The known plaes of existence are the homes of many powerful
beings. These beings, known as demi-gods, lesser gods, and
greater gods, are grouped into the general category of Deities.
These Deities are grouped by strength into three categories
(Demi-, Lesser, or Greater Deity) and have special abilities.

    Deities can hav four types of abilities, depending on their rank:

    * Specialized abilities belong to a particular Deity. These are
usu. listed in a description of that Deity. For example, Zeus's
ability to CAST a lightning bolt each round (in DDG) is a
specialized ability.

    * Standard divine abilities are available to all Deities regardless
of rank, unless otherwise noted for that Deity. These can be
used at will.

    * Individual divine abilities are available to Deities of the
same rank (Demi-Deities, for example, all hav the same group
of abilities to choose from).

    * Native divine abilities are individual divine abilities that can
be used only while a Deity is in its native plane.

<
G30
L20
D15
>

Question: Can a god grant an elf the ability to become a
druid?

Answer: No. A god or goddess can grant the ability for an elf to be
his or her priest or priestess, but he can’t bestow upon an elf druidical
powers. Druids get their powers from nature. Now, a god who might
take pity on your elf may change him or her into a human, but I doubt it.
You might also find a wish that will let you change into a human, but
other than that your elf is never going to be able to be a druid.
(Correction: certain sub-races of elves can become druids, as per UA).
 

Standard Divine Abilities

    All Deities, unless otherwise noted, can USE the following abilities at will:

    Astral Travel
    Command
    Continual Light/Darkness
    Cure
    Detect
    Ethereal Travel
    Enlarge (up to 300%)
    Geas
    Levitate
    Polymorph Self
    Protection from Cantrips
    Protection from Evil/Good
    Sending
    Teleport Without Error
    Understand Languages/Tongues
    Vocalize

Standard Ability Notes

astral travel +
    incl the ability to enter the Astral Plane in physical form, or as an astral projection, according to the whims of the Power, and the limitations of the Plane.
command +
    functions as the spell of the same name, with the following restrictions:
    There is no saving throw for followers or believers of that Power.
    The spell lasts for four rounds for Greater Powers,
    three rounds for Lesser Powers,
    and two rounds for Demi-Powers.
continual light/continual darkness +
    function as the spells of the same names.
cure +
    is used as a general term to include the following curative spells.
    All can be used at will, but only one at a time:

Cure blindness	Cure deafness
Cure disease	Cure feeblemind
Cure insanity	Remove curse
Remove fear	Remove paralysis

detect +
    includes the following divination spells.
    All can be used at will, but only one at a time.

Detect balance	Detect charm
Detect evil/good	Detect illusion
Detect invisibility	Detect lie
Detect life	Detect magic
Detect poison	Detect traps
Know alignment	-

    Powers can also use the reverse of these spells,
    in particular the undetectable lie,
    in their dealings with mortals.
ethereal travel +
    enables the Power to enter the Ethereal plane (if the Power's present plane permits this).
    Lesser and Greater Powers can travel through areas of the Border Ethereal occupied by the fields of living creatures,
    but cannot leave the Border Ethereal into the same space as a living creature.
enlarge (up to 300%) +
geas +
    functions as the spell of the level
levitate +
    functions as the spell of the level
polymorph self +
    functions as the spell of the level
protection from cantrips +
    functions as the spell of the same name.
    These effects exend out to 30 feet for Greater Powers,
    20 feet for Lesser Powers,
    and 10 feet for Demi-Powers.
protection from evil/good +
    function as the spells of the same names.
    These effects exend out to 30 feet for Greater Powers,
    20 feet for Lesser Powers,
    and 10 feet for Demi-Powers.
sending +
    functions as the spell of the same name,
    with no chance for failure in cross-planar communication when communicating with a follower or believer of that Power.
teleport without error +
    functions as the spell of the same name.
    Powers with other means of interplanar travel avoid this method because of the inherent dangers.
understand languages/tongues +
    incl the combined powers of the spells tongues, comprehend languages, read languages, and read magic.
    These abilities can be used simultaneously with other divine abilities.
vocalize +
    functions as the spell of the same name.

Individual Divine Abilities

    Individual divine abilities are catagorized by the Deities' rank
(Greater, Lesser, or Demi-) and by intensity. Intensity refers to
how the spell can be CAST in a standard campaign day (usually
24 hours). A Deity can USE any spell-like ability from a particular
group as long as he does not USE more than the listed
# of abilities from that group in a particular day.

