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Divine Source (Su): You can grant divine spells to those who follow your cause, allowing them to select you as their deity for the purposes of determining their spells and domains. Select two domains upon taking this ability. These domains must be alignment domains matching your alignment if possible, unless your alignment is neutral. You grant access to these domains as if you were a deity. Creatures that gain spells from you don’t receive any spells per day of levels higher than your tier; they lose those spell slots. In addition, you can cast spells from domains you grant as long as their level is equal to or less than your tier. Each day as a spell-like ability, you can cast one spell of each level equal to or less than your tier (selecting from those available to you from your divine source domains). If you’re a cleric or you venerate a deity, you may change your spell domains to those you grant others. At 6th tier and 9th tier, you can select this ability again, adding one domain and two subdomains (see the Advanced Player’s Guide) to your list each time and adding their spells to the list of those that you can cast.
Does this mean that a mythic cleric can ultimately worship themselves in the sense that they are the source of their own divine power?
Also, I created a character using this idea.....
Light of Mankind
God of Humanity, Compassion, Government, and Cooperation.
Alignment: NG
Domains: Community, Glory, Good, Nobility, and Protection.
Subdomains: Cooperation, Defense, Family, Friendship, Heroism, Home, Honor, Leadership, and Martyr.
Favored Weapon: Longsword
Centers of Worship: Absalom, Andoran, Cheliax, Lastwall, Mendev, Sargava, Taldor, and Ustalav.
Nationality: Humanity
As a recently ascended god by the Starstone, Ostarian has some big shoes to fill. Proclaiming himself as the light of mankind he fashioned his dogma and beliefs after three deities, Milani, Iomedae, and Aroden. Believing in mankind’s promise of good even after many examples of its failings and that anyone can stand up to fight against evil. While he has a belief in order and honor like Iomedae, he also believes that mankind deserves certain freedoms and liberties as well like Milani (also despising slavery as a crime of inhuman nature and abuse) and that a government should not just keep order and peace but also protect the rights and freedoms of the people. While he uses Aroden’s symbol, in his opinion Aroden confused human spirit with the ideas of progress and of one superior culture. Ostarian sees mankind’s future as their own to make and that its mankind’s diverse cultures that gives it its greatest strength, even to the decree that every temple and image shall have him depicted as the ethnicity of the local people and practitioners and not his own original ethnicity though they all bear the same eye color he had in life, amethyst. It’s mankind’s diversity and ability to unite together for the greater good that shows humanities true color, and Ostarian promotes such virtues in all his teachings. The holy text is Mankind’s Promise.
Every church is designed in a manner to the local architecture with a few key unifying factors, a domed roof over the alter and two secondary shrines to its right and left, for Milani and Iomedae respectively. The garb of the priesthood is allowed to be customized depending on the region, in northern kingdoms fur lined heavy robes are common with lighter more breathable robes more common in the southern kingdoms all of which are made in the fabrics used by the local people. All robes however are unified in having the Symbol of Ostarian on their left breast, being of full length and modest in the attire of the local area, and must be in the colors of red and gold (though yellow can be substituted for gold).
Among his faith is also a pantheistic movement called the Human Trinity consisting of Ostarian the ruler and council of Man, Iomedae the protector and crusader of Man, and Milani the voice and hope of Man. This movement worships the trinity in a unified symbol of Iomedae’s sword with Ostarian’s symbol at the hilt and a rose vine growing around the two covered in the blood of the people. While this order is only a small one, its power and practice has begun to grow with many orders of paladin’s and inquisitors sworn to serve, protect, and to bring righteousness to the lands of mankind.
