Godling
Source War of Immortals pg. 130Golarion has seen more than one mortal experience apotheosis and ascend to the ranks of its many deities. Some of the most famous of such individuals are the Ascended, the deities who achieved divinity through the power of the Starstone. However, many current deities found ways to ascend without the aid of a magical meteorite, instead carving their own path to greatness through their deeds and actions.
Irori, god of enlightenment, dedicated his mortal life to the pursuit of self-perfection and achieved godhood through personal perfection of his own mind, body, and spirit, a deed that was later accomplished by his nephew
Gruhastha, as well.
Nethys, god of magic, attained such immense mastery of magic as a mortal that he was able to witness everything that transpired across every plane of existence, an accomplishment that fueled his own divine ascension.
Godlings are mythic beings whose actions or circumstances propel them along similar paths to these ascended mortals, using their mythic power to elevate themselves to a higher existence. Aided by their hierophants, mortal allies who share in the godling’s power, these beings travel Golarion, building their personal legends and paving their own path to divinity.
The wizard
Razmir (arrogant male human wouldbe- god) pursues divinity and immortality by whatever means he can acquire it, in locales across the Inner Sea both obvious and obscure.
In the Mwangi Expanse, it is believed that members of Old-Mage Jatembe’s Ten Magic Warriors still linger as immortal demigods, and that those they choose as their hierophants are candidates to receive the title of Magic Warrior themselves.
On the continent of Arcadia, in the region known as the Deadshot Lands,
Steel at Dawn (compassionate female human gunslinger) and her sidekick hierophant
Nibbub (plucky male chuspiqui scout) travel from remote community to remote community, protecting travelers from bandits and monsters while collecting an ever-growing congregation of grateful worshippers.
Any of these characters might be, or might become, godlings. Less than demigods but closer to true godhood than an exemplar, godlings wield mythic power while sharing divine magic to pursue and accomplish their goals.
Whatever it is that drives you to transcend mortality and walk among the immortals is for you to decide. The pull of divinity can cause you to become disconnected from mortal concerns, but your hierophant is there to keep you grounded and connected to the mortal world. This will be the most essential and important of the relationships you develop as you pursue your adventures, for your hierophant serves as a reminder of where you have come from and acts as a critical ally in helping you become the god you seek to be. Most hierophants become the first high priest of a godling who achieves full divinity, and some may even become a herald or similarly powerful ally.
The opportunity to achieve many great deeds lies before you, along with the power to shape the world to your desires. Godhood is not promised, but you have the power to achieve it if you can overcome the challenges barring your path. Dark priests, opposing gods, and powerful monsters are certain to stand between you and apotheosis, but the trust and assistance of those who believe in you can carry you forward. Spread your name, claim your dominion, and gather your faithful!
Click here for more rules on using this archetype.Rare Destiny Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 131Archetype Godling
Your Calling allows you to begin walking the path to true deific ascension, inspiring followers as your divine seed grows. Your first follower is your hierophant—the high priest of your new faith—whom you rely on to spread your word and provide an anchoring mortal presence as your perspectives are increasingly pulled toward the cosmic. When you gain this feat, choose one willing ally to be your hierophant. If your hierophant is not trained in spell attack modifier and spell DC, they become trained for as long as they are your designated hierophant. If your hierophant dies or chooses to part ways with you, you can designate a new hierophant by communing with the chosen ally for a period of 24 hours.
Your Calling allows you to seize the
divine magic typically restricted to deities. Choose one domain to claim (see list of domains
here). You learn the initial domain spell for this domain. You gain a pool of
Focus Points with 1 Focus Point and you can Refocus by taking 10 minutes to replenish your divine energy from the planes beyond. You gain expert proficiency in spell modifier and spell DC, and your spellcasting ability for these spells is your choice of Wisdom or Charisma, decided when you gain this feat.
Your hierophant also gains the
Cast a Spell activity and can cast the domain spell you learned with Godling Dedication. When they Cast the Spell in this way, your Focus Point is expended as the cost of the spell. Your hierophant uses their own spellcasting proficiency in spell modifier and spell DC when casting a spell in this way, and they use their own Wisdom or Charisma modifier (matching your choice). If your hierophant has mythic power, they can spend a Mythic Point to cast any divine spell they gain by being your hierophant at mythic proficiency.
