The all new, fully revised edition of an AD&D® game classic!

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Table of Contents

Introduction 4American Indian Mythology 15

Great Spirit 18Sun 19Moon 20Earth 21Morning Star 22Wind 22Fire 23Thunder 23Raven 24Coyote 25Snake 25Spirits 26Hiawatha 26Stoneribs 26Qagwaaz 27Yanauluha 27Big Heads 27Gahongas 27Ohdowas 27

Arthurian Mythology 29Arthur 34Merlin 34Guinevere 35Launcelot 35Lady of the Lake 36Mordred 36Morgan le Fay 36Gawaine 36Galahad 37The Green Knight 37Percivale 38Tristram 38Gareth 39Kay 39Bedevere 39Naciens 39Garlon 40Lamorak 40Palomides 40Average Knight of Renown 40Average Knight of Quality 40White Hart 41Questing Beast 41

Aztec Mythology 43Ometeotl 48Huitzilopochtli 48Quetzalcoatl 49Mictlantecuhtli 49Mictanchihuatl 49Tezcatlipoca 50Tlaloc 51Chalchihuitlicue 51Tlazolteotl 52Xochipilli 52Xochiquetzal 53Metzli 53Centeotl 54Ixtlilton 54Nezahualcoytl 55Nezahuldilli 55Axayacatl 55

Celtic Mythology 57The Wild Hunt 62Lugh 63Oghma 63Goibhniu 64Daghdha 64Manannan mac Lir 65Arawn 66Morrigan 66Diancecht 67Math Mathonwy 67Belenus 68Brigantia 68Cu Chulainn 69

Chinese Mythology 71Shang-ti 76Kuan-ti 76Yen-Wang-Yeh 77Fu Hsing 77Chung Kuel 78Liu 79Lu Hsing 79Shou Hsing 80Kuan Yin 80Chih-Nii 81Lei Kung 81Sung Chiang 82Lao Tzu 83K'ung Fu-tzu 83Dragon Kings 84Ch'eng Huang 84Pa Hsien 85Neglected Spirit 85Generals of the Animals 85

Egyptian Mythology 87Ra 92Geb 93Nut 93Shu 94Tefnut 94Osiris 95Isis 95Set 96Nephythys 96Thoth 99Ptah 99Horus 100Anhur 100Bast 101

Greek Mythology 109Gaea 108Uranus 108Cronus 109Rhea 109Zeus 110Hera 110Aphrodite I l lAres I l lArtemis 112Athena 112Demeter 113Dionysus 113Hephaestus 114

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Hermes 115Apollo 115Poseidon 116Hades 117Hecate 117Titans 118Furies 119Heracles 120Theseus 120Odysseus 120Cyclopes 121Hecatoncheire 121Cerberus 121Gigantes 121

Indian Mythology 123Brahman 128Indra 128Varuna 129Mitra 129Yama 130Agni 130Surya 131Savitri 132Soma 132Ushas 133Siva 133Kali 134Brihaspati 134Rudra 135Puchan 136Ratri 136Vayu 137Tvashtri 137

Japanese Mythology 139Izanagi and Izanami 143Amaterasu 143Tsuki-Yomi 144Hachiman 144Susanoo 145Raiden 145O-Kuni-Nushi 146Ama-Tsu-Mara 147Inari 147Ho Masubi 148Nai No Kami 148O-Wata-Tsu-Mi 149Kura Okami 149Shina-Tsu-Hiko 150Amatsu-Mikaboshi 151Shifukujin 151Raiko 152Empress Jingo 152Tanuki 153Hannya 153

Newhwon Mythology 155Nehwon Encounter Tables 158Gods of Lankhmar 160Issek of the Jug 160Gods of Trouble 161Hate 161Death 162Kos 162Tyaa 163

Red God 163Fafhrd 164Gray Mouser 164Ningauble of the Seven Eyes 165Sheelba of the Eyeless Face 165Movarl 166Plugh 166Nehwon Monsters 167

Norse Mythology 171Odin 175Frigga 176Thor 176Sif 177Aegir 178Baldur 178Bragi 179Forseti 179Frey 180Freya 180Heimdall 181Hel 182Idun 182Loki 183Tyr 183Norns 184Thrym 184Surtr 184Valkyries 185Fjalar 186Skirnir 186Sigurd 186Beowulf 186Fafnir 187Garm 187Fenris Wolf 187

