paizo.com - Silver Crusade: A slightly different Infernal healing take.

Dexios "Dex" Luxan RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8

Dec 17, 2012, 08:15 AM

OOC: Yes I know that there's no penalty from accepting infernal healing even for Paladins. I'm not challenging the rules, just a longer answer from Saturday when we were short on time. Dex wouldn't shut up.
Recently, a fellow Society member asked me why I would refuse infernal healing. She thought it strange that as a hellspawn, I’d not want to ‘benefit’ from this spell. Our time was short, so I simply deferred it as a personal choice. If I had time to elaborate, I’d have told her the following:

Spoiler:

Little Summer-Kin, it matters not what form one’s soul walks their life in, the highest celestial can fall, the lowest from the pit can rise. What matters is what we do. That is what Pharasma judges us on, not how light or dark your skin is, not if you are human or gnome, tiefling or aasimar. Some see my serving the Lady as a mockery of her faith; others see me as inspiring, defying my ‘nature’ to serve the forces of the light. Neither is true. The Lady accepts my service, and grants me her gifts, regardless of whatever ‘dalliances’ my ancestors may have indulged in. I am no more bound to the infernal in my blood than you are to the song of the first world thrumming in your veins.

Would it be easier to be as others expect me to be? To be the devil inside as well as out? Maybe, the easy path is not often the correct one.

Now to that end, why would I accept infernal healing? Why would I taint my soul, even temporarily with the blood of devils, or water blessed by a priest of the pit? The Lady might forgive me, but could I forgive myself? Or worse, what if I accept the profane gift, and still die before I can repent the action. Can one truly repent the actions that one actively took, knowing the consequences?

“But the evil is only a temporary thing. It doesn’t last.” I hear many of my fellow Pathfinders, even those who serve the Lady in all her forms, say the same. Folly I say. How can anyone believe that accepting a taint, willingly, eagerly, does not have any lasting effect? Because the spell comes from wizards? Feh, I say. Why does it matter where the spell comes from, when it is founded by the Lord of Lies? Many a Pathfinder has refused to do things they find objectionable, considering who the orders came from.

So in the end, my companion, I will not take the ‘blessings’ from the Lord of Lies, whether it be from priest or wizard. Will it shorten my time on the mortal plane? Maybe, for can any see the future since Aroden’s death? Will it allow me to meet the Lady in the next life and truthfully say I lived up to her ideals? Yes.

Just wondering how many people turn down infernal healing for character reasons? It's like not doing Chel missions in season 0-1 scenarios because you're Shadow Lodge and you draw the line.

Mahtobedis

Dec 17, 2012, 11:38 AM

Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

I turn it down, but I do so because it is against the edicts of Serenrai. She seeks for the redemption of evil, not the acceptance of it.

Fromper

Dec 17, 2012, 01:32 PM

I have 3 PFS characters who can't use wands of Cure Light Wounds, and they all carry wands of Infernal Healing instead, but they're also all neutral. Actually, the barbarian carries both types of wands, and just hands them to whichever caster can use them, but he's high enough level to be able to afford to carry lots of wands around. In the case of my two neutral sorcerers with IH wands, they make a point of avoiding using IH on anyone think is enough of a "goody two shoes" to get upset about it.

My good aligned characters all carry CLW wands to heal themselves. My two LG Silver Crusade members would adamantly refuse to let anyone heal them with IH, but I'm not so sure how some of the others would react. Because they can heal themselves with CLW and other class abilities, it just hasn't come up.

A slightly different Infernal healing take.

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