RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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This subject came up this morning, after a session at Gamicon in Iowa City, and I got some insight on the situation from some GMs, but I'd like to (a) solicit a wider swath of opinions, and possibly (b) get an official ruling.
I'm playing a Neutral Inquisitor of Abadar. Over the last several play sessions, I've been feeling the character as coming across more and more sympathetic to NPCs and trying to save as many as possible. In other words, he's striking me more and more as Good-aligned.
Abadar won't allow a Neutral Good Inquisitor, and I don't particular feel that the character is Lawful Good. What should I do?
One GM suggested that I have the character commit a series of evil acts, to balance his alignment. Another suggestion was that I could just announce that the character had changed alignments between sessions, switched gods, possibly switched domain powers, and everything was handled in down time. Or that I play for a time with a character denied all of his Inquisitor powers as he's on a quest for his new deity. (I replied that I'm sure people in the PFS would be irritated, coming to sit down at a table and finding that I'd decided the "inquisitor" would be unable to contribute.)
One possible wrinkle: at first level, I chose to take the Judgement abilities as profane, rather than sacred, bonuses. According to the write-up in the APG, there's absolutely no way those can be changed, so I'd be a Good-aligned Inquisitor with profane bonuses.
Suggestions?
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First off, alignment isn't tracked. If you want you alignment to change, I would assume something off screen changes it. You could be a vicious hard ass in between sessions and stay neutral very easily.
If you don't picture yourself doing that, and you want an "in game" reason to stay neutral, you can always confess your obsessive benevolent streak to a priest of Abadar and have him cast the "I haven't been that bad but I'm drifting" version of Atonement and "reset" yourself to true Neutral.
The class description of the Inquisitor mentions an atonement for changing alignment beyond the acceptable parameters, even though the PFS OP Guide and the Atonement spell does not. In this case, I would think the class description would trump the old spell text, and nothing in the PFS OP Guide contradicts that that line in the Inquisitor's class description.
I'd feel a bit hinky if an inquisitor could change alignment and gods without any problems, but a druid or cleric gets hit hard for changing those things.
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Since a change of alignment to NG and prabably also a change of deity would require a rebuild of your character, that is not really an option as the rules are now.
If I where you I would keep playing that character as you have done up until now. True neutral characters are in deed allowed to perform acts of kindness - I bet your inquisitor does plenty of killing while adventuring to balance the scales.
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Yes, you should. Maybe give him some sort of deviant streak in the off-season. Maybe he like to go cow tipping or something. The difference between NG and N isn't so great you can't just wave it along. :D
The important thing is that you role-play him the way he feels. Don't limit yourself by some scribbles on a piece of paper!
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Ex-Inquisitors
An inquisitor who slips into corruption or changes to a prohibited alignment loses all spells and the judgment ability. She cannot thereafter gain levels as an inquisitor until she atones (see the atonement spell description).
If your character feels NG in his heart, he should act and be NG. Unfortunately Abadar frowns upon those who follow this path and will strip you of your spells and judgements. You can, however, find a new patron deity who is more in-line with your character's personal beliefs and ask for atonement.
In game terms, you can spend 950 gp and switch alignments and deities. (450 gp + 500 gp material component for the "Restore Class" version of the Atonement spell)
And in other terms, unless a GM calls you on it or notes on your chronicle that you are acting against your alignment in the same way they would do with someone acting evil, then you do not need to worry about it, unless, of course, it is messing with your roleplay concept of your character and it bothers you personally.
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And in other terms, unless a GM calls you on it or notes on your chronicle that you are acting against your alignment in the same way they would do with someone acting evil, then you do not need to worry about it, unless, of course, it is messing with your roleplay concept of your character and it bothers you personally.
Outside of doing something overtly evil, I have never seen a GM question the actions/alignment of a cleric/inquisitor being in line with their patron. But that does not mean that a serious player will not want to monitor their own actions. Kyle's idea seems the most reasonable and stays with the "feel" of the game.
Within the game, assuming that you haven't done anything blatantly evil or against the edicts against Abadar, just go to confession. It seems to work for the Catholics :-)|
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So I should just continue to play him as Neutral Good, while keeping "Neutral" on the character sheet?
That's a way of putting it. Unless Hyrum makes rebuild on account of alignment change legal, your legal options are pretty limited.
You could choose the change god and atone option but would have to chose a deity that grants you the same domains and is Neutrally aligned (in order to permit profane judgements).
The most important thing is that you have fun. If the current situation is actually spoiling your game experience, you should speak with your GM about it.
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Do you think that would switch profane bonuses to sacred bonuses, Kyle?
It would have to if your new deity did not have access to profane. And that creates a problem. As Diego said, you cannot rebuild your PC. I cannot locate a combination that would
(1) allow you to become NG, and(2) change to a deity within one step of NG that can grant profane, and
(3) has the same domains that you have now
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In game terms, you can spend 950 gp and switch alignments and deities. (450 gp + 500 gp material component for the "Restore Class" version of the Atonement spell)Do you think that would switch profane bonuses to sacred bonuses, Kyle?
It's not technically written anywhere that it would or wouldn't. The spirit of that spell is for that exact situation. I don't see it so much as "rebuilding" your character as much as "changing your faith."
