Bahamut (Dungeons & Dragons): Difference between revisions
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domains=Air, Cold, Good, Law, Luck, Protection (plus Dragon, and in [[Forgotten Realms]]: Nobility, Storm)| |
domains=Air, Cold, Good, Law, Luck, Protection (plus Dragon, and in [[Forgotten Realms]]: Nobility, Storm)| |
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symbol=Pole star above milky nebula (Bahamut); a reptilian eye superimposed over a square of gold (Xymor); silvery net (Marduk)| |
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alias=Paladine (possibly); [[Xymor]] (dragons of Abeir-Toril); [[Marduk]] the Justice Bringer (humans of the Old Empires region of Abeir-Toril)| |
alias=Paladine (possibly); [[Xymor]] (dragons of Abeir-Toril); [[Marduk]] the Justice Bringer (humans of the Old Empires region of Abeir-Toril)| |
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Revision as of 17:33, 6 July 2006
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Bahamut is a powerful draconic deity, derived from the Bahamut of Arabic mythology.
Introduced in the 1st Edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and continuing into 2004's release of Complete Divine, Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, is the King of the Good Dragons. He is a deity of good dragonkind and a member of the default pantheon of D&D gods. His counterpart in Dragonlance is Paladine (though many regard the two as separate beings). Bahamut is a child of the dragon god Io. He is also referred to as the God of Dragons or the Lord of the North Wind.
In many campaign settings, the draconic pantheon of gods consists of the leader Io, as well as Aasterinian, Bahamut, Chronepsis, Faluzure, and Tiamat. Other draconic gods may be present in different campaign settings. For example, the Forgotten Realms draconic pantheon also includes Astilabor, Garyx, Hlal, Lendys, and Tamara (among others); these five deities have expanded their influence to become venerated in many other campaign settings as well.
Description
Bahamut is depicted as a massive dragon with platinum scales and blue eyes. According to "Complete Divine", the exact color is hard to specify and may depend on Bahamut's mood.
Tiamat & Bahamut
The same edition of Dungeons & Dragons that introduced Bahamut also introduced his antithesis. This opposite was named Tiamat, the Chromatic Dragon and Queen of Evil Dragons, as well as the mother and deity of all evil dragons. This pairing features prominently in the deity lore of the game, with Tiamat even being featured in the short-lived television cartoon version of the game.
This pairing of Tiamat and Bahamut as antithesis of each other has since recurred in other fantasy settings, with the most notable recent example occurring in Final Fantasy VIII. In each instance, Bahamut is always portrayed as benevolent, while Tiamat is portrayed as malevolent, largely in keeping with their historical origins.
References
- Grubb, Jeff. Manual of the Planes (TSR, 1987).
- Grubb, Jeff, Bruce R Cordell, and David Noonan. Manual of the Planes (Wizards of the Coast, 2001).
- Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual (TSR, 1977).
- Hickman, Tracy, and Margaret Weis. Dragonlance Adventures (TSR, 1987).
- McComb, Colin. On Hallowed Ground (TSR, 1996).
- Noonan, David. Complete Divine (Wizards of the Coast, 2004).
- Redman, Rich and James Wyatt. Defenders of the Faith (Wizards of the Coast, 2000).
- Redman, Rich, Skip Williams, and James Wyatt. Deities and Demigods (Wizards of the Coast, 2002).
- Sargent, Carl. Monster Mythology (TSR, 1992).
- Andy Colins, Skip Williams, and James Wyatt. Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons (Wizards of the Coast, 2003).
- Williams, Skip. Bahamut and Tiamat Dragon #272 (TSR, 2000).