These spell-like abilities function as the spells of the same
name (with caster's level as given on page 124) unless otherwise
noted.

Greater Deities

    Greater deities can perform the following abilities at will:
 

Atonement	Quest
Fly	Improved invisibility
Improved phantasmal force	Mirror image
Mislead	Regenerate

6
A Greater Power can perform any of the following,
so long as no more than six abilities from this group are used in a single day.
(Fore example, if the Power dispels magic three times,
then uses ture seeing and polymorph anyobject,
the Power can only use one more item from the following list for the remainder of the day.)
 

Anti-magic shell	Dispel evil/good
Dispel illusion	Dispel magic
Enthrall	Exorcise
Spell immunity	Shape change
True seeing	Polymorph others
Polymorph any object	Cure critical wounds
Globe of invulnerability	Summon

3
    A Greater Power can perform any of the following abilities in this group at will,
so long as no more than three such powers from this group are used in a single day:
 

Death spell	Gate
Restoration	Ressurection
Symbol (all)	Vision
Grant a wish	Volley
Time stop	Holy/unholy word
Heal

    Greater Powers are unaffected by the harmful side affects of the spell-like abilities they use.
They can perform a resurretion without having to REST afterward,
and they cannot be quested by a
failed vision spell.

    The summon ability for a greater god brings 2d6 creatures of
the same alignment as that Deity, with the total # of HD
of these creatures not to xceed 40 HD. (If 10 creatures
are called for, they can hav a max. of <four> HD each.)

    Granting a wish has set limits among the Deities. Wishes can
only be granted to inhabitants of the PMPs (one
reason those planes are central in the wheeling && dealing ov
the Deities). They cannot affect any other Deity in his home
plane. Finally, they cannot affect the Deity that grants them in
any way. Wishes that violate these rules hav no effect.

Lesser Deities

    Lesser Deities can perform the folllowing individual divine abilities
at will:

Alter self
Improved invisibility
Improved phantasmal force
Mirror image

    Lesser Deities can perform any of the following abilities at will, so
long as no more than two such abilities are used in a single day.

Death spell
Holy/unholy word
Resurrection
Grant a wish
Spell immunity

Gate
Restoration
Symbol (all)
Vision
Heal

    Granting a wish functions for Lesser Deities as for Greater
Deities. Lesser Deities are not affected by the malefic side
effects of the spells, SAVE for the vision spell, which can force
them into servitude to a Greater Deity. The summon ability ov
Lesser Deities brings 1d6 creatures ov no more than 30 total HD.

Demi-Powers

    Demi-Powers can perform the following abilities at will:

Alter self
Phantasmal force
Invisibility

    Demi-Powers can perform any of the following abilities at will,
so long as no more than three powers from this group are used in
a single day.

Cure light wounds
Dispel illusion
Dispel evil/good
Dispel magick

    Demi-Powers can perform any of the following abilities at will,
so long as no more than one ability from this group is used in a single day.

Anti-magick shell
Gate
Raise dead
Symbol (all)
Grant a limited wish
Finger of death
Heal
Summon
True seeing
Holy/unholy word

    Granting a limited wish functions for Demi-Gods as for
Greater && Lesser Deities. Demi-Gods are affected by the
malefic side effects of any spell-like abilities they USE. The
summon ability for Demi-Gods calls 1d3 creatures of no more than
20 HD total of the same alignment as the Demi-God.

OUT ON A LIMB

‘PC demigods’

Dear Editor:
Enough is indeed enough. A hearty thanks
to Greg Fox for his letter of protest (issue #55)
concerning “player-character demi-gods,” i.e.
those PCs stronger than Moradin, faster than
Corellon, and possessing magical items to
rival those of Thoth. I have recently encountered
a player/DM with the following character/
NPC: a 20th/25th-level human fighter/
magic-user, all stats between 18 and 25 (heavily
weighted toward the upper end, of course),
who owns an army of 1,000 dragons (special
hybrids, each using two different types of
breath weapons), an ogre magi astride each
one. When asked what possible use this reptilian
armada could be put to, he related his
plans for attaching a cable to each one and
using them to move his castle to a nearby
island. And, finally, among his hundreds of
magical items, he has a rod of curing/resurrection
with an infinite number of charges

Ugh! And as if that weren’t enough, when I
related this to a friend of mine, he merely
sneered derisively and began telling me about
what his 50th-level ranger (D:30, S:35) would
do to such a wimp. I began to feel dizzy.

