Golarion Day: Psychopomps

Thursday, April 21, 2011

In Bestiary 2 we introduced a new race of neutral outsiders, the aeons. But we weren't satisfied with only one race of neutral outsiders—especially since aeons don't fit perfectly into the Boneyard, Golarion's true neutral Outer Plane. With the article on Pharasma in the second volume of Carrion Crown, we revealed a second race of neutral outsiders—ones that specifically serve Pharasma and dwell in the Boneyard itself. The psychopomps.

In Pathfinder Adventure Path #47, we'll present full stat blocks for two psychopomps—both of which are illustrated here in this blog post: the fearsome skeletal vanth and the cute little four-winged nosoi. We'll be presenting more of these creatures in the future, but I'm already quite pleased with how they're turning out. To the extent that I wouldn't mind having a nosoi pet. Those guys are so cute!

Illustration by Kieran Yanner	Illustration by Lake Hurwitz

Anyway, while I'm not quite ready to reveal any full stat blocks yet for psychopomps, I can do the next best thing—here are the rules for psychopomp traits!

Psychopomp Traits

The gears of the multiverse turn through the constant motion of mortal souls. Although Pharasma is the ultimate judge over the dead, a grand bureaucracy serves her and overflows with able record-keepers, prosecutors, investigators, and guardians. They are psychopomps, the right hand of death. Psychopomps, also known as reapers in some circles, are neutral outsiders who serve death and ensure the steady flow of souls into the cosmic cycle. Few care for the concept of balance so much as for duty and the rightful progression of life to death and beyond by any and all means necessary. As enforcers of mortality and the cosmic cycle, psychopomps universally loathe undead. Although they vary widely in appearance, all psychopomps bear an elaborate funerary mask as a mark of their place in the cycle of life and death.

Psychopomp Traits: A psychopomp possesses the following traits.

Darkvision 60 feet and low-light vision.

Immunity to death effects, disease, and poison.

Resistance to cold 10 and electricity 10

Except where otherwise noted, psychopomps speak Abyssal, Celestial, and Infernal.

A psychopomp's natural weapons, as well as any weapon it wields, are treated as though they had the ghost touch weapon special ability.

Spiritsense (Su) A psychopomp notices, locates, and can distinguish between living and undead creatures within 60 feet, just as if it possessed the blindsight ability.

James Jacobs
Creative Director

Golarion Day: Other Gods and New Subdomains

Thursday, February 10, 2011

The Advanced Player's Guide introduced a new concept for clerics—subdomains. In the upcoming Inner Sea World Guide, we introduce two new domains unique to Golarion—the Scalykind domain and the Void domain. Alas, there was no space to present the four subdomains that went along with those two new domains. So I thought to myself, why not throw those four subdomains up as a Golarion Day post?

Illustration by Carolina Eade

But while I'm on the topic of domains and subdomains, there's something else I want to talk about—Pharasma. Turns out that nonevil goddesses of death sort of wreak havoc on the domain system—especially if they're as stringently anti-undead as Pharasma is. Because pro-undead spells always seem to sneak onto domain spell lists when you start talking about death and souls and stuff. It's easy enough to simply not prepare domain spells that create undead, but it still feels kind of disappointing to me that Pharasmins "miss out" on some domain spell options. For those of you who want a more Pharasma-friendly version of the Death domain and the Souls subdomain... behold!

Pharasma-Friendly Death Domain 3rd-level domain spell: Replace animate dead with speak with dead. 6th-level domain spell: Replace create undead with antilife shell. 8th-level domain spell: Replace create greater undead with symbol of death.

Pharasma-Friendly Souls Subdomain 3rd-level domain spell: Replace animate dead with speak with dead.

And that gives me an excuse to show off this cool picture of Pharasma doing her thing in the Boneyard—the art itself is from Pathfinder Adventure Path #44's article about Pharasma.

Now, that all taken care of, we can move along to the original purpose of this post—subdomains for the Scalykind and the Void domains. I'm not going to reprint those two domains here. You have to check out The Inner Sea World Guide for that. But as for the four subdomains associated with them, here you go!

Dark Tapestry Subdomain
Associated Domain: Void
Replacement Power: It Came From Beyond. Once per day when you cast a summoning spell, any one creature you summon is more powerful than normal. The creature gains the advanced creature simple template. If you summon more than one creature with a spell, only one of the summoned creatures gains the advanced creature simple template. A summoned creature that gains the advanced creature simple template in this manner looks unusually deformed or hideous. This ability only works on spells you cast as a cleric—it does not work on spellcasting ability gained from any other spellcasting classes you might have. This ability replaces the Guarded Mind ability of the Void domain.
Replacement Domain Spells: 2nd—summon monster II, 5th—summon monster V, 7th—insanity.

Dragon Subdomain
Associated Domain: Scalykind
Replacement Power: Dragonbreath. At 4th level, you may use a breath weapon once per day as a standard action. When you gain this ability, choose acid, cold, fire, or electricity—this determines what kind of damage your breath weapon inflicts. Once you make this choice, you cannot change it later. Your breath weapon fills a 15-foot cone, and inflicts 3d6 points of damage—this damage increases by +1d6 every even number level you gain beyond 4th level. A creature hit by your dragonbreath attack can make a Reflex save (DC 10 + half your cleric level + your Constitution modifier) to take half damage. At 9th level, you can use this ability two times per day, and at 14th level you can use it 3 times a day. This ability replaces the serpent companion ability of the Scalykind domain.
Replacement Domain Spells: 3rd—draconic reservoir (Advanced Player's Guide 217), 4th—dragon's breath (Advanced Player's Guide 217), 6th—form of the dragon I.

Stars Subdomain
Associated Domain: Void
Replacement Power: The Stars Are Right. If you prepare your cleric spells while the stars are visible to you, you may spontaneously cast any of your Stars subdomain domain spells by swapping out a spell of an equal spell level. Any Stars subdomain spells that you cast while the stars are visible to you heal you of damage equal to the spell's level as you cast the spell. This ability replaces the part the veil ability of the Void domain.
Replacement Domain Spells: 2nd—hypnotic pattern, 7th—sunbeam, 9th—meteor swarm.

Saurian Subdomain
Associated Domain: Scalykind
Replacement Power: Dinosaur Companion. At 4th level, you gain the service of an animal companion. Your effective druid level for this animal companion is equal to your cleric level –2. You may choose any dinosaur as your companion. This ability replaces the serpent companion ability of the Scalykind domain.
Replacement Domain Spells: 4th—summon nature's ally IV (deinonychus or pteranodon only), 5th—beast shape III, 7th—summon nature's ally VII (brachiosaurus or tyrannosaurus only).

Of course, there's still one other burning question about subdomains. The APG revealed what subdomains the core 20 deities granted, but said nothing about the subdomains the non-core deities grant access to! That, unfortunately, is a giant scary list and this blog post is already long enough—I'll see if I can't get that list ready for next Thursday, though! (As a free preview, though, and because it became a hot topic on one thread out there in the Paizo wilds: Besmara grants the following subdomains: Deception, Oceans, Protean, Tactics, Thievery, and Storms.

James Jacobs
Creative Director