The Sterling Company, well respected within northern reaches of Arvernia. Headquartered in Avis, capital of the kingdom of the same name it acts as a central body for exploratory forces into the Twisting Seas and beyond. Jobs regularly involve exploring the constantly shifting islands and geography of the Twisting Seas, but also many missions may involve exploring the lands and the secrets they hold too as they double as an adventuring guild of sorts and not all dangers require a boat to reach. You are on the planet of Deimos, a planet rife with fey as their homeworld, and prone to great bouts of chaotic energy as a result. Undead are not evil here, and while demiplanes are common place there are very few major other planes beyond Tero, the plane of time. Most fiendish beings live inside the sun, while celestials tend to live in floating cities above Gidal, another planet in this system.
You form a group who have recently managed to prove yourselves as recruits and have set up a new team based out of Goldcrest, a small mining town near the northern coasts named for the gold rich hills nearby.
System: Pathfinder 2e
Starting Level: 2
Starting Equipment: 20gp to spend as you choose and one 1st level magic item.
Players: 4ish
Medium: The forums.
Backstory/Bio: Nothing too big is required or anything, what I'm looking for most is the two hooks. Why they have whatever their free archetype says, and why your character was willing to move to basically the middle of nowhere and take up a relatively dangerous career path.
Free Archetype: This will be restricted somewhat, as full free archetype I consider a bit too problematic and somewhat defeating of the point. The goal here is to allow you to take an option which allows you to interact with the world or develop your character in a way that'd normally be maybe suboptimal, difficult to justify, or otherwise problematic to take during a game. So that's all I ask of this, and I'll ask how your chosen archetype lets you do this if its not obvious to me. Appropriate options here include things like the undead archetypes, or many other uncommon or rare archetypes that would otherwise be difficult to obtain because they represent major backstory complications such as living vessel, curse maelstrom, or chronoskimmer. Due to this restriction, the 2 feat dedication requirement from this will not count against an archetype taken in your actual class feats.
Rarities allowed: Check for anything that's not common, uncommon stuff is more likely to be allowed than rare. As noted above, many rare archetypes would be allowed to start with as a free archtype.
Variant Rules: Gradual ability boosts, free archetype.
Setting specific versatile heritage
Spoiler: Bogling
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The children of the gods or so the stories say, beings with some tiny fragment of a divine spark in them. The classic tales of Zeus and a mighty demigod, to a child from a long line of clerics, a bogling can be born to almost any family or circ*mstance.
As varied as the nature of both mortals and gods, boglings can look like almost anything, they nearly always have solid colored eyes that slowly change color over years, although their divine heritage can exhibit itself in many ways.
Bogling
{Uncommon}
Your mind and body are altered by your heritage of the gods. This manifests most frequently as solid colored eyes. You gain the bogling trait, in addition to the traits from your ancestry. You gain read the air as a divine innate spell at will. A cantrip is heightened to half your level rounded up. In addition, you gain a +1 circ*mstance bonus to checks to Sense Motive, and you can choose from bogling feats and feats from your ancestry whenever you gain an ancestry feat.
Scion of Nature Feat 1
{Bogling}{Lineage}
Your ancestors were a god of nature, the wilderness, or travel. You gain the trained proficiency rank in Survival. If you would automatically become trained in Survival (from your background or class, for example), you instead become trained in a skill of your choice. You gain the Terrain Expertise skill feat, and always treated as if you had a compass for Survival checks in your chosen terrain.
You may spend one week of downtime attuning to an environment, when you do so you may change your choice of terrain for Terrain Expertise.
Scion of Battle Feat 1
{Bogling}{Lineage}
You are descended from a god of combat or war, granting you greater proficiency with some weapons. Choose an ancestry trait. You treat weapons with that trait as if they had the bogling trait. You gain access to all uncommon weapons with the bogling trait, and you treat any of these that are martial weapons as simple weapons and any that are advanced weapons as martial weapons.
At 5th level, whenever you get a critical hit with one of these weapons, you get its critical specialisation effect.
Scion of Thought Feat 1
{Divine}{Bogling}{Lineage}
You have a preternatural knowledge of yourself and others. You gain thoughtsense, an imprecise sense with a range of 10 feet that lets you sense thinking beings. Any creature without the mindless trait can be detected by this sense, though you can't distinguish anything beyond their approximate location.
