I have just started to DM for the first time in my life after being a player for over 1,5 years in multiple campaigns. I play with 6 players the campaign Dungeon of the Mad mage. MOst stuff is figured out but I am really struggling with the Pantheon I should build, to which detail etc.
I have 2 more experienced players in my Campaign (one a cleric) with close allignments to the ravenquen. Also the adventure book is full with gods, demigods etc.
As you might remember I am getting my bearings as a GM and a standard small pantheon is manageable but I am affraid that without sticking to the gods I read each page in the adventure book, I deviate from the story and possible plots in the future.
To be honest I would like to have a pantheon in place, just so the players can interact with it, but preferably as simple as possible so I can get more experienced and might adjust that pantheon when I feel more comfortable with it.
Can anyone help me how to start, and if keeping the pantheon small doesnt conflict with all the gods named in the adventure book? I have read the DMG, PHB and many many youtube videos on how to build a pantheon, but I would like some concrete advise on how elaborate this pantheon should be stablished at this point (still in the first dungeon lvl 1)
Many thanks for all the help and advise, I look forward to all your replies.
The Dungeon of the Mad Mage is set canonically in Waterdeep, which is a city on the Northern part of the Sword Coast of Faerun. As such it has the standard Forgotten Realms pantheon. I would suggest that you simply look up Forgotten Realms deities on the interwebs and read their listings. While it might seem like there are a lot of gods in the Realms, most of them are really niche- either dealing with a race or region, or supplementing a class (Gwyaron Windstrom for Rangers for instance). The big ones, Mystra, Bane, Lathander, Chantea and others are very easy to understand if you know their portfolios. In my games Bane is the god version of Doctor Doom from Marvel Comics, he not only wants to be a Tyrant---he embodies what Tyranny is!
Honestly I would just ignore gods for the most part for that adventure except for the extent they are included in it. The adventure will tell you that so and so is a cleric of so and so, the god of such and such, or that statue is of the god of whatever and this is what that means. The adventure isn't super story heavy so you don't need to worry about missing hooks.
As for your players, invite them to bring whatever gods they want to the table, as long as they provide you with enough lore to run them in the game, that is if you even want them to play an active role.
Hello All,
I have just started to DM for the first time in my life after being a player for over 1,5 years in multiple campaigns. I play with 6 players the campaign Dungeon of the Mad mage. MOst stuff is figured out but I am really struggling with the Pantheon I should build, to which detail etc.
I have 2 more experienced players in my Campaign (one a cleric) with close allignments to the ravenquen. Also the adventure book is full with gods, demigods etc.
As you might remember I am getting my bearings as a GM and a standard small pantheon is manageable but I am affraid that without sticking to the gods I read each page in the adventure book, I deviate from the story and possible plots in the future.
To be honest I would like to have a pantheon in place, just so the players can interact with it, but preferably as simple as possible so I can get more experienced and might adjust that pantheon when I feel more comfortable with it.
Can anyone help me how to start, and if keeping the pantheon small doesnt conflict with all the gods named in the adventure book? I have read the DMG, PHB and many many youtube videos on how to build a pantheon, but I would like some concrete advise on how elaborate this pantheon should be stablished at this point (still in the first dungeon lvl 1)
Many thanks for all the help and advise, I look forward to all your replies.
The Dungeon of the Mad Mage is set canonically in Waterdeep, which is a city on the Northern part of the Sword Coast of Faerun. As such it has the standard Forgotten Realms pantheon. I would suggest that you simply look up Forgotten Realms deities on the interwebs and read their listings. While it might seem like there are a lot of gods in the Realms, most of them are really niche- either dealing with a race or region, or supplementing a class (Gwyaron Windstrom for Rangers for instance). The big ones, Mystra, Bane, Lathander, Chantea and others are very easy to understand if you know their portfolios. In my games Bane is the god version of Doctor Doom from Marvel Comics, he not only wants to be a Tyrant---he embodies what Tyranny is!
Honestly I would just ignore gods for the most part for that adventure except for the extent they are included in it. The adventure will tell you that so and so is a cleric of so and so, the god of such and such, or that statue is of the god of whatever and this is what that means. The adventure isn't super story heavy so you don't need to worry about missing hooks.
As for your players, invite them to bring whatever gods they want to the table, as long as they provide you with enough lore to run them in the game, that is if you even want them to play an active role.