Mannus
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| Mannus | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oaken Spear (Point Upwards) or the Futhark rune for Man | ||
| Aliases | Father of Man | |
| Alignment | True Neutral | |
| Divine Rank | Lesser God | |
| Pantheon | Anglo-Saxon | |
| Portfolio | Humans | |
| Domains | All, Combat, Creation, Guardian, Protection | |
| Home Plane | Material Plane | |
| Worshippers | Anglo-Saxons | |
| Favoured Weapon | Spear | |
Mannus is the Anglo-Saxon God of Humanity in Dungeons & Dragons. Like the rest of his pantheon, he was introduced to the D&D multiverse in the article "Hearth & Sword" in Dragon Magazine #263 for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition.
The consort of Nerthus, Mannus was the creator of humanity, and his interests lie solely in studying and championing their development; he constantly requires humanity to test and prove itself by seeking ever greater achievements. In this, he is a neutral arbiter; those who succeed and surpass their fellows might receive his blessing; those who do not are ignored and denied his protection. He is thusly a major impetus for the development and betterment of men, as his children strive to retain the good will of their father.
The article doesn't talk about how Mannus would integrate into your typical mixed-race D&D world, sadly, so you gotta figure that out for yourself. Maybe he's the creator of all humanoid races, and seeks to test them all, with normal "racial champion" gods like Moradin, Corellon or Yondalla being children of Mannus who seek to promote and champion their specific race above all others.
To go amongst mortals, Mannus appears as either a wandering scholar/tutor carrying an oaken staff and wearing a set of simple brown robes, or as a spear-wielding warrior of kingly bearing, in a chain hauberk and closed-face helm. As a scholar, he singles out humans of achievement for his divine counsel and tutelage. As a warrior, he may sometimes manifest in battle to fight on the side he favors. He has also been known to take the form of an owl circling a battlefield, in which form he can bless and curse those who catch his attention.
His dogma is simple; People are not perfect, but must constantly strive to be so. Those given to complacency or sloth are cursed in the eyes of their god.
His most prominent ceremony is the holy day of Modranect, the New Year Festival. Mannus' priests preside over the festival as vows and promises are taken by the community for their achievements in the coming year.
Priesthood[edit]
Clerics of Mannus are the inspirational personages within their community, advising people to further their goals and improve their standards of living. They are not afraid to argue for war to achieve this, and that means they are occasionally at odds with the clerics of the goddesses Nerthus and Eostre, who oppose this ideology. Despite this, they always command great respect, and are invariably busy; driving themselves and their communities to better and bolder achievements fills most of their time. They teach that people always should always set ever-higher goals for themselves, preaching that Mannus will guide and protect only those who aim the highest.
To become a specialty priest of Mannus has the following requirements:
- Wisdom 9+, Charisma 10+
- Can wield any weapon.
- Must take Proficiency in Spear
- Major Spheres: All, Combat, Creation, Guardian, Protection
- Minor Spheres: Charm, War
- Priests of Mannus may not possess a nonweapon proficiency with a target number lower than 14. If the relevant ability, with its check modifier, provides a target of less than 14, the priest must spend enough slots to raise the target to 14 or more.
- Special Abilities:
- From 3rd level, a priest may instantly know the current standing of any individual as viewed in the eyes of Mannus.
- From 3rd level, any spell cast against an individual out of favor with Mannus carries a -1 saving throw penalty.
- From 5th level, the priest may grant a special Blessing that grants a +2 bonus, which they may do 1/day per 5 levels. This Blessing only functions on individuals in favor with Mannus.
- From 8th level, all beneficial spells cast by the priest upon one favored by Mannus are at double potency in terms of bonuses applied.
- From 12th level, the priest may attempt to bring Mannus' attention to an individual worthy of special attention, either positively or negatively. DM's prerogrative on if this actually does anything.