Each time you start a campaign, you have an amazing opportunity to tell a story. Religion can be a huge part of that story, should you and your players choose to include it. Choosing a patron god for each player based on alignment, domains, and character race can be extremely important for your role-playing journey.
To choose a deity for your adventures, first consider their alignment. Each character in your campaign has a spot on a moral scale that runs from lawful to chaotic on one axis, and good to evil on a second. There are 9 possible alignments to choose that can influence your deity’s motivations:
- Lawful good, neutral good, chaotic good are ‘good’ alignments.
- Lawful neutral, true neutral, and chaotic neutral are ‘neutral’ alignments
- Lawful evil, neutral evil, and chaotic evil are ‘evil’ alignments.
Here, we’ve sorted the gods by pantheon, alignment, and even race when applicable. This quick reference can help you choose a deity for an NPC at a glance, and help your players decide who their character is.
The Forgotten Realms Pantheon
Forgotten Realms is one of the most popular campaign settings from editions past. The world of Faerûn is rich with deities (over 30 of them), and you may recognize deities and settings from the novels of RA Salvatore and video games like Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights.
While most major deities are worshiped all over the world of Faerûn, many are local deities or tribal deities that seem to favor smaller groups and are not as widely known.
Good Deities
| Deity | Alignment | Domains |
| Ilmater, god of endurance | LG (Lawful Good) | Life |
| Torm, god of courage and self-sacrifice | LG | War |
| Tyr, god of justice | LG | War |
| Chauntea, goddess of agriculture | NG (Neutral Good) | Life |
| Deneir, god of writing | NG | Knowledge |
| Eldath, goddess of peace | NG | Life, nature |
| Lathander, god of birth and renewal | NG | Life, light |
| Mielikki, goddess of forests | NG | Nature |
| Milil, god of poetry and song | NG | Light |
| Mystra, goddess of magic | NG | Knowledge |
| Lliira, goddess of joy | CG (Chaotic Good) | Life |
| Selune, goddess of the moon | CG | Knowledge, life |
| Sune, goddess of love and beauty | CG | Life, light |
| Tymora, goddess of good fortune | CG | Trickery |
Neutral Deities
| Deity | Alignment | Domains |
| Azuth, god of wizards | LN (Lawful Neutral) | Knowledge |
| Helm, god of protection | LN | Life, light |
| Kelemvor, god of the dead | LN | Death |
| Savras, god of divination and fate | LN | Knowledge |
| Gond, god of craft | N (True Neutral) | Knowledge |
| Oghma, god of knowledge | N | Knowledge |
| Silvanus, god of wild nature | N | Knowledge |
| Tempus, god of war | N | War |
| Waukeen, goddess of trade | N | Knowledge, trickery |
| Leira, goddess of illusions | CN (Chaotic Neutral) | Trickery |
| Mask, god of Thieves | CN | Trickery |
Evil Deities
| Deity | Alignment | Domains |
| Bane, god of tyranny | LE (Lawful Evil) | War |
| Loviatar, goddess of pain | LE | Death |
| Auril, goddess of winter | NE (Neutral Evil) | Nature, tempest |
| Bhaal, god of murder | NE | Death |
| Myrkul, god of death | NE | Death |
| Shar, goddess of darkness and loss | NE | Death, trickery |
| Beshaba, goddess of misfortune | CE (Chaotic Evil) | Trickery |
| Cyric, god of lies | CE | Trickery |
| Malar, god of the hunt | CE | Nature |
| Talona, goddess of disease and poison | CE | Death |
| Talos, god of storms | CE | Tempest |
| Umberlee, goddess of the sea | CE | Tempest |
The Greyhawk Pantheon
The Greyhawk Pantheon has a lot of overlapping deities, as they are pulled from the religions of various ethnic groups across the continent of Oerik. While this setting was most popular in 3e, it continues to provide a wondrous backdrop for many campaign settings in 5e.
Good Deities
| Deity | Alignment | Domains |
| Heironeous, god of chivalry and valar | LG (Lawful Good) | War |
| Pholtus, god of light and law | LG | Light |
| Rao, god of peace and reason | LG | Knowledge |
| Ulaa, goddess of hills and mountains | LG | Life, war |
| Ehlonna, goddess of woodlands | NG (Neutral Good) | Life, nature |
| Fharlanghn, god of horizons and travel | NG | Knowledge, trickery |
| Pelor, god of the sun and healing | NG | Life, light |
| Kord, god of athletics and sport | CG | Tempest, war |
| Trithereron, god of liberty and retribution | CG | War |
Neutral Deities
| Deity | Alignment | Domains |
| St. Cuthbert, god of common sense and zeal | LN (Lawful Neutral) | Knowledge |
| Wee Jas, goddess of magic and death | LN | Death, knowledge |
| Beory, goddess of nature | N (True Neutral) | Nature |
| Boccob, god of magic | N | Knowledge |
| Celestian, god of stars and wanderers | N | Knowledge |
| Istus, goddess of fate and destiny | N | Knowledge |
| Obad-Hai, god of nature | N | Nature |
| Olidammara, god of revelry | CN (Chaotic Neutral) | Trickery |
| Relishaz, god of ill luck and insanity | CN | Trickery |
Evil Deities
| Deity | Alignment | Domains |
| Hextor, god of war and discord | LE (Lawful Evil) | War |
| Incabulos, god of plague and famine | NE (Neutral Evil) | Death |
| Nerull, god of death | NE | Death |
| Vecna, god of evil secrets | NE | Knowledge |
| Erythnul, god of envy and slaughter | CE (Chaotic Evil) | War |
| Luz, god of pain and oppression | CE | Death |
| Tharizdun, god of eternal darkness | CE | Trickery |
The Dragonlance Pantheon
Dragonlance’s world of Krynn started as a popular campaign setting that innovated on the offerings of other settings at the time. Backed by an extensive series of novels and other media, it remains a popular (if less-used) setting.
