A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place. Usually a campaign setting is designed for a specific game or a specific genre of game. There are numerous campaign settings available both in print and online. In addition to published campaign settings available for purchase, many game masters create their own settings, often referred to as "homebrew" settings or worlds.
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. It was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR). The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997. It was derived from miniature wargames, with a variation of the 1971 game Chainmail serving as the initial rule system. D&D's publication is commonly recognized as the beginning of modern role-playing games and the role-playing game industry.
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making regarding character development. Actions taken within many games succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines.
Bahgtru is the orc deity of Strength and Combat. The son of Gruumsh and Luthic, Bahgtru has been described as a huge orc with bulging muscles and dirty tan skin. His eyes are dull green, and his glistening white tusks protrude from either side of his mouth. Bahgtru has also been described as "awesomely stupid." Bahgtru lives in the orcish realm of Nishrek.
Bahgtru was first detailed in Roger E. Moore's article "The Half-Orc Point of View," in Dragon #62 (TSR, 1982).[1] In Dragon #92 (December 1984), Gary Gygax indicated this as one of the deities legal for the Greyhawk setting.[2] He also appeared in the original Unearthed Arcana (1985).[3]
Roger E. Moore is a designer of role-playing games. He is best known for his long-running tenure as editor of Dragon magazine, and was the founding editor of Dungeon magazine.
Dragon was one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products; Dungeon was the other.
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) with Dave Arneson.
Bahgtru was detailed in the book Monster Mythology (1992), including details about his priesthood.[4] His role in the cosmology of the Planescape campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground (1996).[5] Bahgtru's role in the Forgotten Realms is revisited in Faiths and Pantheons (2002).[6]
Monster Mythology is a sourcebook for the second edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Released by TSR in 1992 and written by Carl Sargent, with interior illustrations by Terry Dykstra, John and Laura Lakey, and Keith Parkinson, Monster Mythology was released as a companion volume for Legends & Lore. This book contains detailed information on the societies, cultures, myths, and deities of several non-human pantheons, including those of the elves, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, orcs, goblins, dragons, giants, drow, and many other creatures.
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994. As its name suggests, the setting crosses and comprises the numerous planes of existence, encompassing an entire cosmology called the Great Wheel, as originally developed in the Manual of the Planes by Jeff Grubb. This includes many of the other Dungeons & Dragons worlds, linking them via inter-dimensional magical portals.
On Hallowed Ground is an accessory book for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, for the Planescape campaign setting.
The Scro (physical, mental, spiritual, cultural & military excellence)
Domains
Law, Evil, Orc, War
Superior
None
Design details
This demipower is "The Scro Father", the divine patron of the elite orc race known as the Scro. He was detailed in Dragon Annual #1, in an article by Roger E. Moore, entitled "Campaign Classics - The Scro: A SPELLJAMMER® monster for groundling campaigns." According to that article, he is the only god that the Scro worship, and he does not acknowledge superiors.
Gruumsh
Gruumsh
Game background
Title(s)
One-Eye, He Who Never Sleeps, the One-Eyed God, He Who Watches
Gruumsh, also known as Gruumsh One-Eye, is the patron deity of orcs, who regard him as the god of Conquest, Survival, Strength, and Territory. According to Unearthed Arcana, Gruumsh created the orcs in his image to be his servants in the world but was cheated out of a home for his people by the other gods. He is also considered a member of the default pantheon of deities. His symbol is his missing, unblinking eye. Gruumsh appears as a powerful orc with one eye. A figure of fury and driven cruelty, Gruumsh rules his pantheon with brute power. His favored weapon is the spear.
A deity is a supernatural being considered divine or sacred. The Oxford Dictionary of English defines deity as "a god or goddess ", or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater than those of ordinary humans, but who interacts with humans, positively or negatively, in ways that carry humans to new levels of consciousness, beyond the grounded preoccupations of ordinary life". In the English language, a male deity is referred to as a god, while a female deity is referred to as a goddess.
Unearthed Arcana is the title shared by two hardback books published for different editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Both were designed as supplements to the core rulebooks, containing material that expanded upon other rules.
Gruumsh's divine realm is the Iron Fortress on the plane of Nishrek. In the standard cosmology represented by the Greyhawk and Planescapecampaign settings, Nishrek is a part of Acheron, while in the Forgotten Realms cosmology this is a plane of its own.
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for Dungeons & Dragons—Dave Arneson's Blackmoor campaign predated it by over a year — the world of Greyhawk closely identified with the development of the game from 1972 until 2008. The world itself started as a simple dungeon under a castle designed by Gary Gygax for the amusement of his children and friends, but it rapidly expanded to include not only a complex multi-layered dungeon environment, but also the nearby city of Greyhawk, and eventually an entire world. In addition to the campaign world, which was published in several editions over twenty years, Greyhawk was also used as the setting for many adventures published in support of the game, as well as for RPGA's massively shared Living Greyhawk campaign from 2000–2008.
