Has anyone converted the undying court to Pathfinder?
According to the advice I got, most gods should grant 5 domains (4 if it's demigod). The good and protection domains are already in the Pathfinder core rules. So that leaves converting the Deathless domain and its spells (halt deathless, spirit steed, create daathless, control deathless, create greater deathless, and hero's blade) as well as choosing two other domains. Pathfinder domains that seem appropriate: Repose (especially its APG subdomains Ancestors and Souls), Nobility, Community, and/or Knowledge.
What would be the best way to convert the domain power? Thats really the only problem I'm having. Well to be honest, i don't know where to start. I also want to make a new deity for another set of elves that I created. They're like the Valenar elves, but they also revolve around the summoner class. Summoners are looked at as being priests and advisers in the royal court. The problem with this is should I make a new diety or use an existing one?
What would be the best way to convert the domain power? Thats really the only problem I'm having. Well to be honest, i don't know where to start. I also want to make a new deity for another set of elves that I created. They're like the Valenar elves, but they also revolve around the summoner class. Summoners are looked at as being priests and advisers in the royal court. The problem with this is should I make a new diety or use an existing one?
Hmm, I'd say model the domain ability for the command deathless ability on the elemental turning of the various elemental domains, but it looks like that got taken out. So you have a few options you could work here.
I see Control Deathless is already on the domain spell list, so the greater rebuking deathless ability might not be completely needed. But if you still wanted to include it, there are a few ways you could include it.
If you wanted to keep greater deathless rebuking as a granted power of the domain, you could put it at 8th level and give it a duration of 1 round per cleric level (similar to the Charming Smile power of the Charm domain). You could also turn it into a "summon deathless" ability that allows you to summon your HD in skeletons and zombies but as nonevil deathless instead of normal undead. This might last for a number of rounds equal to your cleric level and would be your 8th level domain power. Or you could make commanding deathless a feat (like Command Undead, but Command Deathless as a reverse version of the feat) and replace the granted power with two others.
Now, whether you keep the greater rebuke deathless thing or not, you're going to need two total granted powers (one of them granted at a later level, usually 8th). I'd look to other existing domains (or subdomains, if you have the Advanced Player's guide). Here are a few possible examples of what you might do:
-In magic of eberron it says that elves like to take on resemblances to the deathless with grafts. Perhaps the Deathless domain could temporarily alter the elf body to resemble a deathless? You could alter and reskin the Plant domain's wooden fist and bramble armor, for example.
-The soul and ancestor domains are subdomains of the repose domain. Subdomains are more specialized versions of domains with one different class ability (and some changed spells). The reason why I mention that here is that these two domains may have some interesting abilities. One has a limited ability to make weapons affect incorporeal undead more (half damage if used on a nonmagical weapons and full damage if used on a magical weapon). The other was a Speak with Dead ability.
-Another aspect you could play up would be the hatred of undead. You could give the domain extra damage vs. undead when channeling positive energy (as per the sun domain power). Or perhaps you can grant them the ability to do blasts of positive energy damage similar to the various blast powers of the various elemental domains or the Sun domain's Nimbus of light power.
-Because of their mastery over death, the Aeranal elves are known for being particularly brave. Perhaps some kind of aura that grants bonuses to fear (like a paladin aura?) or death effects (like the deathward spell)?
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As for the Valenar elves, Races of Eberron says they're a proud warrior race of raiders and horse tamers. Some of them are apparently really into ancestor worship (although I don't think they're into the deathless thing) thinking long back about their race's heroic past fighting in Xendrik. Their priesthood is called the Keepers of the Past. Some of the description of their beliefs seems vaguely like how D&D depicts Norse mythology (Valhalla for those who die in battle, etc), but I don't know if they would worship personified gods or not. the eberron wiki lists some orders of druids as one of the faiths of the valenar elves:
http://eberron.wikia.com/wiki/Valenar
What did you have in mind for gods/religions of the Valenar? Having a general beginning concept might be a good start in deciding whether to make another god or use something existing.
Okay, I think I know how I'm going to go about converting the Undying Court to Pathinder. Thanks for your help with that. When I'm finished I'll post it up here.
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Now the desert elves in my setting are called the Savaldi. They are a proud warrior race and practice ancestry worship, but their religion evolves around the summoner class as well. They believe that the eidelons(sp?) are the spirits of their ancestors, that have bonded with the beings from beyond the gate.
Okay, I think I know how I'm going to go about converting the Undying Court to Pathinder. Thanks for your help with that. When I'm finished I'll post it up here.
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Now the desert elves in my setting are called the Savaldi. They are a proud warrior race and practice ancestry worship, but their religion evolves around the summoner class as well. They believe that the eidelons(sp?) are the spirits of their ancestors, that have bonded with the beings from beyond the gate.
Sounds like you've got something of a quasi-shamanic tradition there with their dealing with spirit ancestors. Obviously the summoner class will be important to your people, will they also be responsible for leading spiritual practice/worship? Or are they more in the martial aspect of the faith?
Also, how does the Savaldi's ancestors appear in spirit form? Do they take their former human forms or do they take animal forms? If the can take animal forms, the closest premade thing that I can come up with is Uthgardt (from Forgotten Realms- see Faiths and Pantheons). He has a number of animal totems, one for each alignment. You could adapt this to make instead of a god, each totem represents the ancestral warriors of a different tribe. However, this may not work with a desert setting. If you can fit this in, however, druids, with their spontaneous summon nature's ally abilities, could make good clergy.
If you go with making a new religion from scratch, I can see any 5 of the following domains be used easily: Animal, Glory, Protection, Repose, Strength, and/or perhaps one of the elemental domains.
Particular cleric spells of interest include spiritual weapon (cleric 2, core rule book) and spiritual ally (cleric 4, advanced player's guide). These summon spirit allies to your side. I have been working on making a homebrew Spirit domain of my own. I can post that, if you'd like once I'm done.
Awesome. thanks for the help. Yeah, go a head nd post it once you're done. It will take me some time to work on the conversion and the new deity.
As with the ancestor spirits, they appear as what ever they like. This is how the elves cam to the conclusion about what they think the eidelons are. In actuality The leader of the Savaldi elves, now dead for 100 years, was visited by one of "those from beyond the gate" and it said it was bonded with one of his ancestors. It also said that they were here to help fight along side them in battle and to help guard the kingdom.