CN cleric of Socothbenoth

[xavier c]

how does one roleplay a CN cleric of Socothbenoth

[Mikaze]

The last ten suggestions I could come up with are NSFW.

I could see an NPC like this regularly engaging in consensual but harmful acts, leaving off the Safe and Sane in SSC. As well as engaging in all manner of...ick.

But I have a harder time thinking of something sustainable for a PC to keep up and not bring a table down.

Maybe he's an extreme xenophile, but with little concern towards the emotional or spiritual wellbeing of his partners, nor any for their morality?

Like say:

Good xenophile seduces a CE harpy, but does so with care for her wellbeing and tries to pull her away from evil at the same time, and tries to leave her better off than when they met.

CN xenophile seduces a CE harpy and is just happy to come away with it without being eaten and never calls.

[Haladir]

In my arrogant opinion, any time a cleric isn't the same alignment as his or her patron deity, that says that the cleric's interpretation of the faith is distinctly heretical in some fashion-- and probably in a major way. In the case of chaotic neutral clerics of demon lords, that would likely mean that the cleric truly believes (mistakenly) that the demon lord is "misunderstood" and "isn't really as bad as those stories would imply."

As for specifics in this situation, if I were the GM in this situation, I'd really be interested in knowing the story of why a non-evil person was worshiping him. Socothbenoth's entry in Book of the Damned II: Lords of Chaos states that he is the "embodiment of the methods by which [seduction and lust] aare satiated... His tastes, and those of his faithful, tend to run to the violent and destructive." (p.26) While the Paizo editors didn't come right out and say it, Socothbenoth is the demon lord of rape. I would say that you would need to come up with a REALLY good backstory as to how somebody could be a cleric of this entity and remain neutral.

Because if you mainly want to be a chaotic neutral cleric of kinky sex, there's always Calistria!

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Not to mention the fact that pretty much EVERYONE on Golarion hates demon worshipers. If there's a good organization and an evil organization in a city and they learn of a demon cult in their midst, they WILL team up to stamp it out.

Playing a non-evil demon worshiper would make said character truly alone in the world, reviled by all manner of society for what he is, and even his fellow Socothbenoth worshipers for not having the balls to TAKE the pleasure he wants, no matter who or what it hurts.

[Mikaze]

Actually, heresy may be the perfect way to go.

Have you got the Magnimar book? There's a relevant character who illustrates how one might play such a PC beautifully. Posting more when not on mobile

[Mikaze]

So maybe don't read this if you're playing in a game set in Magnimar:

Magnimar: City of Monuments:

There's a reclusive tiefling sculptor named Ayavah living in Magnimar. She's been studying the nature of the many monuments dotting that city and their particularly blessed nature. She's also the one that's been producing all those entwined succubi statuettes that have been popping up in various adventure paths, made from the same mystically infused stone the monuments of Magnimar are made from. She's CN.

And she's a heretical worshipper of Nocticula, Socothbenoth's sister and lover.

Ayavah holds the belief that Nocticula was originally an empyreal lord of midnight and artists, and that this now fallen empyreal secretly desires redemption.

The reason she's so reclusive? It's not so much because she worships Nocticula but because the mainstream cult of Nocticula wants her dead for her beliefs and the work she's doing to fulfill the prophecy she believes in.

The fact that they want her dead rather than allowing her to continue and give Nocticula good PR hints that Ayavah might be on to something.

There's another character worth looking at, from Shattered Star.

Shattered Star spoilers:

Gein Kafog is another heretic, a LN cleric of Zon-Kuthon who believes that Dou-Bral willingly sacrificed himself to spare his sister from his current fate. An eternally suffering guardian figure, so to speak. Gein Kafog himself is currently living in exile from his homeland, Nidal, as his beliefs have him marked for death or worse by the mainstream Kuthonite church.

Of special note: Gein Kafog is a LN cleric of a LE god who channels positive energy. It has been confirmed that this is not an error. It's entirely intentional.

A CN cleric of Socothbenoth could follow that same pattern, and would face the same problems. They'll likely have to keep their beliefs secret from most, and they will totally have to watch their backs for the mainstream worshippers of their patron.

Thing is, you would need to come up with a heresy with the GM, something that fits a "lighter" vision of what Socothbenoth was/is.

Sounds fun. :)

[Gnoll Bard]

One option would be to play said character as a total hedonist who takes pleasure from shocking others, and takes pride in being good at it. A sort of bored and cynical type who doesn't really want to hurt anyone, but loves to make people squirm, and gets off on transgressing social norms. After all, what greater transgression could their be than devoting oneself to demon-worship? Calistria is positively mainstream by comparison, and nothing's more boring than the mainstream. If people are horrified and revolted by you... well, that's kind of the point now, isn't it?

In order to make the character fit into a PG-13 rated game, you could go the route that most TV shows and movies seem to go with prostitute and dominatrix type characters. Be sultry, worldly, and confident, and drop suggestive comments and innuendos wherever you can, but always imply your perversions, rather than saying or doing anything explicit.

[Sissyl]

What a challenge...

Let's see:

Spoilered for NSFW and possible TW:

A cleric who has a deeply seated taboo sexuality. What gets him off IS breaking the taboo. However, he is not a bad person at heart, this is merely a function of his sexuality - and he doesn't want to hurt anyone, not really. So he keeps searching for things that are deviant enough for his tastes, but he keeps treading the fine line and will not try to hurt people. Shocking them is a-ok, though. The important distinction is that he's not a sadist. So, he has a long-seated lust for his sister that he doesn't give in to, he has a thing for animals (but doesn't inflict pain on them) and corpses (which he's very careful that nobody gets to know about). He flashes people, he sets people in strange situations by telling them he likes their bodies and such, or kissing them. If he is charming enough, people will forgive him a lot, he has discovered. Having money lets him get away with even more. His worship of Socothbenoth is honest, it IS that central to him and his life... if only it wasn't so painful to be constantly tortured by his desires. Socothbenoth, for his part, finds this poor soul's plight endlessly amusing, supports him fully, and knows full well that in the end, he isn't going to keep up his alignment. Socothbenoth has time to wait.

[Lord Fyre]

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:

Not to mention the fact that pretty much EVERYONE on Golarion hates demon worshipers. If there's a good organization and an evil organization in a city and they learn of a demon cult in their midst, they WILL team up to stamp it out.

Playing a non-evil demon worshiper would make said character truly alone in the world, reviled by all manner of society for what he is, and even his fellow Socothbenoth worshipers for not having the balls to TAKE the pleasure he wants, no matter who or what it hurts.

Besides, would not the more hedonistic branches of CN Calistria's faith be a better fit for the character? (... not to mention easier for the GM to integrate into the campaign.)

[Haladir]

Mikaze wrote:

Actually, heresy may be the perfect way to go.

Have you got the Magnimar book? There's a relevant character who illustrates how one might play such a PC beautifully. Posting more when not on mobile

Yeah-- I was thinking of that character specifically.

Spoiler:

She's the artist responsible for all of those finely-crafted sculptures of succubi entwined in an erotic embrace that have shown up in numerous Paizo adventures over the years...

[ikki3520]

Read "the hound" by HPL. Its on the interwebs, and well past common human heritage. ie noone owns it anymore. The page is dagonbytes.

Id say those collectors of corpses and students of the decadent are CN. Evil you only become when actively seeking to harm others. Merely being shocking and out of touch with reality does not make you evil. Chaotic people dont really care about the law.

...so someone that allows himself to be mounted by stray dogs in the market place, stands outside windows masturbating etc..