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PostPosted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 8:54 pm 
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Deities are the base Pathfinder ones, but yeah, they aren't on that free SRD. How about this, wanna build a deity with me Demento? I was hoping to build some custom deities and spells anyways. So, what'dya say?

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PostPosted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 9:06 pm 
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Sounds like a plan. I'm still working on the fluff (er...backstory) of my character, but the ist is that he is very, very vengeant. So his alignment will probably be Lawful Neutral, and he is probably following a deity with a very strong sense of right and wrong.

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PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 4:05 am 
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So, to work with ya on alignment, I was thinking of making the deity Lawful Good then. That way it would be in character for him/her to push your character to do what it feels is the right thing to do. Do you know what race you're going with?

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PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 5:08 am 
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The plan is Half-Orc, because I'm milking every Intimidate bonus possible.

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PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 1:20 pm 
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Okay, that works. So far we have:

Name: ???
Titles: ???
Alignment: Lawful Good
Domains: ???
Favored Weapon: ???
Holy Symbol: ???
Worshipers: ???
Other: +2 to Intimidate checks during combat.

So, do you see your deity as male / female / androgynous? What kind of an attitude does he / she / it have? I added in a small something for your Intimidate, how would that tie into a deity's overall personality? We also have to think about domains. Here are all the commonly used domains in Pathfinder:

Air
Animal
Artifice
Chaos
Charm
Community
Darkness
Death
Destruction
Earth
Evil
Fire
Glory
Good
Healing
Knowledge
Law
Liberation
Luck
Madness
Magic
Nobility
Plant
Protection
Repose
Rune
Scalykind
Strength
Sun
Travel
Trickery
Void
War
Water
Weather

So, based on personality of your Lawful Good deity who is intimidating, what kind of domains would you like to see him / her / it have?

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PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 7:38 pm 
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How many domains does a god get? Lawful and Good both seem important, but besides that I feel that we need to dig into why this God is so judgmental (like gods really need a reason...). So I'm thinking the Nobility Domain makes sense here to represent a strong dedication to class hierarchy, and the rigid assumption of duties within that hierarchy. Besides that, I feel like War, Protection, or Glory domains could all fit depending on where we take this God. I imagine this god as the paragon of Feudalism, and all three of those concepts were play into the concept.

Going from there, I think an Intimidate bonus would fit best with a War Domain, however, I don't know if your generous offer of an intimidate bonus here is really necessary. After all, my character is only one (fairly damaged) adherent out of presumably thousands. He prefers to work through Intimidation, but that doesn't have to be the norm.

As for Male/Female, I currently Imagine this God as Male, but this is your world Squinty, and if you imagine your God Queen of all Queens as female, go for it.

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PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 8:11 pm 
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For the record the number of Domains a god grants his follows fluctuates slightly from deity to deity but for the most part it averages out at about five; usually two reflecting the deities alignment (Law and Good in this case) with the rest reflecting their areas of power/interest.

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 1:25 am 
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So, you wanted a warrior king? Okay, but much like the old fairy tales, they aren't going to be completely holy warriors. I've chosen his Domains, which are: Destruction, Good, Law, Madness, Protection, War. I'll explain them a bit. Good and Law are easy, it's his alignment. War and Protection came from him going to war over a woman. Destruction and Madness were what followed when he failed to save her. The [unnamed] deity didn't lash out with the Destruction and Madness, but it was more of an inner turmoil after the fact, and long after his ascension into being a deity. Which is the basic outline for his personality, though not 100% of it is going to be translated for his followers, but more about going to the ends of the world and doing everything in your power to set things right, even to your own end.

So far we have:

Name: ???
Titles: ???
Alignment: Lawful Good
Domains: Destruction, Good, Law, Madness, Protection, War
Favored Weapon: ???
Holy Symbol: ???
Worshipers: ???
Other: +2 to Intimidate checks during combat.

Now, what style weapon do you see the deity wielding? I was actually thinking a spiked shield might be appropriate.

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 4:12 am 
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Hmmm, the emphasis of my thinking wasn't really warrior-king, but more of an ultimate authority in a long line of authorities (but yeah he would have been a warrier-king). Still, I like the direction you are taking it in more. However, I have a slightly different twist on it, perhaps the destructive domain is more in line with his original personality, where he was much more of a chaotic good crusader and righter of wrongs. However, at the climax of his grand quest to save his love he accidentally strikes her down and in his grief the madness sets in, and so he constructs a very rigid code of conduct to keep himself from hurting the innocent. It is within this code of conduct that he seeks justice and dares not stray from it lest his madness to terrible things (And I've just described the plot of Dexter...*).

