Silvanus — Roman God of Woods, Fields and Rural Boundaries
Silvanus at a Glance
Tradition
Roman
Divine standing
Lesser Deity
Campaign alignment
True Neutral
Portfolio
Woods, fields, rural boundaries, hunters, pasture, farm margins and uncultivated edges
Sacred places
Woodland margins, boundary groves, farm edges, hunting paths and private rural shrines
Emblems
Pruning knife, pine branch, dog, boundary tree and rustic staff
Favoured weapon
Staff or spear
Hellenic equivalent
No exact one-to-one identity; Pan and other rustic powers overlap without replacing Silvanus.
Related Roman powers
Roman Pantheon · Woods · Fields · Rural Boundaries · Hunters · Pasture
Silvanus is a rustic Roman god of woods, fields, hunters and rural boundaries. He should not be flattened into Pan. Roman inscriptions and private shrines show a strongly local, practical god of land use and rural margins.
Divine Mechanics
Campaign Divine Tier 30 describes Silvanus’s setting-scale power. The 5.5e rules-facing form is an original epic extension at CR 32 with PB +9.
Silvanus — 5.5e Rules-Facing Form
Medium Celestial (Deity), Neutral
CR 32 (custom epic) · PB +9 · Campaign Divine Tier 30
AC 26 · HP 610 · Speed 50 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 (+10) | 26 (+8) | 30 (+10) | 24 (+7) | 30 (+10) | 24 (+7) |
Saving Throws Str +19, Con +19, Wis +19
Skills Animal Handling +17, Nature +17, Perception +17, Stealth +15, Survival +17
Damage Resistances poison, psychic, radiant; bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities Frightened, Poisoned
Senses Truesight 90 ft. · Languages all; telepathy 90 ft.
Traits
Legendary Resistance (5/Day). If Silvanus fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.
Rural Boundary. Silvanus always knows when a marked field, woodland or pasture boundary within 1 mile has been deliberately moved or destroyed.
Woodland Passage. Silvanus ignores Difficult Terrain made by plants, undergrowth and uneven natural ground.
Divine Spellcasting
Silvanus has access to every spell granted by the deity’s portfolio domains in the edition being used: Plant · Animal · Protection · Travel. Those spells are always prepared or available to the deity.
Actions
Multiattack. Silvanus makes three Rustic Spear attacks.
Rustic Spear. Attack: +19 to hit, reach 15 ft. or range 120 ft. Hit: 29 (4d8 + 11) piercing plus 18 (4d8) force damage.
The Wood Reclaims the Margin (Recharge 5–6). A 40-foot-radius area within 120 feet erupts with roots and young trees for 1 minute. Enemies make a DC 27 Strength save or become Restrained; the area is Difficult Terrain for hostile creatures.
Bonus Actions
Hunter’s Path. Silvanus and up to three allies within 60 feet move up to 20 feet without provoking Opportunity Attacks.
Reactions
Boundary Warning. When a creature within 60 feet crosses a line Silvanus has marked, he may stop its movement until it succeeds on a DC 27 Wisdom save.
Legendary Actions
- Move. Move up to half Speed.
- Divine Strike. Make one Rustic Spear attack.
- Call the Hounds (Costs 2). One enemy within 90 feet has Disadvantage on Stealth and cannot become hidden until the end of its next turn.
Silvanus — Pathfinder 1e
Campaign divine extension.
Benchmark CR 32 (custom epic). Emphasise terrain mastery, woodland movement, animal affinity, boundary awareness and rural protection.
Spell-Like Abilities. At will—commune with nature, freedom of movement, pass without trace; 3/day—control plants, find the path; 1/day—miracle.
Statistics
CR 32 (custom epic) · AC 50 · hp 820 · Fort +36 · Ref +32 · Will +36
Str 30 · Dex 26 · Con 30 · Int 24 · Wis 30 · Cha 24
Base Atk +32 · CMB +42 · CMD 92
Domain Access
Silvanus has full access to the deity’s linked portfolio domains in their Pathfinder-facing versions or clearly marked campaign adaptations.
