AC 17 (natural armor)
HP 161 (17d8 + 85; bloodied 80)
Speed 40 ft., fly 40 ft.
Proficiency +4; Maneuver DC 17
Saving Throws Con +9, Wis +9, Cha +9
Skills Arcana +4, History +4, Intimidation +9, Perception +9, Persuasion +9, Religion +9 (+1d6)
Damage Resistances poison, radiant; damage from nonmagical weapons
Condition Immunities fatigue, frightened, poisoned
Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 19
Languages All
Aligned. The forgotten god radiates a weak alignment aura, most often Lawful and Good, Chaotic and Good, Lawful and Evil, or Chaotic and Evil. Its behavior may not match its alignment.
Flawed Spellcasting. The god’s innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom (save DC 17).The god can try to cast flame strike or spirit guardians at will with no material component. When the god tries to cast the spell, roll 1d6. On a 1, 2, or 3 on the die, the spell visibly fails and has no effect. The god’s action for the turn is not wasted, but it can’t be used to cast a spell.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). When the god fails a saving throw , it can choose to succeed instead. When it does so, it seems to flicker and shrink, as if it is using up its essence.
Divine Nature. A forgotten god doesn’t require air, sustenance, or sleep.
ACTIONS
Divine Weapon. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) damage (damage type based on the form of the weapon or implement) plus 3 (1d6) radiant damage.
Stunning Gaze (Gaze). The god targets a creature within 60 feet. The target makes a DC 17 Charisma saving throw . On a failure, the target takes 10 (3d6) radiant damage and is stunned until the end of its next turn. On a success, the target is immune to Stunning Gaze for 24 hours.
Divine Wrath (1/Day, While Bloodied). Each creature of the god’s choice within 60 feet makes a DC 17 Constitution saving throw , taking 28 (8d6) radiant damage on a failure or half damage on a success.
Spirit Guardians (3rd-Level; V, S, Concentration). Spirits of former divine servants surround the god in a 10-foot radius for 10 minutes. The god can choose creatures they can see to be unaffected by the spell. Other creatures treat the area as difficult terrain , and when a creature enters the area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it makes a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw , taking 10 (3d6) radiant damage on a failed save or half damage on a success.
Flame Strike (5th-Level; V, S). A 10-foot-radius, 40-foot-high column of divine flame appears centered on a point the god can see within 60 feet. Each creature in the area makes a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw , taking 14 (4d6) fire damage and 14 (4d6) radiant damage on a failed save, or half damage on a success.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
The god can take 2 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. It regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Float. The god flies up to half its fly speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Smite. The god makes a divine weapon attack.
Stunning Glance. The god uses Stunning Gaze.
Combat
On its turn, the forgotten god prefers Flawed Spellcasting, surrounding itself with spirit guardians or blasting creatures with flame strike . It tries to be within 10 feet of an enemy so it can attack with its divine weapon if the spell fails. It uses Divine Wrath when available. The god reserves its legendary actions for Stunning Glance, unless most targets have already made their saving throw against it.
Forgotten God Appearance
1 Snake deity
2 Anthropomorphic horse deity
3 Wolf-headed goddess
4 Green-skinned, stag-headed god
5 Goddess with the body of a goat and a human head
6 Crab-headed deity
7 Armless goddess
8 Fat clay god who holds his severed head in one hand
9 Dragon deity
10 Pillar of purple flame
Legends and Lore
With a History or Religion check, characters can learn the following:
DC 15 Gods with few or no worshipers live on as a shadow of their former selves. Forgotten gods may be insane or starved for worship and are usually very dangerous.
DC 20 Though fallen, forgotten gods retain much of their divine power. They wield mighty magic, and even their gaze is enough to freeze weak-willed mortals in their tracks.
VARIANTS: GODS OF OTHER DOMAINS
The forgotten god above was once a fire, light, or war god. The variants below are gods who presided over other divine domains.
Forgotten Death God. Instead of flame strike , this god casts contagion with Flawed Spellcasting.
Contagion (5th-Level; V, S). Melee Spell Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. The target contracts a flesh-rotting disease. It has disadvantage on Charisma ability checks and becomes vulnerable to all damage. The target makes a DC 17 Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns. After 3 failures, the target stops making saving throws, and the disease lasts for 7 days. After 3 successes, the effect ends. Any spell or magical effect that removes disease also ends the effect.
Forgotten Nature God. Instead of flame strike , this god casts insect plague with Flawed Spellcasting.
Insect Plague (5th-Level; V, S, Concentration). A 20-foot-radius sphere of biting and stinging insects appears centered on a point the god can see within 300 feet and remains for 10 minutes. The cloud spreads around corners and the area is lightly obscured . Each creature in the area when the cloud appears, and each creature which enters it for the first time on its turn, makes a DC 17 Constitution saving throw , taking 22 (4d10) piercing damage on a failed save, or half damage on a success. The god is immune to this damage.
Deities rarely die, but their followers do. A god with few or no worshipers retains only a shred of its former glory. Its remaining powers are undependable, and its mind is weakened. Many forgotten gods, whatever their former nature, are now insane, evil, or hungry for worship.
Forgotten gods take any form a mortal mind can imagine. Whereas one god might look human, another might possess an animal's head and multiple limbs, or adopt the form of an enormous, anthropomorphic snake.
Shreds of Sovereignty. Even the dregs of divinity make a forgotten god dangerous. It still commands tremendous martial and magical power, and is imbued with such heavenly splendor that it remains stunning to behold.
Divine Weapon. Every forgotten god carries with it a weapon or implement—such as a trident, shovel, lightning bolt, or spinning wheel—that symbolizes its former divine role. Regardless of the type of item, the god can use it as a weapon. Most divine weapons deal bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage depending on their form, but a lightning bolt, for instance, deals lightning damage.
Resurrection. A forgotten god that garners enough worshipers regains its old power. Many all-but-abandoned gods still have small cults dedicated to spreading their deity’s fame and restoring its place in the heavens.
1 Insane; wishes to end all life
2 Demands you worship it or be destroyed
3 Believes it’s at the height of its power thousands of years ago; if you flatter it, it grants you a boon
4 Demands you utter foul blasphemies, cursing your former gods and worshiping it from now on
5 Broken mind: each round, it alternates between good and evil alignment
6 Weeping as it mourns the fallen empires that once worshiped it
1 Chanting cultists inscribing a summoning circle or completing a ritual
2 A pool or wall of silver liquid; if you disturb it, the forgotten god emerges from it
3 An ancient altar or statue with unfamiliar symbols which glow when you touch them; if you touch all of them, the god appears
4 A black door covered with wax seals bearing runes of abjuration; if the seals are broken, the door opens and releases the forgotten god
5 A pedestal on which nothing remains but a pair of massive feet
6 An eroded bas-relief depicting a forgotten myth
Forgotten gods usually hide or lie dormant in deep dungeons and ancient temples.
CR 11–16 Forgotten god with cult fanatic and 1d6 + 4 cultists ; forgotten god with 1d4 + 2 grimlocks or troglodytes ; forgotten god with 2 or 3 priests
Treasure gold idol (750 gp), 2 gold incense burners (750 gp each), statue or altar set with 2 star rubies (1,000 gp each), necklace of prayer beads , ring of spell storing
Celestials are creatures native to divine realms or heavens. Celestials have alignments, such as Lawful Good. Most celestials are good, although the servants of evil deities can be evil. Angels are celestials.