Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Killing a god in D&D isn't a dungeon encounter — it's how a campaign ends, and back in 1980 Deities & Demigods handed DMs that finale and buried it in a bestiary. Here's the right way to use killable gods, why most tables get it wrong, and why later editions threw the payoff out instead of fixing it.
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Most tables treat a god the way Deities & Demigods presented one: a stat block you drop in a room and grind down. That's the misuse, and the book set the trap by statting the gods exactly like monsters. The right use is the opposite. Killing a god is a campaign apex — the earned, terminal confrontation the whole campaign has been pointing at, the last thing that happens, not a random encounter. The myths the book drew from already knew it: Diomedes only wounds Ares with a goddess guiding his spear, and Fingolfin dies wounding Morgoth. We cover the trap, the right use, the open-table objection (apex means earned, not railroaded), and why later editions retreated to unkillable avatar-gods instead of teaching the buildup
The Tavern Rules: We’re here for B/X and OSR gaming. I use AI as a tool to help organize and format my notes, but every ruling and opinion is 100% Tenkar. Keep it civil, keep it old-school, or the bouncer will show you the door.
Basic Rules (Moldvay) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110274/d-d-basic-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?src=newest_print&affiliate_id=1446
Expert Rules (Marsh/Cook) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110792/d-d-expert-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?affiliate_id=1446
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0:00 The Throwaway God Fight Everybody Runs Wrong
1:35 1980: Deities & Demigods Stats Gods Like Monster Manual Entries
2:46 The Book Contradicts Itself — Awe and the Mortal/Divine Line
4:11 Why a God in Room 12 Is the Most Wasted Encounter in the Game
4:57 Killing a God Is a Campaign Apex, Not an Encounter
6:22 The Open-Table Objection: Apex Means Earned, Not Railroaded
7:59 How Later Editions Solved the Wrong Problem With Avatars
8:22 Forgotten Realms and the Unkillable God Retreat
8:58 Pick Your Campaign's God Now — Build Toward the Ending
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Master Minion: terrytaylor113, blahlbinoa, DeanSals1, dmakron, agilemonk6305, matthewsherman1183, DanTesch, douglaspearson9552, HalflingTorchbearer, murseoftheyear , tireddaddyof4267, yardofguiness
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youtube.com/channel/UCIdpAASpAI7vu-bZx6pP_mQ
#OSR #DnD #BXDnD #TTRPG #TenkarsTavern #DMTips
Killing a god in D&D isn't a dungeon encounter — it's how a campaign ends, and back in 1980 Deities & Demigods handed DMs that finale and buried it in a bestiary. Here's the right way to use killable gods, why most tables get it wrong, and why later editions threw the payoff out instead of fixing it.
🔥 JOIN THE MINIONS: youtube.com/@TenkarsTavern/join
Most tables treat a god the way Deities & Demigods presented one: a stat block you drop in a room and grind down. That's the misuse, and the book set the trap by statting the gods exactly like monsters. The right use is the opposite. Killing a god is a campaign apex — the earned, terminal confrontation the whole campaign has been pointing at, the last thing that happens, not a random encounter. The myths the book drew from already knew it: Diomedes only wounds Ares with a goddess guiding his spear, and Fingolfin dies wounding Morgoth. We cover the trap, the right use, the open-table objection (apex means earned, not railroaded), and why later editions retreated to unkillable avatar-gods instead of teaching the buildup
The Tavern Rules: We’re here for B/X and OSR gaming. I use AI as a tool to help organize and format my notes, but every ruling and opinion is 100% Tenkar. Keep it civil, keep it old-school, or the bouncer will show you the door.
Basic Rules (Moldvay) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110274/d-d-basic-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?src=newest_print&affiliate_id=1446
Expert Rules (Marsh/Cook) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110792/d-d-expert-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?affiliate_id=1446
Join The Tavern’s Discord Server (It's Free):
discord.gg/fReGmuD
Buy me a Beer!
ko-fi.com/tenkar
0:00 The Throwaway God Fight Everybody Runs Wrong
1:35 1980: Deities & Demigods Stats Gods Like Monster Manual Entries
2:46 The Book Contradicts Itself — Awe and the Mortal/Divine Line
4:11 Why a God in Room 12 Is the Most Wasted Encounter in the Game
4:57 Killing a God Is a Campaign Apex, Not an Encounter
6:22 The Open-Table Objection: Apex Means Earned, Not Railroaded
7:59 How Later Editions Solved the Wrong Problem With Avatars
8:22 Forgotten Realms and the Unkillable God Retreat
8:58 Pick Your Campaign's God Now — Build Toward the Ending
The Tavern uses affiliate links - using our affiliate links supports the channel without costing you anything extra.
Humble Bundle: humblebundleinc.sjv.io/da4WJ2
The Tavern’s Amazon Storefront: amzn.to/41Jm0oG
DriveThruRPG: drivethrurpg.com/en/?affiliate_id=1446
Fantasy Grounds VTT: affiliates.fantasygrounds.com/388855/15958
The Tavern uses Restream for its livestreams and its long-form videos. You can too! restream.io/join/g5Qpgr
The Tavern also uses VidIQ: vidiq.com/TenkarsTavern
Master Minion: terrytaylor113, blahlbinoa, DeanSals1, dmakron, agilemonk6305, matthewsherman1183, DanTesch, douglaspearson9552, HalflingTorchbearer, murseoftheyear , tireddaddyof4267, yardofguiness
Super Minion: Indigo Ro, DM Raptor, SinnerElla, Ryan Nilsson, Erik Wahlberg, Donalds Angry, COS Crafts, maxnomicon, Midnight Green, Rich3rd, Gladstone Pinheiro, Cecilia Souza, Joe Stone, boss bully boy, Marcelo Correia, Richard Hooper, ᄃΉΣMIᄃΛᄂᄃӨᄃӨПЦƬ, T Flo_Ijimisan, LawDawg, Unscripted ＆ Unchained, JimothyTimothy, Eupolemos, Jay, Martin Penny, im cafferty, Chris Burkhart, Douglas Pearson, Curt Gould, Matthew Sherman
youtube.com/channel/UCIdpAASpAI7vu-bZx6pP_mQ
#OSR #DnD #BXDnD #TTRPG #TenkarsTavern #DMTips
