Sephos's page

Greetings, all. I am attending Gen Con for my second year, and am looking for events to fill my schedule and have a good time. Naturally, at this point in time, the cream of the crop have been snatched up by more prepared gamers, but I wanted to ask this one simple question:

As a player who has not participated in Society in years, what scenarios should I look for as a good re-entry point into the lore? I'm planning to start from scratch, so level 1 scenarios are requested. If any of you are GMs for the con, and wish to tell me of your scenarios (preferably GMs who still have open spots in their tables), feel free!

Thanks one and all.

Purchased the Varisian Player Companion. Good stuff, indeed. Thanks for the recommendation. Now I'm leaning towards Oracle or Witch, however. Still working with the Skull Clan for a background. If I use the Ancestors mystery as an oracle, I'd still be somewhat of a warrior as well, whereas Ancestors Patron for Witch means being a buffer. There's also the Spirits patron as well, which seems to fit quite well. I'm leaning away from the Bones/ Necromancy aspects, because it seems to indicate that this clan prefers their dead to -stay- dead. And who can blame them? :P

Still, I need to think of a good reason for him to be an adventurer, as this tribe in particular is not one to venture around much. Any thoughts?

My Society group wants to start a campaign of Rise of the Runelords, and I'm eager as ever to participate. I'm trying to think of concepts to base a new character around, and currently the Shoanti have my interest. However, the player's guide for RotRL does not incorporate the APG character classes, so I was looking for some advice on them.

Currently, I'm interested in either the Shriikiri-Quah (Hawk Clan) and Skoan- Quah (Skull Clan) for a background, and planning ideas accordingly. But my information on the individual tribes does not cover much. So, what I need from the rest of you are a few bits of info or advice as to how well a concept would work for the given tribe.

For instance:

Witch- I'm thinking a Skull Clan witch would be quite fun, but having a little trouble deciding on patron spells. Also, how well are witches received by Shoanti? Seems like they would be a good fit, but I want to make sure!

Summoner- Also unsure of this one, as it might be made to fit any of the clans. Hopefully you guys and girls have better ideas about how to incorporate a Shoanti Summoner? Again, how well are these received by Shoanti?

Cavalier- I read that the Sun Clan is famous for their mounted warriors, but don't know how well one would work with Shoanti. Perhaps just a mounted Barbarian instead?

Ideas, please! All advice and info on the tribes is welcome! :)

I'm currently working on a cavalier for Pathfinder Society, after my Reanimator idea fell a bit short. Order of the Lion intrigues me, and provides some interesting opportunities for roleplay, provided the setting is right. But, in order to be a member of Lion, you must have a liege. Thankfully, this is pretty broad terminology, and can be anyone from king to local warlord. Still, I'm not sure what my cavalier should follow.

My ideas for a Society-compatible liege are, thus far:

- Queen Abrogail II, queen of Cheliax. This would give the character an evil bent, but the character itself must remain LN. Maybe he supports her for the good of the civilization she brings? Abadar would be preferable to Asmodeus.
- Paracountess Zarta Dralneen, of Cheliax. The orchestrator of Chelish goals within the society. I'm a little iffy about serving one of the Pathfinder leaders directly, as it seems a little less likely they'd have a full order of knights dedicated to their service. Maybe I'm wrong?
-Lady Gloriana Morilla of Taldor. Again, a Faction leader, though Taldor may be more keen on the knightly orders.

Alternatively, if I wanted to get REALLY challenging, perhaps an Orc warlord of Belkzen? I'm using half-orc for my race in all the above ideas, so that wouldn't change. But if an orc warlord, what faction would I be?

What I want from you is this- tell me, society players, who your cavalier serves and why. Preferably Order of the Lion Cavaliers, since that is what I'm most concerned with here. Still, I'm not opposed to a good Order of the Star or Shield character, if it seems more doable.

So! Who do YOU serve?

There's "White Necromancers", which worship Pharasma. they practice the spells of necromancy but do not create undead unless absolutely necessary. And sadly NE deities are still off the table, since you can't just be Neutral and worship them. So that's one choice gone.

If I had to be evil, Zyphus would readily fit the bill. Maybe even Groetus. Both cases would depend on creating "accidents" with my formulas, and thus furthering the cause of my deity. But alas, Society characters are not allowed to be evil. So I'm stuck looking for good and neutral ones.

