Creative Director
|
Whilst I am still very much occupied (as far as posts on this forum go) with the CS thread, I did notice this one flicking through my recent purchase of Gods and Magic.
The illustrations of Cayden Cailean (P. 11), Iomedae (P. 21) and Norgorber (P. 29) all feature them pointing or holding sizeable weapons in their left hands.
It occured to me that these three deities are the ones who ascended by passing the test of the Starstone.If the author or editers would like to comment on this, it might be interesting?
This doesn't really mean anything, really. Especially since the orientation of art depends on layout as much as it does the artist. An illustration might have a character facing left, for example, but when that illustration gets laid out, it might flow better with him facing right. So even if the artists DO have some sort of secret plan about left vs. right handedness, the art directors need to be in on the secret plan too or they'll just flip them all willy nilly to make things look nicer.
James, one, you are not allowed to post on the weekends.
Two, you'll notice that in my art order for this book I specified which hand each of those deities held his or her weapon.
Three, I am not left-handed.
(All of the above are false statements.)
Well, you can reflect light toward the altar without directing it into the cleric's face. If they were smart, they'd use sets of mirrors to reflect light to a big mirror on the ceiling, which then directs the light downward onto the altar like true sunlight, rather than laterally.
Or maybe the clerics are just squinty. :)
{Uh, there is no 'ceiling' that there can be a big mirror on. It says 'open to the sky'. ;)}
Imagine a domed building. Now remove most of the center of the dome, but leave a ring of curved or angled sections around the perimeter of the room. Mount mirrors on those so you can direct the light downward toward the alter, whether you're reflecting it directly from the rising or setting sun, or indirectly from upward-facing mirrors near the floor. Problem solved. Don't make me make a diagram. :)
{And if there are mirrors reflecting in from all directions, it strikes me that with priests being different heights, and probably pacing around chanting during religious observations, the occasional priest is bound to catch a beam in the face.}
You don't need every surface to be a mirror. If you have a round room and just put a floor-mounted mirror at the cardinal points, you're going to redirect a lot of light and still leave "safe" places to walk. Heck, in most temples you wouldn't have mirrors on the N and S because they're going to get less light than the E and W mirrors anyway.
{(If nothing else, trainee clergy or bored small children are bound to occasionally adjust the mirrors to try to catch a senior priest in the eyes.)}
That's what the doom spell is for. :)
|
(If nothing else, trainee clergy or bored small children are bound to occasionally adjust the mirrors to try to catch a senior priest in the eyes.)
This mirror discussion reminds me of this;
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/06/30/solar-energy-mirror.htmlLegend has it that Archimedes turned back an invading fleet of ships by using hundreds of mirrors to focus sunlight on the ships, causing the wood to smolder.
I believe that Mythbusters busted that fleet story ... too diffuse at long range, and the quality of the mirrors available at the time wasn't that great.
That was a good episode.
|
(If nothing else, trainee clergy or bored small children are bound to occasionally adjust the mirrors to try to catch a senior priest in the eyes.)This mirror discussion reminds me of this;
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/06/30/solar-energy-mirror.htmlLegend has it that Archimedes turned back an invading fleet of ships by using hundreds of mirrors to focus sunlight on the ships, causing the wood to smolder.
episodes as in plural as in they tried it again and came back scratching their heads and saying maybe.
|
|
I believe that Mythbusters busted that fleet story ... too diffuse at long range, and the quality of the mirrors available at the time wasn't that great.
I've seen that one, actually, and while I find MythBusters fun to watch with the kids, their experimental methods are often scary bad.
"Well, we tried something totally different, using jello instead of a human body, and a different weapon than used in the story, and totally different conditions, and it didn't work right the first time because of a mixup with the remote trigger, and so we failed to replicate it and we've declared that this could never have worked under any other conditions! Huzzah! Myth busted! Beer for everyone!"
Even if a bit more scientific rigor had gone into it, we'd still be stuck using the same sorts of thinking that led to people thinking that space aliens built the pyramids because 'the ancient Egyptians couldn't possibly have built those!' or that bumblebees were mechanically incapable of flight.
Since the ships of the day were often covered with flammable pitch to seal them against leakage, and had ropes and cloth banners on them, even if the ancient Greeks couldn't make an array of mirrors capable of burning wood, it's possible they could make it hot enough to set fire to the pitch.
