Dragonlance Gods: A Complete Guide to Krynn's Pantheon

There was a bumbling old mage wandering the roads of Ansalon. He kept losing his hat. He searched for spells in the wrong spellbook. He arrived late to important meetings and disrupted carefully laid plans with good intentions at the worst possible moment.

That old mage was Paladine — the father of Good, the most powerful of Krynn's gods — disguised as Fizban the Fabulous.

That tells you everything you need to know about the gods of Dragonlance. They are not abstract forces in a decorative pantheon. They have personalities, families, rivalries, and — in Paladine's case — a deliberately inconvenient disguise because they believe mortals need to find their own answers.

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Why Krynn's gods are unique in fantasy RPG?

In most settings, gods exist as sources of clerical power and names in prayers. In Dragonlance, the gods are active characters who made historic decisions with consequences that still reverberate hundreds of years later.

It was Takhisis who started the All-Saints War before the world was created. It was Reorx who transformed proud humans into gnomes. It was the arrogance of the Kingpriest of Istar — a devotee of Paladine himself — that forced the gods to unleash the Cataclysm. And it was the gods themselves who withdrew their clerics from the world for three hundred years as collective punishment for humanity's hubris.

Krynn's gods are not omnipotent and distant. They are active participants in a moral story that never ends.

(See our post on Dragonlance's history to understand how the Cataclysm changed the relationship between the gods and the mortals of Krynn.)

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The Great Triangle — the structure that governs the pantheon

Twenty-one gods. Three families. Three alignments. A balance that no side can break without catastrophic consequences.

Krynn's gods organize themselves around the Great Triangle — Good, Evil and Neutrality — with seven gods at each vertex. This isn't just an abstract moral classification. It's the physical foundation of Krynn's universe. If one side completely dominates, the universe loses meaning: total light is as purposeless as total darkness.

Each family has its own internal dynamics:

The Good family is led by Paladine. Mishakal is his companion and counselor. His twin sons Kiri-Jolith and Habbakuk administer their own orders. Solinari, his third son, left the family circle to become guardian of White Robe magic. Majere and Branchala were adopted from Beyond.

The Neutral family is led by Gilean, the patriarch who holds the Tobril — the book containing all the knowledge of all the gods. Zivilyn and Chislev are companions, as are Sirrion and Shinare. Lunitari is the daughter of Zivilyn and Chislev. Reorx arrived alone from Beyond and was adopted — and is probably the god with the most history involving lost bets disguised as a dwarf.

The Evil family is led by Takhisis. Her consort is Sargonnas. Her twin children are Zeboim and Nuitari — who abandoned the evil side to join the other two gods of magic. Morgion, Chemosh and Hiddukel were adopted, called from Beyond by Takhisis herself.

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The Gods of Good — guardians, healers and champions

Paladine — the father of Good who never intervenes directly

Paladine is the spokesman of the Gods of Good and the most powerful of them. His constellation guards the Gate of Souls, preventing dragons from returning to Krynn — the disappearance of this constellation during the Cataclysm coincided precisely with the return of dragons to the world.

What defines Paladine as a divine character isn't his power — it's his self-imposed limits. He understands, better than any other god, that directly interfering in mortal affairs is rearranging the gears of a working clock. The free will granted to humanity is the mechanism that drives the universe forward. So Paladine uses Fizban — a deliberately inefficient disguise — to appear when necessary, suggest rather than command, and let the consequences belong to mortals.

Mishakal — the goddess who broke three hundred years of silence

The goddess of healing is known in virtually every culture and country in Krynn. In ancient times, she was the most revered of the ministering divinities. After the Cataclysm, her return was the first sign that the gods had not abandoned the world forever.

In the year 351 AC, Mishakal appeared to Goldmoon, a princess of the Abanasinian Plains, and gave her the Discs of Mishakal — the sacred texts containing the true word of the gods and the power of real healing. It was the first genuine divine manifestation in more than three centuries.

In the post-War of the Lance period, clerics of Mishakal were the most numerous throughout Ansalon. Nearly every community had one — desperately sought by adventuring parties for their incomparable healing powers. Her followers receive bonuses on all healing spells and special access to the most powerful magics of the healing school.

Kiri-Jolith — the god of war who makes the Knights fight

Twin son of Habbakuk and son of Paladine and Mishakal, Kiri-Jolith is the god of just war. His constellation appears to threaten that of the Queen of Darkness in the night sky. The Knights of the Sword of Solamnia — the second order of knighthood — specifically receive their powers from Kiri-Jolith.

His clerics are powerful in battle and gain unique combat abilities — including free access to 1st-level Holy Smite as a special power. The caveat: clerics of Kiri-Jolith who violate the principles of Good lose their powers quickly. The just sword demands a just hand.

Habbakuk — the protector of seas and nature

Twin brother of Kiri-Jolith, Habbakuk is the god of animal life and the sea. Sailors and rangers pray to him. The Knights of the Crown — the first and most accessible order of knighthood — are under his protection.

His philosophy of harmony with nature contrasts with his brother's warrior intensity, but the two worked together with Paladine to deliver to Vinas Solamnus the template for the Solamnic Knighthood in that sacred glade at Sancrist.

Practical tip: For Good clerics, the choice between Mishakal, Kiri-Jolith and Habbakuk completely defines the character's role in the party. Mishakal is the pure healer. Kiri-Jolith is the divine warrior. Habbakuk is the group's druid/guardian. Each has exclusive spell spheres that the others cannot access.

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The Gods of Neutrality — guardians of balance who never rest

Gilean — the god who knows everything but tells nothing

Gilean is the patriarch of the neutral gods and holds the Tobril — the book containing all the knowledge that all gods possess collectively. Parts of the book are sealed.

