DM Nagging: It's pretty much my job

[Corwin]

Yeah, sure, with the proviso to post it here first so I can make sure there isn't something hilariously broken about it? I don't think there is, but just in case I'm forgetting something.

Right, so let's do that, first thing.

Related, I've asked before about using Node points to upgrade the Aegis's 50% miss chance to all attacks rather than lines, cones and rays. You didn't give a judgement or a cost, so I'd appreciate your thoughts there.

[Anastasia]

Jarem's updated to DvR0 barring spells. Pretty solid boost to him, his HP's notably high now too.

[Anastasia]

Yeah, sure, with the proviso to post it here first so I can make sure there isn't something hilariously broken about it? I don't think there is, but just in case I'm forgetting something.

Right, so let's do that, first thing.

Related, I've asked before about using Node points to upgrade the Aegis's 50% miss chance to all attacks rather than lines, cones and rays. You didn't give a judgement or a cost, so I'd appreciate your thoughts there.

I can't lay hands on what I said about it, do you have it handy by any chance?

[Anastasia]

Divine Factotum added to Divine Rules.

[Anastasia]

HEY LISTEN!

Okay, I'm going to want replies from everyone on this. Okay? Okay!

So I'm looking at the heap of work I need to do for divine writeups and further works for NPCs. This is what's relevant to all of you.

1. I'll be taking some time off very soon to work on that. Probably a week, maybe next week or the week after. I'll know this weekend.

2. I'd like any ideas, suggestions or whatever else you have for NPC faiths, religions and apparatuses. There's a lot of ground to cover, so hit me with anything you might think is relevant. I'll sort it out on my end and use as it fits.

3. Moore and Alyssa, I'd like your divine writeups done by the end of this week off What are divine writeups you ask? They are two fold. The first part is your deity information stat block. An example one from Alicia (Pre B6 so this is not current) is provided as an example. Annotations are provided in italics for understanding, except for titles, which uses bold since titles use italics.

Alicia Reynes The deity's name that they are known by.
Queen of the Battlefield, The Righteous Avenger, Saint Alicia Any titles the deity has. 2-4 is the norm, though most have others that are used on a lesser basis or only by particular sects.
Demigoddess Divine rank. Demigod or Demigoddess will be yours, depending on gender.
Symbol: Black queen chess piece viewed from above The deity's symbol. This is their holy (or unholy) symbol.
Home Plane: Sylica Their home plane, also known as their divine realm. This is Hope's Landing for Moore, for example.
Alignment: Lawful Exalted  The deity's alignment. Very simple.
Portfolio: Magic, battle, justice, perseverance The deity's portfolio. This should neatly summarize what the deity is about and what they oversee.
Worshipers: Warriors, guards, spellswords, gishes, adventurers The sort of people who worship the deity. Often a particular character class is used if relevant.
Cleric Alignments: LG, NG, CG The permitted alignments of the deity's cleric. This is usually the deity's alignment and all alignments within one step of it. Certain deities instead go along an alignment axis, such as a good deity only allowing good aligned followers (as Alicia does).
Domains: War, Magic, Good The deity's domains.
Favored Weapon: Bonds (Falchion) The deity's favored weapon. This impacts worshipers as they often use the same weapon, moreso if the deity has the war domain.

This should be familiar. Any deific stat block I do includes this because it's important information to how the deity works. Additionally, there's a second part. This is also Alicia's and is in spoiler block because it's a big long. Italics after each section provide more information from me. Eb wrote this by the way, and Seira wrote hers as well.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Alicia Reynes is the patron of those who selflessly fight for the safety and happiness of others. She encourages those who venerate her name to endlessly strive to improve themselves, both in terms of their skills and the impact they have on the world. A wandering duelist constantly seeking perfection but spurning those perceived as weaker would receive no comfort from Alicia - in her ethos the purpose of might is to shield the weak, and power for its own sake is meaningless. This first paragraph touches on the essence of what Alicia is and represents. Consider it akin to a mission statement.

