ambition.
Eve of Achievement
The only official Holy Day observed by the entire church is the Eve of Achievement. This holiday begins on the final night of the year and lasts through the next morning. Participants from outside the church are welcome to attend and celebrate their accomplishments as well as set new goals for themselves for the upcoming year.
Avatars & Champions
Tiamat primarily uses one of two avatar forms. The more commonly known form is distinctly draconic, with five individual heads to represent each species of chromatic dragon, but she often uses a more humanoid form as well.
Avatar of Tiamat
Tiamat's humanoid avatar appears as a regal dragonborn woman with different colored scales across her body. She wears golden jewelry and a rich purple robe with long golden fringe, and her eyes appear to glitter like polished gems.
She rarely sits in the presence of others, preferring to stand tall above them, and she respects confidence and dedication. If mortals travel to her Planar Throne, she demands deference appropriate for her power, but she does not abide groveling or begging.
Champion:
The General of Gehenna
This mysterious creature lives in isolation, scheming ways to overthrow Tiamat and take her place on the Planar Throne. Information about this powerful ultraloth can only be found in rumors, as his personal name is not even contained in the Books of Keeping. Regardless, nobody has ever actually found him and returned with any kind of proof, although many have tried.
Tiamat alone knows his name and whereabouts, and she can summon him to her side in times of need. However, she largely lets him tend to his own plots and schemes, trusting that his paranoia will prevent him from actually posing a real threat to her rule.
Known Sects & Cults
Tiamat' clergy generally fall into one of two sects:
Order of Prosperity
By far the largest sect, the Order of Prosperity preaches that the way to achieving goals is to be dedicated, clever, and to work hard. To help facilitate this, members of this sect host self help seminars, and provide counseling and life coaching to the people in their communities.
Optional Rule: The Path to Ambition. Ranking members of the clergy are well versed in the pursuit of goals and can determine the most direct path to someone else's. This ability functions like find the path, except it's not limited to a physical path, can focus on someone else's goal, and does not need concentration. This ability reveals metaphysical paths, people that can help along the way, or specific actions that should be taken. For a Silvered Wing, this ability only reveals the most direct path with the best chance of success to the next step in the quest. A Gilded Guardian can use this ability to discover up to three steps or alternative paths, and can provide information on the relative safety of each part.
The Gilded Blades
This small, secretive, and insular sect of Ambition is more of a rumor than anything real to most people. However, to the people that always find the road to their ambitions are blocked, The Gilded Blades can provide a way to remove the hurdle. This group will, for the right price, grease palms, sow chaos, misdirect, and even assassinate people - all in the name of helping a paying client achieve their goals.
Optional Rule: Nothing In My Way. As part of this sect's dedication to Ambition, they can imbue others with a sliver of divine power that lets the recipient replace a single d20 roll with a natural 20. A blessing from a Silvered Wing lasts for 24 hours or until spent, and a blessing from a Gilded Guardian lasts until it is spent. A priest of Tiamat can give out no more than one blessing per day, and these blessings come at a very steep price, including exorbitant amounts of money, owing favors, or completing a side quest.
The General of Gehenna
Large fiend (yugoloth), Unaligned
- Armor Class 22 (full plate armor, shield)
- Hit Points 300 (24d10+168)
- Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 24 (+7) 16 (+3) 24 (+7) 28 (+9) 18 (+4) 26 (+8)
- Saving Throws Con +13, Int +15, Cha +14
- Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from non-magical weapons
- Damage Immunities acid, poison, psychic
- Condition Immunities paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
- Senses truesight 120 ft, passive perception 20
- Languages Abyssal, Infernal, telepathy 120 ft
- Challenge 20 (25,000 XP)
Aura of Paranoia. Hostile creatures that start their turn within 60 ft of The General of Gehenna must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened as the General's paranoia seeps into their mind.
Innate Spellcasting. The General of Gehenna's spellcasting ability is Intelligence (save DC 23). He can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: alter self, clairvoyance, darkness, detect magic, detect thoughts, dispel magic, invisibility (self only), suggestion
3/day: dimension door, fear, hold person, wall of fire 1/day: dominate person, fire storm, mass suggestionMagic Resistance: The General of Gehenna has advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects.
Magic Weapons. The General of Gehenna's attacks are considered magical and deal an additional 3(1d6) radiant damage (included in the attacks below).
Actions
Multiattack. The General of Gehenna can use his Hypnotic Gaze and makes three melee attacks.
Blade of Zeal. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 14 (2d6+7) slashing damage and 3 (1d6) radiant damage.