Or it could just be a load of bupkiss, like many other ancient tales. Barring time travel, I suspect we'll never know. :)
|
|
Oh hey, actual Gods & Magic question!
Several entries mention 'all priests can cast X.' By 'all priests,' does this mean just Clerics and Druids, or Adepts, Clerics and Druids, or any caster class acting as a 'priest,' including possibly Bards, Sorcerers and / or Wizards?
My guess would be Adepts, Clerics and Druids, but it's possible I'm overreaching by counting Adepts as 'priests.'
"Priest" is defined in the "Priests, Temples, and the Church" section.
Calistria is one of the few whose "special spellcasting" section at the end says "priests" rather than a specific class. As her entry says her priests are usually bards or clerics (leaving room for more exotic spellcasters that might be more common in other areas, such as shaman, etc.), then bards and clerics are the ones who can cast those spells.
Erastil is another holdout; his priests are clerics, paladins, or druids.
Urgathoa, too: her priests are clerics, necromancers. necromancer sorcerers, blackguards, and miscellaneous undead. Her reference to purify food clearly only refers to spellcasters, as spontaneous casting is only available to spellcasters (a vampire fighter "priest" of Urgathoa wouldn't have this ability because he can't cast spells). The later uses of the word "priest" are referring to specific spells, so spellcasters that can't normally cast those spells don't gain that ability.
If you want to include adepts as part of the priesthood, that's fine (with the exception of Abadar, who never has adepts), and they should have access to the above abilities given to priests, but not to things specifically granted to clerics, druids, etc. ... sucks to be an adept.
|
|
There seems to be a problem with the Holy Mask of the Living God. The description says that the wearer can use CLW once per day, which isn't listed as a prereq spell. Instead, in its prerequisites it lists shadow conjuration which I assume means to mimic the effect of CLW. The problem is, that shadow conjuration can only mimic conjuration (summoning) and conjuration (creation) spells while CLW is a conjuration (healing) spell.
Any ideas how to fix this or do I overlook something?
The problem is, that shadow conjuration can only mimic conjuration (summoning) and conjuration (creation) spells while CLW is a conjuration (healing) spell.
Any ideas how to fix this or do I overlook something?
Item prerequisites don't have to exactly match what the item does. Though you do make a very good point - most items that duplicate a spell require it.
Item prerequisites don't have to exactly match what the item does.
This.
There's a good reason why the healing masks worn by Razmir's priests don't have cure light wounds as a prerequisite. :)
|
|
Item prerequisites don't have to exactly match what the item does.This.
There's a good reason why the healing masks worn by Razmir's priests don't have cure light wounds as a prerequisite. :)
Right, and I very much like the item flavorwise. It's just that my item creation-fu is rather weak so I thought it better to ask before doing something stupid.
Thanks for the answer. :)
Yer welcome! :)
|
|
Bumping this to ask another question.
Pathfinder Clerics gain proficiency in the favored weapon of their god.
In the case of Iomedae (longsword), Erastil (longbow), Gorum (greatsword), etc. this is a free Martial Weapon Proficiency.
In the case of Zon-Kuthon (spiked chain), Desna (starknife), Calistria (whip), etc. this is a free Exotic Weapon Proficiency.
In the case of Abadar (light crossbow), Asmodeus (mace), Nethys (quarterstaff), etc. it's shiny bupkiss, since all Clerics have Simple Weapon Proficiency anyway.
What happens with Irori (favored weapon - unarmed strike)? Do his Clerics merely have the unarmed strike 'proficiency' listed in the weapon chart (i.e. nothing but an AoO to the face if they try to use it), or do they get Improved Unarmed Strike, allowing them to punch people without provoking attacks of opportunity?
Dieties like Achaekek, giving out a sexy Exotic Weapon Proficiency, could be considered 'precedent' for allowing Iroran priests to get Improved Unarmed Strike training as part of the Cleric of Irori 'proficiency with Favored Weapon' package.
Dieties like Pharasma, training their clergy to use the Dagger that they already learned how to use in Cleric 101 (or Commoner 101, or whatever), could be considered 'precedent' for giving Iroran priests a fat stack of jack.
Barring an official ruling, I'll probably go the more generous route, as Improved Unarmed Strike is less mechanically useful than the free Longbow proficiency that Clerics of Erastil get, IMO.
I'd give Irori's priests IUS.