Like Mystra, Alicia sponsors the growth of magic, viewing it as a vital facet of the world, and also like Mystra she cautions against relying too much upon it. Not just in terms of broadening one's skills to handle all situations, but also to avoid using it as a crutch for mundane things that could be accomplished with the expenditure of a little more effort and ambition. This goes into another aspect of her divine philosophy.

While Alicia does preach the virtues of honor and chivalry, and considers mercy to a defeated foe to be among the noblest of acts, she also places a particularly high value on tactics, which places her closer to Red Knight than to Tyr in terms of what she expects of her followers in battle. As she encourages her followers to broaden the scope of their knowledge, she likewise teaches them to seek every advantage that can be sought prior to battle. To her there is no shame in using subterfuge and distraction to ensure victory against a superior opponent. As is this. Note that these should be illuminating and should provide guidance as to what a follower should strive to be like.  These paragraphs provide a fairly clear and concise summary of important points of her faith.

The followers of Alicia favor utilitarian and rugged attire, as if ready to leap into action or go on a journey at any moment. Darker colors are favored for clothing, but for ceremonial functions black robes with a silver or bright blue trim are most common. Said robes never include hoods, as her clerics always ensure their faces are kept uncovered, partly a superstition based on Alicia never wearing a helm in battle, and partly to offset the usual implication given to such dark attire. This is more insight, and notes how her faithful tend to dress, as well as sneaks in a bit of lore there as well.

At present there is only one holy day dedicated to Alicia. August 7th is the Day of Ascension. It celebrates the day when Alicia rose into the heavens, marked by the Feast of the Risen and the renewal of vows to the Queen of the Battlefield. This notes any holy days of the deity and what they are, a part of establishing the faith. To take a real world example, think of Christmas, Lent or Easter for Christianity. Same basic idea. As a side note, each outer plane and realm tends to use its own dating system. It rarely comes up in game, so you can be a little vague on timing if needed. Don't overthink it.

History/Relationships

Alicia is a young and energetic deity, having only recently ascended after an eventful mortal life of both heroism and tragedy. The prime material she originates from was until very recently sealed away from the rest of reality in the aftermath of a cataclysmic war between the Gods and an ascendant self proclaimed 'God-King', becoming a living saint of Mystra as her world became more open to the planes, a title she is still sometimes known by despite her attempts to style herself in the manner of a queen since coming to rule over Sylica.

Having lived in a world where the Gods were nearly silent has colored Alicia's beliefs about the role of a deity, and while she keeps a close eye on her faithful she tries to avoid giving them overt displays of her strength, believing that her followers will flourish more by relying on their own will and intuition. This does not keep her from providing clandestine aid to encourage their growth, but she views such as most successful when no one is aware she intervened at all.

Not surprisingly, Alicia's foremost ally among the Gods is Mystra, although she has been trying to develop her own independent standing among the Gods without relying on Mystra's power or reputation. Empress Sulia, another young goddess, has taken on a role as something of a mentor to Alicia, and the two have become firm friends. Sharess has shown some interest in Alicia, who's consort and co-ruler of Sylica was once a divine servant of the Lady of Cats, but there is little in terms of formal ties. Rather than Gods, she counts her strongest allies among the Court of Stars and Celestial Hebdomad. Special mention of course goes to Seira Aryn, a mortal friend of Alicia's who ascended at the same time. The two continue working closely together, frequently combining their forces and visiting one another s' realms.

While Alicia opposes all evil, she does have several notable foes. First and foremost is Shar, whom Alicia maintains an almost legendary enmity with, having gone so far as to slay Malice, a servant deity of Shar's possessing similar power as Alicia. The origins of this particular enmity are not common knowledge, although it is known that in her mortal life Alicia did battle with Shar's most powerful servants on the world of her birth. While Hell in general is almost constantly in opposition to Alicia, she frequently becomes involved in Perdition's politics as various archdevils try to maneuver her to hinder their rivals. Among demons, Malcanthet the Queen of Succubi is her most notable enemy, although their hostility tends to play out on a lower key and Alicia has not yet openly responded to her provocations.

