I'm statting up an encounter for one of my games involving a Satyr in a forest. I plan on the encounter being more whimsical than combat oriented, but if I know my players they are going to get bored with his antics after a time. I wanted to place a boon upon him from a fey god or goddess, in that who ever should do a killing blow would be cursed with bad luck. Mechanics wise, I think this would be during a moment of great need, the player cursed would be forced to reroll a save or attack that was successful, and taking the second result even if it is better.
My problem is, I cannot seem to find any gods or goddesses in the Pathfinder pantheon that fits this kind of role. Any suggestions?
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Calistria, elven goddess of trickery, lust and vengeance, seems the best bet. Being an elven goddess, she's got a fey aspect, kinda/sorta, and being a goddess of vengeance, she definitely fits the concept of a 'curse my killer' sort of boon.
With Luck as one of her domains, a curse that requires someone to roll twice and take the worst roll (or roll again upon a great success and take the second roll, or whatever) also fits her nature.
Sivhana, goddess of illusion and trickery, might also be popular among the fey, although her curse might be more like giving foes 20% concealment against your attacks, and when it 'goes off,' you seem to hit only a flurry of multicolored scarves that got in the way of your attack, which vanish as they flutter to the ground.
Depending on your tradition, Fey see themselves as the equals of the Gods, and so worship, which indicates submission, would be inappropriate. Just give him a death curse, 30' radius, DC= 10+ HD+ Cha Mod, -2 to a randomly chosen attribute.
This has been a thing with me and D&D that's always struck me as odd. If fae are immortal, what use would they have for gods?
The following is not a helpful answer to your question. Sorry.
For my tastes the British Isles type fey (as opposed to Paracelsus' elemental creations... the earthen G(e)nomes and fiery Salamanders) having gods is a way of making them more human. When they're more human, for me, they ain't fey. That humanization makes sense for playability in a roleplay game, but I find fairies better suited to local, folkloric legend and mystery than divine mythology. I like that they inhabit that small time for small folks niche of capricious whimsy and mischief. Bogeyman existing as a way for parents to warn children away from water's edge and darkest forest, and also to help explain to your wife why you got home two weeks later than you said you would. ;)
I use the summer/winter courts out of the Dresden Files books as a basis for my Fey rulers. A Queen, Princess, and Elderly Matron for each court. I think 4E uses something similar to this set up as well. Fey nobles are not gods in my games but more on the power level of a demon prince. The great thing about the Pathfinder setting is it is very much a kitchen sink style where you can just add stuff like this as you need without messing things up.
I use the summer/winter courts out of the Dresden Files books as a basis for my Fey rulers.
I'd love to see the author's 'Bible' for the series, the how the whole of his thoughts go. My own includes 2 lesser courts, Spring and Autumn, with much reduced influence. The Summer/Winter courts hold the greatest power, each outstripping the Spring/Autumn courts (The coming of each being their only real point of strength.). The majority of the Fey are not integral to either of the courts, operating with some level of independence.
I also use a extra dimensional plane known as the Emerald Dream (Stolen shamelessly from WoW) where the Fey rule. A facet of my Fey is their capacity to pass to the Dream at any time. Getting back is another matter. Magical gates and 'hotspots' are a feature, as well.
Depending on your tradition, Fey see themselves as the equals of the Gods, and so worship, which indicates submission, would be inappropriate.
That viewpoint makes sense for the fey if they alone can wield magical powers that mortals lack. But in a fantasy setting in which humans, elves and dwarves can wield power comparable to that of gods, that kind of hubris on behalf of the fey makes little sense I think. Consequently, the fey's role and worldview has to change accordingly.
This has been a thing with me and D&D that's always struck me as odd. If fae are immortal, what use would they have for gods?
They don't. What they have instead are sovereign rulers; usually an all-powerful queen with godlike power that they all revere to one extent or another. My take on it is that whereas mortals worship the gods, the fey instead revere them as ruling kings and queens.
My problem is, I cannot seem to find any gods or goddesses in the Pathfinder pantheon that fits this kind of role. Any suggestions?
