Greeting!

To sum up the purpose of this thread, I am looking to simplify the Dawn War Pantheon, with some additions, into something more manageable for my entry into DMing a 5e campaign. I consider the "traditional" D&D pantheon for the Sword Coast/Forgotten Realms to be needlessly complicated for my purposes and with some influence from Critical Role, I think the Dawn War pantheon is the perfect subject to experiment with!

Note: Upon completion, this list will merely be a boiled down version of the Dawn War pantheon, sacrificing much of the lore for brevity and (hopefully) expediency! It's final form will undoubtedly be heavily modified.

I have done some preliminary work and as of April 16, 2017 I have this list (it will be updated as required):

The Elder Gods (A triumvirate of the original creators of the universe, based somewhat off my favourite gods seen in the RuneScape lore):

1. Saradomin [LN] - Law, Order
2. Guthix [N] - Balance
3. Zamorak [CN] - Chaos

They obviously need a significant amount of work still. By their nature, these beings will be largely unknown so I am free to mess with the lore as I see fit.

Good/Neutral Deities:

• Avandra [CG] - Change, luck, trade, travel
  • Domain - Trickery
    • The god of change, Avandra delights in freedom, trade, travel, adventure, and the frontier. Her temples are few in civilized lands, but her wayside shrines appear throughout the world where the gods of the Dawn War are followed. Halflings, merchants, and all types of adventurers are drawn to her worship, and many people raise a glass in her honor, viewing her as the god of luck. Her commandments are few:
      • Luck favors the bold. Take your fate into your own hands, and Avandra smiles upon you.
      • Strike back at those who would rob you of your freedom, and urge others to fight for their own liberty.
      • Change is inevitable, but it takes the work of the faithful to ensure that change is for the better.
• Bahamut [LG] - Justice, protection, nobility, honour
  • Domains - Life, War
  • Called the Platinum Dragon, Bahamut is the god of justice, protection, nobility, and honor. Lawful good Paladins often revere him, and metallic dragons worship him as the first of their kind. Monarchs are crowned in his name. He commands his followers thus:
    • Uphold the highest ideals of honor and justice
    • Be constantly vigilant against evil and oppose it on all fronts.
    • Protect the weak, liberate the oppressed, and defend just order.
• Erathis [LN] - Civilization, invention
• Domain - Knowledge
• Erathis is the god of civilization. She is the muse of great invention, founder of cities, and author of laws. Rulers, judges, pioneers, and devoted citizens revere her, and her temples hold prominent places in most of the cities of [Insert Continent/Country]. Her laws are many, but their purpose is straightforward:
  • Work with others to achieve your goals. Community and order are always stronger than the disjointed efforts of lone individuals.
  • Tame the wilderness to make it fit for habitation, and defend the light of civilization against the encroaching darkness.
  • Seek out new ideas, new inventions, new lands to inhabit, new wilderness to conquer. Build machines, build cities, build empires.
• Ioun [N] - Knowledge, skill, prophecy
  • Domain - Knowledge
  • Ioun is the god of knowledge, skill, and prophecy. Sages, seers, and tacticians revere her, as do all who live by their knowledge and mental power. Ioun is the patron of studying magic and its various properties. Libraries and wizard academies are built in her name. Her commands are also teachings:
    • Seek the perfection of your mind by bringing reason, perception, and emotion into balance with one another.
    • Accumulate, preserve, and distribute knowledge in all forms. Pursue education, build libraries, and seek out lost and ancient lore.
    • Be watchful at all times for the followers of Vecna, who seek to control knowledge and keep secrets. Oppose their schemes, unmask their secrets, and blind them with the light of truth and reason.
• Kord [CN] - Storms, strength, battle
  • Domains - Tempest, War
  • Kord is the storm god and the lord of battle. He revels in strength, battlefield prowess, and thunder. Fighters and athletes revere him. He is a mercurial god, unbridled and wild, who summons storms over land and sea; those who hope for better weather appease him with prayers and spirited toasts. He gives few commands:
    • Be strong, but do not use your strength for wanton destruction.
    • Be brave and scorn cowardice in any form.
    • Prove your might in battle to win glory and renown.
• Melora [N] - Wilderness, the sea
  • Domains - Nature, Tempest
  • Melora is the god of the wilderness and the sea. She is both the wild beast and the peaceful forest, the raging whirlpool and the quiet desert. Rangers, hunters, and Elves revere her, and sailors make offerings to her before beginning their voyages. Melora is sometimes worshiped outside of the Dawn War Pantheon as Gaia the Earth-Mother. Her strictures are these:
    • Protect the wild places of the world from destruction and overuse. Oppose the rampant spread of cities and empires.
    • Hunt aberrant monsters and other abominations of nature.
    • Do not fear or condemn the savagery of nature. Live in harmony with the wild.
• Moradin [LG] - Creation, artisans, family. Dwarven.
  • Domains - Knowledge, War
  • Moradin is the god of creation and patron of artisans, especially miners and smiths. He carved the mountains from primordial earth and is the guardian and protector of the hearth and the family. Dwarves from all walks of life follow him. He demands these behaviours from his followers:
    • Meet adversity with stoicism and tenacity.
    • Demonstrate loyalty to your family, your clan, your leaders, and your people.
    • Strive to make a mark on the world, a lasting legacy. To make something that lasts is the highest good, whether you are a smith working at a forge or a ruler building a dynasty.
• Pelor [NG] - Sun, summer, agriculture, time
  • Domains - Life, Light
  • God of the sun and summer, Pelor is the keeper of time. He supports those in need and opposes all that is evil. As the lord of agriculture and the bountiful harvest, he is the deity most commonly worshiped by ordinary humans and his priests are well received wherever they go. Paladins and Rangers are found among his worshipers. He directs his followers thus:
    • Alleviate suffering wherever you find it.
    • Bring Pelor’s light into places of darkness, showing kindness, mercy, and compassion.
    • Be watchful against evil.
• The Raven Queen [LN] - Death, fate, winter
  • Domains - Life, Death
  • The name of the god of death is long forgotten, but she is called the Raven Queen. She is the spinner of fate and the patron of winter. She marks the end of each mortal life and mourners call upon her during funeral rites, in the hope that she will guard the departed from the curse of un-death. She expects her followers to abide by these commandments:
    • Hold no pity for those who suffer and die, for death is the natural end of life.
    • Bring down the proud who try to cast of the chains of fate. As the instrument of the Raven Queen, you must punish hubris where you find it.
    • Watch for the cults of Orcus and stamp them out whenever they arise. The Demon Prince of the Undead seeks to claim the Raven Queen’s throne.
• Sehanine [CG] - Trickery, love, moon, autumn. Elven.
  • Domains - Trickery
  • God of the moon and autumn, Sehanine is the patron of trickery and illusions. She has close ties to Melora and is a favourite deity among Elves and Halflings. She is also the god of love, who sends shadows to cloak lovers’ trysts. Scouts and Rogues ask for her blessing on their work. Her teachings are simple:
    • Follow your goals and seek your own destiny.
    • Keep to the shadows, avoiding the blazing light of zealous good, and the utter darkness of evil.
    • Seek new horizons and new experiences, and let nothing tie you down.

