Who is the god Ao?Is there any trace of Abeir as a separate entity from Toril, pre 4e?What do we know about the Alagondar dynasty up until the cataclysm?Warlock/Cleric: Would the Fiend and a God Get Along?What is the difference between a god and a primordial?Forgotten Realms God of the SeaWhat deity holds the Time Portfolio in Faerun's modern times (from the Time of Troubles to after the Second Sundering)?Is there a god of hating tyrannical gods or a god of hating magic?How do I make a god ally NPC for the party?Which Outer Planes are ruled over by a single god or entity in the Forgotten Realms?Who would be the closest to a god of wine in the Forgotten Realms?

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Who is the god Ao?


Is there any trace of Abeir as a separate entity from Toril, pre 4e?What do we know about the Alagondar dynasty up until the cataclysm?Warlock/Cleric: Would the Fiend and a God Get Along?What is the difference between a god and a primordial?Forgotten Realms God of the SeaWhat deity holds the Time Portfolio in Faerun's modern times (from the Time of Troubles to after the Second Sundering)?Is there a god of hating tyrannical gods or a god of hating magic?How do I make a god ally NPC for the party?Which Outer Planes are ruled over by a single god or entity in the Forgotten Realms?Who would be the closest to a god of wine in the Forgotten Realms?






.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;








6












$begingroup$


I have seen numerous mentions of "the Overgod" Ao but other then being obscenely powerful, I have not found any information on him.

So, who is Ao and what is his portfolio?










share|improve this question











$endgroup$









  • 2




    $begingroup$
    Out of curiosity: what resources have you come across, and what do they say about Ao?
    $endgroup$
    – convoliution
    9 hours ago

















6












$begingroup$


I have seen numerous mentions of "the Overgod" Ao but other then being obscenely powerful, I have not found any information on him.

So, who is Ao and what is his portfolio?










share|improve this question











$endgroup$









  • 2




    $begingroup$
    Out of curiosity: what resources have you come across, and what do they say about Ao?
    $endgroup$
    – convoliution
    9 hours ago













6












6








6





$begingroup$


I have seen numerous mentions of "the Overgod" Ao but other then being obscenely powerful, I have not found any information on him.

So, who is Ao and what is his portfolio?










share|improve this question











$endgroup$




I have seen numerous mentions of "the Overgod" Ao but other then being obscenely powerful, I have not found any information on him.

So, who is Ao and what is his portfolio?







dungeons-and-dragons lore forgotten-realms religions-and-deities






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 9 hours ago









Sdjz

22.1k6 gold badges109 silver badges165 bronze badges




22.1k6 gold badges109 silver badges165 bronze badges










asked 9 hours ago









Q PaulQ Paul

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1,4246 silver badges28 bronze badges










  • 2




    $begingroup$
    Out of curiosity: what resources have you come across, and what do they say about Ao?
    $endgroup$
    – convoliution
    9 hours ago












  • 2




    $begingroup$
    Out of curiosity: what resources have you come across, and what do they say about Ao?
    $endgroup$
    – convoliution
    9 hours ago







2




2




$begingroup$
Out of curiosity: what resources have you come across, and what do they say about Ao?
$endgroup$
– convoliution
9 hours ago




$begingroup$
Out of curiosity: what resources have you come across, and what do they say about Ao?
$endgroup$
– convoliution
9 hours ago










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes


















12












$begingroup$

This is found in the Faiths and Avatars sourcebook (p. 30):




Ao



(Lord Ao, the Hidden One)



Over-power of the Cosmos and Realmspace



PORTFOLIO: Creation of deities, maintenance of cosmic balance



[...]



Before the Time of Troubles, the question of who the gods answered to was a philosophical conundrum better suited to sages than priests. During the coming of the Avatars, however, it was revealed that the powers themselves had a deity, or at least a more powerful power who had the ability to chasten and punish them for their actions. This entity is Ao (AY-oh). He was present during the Time of Troubles, yet since that time has retreated to his home plane, dimension, or existence, and has not responded to mortal entreaties since (though one paladin claims to have seen him in a vision). [...]



Ao is the only over-power in Realmspace. Ao lies beyond the bounds of the rankings of deities’ powers in any way. He is considered to be more powerful than any other power and all powers combined. Ao has little concern for day-to-day mortal life, but he regards the powers of the Realms as his creations. He requires no worshipers and grants no spells to mortals. It is doubtful that he even listens to mortal prayers or pleas. He serves as a watcher and a guardian over the Realms from outside of its cosmos.




