D&D 5E Quests From The Infinite Staircase

[Henadic Theologian]

I mean, it is pretty clear at this point from Planescape, the OD&D book and now this that "No Real Gods" is a pretty strict style guide element for WotC now, yes. But it is hardly singling out anybody for exclusion, it is equal treatment for real world religious groups by not starting up deities for destruction.

I will say this Pharaoh chapter is really, really well done, though, the Egyptologist touches are very nice and I think it fully respects the original (which is still available from DMsGuild). I'd still say check it out at the store when it comes out the book is gorgeous.

Except it's not strict for one thing, Tyr and Silvanus are still around for example, and some planes are named after Gods for example, and why is it more acceptable to use creatures from religions then God names? There is no consistent logic to it, it's sloppy, insulting, and unneeded, and paternalistic.

 

[Parmandur]

Except it's not strict for one thing, Tyr and Silvanus are still around for example, and some planes are named after Gods for example, and why is it more acceptable to use creatures from religions then God names? There is no consistent logic to it, it's sloppy, insulting, and unneeded, and paternalistic.

Maybe Tyr and Silvanus won't be around in the new Core, who can say?

The logic to it seems pretty clear, and the last time they included a real world God in a book it was part of the controversy that lead directly to a new standard of sensitivity readers, and that's just rhe climate now. It really is coming from a place of respect, and I don't see it changing anytime soon.

 

[Parmandur]

Indeed, the last time a real world deity was printed in a D&D book (using the same Alignment rpresent in the PHB, WotC was rightly criticized for the move.

If you want to know why WotC is not using real gods anymore, thisnis why:

Spelljammer preview video has Hecate as Chaotic Evil, which has going WTF?

Out of all the faiths that believe in Hecate, only in certain Gnostic & Satanic (no I don't know why some Satanists worship Hecate, but they do) sects is Hecate viewed as evil. In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Hecate is referred to tender hearted. The Chaldean Oracles called her The Mother of Angels. The Neopatonists viewed her as omnibelevent.

For those of you who wonder why I wanted to see Jesus statted up with a loot table in the Biblical 5e setting, this kind of stuff is why.

And despite praying to Hecate daily, I'm not offended, a little blasmphy keeps Zealotry at bay and is spiritual valuable, I'm just disappointed that they have such a naughty word understanding of Hecate. If they wanted a Chaotic Evil Greek God, that is what Typhon is for.

 

[mamba]

As a Pagan I find this insulting and pathetic. I mean do they not realize Amun even without Ra is still an Egyptian God Amun - Wikipedia .

Their attempts at respectfulness come off as less respectful then the original versions.

hey, they had an egyptologist working on this, and he approved it

 

[Stormonu]

What plants are there under the horrid plant monster entry, and what are the tower stewards (and which adventure are they from)?

I didn't check closely when I glanced at it, but my bet from the old read is the tower stewards are the two watching over Orlando and Juliette in the Crystal Cave adventure.

 

[Parmandur]

I didn't check closely when I glanced at it, but my bet from the old read is the tower stewards are the two watching over Orlando and Juliette in the Crystal Cave adventure.

They are the inhabitants of the Tower of th Heavens in When a Star Falls.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

@Veltharis ap Rylix regarding the ongoing question of real wide deities in D&D...not only does Amun-Re become Amun Sa in this iteration of Pharaoh, his afterlife curse comes from "a God of death" who remains unnamed, so no Osiris in the background. If anyone more familiar with I3 (I own a second hand copy, but haven't studied it extensively) than me knows of any other real world mythology references in the original cam let me know and I can check and compare. The chapter doesn't shy from Egyptian art and vibes at all (the maps have an Egyptian wall art style), just no gods.

The Green Man has also been changed to "The Gardener" in Beyond the Crystal Cave, another real world mythological reference removed.

I mean, going down that road is opening a pretty monumental can of worms (Gestures vaguely at most of the archdevils, more than a few demon lords, and large swathes of the Great Wheel cosmology, to say nothing of the Monster Manual), but hey, it's not like I can convince them to do otherwise...

I look forward to losing "erinyes" devils (named after the Furies of Greek mythology) for the second time in a year (Pathfinder 2E jettisoned them in the remaster for de-OGL-ifying reasons).

 

[Parmandur]

I mean, going down that road is opening a pretty monumental can of worms (Gestures vaguely at most of the archdevils, more than a few demon lords, and large swathes of the Great Wheel cosmology, to say nothing of the Monster Manual), but hey, it's not like I can convince them to do otherwise...

I look forward to losing "erinyes" devils (named after the Furies of Greek mythology) for the second time in a year (Pathfinder 2E jettisoned them in the remaster for de-OGL-ifying reasons).

Honestly doubt that will happen here: big difference between allusions like thwt and starting out Osiris or Zeus to kill.

It is interesting to see how they have maintained the integrity of this adventure and the Egyptian theme and mythos while extracting the real gods from it.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

Honestly doubt that will happen here: big difference between allusions like thwt and starting out Osiris or Zeus to kill.

It is interesting to see how they have maintained the integrity of this adventure and the Egyptian theme and mythos while extracting the real gods from it.

Unless they're being positioned as the big bad for an adventure module, no god has been given stats in 5e, and even then they're always deliberately weakened from their full power and "killing" them only delays their eventual return.

There's no reason Osiris, Zeus, Thor, etc. need stats any more than Lathander, Selune, or the Sovereign Host do.

 

[Parmandur]

Unless they're being positioned as the big bad for an adventure module, no god has been given stats in 5e, and even then they're always deliberately weakened from their full power and "killing" them only delays their eventual return.

There's no reason Osiris, Zeus, Thor, etc. need stats any more than Lathander, Selune, or the Sovereign Host do.

But they have been assigned Alognment, etc. As @Henadic Theologian pointed out back in 2022, that cna be potentially very insulting.

The current policy makes a lot of sense to me, and I don't think the use of real world religions in earlier editions aged well. So it is simply interesting to see how theybare handling thwt in more recent products like thus or Planescape.