I was considering either Dwarf or Half-Orc, with human or gnome as last resort ideas. Human Reanimators are the easiest to pull off, but where's the fun in being simple? :P

Good choices, all. Nethys was a consideration as well, and may well fit the final idea, if not Irori. Unfortunately, Demon Lords are almost out of the question, being CE. I know it's still technically possible to worship them as CN, but explaining this off is a bad idea for Society games.

And I've read the Herbert West story. Haha. I don't think I'll infringe upon that though :P

Fandarra, I was familiar with but forgot, but Shyka is new to me. Still, now I need a reason why an alchemist would worship a Giant god or one of the Eldest, which I am still very unfamiliar with the latter.

My latest character concept is for that of a Reanimator- the Alchemist archetype provided in Ultimate Magic, but before I can begin to worry about things such as ability scores, skills, feats, etc., one thing bothers me- Deity selection. I want this to be a legal Pathfinder Society character, so worship of evil deities, while still an option, is frowned upon. That said, I'm having trouble figuring out what sort of deity would allow for things such as the creation of undead and preserving the living body through mummification (Specifically the type attained through alchemical discovery, instead of becoming an undead outright.)

The goal of this character, as I see it, is not to gain mastery over undeath, but to blur the lines between living and dead, and even go so far as to attain immortality, studying what can be done to stay the hand of death.

My first instinct was to worship Pharasma, but the creation of undead, and even trying to avoid death is pretty close to outright heresy in her book, so I doubt I'd be able to pull this off. Still, if you have any ideas or suggestions for deity selection, or even playing with a heretical mindset, please let me know!

I am a character junkie. I admit it. I make up character after character to try, and only stick to most of them for a scenario or two before I'm trying something new. At least this is how it works for my once-a-month society meetings. My point is, bear with me here. :P

So, with the inclusion of Aasimar, Tengu, and Tiefling into the legal races for Society, I'm coming up with new reasons to run those classes I've always wanted to try. I already have a Tiefling Magus, but what about a Tengu Summoner? I'm not too concerned with the mechanics of the character, or how much I can min/max it (As long as the character can survive on its own, I'm not concerned). I'm more concerned with execution- that is, how to effectively roleplay such a character. So therefore, I have two questions:

What sort of rules do you follow when you roleplay a tengu? I'm serious in asking, and I hope your replies will be serious as well.

Also, eidolons. What would a Tengu's eidolon look like? Something exotic, sure. My first two impressions would be an avian humanoid, much like themselves, or perhaps more like an oni, or some other mythical beast native to the Tien region. Thoughts? Ideas?

All help appreciated, as always. Thanks!

Looking through my copy of Faiths of Corruption, I was surprised and slightly pleased to find that a few of the Outer Gods and Great Old Ones were listed as Chaotic Neutral, giving players the opportunity to worship them in Pathfinder Society games and not be immediately cast out for evil intent. The only problem I foresee with this, is how does one go about worshipping these beings in a Neutral manner?

The two pitfalls I see of worshipping such beings is that one would either be very evil, or very insane. I would like to avoid these as much as possible. I realize that simply calling on the Outer Gods is to invite madness upon oneself, but surely there must be ways to go about with these creatures as your patron deity without fulfilling the gibbering lunatic trope. So, help me out, fellow Pathfinders, what are they? What are ways you can partake in worship of such beings without being too evil or too crazy?

All thoughts on the matter and advice appreciated. Don't be shy!

Seriously, how do you come up with stories so quickly? :) I've been running dry on inspiration lately, but these are definitely some good material!

And Jiggy, that's a perfectly logical approach as well. It may just be my excitement to get in the game, so instead of waiting to see what unfolds, I'm always kind of wary someone will ask me some detail about my character and I'll be dumbstruck. >.<

Kestler, I honestly may have to steal that. :) And thank you Kerney as well, for your insights. Coming up with why the eidolon chose such a summoner will not be easy, but the challenge should be worth it.

Still, anyone else have any ideas? I'd still like to hear something for the Dwarf Inquisitor, at very least. Speak up, one and all!

