The grace of a goddess

Gods, goddesses, and their religious ideologies are integral to most creatures' lives in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. Despite any personal beliefs, it's a challenge to stay ambivalent to the existence of deities with spiritual beings traversing the realms, clerics channeling the power of divinity, dark cults performing wicked rituals, and polished paladins radiating sacred light to push back the shadowed darkness.

Most denizens of the D&D realms follow polytheistic ideologies, worshiping or praying to different beings depending on their circumstances or desires. Those who reside in the Forgotten Realms may pray to Waukeen to aid their haggling at the market, Sune before trying their luck with love, or Talos in the hopes of quelling a heavy storm. While it is not unheard of to worship several gods on the same day, most followers have a favorite diety with which they identify most. Some even go a step further, dedicating themselves wholly to a singular god, serving as a champion or priest of their teachings and ideals.

Which gods adventurers encounter will depend on the campaign setting and story the dungeon master or gaming group has chosen. Like the many NPCs who live throughout the world, players who enjoy building a rich backstory may choose a single deity to devote their lives to or a broader, mildly curated group of gods to which they worship in tandem. Clerics, paladins, and acolytes may find it best to align with a specific god whose domain aligns with their ideals, while less devout characters may merely take note of the most revered gods in case they find the need to invoke their names.

That said, gods and goddesses are in no way a requirement for a successful campaign. The extent to which a group may dig into gods or religious ideas can vary significantly, and those who find religion emotionally distressing can remove it altogether. It's important to remember that certain spiritual concepts or representations may be triggering for others. Before jumping into a new adventure or story that relies heavily on religious content, dungeon masters and players may want to discuss how those ideas influence the campaign.

Gods are in the details

Regardless of the pantheon or what a devout priest may preach, nearly all gods follow a hierarchal structure. In most instances, the weakest or least influential are quasi or hero deities, who often exist as honorary or partial mortals. Above these are demigods, intermediate, greater, and finally, the most powerful of all, Over-deities. The strength and dominion of these various groups or individual gods may deviate depending on the story (or the opinion of the dungeon master). Not all gods maintain their existence or power throughout the lore. Some are killed or stripped of their domain, while a usurper may rise to fill the void. Others may gain notoriety and grow their following, while less fortunate beings become lost to time.

Many deities are worshiped, celebrated, and feared throughout the worlds of the Forgotten Realms. However, while around thirty entities stand at the top of the most recognized pantheon, individual tribespeople, isolated cults, and bizarre sects may worship inferior, forgotten, fallen, or forbidden gods. There are also sacred beings worshipped beyond human cultures. Many other races, like dwarves, goblinoids, and gith, have emblematic and unique assemblages of deities that may conflict with or supersede their human counterparts.

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