Aixelsyd's page

So, I just started running my player's through "The Inferno Gate", and when they received their new orders from Fex they asked the painfully obvious question. "Why can't Razelago just teleport to your townhouse in Senara to grab the phegmatic talisman and bring it back?" [Also, to themselves "What!? We've killed several good outsiders already! You couldn't have told us you needed their hearts before?"] Fex's real reason is that he wants the PC's out of his hair for as long as possible while he makes his final preparations for the ritual.

I had actually anticipated this and so was ready for Fex/Razelago to handwave the player's question with, "We tried already and the GR has safeguards in place against evil outsiders teleporting into the area." I thought this was reasonable given the GR's knowledge of and proximity to the Gate itself, as well as any paranoia of Thrune attacking through the use of summoned devils. That said, I'd recommend coming up with your own reason as, "Because then the first act of the adventure can't take place," seems insufficient. Other possibilities may include that Razelago is playing his own game in anticipation of Fex's downfall or that Fex wants more on the ground information about Senara since he intends to conquer it himself (though obviously he wouldn't tell the players that).

This is why I hate teleportation.

I open this thread to other instances of glaring workarounds to obstacles within the AP.

MY PLAYERS STAY OUT OR IT GETS THE HOSE AGAIN

So, a situation is coming up in our campaign, and I'm looking at multiple angles to handle the myriad ways this could play out. This particular avenue touches on some sensitive subject matter, particularly for those involved in the lifestyle that's going to inevitably come up.

As hypocritical as this is coming from me of all people, I'd like to keep any discussion from devolving into sexual puns and wordplay as much as possible.

So anyway.

The party has been working with this LE cleric of Zon-Kuthon. They've gotten attached to her, and currently seek to pull her towards LN. A number of them would like to pull her all the way into LG if possible. If that happens, Zon-Kuthon is no longer a viable patron diety for her.

Said character became devoted to Zon-Kuthon because his church was the only one she knew of that accepted her sadistic and masochistic urges. If anything they only encouraged them. She can't help having those urges, it's just how she's wired.

Is there ANY neutral or even good deity in Golarion as written who would accept this girl and give her some sort of healthy, sane outlet for those tendencies?

It's easy to look at the material at a glance and conclude "BDSM" = evil, but the Zon-Kuthon deity entry does take the time to note that it's "evil sadists, depraved masochists" that are drawn to his worship. So apparently anyone that went the Safe-Sane-Consentual route gets a pass on the usual bondage = evil meme you see in fantasy settings.

But even with that window open, I'm having a hard time seeing any deity fitting the bill for this character. Shelyn is thematically probably the best choice, but she is absolutely not clicking with the whole "accepting this girl for who she is" and seems more apt to try and cure her of her urges rather than channel them towards healthier, less destructive outlets. Which kind of goes back to the theme that this girl has been driven to Zon-Kuthon on account of not...

Honestly, I think Sheyln is probably the most appropriate god for your players to steer this NPC towards for several reasons. She has still not given up on her sibling, and gods working through mortals as they do, this is a way for her to redeem some of his evil. I don't think this necessarily means that Shelyn or appropriate proxies have to try and "cure" her of her urges. Despite the alignment system, it's not always actions that define good and evil. To use the most obvious example, murder is not a good thing, but how many people have your PCs killed? More often then not, it is the intent behind an action that determines it's moral implication. Teaching this NPC that she is capable of love and of being loved seems a worthy goal. If she thereafter chooses to express that love in a "BDSM" sort of manner, all it really comes down to is a question of whether or not such behavior is inherently destructive.

While I'm not a participant in such activities in my own life, how people express their feelings for one another is their own business. Sensuality has a lot of different forms. So long as both parties really enjoy their role and care for each others' well being, I don't see how you can call it evil. I would go so far as to say that many human relationships have a "sub" and a "dom", though that dynamic doesn't always have a physical manifestation.

My 2 cents.