Realmspace Deities

Most intelligent mortal creatures native to the Material Plane are polytheistic, worshiping multiple deities. For example, the residents of the continent of Faerûn on the planet of Toril typically worship the many deities of the Faerûnian Pantheon.

Worship happens in many locations, in many ways, and for many reasons. Some deities have established churches filled with large followings of devoted worshipers, while others seek fear from the general population and are worshiped by secret cults. A Faerûnian resident may pray to Lathander, the god of dawn and renewal, to help them become a better person; the same individual may also pray to Talos, the god of storms and destruction, to spare them during their upcoming travels.

Most individuals choose a single god to be their "patron" deity, the one whom they are most comfortable venerating and the one whom they hold in the greatest reverence. According to theologians, that individual's patron deity is the god who is most likely to accept their soul into their divine realm in the Outer Planes to exist for eternity in the afterlife.

Some individuals also choose to devote their lives to a particular god, entering the clergy of their chosen deity as a priest, cleric or paladin.

Structure

Divine Ranks and Abilities

According to theologians, Ao - the overgod of the wildspace system known as Realmspace - possesses powers beyond all other deities in the system, and he dictates the rules that all other deities in the system must follow.

Ao categorized the deities of Realmspace into three ranks, and only he can promote or demote deities within the system:

1. Greater gods.
2. Lesser gods.
3. Demigods.

Due to the events of the Time of Troubles, the divine rankings are now determined by the number and devotion of each deity's followers. Without worship, gods can wither and decline in deific rank, eventually perishing if they decline below the rank of demigod.

Most theologians who have studied the deities and their divine ranks agree that gods of all levels can:

• Grant spells to - or withhold spells from - mortals.
• Communicate with their worshipers on any plane of existence.
• Teleport instantly to any location on the same plane of existence.
• Send avatars of themselves to the Material Plane.
• Cast any spell of any type and improvise new spells and rituals.
• Create magic items.

Theologians also generally agree about the following differences between the ranks:

Demigods

• Have anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand devoted worshipers and may receive veneration from many more.
• Have minor control over a portfolio that includes one or more aspects of mortal existence.
• Can perform some deeds beyond mortal capabilities, such as hearing a grasshopper from a mile away.
• Can automatically sense events involving their portfolios and at least 1,000 individuals.
• Can perceive anything within one mile of any of their worshipers, holy sites or artifacts.
• Within their divine realm, can erect buildings and change the landscape.

Lesser Gods

• Have anywhere from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of worshipers.
• Have more control over their portfolios than demigods.
• Can perform deeds more powerful than demigods can, such as sensing something from 10 miles away.
• Can automatically sense events involving their portfolios and at least 500 individuals.
• Can perceive anything within five miles of any of their worshipers, holy sites or artifacts.
• Within their divine realm, can erect buildings, change the landscape, control portals to the Astral Plane, and allow or block planar portals.

Greater Gods

• Have millions of mortal worshipers and command the respect of all other deities.
• Have unlimited control over their portfolios.
• Can bring about changes to reality itself when it's related to their portfolios.
• Can automatically sense any events involving their portfolios, including 10 days into the past and 10 days into the future.
• Can perceive anything within 15 miles of any of their worshipers, holy sites or artifacts.
• Within their divine realm, can erect buildings, change the landscape, control portals to the Astral Plane, allow or block planar portals, enhance or impede how spells work, and change how gravity, elements and time work.

Portfolios

According to theologians, each deity has a "portfolio" that represents one or more aspects of mortal existence, and they are responsible for advancing that portfolio. Gods are frequently referred to along with their portfolio; for example, Tymora is the Faerûnian goddess of luck ("luck" is her portfolio).

The overgod Ao ensures that - with the exception of demigods - no two deities in the same pantheon can truly claim the same portfolio. In some cases, a lesser-ranked god can have a portfolio that represents a subset of a larger portfolio, and in that case the lesser-ranked god serves the higher-ranked god. For example, Savras, the demigod of divination and fate in the Faerûnian Pantheon, serves under Azuth, the lesser god of wizards and arcane magic; Azuth then serves under Mystra, the greater goddess of magic.

Pantheons

Deities can be grouped in pantheons based on species, culture, geography and more. The overgod Ao determines these distinctions and directs the gods to not interfere with the followers of other pantheons. For example, the geographical territory of the Faerûnian Pantheon includes most of continent of Faerûn on Toril, but a small section of the continent - the nation of Mulhorand - is instead the territory for the Mulhorandi Pantheon.

When cultures blend together through conquest, trade or other means, pantheons can gradually merge as well. This can lead to clashes between deities with similar portfolios from different pantheons, which eventually result in Ao dictating that one god retains their portfolio while the other is reduced in divine rank or dies. Such conflicts can manifest in the Material Plane as clashes between rival faiths, pitting church-led armies against one another in which the life of one's deity is truly at stake.

Pantheons based on species can also mix together with other pantheons, but these don't often result in violence like those based on culture. For example, the human deity Gond of the Faerûnian Pantheon was also welcomed into the gnome pantheon.

Culture

Deities are immortal beings who are naturally connected to multiple planes of existence simultaneously. They harness the only energy that travels and intersects between planes: the energy of thought, prayer and worship that connects them to their followers.

Despite being immortal, gods can be killed, but only by other gods.

History

According to theologians, the original deities of Realmspace were derived from the overgod Ao. These deities were fractions of Ao's power, divided from him and transformed into entities who exist in the Outer Planes.

Over time, deities from other wildspace systems - such as the gods of the Mulhorandi Pantheon - gained a presence in Realmspace, but only because Ao allowed it.

Leader

Ao

Subsidiary Organizations

• Dark Seldarine
• Faerûnian Pantheon
• Lords of the Golden Hills
• Morndinsamman
• Mulhorandi Pantheon
• Netherese Pantheon
• Seldarine

Location

Outer Planes