Creating new Deific Vessels

[Mr.Haos]

One of my favorite NPCs introduced in the NPC core is the Deific Vessel. Makes for a spookier servant of the evil gods when you're dealing with what is effectively the closest thing to facing the gods from a lore standpoint. The one bit I'm slightly disappointed is the fact that by comparison for the other religious classes there is no advice on how to change up the mechanics to fit other gods, more so with holy gods since I assume they're just as capable of creating a Deific Vessel. I don't have anything against Urgathoa's vessel mind you, I just wish there was at least one more counterpart to compare to given it's unique and doesn't have a player version to draw upon like champion and cleric. As part of a campaign I'm running, I"m toying around with a devil-alligned vessel that changes the following abilities to better suit.

Void Tendrils=Infernal Lash: Basically the same except replacing the void trait with fire

Grave Pulse=Hellfire Ray: Instead of cold and void damage, it's spirit and fire damage. I recall hellfire ray being a neat spell in 1e and it having the death trait makes sense here.

Borrow Time=Time Investment: instead of being only able to affect undead, I've added devils as well as those that sign a contact that leads to the Hellish deity in question. I felt it would make sense for a divine vessel to have the ability to draw upon those contracts to heal.

Grave Chill=Diabolic heat: Wasn't sure what be fitting beyond the fire rune so I added the fearsome rune while keeping the death trait.

But that's as far as I've came up with in terms of that. But I'm curious if anyone one created any for one specific deity or even has a idea on how to take the concept but switch it over to a good aligned deity. I know one idea was that for the Void Tendril counterpart ability were to function in reverse and give the vessel the ability to heal others which I liked.

[Teridax]

I agree, it's great that the pages afterwards list options for swapping deities on other NPCs, but only part of those guidelines apply to the Deific Vessel, and a lot of its abilities seem quite specific to Urgathoa. Here's how I'd go about modifying the template:

Change the vessel's lifesense to a sense more appropriate to the new deity and its affiliated creatures (for instance, greater darkvision for a deific vessel of Asmodeus, or truesight for a deific vessel of Iomedae).

Change the vessel's Necril language to a language more appropriate to the new deity.

Change the vessel's non-Athletics skills to skills more appropriate to the new deity, which ought to include the deity's skill.

Change the sanctification-based trait across all abilities to adapt the new deity: if the deity is holy, replace the unholy trait on Shattered Vessel and the three attacks to holy, have Mark of Fate give the slayer weakness to holy (while obviously changing the deity they become anathema to), and change their weakness from holy to unholy. If the deity offers both holy and unholy sanctification, choose one when creating the vessel, and if the deity offers neither, just remove the trait and weakness, and have Mark of Fate give weakness 5 to spirit damage.

Replace the vessel's immunities and resistance and with others as appropriate (for instance, fire immunity for a deific vessel of Asmodeus).

Keep Void Tendrils if the deity has a harm font. If the deity has a heal font, instead have the aura add 15 to any vitality healing in the aura, and change the aura's trait from void to vitality. If the deity offers either font option, choose which one to use.

Replace the vessel's fly Speed with an appropriate Speed as listed in their avatar entry, including special movement abilities.

Replace the vessel's weapon with the deity's favored weapon.

Replace the decaying and frost damage runes in Grave Chill with damage property runes appropriate for the deity, or one greater damage property rune when appropriate (for instance, greater vitalizing for a deific vessel of Pharasma), and change Grave Pulse's damage types accordingly.

Replace dominate, mask of terror, eclipse burst, and zealous conviction with spells appropriate for the deity, which ought to include at least one of their Cleric spells.

Replace the 8th-rank and at-will 4th-rank harm spells with divine font spells granted by the deity.

Change Borrowed Time to include creatures of concern to the deity, not just undead (such as devils for Asmodeus or psychopomps for Pharasma).

... which, all in all, is so many changes you could very well just create another deific vessel from scratch. Still worth a try though!