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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Deific Vessel

Through direct intervention in the mortal world, a deity creates a deific vessel to do their will, whether from a willing servant or through possession, a contract, or a curse. A candle to the flame of their progenitor, a divine vessel burns fast and quickly extinguishes.

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 34
Unspecific Lore: DC 32
Specific Lore: DC 29

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Deific Vessel of UrgathoaCreature 15

Medium Divine Human Humanoid Unholy 
Source NPC Core pg. 37
Perception +27; lifesense 60 feet
Languages Common, Necril; truespeech
Skills Athletics +26, Deception +27, Intimidation +29, Religion +31, Undead Lore +33
Str +5, Dex +4, Con +6, Int +2, Wis +4, Cha +6
Mark of Fate (curse, divine) A creature that slays the deific vessel must succeed at a DC 35 Will save or be visibly marked as anathema to Urgathoa. It gains weakness 10 to unholy and takes a –2 circumstance penalty to Charisma-based skill checks against followers of Urgathoa. Creatures attempting to Gather Information about or Track the marked creature gain a +2 circumstance bonus to their checks. The mark can't be hidden and can be removed only by participating in an atone ritual led by a worshipper of Urgathoa who is 12th level or higher.
Items +2 resilient explorer's clothing, scythe
AC 35; Fort +28, Ref +24, Will +26
HP 300; Immunities death effects, disease, paralyzed, unconscious; Resistances void 15; Weaknesses holy 15
Void Tendrils (aura, divine, void) 30 feet. When a creature in the aura would be healed by a vitality effect, the healing is reduced by 15 and the deific vessel regains 15 Hit Points.Limited Lifespan (divine) The deific vessel takes 25 damage at the end of its turn if it Cast a Spell, used Borrow Time, or made a Strike that turn. This damage ignores resistance.Shattered Vessel (divine, unholy) When the deific vessel dies, the divine power barely contained within their form explodes outward, dealing 6d8 spirit damage to each creature in a 30-foot emanation with a DC 33 basic Reflex save.
Speed 25 feet, fly 25 feet
Melee [one-action] decaying frost scythe +28 [+23/+18] (deadly d10, death, magical, trip, unholy), Damage 3d10+11 slashing plus 1d6 cold and 1d4 voidMelee [one-action] decaying frost fist +28 [+24/+20] (agile, death, magical, unarmed, unholy), Damage 3d4+11 bludgeoning plus 1d6 cold and 1d4 voidRanged [one-action] grave pulse +27 [+22/+17] (cold, death, ranged 120 feet, unholy, void), Damage 3d6 cold plus 2d8 voidDivine Innate Spells DC 39, attack +31; 8th dominate, harm (×4), mask of terror; 7th divine decree, eclipse burst, execute; 6th truesight, vampiric exsanguination, zealous conviction; 4th harm (at will); Cantrips (8th) detect magic, divine lance, message; Constant (5th) truespeech
Borrow Time [one-action] (divine, void) The vessel chooses two different creatures in their void tendrils aura. Each one must be either undead or the vessel themself. One target loses 25 HP and the other regains that many HP. If a target is unwilling, it can negate the transfer with a successful DC 39 Fortitude save.Grave Chill (divine) The vessel's unarmed attacks and scythe gain the +2 decaying frost greater striking runes when used by the vessel, and their Strikes gain the death trait.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Consequences Of Magnitude

Directly interceding in the mortal plane opens deities up to direct consequences from other divine entities and the very forces of fate itself. The moment a deific vessel comes into existence, a clock begins ticking down, ready to change the fate of all involved in the creation of this powerful entity. The gods and their heralds, from their unassailable positions, face far fewer consequences than the relatively unprotected vessels themselves.

All Monsters in "Devotee"

NameLevel
Abbot1
Acolyte1
Acolyte1
Blasphemer2
Champion7
Deific Champion12
Deific Vessel15
High Priest9
Penitent0
Pilgrim-1
Priest6
Priest6
Prophet2
Rancorous Priesthood11
Sibyl3
Traveling Priest9
Zealot4

Devotee

Source NPC Core pg. 28
Religions inspire devout individuals to uphold their tenets.