In his opinion of other gods he finds many of the evil gods to be the enemies of man, only respecting and willing to accept the continuous workings of Amodeus until there is no other evil in the world left to deal with. The god Norgorber however represents to Ostarian the most evil a human can become, representing the things in civilization that do nothing but tear mankind apart from the inside out as well as once being human himself (maybe). Whenever Norgorber’s cult is met it is destroyed with a passion. Among neutral gods he gives a good amount of respect as Abadar and Irori don’t just bring order to mankind but also keeps civilization stable, though he wishes they could do more good and give more to man then what they already do. He respects Gozreh, Nethys, and Pharasma as they are forces in the world that are meant to be dealt with respect as they can give gifts to man, but just as easily take them away or destroy man. Gorum in Ostarian’s opinion is the undesired event, which sometimes is not just inevitable, but also essential to solve conflicts, however he wishes more of those fights to be virtuous ones. Calistra also represents a unique case, on one hand she is a goddess of elves and tames the lusts of men which if not sated could have disastrous effects on others, but on the other she tricks others with little mercy and tends to support vengeance over retribution that can lead to not just the harm of the innocents along the way but also leave the person feeling lost when they do have their vengeance.
Among the other gods of good Ostarian finds kindred spirits, such as Sheyln whose love and beauty can inspire others to do good and bring people together. Sarenrae whose light promotes healing and redemption is another important god who is respected for her power and grace along with her many centuries of experience fighting evil. Erastil is seen as the wise elder who guides man in its early days but forgets the benefits mankind can get from its cities, and Ostarian respects Torag as the god of Dwarves and smithing but feels that sometimes holding in a fortress and staying on the defensive can cause more hindrance then progress in war unless such actions are the best option available. He see Desna as a free spirit who sometimes forgets how to stay in one place and truly see what goes on around her, while at the same time seeing her travels as insightful to worldly issues as a whole. Cayden Cailean is the likeable god Ostarian wants at his side in a brawl or in a battle for freedom, but his habits of drinking, womanizing, and constantly seeking trouble is not something that should consume ones whole life but instead only represent a phase or moments in life that should be enjoyed when they come, but put aside when other things are called for.
Book I: The Demon Crusade
Though he was an Aasimar by birth he was always human, he was born to a Taldan Crusader after a one-night stand with a Cheliexian paladin who disappeared afterwards leaving Ostarian on the doorsteps of the orphanage in Kenanbres. As he grew up he began to feel a strong pull to the goddess Iomedae and dedicated himself to becoming a cleric in her service. During this time he came across two other holy texts, The Light of Hope a text of Milani, and an old copy of the History and Future of Humanity, the holy book of Aroden from the first Mendevian Crusade. These two texts shaped his outlook on his faith and his dreams began, first he saw himself fighting a giant insect demon in the abyss, then fighting alongside other against a lich with a horned helm bearing a shield remade and four canopic jars of a fallen herald, then standing in Westcrown leading a battle against hellknights and devils leading to the liberation of Cheliax, and finally he saw himself entering the Starstone Cathedral in Absalom before his vision went dark and he woke up his amethyst eyes wide open.
When he got older the day before Armmasse he was called to the deathbed of the man who was his father and was given to him his families inheritance, a holy sword of blended mithril and cold iron, a suit of armor, and an Azlant pendent. This he wore to the church on Armmasse the day Kenanbres fell and the fifth crusade began. As the crusade went on he learned more about his past, including the fact that Iomedae was his mother and that fate may have passed some of Aroden’s inheritance from her to him as seen in the color of his eyes. Eventually he and his three companions, one of whom became his mother’s new herald, closed the Worldwound and slew Deskari. On that day Ostarian realized his fate, he would finish the jobs Aroden started and become a god in his own right. After saying goodbye to Mendev he journeyed south to continue his journey.
Book II: The Undead Crusade
Ostarian traveled to Ustalav and Lastwall seeking to finish the fight against the Whispering Tyrant, joining up with heroes who have thwarted an attempt to free the Whispering Tyrant via a potion called the Carrion Crown. Allying with the Knights of Ozem, they set out to reclaim the last shard of Aroden’s Shield and defeat the Tyrant once and for all. Although their fight to regain the shard was successful, they were forced to retreat as the Tyrant began to gather the army of the dead once more and conqueror Ustalav. In the cathedral in Vigil they were successful in reuniting the shield which Ostarian himself bore into battle later gaining access to the Bloodstones of Arazni and taking it with them into battle against the tyrant. For three days and nights the battle reigned till Ostarian and the heroes slew the tyrant and ended the grip of his power on the region forever. That evening as the Knights of Ozem celebrated, Ostarian disappeared leaving the shield and bloodstones in the Cathedral of Iomedae in Vigil before joining returning crusaders south to aid in the fight against Queen Abrogail.
