Less than a week after its publication, Faiths of the Forgotten Realms 2 is already a bestseller. Given that the previous installment is a Platinum Bestseller, we can reasonably assume that this one will continue to sell too. I’m unfamiliar with the first Faiths title but this one has 50 canonical gods and several new archetypes, spells, magic items, and even holy texts for their followers. This book isn’t geared towards just the pious paladins and clerics. No, even the sneaking rogue and raging barbarian will find a lot of useful content here.
Faiths of the Forgotten Realms 2
Writer(s): Micah Watt, Scott Bean, Ryan Langr, Isaac May, Bryan Holmes, Marquis Hartis, Steve Fidler, Anne Gregersen, Ashley May, Justyn Johnston
Publisher: DMs Guild
Cost: $19.95-61.94
Product Length: 166 pages
Available Format(s): PDF, Softcover, and/or Hardcover
I’m fairly sure that somewhere I read that only official Wizards of the Coast publications are considered to contain official D&D lore. As much as we may love DMs Guild content, it technically exists outside of what’s canon. Nonetheless, some creators make an effort to remain as faithful as they can be to that canon. Micah Watt and his team have done so with this resource.
Rather than recreate a Fandom-style wiki article detailing each of the gods, Faiths 2 gives you archetypes and spells where appropriate along with the background for each. Not every class gets an archetype for every god. But where it makes sense to do so, the creators have. Additionally, they have arranged these deities by some of the major races of Faerûn.
It’s great to see the devotion towards some of my favorite deities: Garl Glittergold and Bahamut to name a couple. But it’s also nice to see how I might use a rogue, possibly my favorite 5E class, as a trickster Erevan Ilesere adherent, a “Mischiefmaker”. I get to decide whether I’m good-natured or self-serving. Hooray for flexibility!
When needed, Faiths 2 grants new spells for casters. I’ve never played a half-orc (I tend towards humans and half-elves) but now I’m looking forward to trying a Warherald Cleric. And, for me, that’s the mark of a good product. It goes beyond being a good resource. It should inspire you towards new things. As for the new magic items…well, who doesn’t love more treasure? The ones here are great, thematic, and awaiting your discovery. I’ll not spoil them.
The professionalism of the book is great. Art is used effectively without taking center stage and navigation is a breeze with the bookmarks and table of contents. But it’s the book’s usefulness that pushes it towards being worth owning in physical form. Probably hardcover if it were my choice but softcover is also available.
The included Holy Texts are nice. But I probably wouldn’t consider them “Texts” in the way most people may. I guess I anticipated more than a paragraph or two when I saw the product page. To their credit, the creators do stipulate that the texts “are by no means the definitive works of the religion” and in a product this expansive, anything more detailed than these selections would quickly bloat the book. However, they could have been longer.
Ultimately, Faiths 2 is a wonderful guide for players and DMs alike to enrich their game. If you mostly play one-shots with little to no continuity from one session to the next, this book may not be for you despite the wonderful archetypes and spells. But for those of you who involve yourselves in ongoing campaigns, it is almost a must-have. Consider how rough you are on your physical books if you plan to buy it in physical form. This is one you’ll pull off the shelf fairly often.
Pros
- professional-grade production
- stays true to “official” canon as much as possible
- useful and inspirational content (driving repeated use)
Cons
- The Holy Texts are short
A review copy was provided by the creator.
