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There are better Gods of War for pacifists to follow.
Gorum is the "fight anybody, any time, for any reason" guy who thinks "fighting is more important than anything else".
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Hrm, let's check Inner Sea Gods on adventurers worshipping Gorum:
He attracts all those who have sworn to live by the sword and suffer its judgments. (...) They reject the idea of old age and instead make the most of the present, exercising their strength and will to display their dominance over others. (...)
Gorum's followers believe that all of life's problems can be solved through martial might. They recognize the place of brains in battle, because stupid people die quickly. They appreciate tactics and the thrill of outmaneuvering an enemy-indeed, these are crucial skills-but they pale next to the blood and sweat of melee itself. They are not fools charging blindly into battle; Gorum teaches that it is better to retreat strategically to fi ght another day than to throw away one's life in vain. For a Gorumite, only when the stakes are highest does life have meaning.
IMO the character could be a dedicated trainer. Merciless in their lessons, even risking their own life just to make the training fight more realistic, but never joining an actual fight because they found a different purpose. For them, it's better to support dozens of young warriors on their path to glory, in the name of Gorum, than to be just one more warrior.
Inner Sea Gods has a few words on the class question, also:
Nearly all of Gorum's priests are clerics. A few battle-druids are part of the clergy, however, lending an animalistic perspective and unusual spells to the church's battle-repertoire. War bards and rangers serve the church in essential roles but are not considered part of the clergy. Inquisitors of Gorum are very rare and make it their personal mission to chase down deserters and others who flee from battle, as well as soldiers who turn on their own.
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Not for Gorum. Gorum is the god of fighting.
If it was someone who was opposed to killing and tried to use non-lethal damage could work because you are still fighting. Gorum does accept surrenders, even if it is only so that you can fight again later.
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I personally think pacifist is incompatible with Gorum.
He's literally the god of fighting anyone.
Now, it doesn't need to be to the death, but it should be a fight.
Pacifist characters don't really work in Pathfinder. The ones that say they are "Pacifists" typically don't really understand what it means. Unless the character is hypocrite and/or dumb themselves which I guess works.
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Maybe Gorum finds joy/fun turning pacifists to warriors.
He throw all kinds of trials after them to "get their inner warrior out"...
It could be by small steps... protecting civils from undeads. Stopping a goblin raid on the village. Then the party track the goblins back to their camp to end the menace...
More like a worshipper of need than af worshipper of choice.
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"Pacifism is opposition to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence." Wikipedia
"The greatest moments in a Gorumite's life are those spent locked in close combat, with every moment threatening annihilation-all else is dull and dreary. (...) Gorum's entire focus is on battle and the crucible of struggle." ISG pg. 61
Gorum's philisophy is "war is good, and you should fight". Pacifism's philisophy is "war is bad and you shouldn't fight". These two positions are literally exact opposites.
Pacifism isn't about not (directly) killing people. Pacifism is about opposing war and voilence. You cannot oppose war and worship it at the same time.
Would Gorum even grant such a character spells?
Hell no! "Gorum's priests believe that if the world ever became free of war, his spirit would abandon Golarion in disgust" (ISG pg. 61), a pacifist is literally working towards removing Gorum from Golarion.
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Now, to the OP you could be a Vash the Stampede from Trigun character.
Someone who is great at violence but doesn't like fighting, really loathes killing, but finds themselves in positions that require fighting quite frequently.
But such a character wouldn't worship Gorum, or if they did it would be out of a gross misunderstanding.
I think Kurgess, the god of athletic competition, strength, and bravery might better suit what you want.
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I generally support unorthodox builds and think intra-faith diversity is good (and realistic), but a pacifist priest of Gorum just sounds like trolling the campaign setting, like an "orc priest of Torag that loves murdering dwarves" or a "Hellknight cleric of Asmodeus who loves hanging out with fey and proteans."
The only way I could see this is if Gorum had cursed the character. Maybe a custom oracle curse that forces you to fight. The character would not really be a worshiper in the traditional sense and would actually be resentful instead of worshiping him.
For the curse maybe something that causes people to be hostile towards your character. Maybe shifting the attitude by a level or 2 towards hostile?
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Vash the Stampede, but with a Greatsword.
Worshiper of Gorum: Pacifist? ... Oh! I get it! Are you a monk? Cause, "passing a fist" across someone's face sounds fun!
Pacifist Character: *sigh* Why do I bother?
"Pacifism is opposition to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence." Wikipedia
Just like Atheism has a different kind of meaning in Pathfinder (due to the indisputable presence of deities), perhaps Pacifism should as well?
