Gods & Domains
The last three and a half decades have seen a greatly renewed measure of faith in the old Slavic deities, which had been venerated in the Russian lands long before the Varangians? under Rurik came down from the north, bringing the worship of the Aesir? with them. It is often said now, among the common people, that the chaos and woe, the troubles of the recent past, were visited upon the Russian people because the old gods had been abandoned. Yet such was their power, so intertwined were these deities with the spirit of the Russian people, that they did not wane, but merely waited until their subjects returned to them. Now, the power of the old gods returns, and their influence can be felt throughout the land.
Much as it was with the Aesir, all the Old Gods (save Chernobog?) enjoy the worship of mortals who count themselves among the pantheon’s followers; each god receives veneration and prayer at a time and situation appropriate to his or her portfolio. A cleric, of course, must still choose a specific patron deity.
The gods listed here are the most well-known and most widely followed. The people of many regions in the Slavic lands, especially the eastern principalities, venerate a number of various minor deities, semi-deific beings and spirits, whose names and identities are often locally specific. The following, however, are worshipped wherever the Slavic pantheon has a following, and any of them may be chosen as a primary patron deity.
Deities
Note: domains marked with an asterisk (*) are detailed further down on this page.
Svarog?
Greater deity
- Portfolio
- sun, sky, fire, wisdom, blacksmiths
- Domains
- Air, Fire, Law, Strength, Sun
- Symbol
- A sunburst
- Favored Weapon
- Warhammer
Svarog is the god of the sun and the sky, deity of fire, and patron of the forge. He is portrayed as a fiery serpent, or as a powerful man with fiery eyes and wielding a blacksmith’s hammer. Svarog is the divine smith, the Maker, who created the world and the other gods, and is associated with the generative powers of fire.
Perun
Intermediate deity
- Portfolio
- sky, thunder, rain, war, fighters, strength, vengeance
- Domains
- Air, Strength, Water, War, Weather*
- Symbol
- Lightning bolt
- Favored Weapon
- Flail (heavy or light)
Perun is the god of thunder, rain, and war, and patron god of all warriors. He is the deity of martial prowess and victory in battle; farmers pray to him to bring rain for their crops. He stands in opposition to Volos, the brooding god of the earth and the underworld.
Volos
Intermediate deity
- Portfolio
- earth, farming, death, the underworld, wealth, magic, spellcasters
- Domains
- Death, Earth, Knowledge, Magic
- Symbol
- A serpent coiled around a mountain, or a bull’s head
- Favored Weapon
- Dagger
Volos is a guardian deity, the god of the underworld, patron deity of agriculture and wealth, the god of magic and knowledge, and the patron of arcane spellcasters. He watches over the souls of the dead. Volos is depicted as a minotaur, or else as a dark serpent.
Chernobog?
Intermediate deity
- Portfolio
- evil, destruction, grief, madness
- Domains
- Darkness*, Destruction, Evil, Madness*
- Symbol
- A black fist
- Favored Weapon
- Scythe
Chernobog, known as the Dark God, is the enemy of Svarog and of all the gods. To worship him is heresy; thus his worshippers tend to keep their choice of patron secret. The Dark God aims to subvert people’s faith in the other gods, to destroy knowledge and wisdom, and plunge the world into darkness. Chernobog’s followers include demons, dark mages who are drawn to the destructive power that he can provide, and evil dragons. Chernobog is also the god of madness; it is said that any mortal to whom the true form of the Dark God is revealed instantly loses his mind.
Mother Earth
Intermediate deity
- Portfolio
- nature, fertility, plants
- Domains
- Animal, Earth, Plant, Water
- Symbol
- A tree
- Favored Weapon
- Quarterstaff
Mother Earth is the embodiment of nature itself. She is a benevolent deity who watches over all aspects of the natural world. Druids, especially, venerate Mother Earth, as do spirits and guardians of nature such as vodyanoi, leshiy, sprites, and similar creatures. She is also the deity of fertility, and as such she is prayed to by farmers and by mothers. Mother Earth is generally depicted as a kindly middle-aged woman in simple clothing.
