Does one have to be Female to be a Sister or Maiden?

[TheMonkeyFish]

So... Serious question mechanically - Does a player character have to be female in order to take Grey Maiden options such as the Sisters-to-arms or the feat Sisterhood Style? None of the rules say that being Female is required (only one such feat specifically calls out being Female and Level 1), while the only other Prestige Class that does has a PFS Note saying "A Sanguine Angel does not have to be female."

Just wondering - how does one become a Sister-In-Arms despite not being female anyway? Do they have a mentor or trainer who trained them how to be a Cavalier through noble acts towards their companions, or maidens since aged who are attempting to raise others of the younger generation into their indoctrinates?

[MrCharisma]

Don't know rules-wise, but Paizo is pretty pro-trans-gender, so i can't imagine they'd restrict you along gender lines.

[Cavall]

The maidens were female for a reason, as chosen by the queen.

At the time the answer would be yes. And given the time since the queen, likely would remain yes.

That being said your character could start out as female and change genders, with investment.

I should add given the nature of the maidens, that may not be such an easy life.

[Rysky]

The Rose Company (the Good half of the Maidens) probbaly wouldn’t have a problem with it.

[kadance]

Just go fake it a la Some Like It Hot.

[GM Rednal]

*Looks over them*

No.

The limits/prerequisites for each archetype and ability is described in its entry. Sisterhood Style, for example, has the prerequisites "Cha 13, Shield Focus, Weapon Focus (longsword), base attack bonus +2". These are the only actual prerequisites.

However, your GM may impose other requirements on access to group-associated options from products like the Adventurer's Guide. That book suggests several possible ways of doing so (ranging from "you can take anything from this book" to "you must join them in-character to access these"), so it's difficult for any of us to give you a solid answer on that front.

[blahpers]

Neither the cavalier archetype nor the feat mentioned above requires you to be female; for that matter, neither requires you to be a Gray Maiden at all. You might have to stretch your creative muscles to come up with a convincing reason to justify such options, but adventurers tend to be the exceptions to many rules.

[Isabelle Lee]

At the very least, "I was trained by a (possibly former) Gray Maiden" or "a Maiden/ex-Maiden did something bold that inspired me to follow in her footsteps" work fairly well for most elements. ^_^

Only the sanguine angel - the result of the complex and secretive disciplines and infernal blessings of the Erinyes Company - stands apart in this regard.

[Ventnor]

Isabelle Lee wrote:

At the very least, "I was trained by a (possibly former) Gray Maiden" or "a Maiden/ex-Maiden did something bold that inspired me to follow in her footsteps" work fairly well for most elements. ^_^

Only the sanguine angel - the result of the complex and secretive disciplines and infernal blessings of the Erinyes Company - stands apart in this regard.

If you’re enlisting in a group that names itself after a kind of Devil and aren’t expecting them to be a-holes, that’s partly on you.

[Azothath]

As Rednal pointed out sex or gender isn't an issue from a game mechanics point of view. It has been hilariously pointed out that being pregnant or naked does not carry any bonuses or penalties in the game. GMs may invoke some circumstance modifiers.

Thematically it is an issue and your home GM may want to enforce the criteria that your character is female and trained under the grey maidens. It's not a big deal.

Rule wise race and type are issues as there are racial spells and those are limited to their respective races.

[Isabelle Lee]

Ventnor wrote:

Isabelle Lee wrote:

At the very least, "I was trained by a (possibly former) Gray Maiden" or "a Maiden/ex-Maiden did something bold that inspired me to follow in her footsteps" work fairly well for most elements. ^_^

Only the sanguine angel - the result of the complex and secretive disciplines and infernal blessings of the Erinyes Company - stands apart in this regard.

If you’re enlisting in a group that names itself after a kind of Devil and aren’t expecting them to be a-holes, that’s partly on you.

You're certainly not wrong. My point was more that, unlike the sister-in-arms or the Sisterhood Style feat chain, sanguine angels are empowered in part by external sources (the Queens of the Night) who are ready and willing to place restrictions on who can gain their power. ^_^