So, having had personal experience with
the PC demigod problem, I must applaud the
first part of Mr. Fox’s letter. His observations
concerning experience points, however, are
not indisputable.

Mr. Fox tells us that (gasp) a player actually
(egad) wanted experience points for being hit
in combat. What’s the big deal? As you rise in
levels, you not only progress on the combat
tables, but you gain hit points, and as we are
told on page 82 of the DMG, these increasing
hit points do not reflect an ability to sustain an
increasing amount of physical damage, but
the skill and fatigue involved in avoiding damage.
Therefore, a character who is hit in melee
has gained (if he survives) nearly as much
experience (ah, next time I dodge thus and
parry so) as a character who hits. I tend to give
these characters one-half share of experience
points, providing they were not rendered unconscious,
in which case I doubt they were
paying attention to their combat abilities.

This is not an unrealistic interpretation of
experience, especially in light of some other
methods of gaining experience points, such
as finding treasure. Here we find a rule that
the AD&D game could do without. Characters
in my milieu get no experience points for treasure,
and advance quickly enough anyway. I
suppose there may be an explanation somewhere
as to why this system was ever incorporated,
but I have been unable to find it — only
in an ill-thought-out paragraph on page 85 of <link>
the DMG explaining, in essence, that after all,
AD&D is “only a game” and that “compromises
must be made.” The paragraph then
goes on to state that real fighters would get
real experience by “exercising, riding, smiting
pelts, and tilting at the lists....” Somehow I
believe that one would gain a bit more experience
by battling a troll than by fencing with a
friend.

Mr. Gygax has made an unforgivable mistake
here, and that mistake is underrating his
own gaming system. In my experience, AD&D
is the best role-playing game on the market,
and, no, Mr. Gygax, concessions do not have
to be made. It in no way harms characters to
receive gold without the experience that supposedly
goes along with it—after all, the two
can never be mutually exclusive. I have never
encountered the smallest pile of copper that
was not guarded by something which considered
it valuable — and that something is
worth experience points.
 

Bill Knorpp
DeSoto, Mo
(Dragon #59)

Native Divine Abilities

    Every Deity wields more abilities in his home plane than he
does in other planes. The standard and individual divine abilities
listed previously work no matter where the Deity is (unless conditions
in the plane specifically forbid the USE of that ability). In
any layer of his home plane, a Deity gains the following abilities:

Greater Deities

    * The spell-like that are limted to <six> uses per day can be used at will.

    * The spell-like abilities that are limited to <three> uses per day
can be used <six> times per day.

    * Listed HP are doubled. Other abilities are as listed, but
the Deity can possess other powerful items that further enhance
his abilities.

    * A Greater Deity and all non-living objects within his domain
are 120% MR, unless the listed MR of the Deity is higher.
Spells can affect a Greater Deity os his
domain if that Greater Deity so permits it (tricking a Greater
Deity is possible, but obviously very dangerous).

    * The Greater Deity's senses xtend into the Astral plane
and the Border Ethereal at all times.

    * A Greater Deity cannot be harmed by conjuration, summoning ,
or necromantic spells directed at him in his home plane,
unless he so wishes.

    * A Greater Deity cannot be slain in his home plane. Reducing
a Greter Deity to 0 HP causes him to TURN to a sparkling
vapor, which re-forms in 1d10 standard days. He cannot
enter the plane of his SLAYER <font> for 100 years (if slain by a creature of
the Deities' own plane, the Deity is confined to his domain for
only 10 years). A Greater Deity slain on a non-native plane cannot
visit that plane again until 10d8 years hav passed.

    * A Greater Deity can seal up non-permanent color pools in
his domain. He can also pull those viewing from the Astral ||
Ethereal planes into his plane by force of will (see Color Pools, page 82).

    * A Greater Deity can cause certain specific spells to malfunction ||
function in a reduced || different manner in his
domain. This is usu. limited to 20 spells of no more than 100
total levels or to one  || specific type of magick. These limitations only
occur in the domain of the Greater Deity.

