Please recommend a faction for this character


Pathfinder Society


I came up with an idea for a character for PFS and I'm not sure which faction I should put him in.

Essentially he is a Rogue (Knife Master/Scout) who is dedicated to Pharasma. He will not be taking cleric levels; he is just religiously devout. Alignment will either be N or NG. Still working on a name.

He is a striking-looking halfling with dusky skin. His skin is marked with tribal tattoos that mark him as a Shoanti, even though he is clearly a halfling rather than a human. His hair is matted and braided, and hanging from many of the braids are small bits of animal bone; similar tribal fetishes adorn his clothing. His face is painted white and a spiral mark of Pharasma is drawn on his left cheek. He wears leather armor and festooned about his body are a plethora of daggers.

The idea is that he was an orphaned halfling child living somewhere in Varisia; doesn't matter especially where but probably not in a major city (though Riddleport is a possibility). At a young age a group of Shoanti led by an oracle of bones sought him out. The oracle explained that he was the reincarnation of an important Shoanti and that he must return with them to Shoanti lands to learn their ways.

The Shoanti were of the Skoan-Quah (Skull Clan) and raised the halfling child, teaching him their ways. They taught him of their sacred duty to protect the Shaonti burial grounds from desecration and despoiling, and raised him in the faith of Pharasma.

Though he grew up as a Shoanti, the warriors of the clan did not truly accept him; he was considered to weak and small to be of value in battle. He learned to assist other warriors rather than to seek glory himself. Always feeling like an outsider, he left the Skoan-Quah as an adult and sought out his purpose in life.

Where his background goes from there kind of depends on which faction I put him in... I envision him as either in the Silver Crusade or Osirion. Silver Crusade as they are typically against the raising of the dead and so is he; he would know that pathfinders often find themselves in tombs full of restless dead and he would seek to put such spirits to rest.

On the other hand there is a lot of stuff to do with the undead and necromancy in Osirion, and he might find himself drawn there. However, I am not sure about Osirion since it seems they might be more accepting of the animation of the dead and he is opposed to that.

So what do you guys think? Silver Crusade or Osirion?

Peet

Liberty's Edge

Jee. I would honestly recommend the Silver Crusade. Osirion just doesn't seem to fit for this particular hero. Honestly, though, I think the silver crusade is accepting of all faiths as long as they are working as a force for good.

Grand Lodge 3/5

He is Varisian, maybe he got tangled up with the Sczarni, and has to work for them to repay a debt he or his loved ones owe.

Otherwise Silver Crusade if good aligned. I don't think Osirion is a good fit.

Liberty's Edge 4/5 *** Venture-Lieutenant, California—Los Angeles (South Bay)

Osirianis have often CREATED undead as guardians, so Silver Crusade or Andoran might be better fits. (Undeath can be a form of slavery.) Grand Lodge might work as well.

Grand Lodge 2/5

If you haven't made the character I would hold off on your class choice until the ACG comes out. The slayer base class may be appealing, and an archetype was also announced called the Sanctified Slayer (unknown for which class, though if it isn't for the slayer I'd be a tad surprised, maybe inquisitor).


Thanks for the thoughts, guys. I don't know a lot about Osirion but it sounds like they may be actually pro-undead, sort of. Silver Crusade is the only other one that makes sense for this guy. He has a "higher purpose."

I am not sure if I want him to be N or NG though. Pharasma is true neutral and I'd prefer him to be too, does this pose any problem with the Silver Crusade? He would consider it to be a "holy mission" to put the spirits of the dead to rest, and would be willing to help others on the grounds that they will owe him favours afterwards, but I'm not sure he is about going out to help the living so much as putting down the restless dead.

Dark Archive 4/5

Any alignment can join any faction; it's the faction goal that matters! I would also vote against Osirion, as this character seems to want to do what's good and right, which fits Silver Crusade. But take a look at the faction goals and decide what best aligns with your character's interest. Keep in mind though that some of the factions are changing for season 6!

faction letters

4/5 ****

Alanya wrote:
(sorry, not sure how to post this as a link)

If you take a look towards the bottom of the post/reply box you'll see a little button labeled "Show" next to "How to format your text."

If you click that it'll show you how to do all the cool formatting on the Paizo boards, including {url=urlhere}Link Name{/url} but with square brackets to work.

Dark Archive 4/5

Pirate Rob wrote:
Alanya wrote:
(sorry, not sure how to post this as a link)

If you take a look towards the bottom of the post/reply box you'll see a little button labeled "Show" next to "How to format your text."

If you click that it'll show you how to do all the cool formatting on the Paizo boards, including {url=urlhere}Link Name{/url} but with square brackets to work.

Thank you!!!


Alanya wrote:

Any alignment can join any faction; it's the faction goal that matters! I would also vote against Osirion, as this character seems to want to do what's good and right, which fits Silver Crusade. But take a look at the faction goals and decide what best aligns with your character's interest. Keep in mind though that some of the factions are changing for season 6!

faction letters

Thanks, Alanya.

The thing about Silver Crusade is that the character has strong opinions about undead, but other than that is mostly indifferent to good and evil. He probably would support the Mendevian crusades for the same reason he opposes undead; the worldwound is "unnatural" and poses a threat not just to mortal beings but to the natural order itself.

But he doesn't really care about ordinary people being killed or enslaved; in his mind Pharasma will gather them all eventually. He is not especially interested in helping those who can't help themselves, at least not without reward. So Silver Crusade feels a little weird for me.

Peet

Scarab Sages

You could just go grand lodge and focus on pathfinding. Factions aren't as important as they used to be.

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