Scion of Divinity Feat 1
{Divine}{Bogling}{Lineage}
You can call upon the power of your divine ancestors. When you take this feat choose a domain. You can cast its initial domain spell as an innate divine spell once per day. It is always heightened to your half your level rounded up as a cantrip would be.
Bogling Lore Feat 1
{Bogling}
Aware of your divine heritage, you've studied the gods and their powers. You gain the trained proficiency rank in either Deception or Diplomacy, and Religion. If you would automatically become trained in one of those skills (from your background or class, for example), you instead become trained in a skill of your choice.
You also gain the Additional Lore general feat for Bogos Lore.
Tiniest Worshipper Feat 1
{Bogling}
While you may not possess true divine powers, you bond with an animal akin to a god and their devotees. You gain a familiar. This is up to you, but most boglings choose the speech or touch telepathy abilities.
Psychic Affinity :1action: Feat 1
{Bogling}
You briefly connect to the psychic essence that all beings exude. You gain all-around vision until the start of your next turn. This lets you see in all directions and prevents you from being flanked.
Divine Will Feat 5
{Bogling}
You've attuned more greatly with your divine heritage, and can call upon it to shield your mind from anything what would try to twist it. You gain a +1 circ*mstance bonus to Will saves against mental effects. If you roll a success on your saving throw against a mental effect that would make you controlled, you get a critical success instead.
Overflowing Might :1action: Feat 5
{Bogling}
Prerequisites focus pool, at least one divine focus spell
Frequency once per day
You tap into your ancestral power to steady yourself. You regain 1 Focus Point, up to your usual maximum.
Scion of Magic Feat 9
{Divine}{Bogling}
Prerequisites scion of divinity
The magic you can channel grows in scope. Choose one common 1st-rank or 2nd-rank divine or occult spell. You can cast that spell as an innate divine spell once per day. This is adaptable, by spending 1 day of downtime you can choose a different common 1st-rank or 2nd-rank divine or occult spell.
Scion of Knowledge Feat 9
{Bogling}
Prerequisites scion of knowledge
You have learned to unlock the full psychic potential within divine magic. Your thoughtsense increases to a range of 30 feet. In addition, whenever you use a skill action or skill feat which requires an Occultism or Religion check, you can use the other instead.
Scion of the World Feat 9
{Divine}{Bogling}
Prerequisites scion of nature
You are impossibly attuned with the natural world around you, and protected from its hazards. You treat environmental heat and cold as if they were one step less extreme, and gain resistance equal to half your level against cold and fire.
You also gain a +2 circ*mstance bonus to Perception checks to notice environmental hazards. This bonus applies to checks to discover traps disguised as natural terrain or plants. If you aren't using the Seek action or searching, the GM automatically rolls a secret check to identify environmental hazards anyway. This check doesn't gain your normal circ*mstance bonus.
Stroke of Luck :reaction: Feat 9
{Concentrate}{Divine}{Fortune}{Bogling}
Frequency once per hour
Trigger A creature within 60 feet uses a misfortune effect
You can sense the manipulation of fate by others, and fight back to right it. The triggering effect is disrupted. This effect applies to the same roll the triggering effect would have, so you couldn't negate a misfortune effect with Stroke of Luck and then apply a fortune effect to the same roll.
Scion of War Feat 13
Prerequisites scion of battle
{Bogling}
Your skill with your weapons increases greatly as you tap further into your heritage. Whenever you gain a class feature that grants you expert or greater proficiency in certain weapons, you also gain that proficiency in all weapons with the bogling trait.
Self-Divinity Level 17
{Bogling}
You have truly tapped into the tiny spark of divinity within your soul, and can impose your will upon your enemies. You cast divine decree as a 7th-rank innate divine spell once per day.
Spoiler: Deities
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Spoiler: The Council of Banes
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The Council of Banes
The Council of Banes are worshipped as a collective, but compose the seven banes that rule over the society of the undying. They govern the forces of life and death, and while their individual views may vary constantly work to maintain the delicate balance between them.
Edicts help your local communities, protect the undying, lay bodies to rest
Anathema create undead, slay someone before their time, resurrect the dead
Areas of Concern life, the undying, and Mavis
Divine Ability Constitution, Charisma
Divine Font heal or harm
Divine Sanctification can choose holy or unholy
Divine Skill Society
Favored Weapon rapier
Domains family, healing, duty, undeath
Cleric Spells 1st: soothe*, 3rd: *ghostly weapon*, 7th: *momentary recovery
Spoiler: Demenz
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Demenz (The Primal Chaos)
Demenz has been lost for centuries, wandering beyond the knowledge of any who would share. Its rumored it still slumbers somewhere deep within the heart of Deimos, although nobody has ever proven this and the fey asked deny any knowledge of this. Regardless of its location, they do still respond to calls for aid, serving their ancient role as a source of chaos.