    * A Greater Deity can attempt to sever the silver cord of
astrally projected individuals. The Greater Deity must hit the silver cord
(AC  -5 for this attack). If successful, roll the Deity's
MR score. Success means the cord is snapped.
The attack is automatically successful if it occurs in the Deity's
domain. Individuals caught in this fashion can be slain || stranded,
depending on circumstances.

    * A Greater Deity can create Aspects of himself in his
domain. These Aspects are lesser gods that can take on independent
life && even join other pantheons, or watch over a specific
Prime plane || region within a plane. Creating an Aspect takes
1d10 years, during which time the Deity cannot physically leave
his domain. At the end of this time, a Lesser Deity is generated
of similar abilities and tendencies. Some Greater Deities USE
Aspects to mete out justice to travellers.

Lesser Powers

    * The spell-like abilities as limited to <four> uses per day
can be used at will.

    * The spell-like abilities listed as limited to <two> uses per day
can be used <four> times per day.

    * A Lesser Deity's listed HP are doubled while on his
native layer (not his entire native plane).

    * A Lesser Deity && all non-living objects within his domain
are 100% MR, unless the MR of the
Deity || {item}is normally higher. Spells can affect the Lesser Deity's
person || domain if that Deity permits it.

    * A Lesser Deity's sense xtend into the Ethereal && Astral
planes, but he must constantly LOOK into those planes (unlike a
Greater Deity, who does so without conscious thought).

    * A Lesser Deity can be slain permanently in his home plane.
Slaying a Lesser Deity in another plane merely banishes the
Deity from that plane for 100 years.

    * A Lesser Deity can seal up non-permanent color pools in his
domain. He can pull observers out of the Astral plane by force of will.

    * A Lesser Deity in his domain can cause specific spells to
malfunction || function in a different fashion. This is limited to 20
spells of no more than 80 spell levels total. These limitations ||
modifications are in +addition+ to any standard limitations for the
plane; this ability can be used to reinstate spells otherwise forbidden
by the plane. NOT all Lesser Deities USE this in their domains.

    * A Lesser Deity can attempt to snap the silver cord if an
Astral traveller as a Greater Deity does.

    * A Lesser Deity can create a soul object, a device ov artifact
status that can hosue the Deity's spirit. Only one soul object can
be created by a Lesser Deity. A Lesser Deity w/ a soul object
is considered a Greater Deity in his home plane for purposes ov
being slain. Such an object is usu. jealously guarded as a
result. An example of a soul object is the wand of Orcus || similar
demon lord amulets and devil talismans.

Demi-Powers

    * The spell-like abilities that are listed as limited to <three> uses
per day can be used <four> times per day.

    * The spell-like abilities that are listed as limited to <one> USE per
day can be used twice per day.

    * A Demi-Deity and his personal effects (though not his
domains) are 80% magick resistant (unless his normal magick
resistance is higher). A Demi-Deity can allow a spell to affect
him by conscious will.

    * A Demi-Deity can observe individuals in the Ethereal and
Astral planes, but can take no other actions while doing so. He
can act normally, attack, or perform other actions once he has
noted the travellers.

    * A Demi-Deity can be slain in his home plane. Such death is
permanent unless reversed by a greater authority (that is, a
Demi-Deity can be raised).

    * A Demi-Deity can cause astral color pools in his domain to
become opaque to the viewers on the other side of the pool.

    * A Demi-Deity can try to sever the silver cord of an astrally
projecting traveller in the same fashion as a Greater Deity.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Greater Deity
@30, @will
astral travel +
command +
continual light/darkness +
[cure] (cure blindness, cure deafness, cure disease, cure feeblemind, cure insanity, remove curse, remove fear, remove paralysis)
[detect] ([detect balance], [detect charm], [detect evil/good], [detect illusion], [detect invisibility], [detect lie], [detect life], [detect magic], [detect poison], [detect traps], [know alignment])
[ethereal travel]
enlarge (up to 300%)
geas +
levitate
polymorph self
[protection from cantrips]
[protection from evil/good]
[sending]
[teleport without error]
[understand languages]/[tongues]
[vocalize]

@30, @will
[atonement]
fly +
[improved phantasmal force]
[mislead]
quest+
[improved invisibility]
[mirror image]
[regenerate]

