Coolest Gods In Dungeons & Dragons, Ranked

Summary

Consider a god’s alignment when choosing one for your character to ensure it fits your morality and ethics.
Each god has a unique reign of influence, like friendship or evil, that can add depth to your character’s story.
Be mindful of how your chosen god’s lore can impact both your character’s development and the overall world-building process.

As a seasoned adventurer who has traversed the realms of Forgotten Realms and faced the mighty deities that rule them, I must say that my personal favorite among these divine beings is Kelemvor, The Great Guide. Being a warrior myself, I have always been drawn to those who share my martial spirit, and Kelemvor’s journey from mortal warrior to immortal god resonates deeply with me.

In the realm of Dungeons & Dragons, gods hold significant positions as rulers, possessing immense power and having devoted mortal followers such as Paladins and Clerics. These divine entities span a wide spectrum, from malevolent deities of death to benevolent goddesses of camaraderie. This diversity caters to any character concept that a player or game master might be developing. The gods vary in power levels, but the most crucial factor when choosing one is ensuring compatibility with your character and an eagerness to delve deeper into the intricate lore surrounding your selected deity.

It is important to consider a god’s alignment, a category that describes a being’s morality and ethics, as well as their reign of influence — would a dwarf from a landlocked city worship a god of the sea? These are also great choices for beings that could work against the goals of the entire party, as many have servants that make for great enemy encounters. Whatever the play-style, gods can be a central aspect to both world building and character creation, so it is important that players find ones that suit their needs (and, of course, that they find cool and interesting).

10. Cyrrollalee

The Hand Of Fellowship

Alignment: Lawful Good
Reign of influence: trust, friendship, and hospitality
Symbol: an open door

A goddess of the home and hearth, Cyrrollalee appears as a halfling woman with brown hair. Her followers are usually female halflings, but she would make a great patron for any hero who believes in loyalty and friendship. A member of the halfling pantheon, she was once a powerful servant of Sheela Peryroyl, the halfling goddess of nature, song, and dance.

Many D&D deities suit morally ambiguous anti-heroes, yet Cyrrollalee embodies the traditional, noble spirit of an adventurer. Despite being generally benevolent, she is stern towards thieves, intruders, and traitors.

9. Deep Sashelas

Lord Of The Undersea

Alignment: Chaotic Good
Reign of influence: creativity, knowledge, and the sea
Symbol: a dolphin

As a marine-dwelling elf with a shimmering, turquoise complexion, this captivating sea deity could serve as an ideal divine protector for a swashbuckling paladin with a golden heart who sails the seas. Adherents are stirred to foster connections between underwater species (such as sea elves and mermaids) and land-dwellers, and they excel in various artistic endeavors.

Deep Sashelas typically maintains friendly relationships with other deities, but harbors a longstanding rivalry with Umberlee, the malevolent sea goddess of human origin. Additionally, he has a contentious relationship with the drow pantheon, excluding Elistrae. Furthermore, Deep Sashelas frequently finds himself at odds with Sekolah the Great Shark, making him an ideal antagonist for any seafaring adventure campaign.

8. Lolth

Queen Of Spiders

Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Reign of influence: Spiders, darkness, evil drow, assassins, cruelty
Symbol: Spider

The merciless deity known as Lolth can manifest herself in two contrasting forms – a captivating drow woman or a colossal, black-eyed spider. She is implacably opposed to vulnerability and benevolence, demanding offerings from those who serve her. A clergyman of Lolth must always stay vigilant: she dispatches her minions to punish those who fail to meet her expectations.

Lolth would make an excellent goddess to worship for a drow assassin and a great enemy for a party of do-gooders. She is also a potential patron for players in Baldur’s Gate 3, where she can be mentioned in dialog with evil drow in the underdark. Her most direct enemy is her daughter, Elistrae.

7. Yurtrus

White-Hands

Alignment: Neutral Evil
Reign of influence: Death, decay, disease
Symbol: A white hand

Yurtus is the orc deity of sickness; his devotees don clothing fashioned from desiccated skin of intelligent beings and wield bone-hued maces as sacred emblems. He manifests as a towering orc, partially decayed, with pallid hands and no mouth. Awe-inspiring in terror!

This deity, even dreaded by the mighty orcish war god, Gruumsh, has strained relations with the entire orc pantheon. Ideal for an evil half-orc, this fearsome entity is indeed formidable. The lore of orcs in Dungeons and Dragons, while often overlooked, is incredibly captivating.