As always, I find myself making a fresh character or two for Society meetings- concepts I'm eager to try out, but don't get the chance to. But I find myself having a hard time coming up with appropriate backstories for my characters, or even descriptions. Some of you have been most accomodating in the past in helping this matter, and I appreciate the further help.

The characters I'm currently building are as follows:

Gashok Ravencall- Half-Orc Oracle- (Bones Mystery, probably the Haunted curse, and Pharasma as a deity. Also probably a member of the Shadow Lodge. He could be from mostly human or mostly orc lands, it matters not. What does matter is that he has a reason to be adventuring with the society.)

Valkrem Whitemane- Dwarf Inquisitor- (Torag as a deity, and probably Andoran or the Crusade as his faction. Whatever would help his community more. He has motivation, but no reason. What brought him out of the mountains to venture into the depths of unexplored lands?)

Ezrahim Barael- Keleshite Summoner- (Sarenrae as a deity, but I can't decide on a faction. Qadira or Osirion seem like they'd benefit his homeland most, but if anyone has a better suggestion I'm all ears. His eidolon is still up in the air as well, but I was a bit inspired by the appearance of the Flame Atronach in Skyrim, so maybe something similar to that, or a genie lookalike, as would be common in that land.)

As always, your help is always appreciated, and I look forward to the ideas you send my way. :)

Heya Joseph. Nice to see the fellow GA pathfinders pitching in. Well, unfortunately, I don't have a copy of the ISWG, but I'll look up the Pathfinder Wiki.

As far as their respective deities, I can say this:

Baldurin- Torag or Abadar
Mordrem- Iomedae
Rokhall- Nethys, maybe. Least certain on this one.

The Inquisitor, I was considering being from the Mendev area, dealing with the crusades, there, but not sure what changed him to a Pathfinder. The other two are up in the air.

Oh, Nater, we're starting with Before the Dawn: The Bloodcove Disguise.

With PFS games tomorrow, I'm finding myself a little dry on inspiration for roleplay. I've made several characters I can use, but I've got no idea who they are, more than simple stats and numbers. So, with the game looming, I turn to you all for help. I can give you the basics for each of the characters I've made, but I'll need a little help coming up with why they're there.

The characters I've got thus far are these:

Baldurin Lornhall- Dwarf Oracle of Stone- Grand Lodge (Maybe Andoran or SC)
Rokhall- Half-Orc Shadow Witch- Shadow Lodge
Mordrem Veilt- Dwarf Inquisitor- Silver Crusade (Maybe Andoran)

So, i'd like you to toss around some ideas with me to help kick-start inspiration for why each of them is a Pathfinder. Even if you can only come up with an idea for one, by all means. I'm looking foward to your responses :)

Wow, you've had some good responses thus far, especially Gennadi's. Well, common knowledge is that Iomedae was Chelish, before her ascent to the divine, and Faiths of Purity adds that her religion is respected, and even somewhat encouraged in Cheliax proper.

I already have a cleric in the service of Cheliax, but as he's a servant of Zon-Kuthon, there's not any problems carrying out such tasks. So, good to see some others have made this work as well.

Any other advice? :)

I'm sure this isn't the first thread with a similar problem, but I feel the need to ask anyway.

The Society's been playing long enough to where I'm certain there's a few Chelaxian paladins out there with good grasp on their In-Character personas. So what I'm asking is this- how do you justify going through with your superior's commands for gaining Prestige Points? Or do you go through with them? I'm considering creating a similar character, perhaps with the idea of progressing to a Hellknight, but I'm wondering how difficult it is to gain what's required, while serving an evil nation. So, fellow righteous, I look forward to hearing from your advice for going down this path.

All help appreciated :)

Not that I'm a frequent poster here, but anyone who's happened to see my posts thus far probably knows that I have a penchant for discussing character ideas. Thus, this thread is nothing new, in that regard.

Having a fondness for all things Dwarven, and a respect for the makers of the worlds of Warhammer Fantasy and 40k, I happen to like the idea of the Slayers- dwarves who have lost their honor, and feel that only a death at the mightiest beast they cannot best will restore it. Thus, they wear practically no armor, take only their weapons, and journey far and wide to battle either the most ferocious beasts, or the largest armies, alongside their fellows.

A good concept, but I started thinking... I wonder if I can use it for something.