@30, only 6 per day from this group
[anti-magic shell]
[dispel evil/good]
[dispel illusion]
[dispel magic]
[enthrall]
[exorcise]
[spell immunity]
[shape change]
[true seeing]
[polymorph others]
[polymorph any object]
[cure critical wounds]
[globe of invulnerability]
[summon] 2d6 creatures of same alignment (total HD up to 40)

@30, only 3 per day from this group
[death spell]
[gate]
[restoration]
[resurrection]
[symbol] (all)
[vision]
[Grant a [wish]
[volley]
[time stop]
[holy/unholy word]
[heal]
 

Lesser Deity
@20, at will
astral travel +
command +
continual light/darkness +
[cure] (cure blindness, cure deafness, cure disease, cure feeblemind, cure insanity, remove curse, remove fear, remove paralysis)
[detect] ([detect balance], [detect charm], [detect evil/good], [detect illusion], [detect invisibility], [detect lie], [detect life], [detect magic], [detect poison], [detect traps], [know alignment])
[ethereal travel]
[enlarge] (up to 300%)
[geas]
[levitate]
[polymorph self]
[protection from cantrips]
[protection from evil/good]
[sending]
[teleport without error]
[understand languages]/[tongues]
[vocalize]

@20, at will
alter self
improved invisibility
improved phantasmal force
mirror image

@20, only 4 per day from this group
anti-magic shield
cure serious wounds
dispel evil/good
dispel illusion
dispel magic
enthrall
minor globe of invulnerability
polymorph others
quest
summon
true seeing

@20, only 2 per day from this group
death spell
gate
holy/unholy word
restoration
resurrection
symbol (all)
grant a wish
vision
spell immunity
heal
 

Demigod
@15, @will
astral travel +
command +
continual light/darkness +
[cure] (cure blindness, cure deafness, cure disease, cure feeblemind, cure insanity, remove curse, remove fear, remove paralysis)
[detect] ([detect balance], [detect charm], [detect evil/good], [detect illusion], [detect invisibility], [detect lie], [detect life], [detect magic], [detect poison], [detect traps], [know alignment])
[ethereal travel]
enlarge (up to 300%)
geas +
levitate
[polymorph self]
[protection from cantrips]
[protection from evil/good]
[sending]
[teleport without error]
[understand languages]/[tongues]
[vocalize]

@15, @will
[alter self]
[invisibility]
[phantasmal force]

@15, only 3 per day from this group
[cure light wounds]
[dispel evil/good]
[dispel illusion]
[dispel magic]

@15, only 1 per day from this group
[anti-magic shell]
[finger of death]
[gate]
[heal]
[raise dead]
[summon]
[symbol] (all)
[true seeing]
grant a [limited wish]
[holy/unholy word]

    Granting a [limited wish] functions for Demi-Powers as for
Greater and Lesser Powers. Demi-Powers are affected by the
malefic side effects of any spell-like abilities they USE. The summon
ability for Demi-Powers calls 1d3 creatures of no more than
20 HD total of the same alignment as the Demi-Power.
 
 

Quote:
Originally posted by Melan
Greetings!

A new question: in your games, how often did the characters confront arch-devils and demon lords (if at all)? Were they successful in slaying these great evil powers, or did such a fight always mean irrevocable, painful death?

For example, did they come blow to blow with Zuggtmoy, did they spell an end to Lolth (maybe in a different way from Queen of the Demonweb Pits?), or was Kerzit's defeat an isolated event?

Plus: was demonkind limited to the base types found in the Monster Manual, or did you invent multiple demon variants to entertain and terrify the adventurers?
 

Heh! No PC in the group would ever have dared face a really big-time demomon of devi. I'll speak for Mordenkainen and Bigby in that regard  When playing in what became the D3 module someone in the group managed to gate in Asmodeus, and another character called for some entity as strong as that to oppose that devil. Of course I brought in Orcus when the call for assistance was deemed successful. The two are actually opposed of course... They had a fine time laughing at the grovelling mortals, then failed to agree as to who got whose souls. The dispute escallated, and the party escaped.

Not a lot of demons and devils were encountered in my campaign, and when they were it was usually a major fight to get rid of them. They tended to keep gating in reinforcements.

I would sometimes create a unique sort of minor demon or devil for the party to deal with, but. with the plethora of other monsters available this was a rare and "special" thing.

Cheers,
Gary