Piety rules

Alignment, Gods, and Piety

Hættrland is a grim and violent world, loosely based on Northern (Norse, Slavic, Celtic) societies and mythologies, combined with the heroic fantasy elements from Dungeons & Dragons 5e. Divided and torn, barely recovered from other-planear demons and beasts, the peoples of the land mostly focus on survival. Some actively attempt to subjugate others for their own benefit. Other, less scrupulous people try to use supernatural powers and alliances to further their own ambitions.

Into this mix, the peoples of Hættrland attempt to make sense of their lot by appealing to the gods who seem to care about their followers, and offer boons of kindness, growth, fertility, salvation, and so on. Other “gods” (or so they claim to be) do their best to use the peoples of the land to further their own ambitions, for better or, more often, for worse…

This is the environment in which the player characters will be interacting. You can choose from many good or neutral aligned gods, culled from Norse, Slavic, and D&D pantheons. A couple of the 5e gods (mostly for non-human races or divine domains otherwise not covered) have been brought over, but if you wish to follow a different god, let me know. Non-human races are also welcome to worship human gods. Your character will received direct, in-game benefits from staying true to their alignment and deities.

First, the benefits of acting within your alignment; the DMG and Mythic Odysseys of Theros campaign sourcebook use the Piety system, in which points are awarded for exemplifying the actions that please your deity. As the points add up, the gods grant you boons that help the player character. Each deity requests different behaviors from their followers; how well you follow those precepts determines how I award Piety points. In general, at the end of an adventures if a character has comported him or herself in a way that meets the criteria for pleasing the gods (see the descriptions below), I may award piety points. However, for special actions, I may reward points on the spot at my discretion.

With the exception of clerics and paladins, a character doesn’t need to be a worshiper of one particular god. And if you are excited to play a story arc in which your character moves from one god to another, or one alignment to another, let me know, and we’ll talk about how that can work.

There are significant penalties for acting out of alignment. First, since all player characters are followers of good-or-neutral-aligned gods, acting in a selfish or evil manner can strip your character of all Piety points (and boons received). If your character willfully acts out of alignment or against your deity’s wishes and you have no piety points the character loses a level of experience. If, after suffering all of the above, a player still refuses to play his character in a way consistent with the morals of a hero, that character will be shunned by the gods, by the people of the land, and the player will retire that character from the game.

These are the gods the player characters can choose to worship, and the potential piety benefits.

Baldr

Son of Odin and Frigg, fairest among the gods. God of beauty and bravery.
Typical Cleric domains: Peace, War

Earning and losing piety
You increase your piety score to Baldr by being kind, righteous, and true through acts such as these:

Helping somebody at great personal cost
Keeping an oath, even though you would benefit greatly by breaking it
Bringing an enemy over to your side without using mind-controlling magic or trickery

Your piety score to Baldr decreases if you dishonor him or yourself through acts such as these:

Hurting the innocent
Ignoring the plight of the weak
Touching mistletoe

Baldr’s’s Devotee
Piety 3+ Baldr trait
Baldr inspires you and your allies to be brave in the face of adversity. You can cast Heroism with this trait, requiring no material component, a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Baldr’s Votary
Piety 10+ Baldr trait
You can cast Beacon of Hope with this trait. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell. In addition, you have advantage on death saving throws.

Baldr’s Disciple
Piety 25+ Baldr trait
You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

Forseti

God of justice and reconciliation.
Typical Cleric domains: Order, Peace

Earning and losing piety
You increase your piety score to Forseti by bringing justice and reconciliation wherever you go through acts such as these:

Bringing an enemy with a CR higher than your level to justice
Reconciling two powerful enemies
Presiding over a legitimate trial

Your piety score to Forseti decreases if you stray from the path of justice through acts such as these:

Wilfully breaking just laws for personal gain
Breaking an explicit promise or oath
Assisting a criminal in escaping justice

Forseti’s Devotee
Piety 3+ Forseti trait
No lie can stand before your inquisitive gaze. You can cast Zone of Truth with this trait, requiring no material components, a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Forseti’s Votary
Piety 10+ Forseti trait
You can cast Dispel Magic with this trait. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Forseti’s Disciple
Piety 25+ Forseti trait
You gain advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks while interacting with law enforcement. In addition, you can’t be surprised, provided you aren’t incapacitated.

Freya

Goddess of love, fertility, beauty, and gold.
Typical Cleric domains: Life, Light, Peace

Earning and losing piety
You increase your piety score to Freya by honoring her and helping those in need through acts such as these:

Helping somebody rejoin their lost love
Donating a substantial amount of gold to those in need
Converting others to the worship of Freya

Your piety score to Freya decreases if you act dishonorably through acts such as these:

Betraying your loved ones
Stealing gold
Desacrating a temple

Freya’s Devotee
Piety 3+ Freya trait
Freya bestows upon you the power of officiating weddings, atonements, conversions, and other rituals. You can cast Ceremony with this trait, requiring no material components, a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Freya’s Votary
Piety 10+ Freya trait
You can cast Aid with this trait. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell. In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against being charmed.