Hypnotic Gaze. The General of Gehenna's eyes sparkle with opalescent light as he targets one creature it can see within 30 feet of him. If the target can see the General of Gehenna, the target must succeed on a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed until the end of the General of Gehenna's next turn. The charmed target is stunned. If the target's saving throw is successful, they are immune to the General's gaze for the next 24 hours.
Legendary Actions
The General of Gehenna can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. He can take only one legendary action at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. He regains spend legendary actions at the start of his turn.
Move. The General of Gehenna moves up to half his speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Zealous Strike. The General of Gehenna makes an attack with his Blade of Zeal, and deals an extra 7 (2d6) radiant damage on a hit.
Avatar of Ambition
Large celestial, Unaligned
- Armor Class 24 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 615 (30d20+300)
- Speed fly 100 ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 28 (+8) 20 (+5) 30 (+10) 30 (+10) 24 (+7) 23 (+6)
- Saving Throws Str +17, Int +19, Wis +16, Cha +15
- Skills Arcana +19, Perception +16
- Damage Immunities acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison, radiant; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
- Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, petrified, poisoned
- Senses darkvision 240 ft., truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 29
- Languages Celestial, Draconic, telepathy 120 ft.
- Challenge 30 (155,000 XP)
Shard of Divinity. When an Avatar's hitpoints drop below 100, the Shard of Divinity within them is exposed and can be pulled free. Removing a Shard requires a DC 30 Strength check. For every 10 hit points below 100 the Avatar has, the DC is reduced by 1, down to a minimum of DC 20.
Zealous Aura. Ambition's celestial nature imbues all of her attacks, and any damage dealt to hostile creatures within 60ft of her also deal an additional 11 (2d10) radiant damage (included in her attacks).
Frightening Presence. Each creature of Ambition's choosing within 240 ft of her that is aware of her must make a DC 23 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A frightened creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of their turn, ending the effect on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful, they are immune to this effect for 24 hours.
Legendary Resistance (5/day). If Ambition fails a saving throw, she can choose to succeed instead.
Limited Magic Immunity. Unless she wishes to be affected, Ambition is immune to spells of 6th level or lower. She has advantage on saving throws against all other spells and magical effects.
Magic Weapons. Ambition's weapon attacks are magical.
Regeneration. Ambition regains 25 hitpoints at the start of his turn.
Actions
Draconic Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, Reach 5 ft, one target. Hit 25 (4d6+8) piercing damage and 7 (2d6) radiant damage.
Legendary Actions
Ambition can take 5 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. She can take only one legendary action at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. She regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.
These actions are associated with the five damage types of chromatic dragons. Once she uses one damage type, she cannot use a Legendary Action associated with that damage type again until the start of her next turn. Spell Actions are considered to be cast at 7th level. Her spell attack bonus is +19 and her spell save is DC 27
Elemental Claws. (1 action). Ambition chooses acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison damage. She makes a claw attack and deals an extra 17 (4d6) damage of that type. Acid Arrow (2 actions). Ambition casts Melf's acid arrow. Make a ranged spell attack. On a hit, the target takes 22 (9d4) acid damage immediately and then takes 17 (7d4) acid damage at the end of its next turn.
Cone of Cold (2 actions). Ambition casts cone of cold. Creatures in the area must make a Constitution save. Targets take 45 (10d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.
Fireball (2 actions). Ambition casts fireball. Creatures in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw. Targets take 42 (12d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.
Chain Lightning (2 actions). Ambition targets a creature and casts chain lightning. She can choose up to four creatures within range for the bolts to leap to. Targets must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the targets take 45 (10d4) lightning damage, or half as much on a successful save.
Cloudkill (2 actions). Ambition casts cloudkill. When a creature enters the spell's area for the first time or starts its turn there, it must make a Constitution saving throw. The creature takes 32 (7d8) poison damage on a failed save or half as much on a successful one.
Ambition's Lair
Ambition lives in Gehenna and her Planar Throne is located in a cathedral-like citadel in, Kangrath, the fourth layer of Gehenna. However, her power reaches throughout the layers and the entire plane is considered her lair.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Ambition takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; she can't use the same effect two rounds in a row.
- Lightning arcs between two surfaces within 120 feet of each other. Creatures on this line must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 10 (3d6) lightning damage.
- Magma erupts from a point on the ground within 120 feet of Ambition. Creatures within 5 feet must make a DC 15 Dexterity save or take 21 (6d6 damage) on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.
- A freezing fog fills a 20ft radius centered on a point within 120ft of Ambition. Creatures in the area must make a DC 15 Constitution save or take 10 (3d6) cold damage.
- Ambition draws on The Weave to heal herself, regaining 100 hitpoints.