In Krynn, deities meddle in the lives of the people who worship them. They are more than distant gods. There are three distinct categories of deities in the Dragonlance pantheon, divided by alignment.
Good Deities (The Gods of Good)
| Deity | Alignment | Domains |
| Paladine, god of rulers and guardians | LG (Lawful Good) | War |
| Mishakal, goddess of healing | LG | Knowledge, life |
| Kiri-Jolith, god of honor and war | LG | War |
| Majere, god of meditation and order | LG | Knowledge |
| Solinari, god of good magic | LG | None |
| Branchala, god of music | NG | Light |
| Habbakuk, god of animal life and the sea | NG | Nature, tempest |
Neutral Deities (The Gods of Neutrality)
| Deity | Alignment | Domains |
| Gilean, god of knowledge | N (True Neutral) | Knowledge |
| Chislev, goddess of nature | N | Nature |
| Reorx, god of craft | N | Knowledge |
| Shinare, goddess of wealth and trade | Knowledge, trickery | |
| Sirrion, god of fire and change | N | Nature |
| Zivilyn, god of wisdom | N | Knowledge |
| Lunitary, goddess of neutral magic | N | None |
Evil Deities (The Gods of Evil)
| Deity | Alignment | Domains |
| Takhisis, goddesss of night and hatred | LE (Lawful Evil) | Death |
| Sargonnas, god of vengeance and fire | LE | War |
| Chemosh, god of the undead | LE | Death |
| Nuitari, god of evil magic | LE | None |
| Morgion, god of disease and secrecy | NE (Neutral Evil) | Death |
| Hiddukel, god of lies and greed | CE (Chaotic Evil) | Trickery |
| Zeboim, goddess of the sea and storms | CE | Tempest |
The Eberron Pantheon
Eberron works differently than the other available pantheons. There are various religions, mainly The Sovereign Host and their worshippers and The Dark Six who directly oppose them. Various other deities exist in other faiths, but comprehensive lists of their deities are not available.
The Sovereign Host
| Deity | Alignment | Domains |
| Boldrei, goddess of community and home | LG (Lawful Good) | Life |
| Dol Arrah, goddess of sunlight and honor | LG | Light, war |
| Arawai, goddess of fertility | NG (Neutral Good) | Life, nature |
| Ollandra, goddess of good fortune | NG | Life, trickery |
| Onatar, god of craft | NG | Knowledge |
| Dol Dorn, god of strength at arms | CG (Chaotic Good) | War |
| Aureon, god of law and knowledge | LN (Lawful Neutral) | Knowledge |
| Balinor, god of beasts and the hunt | N (True Neutral) | Life, nature |
| Kol Korran, god of trade and wealth | N | Trickery |
Nonhuman Deities
Finally, we come to the nonhuman deities. Other races worship different deities than the ones listed above, as they are mostly human deities (depending on the setting). They are arranged here by race.
| Deity | Race | Alignment | Domains |
| Bahamut, god of good | Dragon | LG | Life, War |
| Tiamat, goddess of evil | Dragon | LE | Trickery |
| Corellon Larethian, deity of art and magic | Elf | CG | Light |
| Deep Sashelas, god of the sea | Elf | CG | Nature, tempest |
| Sehanine Moonbow, goddess of the moon | Elf | CG | Knowledge |
| Blibdoolpoolp | Kuo-Toa | NE | Death |
| Eadro, deity of the sea | Merfolk | N | Nature, Tempest |
| Garl Glittergold, god of trickery and wiles | Gnome | LG | Trickery |
| Grolantor, god of war | Hill giant | CE | War |
| Gruumsh, god of storms and war | Orc | CE | War |
| Hruggek, god of violence | Bugbear | CE | War |
| Kurtulmak, god of war and mining | Kobold | LE | War |
| Laogzed, god of hunger | Troglodyte | CE | Death |
| Lolth, goddess of spiders | Drow | CE | Trickery |
| Maglubiyet, god of war | Goblinoid | LE | War |
| Moradin, god of creation | Dwarf | LG | Knowledge |
| Rillifane Rallathil, god of nature | Wood elf | CG | Nature |
| Sekolah, god of the hunt | Sahuagin | LE | Nature, tempest |
| Semuanya, deity of survival | Lizardfolk | N | Life |
| Skerrit, god of nature | Centaurs and satyrs | N | Nature |
| Skoraeus Stonebones, god of art | Stone giants | N | Knowledge |
| Surtur, god of craft | Fire giants | LE | Knowledge, war |
| Thyrm, god of strength | Frost giants | CE | War |
| Yondalla, goddess of fertility and protection | Halfling | LG | Life |
Conclusion
Choosing the right deity for a character (and for NPCs) can be extremely important for the course of your DnD campaign. This quick look at each pantheon available in 5e can help shape the way you and your players enjoy whichever setting you choose.
Until next time,
May your game, have advantage my friends!
-Halfling Hannah
Sources
Wizards of the Coast D&D 5e Player’s Handbook
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