As for the clerics who get a simple weapon proficiency that they already had, like a quarterstaff, I say: "Too bad, quit whining! All through 3e you could walk around with your deity's favorite weapon without needing to take a feat to use it, now it's fair that everyone gets to use their deity's favorite weapon without penalty."
;)
|
|
I'd give Irori's priests IUS.
Awesome, thanks!
As for the clerics who get a simple weapon proficiency that they already had, like a quarterstaff, I say: "Too bad, quit whining! All through 3e you could walk around with your deity's favorite weapon without needing to take a feat to use it, now it's fair that everyone gets to use their deity's favorite weapon without penalty." ;)
Yeah, I wasn't worried about that, really.
Although Nethyn clergy are sad, sad boys and girls. Almost every other member of the 'core 20' pantheon grants their priests a couple of extra spells (with Pharasma and Shelyn having some sweet options), or little perks to certain spells (create ale instead of water, etc.), while the Nethyn 'bonus' is a *restriction* on casting Imbue with Spell Ability!
Of course Nethys also has four of my favorite Domains, with Destruction, Protection, Knowledge and Magic being pretty sexy in 3.5 and pretty sexy in Beta. I can't wait to see if they remain equally 'cool' in Pathfinder's final release.
I kinda love how Nethys lends itself to two completely different character types, the introspective occult scholarly LN-ish Knowledge and Magic Cleric and the N 'primal magickal forces, ruff, ruff' Destruction and Protection Cleric.
Or, in other words, a Bonisagus or a Flambeau. :)
The Seven Deadly Sins seems to be something of a theme in the Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting. Six of the seven appear in the purviews of various gods.
Asmodeus: pride
Calistria: lust
Norgorber: greed
Rovagug: wrath
Urgathoa: gluttony
Zon-Kuthon: envy
However, there is no deity for sloth. At least, there is no major Golarion deity explicitly associated with sloth.
I figure a god of sloth wouldn't have much of a religion, as his followers would be too lazy to maintain temples or recruit new faithful. So checking through the various minor deities, I find Groetus, God of the End Times. He might just fit the bill. No organized faith and all he does is orbit the Boneyard waiting for the end of time. Seems pretty slothful to me.
|
Creative Director
|
The Seven Deadly Sins seems to be something of a theme in the Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting. Six of the seven appear in the purviews of various gods.
Asmodeus: pride
Calistria: lust
Norgorber: greed
Rovagug: wrath
Urgathoa: gluttony
Zon-Kuthon: envyHowever, there is no deity for sloth. At least, there is no major Golarion deity explicitly associated with sloth.
I figure a god of sloth wouldn't have much of a religion, as his followers would be too lazy to maintain temples or recruit new faithful. So checking through the various minor deities, I find Groetus, God of the End Times. He might just fit the bill. No organized faith and all he does is orbit the Boneyard waiting for the end of time. Seems pretty slothful to me.
We've specifically chosen NOT to associate one of the core 20 deities with sloth, because, really, if the sloth deity's followers are truly devout, they're not out there recruiting new worshipers because they're lazy! Which means that their religion is pretty stagnant and isn't going anywhere.
Groetus is certainly not a good choice for sloth—his cult is actually relatively widespread and well known. The god itself might APPEAR to be doing nothing, but he's actually doing a lot. He's one of those deities who is really really inscrutable to mortal ways of thinking.
The seven sins show up also among the demons; they're basically mortal souls who were filled with sin and ended up being transformed by the Abyss into a demon. The demon that represents sloth is the dretch, for these are the lowest of the demon ranks and a soul that's slothful isn't going to be ambitious enough to achieve anything other than bottom-of-the-barrel status as a dretch.
In the end, I'm pretty sure that there isn't a currently active god of sloth in Golarion, in any case.
|
We've specifically chosen NOT to associate one of the core 20 deities with sloth, because, really, if the sloth deity's followers are truly devout, they're not out there recruiting new worshipers because they're lazy! Which means that their religion is pretty stagnant and isn't going anywhere.
This might be true, but i am pretty sure a god of sloth would have a lot of followers by inercy (at least on Earth).
In the end, I'm pretty sure that there isn't a currently active god of sloth in Golarion, in any case.
If he was active, he wouldn't be a very good god of sloth, now would he? :)
Maybe Sloth should be a philosophy.
Eh... I'll think about it later. ;)