Inner Sea Gods: Divine Servitors

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Well, we've previously looked at the art, deities, and character options featured in Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Gods, and now it's time to summon up our final preview blog—a look at the 40 divine servitors available to the faithful of the core deities via a number of calling spells.

Each of the core 20 deities receives two statblocks in the final chapter of Inner Sea Gods, one its herald, and the other a lower-level outsider. First let's look at a few of the new outsiders, shall we?

Up first is the dapsara, a new angel closely tied to Shelyn, goddess of love, beauty, and art. This CR 4 angel has bardic abilities, including bardic performance and versatile performance, and should serve those who venerate the arts well.


Illustration by Diana Martinez

What could be more opposed to art and beauty than the qlippoth, the proto-demons of the Abyss from which Rovagug ascended. Thognorok qlippoth, like the one depicted here, are considered servitors of the Rough Beast, but are actually sentient symbiotes that once had the misfortune of dining on Rovagug's flesh. As with all the lower-level servitors in the book, Thognoroks are CR 4, has 6 HD, and can therefor be called with lesser planar ally and/or lesser planar binding. Though I would caution against trying with this guy.


Illustration by Ben Wootten

If a CR 4 outsider just isn't going to cut it for you, there's always each deity's herald. Inner Sea Gods presents the herald subtype, which grant a uniform array of abilities to these unique outsiders who serve as envoys and agents of their patrons. Heralds generally have 18 or fewer Hit Dice, come in around CR 15, and can be summoned with greater planar ally. Each of the heralds received a new development pass, standardizing their abilities and upgrading those released prior to the Pathfinder RPG up to the current rules set. Here's Asmodeus's herald, the sinister and deadly Basiles, for your viewing pleasure.


Illustration by Emeliano Petrozzi

This fella, however, breaks the herald mold, which is befitting of the herald of the god who motivated Sarenrae and Asmodeus to work together to imprison him. I'm talking, of course, about the Tarrasque, also known as the Armageddon Engine, herald of Rovagug. Not only does the version presented in Inner Sea Gods include the herald and spawn of Rovagug subtypes (resulting in different stats than the world-neutral version in the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary), it keeps the original's CR 25, making it by far the most dangerous of the heralds presented in the book.


Illustration by Ben Wootten

And there you have it, folks! By the time another one of these previews would go up, most of you will have your copies of the book, so I'll move on to previewing other forthcoming books. Inner Sea Gods is available in game stores everywhere and can be purchased as a hardcover or PDF download right here.

Mark Moreland
Developer

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Tags: Ben Wootten Diana Martinez Emeliano Petrozzi Gods and Magic Pathfinder Campaign Setting
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Sovereign Court Contributor

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So totally digging that "Dapsara."

If my notes on the Apsara helped add them to Golarion canon that would rock.


2 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

I love reading previews of books that are already sitting on my shelf. It reinforces for me how much subscriptions rock. :P

Seriously, though, this book is amazing.

RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16

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That Thognorok looks like something I found under my couch once.

Dark Archive

Diana Martinez's art rocks!

Shadow Lodge

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Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Armageddon Engine!

Silver Crusade

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Ah, so this confirms that the Tarrasque of Golarion actually is CE then!

Still giddy about the inclusion of the dapsaras. :D

Stupid sexy Basileu-GAH! THAT FACE! Very nice juxtaposition there.


Looks like this also confirms that Rovagug a Qlippoth.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Lloyd Jackson wrote:
Looks like this also confirms that Rovagug a Qlippoth.

I'm pretty sure that was already confirmed.

Sovereign Court Contributor

Interesting that the Dapsara looks like it has ethereal arms (the lower ones). I'm curious what that's about. (I like it)


Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Jeff Erwin wrote:
Interesting that the Dapsara looks like it has ethereal arms (the lower ones). I'm curious what that's about. (I like it)

According to the book those extra arms are primarily used to assist in a performance such as by playing a musical instrument. She can manifest them at will.

I like them a lot to. Very Indian flavoured and cool.


Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

I really like that the modified Tarrasque dealt with the silly "wraith-gambit" attack that was brought up on the boards by making it immune to both ability damage and drain!


Ahhh, the chosen of Gorum shall gain a new ally.
Nice.


Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Wow love the dapsara.

If I could summon her, I'd never leave the house.
HEY-OH.

Seriously, the art looks great.


Don Hastily wrote:

Wow love the dapsara.