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Acheron, also known as The Infernal Battlefield of Acheron, is a lawful neutral/lawful evil-aligned plane of existence. It is one of a number of alignment-based Outer Planes that form part of the standard Dungeons & Dragons(D&D) cosmology, used in the Planescape, Greyhawk and some editions of the Forgotten Realms campaign settings.
In 4th Edition, Nishrek was once an independent realm in the Astral Sea. After the rise of Bane in the realm of Chernoggar, Gruumsh used all of his power to throw his entire realm (literally) at him. Bane was able to stop Nishrek from crushing him only by fusing both realms together. The force of the impact sent the two realms spinning through the Astral Sea and to this day they fly recklessly through the plane as the forces of Bane and Gruumsh fight an eternal war.
Gruumsh is the husband of Luthic and father of Bahgtru. Ilneval is his most capable lieutenant. In his own pantheon, Gruumsh rules over all the other gods (although Shargaas and Yurtrus bear him little real loyalty beside that made from fear), and has his orders carried out through his lieutenant Ilneval. Gruumsh considers himself supreme and all non-orcs his enemies, while holding special enmity for some. While Gruumsh hates all elf deities, he has special loathing for Corellon Larethian because Corellon took his eye in battle, and Sehanine Moonbow, who fooled Gruumsh many times to protect Corellon and her other family members. Gruumsh also loathes the dwarf deities.
According to Forgotten Realms lore, Gruumsh once had an alliance with the conniving elven goddess Araushnee to bring down her fellow elven deities once and for all. Their plan failed and Araushnee was transformed into Lolth and her elven followers into drow. The two deities (and the orcs and the drow) have been great foes ever since. Gruumsh's alliance with another deity involved in that conflict, Malar, has not been so badly corrupted.
Gruumsh was created by Jim Ward for the Deities & Demigods Cyclopedia (1980).[7] Gruumsh was further detailed in Unearthed Arcana (1985).[8] Gruumsh was detailed in the book Monster Mythology (1992), including details about his priesthood.[9] His role in the cosmology of the Planescape campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground (1996).[10] Gruumsh appears as one of the deities described in the Players Handbook for 3.0(2000),[11] and in Defenders of the Faith (2000).[12] Gruumsh is detailed in Deities and Demigods (2002),[13] and his role in the Forgotten Realms is detailed in Faiths and Pantheons (2002).[6] Gruumsh also appears in the revised Players Handbook for 3.5.[14] His priesthood is detailed for this edition in Complete Divine (2004).[15] Gruumsh appears as one of the deities described in the Dungeon Master's Guide for the 4th edition.[16] His role is expanded on in the Manual of the Planes and The Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea.
Ilneval
Ilneval
Game background
Title(s)
Son of Strife, the Horde Leader, the War Maker, the lieutenant of Gruumsh
Destruction, Evil, War (also Orc and Planning in Forgotten Realms)
Superior
Gruumsh
Design details
Ilneval is the orc deity of warfare. He lives in the orcish realm of the Nishrek in Acheron. For the Basic D&D setting, Ilneval was known as Karaash.[17]
Ilneval was first detailed in Roger E. Moore's article "The Half-Orc Point of View," in Dragon #62 (TSR, 1982).[1] In Dragon #92 (December 1984), Gary Gygax indicated this as one of the deities legal for the Greyhawk setting.[2] He also appeared in the original Unearthed Arcana (1985).[3]
Ilneval was detailed in the book Monster Mythology (1992), including details about his priesthood.[4] His role in the cosmology of the Planescape campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground (1996).[5] Ilneval's role in the Forgotten Realms is revisited in Faiths and Pantheons (2002).[6]
Luthic
Luthic
Game background
Title(s)
The Healer, Great Mother, the Cave mother, the Blood Moon Witch
Earth, Evil, Healing (also Cavern, Family, and Orc in Forgotten Realms)
Design details
Luthic is the orc deity of fertility, medicine, females and servitude. She is the wife of Gruumsh and mother of Bahgtru. Her sacred animal is the cave bear. Her symbol is an orcish rune meaning "home." Luthic embodies the orcish feminine ideal, subordinate to male orcs but still protecting the cohesion of orcish society. Luthic is described as a matronly orc with very long claws. She fights bare-handed with her claws because only the males of the community are allowed to wield a weapon. She may also use powerful spells, as such arts are not considered manly in orcish culture.
Luthic was first detailed in Roger E. Moore's article "The Half-Orc Point of View," in Dragon #62 (TSR, 1982).[1] In Dragon #92 (December 1984), Gary Gygax indicated this as one of the deities legal for the Greyhawk setting.[2] She also appeared in the original Unearthed Arcana (1985).[3]
Chaos, Evil, Trickery (also Darkness and Orc in Forgotten Realms)
Superior
Gruumsh
Design details
Shargaas is the orc deity of darkness, night, stealth, thieves, and the undead. His symbol is a skull on a red crescent moon. He lives in a realm called The Night Below on the plane of Gehenna.