Swapping Deities

You can customize an acolyte, zealot, priest, or other NPC tied to a specific deity to match another deity.
  • Change the NPC's sanctification to match the new deity.
  • Add the deity's divine skill at the highest skill modifier the PC has. You can optionally remove the old deity's divine skill.
  • Change their weapon to the new deity's favored weapon. You can usually leave the weapon damage as-is.
  • If the NPC has multiple harm or heal spells at their top spell rank (mimicking a cleric's divine font), change that spell to match the new deity's font. If the NPC has the healing hands ability, change it to selective energy.
    Selective Energy When the devotee casts a version of harm or heal that has an area, they can designate up to 5 creatures in the area. Those creatures are not targeted by the spell.
  • Swap some spells out for devotee spells or others that match the new deity's style. You can swap out domain spells if you choose, but this is a more involved process, and it's best to reference Player Core (see domains and domain spells here).
For information on deity mechanics, see the deitiy table here.

Deity Swap Example

To make a priest of Urgathoa, you would make the following changes to the priest of Sarenrae, following the bullet points above.

Swapping Champion Deities

To make the swap for a champion, use the causes found here.
  • Change the sanctification and divine skill, as noted above.
  • Change the favored weapon as noted above. If the champion had a two-handed weapon and the new deity has a one-handed favored weapon, reduce the champion's AC by 1 and give them a steel shield. Conversely, if the stat block had a one-handed favored weapon and shield, increase the champion's AC by 1, remove the shield, and change the shields of the spirit focus spell if the champion had it (see below).
  • Swap out the champion's reaction (Liberating Step for the champion of Shelyn or Exalted Retributive Strike for the deific champion of Iomedae) for the one listed in the new cause. Include the exalted reaction benefit if the champion's level is high enough.
  • If needed, change the champion's focus spell to lay on hands if the deity allows heal for their divine font or to touch of the void if the deity allows harm. If your champion uses a shield, you can change the focus spell to shields of the spirit.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Crossover Ancestry NPCs

Several of the NPCs elsewhere in NPC Core can fit well in this group: Spirit priest (level 5)

Sidebar - Treasure and Rewards Divinatory Herbs

Revered herbs and other plants hold a sacred role in divine practice, especially in the trances of sibyls and other oracular rituals. These herbs can shift between nations and growing seasons, but common herbs are bay leaves, chamomile, ivy, lavender, and mugwort.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Faithless Goals

What sets a blasphemer apart from the prophet comes down to the blasphemer's at least partial awareness that they're purposefully corrupting the word of their deity. Blasphemers don't have the ability to cast cleric spells, since they're not following the tenets of their god; however, they may have additional spellcasting abilities they use to conceal this fact

Sidebar - Treasure and Rewards Implements Of Faith

The most essential equipment to display one's faith is the religious symbol of their deity, and those traveling in dangerous areas make sure to have the deity's favored weapon at hand. Expressing devotion through their other accoutrement is also a priority, such as blue-and-gold clothing and a golden religious symbol for a follower of Sarenrae or black clothes, chains, and spikes for one of Zon-Kuthon's faithful.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Redemption Through Penance

Gods have many demands, and even the devoted can fail to meet them. It is important to understand what might cause one to lose a connection with their deity and what steps are necessary to atone and regain their place among the devoted, as these vary widely between deities. Though the penitent is the most likely to have fallen from their faith, many of these NPCs could have their divine abilities removed to appear as fallen or excommunicated characters.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Walking In Faith

Devotees who travel the world endeavor to spread word of their faith. They might call upon divine magic (for rituals to strengthen communities, spells to aid the grieving, or to provide protection) to exemplify the ideals of their faith and thwart those that would bring harm. Followers of unholy deities might take a different path, leaving behind ruin, undeath, or other scars that show the power of their deity