There is further information about the avatar (only seen once), but basically he is outside of everything.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$










  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I seem to recall reading in a Dragon article that Ao was a cheesey bit of word play on "the alpha and the omega" - and that Ao represents ... the DM. But it's been a long time and my memory of a source may be wrong.
    $endgroup$
    – KorvinStarmast
    9 hours ago







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    I don't have all the information handy, but it may be worth pointing out that AO appears in some of the novels. Offhand, he appears in Prince of Lies.
    $endgroup$
    – TimothyAWiseman
    8 hours ago


















3












$begingroup$

A good amount of information can be found in the Forgotten Realms wiki entry for Ao. To quote just the beginning of the wiki entry (it is far too large to reasonably quote everything in this answer):




Lord Ao, known as the Hidden One or the One Who Is Hidden, was the Overgod of the worlds of Abeir-Toril. As Overgod, all deities and primordials of Abeir and Toril, even those who also operated in other spheres and planes, such as Lolth, were subject to him.




The wiki entry includes details on history, personality, etc of Ao. As for your specific question of Ao's portfolio, it is only listed for the 2e tab as: "Creation of deities, maintenance of cosmic balance".



Being a wiki, this is fan-made and effectively anyone can contribute which may make the information not perfectly accurate. Fortunately, the article also includes a number of references from which the information was taken and that may provide more officially published details on Ao.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$

















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    2 Answers
    2






    active

    oldest

    votes








    2 Answers
    2






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes









    12












    $begingroup$

    This is found in the Faiths and Avatars sourcebook (p. 30):




    Ao



    (Lord Ao, the Hidden One)



    Over-power of the Cosmos and Realmspace



    PORTFOLIO: Creation of deities, maintenance of cosmic balance



    [...]



    Before the Time of Troubles, the question of who the gods answered to was a philosophical conundrum better suited to sages than priests. During the coming of the Avatars, however, it was revealed that the powers themselves had a deity, or at least a more powerful power who had the ability to chasten and punish them for their actions. This entity is Ao (AY-oh). He was present during the Time of Troubles, yet since that time has retreated to his home plane, dimension, or existence, and has not responded to mortal entreaties since (though one paladin claims to have seen him in a vision). [...]



    Ao is the only over-power in Realmspace. Ao lies beyond the bounds of the rankings of deities’ powers in any way. He is considered to be more powerful than any other power and all powers combined. Ao has little concern for day-to-day mortal life, but he regards the powers of the Realms as his creations. He requires no worshipers and grants no spells to mortals. It is doubtful that he even listens to mortal prayers or pleas. He serves as a watcher and a guardian over the Realms from outside of its cosmos.




    There is further information about the avatar (only seen once), but basically he is outside of everything.






    share|improve this answer











    $endgroup$










    • 1




      $begingroup$
      I seem to recall reading in a Dragon article that Ao was a cheesey bit of word play on "the alpha and the omega" - and that Ao represents ... the DM. But it's been a long time and my memory of a source may be wrong.
      $endgroup$
      – KorvinStarmast
      9 hours ago







    • 1




      $begingroup$
      I don't have all the information handy, but it may be worth pointing out that AO appears in some of the novels. Offhand, he appears in Prince of Lies.
      $endgroup$
      – TimothyAWiseman
      8 hours ago















    12












    $begingroup$

    This is found in the Faiths and Avatars sourcebook (p. 30):




    Ao



    (Lord Ao, the Hidden One)



    Over-power of the Cosmos and Realmspace



    PORTFOLIO: Creation of deities, maintenance of cosmic balance



    [...]



    Before the Time of Troubles, the question of who the gods answered to was a philosophical conundrum better suited to sages than priests. During the coming of the Avatars, however, it was revealed that the powers themselves had a deity, or at least a more powerful power who had the ability to chasten and punish them for their actions. This entity is Ao (AY-oh). He was present during the Time of Troubles, yet since that time has retreated to his home plane, dimension, or existence, and has not responded to mortal entreaties since (though one paladin claims to have seen him in a vision). [...]



    Ao is the only over-power in Realmspace. Ao lies beyond the bounds of the rankings of deities’ powers in any way. He is considered to be more powerful than any other power and all powers combined. Ao has little concern for day-to-day mortal life, but he regards the powers of the Realms as his creations. He requires no worshipers and grants no spells to mortals. It is doubtful that he even listens to mortal prayers or pleas. He serves as a watcher and a guardian over the Realms from outside of its cosmos.




