| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Most recently it came to my attention that the Darklight Sisterhood was not going to be included in the Faction Guide for Pathfinder. At first I thought it was a mere oversight, and that this amazing collection of anti-heroines would be fully detailed in Faction Guide 2: Electric Boogaloo. I and a few others voiced our concerns in the thread for the Faction Guide only to discover that the Sisterhood would not be appearing in Faction Guide 2, Faction Guide 3: The Search for Spock, or even Faction Guide 4: The Quest for Peace. The Sisterhood was being dropped as an idea, as it was considered too simplistic and did not fit into the direction that Pathfinder was going in the future. They were even described as a gaggle of ditzes at one point.
As I am running a monthly(all girl, mind) Darklight Sisterhood game, this hurt. However, all those parties interested in going ahead with their ideas for the Sisterhood were given the green light to keep developing it in the boundless realm of Fanon(located just down the hall from Xanadu and across the street from Neverland). It is in this spirit that this thread came to be.
Below is a direct cut and paste of something I put together for my Darklight Sisterhood game. It considers the Sisterhood an affiliation, and since I didn't get to make more than a passing glance at the rules for affiliations, I'm sure there are things in it that are going to be off- either too weak or waaaaaay too powerful for some. So give me some feedback/critiques, etc. And by all means, post your own versions of the Sisterhood- it's in the hands of the fans now...
The Darklight Sisterhood
Alignment: Neutral, with Neutral Evil tendencies
Headquarters:
Leader: The Grand Mere, a group of successful sisters who have retired from active adventuring. The group currently has a dozen members.
Prominent Members:
Scope: Safehouses are located all over Cheliax, and a few sympathetic Paramours can be found in wealthy cities in other countries.
Resources: Considerable due to a number of advantageous marriages both in and out of Cheliax. See affiliation scores for more information.
Affiliation Score
3 or lower: Paramour (if male) or Cousin (if female): Those lucky enough to have attracted the Sisterhoods interest are being sized up for membership, a potential tryst, or perhaps both. Men never progress past the level of Paramour, however, they are often strung along with promises of greater levels of influence, eventually being married off to a retiring Sister either as a reward for exemplary service or as a last-ditch effort to keep from losing a wealthy patron (in either case, their money is used to fund Sisterhood activities). Cousins are given a few menial tasks to determine their loyalty and utility, those who are seriously considered for membership are hazed- the current ordeal is to wear garish parodies of the latest Chelaxian fashions in day to day life- and is to obey a sister without question yet within reason, as they wish to keep future family relations cordial.
4-10: Sworn Sister: At this rank, the prospect takes an oath and officially discards her last name in a private ceremony performed by their sponsor under the observation of one or more of the Belle Mere. She is now a member of the family until death or dishonor (which always leads to death). She is given official missions of up to middling importance, and usually operates under the auspices (although rarely direct observation) of her sponsor. She receives a +2 bonus to all Perception checks, one Knowledge skill, and one other Skill that she already has ranks in. She also receives 1000 gold in “pin money” (or an item of equal value) after the ceremony.
11-20: Scandalous Sister: At this rank, the sister has probably had a few successful forays into the field, publically shown up (or privately eliminated) a member of the Pathfinder Society, or is milking a would-be Paramour for the benefit of the family. She may gather a number of Cousins (either Rog 1 or Wiz 1) equal to her Charisma modifier (if positive) for hazing and private use, and can suggest missions to the Belle Mere. +2 to either Bluff or Diplomacy checks, +2 to Survival or Heal checks, and +2 to Appraise or any one Knowledge skill of their choice regardless of whether or not they possess ranks in it. They can also borrow up to 2,500 gold pieces in assets from the organization. The money must be paid back(or item[s] returned) within a month.
