6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly Recommend, August 8, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Demihuman Deities (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons/Forgotten Realms) (Paperback)
This is the third book dealing with deities in the Forgotten Realms. This is the only book dealing with only demi-humans. If you are running a drow campaign or need information on drow gods it is here. There is also elves, halflings, gnomes, and dwarven gods presented. If there is any demi-humans in your campaign this is a must so that either the DM or PC can have a better understanding of the religions on the Realms as a whole. One problem is that is some instances they refer to the other two books (Faiths and Avatars, Powers and Pantheons) in the series. But neither is truly needed if you are running a demi-human only campaign.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A truckload of information, as always..., November 28, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: Demihuman Deities (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons/Forgotten Realms) (Paperback)
Eric Boyd truly amazes me not only with the depth of the material he presents in his sourcebooks, but also with the sheer quantity. Wholly 192 pages of very small print, Demihuman Deities certainly fulfills its role as a sourcebook; nearly anything you'd think of to ask about a deity is in there, elaborated and placed within the context of Toril's rich history. The only complaint with regard to quantity would be that the focus could not be broadened to include other non-human races, like the goblinkin...saving it for a fourth volume? What it lacks in breadth, this sourcebook more than makes up in depth; Demihuman Deities stays true to the incredible detail the Faiths and Avatar series of accessories exhibits.
At first glance, one can see the extremely powerful avatars in the book are presented for more than just show and tell. This was the first thing I noticed. Each god's avatar is fully described and ready to duke it out with the characters in any Realms campaign, which seems absurd, considering the sheer might of some (well, nearly all) of these avatars. But the Realms has ever been the place for a power-hungry, magic-happy player. While the amount of information concerning the avatars seems extraneous, it merely follows the pattern of the book itself. Little is left out; the book aims to please all. Boyd throws everything into it: over-powered avatars, a detailed history, a thorough description of the clergy, and some really smoking spells, many unique and not found elsewhere. Everything a gamer could ask for.
Well, perhaps not EVERYTHING. As a reader, albeit a selective one, of Realms novels, I would like to have seen more of the ideas introduced in some of the novels incorporated into this sourcebook. So much of the material is new and exciting that nevertheless it would be nice to see some familiar material being explored more thoroughly. For example, while the entry for Lolth was well-written and useful, there seemed only scant reference to the works of R.A. Salvatore, whose Dark Elf Trilogy practically redefined the drow in the Realms. Instead, the city of Menzoberranzan is hardly mentioned, the Quest spell Zin-Carla, which was the focus of an entire novel does not even appear. Rather, bits and pieces were taken from an earlier sourcebook, Drow of the Underdark, with little regard to the excellent material in Salvatore's novels.
Final verdict? Still an excellent book, a must-have for any demihuman campaign, with or without priests. The material is incredible and certain to add flavor and depth to any Realms campaign. With a little work (and tinkering with the avatar stats), this sourcebook can be used for any AD&D setting.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
BEWARE OF THE GODS!, August 9, 2004
This review is from: Demihuman Deities (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons/Forgotten Realms) (Paperback)
Faiths and Avatars, Powers and Pantheons, and Demihuman Deities make up for one of the BEST Forgotten Realms accessories (they are in trilogy form) ever made. The Trilogy sheds light on exactly what the title says: Gods-and there sure is lots of them! The books, which are very well written and very well presented, also focus on other areas such as each church's distinct culture, tradition, and history. As a result, they will win you over for sure!
Eric Boyd does a FANTASTIC job of presenting the different pantheons, ranging from background history, to rank descriptions, to their respective magic, thus allowing for the creation of important people and characters, to adventure hooks and encounter tables, to magical items and artifacts, to new spells and treasures. This accessory has it all and more!
Each god has his own supplementary text information, clerics' and worshippers' alignments, Specialty Priest class and their alignments, church symbols, specific spells, special abilities, dress garb, even information relating to actual temples.
For other FR references/adventures, I STRONGLY recommend: the Old Empires accessory on Chessenta, Mulhorand, and Unther, Dreams of Red Wizards on Thay, Dwarves Deep, Draconomicon, the Jungles of Chult and Moonsea accessories, the Shadowdale, Tantras, and Waterdeep adventures, the Ruins of Myth Drannor (Elven pantheon) and the Ruins of Zhentil Keep Box Sets for Bane vs Cyric material (they are Second Edition AD&D, out of print and it will take a bit of searching, but it's well worth it). For updated editions of events in the Realms, see the Third Edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, which even though is quite expensive, is still very useful to all FR fans.
Moreover, for those interested in the gods, the Forgotten Realms novels to read are: The Avatar Trilogy- Shadowdale, Tantras, and Waterdeep, the Prince of Lies, and Crucible: the Trial of Cyric the Mad. In addition, the Ring of Winter is relevant to the Chultan pantheon and specifically to Ubtao, as it is the only novel set in the Jungles of Chult.
Faiths and Avatars, Powers and Pantheons, and Demihuman Deities along with the Forgotten Realms Adventures accessory, and the three Forgotten Realms Campaign Settings (one for each edition) are a "must!" They all compliment each other.
Whether you are playing in the Forgotten Realms or in the Planes, this trilogy of books will be of tremendous help in collecting all the information you'll ever need.
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