Im going to be starting up a carrion crown game soon and Ive decided to play a cleric of Pharasma whos skills are focused in healing and knowledge skills. He kind of has a Van Richten with divine magic feel if that makes any sense
Anyway, something Ive done with clerics in the past is to give them some kind of meaningful title to distinguish them from normal members of churches and temples. For example in roman catholocism priests are often called father and in hinduism you have titles like Mahatma or Maharishi
So what Im asking is, what would be some interesting titles for clerics of Pharasma who have distinguished themselves in certain ways?
Play up on titles that play on her portfolios and domains. Start with a Noun followed by "of the" and fill in some morbid and cold sounding title for a sect of her religion.
(Alternatively: remove "of the" and place the sect title before the noun.)
NOUNS
Sentry or Attendant
reminiscent of a person who guards a door or gate (life and death)
Arbiter
Playing on Pharasmas dealing with death
Archdeacon is a great suggestion which makes deacon a great one too.
SECT
Final Gate
Void
Eternal
Universal Truth
Hope that helps! And go to a thesaurus, its my favorite RPG guide ever!
My Pharasma cleric used the title "surgeon".
I kind of like Arbiter, I might go with that. I also thought Gravewalker but on second thought that sounds more like a monster then a title
Now that I think about it, this seems to be one of the few failings I can find with the APG religion write ups Ive seen thus far. Paizo writes about holy days, holy artifacts/scripts, daily life and outlook but we lack titles that mean something within the church and add a great deal of roleplay value
Guide
Psychopomp
Soul Warden
Glim
Shadow
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Guide
Psychopomp
Soul Warden
Glim
Shadow
I like these, especially psychopomp.
Other funereal terms, like undertaker and pallbearer could work, although 'undertaker' might be too associated with this guy to be taken seriously...
How can you not take that guy seriously? Have you seen the size of him? Well, I suppose you could do it behind his back...
I like psychopomp, but it sounds more like a role that would be taken by an outsider, or at least an elite rank of cleric.
Now Soul Warden, that has promise. Considering my Carrion Crown character is a cleric of Pharasma with the Souls subdomain, I just might use that.
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Now Soul Warden, that has promise. Considering my Carrion Crown character is a cleric of Pharasma with the Souls subdomain, I just might use that.
Spirit Guide or Intercessor might also work for that.
In other settings (one where Charon wasn't a rival to Pharasma) Ferryman, Boatman, Pilot or Coachman (referencing a mythical ferry, boat or coach that conveys souls to judgement) could work. The boat / pilot thing works well with Pharasma's association with water, as well. Ooh. Now I want to play a cleric of Pharasma who thinks of himself as a privateer, metaphorically sailing the dark waters that Charon's servants think their own and attempting to snatch lost souls from the water before the daemons can claim them, although he'd do that by attempting to redeem people in life, before their death, stopping them from getting on Charon's skiff in the first place...
In one that suggests that a dark place exists between the mortal world and the afterlife, and that undead are spirits that have gotten 'lost in the darkness' and 'lost their way,' terms like Guide or Lanternbearer could be appropriate.
Mixing the two ideas a bit, perhaps, at the part of the Styx that leads to the Boneyard, Pharasma has a towering lighthouse, that beckons spirits to the only safe port on that dark river between worlds. Clerics could fancy themselves 'Keepers,' and those unfamiliar with the tenets of the faith might think that means 'brother's keeper,' when, to those who know, it means 'lightkeeper.'
Precursor (of birth and death)
One thing I have noticed with the Aeons and Pharasma (and the Neutral deities I expect to see more along this line with Faiths of Balance) is that they are often balancing opposing qualities or concepts.
Pharasma is Birth and Death.
So when writing up the Church of Pharasma as a religious Faction (from the Faction Guide) for my current PBeM campaign, I went with two main branches of the faith, and gave each just 2 titles (purchased with Prestige).
At low levels, a Cleric of Pharasma can be a First Guide or a Final Guide. Later, they can escalate to Midwife or Undertaker, respectively.
Note: Psychopomp is actually used already in context with Pharasma - they're her servants summonable with Planar Ally (see the Pharasma write-up in Pathfinder 44).
I was thinking of calling my Inquisitor of Pharasma "Gravedigger Holn". If I dont go with that, it will most likely just be "Brother Holn". I keep channeling a voice of a badguy from the Vampire:The Masquerade Bloodlines.
*shrugs*
Greg