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Not asking about alignment, as I think they did a great job explaining their stance on that one.
But, EVIL spells, EVIL deities, the EVIL domain, EVIL auras, and so forth. Are these legal for PFS play?
And more so, if I use the EVIL spells too often, will my alignment change, or is the evil descriptor just there for it's relation to other abilities which trigger on that keyword?
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The legality in PFS must be chacked in the Aditionnal Resources from everything non core, but I´ll asume you´ll check it and are asking only about "evil" in general.
Evil spells. Sure, are legal. the most commom can be infernal healing. But from the ruleboock you can cast several evil spells.
Evil domain. Not legal, but this si because the aligment domains must match your aligment, and you can´t be evil.
Evil auras. Of cours, if you are a LN of Asmodeus you´ll have an evil aura, but you´re perfectly legal.
Casting evil spell wouldn´t change your aligment necesarily, it depeds in what do you do with the spell. Society FAQ regarding this; summon an evil creature to defend your mates is ok, summon it to burn a building with people inside is not.
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Oykiv did a great job of summarizing all of those. Basically, evil is as evil does in PFS.
I just want to add a couple of thoughts
The FAQ on evil spells specifically mentions infernal healing. The reason for that is because it is the most common [evil] spell cast in PFS (summon monster is probably a close second) and was the source of the original debate over evil spells several seasons ago.
Even though it isn't evil to cast such a spell, many of us who play good characters—especially paladins and clerics of good deities—choose to not let other people cast that spell on those characters. Please respect that. :)
Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento
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Evil spells: yes
Evil Deities: Some, but not all. Most of the Major ones. No outer gods.
Evil Domain: Technically legal, but impossible to take.
Evil Aura: Yes.
Evil spells are complicated.
Most evil spells do things that are evil. Casting the spell is not an evil act, but using death knell for example, means you probably just killed someone who was unconscious and no threat to yourself in exchange for more power. Individually, these acts are unlikely to warrant an alignment change (the examples of a single act that would warrant a shift are things like burning down orphanages or slaughtering unarmed combatants unprovoked.) However, in the absence of a moral justification (I had to death knell him, he was our enemy, he tried to kill us, and if I didn't get those temporary hit points, I was dead next round) and in the absence of other good acts to balance them, they can, over the course of a scenario, form a "pattern of evil deeds" that may need atonement.
Note that they *CAN NOT* form a pattern over several scenarios, and should only be noted on your chronicle if *within* a single scenario they get so bad that they require atonement. It is assumed that in between scenarios you have plenty of time to go out and do balancing good deeds to balance the evil ones you did. The guide *explicitly* says only to count deeds within the same scenario, module, or adventure path.
In other words, yes, casting lots of evil spells carelessly could eventually result in an alignment shift, but you would have to work at it, being intentionally careless or abusive.
A word on summoning evil creatures:
A summoned creature appears, and if you do not give orders it attacks your enemies to the best of its abilities. It doesn't defend your friends, it doesn't avoid innocents. If it has an area effect attack, and catching your friends or innocents in the blast means it can squeeze in one more enemy, your friends are going to get hit. Depending on the outsider, it may actually delight in finding the attack that has the most collateral damage. Make sure you can speak with anything you summon, and that you give it clear orders. Good outsiders may feel compelled to avoid friends and innocents, but evil outsiders will not.
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A word on summoning evil creatures:A summoned creature appears, and if you do not give orders it attacks your enemies to the best of its abilities. It doesn't defend your friends, it doesn't avoid innocents. If it has an area effect attack, and catching your friends or innocents in the blast means it can squeeze in one more enemy, your friends are going to get hit. Depending on the outsider, it may actually delight in finding the attack...
I never thought of this, neither have seen in play a summoned evil being with an AoO. But it´s good to know for when it happens.
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A word on summoning evil creatures:
A summoned creature appears, and if you do not give orders it attacks your enemies to the best of its abilities. It doesn't defend your friends, it doesn't avoid innocents. If it has an area effect attack, and catching your friends or innocents in the blast means it can squeeze in one more enemy, your friends are going to get hit. Depending on the outsider, it may actually delight in finding the attack...
One of many reasons you should always have a shared language, or means of communication, with anything you summon.
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This all takes a 3 way agreement.