Rare Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 131Archetype GodlingPrerequisites Godling Dedication
Your dominion over the divine truths of the world increases. You can lay claim to up to three additional domains, to a total maximum of four. Your mortal form cannot easily contain such power, however—each day during your daily preparations, decide which of your domains you are currently drawing power from; you gain access to this domain for the day and can cast its domain spells as normal, while your ability to access the power of your other domains lies dormant. You learn the advanced domain spell for any domain that you have claimed with your godling abilities.
When you gain this feat, you can choose not to lay claim to one or more domains immediately, instead leaving the space open until later in your story. As long as you have one or more domains unclaimed, you can spend a Mythic Point as a single action to claim a domain, even in the heat of battle, immediately making this your active domain. This domain remains a part of your portfolio forever and cannot be changed after this point.
You can also spend a
Mythic Point to overcharge your divine power, gaining access to all the domains you have claimed for the next minute and passing this access on to your hierophant as normal. After the minute ends, you can choose which of the four domains you retain access to until your next
daily preparations.
Rare Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 131Archetype GodlingFrequency once per day
Prerequisites Godling Dedication
Though you are not yet a god, you can invoke a measure of omnipotence that makes you high invulnerable. Spend a
Mythic Point. You gain
resistance to all damage equal to half your level for 1 minute as your aura smolders with power. During this time, if you cast a domain spell you received from this destiny, this resistance increases to equal your level until the beginning of your next turn.
Rare Concentrate Mental Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 132Archetype GodlingPrerequisites Godling Dedication
You open your senses so the prayers of mortals can better reach your ears. You gain a +1 status bonus to checks to
Sense Motive, but only when attempting to ascertain hopes, prayers, wishes, and other strongly held desires of the target. You gain an even greater sense of your hierophant’s prayers, which grants you a constant status as a constant
divine spell targeting your hierophant. The spell has unlimited duration and functions at any range, included across planar boundaries, and
counteracting the spell merely suppresses it until your next
daily preparations, though it automatically ends if the creature stops being your hierophant.
You gain the ability to cast
breath of life once per day as a 5th-rank divine innate spell. You can cast this spell only on your hierophant, and the spell has unlimited range (your status spell typically alerting to you to when your hierophant would die).
Rare Concentrate Mental Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 132Archetype GodlingPrerequisites Godling Dedication
Your forgiveness is without limit, though the path to penitence can be painful, especially against those who have trespassed against your current mortal form. Spend a
Mythic Point; each enemy within a 30-foot
emanation takes 14d6 mental damage (
basic Will save against your class DC or spell DC, whichever is higher) as you force them to reflect upon their sins and misdeeds. Any creature who dealt damage to you or your hierophant since the end of your previous turn uses the outcome one degree of success worse than the result of their saving throw.
Rare Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 132Archetype GodlingPrerequisites Godling Dedication
As you reach ever higher in your quest to achieve true divinity, the powers of life and death flow evermore easily from you. Choose either
heal or
harm; you gain the chosen spell as an 8th rank
innate spell you can cast three times per day. Your hierophant can cast these innate spells as well by expending one of your daily uses.
Rare Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 132Archetype GodlingPrerequisites Godling Dedication
Your will manifests into divine weapons to protect and arm your followers. When you gain this feat, choose one type of weapon with special significance to you, such as a
longsword or a
sickle. This becomes your favored weapon. You and your hierophant both treat this weapon as a simple weapon for the purposes of proficiency. You and your hierophant gain the
critical specialization effect of your favored weapon and deal an additional 1d6 spirit damage with
Strikes made with your favored weapon. If one of your current domain spells can deal a type of damage other than
spirit, you can choose to match this damage type (for instance, wreathing your weapon in sacred ashes that deal fire damage if you have the
fire domain).
Rare Mythic Sanctified Source War of Immortals pg. 132Archetype GodlingFrequency once per day
Prerequisites Godling DedicationRequirements Your hierophant invoked your judgment on their previous turn
To prevent yourself from frivolously calling down the terrible power of divine wrath, you have vowed to do so only with the assent of your mortal hierophant. If your hierophant successfully Strikes a target, they can spend a single action to invoke your wrath. On your turn, you can then Pass Vengeful Judgment on the target, calling down a scouring pillar of divine energy that deals 20d10
spirit damage with a basic Fortitude save. You do not need to have line of effect to the target and it functions at any range. If one of your current domain spells can deal a type of damage other than spirit, you can choose to match this damage type (for instance, calling down a flaming pillar that deals
fire damage if you have the
fire domain).
