I started listening to the Glass Cannon Podcast a few months ago when they did the little playtest thing, and one of the recent episodes I've listened to they mentioned atonement (I'm quite a bit behind, like a year or so :-P )
This got me thinking, and maybe this has been addressed before and I just didn't see it, but I'm curious as to how atonement works. One of the things they mentioned is that in PF1 Atonement almost feels like paying indulgences. Especially since it's SO FREAKING EXPENSIVE that a first level Paladin/Cleric/Whatever who falls for whatever reason and needs atonement is, well, stuck to take their next Nth levels in... something else, until they work up the $$$ to pay for atonement.
So how does this work? Is there a new way to atone that doesn't cost an arm and a leg (and maybe a half dozen class levels?) Or is it the same as before?
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We dont know how atonement works yet. I will say that atonement having a monetary cost lile that reminds me of an old saying.
"Punishable by a fine is just the polite way of saying legal for the rich"
We dont know how atonement works yet. I will say that atonement having a monetary cost lile that reminds me of an old saying.
"Punishable by a fine is just the polite way of saying legal for the rich"
I believe some Scandinavian countries have recently been experimenting with setting fines in units of "one day of income" (with lots of tweaks) to take care of this problem. The game equivalent is of course to change it from a flat 2500 gp to a per-level or per-level-squared fee.
EDIT: Thanks for the article ref, Elegos; you can tell I didn't bother to google or anything before posting....
www.theatlantic.com/amp/article/387484/
Is a good example
You can always not charge money for it. Quests, services, adventure hooks, and more could remove or reduce the cost of the spell.
You can always not charge money for it. Quests, services, adventure hooks, and more could remove or reduce the cost of the spell.
Honestly, as a GM, this is what I would do. Unfortunately, I'm not always the GM, and many are not so nice as to say "You fell, so go quest and prove you're awesome and deserve to be reinstated". And the more rules-lawyery among us would balk at a GM doing that, which is why I was curious in the first place.
I imagine Atonement is just a ritual this time. I can't see it justifiably having a component other than incense and holy water.
Minor sins: The atonement ritual by itself is enough, maybe with some fasting and meditation or whatever.
Sins that caused loss to someone: Pay monetary restitution or weregild to victim as additional "cost."
Major sins: Geased to do a quest as an additional "cost."
I suppose because all spells have a cost. I blame Abadar.
I'm interested if they flesh out more how Clerics "convert" to worshipping one deity.
You could do that if you violated one Deity's code (i.e. in lieu of Atoning to that deity you swish to more suitable Deity).
Although possibility of switching to new Deity to 'escape' Atonement and then switch back probably shouldn't be easier in long run.
There really isn't much rules for that at all at the moment AFAIK, hopefully it at least gets a mention.
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I'm interested if they flesh out more how Clerics "convert" to worshipping one deity.
You could do that if you violated one Deity's code (i.e. in lieu of Atoning to that deity you swish to more suitable Deity).
Although possibility of switching to new Deity to 'escape' Atonement and then switch back probably shouldn't be easier in long run.
There really isn't much rules for that at all at the moment AFAIK, hopefully it at least gets a mention.
I doubt this will be in the Playtest, but I hope this (and more) will be in the CRB. I've never really been interested in playing a cleric, but I've always been fascinated by the idea that clerics can gain their powers not from a deity, but from devotion to an ideal. I can understand if Paizo feels that Golarion isn't a fit for such notions (as IIRC, PFS characters must choose a deity if they're a cleric), but I hope that such a thing exists, and perhaps can be the thing that bridges the gap between characters who fall from one deity's grace and wind up serving another.
