I asked Brennan Lee Mulligan and Matt Mercer to invent some new fantasy deities

In 1768, Voltaire wrote “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him,” and boy, was he right (in the specific case of role-playing fantasy worlds). When Tolkien laid down the Ur-texts of modern fantasy fiction, he created a world where, just like in the myths and legends that influenced him, gods were absolutely real. They had desires and voices, and sometimes bodies. They acted on the world in ways that made faith unnecessary. You could see with your own eyes.

Dungeons & Dragons leaned in and heaped more deities into its Dungeon Masters’ guides. These days, it’s pretty much theological Fortnite. With the religious toothpaste out of the tube, establishing a pantheon and creation myth is a part of fantasy world-building 101. But Matt Mercer and Brennan Lee mulligan are doing it at a 400 level — at least. Their Exandria Unlimited Critical Role campaign follows the messy fallout of a war between gods, and the efforts of mortals to assert themselves against forces that seem beyond their control.

They seemed qualified for the task, so we did a little exercise. I gave them brief descriptions of fantasy worlds, and I asked them to create the gods that those worlds would worship. Even under pressure, they didn’t disappoint! Check out the video to enter Mouth World, the world where we are all bacteria living in a big mouth and we pray to the beneficent goddess SO’DAA.