The paladin Agrees not to smite any party members or associates thereof, and to keep any of the sermonizing from annoying the players-annoying the other CHARACTERS is fine. (Although a "fade to black" scene as the paladin starts the sermon and the indiana travel montage starts up, the party grows beards, and the sermon ends work fine)
The Demon/devil/lawyer does not twerk the paladin with the "na na na boo boo you can't hit me" which exists largely because of the out of game reasons. Do not add too much weight to an already overburdened suspension bridge of disbelief by taunting the paladin or naming the orphans breakfast lunch and dinner.
The DM does not make the paladin fall for going along with this. After all, Bob wants to play a paladin. He may only have one character at this level, he may want to get sir holysteel up to 7th level for the convention, play a faction relevant plot point, or just really be in the mood to smash stuff.
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For what little it's worth, I offer every Paladin player a full cover of any Atonement spells that interactions will provoke. But yes, I've yet to play under a GM that hasn't been reasonable with the situation. So V'Sarki hasn't caused any falls yet!
As it stands, Pathfinder is a fairly violent game at its core. Alignment implications aside, the action and potential for combat is more than enough to placate my Demon spider most of the time, and tossing it a live rat now and then helps during those slower periods.
It's all about shaping the character concept with PFS organized play in mind.
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Alignment implications aside, the action and potential for combat is more than enough to placate my Demon *redacted* most of the time, and tossing it a live rat now and then helps during those slower periods.
It's all about shaping the character concept with PFS organized play in mind.
Oddly enough, I don't have an issue with someone having a fiend as their 'best bud'.
But one mundane (and sometimes horribly overused) critter just... *shudder*
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Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento
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Why is this?
Evil Domain: Technically legal, but impossible to take.
Pretty sure the alignment domains are cleric/inquisitor only. Those classes require that the cleric's alignment is the same as any alignment domains selected.
Basically this.
Edit: I just figured out how you could "take" Domain: Evil (sort of)
Evil familiar with the Emissary Archtype could take the Evil domain for it's domain.
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And, to be fair, that Evil Domain would be largely useless in PFS. It mostly gives spells/bonuses for fighting against GOOD creatures, which doesn't seem to be an enemy you face much in PFS.
Funny enough the Evil domain gives you a touch range debuff that makes the target count as good for the purposes of evil spells. Goes well with the 8th level power to get an Unholy weapon enhancement.
So yes, it would have a strong use in PFS if there was a way around the restrictions to picking it up.
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Funny enough the Evil domain gives you a touch range debuff that makes the target count as good for the purposes of evil spells. Goes well with the 8th level power to get an Unholy weapon enhancement.
Touch of Evil (Sp): You can cause a creature to become sickened as a melee touch attack. Creatures sickened by your touch count as good for the purposes of spells with the evil descriptor. This ability lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your cleric level (minimum 1). You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.
Bold is mine.
It doesn't affect unholy weapons.
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Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento
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On a side note, does having an alignment Domain affect spells that detect alignments?
Does seem like a law domain cleric would stick out even more with a Detect law spell.
Only in that I am pretty sure that alignment domains are only granted by deities of that alignment, so if you have an alignment domain, you also have a matching aura class feature.
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Only in that I am pretty sure that alignment domains are only granted by deities of that alignment, so if you have an alignment domain, you also have a matching aura class feature.
That's what I thought, Thanks.
Though with a separatist cleric, you could pick an alignment domain that is different from your deity, provided they were not opposed in their alignment. In PFS, banning evil PCs indirectly prevents the separatist from being able to pick the evil domain, but it is notable that the evil domain can be selected for a cleric that worships a non-evil god, which in turn, can matter greatly for the aura class feature and detect alignment spells.
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Domains: A cleric's deity influences her alignment, what magic she can perform, her values, and how others see her. A cleric chooses two domains from among those belonging to her deity. A cleric can select an alignment domain (Chaos, Evil, Good, or Law) only if her alignment matches that domain. 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.
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Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento
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A LG cleric of a NG god with the seperatist archtype could take the Law domain, and if they were under 5 hit dice, would not register on detect law, which is kind of weird, but it is enough of a corner case that I wouldn't worry about it.
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Out of perverse curiosity, and since it would affect one character build I play outside of PFS too...
Let's say your character's backstory is that they had been raised by a fiend and only recently (as in weeks before first applied chronicle) turned away from that dark path. The character's chaotic neutral, but has the fiend blood trait or levels as a fiend bloodline sorcerer to represent being raised in the abyss.