    There is further information about the avatar (only seen once), but basically he is outside of everything.






    share|improve this answer











    $endgroup$










    • 1




      $begingroup$
      I seem to recall reading in a Dragon article that Ao was a cheesey bit of word play on "the alpha and the omega" - and that Ao represents ... the DM. But it's been a long time and my memory of a source may be wrong.
      $endgroup$
      – KorvinStarmast
      9 hours ago







    • 1




      $begingroup$
      I don't have all the information handy, but it may be worth pointing out that AO appears in some of the novels. Offhand, he appears in Prince of Lies.
      $endgroup$
      – TimothyAWiseman
      8 hours ago













    12












    12








    12





    $begingroup$

    This is found in the Faiths and Avatars sourcebook (p. 30):




    Ao



    (Lord Ao, the Hidden One)



    Over-power of the Cosmos and Realmspace



    PORTFOLIO: Creation of deities, maintenance of cosmic balance



    [...]



    Before the Time of Troubles, the question of who the gods answered to was a philosophical conundrum better suited to sages than priests. During the coming of the Avatars, however, it was revealed that the powers themselves had a deity, or at least a more powerful power who had the ability to chasten and punish them for their actions. This entity is Ao (AY-oh). He was present during the Time of Troubles, yet since that time has retreated to his home plane, dimension, or existence, and has not responded to mortal entreaties since (though one paladin claims to have seen him in a vision). [...]



    Ao is the only over-power in Realmspace. Ao lies beyond the bounds of the rankings of deities’ powers in any way. He is considered to be more powerful than any other power and all powers combined. Ao has little concern for day-to-day mortal life, but he regards the powers of the Realms as his creations. He requires no worshipers and grants no spells to mortals. It is doubtful that he even listens to mortal prayers or pleas. He serves as a watcher and a guardian over the Realms from outside of its cosmos.




    There is further information about the avatar (only seen once), but basically he is outside of everything.






    share|improve this answer











    $endgroup$



    This is found in the Faiths and Avatars sourcebook (p. 30):




    Ao



    (Lord Ao, the Hidden One)



    Over-power of the Cosmos and Realmspace



    PORTFOLIO: Creation of deities, maintenance of cosmic balance



    [...]



    Before the Time of Troubles, the question of who the gods answered to was a philosophical conundrum better suited to sages than priests. During the coming of the Avatars, however, it was revealed that the powers themselves had a deity, or at least a more powerful power who had the ability to chasten and punish them for their actions. This entity is Ao (AY-oh). He was present during the Time of Troubles, yet since that time has retreated to his home plane, dimension, or existence, and has not responded to mortal entreaties since (though one paladin claims to have seen him in a vision). [...]



    Ao is the only over-power in Realmspace. Ao lies beyond the bounds of the rankings of deities’ powers in any way. He is considered to be more powerful than any other power and all powers combined. Ao has little concern for day-to-day mortal life, but he regards the powers of the Realms as his creations. He requires no worshipers and grants no spells to mortals. It is doubtful that he even listens to mortal prayers or pleas. He serves as a watcher and a guardian over the Realms from outside of its cosmos.




    There is further information about the avatar (only seen once), but basically he is outside of everything.







    share|improve this answer














    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer








    edited 4 hours ago









    V2Blast

    33.3k5 gold badges120 silver badges208 bronze badges




    33.3k5 gold badges120 silver badges208 bronze badges










    answered 9 hours ago









    JohnPJohnP

    4,7534 gold badges26 silver badges54 bronze badges




    4,7534 gold badges26 silver badges54 bronze badges










    • 1




      $begingroup$
      I seem to recall reading in a Dragon article that Ao was a cheesey bit of word play on "the alpha and the omega" - and that Ao represents ... the DM. But it's been a long time and my memory of a source may be wrong.
      $endgroup$
      – KorvinStarmast
      9 hours ago







    • 1




      $begingroup$
      I don't have all the information handy, but it may be worth pointing out that AO appears in some of the novels. Offhand, he appears in Prince of Lies.
      $endgroup$
      – TimothyAWiseman
      8 hours ago












    • 1




      $begingroup$
      I seem to recall reading in a Dragon article that Ao was a cheesey bit of word play on "the alpha and the omega" - and that Ao represents ... the DM. But it's been a long time and my memory of a source may be wrong.
      $endgroup$
      – KorvinStarmast
      9 hours ago







    • 1




      $begingroup$
      I don't have all the information handy, but it may be worth pointing out that AO appears in some of the novels. Offhand, he appears in Prince of Lies.
      $endgroup$
      – TimothyAWiseman
      8 hours ago