If I could summon her, I'd never leave the house.
HEY-OH.

Seriously, the art looks great.

Well.... considering her ghost hands help with her performance...

*RaWr*

Silver Crusade

11 people marked this as a favorite.

You know, someone focusing on summoning dapsaras could invoke instant Bollywood dance scenes anywhere they wanted.

In all seriousness, this makes me want more Jalmeray/Vudra even more. :D


Instant Bollywood dance scenes, oh that's good!


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Mikaze wrote:

You know, someone focusing on summoning dapsaras could invoke instant Bollywood dance scenes anywhere they wanted.

In all seriousness, this makes me want more Jalmeray/Vudra even more. :D

Well there's my next summoner character.


OMG! That tarrasque picture is awesome!


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Mikaze wrote:

You know, someone focusing on summoning dapsaras could invoke instant Bollywood dance scenes anywhere they wanted.

In all seriousness, this makes me want more Jalmeray/Vudra even more. :D

Now there's a bard archetype waiting to happen.


James Jacobs wrote:
Lloyd Jackson wrote:
Looks like this also confirms that Rovagug a Qlippoth.
I'm pretty sure that was already confirmed.

Awesome. Wasn't sure the Qloppoth article side-bar was canon or 'really-cool-thing-that-looks-like-canon'.


Bossman James Jacobs confirmed it to be cannon a long while back.
Makes Rovagug essentially the oldest and most powerful being known of.
Which is awesome for us destructive types, but also terrifying if you think about it, because it means that he can never really truly be stopped or vanquished, just delayed.


Major_Blackhart wrote:

Bossman James Jacobs confirmed it to be cannon a long while back.

Makes Rovagug essentially the oldest and most powerful being known of.
Which is awesome for us destructive types, but also terrifying if you think about it, because it means that he can never really truly be stopped or vanquished, just delayed.

He's also said on multiple occasions that Pharasma is the oldest being. I think it's Asmodeus, Sarenrae, and Rovagug, along with Pharasma, are the 4 oldest beings.


Major_Blackhart wrote:

Bossman James Jacobs confirmed it to be cannon a long while back.

Makes Rovagug essentially the oldest and most powerful being known of.
Which is awesome for us destructive types, but also terrifying if you think about it, because it means that he can never really truly be stopped or vanquished, just delayed.

True. All the other diety-level Qlippoth beings are dead, and only a few of demi-god teir survive, mostly by hiding in the deepest, darkest holes in existence. Rovagug now, The Devouring Beast hides from nothing, and brings even the most opposed divinities together. Nothing makes friends like the threat of the entire multi-verse being buried/dissolved-into a roiling mass of squick.


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Truth of the matter is, the other deities watched some animated Japenese adult material once, and then they all got together and locked away Rovagug, the largest tentacle of them all, before anything bad happened to them.

Grand Lodge

So I have the Cloaked Dancer PrC from 3.5 tattooed in a sleeve on one arm.

Dapsara - I think I found the sleeve of my other arm. . .

Paizo Employee Creative Director

6 people marked this as a favorite.
Lloyd Jackson wrote:

True. All the other diety-level Qlippoth beings are dead...

Actually, that might NOT be entirely 100% true...

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Lloyd Jackson wrote:
Major_Blackhart wrote:

Bossman James Jacobs confirmed it to be cannon a long while back.

Makes Rovagug essentially the oldest and most powerful being known of.
Which is awesome for us destructive types, but also terrifying if you think about it, because it means that he can never really truly be stopped or vanquished, just delayed.

True. All the other diety-level Qlippoth beings are dead, and only a few of demi-god teir survive, mostly by hiding in the deepest, darkest holes in existence. Rovagug now, The Devouring Beast hides from nothing, and brings even the most opposed divinities together. Nothing makes friends like the threat of the entire multi-verse being buried/dissolved-into a roiling mass of squick.

It was explained somewhere that Dagon and some other demigod level qlippoth became demon lords by absorbing mortal souls.

IIRC, it was also explained that some Qlippoth lords actually shun mortal worshippers for this reason: if too many mortals come to them after death, they will cease to be qlippoth and become demons.
The same could be true of qlippoth that are deities rather than demigods. They're just unknown by us piddly mortals on the material plane, because they don't want to be contaminated by mortal souls.

Which could mean two things:
1) Rovagug accepts worship by mortals because he doesn't actually care about the feud between qlippoth and demons, and just wants to eat the universe, which he can do just as well either way.