Would you still be 100% barred from the evil domain?
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Step 9: Alignment
No evil alignments are allowed in Pathfinder Society
Organized Play. You may select any other alignment
for your character, keeping in mind the alignment
restrictions of the various classes.
Maybe it's just me, but I'm not seeing what is so *hard* about this?
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Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento
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Out of perverse curiosity, and since it would affect one character build I play outside of PFS too...
Let's say your character's backstory is that they had been raised by a fiend and only recently (as in weeks before first applied chronicle) turned away from that dark path. The character's chaotic neutral, but has the fiend blood trait or levels as a fiend bloodline sorcerer to represent being raised in the abyss.
Would you still be 100% barred from the evil domain?
Yes.
You no longer follow the true path of evil, and thus the divine embodiment of evil withdraws it's support from you.
It would be just the same as if you had an evil cleric with the evil domain, and their alignment shifted to nuetral.
That said, different GM, different world. If in your GM's world, evil is in your blood, and you must fight constantly against your bloodborn temptation toward evil, maybe you could still use the evil domain through your blood. Of course, every time you do, you are giving the evil in your blood more power over you, so do you really want to?
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So a related topic that I've thought about in the past, and this seems like a good thread to ask it.
Why would neutral people worship an evil god and be a member of the Pathfinder Society? Obviously, that's legal in Society play, I've just had a hard time coming up with good story reasons to explain it for most evil gods. Anyone got any good ones?
The most obvious (and most common in PFS play, by far) are LN Chelaxian followers of Asmodeus. That's easy enough - they're very lawful and patriotic, so they follow their country's patron deity.
Another semi-easy one, which is the only one I've ever done myself, is Norgorber. Since his four aspects have four very different types of followers, it's easy to imagine a neutral worshiper of the god of secrets in the Society. And I can even kinda see alchemists worshiping him as the god of poisons (such as the iconic alchemist). But his aspect as the god of murder really doesn't work with non-evil followers, so that one would seem to be disqualified.
But I'm thinking of gods like Lamashtu and Rovagug. Why would anyone non-evil worship them? And why would those worshipers join the Pathfinder Society? And the same for many other evil deities.
Thoughts?
Venture-Captain, California—San Francisco Bay Area North & East
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Another semi-easy one, which is the only one I've ever done myself, is Norgorber. Since his four aspects have four very different types of followers, it's easy to imagine a neutral worshiper of the god of secrets in the Society. And I can even kinda see alchemists worshiping him as the god of poisons (such as the iconic alchemist). But his aspect as the god of murder really doesn't work with non-evil followers, so that one would seem to be disqualified.
I have one of these! He's a Reformation Inquisitor trying to change Norgorber's church into a legitimate god of alchemy (it isn't working)
You can also be true neutral and worship Urgathoa as the goddess of partying. You'll party and feast till you die, then just keep on going.
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But I'm thinking of gods like Lamashtu and Rovagug. Why would anyone non-evil worship them? And why would those worshipers join the Pathfinder Society? And the same for many other evil deities.
Thoughts?
Religion in real life is often about your parents/family. Did being faithful to a god earn you respect from friends/family? Did you join a faith to spite your family/friends?
In another sense, people often begin to revere things that seem beyond human control. Mountains, the Sun, Death, and sometimes living things. If a person is later told that the object of their devotion is within the power of a specific deity, they may transfer their faith to the deity.
And lastly, a person's reason for faith may have nothing to do with the deity, but instead a desire to be with/like another member of the faith. Or perhaps they just enjoy the sense of community that their religion offers.
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But I'm thinking of gods like Lamashtu and Rovagug. Why would anyone non-evil worship them? And why would those worshipers join the Pathfinder Society? And the same for many other evil deities.
Lamashtu is a fertility goddess, of sorts, and governs transformation and survival, for those who feel no other deity would accept them. Rovagug's name often symbolises pure destruction, such as in the names of famous cannons, without an implication of motive.
A character whose obsessions fit either of these is unlikely to be a good person - in fact, they're probably pretty twisted and unstable - or a good Pathfinder, but "because they pay me and point me to good loot" has long been an acceptable motivation for many to work for the Society.
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Another semi-easy one, which is the only one I've ever done myself, is Norgorber. Since his four aspects have four very different types of followers, it's easy to imagine a neutral worshiper of the god of secrets in the Society. And I can even kinda see alchemists worshiping him as the god of poisons (such as the iconic alchemist). But his aspect as the god of murder really doesn't work with non-evil followers, so that one would seem to be disqualified.