Book III: The Diabolic Crusade
As Ostarian traveled south news of his work and mission spread fast causing more people and even the nations of Taldor and Andoran to join him in his mission to liberate the people of Cheliax. As he came towards the border, the people of Westcrown called for aid as they declared their independence from Cheliax led by the heroes who had recently liberated them from the schemes of the local council of thieves. With their forces united Ostarian was able to reach and hold the city of Westcrown but found himself unable to go further and so Ostarian sent forth a messenger to meet with the queen requesting that she step down from the throne and that the church of Asmodeus be removed as the official state religion and the people no longer be forced to serve the prince of darkness. Abrogail refused but her power began to dwindle as more forces came to the call including the entire church of Iomedae with the help of underground resistance from the church of Milani, until only the capital city of Egorian and its surrounding region remained.
In a last desperate attempt for control the queen swore her soul and those of her family and people still loyal to her in sacrifice for aid, Asmodeus accepted and soon a whole legion of Devils appeared upon the next day and drove back the crusaders. Working with clerics of multiple faith of the inner sea, together they and Ostarian banished the diabolic army and finally gained access to the city. But when they breeched the gates they were met with silence as there was no one in the city, the failure of the diabolic army lead Asmodeus to cash in on his deal taking the queen and everyone in the city to hell and burning the palace to the ground. As the crusaders rejoiced, Westcrown was once again made the capitol and the land of Cheliax was made free, But Ostarian had one more deed left to perform.
Book IV: The Starstone Ascension
Ostarian first journeyed to the city of Oppara in Taldor and met with the priesthood of Aroden still left in the city. Ostarian said, “What I have left to do would either return to you a god of mankind or lose you the life of a great hero. Mankind is free to create its own fate and so if I succeed I'll leave this book to you, my voice and my teachings either as a philosophy if I die or a holy text if I succeed. Wait for me and if I don’t return after three days and nights declare me dead.” And so Ostarian went to the city of Absolam and on angel wings flew into the Starstone Cathedral, and so the people waited. On the first night the sky showed a brilliant aurora that showed mankind’s past till the point of Aroden’s death with the breaking of dawn. During the first day, the water in the city tasted sweet and the pain of ailments seemed to alleviate for the day. On the second night the aurora returned every event of the Age of Lost Omens into the present day, showing heroes succeeding and failing in their fights against evil. On the second day all was dark as a storm raged during the day with golden lightning and rain that sometimes fell clear and soothing and sometimes red and painful. Though the people thought he might be dead, they held on hoping for his promise to come true and so on the dawn of the third day the storm had passed and all was silent. Then the sky began to clear, bells began to toll and Ostarian himself stepped forth from the cathedral as a god, the new god of mankind.
I may have gone overzealous with the example. :)
I don't think that is what was intended, but you know what? I like it. I'd allow it.
Maybe a touch. Just gonna throw this out, slightly off topic, but honestly, any character that worships themselves as their own deity strikes me as pretty Chaotic Neutral.
yeah true. But part of the idea I think is that the ideals the mythic person believes in are what gives them thier power, only after filtering it thru themselves first can they access it.
P.S. I think one of the additional factors for should have been, if you make yourself the deity of worship you don't need a holy symbol but your worshippers still do.
All in all this ability itself is ego-centric. "So what god do you worship?" "I am a god!"
I think James Jacobs noted that most actual gods wouldn't "worship" themselves. Use that as you will.
I realize that I'm coming to this a little late, but keep in mind that you can always be a divine character without a deity, in which case your divine power is granted to you by your beliefs or through an interested and sympathetic party.
You don't have to worship yourself, but I would certainly say that you could cast aside your devotion to a deity and you would certainly qualify as your own sympathetic agency, so I would say that you could absolutely grant yourself spells.