Note: I have been hesitant to mess with the good/neutral deities due to how it might upset the balance for player characters. I have little experience with these deities outside of Critical Role, so forgive me for lacking significant knowledge.

Evil Deities:

• Bane [LE] - War, conquest
  • Domain - War 
  • Bane is the evil god of war and conquest. Militaristic nations of humans and goblins serve him and conquer in his name. Evil Fighters and Paladins serve him. He commands his worshipers to:
    • Never allow your fear to gain mastery over you, but drive it into the hearts of your foes.
    • Punish insubordination and disorder.
    • Hone your combat skills to perfection, whether you are a mighty general or a lone mercenary.
• Lolth [CE] - Shadows, lies, spiders
  • Domain - Trickery
  • Lolth is the chaotic evil god of shadow, lies, and spiders. Scheming and treachery are her commands, and her priests are a constant force of disruption in the otherwise stable society of the evil Drow. Though she is properly a god and not a demon, she is called Demon Queen of Spiders. She demands that her followers:
    • Do whatever it takes to gain and hold power.
    • Rely on stealth and slander in preference to outright confrontation.
    • Seek the death of Elves at every opportunity.
• Tiamat [LE] - Wealth, greed, vengeance
  • Domains - Trickery, War
  • Tiamat is the evil god of wealth, greed, and envy. She is the patron of chromatic Dragons and those whose lust for wealth overrides any other goal or concern. She commands her followers to:
    • Hoard wealth, acquiring much and spending little. Wealth is its own reward.
    • Forgive no slight and leave no wrong unpunished.
    • Take what you desire from others. Those who lack the strength to defend their possessions are not worthy to own them.
• Vecna [NE] - Undead, necromancy, secrets
  • Domains - Death, Knowledge
  • Vecna is the evil god of undead, necromancy, and secrets. He rules that which is not meant to be known and that which people wish to keep secret. Evil spell-casters and conspirators pay him homage. He commands them to:
    • Never reveal all that you know.
    • Find the seed of darkness in your heart and nourish it; find it in others and exploit it to your advantage.
    • Oppose the followers of all other deities so that Vecna alone can rule the world.
• Zehir [CE] - Darkness, poison, assassins.
  • Domains - Trickery, Death
  • Zehir is the evil god of darkness, poison, and assassins. Snakes are his favored creation. He urges his followers to:
    • Hide under the cloak of night, so that your deeds might be kept in secret.
    • Kill in Zehir’s name, and offer each murder as a sacrifice.
    • Delight in poison, and surround yourself with snakes.

Note: I have taken the liberty of really cracking down on the evil deities, except those whom I prefer/see as being realistic within the world. I don't see the point in having a ton of evil gods, although this current list is certainly manageable and can offer some really interesting stories!

I hope this helps in giving everyone a creative basis to make some decisions. Do you agree with my decisions? Do you have any ideas on additions or exclusions? I look forward to your feedback.

Sources:

http://www.tribality.com/2015/07/24/deities-of-the-nentir-vale-4e-for-dd-5th-edition/

https://stone-3.obsidianportal.com/wiki_pages/the-dawn-war-pantheon

thank you sir

Quote from Vangrouk >>

thank you sir

 

 What he said

Quote from Vangrouk >>

thank you sir

 

Quote from pallghost >>

Quote from Vangrouk >>

thank you sir

 

 What he said

 You're both welcome, I hope that it helps!