Designed by Troy Denning and James M. WardAdditional Design by Timothy B. Brown and William W. ConnorsEdited by William W. ConnorsBlack & White Art by George Barr and Terry DykstraColor Art by Erol Otis, Erik Olsen, Jean Elizabeth Martin, Jeff Easley,Carol Heyer, Roger Loveless, John & Laura Lakey, and Kieth ParkinsonIcons by Steven SullivanGraphic Design by Stephanie TabatKeylining by Sarah Feggestad and Paul HanchetteTypesetting by Gaye O'KeefeCartography

Suprv. / Designer David SutherlandArtist John Knecht

Special Thanks to Gaye O'Keefe, Karen Boomgarden, Timothy B.Brown, Dale A. Donovan, Blake Mobley, Bruce Nesmith, StevenSchend, and Dale "Slade" Henson.

ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, SPELLJAMMER, PRODUCTS OFYOUR IMAGINATION, and the TSR logo are all trademarks owned by TSR Inc.c1990 TSR Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in U.S.A.Distributed to the book trade in the United States by Random House Inc. and in Canadaby Random House of Canada, Ltd. Distributed to the toy and hobby trade by regionaldistributors. Distributed in the United Kingdom by TSR Ltd.This product is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America.Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein isprohibited without the express written permission of TSR Inc.TSR Inc. TSR Ltd.POB 756 h- 1 —I 120 Church EndLake Geneva nfr I" I Cherry HintonWI53147 «Tib* Cambridge, CBI3LBU.S.A — - — S 3 * - -'•" United Kingdom

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Introduction

Using This BookThere comes a desperate moment when every hero looks

skyward in search of divine favor, when he raises his arms tothe heavens and calls upon the cruel fates to spare his life.

Who hears him?Legends & Lore is a compendium of possible answers. It

provides AD&D® game statistics and role- playing details fordozens of deities from the pantheons of eleven different cul-tures. Included in this book are sections on the mythoi of theAmerican Indians, Aztecs, Celts, Chinese, Egyptians,Greeks, Indians, Japanese, and Norse peoples. In addition,there are sections detailing the tales of King Arthur and thegods of Fritz Leiber's Nehwon.

Legends & Lore also describes a few of the heroes and mon-sters from the mythology of each of these societies, as well aspresenting a brief summary of their cultures. In short, it is aresource book filled with useful information for anyDungeon Master who wishes to enrich his AD&D® gamecampaign.

As many readers will note, this is not the first edition of Leg-ends & Lore. With the publication of the AD&D 2nd Editiongame, updating the original volume seemed a must. The Leg-ends & Lore revision is much more than a readjustment ofgame statistics. It is a complete rewrite from top to bottom,with many completely new entries. Even the old entries havebeen researched again and examined in a fresh light.

The volume has been expanded from 128 to 192 pages.Where the old Legends & Lore placed its emphasis on gamemechanics and weapons, the new book is concerned withrole-playing and using the gods in a fantasy campaign. It alsostresses cultural flavor, beginning each section with a shortsummary describing the society and civilization of the peoplewho worshiped the pantheon in question.

Despite the volume's increased size, the decision to concen-trate on role-playing has necessitated some difficult deci-sions. The entry for each deity has been expanded to at leasthalf a page, emphasizing such things as divine relationshipswith worshipers and the special duties and powers of thepriests who follow the god. No doubt, some readers will takeissue the content of some of the entries themselves. In a pro-ject of this nature and scope, such disagreements are un-avoidable.

When reading and using Legends & Lore, it is important tokeep its intent and purpose firmly in mind. This book is not,in any way, a judgement on the validity or value of any reli-gion practiced in any part of the world, either currently or inthe past. It does not encourage or discourage belief in any ofthe deities listed herein, nor does the omission of any religionreflect in anyway upon that religion's value or validity. Suchjudgements have no place in fantasy role-playing.

Nor does Legends & Lore make any claim to being a schol-arly work. A comprehensive study of the mythology of even

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one culture would fill many volumes of this size. To compli-cate matters further, the study of mythology is far from anexact science. For the large part, mythology is based upon anaccumulation of stories handed down from generation togeneration over a period of thousands of years. As these sto-ries passed from one teller to another, the details were quitenaturally altered, either intentionally to fit the current needsof the society, or, less obviously, through inaccurate memori-zation or shifting cultural biases. Invariably, the'end result isthat several versions of the same myth exist side by side, pre-senting the serious student with a tangle of legend, fact, andfiction that cannot be unsnarled.