Silvanus — D&D 3.5e
Lesser Deity; Divine Rank 9; Neutral Medium Outsider (Extraplanar)
Divine Rank 9 · DR 20/epic · SR 41 · Domain SLA caster level 19.
Salient Divine Abilities. Power of Nature, Divine Ranger, Divine Skill Focus and rank-appropriate rural or boundary abilities.
Statistics
Challenge benchmark 38. Ability scores may exceed 30 where the deity’s divine nature requires it; Divine Rank remains the primary measure of cosmic authority.
Domain Access
Silvanus can use every spell-like ability granted by the deity’s portfolio domains at the caster level determined by Divine Rank.
Silvanus in Roman Religion
Silvanus is a thoroughly rustic Roman god. Private individuals and associations dedicated shrines to him in Rome, while his imagery and inscriptions connect him with woods, countryside and practical rural life.
He overlaps with Pan only at the broadest level. Silvanus belongs to Roman farms, boundaries and working woodland rather than serving as a Latin label for a Greek goat-god.
What Is Silvanus Doing Right Now?
Landowners are clearing woods, enclosing commons and moving old field boundaries. Silvanus becomes active wherever the practical line between farm, pasture and wild ground is altered without regard for the people and creatures that depend on it.
He is not an enemy of cultivation. He is an enemy of careless expansion that destroys the margin keeping a rural landscape alive.
Worship in the Campaign Present
Hunters, shepherds, foresters, woodcutters and farmers maintain small Silvanus shrines. These are often private or collegial rather than grand state temples.
Offerings tend to be practical: first cuts of wood, wine, fruit, a repaired boundary marker or the safe return of a hunting dog.
Domains, Spells and Divine Gifts
Silvanus’s clergy favour Nature, Animal, Plant and Protection themes. Suitable spells include Animal Friendship, Pass without Trace, Speak with Animals, Plant Growth, Freedom of Movement, Commune with Nature and Find the Path.
Gift: Know the Margin
The devotee always knows when they cross from cultivated land into uncultivated woodland or pasture that has a recognised local boundary.
Gift: Hunter’s Quiet
Once per long rest, the devotee gains Advantage on Stealth and Survival checks in rural terrain for 1 hour.
Relics
The Boundary Pine
A living branch that points toward the nearest deliberately moved rural boundary marker.
The Forester’s Staff
It grows warm when its bearer is about to cut a healthy tree whose removal will destabilise the surrounding woodland.
Relationships
Diana governs wild sanctuary and hunting; Pomona the cultivated orchard; Faunus rural prophecy and untamed countryside; Terminus fixed boundaries. Silvanus occupies the practical ground between them.
Use Silvanus Tonight
The Boundary Trees Walk
A disputed estate wakes to find every old boundary tree standing fifty yards deeper into the landlord’s fields.
The Hunter Returns with No Shadow
A noble who ignored a woodland taboo comes home alive, but every dog refuses to approach him.
The New Road Grows Closed
Saplings rise across a military road every night no matter how often they are cut.
Divine Estate and Regional Effects
Where Silvanus’s presence is strong, a major sanctuary can project the following effects across roughly six miles. A small shrine normally manifests only one effect in a smaller area. Unless another divine power contests them, the effects fade over 1d10 days after the sanctuary is abandoned or desecrated.
The Edge Is Marked
The boundary between worked land and wild ground becomes physically obvious through changes in sound, scent and vegetation.
Livestock Settle
Healthy domestic animals within the region are less likely to panic from ordinary predators, storms or unfamiliar noises.
Trespass Leaves Signs
A creature deliberately crossing a consecrated rural boundary while hiding its passage leaves bent grass, bark scratches or displaced stones that remain visible for a day.
Deep Dive
Continue through the Roman Pantheon, Diana, Pomona. Follow the cult into Rome and wider Italy, or use the Cleric and Cleric Domains pages for player-facing worship.
Historical Sources and Rules Compatibility
- Sacella Silvani — private and collegial Silvanus shrines in Rome.
Historical cult material is separated from campaign invention. Silvanus is kept distinct from Pan.
Rules licensing. D&D 5.5e terminology derived from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 is used under CC BY 4.0 where applicable. Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e deity statistics on this page are original campaign conversions rather than official published deity stat blocks.