It might be more helpful to examine which martially inclined deities work better with "I am dangerous in a fight, but do not want to get into one".
Then again, it might also be worth considering how a character who wants to avoid fighting is going to work in Pathfinder which, if run by the book, involves a significant amount of combat.
Like "I don't want to kill anyone, so I use nonlethal damage" can work in a number of ways, but there's lots of situations you're going to run into where the demon cultists aren't just going to stop no matter how persuasively you ask them to.
Obviously this person is a Cavalier with Order of the Penitent...
What do you think? A character who is a great fighter but tries to never use violence yet is a follower of a God of War. How would you make such a character? Would you make them a Cleric or some other divine caster? Would Gorum even grant such a character spells? I would like your opinion on this subject as it interests me greatly. Thanks.
Gorum would tell you that you are bored and he forgets about you and his followers would tell you that your words are a sacrilege
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Just like Atheism has a different kind of meaning in Pathfinder (due to the indisputable presence of deities), perhaps Pacifism should as well?
You cannot take the word "peace" out of "pacifism". The latin word pacifico means either "bringing peace" or (less common) "working towards peace". There is no possible translation that doesn't have to do with peace, as the word and its variations invariably come from "pax", meaning "peace".
In contrast, the greek "atheos" means either "agains (a) god(s)" or "without (a) god(s)" (theos means "god", the "a"-prefix denotes either negation or absence). The real life term is using the former and the PF version using the latter , but both are valid translations.
Note that even the stance that's often called technical pacifism, i.e. "I don't directly attack but have no issues supporting others do so", wouldn't work for a Gorumite, as the whole religion is about you yourself actually fighting in melee.
Just like Atheism has a different kind of meaning in Pathfinder (due to the indisputable presence of deities), perhaps Pacifism should as well?You cannot take the word "peace" out of "pacifism". The latin word pacifico means either "bringing peace" or (less common) "working towards peace". There is no possible translation that doesn't have to do with peace, as the word and its variations invariably come from "pax", meaning "peace".
In contrast, the greek "atheos" means either "agains (a) god(s)" or "without (a) god(s)" (theos means "god", the "a"-prefix denotes either negation or absence). The real life term is using the former and the PF version using the latter , but both are valid translations.
Note that even the stance that's often called technical pacifism, i.e. "I don't directly attack but have no issues supporting others do so", wouldn't work for a Gorumite, as the whole religion is about you yourself actually fighting in melee.
If you want to break down words into their origins and steadfastly insist to stick to their (possible) definitions, that is one thing. Another is to use the words in their common, modern day use and definitions, as such things were used to write the book(s) we are currently discussing. One method is technically correct, but doesn't actually further the conversation. The other tries to meet the needs of the OP and push the conversation forward.
Personally, I love studying languages, their origins and how they've changed over time.
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Short and simple: NO!
Long explanation: a pacifist is someone who is aiming for peace and is opposed to a violent solutions.
The defining question of Gorums faith is:
"Will you fight?"
And a pacifist can't simply answer this question with: "YES!"
So it's a clear NO GO for me.
You guys are looking at it all wrong...
See, when you worship Gorum, even the pacifists fight.
Pacifist even has the word fist in it... like fist to your face!
It's just the stereotypical abuser excuse, over and over again... I didn't mean to hurt you, but you just make me so angry.
Saying I'm sorry as you crush face with a Greatsword.
Meh, probably doesn't work... Gorum does not appreciate or approve of the pathetic...
I have a character in the Tyrant's grasp campaign (Venerable Aasimar Barbarian who choose to focus on magic item use to imitate the abilities of a wizard) that absolutely tries to avoid conflict in order to accomplish their goals, but will utterly annihilate the opposing party if it actually comes down to a physical altercation.
He doesn't actually worship anyone, but I think that kind of mentality might peak the interest of Gorum. Perhaps not enough to imbue the character with the ability to channel Gorum's divine magic (ie, a Cleric). If Gorum does do so, I can only see such a character as Chaotic Good, and representative of Gorum's rarely seen benevolent side. A keeper of the Peace during times of peace, keeping up the strength of his flock with challenges and training, and a righteous juggernaut of destruction when battle inevitably breaks out.
"There is a time and place for war. And that is after all reasonable attempts to avoid it have been exhausted. If you insist on pursuing this path, I will reign utter destruction down upon you." - Kaius Ironstaff (Savage Barbarian and Mortal Usher)
