Hi, friends! We’re nearing the end of a personal arc of one of my players' character, and her character is going through a crisis of faith, of sorts. By the way, I’m not asking for mechanical advice!
The player herself is absolutely great, new to TTRPGS but has taken a deep dive into the lore, as has been able to establish interesting bonds with her fellow PCs in-character extremely well, even though her character herself is pretty unfriendly.
Anyways, she asked me help to sort a potential new religion for her character, something that fits what she is going through. She herself isn’t sure what new deity could entice her PC right now, but her PC is deeply religious and has always needed faith to keep her stable: Plus, she’d love if I could make her involvement with this new religion a small thing or something, and I’d be happy to oblige, to be honest. Knowing her, she’ll play along with whatever I throw.
Here is the thing: I got nada! I have no idea at all. So, I’d hope to throw some details about her character and maybe you guys could throw some suggestions my way? I'm going to spoiler the information about her as to not make the post too wall of text-ey, but I'll also offer and tl;dr below.
She eventually was sent back home, where she plotted to have her father framed against the Church of Asmodeus: And managed to do it! But accidentally, not only her father was executed, but she got herself exiled from the Infernal nation. She eventually finds herself in Varisia, meets one of the PCs, and that’s it!
Her character started being very, well, hateful. She found that strength was one own’s responsibility, and those weak deserved what happened to them. With time, as she hung around the group, her views softened. First, she grew impatient with what she perceived to be the passivity of the victims that they helped, but she eventually grew invested in the dynamic. That those to be blamed are not the weak themselves, but those that choose to use their own strength to abuse others.
She still very much sees the world through these strength-weak lenses, but is slowly adopting the idea that the place of strong is to, effectively, protect and empower the weak.
Because of her own culture, she’s has always been asmodean herself. Although she had always found the most cruel points of the faith distasteful or inelegant (she started the game being Lawful Neutral, she’s not a cleric at all), she still appreciated the rigid society that Asmodeus seemed to promote, with a hierarchy that reinforces its tyrannical structures well. To her, following Asmodeus was about never letting yourself fall within the hierarchy and keeping yourself strong and witty.
But she isn’t feeling a connection with Asmodeus’s ideas anymore, and this has become evident in this last arc, where the group is dealing a group of fervent Asmodeans. She is also pretty lawful, appreciating a need for control and not losing oneself to its ugliest emotions, comparing such thing to reducing oneself to an animal.
TL;DR Player’s character, chelish arcanist, is losing faith in Asmodeus, and player wants me to make a thing of her next religious connection. Happy to do it. She views the world through the lenses of strong and weak, but now believes that the strong must protect the weak, and dislikes lacking control. Dunno what deity could work with the character’s views, need suggestions.
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I'd like to chip in Groetus as a possibility if you're feeling like embracing the idea of the and divinity of meaninglessness, despair, and the eventual end of all things as a blanket of comfort instead of going the way you described. Relinquishing the mantle of personal responsibility and the need to find meaning in things is quite a sight darker and doesn't exactly vibe with the idea of having to protect the weak (because after all, everything ends in ashes and nothingness regardless) but strangely enough in many ways, the faith offers a kind of mercy in the idea that it is best to embrace the unchangeable fate and that it is best to simply put things out of their misery rather than to try to fight the tide and raise them.
Another benefit, their devotees would more often than not rather give up on proselytizing to unbelievers as they know that it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever who is and is not powerful or weak as all things will come to an end. Couple this with the fact that Groteus is not actually even really a diety of violence as his way lies in patience, stoicism, and inevitability. In other words, he is the ultimate god of those who are blackpilled or doomers but with a touch of serene nihilism that embraces the darkness rather than struggling at all opportunities to keep the fire alive.
Maybe not right for you but ironically enough I LOVE what they did with Harrim in the Kingmaker CRPG which showcased this type of Cleric. Lots of people HATED him but in my eyes, I saw him as the *chef's kiss* the perfect iteration of a holy man being true to his faith and really LIVING it.
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Not that it makes any real difference at all for a lore question like this, but Arcanist?
Aroden?
Huh! Didn't even think about Aroden. Honestly, it's a pretty interesting idea! Coming to worship a god that is essentially dead seems like an evocative way to mourn your lost faith, so to speak, and it's kind of fitting. Maybe more importantly, it can even segway to a potential worship of Arazni or Iomedae in the future. Thanks for the suggestion! I'll study what form his worship is still taking place, today.
Groetus
First of all, I'm a big fan of Harrim as well! But I do think that Groetus is a tad too "nihilistic" for her right now? While her realization that she is barely any sort of asmodean is certainly sorrowful in many ways, it is happening because she's realizing that she has changed in becoming a better person, so to speak. Maybe not the greatest person ever, but better-ish. I will keep him in mind if things take a wrong turn, though. Thanks!
Abadar(LN), Iomedae(LG), Sarenrae(NG), Arazni(NE)
Abadar was the first deity that I considered, and it does seems like a natural evolution for the character. In-game, she is even the mercenary band's treasurer as well! She even has a distaste for rural life in general. It's just — while she does adhere to a lot that Abadar seems to uphold, the whole strong-weak axis seems a little out of place in the faith, maybe. I do think it really fits.
Iomedae seems another natural evolution for her, considering her chelish heritage. But as you put it, she does seem a little too chivalrous. Don't get me wrong, Asmodia isn't a cleric so it may not matter that much: But I think that even her level of militantness isn't there yet. I do think she is heading that way, though. Maybe if her adoption of the iomedean faith takes a long while, which could be cool.
I absolutely love Sarenrae, but she does seem a little too reactionary for the faith. A little too angry?
I do really like Arazni — in many ways, she is a survival as well, and a very angry one. But as you put it, she isn't as concerned with going out of your way to protect others... Hmm. Maybe something like Arazni>Iomedae. There's plenty of ways to segway into that. Thanks for the fitting suggestions, friend! I'm tempted of going with Iomedae herself, but we'll see. Maybe someone will suggest another interesting deity!
Not that it makes any real difference at all for a lore question like this, but Arcanist?
Ah well, a flexible spellcaster Wizard. Secrets of Magic point out that wizards with the flexible spellcaster dedication are known as arcanists.
We've nabbed the narrative interpretation from the first edition though, where they were sorcerers that studied their innate magic just as wizards do.
There's always the Godclaw pantheon with its focus on Law even if it does include Asmodeus. Even if she wouldn't take it as far as Hellknights do it might be fitting enough.
I might suggest Erecura. Hell adjacent while still not being Asmodean. Is all about surviving dangerous people/places, and helping or at least allowing others to do the same. LN, but tends towards good rather than evil (allows LG followers, doesn’t allow LE).