Is it just me or is the Cult of Razmir awesome? I don't know what it is about it, but I like it! Anyone else like the Razmiran 'faith'?
Also Paizo, make us fans a line of Razmiran masks! There are masks out there for 'V For Vendetta' and the Court of Owls from Batman, so release some Razmiran masks!
I for one am in love with Razmir and his church. It is my single most favorite part of Golarion, especially how Paizo developed mechanics for false divine casting. I am currently playing a priest of Razmir in one of my games, and he is on his way to becoming his herald (I am already mythic, but since Razmir himself is not mythic nor a true god, he will have to create a way through magical and/or alchemical means to unlock the herald abilities as described in Mythic Origins, and I imagine Razmir will be carefully watching my character trying to understand this mythic power I have awakened).
I have created a few spells and magic items to help my character hide his identity and better conceal the lie of his divinity, and i have also expanded some fluff about the church of Razmir.I am ccurrently at the doctor's office but I will be home in about an hour or so and I willpost what I have made here so you can see it.
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The following is my take on how the Church of Razmir operates and is by no means cannon. This is just what I have come up with to expand on my favorite aspect of Golarion and to aid myself since my next character is a Razmiran Priest. Hope yall enjoy.
Introduction
Razmir appeared in the lands of the River Kingdoms in 4661 AR, claiming that he achieved divinity through the use of the Starstone. Since then, he has established a nation bearing his name, expanded his kingdom at the expense of others, and has established his own church, complete with a well trained clergy. What no one realizes (save a few Visions of the 15th Step) is that Razmir is not a god, but a false god. In reality, he is an aging man looking for a way to stop his eventual demise to old age. Why the Visions of the 15th Step don't reveal his false divinity is a mystery. Maybe Razmir has paid them off in some way. Maybe they believe that one day Razmir will truly gain divinity and will make them his heralds for supporting him even when they knew he was a fraud. Maybe Razmir has powerful magic keeping these individuals from revealing his secret. Whatever the case may be, Razmir is believed by most in his kingdom that he is divine, and many of those outside his kingdom have little reason to doubt his claims. It is therefore believed by most (if not all) that Razmir is in fact divine.
The Church of Razmir
Although Razmir is not a god and is incapable of granting divine magic to his worshipers, the clergy of the Church of Razmir have been trained extensively to hide this truth and to disguise their magic and use of magic devices to make it appear as though they are true clerics of the Master of the 31 Steps. Razmiran Priests are not aware that their god is not a god at all, yet they have been indoctrinated to believe that he is.
Razmir is trying to spread his influence across the Inner Sea Region, as well as find a method to keep himself from dying, and he will resort to any measures necessary to achieve his goals. He has also indoctrinated his priests to do the same. To spread his influence, he must win the hearts and minds of people from other lands, and his clergy are required to do good deeds to make it easier for his influence to spread. Yet, some things that Razmir require would take far too long to obtain if he were to have his clergy remain pristine. Therefore, he requires his followers to also engage in less than noble activities to obtain things that would otherwise never be obtainable in a timely fashion.
Razmiran Priests are given a mask when they complete their training at Thronestep and some are sent out into Razmiran to spread the will of Razmir and bring more followers to his call, while others are sent out into the Inner Sea region to help run temples of the Living God. It is their duty to not only spread Razmir's word, but to also enact deeds of charity and assistance. The priests heal the sick where they can and offer assistance to the town guard, governors, politicians, local businesses, etc. Razmiran Priests are always required to wear their masks and priestly uniforms when enacting such deeds.
Yet this is not all they do in their day to day lives. Razmiran Priests are also required to engage in a number of illegal and immoral activities to assist the Church of Razmir. This can be anything from extortion, information gathering, assassinations, kidnapping, and any other activity that "needs" to be accomplished. When enacting these activities, Razmiran Priests are required to disguise themselves so as never to be directly tied back to the Church of Razmir. Priests do not question their orders or activites since they have been indoctrinated to believe that they are fulfilling a greater service. Since Razmiran Priests are indoctrinated to engage in such activities, both good and evil, many are of a neutral alignment due to their good and evil actions.
These are not the only roles the priests play in the church. Each priest may be asked to fulfill other positions depending on each individual's skill set. Some priests are sent out into the Inner Sea region not to spread the word of Razmir necessarily, but rather to strengthen political and social ties with those of importance in those particular regions. These Razmiran Priests will work with the local temples of Razmir (if there is one in the area) and also offer to provide helpful assistance to the governing body of the city if they are needed. These priests help establish and/or reinforce the Church of Razmir's standing, as well as that of Razmir himself, in that particular region.
Indoctrination of the Razmiran Priests
Within the Exalted Wood is a secret fortress where the would be priests of Razmir undergo their "training." The most important aspect of this process is a method of implanting ideas within each priest's subconscious called Inception. These ideas are implanted so deeply and in such a simplistic form that these ideas become second nature to the priest. The reasoning for these ideas is not necessary to implant them, and since Razmir himself performs each priest's Inception, only he knows exactly what ideas are being implanted and what simplistic form they need to be in for the priest's mind to accept the idea as his own. One such idea is that the priest must make elaborate lies when questioned about the priest's actions or the actions of the church in an effort to make the Church of Razmir appear as a beacon of all that is good.
