Since there are no official books on this (at least I have not found them) I am free to invent stuff :3
My players have already shown interest in doing the test some day. ^^
My basic idea was that each person that has passed the test added a challenge to get to it, making it more and more difficult. Thus there would be one challenge from each of the ascended gods: Aroden, Norgorber, Cayden Cailen and Iomedae.
This way the players can try to anticipate what challenge awaits them.
Some other points I made up:
- That you need to fly over the chasm is just a myth. You can use the bridges. Not that it would be much of a challenge anyway.
- Theoretically the test should be doable by anyone regardless of class or level. More power should not make it easier to succeed, but allow you to survive more often in case you fail (thus making it easier of course).
What I have so far:
You start the test by going into the catacombs beneath the cathedral until you find a door guarded by a gargoyle (I just love gargoyles as guardians for stuff, but pretty much any creature would be okay). In my game the guardian is mostly there to stop all the stupid people from killing themselves by providing a mostly non-lethal test to even enter the challenge. After all almost daily people try their luck on doing the test.
It is a rather simple challenge. The creature has a key around the neck you have to get. You can steal it, grab it through physical power, fight the guardian for it, convince him with words or magic and so on. Anyone trying to pick the lock on the door or destroy it with force will find that it is not a "normal" door. Detect Magic makes you unconscious from the overwhelming power of the caster.
The guardian tells this. "This door is not a door and this key is not a key. They are symbols. They symbolize your will and dedication to become a god. If you are not strong enough to get the key from me then you are not strong enough to even attempt the test."
Once a player acquires the key it immediately vanishes and the door as well as if it had never existed.
(From a mechanical point of view the door is basically a god-level illusion that you cannot get through no matter your will save. However some tricks would be possible like throwing a corpse through and then resurrecting it on the other side.
The door also does not exist for people that do not wish to do the test (and I mean truly have no interest in the test at all... and if you are down here you can bet your butt you have an interest). This means for example the guardian can enter and exit as he likes as he is not interested in becoming a god).
As you descend down the stairs a room opens up before you. It looks like you just entered a tavern in the downtrodden parts of Absalom. Everything you expect is there. A counter where you can get beer, tables with people in various states of drunkenness and even a little stage where performers sing and play.
One person on stage in particular catches your attention. Anyone with a glimpse of divine knowledge will find it is Cayden Cailean himself (or someone looking exactly like the pictures in his temples). He is holding a mug and greets you friendly.
"Welcome to the first challenge. But before get down to business, why not sit down and celebrate with us."
In the middle of the room at the largest table are exactly as many seats free as heroes attempting the challenge. Regardless if anyone sits down Cayden will stand up and address the whole room.
"Friends! Now is the time to drink, eat and sing. I pay the tab!"
The room cheers and waitresses bring delicious food and drink. Whoever eats and drinks for eat least 1 hour gains the effect of a heroes feast (with max caster level of course) with the exception that you can still get drunk. After everyone is full and drunk Cayden stands up again (drunk himself) and begins singing one cheesy bar song after the other (very badly) and soon the whole room sings as well.
At no point the heroes are forced to join in in any of this. They can just stand moody in a corner too if they like and will be ignored.
Finally the time has arrived for the challenge. Cayden explains the rules (still drunk as heck).
"And now the challenge! Everyone get off your chairs! Then I will play music and you run around your table. Once I stop you gotta sit down as fast as you can. Everyone that doesn't get a seat is out!"
The heroes will notice that no chairs are removed meaning that you should always get a seat. So where is the hook?
How the challenge resolves:
Cayden's main interest is to prevent the rise of a grumpy, evil person with no sense of humor to god-hood. As such his challenge is simple. If you ate the food, drank the alcohol (to the point where you failed a save against the alcohol's effect) and sang the songs with him you passed. The chair game is merely a representation of this.