He lives between the constellations of Paladine and the Queen of Darkness in the night sky — symbolically positioned to prevent both sides from destroying each other. His true home is the Hidden Vale, a perfect place of nature that exists everywhere and nowhere simultaneously.

The most widely accepted theory in Krynn is that Astinus of Palanthas — the historian who never stops writing and appears to have been present at every important moment in history — is Gilean himself in mortal form. Astinus neither confirms nor denies. He keeps writing.

Reorx — the forging god who bet and lost

Reorx forged the world. Literally — it was his hammer coming down on Chaos that created the stars and started all of creation. Dwarves and gnomes revere him as the highest of the gods. Humans tend to describe him as Kiri-Jolith's paunchy squire, which dwarves consider an insult of cosmic proportions.

When Reorx visits Krynn, he does so disguised as Dougan Redhammer — a black-bearded dwarf with a fondness for dwarven ale and a devastating weakness for gambling. He can drink any living being under the table — man or minotaur. His talent for gambling is precisely the opposite.

Dougan invariably drags his companions into trouble by offering his money — and sometimes their equipment, without permission — as a wager on situations that are "absolute certainties." They rarely are.

Chislev and Zivilyn — nature and wisdom in perfect balance

Chislev is nature incarnate, served by creatures of animated wood that carry out her will. It is said that she and Zivilyn inhabit Zhan, the greatest of all forests — and that worthy elves arrive there when they leave Krynn for the next world.

Zivilyn exists at all times and in all lands simultaneously, possessing all the wisdom of all planes of existence. He is Gilean's counselor. His relationship with Chislev is seen as the ideal balance between harmony and understanding.

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The Gods of Evil — a family that never stops self-destructing

Takhisis — the Queen of Darkness who never gives up

Takhisis led the shadows from Beyond and was primarily responsible for the separation of the gods at the beginning of time. She started the three Dragon Wars. She orchestrated the Cataclysm through the Kingpriest's arrogance. She prepared the War of the Lance for decades. And when she was defeated at Neraka, she immediately began the next plan.

She can appear as the most beautiful temptress any man has ever seen, as a warrior in black armor with eyes of fire, or in her favored form: a five-headed chromatic dragon — white, green, blue, red and black — each with its own breath weapon and its own personality.

Everyone in her presence, even those of good alignment, feels her power and experiences something close to awe. She is evil — but she is also one of the three creators of the world. That weight is felt by any character who encounters her.

Chemosh — the lord of the undead and false immortality

Chemosh was expelled from Beyond by the High God before everything began. Takhisis rescued him from the Void of Chaos because she saw his usefulness. He is the lord of false redemption: he offers immortality at the price of exaltation. Those who follow him live forever — in eternally corrupted bodies.

Nearly all evil undead in Krynn made a pact with Chemosh or one of his servants at some point. His worshipers wear white skull masks and black robes.

Zeboim — the sea goddess who hates everyone

Daughter of Takhisis, twin sister of Nuitari. Zeboim is the most temperamental of the gods — impulsive, manic-depressive, swinging between emotional extremes with the frequency of a storm. She is the queen of storms and weather.

Sailors who try to appease her sometimes avoid her fury — just as often, they inadvertently offend her in some way. Many ships have sunk because of a poorly worded comment or a ritual performed with one wrong detail.

Morgion — the loner who works with no one

The god of disease, decay and plague. Always the solitary warrior, Morgion does not act with the other gods nor discuss plans with them. He stays in his Bronze Tower at the borders of the Abyss and keeps his thoughts secret. His worshipers gather in dark and secret places. His rituals are completely unknown to anyone outside the order.

Practical tip: Morgion is the perfect antagonist for intrigue and horror campaigns — he is never directly present, working through secret agents whose rituals no one fully understands. Ideal for the Game Master who wants to create a mystery that the party can't solve simply by kicking down the boss's door.

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The three gods of magic — the family that chose Krynn

Solinari, Lunitari and Nuitari deserve special mention. Before the All-Saints War, they foresaw the conflict and decided not to join the other gods in the heavens. Instead, they stayed close to the world, orbiting Krynn as the three moons — each granting powers to the type of mage who follows them.

Solinari, son of Paladine, is the white moon and god of Good magic. His followers — the White-Robed Mages — advance more slowly but reach the highest possible levels.

Lunitari, daughter of Zivilyn and Chislev, is the red moon and goddess of neutral magic. Red-Robed Mages have the widest range of available spells.

Nuitari, son of Takhisis and Sargonnas, is the black moon — invisible to mortal eyes. Black-Robed Mages advance faster but reach their ceiling sooner.

The position of each moon in the sky directly affects the powers of mages of their order. When all three align, the Night of the Eye occurs — the absolute peak of all magical power in Krynn.

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How to use Krynn's pantheon at your table

For playing clerics and the religious dynamics of Dragonlance in D&D 5e, the sourcebook brings subclasses and guidance for each divine order, including the Cleric subclass inspired by the Holy Orders of the Stars.

To understand the complete mythology — including Mishakal's return, Fizban/Paladine's role during the War of the Lance, and Takhisis's presence throughout the saga — the final volume of the Chronicles is where these themes reach their climax.

(See our post on Dragonlance's factions to understand how clerics of the Holy Orders of the Stars function in practice within the game system.)

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Which god of Dragonlance would you play as a cleric — or would you most want to encounter as an NPC in your campaign? Paladine disguised as a bumbling mage? Takhisis who makes even heroes feel awe? Reorx betting your party's equipment without asking?

Tell us in the comments. And share it with your group — because the choice of god defines the character long before any dice are rolled in Krynn.