But I'm thinking of gods like Lamashtu and Rovagug. Why would anyone non-evil worship them? And why would those worshipers join the Pathfinder Society? And the same for many other evil deities.
Thoughts?
This is the core concept behind my shapeshifting Kitsune Unchained Rogue. He loves to embody the aspect of secrets, and is utterly facinated with the secretive Decemverate. He serves the Society to put himself in positions to learn (not unlike the Society itself) and gain social influence as well. (Shout out to the faction mission sheets)
I tend to enjoy concepts based around mutation and change, making Lamashtu another one of my favorites. Right now I'm bouncing ideas around, but I'm considering a Skald with rage powers like Claws or an Alchemist who works hard to shed their "flawed" humanoid form.
Urgathoa is all about having a great time and damn the costs. Maybe adventures, loot, ancient lore and the life-or-death thrill of combat motivate some of the Princess' followers.
It's all about picking the interesting, flavorful aspects of a faith that don't just fuel any villian-of-the-week motivations.
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Urgathoa is all about having a great time and damn the costs. Maybe adventures, loot, ancient lore and the life-or-death thrill of combat motivate some of the Princess' followers.
Did a brief RP of a neutral Urgathoa follower (non-cleric) recently in a PFS session. After defeating our enemies, I was really torn regarding letting them bleed out or stabilizing them. See, killing them without turning them into undead seemed very wasteful. I lacked the means to turn them into undead, so I decided that keeping them alive was ideal, as it meant a better chance of them becoming undead in the future.
Granted, my character would never have any means of of raising undead, as I wasn't playing that sort of character. I was also neutral, not evil, so although not obligated to save them for good reasons, being wasteful with life wasn't reasonable either.
Mind you, this all happened in my PC's head, it wasn't a conversation I spoke aloud. To my party, I just hesitated, then decided to stabilize all the dying enemies.
It was interesting, as playing the neutral follower of an evil deity was actually really tough on an internal level. How do I maintain my neutal perspective while trying to appease an evil deity? It was tough.
Typically, I play a lawful alignment, so stabilizing would been a no brainer, as standing by and watching others die strikes me as dishonorable (assuming I could actually have helped). It is also often considered a crime in many cities.
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1.
Why would neutral people worship an evil god and be a member of the Pathfinder Society? Obviously, that's legal in Society play, I've just had a hard time coming up with good story reasons to explain it for most evil gods. Anyone got any good ones?
I have: A contract lawyer of Asmodeus who Hates Cheliax (he is a Teifling who escaped Cheliax before he was to be sacrificed)
A Mantis Zealot (Warpriest Archetype) which has to worship Achaekek. He is a mercenary assassin on long term contract to Ambrose Velsin.A Priestess of Urgotha who knows raising undead is bad, but does so for personal power and gain, incidentally working for the Dark Archives for much the same reasons.
There are many reasons why a worshipper of an evil god could join the Pathfinder Society.
2. The Society is a Neutral organization in goals and intent. They have Evil members, but for reasons I believe to mainly due with table disruption and good public image, we are not allowed to play them. Who knows how many, if not all, of the Decemvirate are actually evil? Nondetection would even shield them from the prying eyes of paladins...
3. I would prefer if some of the gods who are encountered as villains on a regular basis were removed from play options, particulary Lamashtu and Rovagug. Their domains are fairly disruptive, and while they may have a cool background, occasionally having a character around who, for example, wants to talk to the monsters and explain to them Mother Lamashtu's real goals can really eat up table time and frustrate a table.
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Another semi-easy one, which is the only one I've ever done myself, is Norgorber. Since his four aspects have four very different types of followers, it's easy to imagine a neutral worshiper of the god of secrets in the Society. And I can even kinda see alchemists worshiping him as the god of poisons (such as the iconic alchemist). But his aspect as the god of murder really doesn't work with non-evil followers, so that one would seem to be disqualified.
I have one of these! He's a Reformation Inquisitor trying to change Norgorber's church into a legitimate god of alchemy (it isn't working)
You can also be true neutral and worship Urgathoa as the goddess of partying. You'll party and feast till you die, then just keep on going.
This is the distinct difference between actual worship and casual or ignorant faith. Active worship, in a world where abilities answer spellcasting are granted, require actual, active and non-ignorant worship.
