The Nature of the Gods

The Nature of the Gods


The Gods of Krynn are beings of great and far-reaching
power, beings outside of the realm of mortal experience.
Their true natures are formless and timeless, the very
essence of divinity housed and maintained through their
eternal will in the distant outer planes of Krynn’s universe.
Each god embodies and is in turn driven by universal
concepts, truths, or ideals; together, these constitute that
god’s divine estate and define how that god interacts with
the mortal souls of Krynn.

In order to work within the world, the gods must
by necessity invest some of their divine power in it. It is
through this investment that they influence and shape the
souls of their children, the mortals of Krynn. The greater
the investment, the greater the influence the god has, but
also the greater the risk. Tremendous displays of power
are rare, for a god that invests so much in a single effort
opens itself to the opposition of other gods. Instead, the
gods send visions, omens, divine messengers, and even
manifestations of themselves to their faithful. It is through
these means that mortals come by an understanding of
their divine patron’s will, go out into the world, and carry
out their work.

Mortals being what they are, these visitations become
a means of categorizing and defining the gods within their
own frame of reference. Indeed, it is this limited exposure
to the true nature of each god that leads mortals to think
of them as individuals, albeit superhuman individuals
with immense power. In actuality, when the gods walk the
face of Krynn, these are only aspects of the god wearing
the semblance of mortality. Were they to somehow invest
themselves fully in the world, the sheer enormity of their
presence would overwhelm the boundaries of reality.
Krynn’s gods do not possess d20 game statistics, for
they are beyond the ability of game mechanics to define.
However, this is not true for their aspects, the interface
between divinity and mortality. These aspects, sometimes
known as avatars, are described under each god’s entry and
an example is provided in game terms together with advice
for using that god’s aspect in play.