This is a simple rundown of the deity's history in bite sized form as well as a run down of her divine level relationships, both friends and foes. It's a summary so that people know what they're getting into with her and a greater sense of her history.

Dogma

Always strive to improve yourself. As powerful as you become, never forget there is always someone better to learn from or overcome. Share your strength with others, teach those who would learn and protect those who cannot. Seek to understand your enemies, for knowledge illuminates the way not only to victory, but may help turn foes into friends. Punish the guilty, but consider the potential for improvement in all beings. As you fight to preserve civilization, engage yourself with it to always be reminded of why you fight. This is simply the dogma of the faith. It's the sort of thing a faithful would learn early on and strive to live up to.

Clergy and Temples

Clerics of Alicia are charged with teaching and instructing others in the ways of just battle, and honoring the names of heroes by spreading tales of their deeds to bring heart and encouragement to the people. Typically her clergy minister to a wide area, forcing them to become wanderers by circumstance, and maintaining small open shrines throughout their 'parish' rather than being based at a single temple. On their travels they are expected to keep an eye out for those with the potential to become great warriors or mages, using their contacts with Alicia's faithful to arrange training and support so that new heroes are always encouraged to foster their talents.Finally, this goes into how the faith is organized. It's only a paragraph so it's a bite sized view.

So that's basically it. This is a good way to work out kinks the system and come up with a solid working basis. I'll be doing these for all the NPCs as well, so I'll be busy.

4. During the time I'm working on this, I do not want IRC PMs about Balmuria. Please post any questions, feedback, commentary or ideas in nagging or a relevant thread. I work best on this sort of thing when I can focus fully. IRC PMs are anathema to this and I end up losing tons of time and effort over it. I don't mind other PMs, but don't expect fast replies when I'm working on these.

[Nephrite]

I have read this. I know I did one of those blocks before, I will have to find it.

[Anastasia]

I have read this. I know I did one of those blocks before, I will have to find it.

A super quick search of this thread didn't bring it up, for what it's worth. I'll check IRC.

[Anastasia]

<Nephrite> Moore
<Nephrite> Duke of Songs, Song of Hope
<Nephrite> Demigod
<Nephrite> Symbol: A hand out, holding a shining ball of light
<Nephrite> Home Plane: Hope's Landing
<Nephrite> Alignment: Neutral Good
<Nephrite> Portfolio: Hope, inspiration, friendship, bonds
<Nephrite> Worshipers: Clerics, bards, entertainers, poets, factotums (is that a thing?)
<Nephrite> Cleric Alignments: LG, NG, CG
<Nephrite> Domains: Good, Inspiration, Hope
<Nephrite> Favored Weapon: Refrain (Rapier)

[Nephrite]

This is just a touchup to add music and reword the symbol since I wasn't as clear about it as I should've been originally.

Moore
Duke of Songs, Song of Hope
Demigod
Symbol: An open hand palm up, holding a shining ball of light
Home Plane: Hope's Landing
Alignment: Neutral Good
Portfolio: Hope, inspiration, friendship, bonds, music
Worshipers: Clerics, bards, entertainers, poets, factotums
Cleric Alignments: LG, NG, CG
Domains: Good, Inspiration, Hope
Favored Weapon: Refrain (Rapier)

Spoiler: ShowHide

Moore's one goal in Creation is to rid the world of hopelessness. The idea of not having the power, courage or wisdom to overcome something is anathema to him. His teachings provide comfort to those who need it and make every effort to empower those followers with the knowledge and ability to go into the world and do good there.

His followers know they can rely on him to support them in times of need, but also know that sometimes he may be silent if they need to find their own path to hope without him. He trusts every one of them to be able to not lose themselves in their own struggles.

To that end, Moore encourages those of his faith to go out into the world and find people to help. For those who may not feel they can do much in the world, or who have more of an entreprenurial spirit than one of adventure, he encourages them to bring hope to a community through support, with things like jobs or even donations to local charities.