The only real world analogy I can come up with is the difference between a church goer who goes to mass because that's what good catholics do, and the saint whose legend includes miracles by the grace of God.
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let's try this shoe on the other foot for a second...
Why would neutral people worship a good god and be a member of the Pathfinder Society? Obviously, that's legal in Society play, I've just had a hard time coming up with good story reasons to explain it for most good gods. Anyone got any good ones?
Clearly the Silver Crusade must have some way to pull it off - normally in PFS I find most Silvers have low perceptions/wisdoms. They tend to "look the other way" pretty often during the game, and often have problems with the methods/mission/other party members/something... Heck, even in the scenario First Steps, during the Silver Crusade mission, it looks like the PCs are assumed to steal from the orphanage (how else do they get access to the scroll of on the CR?).
So a related topic that I've thought about in the past, and this seems like a good thread to ask it.
Why would neutral people worship an evil god and be a member of the Pathfinder Society? Obviously, that's legal in Society play, I've just had a hard time coming up with good story reasons to explain it for most evil gods. Anyone got any good ones?
The most obvious (and most common in PFS play, by far) are LN Chelaxian followers of Asmodeus. That's easy enough - they're very lawful and patriotic, so they follow their country's patron deity.
Another semi-easy one, which is the only one I've ever done myself, is Norgorber. Since his four aspects have four very different types of followers, it's easy to imagine a neutral worshiper of the god of secrets in the Society. And I can even kinda see alchemists worshiping him as the god of poisons (such as the iconic alchemist). But his aspect as the god of murder really doesn't work with non-evil followers, so that one would seem to be disqualified.
But I'm thinking of gods like Lamashtu and Rovagug. Why would anyone non-evil worship them? And why would those worshipers join the Pathfinder Society? And the same for many other evil deities.
Thoughts?
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Another semi-easy one, which is the only one I've ever done myself, is Norgorber. Since his four aspects have four very different types of followers, it's easy to imagine a neutral worshiper of the god of secrets in the Society. And I can even kinda see alchemists worshiping him as the god of poisons (such as the iconic alchemist). But his aspect as the god of murder really doesn't work with non-evil followers, so that one would seem to be disqualified.
What better outlet for a young bird who hears the whispers of Father Skinsaw to slake his thirst for blood? I choose not to deny my urge to kill, but I also choose to direct that urge to productive ends.
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Thoughts?
I ask myself that question all the time. IMO, most explanations why a player gives to support the decision are often at beast very thin and occasionally ridiculous or just dumb. Its clear to me that some players are just trying to ignore the 'no evil' rules of the campaign. Most players, however, just believe that their interpretation of how the religion and that deity works is sufficient to justify whatever their choice in character. And that is fine as long as the rules of PFS are what they are.
Most of these types of discussions always seem to stem from some real-world perception of religion and how we, as a society, openly accept most, if not all of the them in all the variations. Ours is largely a world governed by a single god and differences occur in how it is worshiped. This seems to support the idea that god allow the followers to manipulate the tenets to suit their own culture. IMO, that breaks down in a polytheistic world where the differences between cultures and areas of focused worship are what defines the differences between the gods. In fantasy, gods are not [arguably] imaginary beings that only a person of faith can comprehend, but rather real 'creatures' that directly interact with the cosmos and grant supernatural powers to their most devout followers. [Nearly] all the gods in fantasy have some level of 'absolute power, corrupts absolutely' because they are for the most part immortal and indestructible. It is usually only by the hands of a combined force of gods or some universal super-power that a god is killed/destroyed. So, they are real, somewhat arrogant beings with personalities, prejudices, and obsessions. They have control over the portfolios, spheres, domains, whatever you want to call them because of a complete zealous commitment to them. IMO, they would demand absolute devotion and commitment from their followers before they would grant them any powers. I seriously doubt a cleric who chooses to ignore or downplay part of a gods portfolio because they dislike it or are not comfortable with it would engender the type of attention that would grant them supernatural powers.
IMO, the argument depends on your philosophical belief of how religion/deities exist in fantasy. If you believe that the deities exist or or created because a large number of mortals believe in them granting them power, then I think you can believe it is possible to only accept certain aspects of a god's theme. After all, in that situation, mortals are the driving force. In this premise, the gods only exist because mass-worship of them somehow pools that energy into a representative being. It is reasonable to think that minor variations in what mortals believe explains why some deities have unusual combinations of domains.
