Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Legends and Lore

Author - James M. Ward ... [Goo?] [Posters]
Author - Troy Denning ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Hardcover Book item from Wizards of the Coast was reviewed on 9-Oct-2008.

Search ISBN:0880388447 offer from Abebooks or used books from Alibris. Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Legends and Lore Reference Book. Classifications : General Role Playing & Fantasy Puzzles & Games Entertainment Subjects Books General Puzzles & Games Entertainment Subjects Books Denning, Troy ( D ) Authors, A-Z Science Fiction & Fantasy Subjects Boo .

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1) Hardcover Book Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Legends and Lore by Wizards of the Coast. We all loved this book as kids. Yes, we would "take on" gods so we could get their fabulous weapons. I was never a huge D&D player, but I always thought this book was great. I know it got me and many of my friends interested in (and reading about) mythology and other cultures (the Ancient Egyptians, King Arthur, etc.), and that (as Martha would say) is a good thing!¤

2) Hardcover Book Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Legends and Lore by Wizards of the Coast. This is a good addition to any 1st Edition AD&D library, particularly any one that is going to be set on a fantasy Earth. The book presents a number of well-known real mythoi (even if they are somewhat changed from their historical underpinnings for ease of gameplay -- but Schick and Kuntz do provide an extensive bibliography for the source material) including lesser-known pantheons such as the Native American and Finnish gods. There is even a section for King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table (following Mallory´s Morte d´Arthur, and not the post-Roman noble he probably was, but that´s just a nitpick). Monsters and other heroes conected with the deities are also included.

But the most legendary point of the book is, of course, official AD&D stats for Cthulhu and others in the Lovecraft mythos -- and they are bruisers.

Don´t let the deities´ stat blocks fool you into thinking the gods are there like other monsters -- for the purpose of "kill it and take its stuff." These gods are GODS -- they have stats only to be used "if absolutely necessary." Any of these deities could reasonably be expected to kill a PC of almost any level within a round or two (and some, like Cthulhu, could even make short work of some of the toughest critters from the Monster Manual such as Demogorgon or Orcus). Use them sparingly as direct combat opponents (although sending Cthulhu [400 HP, 30 attacks (you read that right) of a damage level I don´t recall, but obscenely high] against a "full of itself, ´let´s rip the moustache off the king and raid his treasury´" party might just knock some sense into them ), instead trying to use them as either patrons or prime movers -- The PCs probably would never face Loki or Izumo, but might be fighting fire giants or Ogre Magi/Oni that the gods are directing.

One thing -- make sure to look carefully at the product description. If you want just any copy, any edition of this book (or the identical-but-for-a-different-cover-and-title Legends and Lore) are extremely serviciable. But if you´re a collector, or are looking to use the 1st Edition stats for the Cthulhu or Melinebone (sp?) mythoi, be sure the product description states that it is the first edition -- after that (and perhaps a second printing), TSR decided to take the stats out rather than have to give a "thank you" credit to Chaosium. However, some later printings have the "thank you" note without the stats (they hadn´t gotten around to changing the plates) -- therefore get the first printing and you´re assured of Lovecraftian goodness.¤

3) Hardcover Book Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Legends and Lore by Wizards of the Coast. This book was a great reference, gathering together in one volume information that could be used to craft the religous structure for many different campaigns, by including fictional, mythological, and "real" gods and heroes in one book. Also included in the volume was then-new information about the planes of existence, planar travel, and other-planar creatures.
Those who complain about this book probably haven´t read it. If they had, they would have seen in the intro that the authors did not intend this to be a book of adversaries (although they wrote up the avatar´s stats for them if needed), but instead to be a quick reference for these different pantheons, some of which cannot be found in the reference section of the library (when did you last see a scholarly work on Lolth, Blibdoolpoolp, or Vaprak the Destroyer?). They also mention that if a particular mythos captures your interest, you should journey to your local library to research it. In other words, this is a game supplement, not a religious text.
Personally, I used this book a lot when I was running games back in the glory days of AD&D. I loved creating settings using the Norse or Celtic mythoi, and having the quick reference along with information about the avatars of the gods (important when dealing with gods with a "hands-on" approach such as the Norse) was at times quite useful. Also, it gave a starting point for research that would have otherwise taken longer, giving the names and general spheres of influence of a number of gods and goddesses that I was not then familiar with.
Yes, the use of still-used mythoi could be seen in this PC age as incorrect, but the only difference between a religion and a myth cycle is whether or not people still believe in it. To the Norse, their religion was all-encompassing, yet nobody complains these days about the comic book character The Mighty Thor. And look at the abuse the Greek mythos has taken in popular media, yet the Greeks manage to take it all in stride. Lighten up, people.
The description of the product doesn´t say, so I am assuming what they are selling here is a second-edition or later book. The difference is that the first edition contained the Cthulhu and Melnibonean mythoi, based on the works of Lovecraft and Moorcock, respectively. The problem was, Chaosium (a rival games maker) already had the rights to those works, and TSR violated those rights when they printed their book. The material in question was removed for later printings, making the first edition an instant collector´s item.¤

4) Hardcover Book Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Legends and Lore by Wizards of the Coast. I would like to start by saying, ANYONE WHO THINKS THIS BOOK WAS INTENDED AS A RELIGIOUS TEXT NEEDS SERIOUS HELP. Sorry for shouting, but this book was published for a GAME and is intended for entertainment only. It makes no claims to accuracy or relevance.

Now, there is a distinction that needs to be made when referring to these books, and it is mainly one of edition. The first and second editions contained 17 mythos and had 144 pages. All later editions had 15 mythos and 128 pages. The reasons are copyright issues. You can find out more by going to http://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/setpages/deities.html

The editions with 17 mythos and 144 pages are rare and highly sought after, while later editions are more common and less of a collector´s item. Also, the editions with the title ´Legends and Lore´ have different cover art, but contain the same information as previous editions.¤

5) Hardcover Book Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Legends and Lore by Wizards of the Coast. Reading through the one- and two-star reviews for this product, I find that a lot of people don´t seem to understand how the AD&D system incorporates avatars. These people should have their reviews discarded.

I must confess, first off, that I have not as yet read Deities and Demigods. I´ve ordered it, however, and expect it to arrive in the next day or so. I was lead to purchase it because the Planescape campaign supplement "On Hallowed Ground" referenced the Finnish, Sumerian and Babylonian pantheons, and those gods and characters originally appeared in Deities and Demigods and NO PLACE ELSE. I already own and use other books similar to Deities and Demigods -- including Legends and Lore, Monster Mythology, and the Forgotten Realms campaign setting´s "Faiths and Avatars" series of books.

I own and use these books because I know why they include avatar statistics. The few reviewers who gave this book unflattering star-ratings, however, clearly do not understand this concept. And therefore, this book is not for them and they likely wasted their money aquiring it.

If you understand that sometimes the AD&D game requires stat blocks for the creatures and characters that appear in it, and if you also understand that a deity´s avatar is NOT the deity itself (but rather an incarnation that probably requires game stats), then you should probably pick up a copy of this book.¤

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 6-Nov-2008, 08803884479780880388443, 140-450-240-100-650-880-470-080-240-100-8

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