Edicts spread chaos, explore the worlds, find Demenz
Anathema be predictable, support the forces of order
Areas of Concern chaos, change
Divine Ability Intelligence or Charisma
Divine Font heal or harm
Divine Sanctification can choose unholy
Divine Skill Deception
Favored Weapon whip
Domains ambition, change, freedom, luck
Cleric Spells 1st: ill omen*, 3rd: *gravity well*, 6th: *teleport
Spoiler: Alexia
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Alexia (Queen of Discord)
One of the archfey that more consistently grants power to their followers, Alexia believes in the chaos of battle and violence. A crusade lead by her is rarely seen, and even rarer survived, an honorable fight is rarely a priority. Followers of her vary widely as any fey, but are often found becoming gladiators, mercenaries, or bandits.
Edicts fight recklessly, push your limits
Anathema refuse a challenge to battle, prevent conflict through negotiation
Areas of Concern battle, strength, and slaughter
Divine Ability Strength, Dexterity
Divine Font harm
Divine Sanctification can choose unholy
Divine Skill Intimidation
Favored Weapon spiked chain
Domains confidence, delirium, might, pain
Cleric Spells 1st: phantom pain*, 3rd: *wall of thorns*, 4th: *weapon storm
Spoiler: Afero
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Afero (King of the Wilds)
The kindest of the archfey to those willing to follow him, Afero offers a more stalwart shoulder to rely on. While his whims can be as fickle as the wilds he protects, he refuses to ever lie and has never broken an oath. He understands that not all his followers can live alone in nature like he does, although many of them still live nomadic lifestyles.
Edicts protect and respect nature, help and heal injured animal or plants
Anathema bring civilization to intrude on the wild, tell lies, live in cities
Areas of Concern nature, weather, and unsettled lands
Divine Ability Constitution, Wisdom
Divine Font heal
Divine Sanctification can choose unholy
Divine Skill Survival
Favored Weapon Longbow
Domains nature, truth, water, wood
Cleric Spells 1st: flourishing flora*, 3rd: *lightning bolt*, 5th: *nature's pathway
Spoiler: Tid
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Tid (The Infinite Moment)
Little is known about Tid or the momentous ones that were born from it, the guardians of time and the reaches beyond the universe. Only rarely does a cleric of Tid achieve much for to even draw its attention from within all of time and space is a difficult task, but those occasional devout who manage to channel its power are destined for great things.
Edicts document your life, learn from the past, help libraries
Anathema share knowledge of how to access Tero, destroy records of the past
Areas of Concern history, knowledge, and time
Divine Ability Dexterity, Intelligence
Divine Font heal or harm
Divine Sanctification none
Divine Skill Occultism
Favored Weapon Staff
Domains fate, knowledge, secrecy, time
Cleric Spells 1st: message rune*, 3rd: *time jump*, 7th: *time beacon
Spoiler: Genesis
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Genesis (The Prior Creation)
Once upon a time, the celestials of Gidal prayed up at the stars in their skies, and the stars responded. Genesis is the being from beyond the stars that claims to have created the stars in their wake. It proclaims a path of art and creativity, preferring peaceful study and development to war.
Edicts perfect an art or craft, help others build civilisation
Anathema destroy a treasured possession, kill an angel except in self defense
Areas of Concern destruction, the sun
Divine Ability Dexterity, Intelligence
Divine Font heal
Divine Sanctification must choose holy
Divine Skill Crafting
Favored Weapon Polytool
Domains air, creation, dreams, star
Cleric Spells 1st: *instant pottery*, 4th: *creation*, 7th: *duplicate foe*
In addition to the above, several more deities of varying notoriety, but I started running out of steam staring at the spells and weapons list so these weren't fully fleshed out mechanically. Feel free to ask though if you're interested in any of them.
Mokus (The Sheltering Moon)
Vida (Merchant of Mysteries)
Cuan (The Stalwart Guard)
Maen (Lord of Rot)
Idona (The Soulgazer)
Fanos (The Dragon Scribe)
Grix (The Hearthmother)
Sensang (Origin of Order)
Exitia (Mother of Destruction)