There's no requirement of taking vows of poverty, people are free to choose their own ways of life, as long as their actions bring hope to others. While he would prefer people follow the law in their actions, he understands that sometimes people must take a difference stance. As long as their path is one that is not evil, he will generally approve of their lifestyle.

History/Relationships

Not much is known about Moore prior to his ascension. Some say that those who know the truth simply say they see a "sea of light" and nothing else. Regardless, on the scale of Creation, Moore is a young deity who has quickly become the friend and enemy of many.

History first records his name as part of Aurora, a group of planar warriors that fight evil. He had a hand in the liberation of Lifasa and is heralded as one of its saviors.

Through all of this, he established a small location in Lunia known as Hope's Landing. It has grown a great deal from the time it was first noticed by a passing traveler, boasting a rather booming trade and annex for those passing by.

While he is extremely friendly to the powers of Celestia, he's also made several diplomatic efforts with the likes of Brightwater's powers and seems to have a good rapport with Crystalle of Mineral. He stands firmly against the machinations of Hell, as well as those of Shar - as all with any sense about them should.

While he is strongly tied to Celestia, he does not require that anyone follow the Holy Mountain's path, believing that those who pursue a path of hope and inspiration in others are already fulfilling the greatest virtues of Chronias.

Dogma: Moore believes in hope above all else. To offer others around you hope, inspiration and help when they need it; especially when they don't know they need it. Hope for a better tomorrow, hope to continue on even in the face of hopelessness, to shine boldly so that others may find you when the night falls.

Clergy and Temples: Moore believes that anyone has the ability to inspire hope in others and does not discriminate when there is interest in his faith. He believes that a single act of bringing hope and inspriation to another can have a cascading effect, and encourages his followers to always be on the lookout for those in need.

His places of worship tend to be initially placed in places that need them the most, though over time as hope spreads to those nearby, they are able to be beacons to those farther and farther away. Their doors are always open, time does not discriminate when it comes to those in need.

[Anastasia]

Sure. If it ends up being a few pages of posting, just post all of it a new post so people don't miss it.

[Iron Dragoon]

Rodger dodger. I'll get it done when I can.

[Nephrite]

I did add the writeup, it's a first draft of all of it so it probably needs some touching up.

[Corwin]

Yeah, sure, with the proviso to post it here first so I can make sure there isn't something hilariously broken about it? I don't think there is, but just in case I'm forgetting something.

Right, so let's do that, first thing.

Related, I've asked before about using Node points to upgrade the Aegis's 50% miss chance to all attacks rather than lines, cones and rays. You didn't give a judgement or a cost, so I'd appreciate your thoughts there.

I can't lay hands on what I said about it, do you have it handy by any chance?

http://www.soulriders.net/forum/index.php/topic,104121.msg1164710.html#msg1164710

[Corwin]

Yeah, read it. Even took the time to uplift my own writeup to be current. Amusingly, The Future was always part of Seira's portfolio.

[Corwin]

Divine item creation question.

From the SRD:

Magic supplies for items are always half of the base price in gp and 1/25 of the base price in XP. For many items, the market price equals the base price.

This is the basic 'crafting items costs you half the market price', and we houseruled the xp component to be further represented as gp in the market price.

From the Divine Rules:

Create Items: A deity of rank 1 or higher can create magic items related to her portfolio without item creation feats or other prerequisites. The maximum item value a deity can create is a function of her divine rank (see the table below). If a deity has the item creation feat pertaining to the item she wishes to create, the cost (in gold) and creation times are halved. If she has the Craft Artifact salient divine ability, all item creation costs are halved.

Divine Rank   Maximum Market Price
1-5   4,500 gold
6-10   30,000 gold
11-15   200,000 gold (any non-epic item)
16-20   400,000 gold

This speaks of divine discounts. Half the cost if the deity has the relevant item creation feat, and half the cost if the deity has the Craft Artifact SDA.

How does it all combine? This is relevant because Elle and Latha exist!