2) Rovagug doesn't accept worship, but since he's bound within Golarion (metaphysically or physically), he can't help but hear mortals on this particular world and vice versa.


James Jacobs wrote:
Lloyd Jackson wrote:

True. All the other diety-level Qlippoth beings are dead...

Actually, that might NOT be entirely 100% true...

James, the kytons would be proud of you. Any more tidbits you'd like to torture us with, or will you leave us hanging for a while.

Ross Byers wrote:


It was explained somewhere that Dagon and some other demigod level qlippoth became demon lords by absorbing mortal souls.

IIRC, it was also explained that some Qlippoth lords actually shun mortal worshippers for this reason: if too many mortals come to them after death, they will cease to be qlippoth and become demons.
The same could be true of qlippoth that are deities rather than demigods. They're just unknown by us piddly mortals on the material plane, because they don't want to be contaminated by mortal souls.
Which could mean two things:
1) Rovagug accepts worship by mortals because he doesn't actually care about the feud between qlippoth and demons, and just wants to eat the universe, which he can do just as well either way.

2) Rovagug doesn't accept worship, but since he's bound within Golarion (metaphysically or physically), he can't help but hear mortals on this particular world and vice versa.

I wasn't counting Dagon and the others, as they now seem to be fully integrated into the new regime.

I must have missed the part about them becoming demons unwillingly/accidentally. Is it in the article? I'd thought it was more a case of them accepting/choosing the new powers and toys souls and demon-hood provide.

For your ideas, I've thought of him more like the second. It's not that he does, or doesn't, desire worship, but mortals attuned to him can tap into the power he generates, kind of like Groetus. The Thognoroks fit this. They aren't servitors in the regular sense, and I don't think his clerics are priests in the regular sense.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32

Lloyd Jackson wrote:


I must have missed the part about them becoming demons unwillingly/accidentally. Is it in the article? I'd thought it was more a case of them accepting/choosing the new powers and toys souls and demon-hood provide.

Dagon and the others did willingly, it's that other Qlippoth Lords, whose names we don't know, eschew mortal worship because they don't want to switch over. Which provides a clue to how there could be deity-level qlippoth that mortals haven't heard over.


Ooo, deity level qlippoths other than the Rough Beast?

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber
Ross Byers wrote:
Lloyd Jackson wrote:


I must have missed the part about them becoming demons unwillingly/accidentally. Is it in the article? I'd thought it was more a case of them accepting/choosing the new powers and toys souls and demon-hood provide.
Dagon and the others did willingly, it's that other Qlippoth Lords, whose names we don't know, eschew mortal worship because they don't want to switch over. Which provides a clue to how there could be deity-level qlippoth that mortals haven't heard over.

Idea for an adventure or even AP: Crazed fallen angel starts a qlippoth-worshiping cult to try and get enough souls dedicated to corrupt a qlippoth lord into a demon, since he thinks demons are easier to kill or at least more easily understood. PCs might have to team up with qlippoth agents or even flat-out qlippoths to stop the cult. The qlippoths can't actually kill their "worshipers" since that would just send more souls to their lord, so they have to get mortal agents to eliminate the cult through other means.


Ross Byers wrote:
Lloyd Jackson wrote:
Major_Blackhart wrote:

Bossman James Jacobs confirmed it to be cannon a long while back.

Makes Rovagug essentially the oldest and most powerful being known of.
Which is awesome for us destructive types, but also terrifying if you think about it, because it means that he can never really truly be stopped or vanquished, just delayed.

True. All the other diety-level Qlippoth beings are dead, and only a few of demi-god teir survive, mostly by hiding in the deepest, darkest holes in existence. Rovagug now, The Devouring Beast hides from nothing, and brings even the most opposed divinities together. Nothing makes friends like the threat of the entire multi-verse being buried/dissolved-into a roiling mass of squick.

It was explained somewhere that Dagon and some other demigod level qlippoth became demon lords by absorbing mortal souls.

IIRC, it was also explained that some Qlippoth lords actually shun mortal worshippers for this reason: if too many mortals come to them after death, they will cease to be qlippoth and become demons.
The same could be true of qlippoth that are deities rather than demigods. They're just unknown by us piddly mortals on the material plane, because they don't want to be contaminated by mortal souls.

Which could mean two things:
1) Rovagug accepts worship by mortals because he doesn't actually care about the feud between qlippoth and demons, and just wants to eat the universe, which he can do just as well either way.