21-29 Sister Superior: At this rank the sister has made a name for herself within the Darklight Sisterhood. More than a few members of the Pathfinder Society have been discredited or have met with mysterious ends as a result of her machinations, and she probably has more than one serious Paramour. The number of Cousins she may call upon increases to 1d6+her Charisma modifier (if positive), she may also sponsor worthy Cousins for Sisterhood. She can also send Sworn Sisters on missions without the Belle Mere’s permission (although not necessarily their knowledge, Scandalous Sisters have the right to refuse these missions, though few do). The Sister receives a +2 inherent bonus on any Save of her choosing and can borrow any magical item up to a +2 bonus in value or up to 5,000 pieces of gold from a secret Abadaran account into which Sisters the world over deposit money grifted from their Paramours, or assets of equal value from the organization. She has up to three months to return the item, refund the money, or relinquish the assets.
30+: Belle Mere: A sister no more, at this rank the character is inducted into the secretive Belle Mere order. She has probably married one (or more!) of her Paramours, and has retired from active adventuring as the Pathfinder Society considers her a “person of interest” in the disappearance of several Pathfinders. She can assign a number of Sisters of any rank equal to her Charisma modifier +1d8 to go into the field in her stead. She can command any reasonable number of Cousins to attend her as a personal guard/escort, and can lead the ceremony that promotes them to full members of the Darklight Sisterhood. At this rank, the Belle Mere can cast charm person (DC 20) a number of times per day equal to her Charisma modifier(minimum of once per day) as a supernatural ability. While it is considered rather bad taste to use this ability against fellow Sisters, she faces no real repercussions for doing so. She also receives a +2 bonus to any one ability score, can borrow any magical item worth up to a +3 bonus indefinitely (+4 and greater must be returned within a year; though she can keep the item if she pays for it), and can withdraw up to 10,000 gold pieces from the aforementioned Abadaran account, which must be returned within half a year. She has unlimited access to any and all non-monetary assets of the Sisterhood, including clothes, land, and titles.
Executive Powers: Assassinate, Gift, Research, Shadow War
|
Yeah personally in my home games I was going to tweak them a bit. I was going to drop the anti-pathfinder bit and have them be more about spying and information gathering, with a bit of occasionally assassination thrown in. Started as a group of noble daughters sharing information to use it to gain power. From there it grew into what it would be today. I just need to sit down and gather up all my notes and make something readable out of them. :)
I want to play a CN Half-Elf Inquisitor of Urgathoa in this faction and get married off to some old member when I've done all I can :P
Dream big, Felogoroth. Dream big.
My Half-Elf Inquisitor is pretty crazy, he's known to jump down from roof tops and split people in 2 with his scythe :P (I critted a guy when I jumped off a roof and 1 shotted him, the DM said I chopped him in half anime style)
Hey there! ::waves:: I'm one of the players in FreeholdDM's game. Just delurking to revive the thread and add a couple of ideas I've been thinking about.
I imagine that they'd have some type of oath after a "blood brother"-style ritual which would mark the ascendency from Cousin to Sister. Each girl cuts her palm and clasps the palm of her sponsor sister and they both say the oath. Then the girl does the same with her "first" cousin. For example, my character is sponsoring two cousins, so those two girls are "first" cousins to each other.
After the entire ceremony, a high-level healer treats all wounds so that there's no scarring. Of course, the initiates are never actually told that they'll be healed with no scarring--- it's part of the final test. Maybe there could be bonuses added after this, like a morale or Charisma boost if two sisters are near each other. Just a thought.
I also think that rather than fully change their surname to Darklight, it would be more fitting if they append it instead. [Surname]-Darklight. "Darklight" would only be used within the Sisterhood, never legally, or rather, never publicly.
I definitely like Dark_Mistress's idea of making them less Pathfinder-oriented and more espionage-oriented. In fact, I could easily see the Pathfinder angle as a red herring the Darklights purposefully use to keep others from realizing their true intentions. Their true goal could also be to have a Darklight on or behind every throne in Golarion. There are so many possibilities.