The Game Master's Handbook of Patrons, Pacts & Pantheons - by Colby Whittaker (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Unleash the Power of the Divine, the Damned and the Devious!

In every corner of a fantasy world, unseen forces shape destiny--gods and goddesses, ancient spirits, capricious fey, and scheming fiends. But while their presence is woven into the fabric of nearly every Dungeons & Dragons campaign, Game Masters are often left wondering: What do these powerful beings actually do?

The Game Master's Handbook of Patrons, Pacts & Pantheons is your ultimate guide to bringing deities, supernatural patrons, and religious factions to life. This essential tome provides a wealth of tools, guidance, and inspiration to help GMs craft compelling divine entities, build immersive religious traditions, and seamlessly integrate these forces into storytelling and gameplay.
Inside, you'll find:

- Worldbuilding Tools - Build rich, dynamic religious traditions and mythologies, from sprawling pantheons to enigmatic cosmic forces.
- Patron & Deity Mechanics - Establish divine relationships beyond simple spellcasting, allowing all players to bargain, worship, or defy higher powers.
- Tables & Story Hooks - Populate your world with sacred sites, rituals, theological debates, and factions vying for power.
- New Supernatural Patrons - From celestial overseers to abyssal overlords, each with unique mechanics to shape their followers' fates.
- Pacts, Gifts & Boons - Create meaningful interactions between mortals and the divine, rewarding devotion, cunning, or sheer audacity.
- Four All-New Subclasses - New character options for clerics, paladins, monks and druids, leaning into supernatural patrons who provide the power (and restrictions) associated with each subclass.

Whether your players seek the favor of an ancient god, rebel against an oppressive theocracy, or strike a dark bargain with an archfiend, this book empowers Game Masters to weave the divine into every adventure.

Will your players ascend to greatness, or become pawns in the eternal struggle of the cosmos? The answer lies in your hands.

About the Author

Colby Whittaker is a GM, nerd, writer and IRL cleric. When he's not working his day job or talking TTRPGs, he also writes articles on faith and pop culture. He's been playing RPGs since the '90s and has strong thoughts on alignment. You can find his writing on DMsGuild, his blog (hagiologist.com) or under the username Hagiologist on most platforms. He is a contributor to The Game Master's Book of Traps, Puzzles and Dungeons, The Game Master's Book of Instant Towns and Cities and The Game Master's Book of Legendary Locations.

Luke Eidenschink is a Tuscon-based illustrator specializing in traditional pen and ink drawing. In addition to his illustration work, Luke also creates and publishes fine art prints, collected volumes of his fantasy artwork and original comic books. You can see more of his art on many of the major social media platforms @luke.ink, and you can support him on Patreon for early access to his art and comics (patreon.com/lukeink).