In 1980 TSR, the maker of Dungeons and Dragons released a compendium of gods and deities. The book was called “Deities and Demigods.” It was intended to be the 1st Edition replacement for the OD&D booklet “Gods, Demigods and heroes.”
I had been using “Gods, Demigods and Heroes” in my campaign at the time. When this new book came out I rushed out to buy it. Of course, I rushed out to buy, just about anything TSR offered back then. But I had a special interest in this one. “Gods, Demigods and Heroes” was good for it’s time but was not nearly as complete as I would have hoped. None of the earlier edition books were that professionally made. They did not have the nice hard back covers and artwork that the 1st Edition books did. So I had high expectations. And I was not disappointed.
But included with all these different pantheons were to interesting ones I had not really heard of at that time. The Cthulhu mythos and the Melnibonean one. While I had read a little Edgar Allen Poe I had read absolutely no Lovecraft up to that point. So this was brand new to me. I had also read none of the Michael Moorcock stories about Elric and Lankhmar. Nor had I read any of Fritz Lieber’s work. Back in those days I did read quite a bit. Just not that much fantasy (other than TSR materials). I read Lord of the Rings back then. I guess that was as much fantasy literature as I needed.
The Myth of Cthulhu in Dungeons and Dragons
First let’s dispel the myth. TSR did not publish the Cthulhu without permission. They did not infringe upon the copyright. For specific information on this subject from the actual author of the Deities and Demigods tome James Ward I point you this Facebook post that he made regarding it.
I too have heard this story and had little reason to disbelieve it. After all…..TSR was often in and out of litigation in those days. So why not believe it? In any event. This one is not true.
So, Who or What, is Cthulhu?
Cthulhu is a fictional “cosmic entity” created by horror author H.P. Lovecraft and introduced in the short story “The Call of Cthulhu.” It was considered one of the “Great Old Ones” in the Lovecraft stories. He referred to these as cosmic entities but they were like deities in terms of their power and scope. Lovecraft depicts Cthulhu as being worshiped by cultists. It is sort of a giant octopus looking deity. In some ways it has the appearance of a dragon and in some ways looks almost human.
“The Call of Cthulu” was first published in Weird Tales in 1928. Cthulu is a malevolent entity. Deities and Demigods made him Chaotic Evil for purposes of game play. The premise behind Cthulhu is that he is trapped somehow but will eventually return. His worshipers are insane cultists hoping for this return.
Cthulhu in Dungeons and Dragons 1st Edition
In 1st Edition Cthulhu was a powerful god. He is a horrifying looking creature that you would not want to meet in a dark alley. And his stats were off the charts even for Greater Gods in the Deities and Demigods tome. He had 400 hit points and an armor class of 2. And he made 30 attacks per round. This effectively makes him one of the most powerful creatures or deities in that work. He was over 100 feet tall and could cast spells as a 20th level magic user. He regenerated 10 hit points per round and could simultaneously attack physically and psionically. And he can call up 10-100 of the deep ones to help him when needed.
Cthulhu in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition
While I am pretty sure this is not actual WOTC cannon there are some home brewed versions of Cthulhu for 5th Edition. One potential version you might consider is this:
- Cthulhu for 5E D&D Wiki
- DM Dave Version
Lovecraft in Dungeons and Dragons
Later in life I did read a little Lovecraft. I found it to be unusual and difficult to read. I much prefer Poe for horror. Or even some more modern authors. But if Lovecraft is your thing a campaign centered around Cthulhu and his mythos could be just the ticket.
If you enjoyed this article then perhaps you might enjoy these:
- Encumbrance
- Kobolds
- Staff of Power
- Gelatinous Cubes
- Vorpal Swords
- Mimics
- Assassins
- Tomb of Horrors
- Rust Monsters
Interesting article! Thanks for clearing up the confusion about the copyright infringement, I had only known the wrong version for all these years.
As a side comment, would you consider crediting the artists whose art you are using to illustrate this and other articles? Illustrating RPGs is not often a lucrative career, small things like crediting their efforts certainly helps more people aware of their art and services… which makes it just a little easier for them to continue making art for us to enjoy. Cheers!
I did not know about the copyright thing either until I began researching the article. I had always heard the other version of the story too.