If you spend a Mythic Point as part of Passing your Vengeful Judgment, the blast extends into the heavens, scattering the clouds in a detonation visible to all creatures within a 10-mile radius as a show of wrath and a warning to those who would dare harm your followers or question your commandments. For the next month, you and your hierophant gain a +2 status bonus to
Intimidation checks against creatures in the area.
Special If you have
Font of Life or Death , you can choose for the damage type to be
vitality (if you chose heal) or
void (if you chose harm) when you use this ability.
Rare Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 132Archetype GodlingPrerequisites Godling Dedication
You fill an item with your divine power, granting the wearer your blessings. When you take this feat, choose two attributes (one of which must be your key attribute) as your divine attributes and either
holy or
unholy sanctification; if you have the holy or unholy trait through a class feature or other ability, you must choose that same trait. As part of your
daily preparations, you can touch one worn magical item that doesn’t have the
apex trait. It gains the apex trait until your next daily preparations, and increases the modifier of one of your divine attributes (chosen during your preparations) by 1 or to a total of +4, whichever is higher. In addition, the item grants the wearer the holy or unholy trait as chosen by you. A character can benefit from only one apex item at a time, as normal. You can’t wear this apex item, but your hierophant can.
If you spend 1 Mythic Point when you create this apex item, it increases the wearer’s modifiers of both of your divine attributes by 1 or to a total of +4, whichever is higher. This is an exception to the usual limit for apex items.
Rare Aura Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 133Archetype GodlingFrequency once per hour
Prerequisites Godling Dedication
By exerting your will as a nascent god present in the mortal realms, you can hold off the influences of most distant entities, even ones much older and more powerful than yourself. Either you or your hierophant are able to use this action. When either of you do, you both gain a +2 status bonus to Armor Class and saving throws against
divine spells, as well as the spells,
Strikes, and abilities of extraplanar creatures, for 3 rounds. This benefit affects both you and your hierophant even if you are on separate planes of existence when this ability is used.
If a
Mythic Point is spent by the individual using Stymie the Gods, the bonus increases to +4 and the effects last for 10 minutes.
Rare Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 133Archetype GodlingPrerequisites Godling Dedication
You complete your apotheosis into living godhood, allowing you to empower more followers. You can serve as the
deity for classes with a deity feature, such as clerics, empowering them to cast divine spells with their class features. When you serve as the deity in this way, you can provide any aspect of a deity stat block (such as domains or a favored weapon) that you yourself have acquired from a godling feat. In addition, you can choose one skill you are legendary in to act as your divine skill, and your divine attributes include your key attribute and one other attribute of your choosing.
When you Assume Godhood, choose three spells from any list other than the
divine list; one must be 1st rank, one must be 2nd or 3rd rank, and one can be of any rank. These spells become additional cleric spells you can grant to your followers. You gain the Intercession Spell ability, allowing you to directly provide the magic that your hierophant uses to enact your miracles.
Intercession Spell [reaction] (
divine,
concentrate,
spellshape)
Frequency once per day
Trigger Your hierophant Casts a Spell;
Effect Interceding directly in your hierophant's affairs, you grant them additional magic. They do not expend the spell slot, usage, or Focus Point.
If you die after Assuming Godhood, only your mortal body perishes, and you continue your existence as a deity, watching over the Universe from afar. In this deific form, you cannot move, act, or speak normally, though you still grant spells to your followers and can perceive and affect them using your godling abilities like Receive Prayers or Intercession Spell, regardless of range. If you need to take more direct action in creation, you can descend to the Universe and incarnate yourself into a mortal body of your choosing within 1 mile of one of your followers or a holy site relevant to your faith, which has the same statistics and abilities that you had before you died. This new body can have any appearance you wish, but typically retains at least one feature important to your divine iconography, such as eye color, a scar, or a unique birthmark. You can incarnate yourself as often as you like, but repeated direct intercessions in the affairs of mortals typically attract the attention and sanction of older and more established deities.