More in keeping with your idea, I imagine him having a book of grudges a la dwarves in Warhammer that he is eternally seeking to settle while he continues to add to the list.

As for a favored weapon... Spiked shield does make some sense, but I don't know how weapony it is. I was thinking that the personification of lawful vengeance would probably be an executioner's axe (perhaps he wields the axe used to kill his love in penitence?).

*My alternate plot idea was that the madness came first (curse perhaps?) and as he realized it was slowly poisoning him, he constructed his rigid code of conduct while he was still sane so that he would still not harm the innocent even after he lost all sense of right or wrong. I realized that this was pretty much the plot arc of the main character in the Wheel of Time series.**

**I've also noticed that I seem to be fascinated with characters who become lawful because they fear themselves.

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 5:02 am 
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I can accept a Battleaxe as an act of penance. Also, as a note about the Intimidate bonus, it on;y works during combat, so it might not be as much of a benefit as it seems right away. It's mostly that you appear extra ferocious in combat. As far as the story ideas, I'll mull them over, but his base personality needs to match the Lawful aspect, and I'm not sure if changing himself late in life fuels that for me. Not that it was a bad suggestion at all.

So far we have:

Name: ???
Titles: ???
Alignment: Lawful Good
Domains: Destruction, Good, Law, Madness, Protection, War
Favored Weapon: Battleaxe
Holy Symbol: ???
Worshipers: ???
Other: +2 to Intimidate checks during combat.

Next up, we need to figure out his holy symbol. I really don't want to commit to the exact storyline right away since I need to make sure it fits into the world as it is now, so I don't think I want it to relate to his lost love. I was thinking that the holy symbols need to be both elegant and simple based on personality and the like. To that end, he is a warrior king, and a crown with a sword through it seems too on the nose. Thoughts on a better symbol?

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 5:11 am 
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An eye in a shield for a vigilant protector?

Actually, intimidate bonuses during combat are probably the most useful for me, because thats when overkill matters.

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 5:22 am 
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Shield.... eye.... crown.... sword.... it's all just incredibly.... cliche. I have no idea what to do about the symbol...

Also, we need a name (proper) for him, as well as a couple of titles. Thoughts?

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 5:46 am 
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I prefer "classic" to cliche (but you are absolutely right). However, its kind of hard to be creative without nailing down the back story, I mean, the symbol could be a fish, but that would kind of out of place if there wasn't a reason for it. (Although I just had the idea that he could have multiple holy symbols depending on the context. For example, Inquisitors might have a symbol in the shape of a spear point as they are the tools of his wrath, while a clergyman or guard might wear a simple circle to represent his protective embrace. Of course, this is only an excuse to have a Star Trek Communicator as my holy symbol, so don't take it seriously)

As for name, I feel like you would be best able to make something that fits with your world (Which is to say, I think I can foist off making up NPC names on the GM). As for titles... In order of most to least likely said to his face:

Oathkeeper
Scion of Vengeance
The Grey Knight
The Cursed King
The Mad Lover

Edit: I don't know if this really works as a holy symbol, since it can't be represented pictographically very well, but a totem for his worship could be a rock that has been broken and then bound back together with rope or other means (presumably varying by practitioner). Broken but still as strong as the will to hold it together.

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 3:25 pm 
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For me, he missed his Oath since he failed to save his lover, Scion feels too much like a title for someone still adventuring and not a deity, though the rest fit his wheelhouse fairly well. I'm going with a variance on your style with "The Razing Lord." He did fight and destroy during his war to save his lover, so it reflects the battle aspect of his soul. I wanted something that said something about his alignment as well, so I'm also going with "The Archangel of Oaths." For me, it encompasses his good nature, his warlord side as well as the fire in his heart to go as far as possible to keep an oath, even if he can't fulfill it.

For the holy symbol, I had a thought on it I'd rather enjoy seeing. What about a gold vial hung around it's wearer's neck under their clothing filled with an ounce of their lover's blood and sealed permanently? Something about carrying an actual piece of the reason you fight tied to your body feels like something he might be okay with.

So far we have:

Name: ???
Titles: The Razing Lord, The Archangel of Oaths
Alignment: Lawful Good
Domains: Destruction, Good, Law, Madness, Protection, War
Favored Weapon: Battleaxe
Holy Symbol: ???
Worshipers: ???
Other: +2 to Intimidate checks during combat.