Shargaas was first detailed in Roger E. Moore's article "The Half-Orc Point of View," in Dragon #62 (TSR, 1982).[1] In Dragon #92 (December 1984), Gary Gygax indicated this as one of the deities legal for the Greyhawk setting.[2] He also appeared in the original Unearthed Arcana (1985).[3]
Shargaas was detailed in the book Monster Mythology (1992), including details about his priesthood.[4] His role in the cosmology of the Planescape campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground (1996).[5] Shargaas's role in the Forgotten Realms is revisited in Faiths and Pantheons (2002).[6]
Death, Destruction, Evil (also Orc and Suffering in Forgotten Realms)
Superior
Gruumsh
Design details
Yurtrus is the orc deity of death and disease. He lives in a disgusting realm called Fleshslough on the Gray Waste; those who enter the realm never leave and reek of death.[5][19]
Yurtrus was first detailed in Roger E. Moore's article "The Half-Orc Point of View," in Dragon #62 (TSR, 1982).[1] In Dragon #92 (December 1984), Gary Gygax indicated this as one of the deities legal for the Greyhawk setting.[2] He also appeared in the original Unearthed Arcana (1985).[3]
Yurtrus was detailed in the book Monster Mythology (1992), including details about his priesthood.[4] His role in the cosmology of the Planescape campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground (1996).[5] Yurtrus's role in the Forgotten Realms is revisited in Faiths and Pantheons (2002).[6]
Related Research Articles
Lolth is a fictional goddess in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Lolth, the Demon Queen of Spiders, is the chief goddess of drow elves. She is also known as the Spider Queen and the Queen of the Demonweb Pits.
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Vaprak is the deity worshiped by ogres and trolls. Vaprak is also known as "The Destroyer." His symbol is a taloned hand.
The half-orc is a fictional creature born to mixed orc and human parentage in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The half-orc is a playable race for D&D player characters. Half-orcs are typically born in wild frontiers where human and orc tribes come into contact. Half-orcs are between six and seven feet tall (180–210 cm) and usually weigh between 180 and 250 pounds (80–110 kg). This makes them less bulky and more agile than pure-bred orcs, but still taller and stronger than most humans. Half-orcs have pale green skin, jutting jaws, prominent teeth and coarse body-hair.
Moradin is the chief deity in the dwarven pantheon in the Dungeons & Dragons game and is a member of the default D&D pantheon. In 3rd edition, Moradin's domains are Creation, Earth, Good, Law, and Protection. The 5th Edition Players Handbook include Knowledge as a suggested domain. His titles include Soul Forger, Dwarffather, the All-Father, and the Creator. He created the first dwarves out of earthen materials and tutored them in dwarven ways.
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, as well as in the game's default pantheon of deities, Nerull is the Flan god of death, darkness, murder, and the underworld. He is known as the Reaper, the Foe of All Good, the Hater of Life, and the Bringer of Darkness. His symbol is a skull and scythe.
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Grolantor is the deity worshiped by the hill giant race, as well as ettins, and some frost giants and ogres. His sacred animal is the dire wolf. His holy symbol is a wooden club.
In the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Gehenna, is a plane of existence of neutral evil/lawful evil alignment. It is one of a number of alignment-based Outer Planes that form part of the standard Dungeons & Dragons(D&D) cosmology, used in the Planescape, Greyhawk and some editions of the Forgotten Realms campaign settings. It borders the Gray Waste of Hades and the Nine Hells of Baator.
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting and the default pantheon of deities for the third edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Erythnul is the Oeridian god of hate, envy, malice, panic, ugliness, and slaughter. He is known as the Many, and is worshipped by many gnoll, troll, ogre, and bugbear tribes, in addition to humans. His symbol is a red blood drop, or a bestial mask representing Erythnul's changing visage.
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Memnor is the giant deity of pride, honor, mental prowess and control. His symbol is a thin black obelisk.
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Shekinester is the threefold deity of the nagas. She can appear as the aspect of spirit nagas, water nagas, and guardian nagas. She has a different symbol for each of her aspects: as the Weaver her symbol is a mask, as the Empowerer her symbol is a mirror, and as the Preserver her symbol is a grain jar.
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, orcs are a primitive race of savage, bestial, barbaric humanoid.
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Istus is the goddess of Fate, Destiny, Divination, the Future, and Honesty. She is known as the Lady of Our Fate and the Colorless and All-Colored. Her symbol is a golden spindle with three strands.
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Trithereon is the god of Individuality, Liberty, Retribution, and Self-Defense. His holy symbol is the Rune of Pursuit, which resembles the triskelion.
Conforti, Steven, ed. Living Greyhawk Official Listing of Deities for Use in the Campaign, version 2.0. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. Available online:
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