Perhaps a similar idea for an order of Dwarven Monks (or Fighters), with a similar mantra, but perhaps from a more spiritual standpoint. As such, Irori seems the perfect god for this, and so perhaps these Dwarves go see battle and its mastery as the truest form of perfection. As dwarves can be a bit... overzealous in their beliefs, perhaps they believe that Perfection is attained through continued survival, and that death in battle, while unfavorable, is a praiseworthy demise. There are few nobler causes than the pursuit of perfection. :)

Obviously, we can't have an order of suicidal, all-or-nothing warriors that could sustain themselves unless they were actually noteworthy. So, somehow, through rigorous training, prayer, meditation, etc. They have to prepare, and prepare for practically every opportunity, so that only the most unfortunate or overwhelming circumstances could bring about their doom.
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So then! I would really like to figure out a few things. How likely is this in Golarion? Obviously, many things are possible in an RPG, but with the established lore, I'm curious about what other dwarves might think of such an order. Also, how would I go about making a character that could survive a campaign with this as a background? Is it as simple as a regular Dwarven Monk? Or are there any interesting feats, traits (Preferably anything PFS legal) or anything of that sort that would help me?

Any advice, suggestions, or comments on the idea are welcome, and if I catch the eye of any Pathfinder staff, even better. :P

Hmm... a day before game-day, and I'm still not set on a character! :P

I also kind of wish the minor Dwarven Gods were more open to clergy, but the way G&M paints it, you'd be pretty much unheard of. I need to stay away from the destructive cleric build as well, since I already have one of those. So basically, looking for a healing cleric, with perhaps a tie to the Land of the Linnorm Kings, or neighboring region. Also, obviously, needs a decent background, to be able to be in Absalom...

So, here are some basic ideas for clerics I have as of now:

Dwarf Cleric of Torag- short, sweet, and to the point. Being from the LotLK, I figured I would kind of mark him as different than the usual "dwarf in robes" cleric. This may go with the historian idea, but for some reason, the land seems ill suited to historians. Still, Kalsgard may have what I need.

Half-Orc Cleric of Minderhal- This is exactly the idea I was hoping to avoid, but I like the deity a little too much for my own good. LN alignment, with a background originating in either the eastern LotLK, or even make the full jump to Realm of the Mammoth Lords. Also- how likely is an orc or half-orc to worship a giant god? I would think this is reasonable- giants are big and smash things. Orcs would like them, whether they actually got along or not.

As an alternative to the latter would be a Half-Orc cleric of Fandarra. This would allow me to make the healing role I might need to play. But still, it seems more difficult to explain just why exactly these barbaric characters would come to Absalom, especially to a place where such deities are... if not taboo, then simply unheard of.

Huh. Learn something new every night. That is a useful tidbit of information, Neil. And your suggestions are useful as well, Olaf, since dwarves and ulfen seem to mix in those lands.

I was also considering just making him a city dwarf that knows he has ancestry back there, and is therefore especially interested in the venture. Though, I suppose the question now is what made him want to join the society? A simple missionary wouldn't easily get involved in the shadow politics of the Society Factions..

Lord, an Inner Sea World Guide would be great about now.. >.<

My faction is pretty much set in stone as Andoran, as none of the others really seem to go well with a cleric of Torag.

Kind of imagining a historian character by now... still. I'll just have to see.

Any other suggestions? :)

My Pathfinder Society group is preparing to play Frozen Fingers of Midnight at our next gathering. After seeing a brief summary of the plot, noting that the character of interest had come from the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, I continued perusing my copy of "Gods and Magic". Having been pondering a dwarf character, I was a bit interested to find that the Lands of the Linnorm Kings are a center of worship for Torag himself. This in mind, I was wondering, for character development- how might a character travel from such a faraway place to Absalom- and why?

Do any of you have characters from such foreign regions? Like the Realm of the Mammoth Lords, or anywhere else? How do you figure out what they're doing in Absalom, and how they got from A to B?

I do love faith-based characters, and was considering a Dwarven Cleric (perhaps Paladin) of Torag, or maybe even a minor dwarven deity, though that might make things even more complicated. This will be a level one character as well, if that makes any difference.

So- how do you get them there? What makes them hop on ship (or trek the equally perilous land route) to get to Absalom?

