AD&D: Godlike Stats, Divine Powers, and the Road to Demigod-Hood
You ever flip to the back of Deities & Demigods, see those 20s, 22s, 25s.. and think, “What exactly does a Strength 24 do?”
Me too. So I opened the book.. and found a whole divine toolkit hiding in plain sight.
In this episode of the podcast, I walked through the attribute charts tucked inside Deities & Demigods, showcasing the god-tier bonuses that start where your Players Handbook ends. These aren't your usual +1s and +2s. We’re talking damage multipliers, impossible feats, lift-a-fortress numbers.
Want to know what a Dexterity of 23 really means in combat? What kind of Charisma actually melts NPCs into obedience? It’s all there, tucked beside the thunderbolts and tridents.
But it gets better..
Once I finished raiding the divine pantry, I dug into Dragon Magazine 67, where Gygax himself laid down the standard divine abilities for gods. You see, most DMs think gods are just high numbers and big egos. Gygax? He gave them structure. Abilities all gods shared.. like magic resistance, spellcasting ranges, immunities, and planar movement.. things that made divine-level encounters more than just giant hit point brawls.
And then.. the story.
I told the tale of my own character’s path to demigodhood, a journey that started with mortal steel and ended with divine fire.
Guided by Joe DM, a legend at our table, I clawed my way through planar trials, outwitted actual gods, and (barely) earned my name etched in myth.
It was epic. It was chaotic. It was AD&D at its best.
If you’ve never played a campaign where your character becomes more than mortal.. do it. Not through a feat or a backstory line, but earned. Battled. Bled for. It sticks.
So yeah, crack open those stat tables. Dust off Dragon 67. Maybe start writing your character’s first step toward godhood.
You never forget the day you roll initiative against another pantheon.
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