Freya’s Disciple
Piety 25+ Freya trait
You can cast Aura of Vitality with this trait. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Frigg

Goddess of wisdom, divination, and motherhood, wife of Odin.
Typical Cleric domains: Arcana, Knowledge, Order, Peace

Earning and losing piety
You increase your piety score to Frigg by honouring family and using divination through acts such as these:

Bringing together a family that was divided
Using powerful divination magic to find what is hidden or lost
Saving a child

Your piety score to Frigg decreases if you sever familial bonds through acts such as these:

Killing a creature within sight of one of their family members
Fighting with a family member
Failing to help a family in need

Frigg’s’s Devotee
Piety 3+ Frigg trait
Frigg shares with you her powers of divination. You can cast Augury as a ritual with this trait. Once you do so, you can’t cast it in this way again until you finish a long rest.

Frigg’s Votary
Piety 10+ Frigg trait
You can cast Divination as a ritual with this trait. Once you do so, you can’t cast it in this way again until you finish a long rest.

Frigg’s Disciple
Piety 25+ Frigg trait
Glimpses of the future begin to press in on your awareness. When you finish a long rest, roll two d20s and record the numbers rolled. You can replace any attack roll, saving throw, or ability check made by you or a creature that you can see with one of these foretelling rolls. You must choose to do so before the roll, and you can replace a roll in this way only once per turn. Each foretelling roll can be used only once. When you finish a long rest, you lose any unused foretelling rolls.

Heimdall

The shining god, wielder of the Gjallarhorn and guardian of Bifrost.
Typical Cleric domains: Knowledge, Light, Order

Earning and losing piety
You increase your piety score to Heimdall by staying on alert through acts such as these:

Passing a Wisdom (Perception) check to avoid being surprised
Warning somebody of imminent danger by blowing a horn
Discovering and defeating somebody who tricked you

Your piety score to Heimdall decreases if you neglect your duties through acts such as these:

Suffering from the surprised condition
Failing to help innocents in danger
Disregarding your agreed-upon task

Heimdall’s’s Devotee
Piety 3+ Heimdall trait
As a devotee of Heimdall, you never neglect your duties to warn of imminent danger. You can call on Heimdall’s favor to cast Alarm as a ritual with this trait, requiring no material components, a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Heimdall’s Votary
Piety 10+ Heimdall trait
You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or sight.

Heimdall’s Disciple
Piety 25+ Heimdall trait
As a bonus action, you can give yourself a +1d4 bonus to your ranged attack rolls for 1 minute. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Njord

God of seafaring and storms.
Typical Cleric domains: Nature, Tempest

Earning and losing piety
You increase your piety score to Njord by taming the sea while respecting its power through acts such as these:

Offering a treasure to the sea
Killing a creature with a swimming speed and a CR higher than your level
Surviving a powerful storm while at sea

Your piety score to Njord decreases if you let the seas and storms defeat you through acts such as these:

Letting your ship sink
Going fishing and returning empty-handed
Hiding from a storm

Njord’s’s Devotee
Piety 3+ Njord trait
Njord leads your steps through the sea. You can cast Water Walk as a ritual with this trait, requiring no material components. Once you do so, you can’t cast it in this way again until you finish a long rest. Dexterity is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Njord’s Votary
Piety 10+ Njord trait
You can cast Wind Wall with this trait. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Dexterity is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Njord’s Disciple
Piety 25+ Njord trait
The winds cradle you if you fall. Your rate of descent while falling slows to 60 feet per round. If you land, you take no falling damage and can land on your feet. In addition, you gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.

Odin

The Allfather of the Æsir, associated with wisdom, war, poetry, trickery, and magic.
Typical Cleric domains: Arcana, Knowledge, Order, Trickery, War

Earning and losing piety
You increase your piety score to Odin when you honor him and the Æsir or distinguish yourself in war, as well as when you dedicate yourself to the pursuit of knowledge through acts such as these:

Pursuing wisdom at great personal sacrifice
Impressing a valkyrie with your prowess in battle
Inspiring a poem to be composed about your deeds

Your piety score to Odin decreases if you bring shame to yourself, impede his work, or disrespect him and his allies through acts such as these:

Losing a battle
Disrespecting a Valkyrie
Hurting a raven

Odin’s Devotee
Piety 3+ Odin trait
Huginn and Muninn, Odin’s ravens, support you on your quest. You can cast Animal Messenger on a raven with this trait, requiring no material components, a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Odin’s Votary
Piety 10+ Odin trait
Odin grants you the ability to inspire other warriors and bring them to your side. You gain advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks to interact with warriors or martial characters. In addition, when you fail a Wisdom check or Wisdom saving throw, you can reroll the die, and you must use the new roll. Once you use this reroll, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

Odin’s Disciple
Piety 25+ Odin trait
As a bonus action, you can give yourself a +1d4 bonus to your melee attack rolls for 1 minute. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Raven Queen

The Raven Queen, once a mortal elf who achieved divinity, is the shepherd of souls. See 5e lore.
Typical Cleric domains: Grave, Twilight

Earning and Losing Piety
You increase your piety score to The Raven Queen when you honor her or the cycle of life and death through acts such as these:

Providing coins and overseeing burial rites for those slain during a tragedy
Ensuring that the deeds and knowledge of someone who has died are preserved
Slaying the undead and any associated master
Easing someone’s passing

Your piety score to The Raven Queen decreases if you disrespect the dead through acts such as these:

Denying a dying person their final rites
Defiling the dead
Aiding the undead
Bring someone who has died naturally back from the dead

The Raven Queen’s Devotee
Piety 3+ trait
Your life is intertwined with the fate of the dead. You can cast Gentle Repose with this trait, requiring no material components, a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

The Raven Queen’s Votary
Piety 10+ trait
You can cast Speak with Dead with this trait, requiring no material components. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

The Raven Queen’s Disciple
Piety 25+ trait
You can cast False Life with this trait, requiring no material components. When you do so, you gain an additional 25 temporary hit points. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Skadi

Goddess of winter and hunting.
Typical Cleric domains: Nature

Earning and losing piety
You increase your piety score to Skadi by hunting and making winter your ally through acts such as these:

Killing a beast or monstrosity with a CR higher than your level
Giving food to someone who is starving in winter
Killing an enemy with a CR higher than your level with cold damage

Your piety score to Skadi decreases if winter and the wilds desert you due to acts such as these:

Dealing fire damage
Letting an innocent freeze to death
Going hunting and coming back empty handed

Skadi’s Devotee
Piety 3+ Skadi trait
Winter coalesces around you to protect you. You can cast Armor of Agathys with this trait, requiring no material components, a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Skadi’s Votary
Piety 10+ Skadi trait
You can cast Ice Storm with this trait. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Skadi’s Disciple
Piety 25+ Skadi trait
When you cast a spell that deals cold damage, you can add your Charisma modifier to one damage roll of that spell. In addition, you have resistance to cold damage.

Thor

Son of Odin, god of thunder and strength and protector of humanity.
Typical Cleric domains: Order, Tempest, War

Earning and losing piety
You increase your piety score to Thor when you prove yourself in righteous battle through acts such as these:

Standing in defense of the weak
Discovering and stopping trickery against you or your allies
Defeating an aberration or monstrosity with a CR higher than your level

Your piety score to Thor decreases if you show weakness or cowardice through acts such as these:

Failing a Strength saving throw
Fleeing the battlefield
Preventing somebody from seeking a glorious death in battle

Thor’s Devotee
Piety 3+ Thor trait
As a devotee of Thor, the thunder itself fights at your side. You can call on Thor’s favor and cast Thunderous Smite with this trait. You can cast the spell in this way a number of times equal to your Strength modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Strength is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Thor’s Votary
Piety 10+ Thor trait
You can cast Spiritual Weapon with this trait. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. The weapon appears as a warhammer and deals thunder damage. Strength is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Thor’s Disciple
Piety 25+ Thor trait
 The storms recognize you as one of their own and avoid you. You have resistance to lightning and thunder damage.

Deities worshiped by non-humans (of any cleric domain)

Aerdrie Faenya

Elven Lady of the Air and Winged Mother, goddess of the tempest, weather, birds, fertility. See 5e lore.

Earning and Losing Piety
You increase your piety score to Aedrie Faenya when you honor her tempestuousness, birds, and fertility through acts such as these:

Traveling to places you’ve never been before and spreading Aerdrie’s name
Bringing lovers together
Save humanoid or avian lives
Free enslaved humanoids or avians

Your piety score to Aedrie Faenya decreases if you disrespect the dead through acts such as these:

Refusing to travel when called to and able
Separating lovers
Enslaving sentient beings
Grounding any being capable of natural flight

Aerdrie’s Devotee
Piety 3+
You can cast Zephyr Strike (XGte) with this trait, requiring no material components, a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Aerdrie’s Votary
Piety 10+
You can cast Wind Wall with this trait, requiring no material components. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Aerdrie’s Disciple
Piety 25+
You can cast Polymorph with this trait, requiring no material components. The chosen beast must be a flying creature wih a challenge rating equal to half your level or lower. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Corellon Larethian

Chief deity of elves, music, art, knowledge, etc. See 5e lore.