Or should I simply tell my group to meet me there? :P

InVinoVeritas has a very interesting point. There's definitely some room for a diplomat or something. Now, I need to decide on class, since cleric does not seem to be logical (Razmir is not a god, and therefore cannot grant spells, etc.) Perhaps Sorcerer or Wizard would be an ambitious choice, and provide plenty of opportunities for advancement in the clergy. But knowing more about what initiates go through would help.

Mikaze, where might this information be? Inner Sea World Guide? Faction Guide?

I see. Heck, maybe Razmiran itself will be one, though seems a tad unlikely.

Also, I'm wondering at what point do the followers know the truth about Razmir? Or do they just all believe fanatically that he is, in fact, divinity? I'd suspect some must know, and maybe search for a way to MAKE him divinity. Seems more practical to let someone in on the secret.

*senses potential for lore expansion here*

I've liked the idea of the Church of Razmir for some time now (granted a little less so to find out that Razmir is not a true god, but still), and recently started thinking- If I were to make a servant of the Church, what faction might they follow? The LE alignment shown in the Faction Guide immediately makes me think that they would fall under Cheliax, but there still seems to be something that doesn't fit.

As we know, Evil alignments are forbidden in PFS, so in comes the one-step rule to allow for play (though I may not even have to follow this with a non-cleric, assuming the lore allows it). So, a most likely LN character, but still, what faction would they fall under best? Any suggestions or advice? Or, heck, if you just want to show off, list the pros and cons for a Razmiran acolyte to follow each faction. :P

All suggestions welcome. :)

I have read over much of this thread, and have seen some interesting opinions, ranging from letting non-lawful, non-good deities possess paladins, to some other various things. If this has been touched on, then let me apologize and, at the same time, reinforce these points.

First, we must remember what makes a Paladin.

Paladins MUST be Lawful Good- we agree on this. The codes of a paladin are stricter than even the clerics of their religion, as the Paladins have more need to keep track of the deeds of their order. The nature of being a paladin requires intense discipline, faith, and the will to get up every day and know that your cause is righteous.

Now, that being said, deities in Pathfinder, as well as D&D and similar RPG's, are very rarely as scrutinizing as it would seem. Often, their dogmas are quite ambiguous, or more generalized. For instance, let's say a NG deity's dogma is just that- do good. It doesn't say how to go about doing good, doesn't even say what "good" is (though I think all of us have a sense of morals here). As long as you are doing good, as your deity wishes, your deity is ambivalent on what you believe the best way to do good is. Whether you are assisting the noble rule of a king, or starting a revolution to bring down a tyrannical government, GOOD IS GOOD. Your deity will be pleased with either just as equally. Of course, if your deity is LG, then chances are better your deity cares more intently about how you go about doing good. While it may not be a sin to engage in a CG act, you are still expected to know what your deity wants, and act accordingly. If the act is a price to pay, so be it.

Let's take a LN example. LN is often concerned with Order- law for law's sake, so to speak. Using the one-step rule, this deity can possess paladins as well. Let's say a Paladin sees an innocent person thrown in jail. Does that mean you should go bust him from jail? Maybe. But this should not be the first card you play. Try going about it through legal means. Able to get him out? Defend him in trial? Do it. If those fail, THEN you can try busting him out, as his captors are ignoring the law, or abusing it, which does not sit well with LN or LG.

As for the CG deities, this is a topic for player and GM to discuss. Be reminded that Lawful and Chaotic are not just traits- they're a mindset as well. If the principles of a CG deity are something a Paladin would not do, then Paladins have no place in that deity's worship.

Again, paladins by nature are LG- THEY CANNOT BE EVIL. This does not mean paladins cannot fall away, or become obsessed with law over good, or something else. Becoming evil means a paladin is forsaking their vows and codes. This is why many paladins who fall farthest away become BLACKGUARDS. Antipaladins, by comparison, are rare, and the result of SERIOUSLY depraved individuals who value evil over all else. More than likely, however, most paladins who give up their vows are merely tired of the lifestyle, or have lost faith in their deity. These people are more likely just to become fighters (or perhaps knights, if you're using that system). Let's remember that it's not a natural reaction for sane people to, when a deity fails to protect you or your loved one in a time of need, for people to trade in their white capes for black ones and launch a crusade of violence.