2) Rovagug doesn't accept worship, but since he's bound within Golarion (metaphysically or physically), he can't help but hear mortals on this particular world and vice versa.

3) Or Rovagug is just so powerful that he can slurp up souls without them influencing his nature


Rovagug is like honeybadger, but with more tentacles.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Ross Byers wrote:
Lloyd Jackson wrote:
Major_Blackhart wrote:

Bossman James Jacobs confirmed it to be cannon a long while back.

Makes Rovagug essentially the oldest and most powerful being known of.
Which is awesome for us destructive types, but also terrifying if you think about it, because it means that he can never really truly be stopped or vanquished, just delayed.

True. All the other diety-level Qlippoth beings are dead, and only a few of demi-god teir survive, mostly by hiding in the deepest, darkest holes in existence. Rovagug now, The Devouring Beast hides from nothing, and brings even the most opposed divinities together. Nothing makes friends like the threat of the entire multi-verse being buried/dissolved-into a roiling mass of squick.

It was explained somewhere that Dagon and some other demigod level qlippoth became demon lords by absorbing mortal souls.

IIRC, it was also explained that some Qlippoth lords actually shun mortal worshippers for this reason: if too many mortals come to them after death, they will cease to be qlippoth and become demons.
The same could be true of qlippoth that are deities rather than demigods. They're just unknown by us piddly mortals on the material plane, because they don't want to be contaminated by mortal souls.

Which could mean two things:
1) Rovagug accepts worship by mortals because he doesn't actually care about the feud between qlippoth and demons, and just wants to eat the universe, which he can do just as well either way.

2) Rovagug doesn't accept worship, but since he's bound within Golarion (metaphysically or physically), he can't help but hear mortals on this particular world and vice versa.

1 above is closer to being correct... but he does care about the qlippoth and demon feud. He's in a position no qlippoth is in though—as one of the Great Beyond's most powerful deities, he has a LOT more resources than an entire Abyss full of qlippoth, and therefore doesn't have to limit his plans to something as simplistic as "kill all sinning mortals".

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32

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I think someone (possibly even you, James) once said that Rovagug's to-do list looked something like:

1) Escape
2) Destroy everything between self and Sarenrae
3) Murder Sarenrae
4) Destroy rest of multiverse

"Destroy everything" might be a simplistic plan, but it will certainly get all the mortals, as well as all the demons and anything else that might have been an obstacle.

Lantern Lodge

Ross Byers wrote:

I think someone (possibly even you, James) once said that Rovagug's to-do list looked something like:

1) Escape
2) Destroy everything between self and Sarenrae
3) Murder Sarenrae
4) Destroy rest of multiverse

5)??????????

6) Profit!

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32

I think step 5 is 'Spend eternity eating and spawning.'


Ross Byers wrote:

I think someone (possibly even you, James) once said that Rovagug's to-do list looked something like:

1) Escape
2) Destroy everything between self and Sarenrae
3) Murder Sarenrae
4) Destroy rest of multiverse

"Destroy everything" might be a simplistic plan, but it will certainly get all the mortals, as well as all the demons and anything else that might have been an obstacle.

I find it a bit funny that CE Demons seem way less destructive than CN Proteans and NE Daemons.

Silver Crusade

Somewhere between 3. and 4. there was "capture Shelyn in one of his eyes and let her see the destruction of everything", IIRC.

Having everyone be in love with you isn't so great sometimes. D:

Silver Crusade

4 people marked this as a favorite.
Guy St-Amant wrote:
Ross Byers wrote:

I think someone (possibly even you, James) once said that Rovagug's to-do list looked something like:

1) Escape
2) Destroy everything between self and Sarenrae
3) Murder Sarenrae
4) Destroy rest of multiverse

"Destroy everything" might be a simplistic plan, but it will certainly get all the mortals, as well as all the demons and anything else that might have been an obstacle.

I find it a bit funny that CE Demons seem way less destructive than CN Proteans and NE Daemons.

I dig it. Demons are slaves to their passions, and they love having victims. They wouldn't want to lose their toys. In their own twisted way, they need us. They can't quit us.

And Proteans...at least they're more about unraveling stuff just so it can be woven into something else. They don't want to see you removed from the universe, they just want you to stop being the same old pattern day after day...

But yeah, daemons? Man, screw those guys. Seriously. They're the worst.

The worst.

