Cleric With (Maybe) No God?


Pathfinder First Edition General Discussion


Okay, so here's a bit of a weird one

Basically, the idea is a NG cleric with the Darkness and Knowledge domains.

HOWEVER, I am not aware of any gods which grant that alignment/domain combination.

So basically my idea is this - my character worships a being known as the Gloomfather, a LG god with the domains of Darkness, Good, Knowledge, Law, and Travel - but the catch is that nobody has heard of the Gloomfather other than my Cleric.

My cleric still gets her spells when she prays to the Gloomfather every morning, but nobody really knows what's going on there - I figure that'd be a good plot hook for the GM if I ever get to play this character.

Feats I'm considering taking for this build include:
Martial Weapon Proficiency for the Gloomfather's "favored weapon", since he may not be real
Eldritch Heritage - either Umbral or Vestige
Disconcerting Knowledge

What do y'all think of this ide? Is it any good? Do you have any suggestions?


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This is completely GM/setting dependent, by Pathfinder RAW (not Golarion setting rules) a cleric can follow a philosophy rather than a deity, giving your philosophy a name and face doesn't violate that.

On the other hand, this could be a sweet plot hook to hand a GM, or an annoyance to them (I'd view it as the former), so give it a try, but be prepared to shelve it for later.


Darkness and Knowledge, please tell me the character is an introverted bookworm who studies alone at night by light spell. Also, what favored weapon were you thinking of?

I find the idea interesting as well.


Start your own religion.

Talk to your GM about taking the Leadership feat at level 7 and use your followers as your "inner circle" and start your own religion, and then give your Cohort nothing but social feats and a high charisma, and use your Cohort as an Emissary that travels to new cities to spread the message of the Gloomfather (that way your religion is still spreading even while you're adventuring). Make sure you send your Cohort with a small group of bruisers/enforcers to handle any banditry. Your followers that go with your Emissary should bring medicine, textiles, blankets, and food that can be handed out to the poor; bonus points if one of these guys is a Cleric who can heal, remove curse, and lesser restoration to heal the sick and wounded in the name of the Gloomfather.

During your first 1-6 levels there's going to be some excellent roleplaying opportunities and character development as you go forth into the world to tell everyone about the mercies, glory, and tidings of the Gloomfather, but much to your dismay, you find that no one else has ever heard of him. After being spat upon, rejected, and called looney more times than you can count by the masses, you decide at level 7 to begin collecting followers and start building temples and statues all over the world in honor of the Gloomfather and all that he has done for his beloved worshippers.


Valandil Ancalime wrote:
Also, what favored weapon were you thinking of?

Rapier, maybe Machete or Iron Brush


Gloomfather, the Wise, He Who Waits, the One Who Bears the Burden of Infinite Knowledge, the Sure-footed Traveler, He Who Hails From the Gloomdawn (or Gloomdusk) (LG)
Domains: Darkness, Good, Knowledge, Law, and Travel
Favored Weapon: Rapier
Gender: M
Status: Intermediate
Symbol : An onyx-black leather explorer's boot that has 19 lidless eyeballs affixed to it, with a gloomy cloud of darkness lingering ominously in the background
Sayings:
“Long is the night to him who is awake; long is a mile to him who is tired; long is life to the foolish who do not know the true law.”
"True Law is Natural Law, and Natural Law was born from Darkness, which is dispassionate, equitable, fair, and open-minded."
“The only True Law is that which leads to freedom, and the only freedom lies in being far from the garish light of day which illuminates thine transgressions and allows judgment from the wicked."

The Gloomfather is unknown to everyone in the world except for HobgoblinLiker13, and hails from a demiplane known only to a very few called the Gloomdawn (or Gloomdusk). Each day, all of the knowledge gained from the Gloomfather's followers travels through the Gloomdawn to be analyzed and consumed by the Gloomfather.


Ryze Kuja wrote:

Gloomfather, the Wise, He Who Waits, the One Who Bears the Burden of Infinite Knowledge, the Sure-footed Traveler, He Who Hails From the Gloomdawn (or Gloomdusk) (LG)

Domains: Darkness, Good, Knowledge, Law, and Travel
Favored Weapon: Rapier
Gender: M
Status: Intermediate
Symbol : An onyx-black leather explorer's boot that has 19 lidless eyeballs affixed to it, with a gloomy cloud of darkness lingering ominously in the background
Sayings:
“Long is the night to him who is awake; long is a mile to him who is tired; long is life to the foolish who do not know the true law.”
"True Law is Natural Law, and Natural Law was born from Darkness, which is dispassionate, equitable, fair, and open-minded."
“The only True Law is that which leads to freedom, and the only freedom lies in being far from the garish light of day which illuminates thine transgressions and allows judgment from the wicked."

The Gloomfather is unknown to everyone in the world except for HobgoblinLiker13, and hails from a demiplane known only to a very few called the Gloomdawn (or Gloomdusk). Each day, all of the knowledge gained from the Gloomfather's followers travels through the Gloomdawn to be analyzed and consumed by the Gloomfather.

That sounds badass, thank you!


Anytime ;)


See if the Separatist Archetype will accomplish your goal.

Looks like Nethys, for Knowledge and Separatist for Darkness is possible.


My homebrew setting uses various deities and a godless faith called The Ten Thousand Paths, something I came up with for our campaign over 30 years ago. Clerics still follow the rules regarding number of domains, channel energy, etc but instead of a deity they choose two domains from the Great Big Old List of Domains and use them as a basis for a sort of philosophy they adhere to. As the GM I have final say in their choice of domains, though, as having a good one and a evil one could be problematic, though I wouldn't outright ban it if the player gave me a solid reason as to why and how they think it would play out.

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