Keeping the Faith -- Divine Classes and Gods

[BishopMcQ]

I'm trying to sort out some flavor and mechanics issues. Which classes need to be devoted to a specific god and which ones can be devoted to an ideal?

Quote:

Paizo Employee James Jacobs Creative Director May 10, 2011, 02:56 PM

James Jacobs
Of all the classes in Golarion... only clerics MUST have a patron deity, since only clerics get their spells from a patron deity.

Other divine spellcasters CAN have patron deities, and in some cases (inquisitors and paladins) they USUALLY have patron deities, but that's not always the case.

I'm not sure where and when I said all paladins need deities, but I'm pretty sure that I didn't and that's a misquote.

http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2l631&page=3?Which-Gods-have-Palad ins#126

The quote says that Clerics need a god, Paladins and Inquisitors do not. Mechanically, Clerics are the only class to state that they can follow an ideal. There are lots of mentions of the divine for Paladins, though the Divine Bond power specifically says "her god." Likewise the Inquisitor description is very heavy on her Church, her faith, and must be within one step of the God's alignment.

PRD wrote:

If a cleric is not devoted to a particular deity, she still selects two domains to represent her spiritual inclinations and abilities (subject to GM approval). The restriction on alignment domains still applies.

PRD wrote:

Divine Bond (Sp): Upon reaching 5th level, a paladin forms a divine bond with her god.

PRD wrote:

Grim and determined, the inquisitor roots out enemies of the faith, using trickery and guile when righteousness and purity is not enough. Although inquisitors are dedicated to a deity, they are above many of the normal rules and conventions of the church. They answer to their deity and their own sense of justice alone, and are willing to take extreme measures to meet their goals.

Role: Inquisitors tend to move from place to place, chasing down enemies and researching emerging threats. As a result, they often travel with others, if for no other reason than to mask their presence. Inquisitors work with members of their faith whenever possible, but even such allies are not above suspicion.

Alignment: An inquisitor's alignment must be within one step of her deity's, along either the law/chaos axis or the good/evil axis.

Can someone sort out the intent and explain it to me since RAW and RAI is blurred?

[Alleran]

Golarion is a specific setting for the Pathfinder game. As such, it doesn't necessarily have to follow the guidelines for general PF play (that clerics can worship an ideal), so in Golarion, clerics must have a god, because that's what makes them a cleric. Divine spellcasters who don't have a god and worship an ideal are basically Oracles.

IIRC, James has said that if he could he'd go back and change that reference in the CRB to state that clerics do need gods, but don't quote me on it.

[BishopMcQ]

Ok. So when playing in the Golarion/Inner Sea setting, I should just ignore the alignment requirements for the Inquisitor (unless they follow a specific god) and clerics must follow a god, the option for following an ideal is unavailable. Paladins follow either the code given by their god, or if worshiping the ideals of law have a distinct code of behaviors to be determined by player and GM.

Sound about right?

[Fromper]

Just to add to the confusion:

Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play wrote:

Clerics, inquisitors, paladins, cavaliers of the order of the star, and samurai of the order of the star must choose a deity as all classes in Golarion that receive spells and abilities from a specific divine source receive their powers from a deity. Druids, oracles, and rangers are the exception to this rule. The list is not exhaustive, and divine spellcasters of any future classes whose sources are added as additional resources will be required to choose a deity unless otherwise specified.

[BishopMcQ]

Fromper -- Thank you for the quote. I thought I had read something like that, but couldn't find it when I went back to start pulling pieces together for my original post.

[Fromper]

That's the rule for organized play. If I were running a home campaign set in Golarion, I'd probably just stick to the Society rule, as it seems like a decent version of canon.