(ie: Good job making the oft-ignored NE fiends the most despicable villains of the setting, Paizo. ;) )


It's because the NE fiends aren't bound by any rules or stereotypes.

Silver Crusade

Mikaze wrote:

But yeah, daemons? Man, screw those guys. Seriously. They're the worst.

The worst.

(ie: Good job making the oft-ignored NE fiends the most despicable villains of the setting, Paizo. ;) )

*sniff*

I thought we were friends :(


Rysky wrote:
Mikaze wrote:

But yeah, daemons? Man, screw those guys. Seriously. They're the worst.

The worst.

(ie: Good job making the oft-ignored NE fiends the most despicable villains of the setting, Paizo. ;) )

*sniff*

I thought we were friends :(

Everyone loves a good villain.

Silver Crusade

Tels wrote:
Rysky wrote:
Mikaze wrote:

But yeah, daemons? Man, screw those guys. Seriously. They're the worst.

The worst.

(ie: Good job making the oft-ignored NE fiends the most despicable villains of the setting, Paizo. ;) )

*sniff*

I thought we were friends :(

Everyone loves a good villain.

True true.


I know right? Demonic worship I can get. Devil worship too. Even Qlippoth worship.
But Daemonic doesn't nearly make as much to me. Not nihilistic enough for Qlippoth worship, not trying to be part of something bigger like devil worship, and not being all about you and your desires, wants and needs like demon worship. It's the Meh of evil worship.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32

The qlippoth aren't nihilistic. They want the rest of reality to get off their lawn, but they plan to be around forever, themselves. In a never ending squick-tentacle-feast/orgy. (Okay, I guess mortal worshipers of Rovagug/qlippoth are kind of nihilistic, because they expect to be destroyed, but they expect the thing they worship to endure.)

The daemons are the only planar powers who want to be the last ones to turn the lights off on the universe. Dark and quiet for all eternity.

Except maybe Groetus. But who knows what he wants?


Ross Byers wrote:

The daemons are the only planar powers who want to be the last ones to turn the lights off on the universe. Dark and quiet for all eternity.

Except maybe Groetus. But who knows what he wants?

A hug?

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32

The NPC wrote:
Ross Byers wrote:

The daemons are the only planar powers who want to be the last ones to turn the lights off on the universe. Dark and quiet for all eternity.

Except maybe Groetus. But who knows what he wants?

A hug?

I'm not sure how to investigate that in a way that does not risk causing the end of the multiverse.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Ross Byers wrote:
The NPC wrote:
Ross Byers wrote:

The daemons are the only planar powers who want to be the last ones to turn the lights off on the universe. Dark and quiet for all eternity.

Except maybe Groetus. But who knows what he wants?

A hug?
I'm not sure how to investigate that in a way that does not risk causing the end of the multiverse.

did you try opening your arms in a welcoming fashion?


Mikaze wrote:
Guy St-Amant wrote:
Ross Byers wrote:

I think someone (possibly even you, James) once said that Rovagug's to-do list looked something like:

1) Escape
2) Destroy everything between self and Sarenrae
3) Murder Sarenrae
4) Destroy rest of multiverse

"Destroy everything" might be a simplistic plan, but it will certainly get all the mortals, as well as all the demons and anything else that might have been an obstacle.

I find it a bit funny that CE Demons seem way less destructive than CN Proteans and NE Daemons.

I dig it. Demons are slaves to their passions, and they love having victims. They wouldn't want to lose their toys. In their own twisted way, they need us. They can't quit us.

And Proteans...at least they're more about unraveling stuff just so it can be woven into something else. They don't want to see you removed from the universe, they just want you to stop being the same old pattern day after day...

But yeah, daemons? Man, screw those guys. Seriously. They're the worst.

The worst.

(ie: Good job making the oft-ignored NE fiends the most despicable villains of the setting, Paizo. ;) )

I agree, Mikaze. They do come across as the most nightmarish of the three major fiend groups. But there's a bit of a wrinkle in that.

1) Of all the petitioners in the evil-aligned realms, it seems like those in Abaddon suffer for the least amount of time. Devils torment their victims over eons, demons turn you into a horrible maggot, and Daemons just go om nom nom.

2) They're quite clearly the weakest of the three main fiend factions. The Abyss has a ton of demon lords, and each of the four horsemen is comparable in power to one of them.

3) I don't know about you, but I think you'd have to be Too Dumb to Live to even consider worshiping a horseman or harbinger.

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