Earning and Losing Piety
You increase your piety score to Corellon by exercising the poetic arts through acts such as these:

Creating a masterwork, such as a poem
Combating the followers of Lolth
Following the echoes of lost magics and ancient art
Impressing a king or great leader with your artistic prowess
Create something beautiful for the world to enjoy

Your piety score to Corellon decreases if you diminish his influence in the world through acts such as these:

Destroying a forgotten site or artifact
Getting booed by most of the audience after a performance
Denying the beauty of the world
Harming a bard

Corellon’s Devotee
Piety 3+ Corellon trait
Your words charm and enthrall all those who listen. You can cast Charm Person with this trait, requiring no material components, a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Corellon’s Votary
Piety 10+ Corellon trait
You can cast Counterspell with this trait. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Corellon’s Disciple
Piety 25+ Corellon trait
You can cast Conjure Woodland Being once with this trait, requiring no material components. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Garl Glittergold

Gnomish deity of protection, humor, trickery, gemcutting and smithing. See 5e lore.

Earning and Losing Piety
You increase your piety score to Garl Glittergold when you honor his humor, protectiveness, and artisan nature through acts such as these:

Protecting those in need
Keeping your sense of humor in dire situations
Donating precious gems to worthy causes
Telling a memorable joke or story

Your piety score to Garl Glittergold decreases if you disrespect the dead through acts such as these:

Showing cowardice when called to protect those in need
Having a dour disposition
Hoarding wealth and gems
Discouraging others from joking or storytelling

Garl’s Devotee
Piety 3+
You have advantage on ability checks made to gamble (see XGtE, Downtime Revisited).

Garl’s Votary
Piety 10+ Garl Glittergold grants you luck. When you roll a 1 on the d20 for an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll.

Garl’s Disciple
Piety 25+
Your luck is contagious. You can use a bonus action on your turn to choose one creature other than yourself within 60 feet of you who can see you. Once within the next 10 minutes, when the chosen creature makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a saving throw before the spell ends, it can roll an additional d20 and choose which of the d20s to use. If the original d20 roll has advantage or disadvantage, the creature rolls the additional d20 after advantage or disadvantage has been applied to the original roll. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Moradin

Chief deity of dwarves, forging, protection, etc. See 5e lore.

Earning and Losing Piety
You increase your piety score to Moradin when you expand the god’s influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:

Fighting against those who would rule over others
Preserve an old or dying tradition
Fixing something that has long been neglected
Creating something wondrous in Moradin’s name
Promoting loyalty to your family, to your clan, to your people
Being stoic and tenacious in the face of catastrophe

Your piety score to Moradin decreases if you diminish Moradin’s influence in the world, work against freedom or self-expression, or allow tyranny to take hold through acts such as these:

Destroying something beautifully created
Creating something shoddy or flawed
Backing down from a fight or a contest
Changing a valued and time honored tradition
Betraying your family, clan, people

Moradin’s Devotee
Piety 3+ trait
As a devotee of Moradin, you have drawn the notice of the Allhammer with your skill. You can cast Shield of Faith with this trait, requiring no material components, a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. In addition, you know the mending cantrip. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Moradin’s Votary
Piety 10+ trait
You can cast Heat Metal with this trait, requiring no material components. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for this spell. In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against being knocked prone.

Moradin’s Disciple
Piety 25+ trait
While you are standing and an effect would push you 1 foot or more, you can use your reaction to not be pushed. In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned and you have resistance against poison damage.

Yondalla

Halfling goddess of protection, fertility, family, tradition. See 5e lore.

Earning and Losing Piety
You increase your piety score to Yondalla when you honor her devotion to family, tradition, and fertility through acts such as these:

Tilling the soil or otherwise helping to grow crops
Bringing a family together
Leading or participating in a traditional ritual or meal
Protecting those you hold dear

Your piety score to Yondalla decreases if you disrespect the dead through acts such as these:

Destroying crops or blighting the land
Tearing a family apart
Stopping a ritual being conducted by good-aligned people
Refusing to protect your compatriots

Yondalla’s Devotee
Piety 3+
You can cast a joyful version of Tasha’s Hideous Laughter with this trait, requiring no material components, a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). When the spell ends, the target gains 5 temporary hit points. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Yondalla’s Votary
Piety 10+
You have advantage on Charisma (Performance) checks.

Yondalla’s Disciple
Piety 25+
You can cast aura of purity with this trait. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.