Stribog
Lesser deity
- Portfolio
- winter, winds, cold, storms, travel
- Domains
- Air, Chaos, Cold*, Travel*, Weather*, Winter*
- Symbol
- A whirlwind
- Favored Weapon
- Spear
Stribog is the god of wind and storms, the patron of travelers and sailors. He is a chaotic, angry god, to whom prayers to bring favorable winds or calm destructive weather are addressed. The howling winds are Stribog’s wrath made manifest. Stribog is also the deity of winter. He is depicted as a raging whirlwind.
Hel
Intermediate deity
- Portfolio
- death, underworld
- Domains
- Death, Destruction, Evil
- Symbol
- Her face
- Favored Weapon
- Longsword
The daughter of Loki? and the female giant Angrboda, Hel was confined to Niflheim? by the gods. She is the Norse goddess of death and the only major Asgardian power to survive Ragnarok.
Nikolai
Demigod
A mortal who has recently ascended to divinity, Nikolai, whom his still-few worshippers call the All-Father, is a new deity. Though his power and the scope of his influence do not compare to those of the old Slavic gods, stories are already being told of Nikolai’s great deeds, which rival the legendary exploits of the Aesir of old. Those who follow the new god of magic say that he takes an active hand in the affairs of mortals, and that prayers to him assure victory over one’s enemies.
Domains
The domains described below are available in addition to those detailed in the Player’s Handbook (except for the Travel domain, which replaces the version given in the Player’s Handbook).
Note: Spells marked with an asterisk (*) are new spells created for Beyond Ragnarok, or are modified from their published versions.
Cold domain
- Deities
- Stribog
- Granted Power
- You can turn or destroy fire creatures as a good cleric turns undead. You can also rebuke or command cold creatures as an evil cleric rebukes undead.
Spells
- chill touch
- chill metal
- sleet storm
- ice storm
- wall of ice
- cone of cold *
- control weather
- polar ray *
- obedient avalanche CD
Darkness domain
- Deities
- Chernobog
- Granted Power
- You gain the Blind-Fight feat.
Spells
- darkvision
- darkbolt BoVD
- deeper darkness
- damning darkness BoVD
- Koschei’s black tentacles
- wall of force (manifests as opaque black wall)
- shadow walk
- utterdark *
- screen
Madness domain
- Deities
- Chernobog
- Granted Power
- Your insanity gives you insight. You subtract 1 from all Wisdom-based skill checks and all Will saves. However, once per day, you can see and act with the clarity of true madness: add one-half your level to a single Wisdom-based skill check or Will save. You must choose to use this benefit before the check or save is rolled.
Spells
- lesser confusion
- touch of madness CD
- rage
- confusion
- bolts of bedevilment CD
- phantasmal terror *
- insanity
- maddening scream CD
- weird *
Travel domain
- Deities
- Stribog
- Granted Power
- For a total time per day of 1 round per cleric level you possess, you can act normally regardless of magical effects that impede movement as if you were affected by the spell freedom of movement. This effect occurs automatically as soon as it applies, lasts until it runs out or is no longer needed, and can operate multiple times per day (up to the total daily limit of rounds). This granted power is a supernatural ability. Also, add Survival to your list of cleric class skills.
Spells
- longstrider
- locate object
- fly
- dimension door *
- dimension jump *
- find the path
- discern location
- phase door
- gate *
Weather domain
- Deities
- Perun, Stribog
- Granted Power
- Inclement weather has less of an effect on you. Rain and snow don’t penalize your Spot and Search checks. You can move through snow-covered and icy terrain at your normal movement. Wind effects, whether natural or magical, affect you as if you were one size category larger.
Spells
- obscuring mist
- gust of wind
- call lightning
- ice storm
- binding winds SpC
- control winds
- control weather
- whirlwind
- storm of vengeance
Winter domain
- Deities
- Stribog
- Granted Power
- During the winter season, you gain a +1 sacred bonus on all caster level checks and a +2 sacred bonus on all Wisdom-based skill checks.
Spells
- chill touch
- frostburn, lesser FB
- sleet storm
- boreal wind FB
- call avalanche FB
- blizzard FB
- heartfreeze FB
- frostfell FB
- fimbulwinter FB