Cleric of Mephistopheles: Advice appreciated

[Matthew Pittard]

Hi,

I have decided to create a new Cleric for the First Steps series of adventures. To give myself a bit more a challenge i decided I like the concept of a Knowledge based Cleric out of Cheliax (as I have been told that Cheliax get some of the trickier faction missions) and that he was going to be worshipping an Archdevil.

Scanning the list, I came across Mephistopheles who seemed to fit the concept I was after. I noted in the Cheliax release that worships of Chaos aligned Gods and other devils are not allowed in Cheliax under pain of X.

My actual question comes down to this: Would a cleric of Mephistopheles be able to pass themself off as a Cleric of Asmodeus in play?

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Nimon]

Mechanically it would depend on how well you bluff I guess. In society play if you are going to play a darker side character it is usually best to do it subtley.I am not sure how subtle you can be with a holy symbol focus requirement for most divine spells.

[Mortifier]

I have a cleric of Asmodeus, Ash The Immortal Pathfinder. He is one of my favorite charictors.

If I remember correctly Mephistopheles is Lawful Evil so warship of him in the context you provided would not be outlawed. Even if it is outlawed you could still warship in secret, then bluff that you still follow the Great One. In fact secret warship of a god that is disallowed is a good explination to having the trait Indomitable Faith (+1 to will save).

[Matthew Pittard]

Thanks for the input. I guess Im just going to be very careful about what I do should he ever actually adventure within the confines of Cheliax itself.

Now.. any advice on Domains?

Domains Evil, Knowledge, Law, Rune
Subdomains Devil, Language, Memory, Thought

[Nimon]

Knowledge, Law, Rune, Language, Memory and or Thought might be a bit more covert than Evil/Devil domains for the purposes of staying on the Down Low. of those I think Rune maybe the better choice.

[Dragnmoon]

One thing to remember, once you need to cast a spell with a divine focus or channel energy the gig will be up since they require the holy symbol to be presented.

[buzzby]

Hi Matthew,

The other thing I'd urge you to consider is how this is going to affect the other players you game with. Organised play has even more of a social contract than a regular home game.

We have a few players locally that use 'I worship an evil god, but it's ok because I'm neutral' to try to skirt or (at times) cross over the don't be a jerk, don't be evil rules.

At the very least be upfront about your character when you sit down to a table as not everyone will be comfortable playing with that character.

[Matthew Pittard]

Undoubtedly, its a work in progress. Thanks for the further advice. I will be going LN and emphasizing the Secrets/ Contracts aspect of the Portfolio

Hes obsessed with learning so Im going to try to play on that every chance I get.

[Shivok]

Wasnt there some feat or tattoo focus where you could tatto you holy symbol and use it?

Maybe i'm confusing games.

[Stormfriend]

There's a Cleric archetype called 'Hidden Priest' in Inner Sea Magic that lets you substitute a normal holy symbol with something innocuous looking, and lets you disguise your spellcasting as if it were arcane magic instead.

Edit: plus the Birthmark Trait (copied from the Archives of Nethys):
Source Pathfinder RPG Character Traits 4
You were born with a strange birthmark that looks very similar to the holy symbol of the god you chose to worship later in life. This birthmark can serve you as a divine focus for casting spells, and, as a physical manifestation of your faith, increases your devotion to your god you gain a +2 trait bonus on all saving throws against charm and compulsion effects as a result.

[Todd Morgan]

Characters can elect to worship any deity listed in a table of gods in the Core Rulebook, The Inner Sea World Guide, Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Gods and Magic, or any other source listed as an official Additional Resource. Characters may elect to worship an evil god, but must always be within one alignment step of their chosen deity. For clerics, this is an especially important choice, since the deity’s alignment determines whether the cleric channels positive or negative energy, a decision with significant tactical implications for the cleric and her allies. Characters who do not receive powers from a divine source may choose to be atheists or to have no deity at all.

I guess my question: Is Mephistopheles considered a full deity or just a devil lord?

[Stormfriend]

Todd Morgan wrote:

I guess my question: Is Mephistopheles considered a full deity or just a devil lord?

He's listed in the ISWG in the same way as any other deity, with domains and portfolio. He also appears on the Paizo blog that details subdomains for non-core deities. If that doesn't count for PFS purposes its going to be a bit of a shock to the player base...

[Todd Morgan]

The only reason I ask, is that in another thread, worshiping Lissala was brought up and the campaign staff asked how the player got access to worship her.

I guess, I only want to bring it up because having a unique character is really fun, but it's going to be really hard to justify going on certain PFS missions when you worship a demon lord/devil lord, old one or evil deity in general.

The only reason Asmodeus works so well in PFS is because there is a country that worships him that also has a PF Faction.

For example, any worshiper of Urgathoa should never play Pallid Plague, because you would actually side with the enemies, rather than the Society.

[Stormfriend]

I don't see any difference between worshipping an evil deity and a good one with regards to PFS missions. The moral dilemmas, or conflicts of interest, can raise their heads in both directions. In fact worshippers of evil deities are probably the most flexible when it comes to doing what is required (to get the job done), so should have the least problems with a mission.

[Todd Morgan]

I agree with most of that. The same way it's tough for Paladins in Society is the same way it's tough for worshipers of evil deities. I only want to draw attention to this as character decisions are made and for players to be aware that the more unique you make your character, the tougher Society play may be for you.

[Brian Darnell]

Mortifier wrote:

I have a cleric of Asmodeus, Ash The Immortal Pathfinder. He is one of my favorite charictors.

If I remember correctly Mephistopheles is Lawful Evil so warship of him in the context you provided would not be outlawed. Even if it is outlawed you could still warship in secret, then bluff that you still follow the Great One. In fact secret warship of a god that is disallowed is a good explination to having the trait Indomitable Faith (+1 to will save).

He had me and another player cracking up when a bunch of new players asked him if he'd ever been killed. He kept responding in character, "I can't die, I have a contract with the great one" they grilled him for a while, "how do you do that? What rule did you use? I want to have a contract with Asmodeus, how do I do that?"

we just about died.

[JOHN DICKERSON]

I'm pretty sure it's very illegal in Cheliax to worship a devil other than Asmodeus, but I don't remember where I read that.

[Tiny Coffee Golem]

Misleading without lying. Meph was a master of giving really good honest advice that he knew good and well that Dante would never take.

Paraphrased,

Meph, "If you want happiness give all this up and go live a simple life somewhere." etc.

D, "I'm far too enlightened to live a simple life. I know too much. Bla bla bla"

[Matthew Pittard]

As a side note, this same Cleric attempted to pass himself off as a willing convert to Razimir. It was going swell until he was seperated from his holy Symbol and later died.

rumors of his death though were inaccurate