Legends & Lore does not even attempt this formidabletask. Instead, it simply selects the version most suited to itspurpose and presents it for the Dungeon Master's consider-ation. In at least one case, that of the American Indian, manyof the deities are complete fabrications of the author, de-signed to capture the spirit of the culture, not to present accu-rate descriptions of gods once worshiped by true NativeAmericans.

Running Divine BeingsWhen deities in an AD&D® game deign to notice or inter-

cede in the lives of mortals, it is the Dungeon Master whomust play their roles. Running a god is a far greater challengethan assuming the role of a sage, merchant, or talkative mon-ster. The players will pay careful attention to the words andactions of divinities, so the DM must make sure he thor-oughly understands his deities and be careful to present themin a special light.

The most important principle in having gods in a fantasyrole-playing campaign is to use them judiciously and spar-ingly. It is certainly possible to run a high-level role-playinggame in which gods commonly appear for the purpose ofhelping player characters. But such a campaign would stretchthe game's rules to the point where it could hardly be calledan ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game at all.The AD&D® game is designed for a more mortal level ofplay. The player characters are heroic not because of the tre-mendous powers they might or might not accumulate, butbecause of the terrible risks they take in the face of imminentdeath. To use a god to save characters from those risks timeand time again is to sully the heart of the game.

On the other hand, neither are the gods super-powerfulmonsters. Most of them are capable of destroying a mortal atthe merest whim. To set the characters into direct conflictwith a deity is, almost always, to ensure a quick and inescap-able death for the individual concerned—not much fun, nomatter how one looks at it.

Despite the two precautions above, gods are a vital part ofa fantasy world. Since the dawn of history, every culture hasstrived to explain the mysteries of the world in terms humanscan understand, and men have always tried to influence theirfates by appealing to the wondrous forces that shaped their

lives. In almost every case, these forces have been givennames, shapes, and personalities which men could, at least tosome small degree, comprehend. In addition, magicalpowers have been attributed to these forces. To gain the favorof these supernatural beings, the people who created thembegan offering them gifts of food, wealth, and even life itself.This is how the gods of the ancients were born, and no fan-tasy campaign is complete without its own pantheon of suchbeings.

The nature of a society's gods is both a reflection and a cat-alyst of its culture. Its pantheon embodies its world-view,greatly influencing what the characters in that society desire,how they behave, and their motivations for undertaking he-roic deeds. In practical terms, then, gods should be used notonly to provide flavor to a campaign, but to provide guid-ance and motivations for player characters. Each playercharacter should select a deity from his culture's pantheon,then use that deity's ethos as guide for his character's actions.For example, while a search for wealth and adventure wouldbe sufficient reason for a Norseman worshiping Thor to un-dertake an unprecedented sea voyage, a mountain of goldwould hardly motivate an American Indian venerating theGreat Spirit to paddle his canoe across a small lake.

More importantly, character alignment assumes its full im-portance only when tied to the worship of a deity. When itcomes to behaving properly for one's alignment, the fear ofevoking divine wrath is a much better persuader than thethreat of having one's alignment involuntarily changed.

Of course, the presence of deities has a much greater im-pact upon the priest class than it does on any other. Priestsare expected to actively serve their deities, and each entrycontains a special section that delineates exactly what the de-ity in question expects from his priests. At the same time, thewide range of choices available should make priests a moreimportant part of the campaign, with even greater possibili-ties for creative innovation and role-playing on the player'sbehalf.

Deities and the CampaignAt first glance, it may prove difficult for the Dungeon

Master to choose which gods to make available to his playercharacters. He should begin by considering the nature of hiscampaign, then selecting the pantheon (or pantheons) whichhas the closest flavor. For example, those running Orientalcampaigns might consider the Chinese or Japanese panthe-ons, those running a medieval campaign could select the Ar-thurian, Celtic, or Norse mythos, and those runningcampaigns set in classical times might select the Egyptian,Greek, or Indian mythos. The different pantheons includedin Legends & Lore have been selected to provide a range ofpossibilities wide enough to cover almost any setting.

Once the DM has selected the pantheon, players shouldchose their characters' deities from within that pantheon. Incertain cases, a DM might want to use two or more panthe-

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ons in his campaign. Although this must be handled carefully(for each pantheon comes with its own peculiar world-viewthat may not be compatible with that of another pantheon),it is a perfectly acceptable decision. Perhaps, as in ancienttimes, different pantheons are worshiped in different parts ofthe world. Perhaps two cultures have only recently comeinto contact with each other, and the natives of each societyare still worshiping the gods of their own pantheon. It is evenpossible to envisage a campaign in which deities from all ofthe pantheons are worshiped.