In summary, the one-step rule (which has been in place since at least 3.5- see the 3rd edition Forgotten Realms setting as well) is an excellent rule of thumb, as people will often emphasize certain traits of a religion over others. Does that make them wrong? No. If their beliefs guide them to do their best work in their deity's name, then their work is holy. As long as these beliefs do not contradict anything that the deity stands for, there is no problem. So, if a religion allows for both Law and Good to exist simultaneously, then there are assuredly Paladins.

Phew. Sorry to write an essay, but I've been considering paladins of lesser deities lately and saw this thread. Hope this clears things up a bit more.

I am trying to ensure I report today's game properly.

I recieved the sheet with my progress and rewards on it. Now, perhaps I misunderstand this entire event reporting thing. Am I supposed to report the event, or is it simply the GM who does it, and when he reports, everything is filed in? And if I'm supposed to report it myself, does it matter that the 4-digit number on the sheet is different?

I feel a bit like an idiot. >.<

Thank you all for your support. Oh, and a quick related question: The deity specific spells, as well as the clerical spell preparations (Such as clerics of "deity" prepare this spell as...) Are those legal for PFS? I'd assume yes, but checking.

I'm referring to what I'm seeing in Gods and Magic, among other things.

I had considered him being a citizen of Nidal, as either a sort of religious diplomat or simply a missionary. Since for some reason, Cheliax seems to be -slightly- more religiously tolerant than Nidal (reading about how Nidal's Umbral Court gruesomely punishes worshippers of Desna, Asmodeus, etc.)

As a creator of all giants, I could perhaps see the evil in him (assuming his creations didn't just rebel on their own, creating the disappointed father complex of some deities). And yes, I know he is not the only deity worshipped by Stone Giants. However, conversely, it would seem only stone giants worship him. Or at least that others would be a minority, as it does not list him in the summary of deities worshipped by other types of giant.

Still... interesting talk thus far. :P

I am (hopefully) attending my first PFS game this weekend, and wanted to ensure I could make a decent character before then. Reading over the Organized Play Guide, I see that evil alignments are forbidden, but the worship of evil deities is not, provided the cleric is within the one step to make him non-evil (Assuming we're playing a cleric).

As such, I've been asking about a few deities, such as my current question elsewhere about Minderhal, but I have a concept idea to throw out to you, before I commit anything to paper.

Basically, I would like to play a LN cleric of Zon-Kuthon, god of pain. As his domains include law, I considered factoring this into his personality, giving him a somewhat unique outtake on his faith.

For example, a religious mantra for him might be:

"It is the burden of the righteous to suffer"

Similarly, I thought it might work in conjunction with the Cheliax faction, with the LE government of the city producing many downtrodden, and thereby, many open ears and minds. He would see it as his duty to aid people in enduring and overcoming the pain of their situations, teaching that through pain comes wisdom, power, etc.

I understand this might not be easy to pull off in RP, but I'd like some opinions: Is this a good idea? Have any of you seen any similar characters?

((Please note, my intent with this is not to get away with being evil in a PFS campaign. If the character evolves into a clearly evil person, I will voluntarily cease to play him, in accordance with the rules. Instead, I wish to merely see how this might work out, and thereby create a darker type of hero.))

Let me know what you think. :)

This is completely understandable- I can see how justice can be abused or applied specifically, but it's just that this is not really mentioned. Plus, with some Mammoth Lord tribes still apparently worshipping him, the description doesn't make him out as tyrannical. Of course, brevity leaves many unanswered questions.

Still, again, understandable that he might be, but if there's a more detailed explanation of his dogma or clergy, I would like to see it.

I sincerely wish someone to explain this to me. In my copy of "Gods and Magic", the supplement, it lists Minderhal, the Stone giant deity, as LE, but gives no reason for doing so. Knowing stone giants to be a mostly neutral people (Unless this changed between D&D and Pathfinder), and seeing his areas of concern (Creation, Justice, Giants, Strength), he hardly seems evil. The description given does not support him being evil either, unless there is something hidden in this key detail:

"... he gained popularity with other races during the time of the Runelords."

My knowledge of pathfinder lore is far from infinite, and still in need of strengthening. Still, with what is presented here, I am almost convinced that this is a misprint. So, I appeal to you, more learned scholars of lore, to show me exactly how this deity is evil.

All help appreciated. :)