There are 3 rounds played. Each round some of the NPC people fail to sit on their chairs (since they are drunk and fall down) resulting in even more free seats (indicating it is not about the seats).
If you ate the food then in the first round as you sit down you get a cake in your face by one of the NPCs and everyone has a laugh.
If you didn't the cake is acidic and will deal enough damage to cut your HP in half (considering all resistances). Immunities to acid will simply result in a different damage type (flaming marshmellows, electric eel soup... be creative. Best if the type of food is ironic for the character)
If you are drunk (suffering from the drawbacks of alcohol) then on the second round you are safe as well when someone pours a drink down your neck.
If you didn't drink then the drink will inflame halving your HP (and again if someone is immune to fire use a different effect) and bring you to 0 if you also failed the first check.
Should someone attempt to cast heal spells or drink potions Cayden will interrupt them (throw his mug, spit beer on you, etc.) and accuse you of cheating.
In the last round all stays the same. If you sang their songs then you are good, if not the laughter by everyone at the end will turn incredibly loud for you, dealing sonic damage equal to half your HP yet again (killing you if you failed round 1 and 2).
It should be noted you can leave at any time. But when you do you may never return.
Also as I planned it the test will not allow you to rest in between to heal and regain spells. Thus you have to do this in one go. That makes the loss of HP a blow to your resources (you can heal yourself after the test is over) even if you survive. Also even in the best case you are drunk and need magic to detoxify or take the penalties (like man!)
Shouldn't it be different for everyone who tries?
Also: touching the Stone makes you a God. Gods are Gods... of something. So the tests should determine what principles the applicants hold dear.
I wonder what would happen if a Cleric touches the Stone - when your goal in life is to serve a Deity, you cannot very well end up their equal.
The later tests might differ more strongly for each person, but I thought this one would be a rather nice "easy" entry.
The only problem I have with the first test as the it is strongly biased against any lawful being. I mean, your general Lawful Good character might eat and drink, but won't get drunk and might not sing (especially if he/she isn't drunk and isn't secure about his/her singing). It's strongly biased towards becoming the next Cayden Caliden (or Urgathoa for that matter).
The first test is crossing the chasm, according to the devs.
You can't just fly or throw a grappling hook, either. It has to be something unique. Otherwise, the doors to the Cathedral won't ever open for you.
Iomedae threw down her cloak and it formed into a bridge for her to walk across. How you would play that kind of act in-game, I have no idea, though. Are you using Hero Points?
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The first test is crossing the chasm, according to the devs.
You can't just fly or throw a grappling hook, either. It has to be something unique. Otherwise, the doors to the Cathedral won't ever open for you.
Iomedae threw down her cloak and it formed into a bridge for her to walk across. How you would play that kind of act in-game, I have no idea, though. Are you using Hero Points?
In her case, it was either a magic cloak...or her faith, and her god did it for her. ;)
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well something like this might be a good inspiration for a test of the Starstone. It is a section from the episode "Thor's Charriot" from episode 6 of season 2 of Stargate.
link click on the Meet Thor video.
@Cuan: Every god will have tests that favor people of their liking. Nobody said it would be easy becoming a god. Or do you think Norgorber will make it easy for a paladin to pass his test? That's the last thing he needs. Another goody two shoes in the pantheon.
I added the HP damage part to balance out if a character has special restrictions (such as diet, or abstinence and such). They can get through but with some pain. And even when they don't do any of the 3 stuff it is still possible to survive if you are clever.
@Eldon: No the test did not exist when Cayden took the Test. He added it once he become a god (in my version of the test at least). So it becomes more and more difficult to become a god with each ascendant.
@Crusader: A little extra Information concerning crossing the chasm.
The reason that it is not necessary comes from my personalized setting. I don't have the setting books and my knowledge is from tidbits collected from the internet and my own inventions. Thus I made the cathedral open to anyone. Just to get deeper you need to be heroic. So yeah. You can of course make crossing the chasm the first test.