Due to their heavily indoctrinated state, Razmiran Priests have been told that their spell casting is a little different than other clergy since their god is actually on the material plane. They have also been told that they will be required to do whatever is necessary for the glory of Razmir, but depending on what those tasks may be will dictate how they go about completing it (whether they should perform the tasks in priestly garb or not). They do not question why they mask the use of wands and rings to make the items effects appear as their own, nor do they question why they constantly lie when questioned about their actions. Razmiran Priests will only use their cure spells (those granted to them through the Razmiran Priest prestige class) while in combat. These spells grant temporary hit points instead of real hit points but the appearance of the wounds healed in this manner look and feel like they've actually been healed. Since they are aware that their magic is "different" due to their deity being on the material plane, any individual that feels sluggish or falls unconscious when the temporary hit points vanish after combat is explained away by the Razmiran Priest as that target just being tired from the combat and while the priest healed his wounds, he did not cure the target of being fatigued afterwards.
5 TPA, 1 CPA: Receive a Holy Mask of the Living God (Gods & Magic, pg. 57) and you may use cure light wounds through the mask twice per day.
10 TPA, 5 CPA: Receive an Exalted Mask of the Living God and the DC is increased by 2 for anyone attempting to cast dispel magic on your mask.
20 TPA, 10 CPA, must be a Herald of the Eighth Step: Host a dinner party, funded by the Church of Razmir, in which many of the city’s merchants and vendors are invited to attend. The party may take place in a relatively nice part of the city, the food is of comparatively good quality, and music is provided by a band led by a 6th level Bard. While hosting this dinner party, you receive a +4 bonus on all Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Perform, and Sense Motive checks.
20 TPA, 2 CPA, must be a Herald of the Eighth Step: Utilize the church’s covert underground allies in a city to gain a +10 to one Diplomacy check to gather information.
35 TPA, 15 CPA, must be a Mask of the Twelfth Step: Host a dinner party, funded by the Church of Razmir, in which many of the city’s upper class (as well as clergy from other religions) are invited to attend. The party may take place in a dinner hall located in the main district of the upper class, the food is of good quality, and music is provided by a band led by an 8th level Bard. While hosting this dinner party, you receive a +6 bonus on all Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Perform, and Sense Motive checks.
50 TPA, 20 CPA, must be a Vision of the Fifteenth Step: Host a dinner party, funded by the Church of Razmir, in which the city’s, as well as the country’s, governing body and/or nobility are invited to attend. The party may take place in a palace or other comparatively high quality dinner hall, the food is fit for a king, and music is provided by a band led by a 10th level Bard. While hosting this dinner party, you receive a +8 bonus on all Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Perform, and Sense Motive checks.
Exalted Mask of the Living God
Aura Moderate illusion (shadow); CL 5th
Slot Mask; Price 3,000 gp; Weight 3 lbs.
Description
This mask is more commonly worn by Razmiran Priests who venture outside of Razmiran and possesses all the abilities of a Holy Mask of the Living God (Gods & Magic, pg. 57), with the following additions. If Razmir is your patron, anyone other than yourself attempting to remove your mask removes a replica of the mask that stays in their hand for 1 round, before dissipating into nothingness, while your mask remains comfortably on your face. If the mask is targeted by dispel magic in an attempt to remove it and reveal your true identity, you become instantly aware of such action. This may result in you being awakened from the unconscious condition so that you may protect your identity, but it does not allow you to ignore the effects of paralysis, stunned, and other conditions that restrict movement. If your mask is targeted by dispel magic while you are unconscious from being reduced to negative hit points, you are immediately awakened and stabilized, and can act as if you have the Diehard feat. In addition, you may use cure light wounds 2 times per day, rather than once.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, cause fear, shadow conjuration, creator must have at least 5 ranks in Heal and Intimidate; Cost 1,500 gp
Tiered Spells
Tiered spells are spells that can have their effects intensified by preparing or spontaneously casting them in higher level spells slots, or by sacrificing prepared spells or spell slots upon casting. When a tiered spell is prepared or spontaneously cast in a higher level spell slot, it is treated as a spell of that level for all purposes related to the spell’s level, such as its DC.
Lie
School Enchantment (charm) [mind-affecting]; Level Antipaladin 1, Bard 2, Cleric/Oracle 2, Druid 3, Sorcerer/Wizard 2, Witch 2; Tiered Antipaladin 3, Bard 4, Cleric/Oracle 4, Druid 5, Sorcerer/Wizard 4, Witch 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V
Range Personal
Target You
Duration Instantaneous
Saving Throw None; see text
Spell Resistance No
A lie you speak may be able to convince even listeners who should be suspicious or unwilling to believe you. You gain a +10 bonus on a single Bluff check. The one lie you speak with this spell is immune to the effects of zone of truth even if you failed your saving throw. Additionally, you may cast or prepare lie in a higher level spell slot (the level of this spell slot is listed above) to make the one lie you speak with this spell immune to the effects of discern lies. However, the caster of zone of truth or discern lies is entitled to a Spellcraft check (DC equal to your Bluff check) to sense the twinge of interfering powers between the two spells and become alerted to the offending lie. The Bluff check you make is subsumed in the casting of this spell.
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By the time the priests learn that Razmiranism is a lie, they have too much invested (personally, not necessarily in terms of money) to treat it as anything other than truth.
It works this way for the Church of Scientology - where those reaching Operating Thetan levels often know its all b*%~&~*% but pretend, to some extent even to themselves, that it is not.
No need for any special reward - people are good enough at making rationalizations.
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One of the stories I read about Scientology is that people thought that they were the only one's for whom the awesome OT powers were not working, so they faked it.
People get very funny when they are in a situation where everyone else is saying something blatantly false - they often act as if they bought into it even if, inside, they did not buy in 100%.
Also makes me think of an old North Korean joke.
A Korean police officer asks a colleague, "What do you think of Our Great Leader?"
"Same thing as you do, comrade."
"In this case, I shall have to arrest you for treason."
Human ability for self-deception and hypocrisy is rather incredible.
I love this guy myself, I mean the sheer balls on him to do something like this is simply Epic. Him and his church are among my fav parts of the setting.