The gods often visit the Prime Material Plane in
avatar form to aid their worshippers or just to
enjoy themselves. In one way or another, they
influence the actions of all creatures on the
Plane. This chapter provides a detailed look at 9 the most influential deities. It describes their avatars,
their clerics, and the special powers the deities use (and
grant to their clerics) in the Prime Material Plane.
For some unknown reason, the city of Greyhawk gets an
unusual amount of attention from these deities-at least
one of these beings usually has an avatar in the city. Many
ballads tell of awe-inspiring confrontations between avatars
of opposing alignments on the city’s crowded streets.
Needless to say those streets needed considerable repair
when the battle was done.

Terms Used In This Book
Each deity’s particulars are presented in three parts: a
section on the deity itself, a section on the avatar most commonly
used by the deity, and a section describing the deity’s
clerics. The spells listed with the deity are always
available to the clerics of his or her order. The special, spelllike
powers are available to the head cleric of any temple of
that deity. These powers are granted to the cleric during
times of special need.

The Deity
The deity’s name is given first, followed by its status
(Greater Deity, Lesser Deity, or Demigod). A deity’s status
reflects its power in relation to other deities. Status also
helps to determine how powerful a deity’s avatars are, how
many avatars there are, and what special abilities the deity
has when its avatars are at full power. Note that only the
powers of the deities’ avatars are given here.

Abbreviations
AL: Alignment. Indicates the deity’s behavior (see PHB
and DMG for notes on the various alignments). A listing
in parentheses after alignment indicates a deity’s tendency
to stray from the primary alignment.
WAL: Worshippers’ Alignment. The alignment of the deity’s
non-clerical worshippers.
SoC: Spheres of Control. The ideas, events, or subjects the
deity controls or is interested in, and what the deity is
worshipped for.
Symbol: The sign by which the deity is known. Clerics must
have a copy oftheir deity‘s symbol in order to cast spells.
CR: Color. The color most commonly associated with the
deity. A deity’s avatars and clerics often dress in this color.
Visible effects of spells cast by clerics of this deity
will always be in hues of this color.
PN: The plane where the deity maintains its primary
residence.

Avatars
An avatar is a physical manifestation of a god created
when a deity infuses part of its life force into a physical
form. Greater deities have been known to use as many as
three avatars at the same time. Lesser deities have never
been known to use more than one. Demigods cannot use
avatars. Deities usually create equipment to go along with
the form. Only the most common avatar for each deity is
listed here, but avatars of considerably greater power are
known to exist.
Some deities keep several avatars on their home planes,
in case one is destroyed. (Destroying an avatar does not
harm a deity in any way, however.) When an avatar is
destroyed, its equipment is usually destroyed along with it,
but the deity might choose to leave it behind if doing so
would serve its purposes.
Deities send avatars to the Prime Material Plane in
order to influence, help, or instruct their worshippers.
Many of the greatest heroes of any race of people or intelligent
creatures were avatars sent to help that race. Each
avatar will take great pains not to reveal that they are part
deity. If an avatar dies, the body will vanish after several
days. This body cannot be revived by magical means. Avatars
usually appear in desolate areas and move towards the
people they would protect.

Abbreviations
The following abbreviations are used throughout this book
to describe characters of all sorts. Information applying
only to avatars is listed in italics.
HD: Hit Dice. The number of hit dice the avatar has.
THACO: Acronym for “To Hit Armor Class 0”. The score
needed on a twenty-sided die to hit an opponent that has
an armor class of 0. The score needed to hit targets with
other armor classes is easily calculated from this number.
Note that the THACO does not take into account “to
hit” adjustments from strength or magic.
SpA: Spell Ability: The class and level at which the characters
casts spells (MU = magic-user; CL = Cleric).
Note that the deity’s unique spell-like abilities are cast at
a higher level which reflects the deity’s true power.
MV: Movement. This is how fast a creature moves:
    /#” = flying speed
    //#” = swimming speed
    (#”) = burrowing speed
    *#” = speedinweb
AC: Armor Class. This is the character’s frontal armor
class, taking into account its dexterity, magical protections,
and innate toughness. The armor class could be
worse if the character is attacked from the flank or from
behind.
hp: The character’s hit points. This is number of hit points
the deity ‘loans” the avatar (usually about one third of
its total hit points).
#AT: Number of Attacks. The number of attacks the character
can make in a single round.
Dmg: Damage. The damage inflicted by a single attack.
MR: Magic Resistance. The chance of a spell failing when
used against the character, usually about half the deity’s
true magic resistance.
 

Q: The beginning of the deities section
in GREYHAWK Adventures says
that clerics get their special powers
?during times of special need.? What
defines a time of special need?
A: Clerics of Greyhawk deities get their
special abilities when they fulfil the requirements
for getting them as described
in the section on each deity. However, the
head cleric at a temple always can, in time
of need, call on spell-like powers granted
by the deity?even if the cleric is of insufficient
level to have the ability and even if
the cleric has ?used up? his daily allotment
of the ability. The DM must decide what
events are times of special need as they
arise, but they always should include
times when the temple is being invaded
and any time the deity?s power is in question
and the cleric must?or should?
demonstrate it.
(160.33)