Really? It seems to me that Desna is tailor made to be the Seelie faerie queen. She's chaotic good and is the aloof patroness of starlight, dreams and luck. She's even got butterfly wings and is served by sprites/lyrakien for goodness sake!
In the campaign in which I play, my faerie gnome character always refers to her as Queen Desna, ruler of the Seelie Court, and Lamashtu as the Queen of Air and Darkness.
Quick note: Not all fey are chaotic.
And just because mortals can wield great power doesn't mean the fey would change their view point, much like dragons wouldn't. Ok one in a few million mortals might be something worthwhile -- doesn't mean the rest are.
Creative Director
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Pathfinder #36 will have an article about the First World, which will detail (among other things) the mysterious rulers of that realm. They MIGHT end up being deities. Not sure yet. I do know that we'll not be adopting a seelie/unseelie type model for the fey for Pathfinder though.
In the meantime, though, there's not one specific deity that the fey worship. Like humanoids, the fey type covers a LOT of ground. The standard fey is of course the capricious forest dwelling creature, but the category also includes mischievous gremlins like the pugwampis, murderous maniacs like redcaps, and so on. It'd be easier to say what deities the individual kinds of fey worship, but overall they can and do worship all manner of deities if they're prone to being religious... including things like demon lords or empyrial lords or the like.
In some of my campaigns there are is a bit of overlap between the categories of gods, outsiders and fey. Some gods are associated with the Fey, other Fey may have been once gods, or they're children. Some fey may gain powers from they're godly patrons, but this is unlikely to be the same relationship a mortal has with they're god.
I agree with Ambrus that Desna for the Mab/Titiana role of Fairy Queen.
They may not worship gods, but if gods are much more powerful with thousands of minions it's not a good idea to annoy one, and if you are immortal you have more life to loose.
They can still work for eachother and for gods without worship. Think more fuedal heirachy.
In most books Fey are considered alien in mindset, capricious with their own values.
For example you could have a large sized dog that can go ethereal through walls and move at double speed for a round per con point, yet wolfsbane makes it sleepy. In most of the Brothers Grimm stories its mundane items that keep the fey world at bay.
If Desna is cursing PCs for slaying one of her 'children' perhaps they can be fascinated by the stars and dance at night time? will save vs TN 25 to resist the urge whenever outdoors or hears music at night?
Another option is that she replaces her child with her childs slayer, so the PC is turned into a Kobold, Ettercap or even Tengu. Either permenantly or during the New Moon.
This has been a thing with me and D&D that's always struck me as odd. If fae are immortal, what use would they have for gods?
None whatsoever. And this is a two-way mutual abandonment.
According to the adventure "Sound of a Thousand Screams" it says:
Creatures of the First World have no souls, and thus
have little to offer the gods. Accordingly, most First World
residents have little time for religion, and those few who
still agitate for the gods’ return find their prayers falling
upon deaf ears.
Since Fey are immortal, they generally don't bother with gods. They are ruled however by the "Eldest" - 9 fey of such great power that they command the respect and obedience of both the fey and the land (they set how fast time travels in their own realms). It mentions that fey of a worshipful bent tend to place faith in one of the eldest.
The Eldest themselves actually listed in the Inner Sea World Guide as gods, along with their alignment, portfolio, domains and favored weapons. Material-world clerics who go to the first world feel a disconnection from their deities, but their powers still work, which the fey use to argue that means that either the gods haven't totally abandoned them (although the fey abandoned the gods) or (more likely) that it just proves that clerics own faith/will gives them power, not the gods.
ISWG also mentions that Gnomes, when they left the first world to move to the material realm, also left behind their connections and have adopted faiths from the realm they're in.
In my game I'm going to be heavily involving the fey in Darkmoon Vale, and I've generally put them as non-committal when it comes to deities. However Deities like Shelyn, Desna, Calistria or Gozreh are likely ones for fey (or half-fey or similar) who would either be worshipped, or would keep an eye out on the fey because of their portfolios.