OTOH, if the being exists regardless of worship, as I believe, then it becomes more problematic. IMO, the deity shapes/molds/controls their existence and spheres of influence based on their personality. The domains they control are determined by who they are as beings. They show their "truth" by granting powers to those who follow them the most closely. Of course, there may also be a feedback loop such that the more worshipers they have, the more powerful they become, similar to the first system, but what the deity represents doesn't change regardless of the size of their congregation.
Think of it simply as, "did the gods create the universe" or "did mortals, through the power of their devotions create the gods." It also depends a lot on if you think the domains a deity oversees can be worshiped individually or they are a package deal that must be embraced holistically.
This is of course just my opinion and one that I have held for most of my entire gaming life. I am neither trying to convince anyone else nor will anyone else convince me otherwise. I am merely stating my thoughts and you can conclude for yourself whatever you are comfortable with. In all cases of religion and philosophy, real or fantasy, people chose to believe what they believe. That position can be influenced marginally from time to time, but rarely is it significantly changed. And when it is, there is often a visibly pronounced epiphany of faith. 'Course my thoughts and opinions are largely influenced by my real-life atheistic beliefs, so YMMV.
Explore! Report! Cooperate!
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let's try this shoe on the other foot for a second...
Why would neutral people worship a good god and be a member of the Pathfinder Society? Obviously, that's legal in Society play, I've just had a hard time coming up with good story reasons to explain it for most good gods. Anyone got any good ones?
Clearly the Silver Crusade must have some way to pull it off - normally in PFS I find most Silvers have low perceptions/wisdoms. They tend to "look the other way" pretty often during the game, and often have problems with the methods/mission/other party members/something... Heck, even in the scenario First Steps, during the Silver Crusade mission, it looks like the PCs are assumed to steal from the orphanage (how else do they get access to the scroll of on the CR?).
That's kind of ridiculous. The Society may be an officially neutral organization, but it plays nice with civilized societies in general. And frequently, its goals of seeking out powerful, ancient artifacts are at odds with allowing those tools to fall into evil hands. It's a lot easier to justify being good in the Society than evil.
And I take offense at your "lawful stupid" way of looking at the Silver Crusade and its members. My lawful good cleric of Sarenrae certainly isn't low wisdom or naive, and she won't put up with blatantly evil behavior from her traveling companions. On the other hand she swore an oath to "explore, report, COOPERATE", so she's willing to look the other way if they aren't 100% altruistic at all times, and put up with some minor quirks.
Note that I never said that worshiping an evil god in Society didn't make sense. I just think it's harder to come up with a good story reason for it, so I was wondering what stories people came up with. And I've gotten some great responses.
As for my own, that I hinted at above, my inquisitor of Norgorber is someone who has always been fascinated by secrets. Being small and stealthy (halfling), but also shy for his race, he watched people as a child, and got a little thrill when he'd discover things about people that they were trying to keep hidden. He eventually started to associate with the god of secrets, and became an inquisitor, using the divine magic provided by the Reaper of Reputations to acquire more secret knowledge. He's not even remotely evil, though. As for him joining the Society, it's a way to acquire more secrets, both by completing Society missions to uncover them, and to spy on the Society from the inside. His primary goal in life is to uncover the identities of the Decemvirate, but he also has no plans to use that information for anything that would hurt the Society - he just wants to know the secret.
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But I'm thinking of gods like Lamashtu and Rovagug. Why would anyone non-evil worship them? And why would those worshipers join the Pathfinder Society? And the same for many other evil deities.
Someone on Reddit asked for help roleplaying a Lamashtu worshipper in PFS, here was my reply:
Lamashtu and her deranged faithful hold creatures of deformity, monstrosity, and virility in high regard.
RP'd as finding the beautiful in the monstrous and powerful beasts you encounter. While it is kill or be killed, you admire the mighty beasts that you destroy (and assert your dominance over).
Lamashtu's followers seek out deformity in themselves and in others, and perform scarring and mutilation on themselves and others.
You can describe your PC as scarred and might even have him hope/wish his wounds leave scars when he is being healed. Obviously you cannot scar others (torture is evil in PFS), but you can definitely play up in combat that you are a gory/merciless/cruel fighter.
They detest traditional forms of beauty and seek to destroy or kill it whenever possible.