We had a local cleric who worshipped Pharasma. He decided, after several levels, that Pharasma wasn't for him. He paid the ~3000gp for the clerical atonement and switched to Gozreh. It caused him to change domains, not sure about alignment.
edit: There's another local player who plays a high level cleric of Pharasma. There's always a lot of banter going on between the two about who's god is better and how the other one is a traitor, etc. All in good fun of course.
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You can't worship a good deity and get profane bonuses (or channel negative energy).But I see nothing stopping you from being good, worship a neutral deity and getting the profane bonus. Of course, that sounds a little cheesy.
Both clerics and inquisitors have passages stating that if you're good, you channel positive or have sacred bonuses. If you're evil you channel negative or have profane bonuses.
In both cases you only get to choose if you're neutral and your deity is neutral.
So I should just continue to play him as Neutral Good, while keeping "Neutral" on the character sheet?That's a way of putting it. Unless Hyrum makes rebuild on account of alignment change legal, your legal options are pretty limited.
You could choose the change god and atone option but would have to chose a deity that grants you the same domains and is Neutrally aligned (in order to permit profane judgements).
The most important thing is that you have fun. If the current situation is actually spoiling your game experience, you should speak with your GM about it.
It is only a rebuild if you are remaking everything about the character from level one and up. But if, for example, you have a 5th level cleric (or any other divine class) of Neutral alignment who follows an Evil deity and that deity decides you have been too good to stay a follower. That character would become a 5th level ex-cleric who is basically a fighter. Then when the character hits 6th level, he can choose to become a cleric again, but this time to a non-Evil deity, picking new domains, etc. This may not be what is wanted, but is about the only way to stay the same class and switch alignment and deity. Whether this character would be a multiclassed ex-cleric/cleric 5/1 or a 6th level cleric of the new deity is not covered in the Core Book but I am pretty sure I have seen this discussed in forum threads with official replies. I just don't remember the answers given.
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Whether this character would be a multiclassed ex-cleric/cleric 5/1 or a 6th level cleric of the new deity is not covered in the Core Book but I am pretty sure I have seen this discussed in forum threads with official replies. I just don't remember the answers given.
Ex-cleric is not a separate classe from cleric, so that would be a 6th level cleric.
Whether this character would be a multiclassed ex-cleric/cleric 5/1 or a 6th level cleric of the new deity is not covered in the Core Book but I am pretty sure I have seen this discussed in forum threads with official replies. I just don't remember the answers given.Ex-cleric is not a separate classe from cleric, so that would be a 6th level cleric.
Basically what I am saying by ex-cleric is "fighter with crappy hp, bab, etc, if you decide to not make your character a cleric of another deity. It is good that you do not have to start over again as a level 1 cleric for your new deity.
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One GM suggested that I have the character commit a series of evil acts, to balance his alignment.
I hate this definition of neutral. Who the heck goes around and kills someone for every person they save, just to maintain balance? I've seen people make this argument before and it's always struck me as just lame. If you want to make the neutral = balance argument, then you worry about the Forces of Good overcoming the Forces of Evil once and for all and establishing a Tyranny of Good. You don't go around pushing over old ladies because you saved a kitten; that's asinine.
For most folks neutral is just not caring that much. You see a burning house with some kids in it. You ask, "Do I know those kids?" No? I hope someone saves them, and walk away. You see a guy getting mugged and you turn your head. A hungry person asks for food and you tell her you don't have any change. That's Neutral. Not Good, but not actively Evil either. Just kinda' ambivalent, capable of occasional acts of good bit also really going out of the way to save strangers. A lot like most people in the RW.
Would Abadar, upset by your overemphasis on self-less do-gooding, really be placated by you committing evil acts? He's the god of laws for pity sake! If he's upset at all, it's because you're losing the big picture. As his inquisitor, you should be rooting out enemies of the church before they can do more harm. Your focus on saving individuals is drawing your attention away from the ending the menace to all. Sadly, a few innocents may die, but if you can end the threat quickly, you can save many, many more and restore calm and order to the city.
Choice 1) Just keep playing Neutral - no one really cares but you.
Choice 2) Atone occasionally.
Choice 3) Consider LG again. As an inquisitor, what's wrong with the idea that the highest good for the most people is within an ordered and functioning society? You don't have to be a jerk about it, all high and mighty. Just believe that laws help bring stability and protect the weak. NG might be fine for your average goody-two-shoes, but you understand that every person can't just go around doing what he or she wants. Can you think of a single example of a functioning CG society? Go ahead, go LG, and go ahead and keep saving people and bringing the wicked to justice.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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And after some thought and 950 gp for an atonement, the character has made his decision.
Self-indulgent ruminations
So he had a crisis of conscience, and respectfully resigned from the church of Abadar. He sought out a patron who would encourage his exploration and discoveries, and so he now considers himself an agent of the Empyreal Lord Sinashakti, the Walker of Worlds. And he's asked the local venture-captains to recommend him for the "Pathfinder Delver" program.
Recently, he shared a drink with one of Abadar's clergy, a fellow dwarf names Inchestus. "So, Kuldar, I understand that the Red Mantis folk don't care much for people what go around worshipping godlings an' half-powers."
"Yep. Life's never a smooth tunnel, 'Ches. But I prefer to keep my conflicts outside my soul."
and thanks to everyone for your help, and particularly to Mosaic, who put the issue in clear terms for me.