Now, what will his worshipers believe / know about him? What will their practices be? How dot hey pray?

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 9:01 pm 
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For the level of knowledge the worshiper's know, I think that goes in your hands so you can give yourself of plot hooks if you so choose. For practice, I imagine two "levels" of worship:

1: Customary tributes that have worked their way into everyday life, I imagine his name would be invoked in marriages, non-economic pacts, and as a general curse. I imagine many guardhouses would have a small shrine to him as well.

2. The Bloodsworn, these are the people who have been betrayed so badly that they take up an oath of vengeance. Their holy symbols contain the blood of whoever they are trying to avenge and has performed special rituals on it so that the vial cannot be removed or broken until they have found justice. Of course, many Bloodsworn find themselves unable to fulfill their oath, and it is considered an acceptable outlet to devote themselves to the public good. However, their holy symbols still cannot be removed and they will take them too their death and beyond (Perhaps to continue their quest in the afterlife).

As a couple things to add to the holy symbol idea, I imagine that it would be traditional to exchange vials of blood at weddings much like wedding rings are customary today. I also imagine that it is considered bad luck to be buried wearing your holy symbol because of their association with the Bloodsworn and unfulfilled lives. Instead they would be placed in a small pouch or some such and laid on the deceased chest.

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 12:17 am 
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So, notes on the world I don't think I've mentioned before:

Marriage - (taken from Brent Weeks), The married couple are given magic rings that are forced into an section of their ears that is not already pierced. The rings are crafted by mages and are attuned to each other, and it enables the wedded couple to feel each other's emotions no matter the distance. Cheaper sets of rings are available to the lower class, and because they are used in all major cities they are made affordable by most local governments. There are more expensive versions that enable stronger emotions as well as some communication of thought, though those are generally reserved for nobility.

Death - Upon death, the bodies are pyred. No exceptions are made in cities and villages, because allowing a body to be laid to rest means they are available for necromancy. Necromancers do have access to fresh bodies, but mostly it's by bandits and others who live outside the law and cities who don't follow such rigorous customs. But far and wide, you burn the bodies and do anything else you can think of necessary to prevent them from rising from the ashes and come attacking your homes.

So far we have:

Name: Jocasta Liiya
Titles: The Razing Lord, The Archangel of Oaths
Alignment: Lawful Good
Domains: Destruction, Good, Law, Madness, Protection, War
Favored Weapon: Battleaxe
Holy Symbol: A sealed metal vial containing their lover's blood
Other Notes: +2 to Intimidate checks during combat.
Worshipers: Generally soldiers and other warriors take an oath to follow Jocasta, as he guides them in a path of righteousness as well as strength. The strongest among them are often the leaders of the local "church," which is generally the armory of the location. Jocasta is known to guide his followers in crusades chasing after justice. Swearing an oath to Jocasta often results in a lifelong journey for the warrior, though the duration of that life is often very short as they find an end to their struggle one way or another.

What do you think of this for your deity?

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 2:54 am 
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I feel like we still need to define what heresy means to Jocasta, because as an inquisitor, it would be nice to know my technical job.

My guess is that Inquisitors of Jocasta are somewhat given free reign to go after lawbreakers, but they are specifically sworn to hunt down oathbreakers. Then it just becomes how they become aware of Oathbreakers, is there a formal system of appeal? Do they hang out in taverns and rely on word of mouth to get them started? Does Jocasta visit them in visions to tell them of broken oaths? DO inquisitors inquisit something else?

Also, just to get this hammered out, while marriage and burial rituals are already covered, are in favored of Bloodsworn Ritual or do you want to tone down the melodrama a bit?

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 3:45 am 
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Actually, Inquisitors have a fairly specific job in the world: They are mercenary detectives. They take on jobs to determine the truth, usually for cities or nobles, but others have been known to hire them. Generally, they won't dispense justice unless it is part of their contract or if their deity asks them to, though that can be a bit ambiguous.

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 4:11 am 
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Ok, so Inquisitor in the slightly more archaic sense of the word, I like that. I'm not sure what my partner is looking for in this campaign (or what you have planned), but I would totally be up for a buddy cop duo (I dibs bad cop, although my partner may choose badder cop if he wishes to).

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 11:04 am 
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Speaking of which, Garren, how is your character coming?

Also, Demento, have you tried out Myth-Weavers? It's a good website with most character sheets, and if you link us in we can view your character if you need help. That and I should have a link to your character just for my own DM knowledge.

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