This will be trickier, but you can always have fun with it. You can ask the GM which opponent is the prettiest/handsomest/most virile and make them a priority in combat. Out of combat, while you can't wantonly destroy items as you work for PFS, you can make a point of noting where they are or where they're going in-character. A Lasmashtu-worshipper working for the Dark Archive or Scarab Sages gives you a fun character motivation and texture to your RP because while you work tirelessly for the PFS to find and bring back items or save people, it's only because some day in the future, you will destroy them and it's much easier to do so if you know where the items are or what the capabilities of the people are.
Some intentionally make themselves more beast-like, with her non-human followers do the opposite to better blend in with the more civilized races.
Easily done by buying mundane items (like furs), magical items (that have beastly appearances) or using transmutation spells in combat.
Now let's crib from her Antipaladin code:
All things are monstrous, and only the weak hide their marks. I show the world as it is.
You are proud (perhaps overly so?). You are a blunt speaker.
I will bring the outcasts in from the cold and teach them the taste of victory.
You will not only seek to help the oppressed (weak villagers) or enslaved (slaves), but arm them and encourage to take up arms. Why not buy some cheap daggers or simple weapons to give to folks like these you find on your travels in various scenarios?
I fill the wombs. I birth the children. I teach our enemies why they fear the night.
Perhaps your character believes that by proving his martial prowess and saving/uplifting the outcasts, one day he will be judged worthy to be Lamashtu's consort?
I bring madness to the cities, that in their blood and fear they may understand the chaos of the world.
While you humor the strictures of society (and Society), but you know eventually it is for naught.
I will spread the Mother’s seed. If the blind cannot be taught to see, their children can.
You simply evangelize or praise the positive tenets of Lamashtu.
Overall:
1) Remember, your character thinks he is the hero of his own story. Find the positive twist on Lamashtu's tenets that would inspire a character to follow her.
2) The fact that the Society regularly sends you out to face and defeat Big Bads and find things of power gives you a motivation to work with them.
3) By showing your prowess to party members and those NPCs you save, you are showing them the grace of Lasmashtu.
Source: Guy who played a shield-bashing CN Rovagug worshipper to L12, made everyone laugh with him and cheer on his antics...and almost earned a few converts when he saved them in clutch encounters. Favorite memories: anytime he partied with a Stonelord Paladin of Torag, his "friend" who he was so impressed with that he promised Rovagug would kill the Paladin personally when the Rough Beast returned.
Honestly, for me, the trick for any worshipper is determining WHY they follow that god, WHAT tenets they hold above the others and HOW they honor/enact those tenets.
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*well thought out post*
The existance of gods who use to be mortal supports the idea that the gods exist regardless of what anyone believes, and their spheres are based on their morals and interests.
That said, if you don't get power from worshiping a specific god then what's wrong with a misunderstood belief in what the god stands for?
And sometimes a character merely pays lip service to the god they worship. Take the oracle of mine I mentioned earlier. Technically she worships Calistria. She is a holy prostitute of Calistria after all. But in all honesty she identifies more with the fiendish deities. In fact she doesn't really understand mortal morality, hence the chaotic neutral alignment.
Mind you, Calistria fits perfectly with my oracle's personality. Relari was redeemed by love, but doesn't really understand what love is. She's vengeful (in a Curse of the Crimson Throne campaign she vowed to wear someone's guts for garters for the wrong he did her... and took the time to remove the man's guts to wear as garters for a few hours), petty (dragged the party into fighting a troll when we didn't have to because "that thing is too ugly to live"), and all around not a 'good' person. Her motivations are selfish after all. Yet she did walk away from the path of evil she'd traveled her whole life.
the point is she 'worships' Calistria in lip service due to her profession. It's work she enjoys, something she knows very well, and if she has to offer half hearted prayers to a goddess to keep her job then so be it.
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One of the complaints I've heard many times about PFS is the lack of equal treatment of the alignments. Being evil will get you noticed, but being overly chaotic/good/lawful won't result in alignment changes. This seems to be especially true for the classes that are not required to be certain alignments.
I've also noticed that this seems to be suspended in "self defense" situations. So called "Good" characters seem quite fine with butchering sentient enemies if they attack first. Doesn't seem to matter if those attacking us are adequately able to defeat us, as a goblin with a watergun is regarded as just as villainous as a demon, in a "self defense" situation.