    1




    1




    $begingroup$
    I seem to recall reading in a Dragon article that Ao was a cheesey bit of word play on "the alpha and the omega" - and that Ao represents ... the DM. But it's been a long time and my memory of a source may be wrong.
    $endgroup$
    – KorvinStarmast
    9 hours ago





    $begingroup$
    I seem to recall reading in a Dragon article that Ao was a cheesey bit of word play on "the alpha and the omega" - and that Ao represents ... the DM. But it's been a long time and my memory of a source may be wrong.
    $endgroup$
    – KorvinStarmast
    9 hours ago





    1




    1




    $begingroup$
    I don't have all the information handy, but it may be worth pointing out that AO appears in some of the novels. Offhand, he appears in Prince of Lies.
    $endgroup$
    – TimothyAWiseman
    8 hours ago




    $begingroup$
    I don't have all the information handy, but it may be worth pointing out that AO appears in some of the novels. Offhand, he appears in Prince of Lies.
    $endgroup$
    – TimothyAWiseman
    8 hours ago













    3












    $begingroup$

    A good amount of information can be found in the Forgotten Realms wiki entry for Ao. To quote just the beginning of the wiki entry (it is far too large to reasonably quote everything in this answer):




    Lord Ao, known as the Hidden One or the One Who Is Hidden, was the Overgod of the worlds of Abeir-Toril. As Overgod, all deities and primordials of Abeir and Toril, even those who also operated in other spheres and planes, such as Lolth, were subject to him.




    The wiki entry includes details on history, personality, etc of Ao. As for your specific question of Ao's portfolio, it is only listed for the 2e tab as: "Creation of deities, maintenance of cosmic balance".



    Being a wiki, this is fan-made and effectively anyone can contribute which may make the information not perfectly accurate. Fortunately, the article also includes a number of references from which the information was taken and that may provide more officially published details on Ao.






    share|improve this answer









    $endgroup$



















      3












      $begingroup$

      A good amount of information can be found in the Forgotten Realms wiki entry for Ao. To quote just the beginning of the wiki entry (it is far too large to reasonably quote everything in this answer):




      Lord Ao, known as the Hidden One or the One Who Is Hidden, was the Overgod of the worlds of Abeir-Toril. As Overgod, all deities and primordials of Abeir and Toril, even those who also operated in other spheres and planes, such as Lolth, were subject to him.




      The wiki entry includes details on history, personality, etc of Ao. As for your specific question of Ao's portfolio, it is only listed for the 2e tab as: "Creation of deities, maintenance of cosmic balance".



      Being a wiki, this is fan-made and effectively anyone can contribute which may make the information not perfectly accurate. Fortunately, the article also includes a number of references from which the information was taken and that may provide more officially published details on Ao.






      share|improve this answer









      $endgroup$

















        3












        3








        3





        $begingroup$

        A good amount of information can be found in the Forgotten Realms wiki entry for Ao. To quote just the beginning of the wiki entry (it is far too large to reasonably quote everything in this answer):




        Lord Ao, known as the Hidden One or the One Who Is Hidden, was the Overgod of the worlds of Abeir-Toril. As Overgod, all deities and primordials of Abeir and Toril, even those who also operated in other spheres and planes, such as Lolth, were subject to him.




        The wiki entry includes details on history, personality, etc of Ao. As for your specific question of Ao's portfolio, it is only listed for the 2e tab as: "Creation of deities, maintenance of cosmic balance".



        Being a wiki, this is fan-made and effectively anyone can contribute which may make the information not perfectly accurate. Fortunately, the article also includes a number of references from which the information was taken and that may provide more officially published details on Ao.






        share|improve this answer









        $endgroup$



        A good amount of information can be found in the Forgotten Realms wiki entry for Ao. To quote just the beginning of the wiki entry (it is far too large to reasonably quote everything in this answer):




        Lord Ao, known as the Hidden One or the One Who Is Hidden, was the Overgod of the worlds of Abeir-Toril. As Overgod, all deities and primordials of Abeir and Toril, even those who also operated in other spheres and planes, such as Lolth, were subject to him.




        The wiki entry includes details on history, personality, etc of Ao. As for your specific question of Ao's portfolio, it is only listed for the 2e tab as: "Creation of deities, maintenance of cosmic balance".



        Being a wiki, this is fan-made and effectively anyone can contribute which may make the information not perfectly accurate. Fortunately, the article also includes a number of references from which the information was taken and that may provide more officially published details on Ao.







        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        answered 9 hours ago









        SdjzSdjz

        22.1k6 gold badges109 silver badges165 bronze badges




        22.1k6 gold badges109 silver badges165 bronze badges






























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