The most important thing to remember in selecting a pan-theon and using Legends & Lore is that it presents resource in-formation, not rules. Although all of the material in thisbook has been carefully researched, the information pre-sented here should be considered as a collection of guidelines,to be altered and changed according to the specific needs ofthe campaign.

For the most part, the relationship between the gods inthis book and player characters is of the same magnitude asthat of men to ants. While the gods are certainly aware ofthe existence of men, and occasionally find them interestingor annoying, men hardly merit all of their attention. If aman is foolish enough to irritate a god, he will almost cer-tainly be noticed—and then quickly crushed by the deity'ssupernatural finger.

Unlike the relationship between men and ants, though,there does seem to be something more vibrant in the associ-ation between a god and his worshipers. The exact nature ofthis connection, unfortunately, remains a mystery far be-yond the comprehension of mortals and (some say) immor-tals alike. Suffice it to say that gods need worshipers andwill often go to some little trouble to make sure they have agood supply.

Another interesting aspect of the gods is that they cannotbe killed by anything save another god of greater stature, orby a god of any stature using an artifact. This means that nomortal may ever kill any god. He might be capable of in-flicting enough damage to drive off or dissipate a god, espe-cially if he is wielding an artifact, but the god will alwaysrecover from its damage. Needless to say, gods that havebeen attacked, and especially injured to such an extent, willnot be very happy with the responsible mortal. More oftenthan not, they will deal with such fools quickly—and per-manently.

Fortunately for such daring and unwise mortals, even find-ing a god is no easy matter. For the most part, they inhabitthe outer planes. They nevervisit the Prime Material Plane intheir true forms, for this plane is the focus of so much divineattention that it is impossible for any deity, no matter howpowerful, to enter it personally. Therefore, heroes wishing toconfront a true god must first find a way to travel to the outerplanes and then track down the god they wish to find. Thelatter action, of course, is no easy matter, since the gods canmove between the planes at will, and often take advantage of

this ability as they pursue their individual agendas.At the DM's discretion, campaigns that utilize only one

pantheon may take place in an alternate Prime MaterialPlane. In this alternate Prime Material Plane, the gods of thatpantheon (and that pantheon only) are permitted to visit theplane in their true forms. In some cases, a god's true form isdescribed as being the earth, the sky, the moon, or someother natural phenomena. In these instances, the form de-scribed is in an alternate Prime Material Plane. If the cam-paign takes place in the true Prime Material Plane, then thedescription refers simply to the god's essence, which has beenprojected into the appropriate body in the true Prime Mate-rial Plane.

AvatarsWhen a god has business upon the true Prime Material

Plane, he must send an avatar. An avatar is simply a manifes-tation of the god upon the Prime Material Plane. This mani-festation is not nearly as powerful as the god himself, and ismerely a projection of the god's power to the Prime MaterialPlane. Always remember, there is great difference betweenthe god and the avatar. The avatar embodies just a small por-tion of the god's power.

Unlike the god himself, an avatar can be destroyed, whichis never looked upon kindly by the true god, and often resultsin some sort of divine retribution. Although avatars maytake many different forms, the number that can be createdand the frequency with which they may be replaced dependsupon the god's stature (explained below). Often, avatars pos-sess magic items of incredible power. Unless stated other-wise, these items always teleport back to the god when theavatar is destroyed.

Avatars are unaffected by the restrictions which apply tonormal characters. For example, they often have attributescores over 18, magic resistance, can be of any class withoutregard to alignment, dual- or multi-class restrictions, and caneven possess a character class while in animal form. Theyalso receive a damage (but not THACO) bonus for strengthsof over 18. In order to reflect their supernatural natures,however, their statistics are presented more in a monster-type format than in that of a character. Their hit points are al-ways calculated at 8 points per hit die, and they use theTHACO, saving throw, and other statistical tables for mon-sters. Always use the listed THACO for the avatar; they donot receive any THACO bonuses for Strength or magicalweapons.

Many avatars use weapons in combat. When they havemultiple attacks with the same weapon, the weapon's dam-age is listed only once, followed by any magical bonus itmay receive, the weapon's name (in parentheses), and thenthe avatar's strength bonus. If multiple weapons are em-ployed, the word "weapon" will appear and if attacks aremade unarmed, then no parenthetical information will ap-

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