6. Elistrae

The Dark Dancer

Alignment: Chaotic Good
Reign of influence: Beauty, dance, freedom
Symbol: Female drow and sword in front of a full moon

Daughter of Lolth, Elistrae wants freedom from the dark Seledrine for the drow and harmony with other races. She broke off from the rest of the drow pantheon, also called the Dark Seldarine, during the descent of the drow. She values love in all forms, music, and beauty, and she appears as a tall drow woman with long hair and large eyes.

Elistrae is a popular goddess in the D&D universe for her story of resistance and rebellion against her evil family. She has a unique backstory and would make a great fit for a cleric or paladin with complex feelings about their own history. Like her mother, she also appears in Baldur’s Gate 3 as a potential patron for clerics. Players can also find her sword, Phalar Aluve, in the underdark.

5. Bahamut

Angel Of The Seven Heavens

Alignment: Lawful Good
Reign of influence: Dragons, wisdom, justice
Symbol: Profile of a dragon’s head

A benevolent platinum dragon, Bahamut is the draconic god of justice. He has battled Tiamat (his evil sister) for centuries, at one point even losing his immortal status for a period of time. Even so, he is extremely powerful, though he prefers not to sully himself with bloodshed.

Occasionally manifesting as his genuine form or an elderly human sorcerer, Bahamut seldom selects mortals to serve him. Typically, his devotees are dragonborn or other dragons; however, certain non-draconic clerics learn from Wyrm mentors. His followers emulate his peaceful philosophy but frequently embark on missions to foil Tiamat’s wicked schemes.

4. Selune

The Moonmaiden

Alignment: Chaotic Good
Reign of influence: Knowledge, life, the stars, navigation, twilight
Symbol: Eyes surrounded by seven stars

The moon goddess can be kind, yet not always trustworthy. Much like the moon’s phases, her emotions and impulses are prone to frequent changes – at times, her devotees bask in her company, but other times, she withdraws and is scarcely seen. She symbolizes life and presence, contrasting with her sister Shar who embodies darkness and absence. Their rivalry dates back even before the beginning of written history.

Her supporters encompass a wide array of individuals, ranging from sailors and farmers to unique characters like werewolf champions of Selune – yes, a werewolf paladin could very well be among them! She holds significant influence in Baldur’s Gate 3, sharing the spotlight with her sister.

3. Tiamat

The Dragon Queen

Alignment: Lawful Evil
Reign of influence: Evil dragons, greed, evil in general
Symbol: A dragon head with five claw marks

Tiamat, the eternal adversary of Bahamut, is a powerful dragon goddess with five heads, each tinted differently: one of red, another of blue, a third of green, the fourth of white, and the fifth of brass. Each head possesses a unique breath weapon. For centuries, she has been engaged in battle with her brother, and on occasion, she materializes in Avernus.

Tiamat, being incredibly potent, presents an overwhelming challenge even for the most sophisticated groups. The devotees of Tiamat, known as The Cult of The Dragon, could provide formidable adversaries for a righteous party in their battles.

2. Shar

Lady Of Loss

Alignment: Neutral Evil
Reign of influence: Darkness, loss, forgetting
Symbol: A black disc with a purple border

In the world of Dungeons & Dragons, one of Selune’s dark counterparts is among the most potent entities. She symbolizes emptiness and nothingness. She takes pleasure in secrets, suffering, and hidden things. She seldom manifests herself in the mortal realm as a humanoid figure; instead, she often appears as shadows or tendrils of darkness, much like how she’s portrayed in Baldur’s Gate 3.

To Shar, hope seems futile and existence appears void. Many of her devotees seek solace from her teachings, as they grapple with profound and private sorrows such as abuse or the demise of a cherished one. They tend to conceal their practices and worship her discreetly, since public organized worship of Shar is frequently prohibited in more populous societies.

1. Kelemvor

The Great Guide

Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Reign of Influence: Death
Symbol: A skeletal arm holding scales

Initially a mortal warrior, Kelemvor, the deity of death, earned his divine status when Mask, the trickster god of shadows and thieves, concealed his soul for centuries to influence Mystra, the goddess of magic and former lover (both were once human and later became gods). Upon assuming the role of the deity of death, Kelemvor endeavored to rearrange the afterlife landscape, dividing souls into peaceful paradises for good souls and tormented realms for evil ones. Instead of deterring wicked individuals from becoming virtuous, this system inadvertently motivated righteous mortals to pass away prematurely.

Once more, the dominion of the deceased was rearranged by Kelemvor into a neutral, gray realm, where souls aligned in morality are segregated, encouraged to behave posthumously as they had during their lives. This former mortal deity grapples with his eternal and potent status; he is uneasy about his role as the ultimate arbiter, both judge and jury. Adherents of Kelemvor consider death as an integral aspect of existence, and they dedicate themselves to eradicating all forms of the undead.

2024-12-14 06:34