The Demented One
2009-01-04, 08:55 PM
Sol Invictus, The Unconquered Sun
Sol Invinctus, the invincible God of Victory, lies trapped within a perfect game which he can never lose. Still, those who know the ancient rules of the Games of Divinity can place their stake it, drawing the mad god’s attention to them long enough for him to bestow his gift upon them.
Vestige Level: 8th
Binding DC: 40
Legend
Sol Invictus was, and still is, the God of Victory. He ruled the kingdom of the heavens in the days after the world’s creation, ruling over the gods with an unquestionable, but benevolent, dictatorship. The angels called Solars were his creations, agents of his will throughout the multiverse. All-powerful as he was, Sol Invictus was above any corruption, nor could any revolution or usurpation ever succeed against him, and thus, the gods were willing to consent to his rule.
All was well until one day, a newly-formed Solar posed a riddle to one of his brethren: did the Unconquered Sun have the divine power to create a stone so massive that not even he, who could never fail at any task, could lift it? Sol heard this young angel’s riddle, and manifested right in front of him. The Unconquered Sun then tore reality itself asunder, reaching into the shapeless wild outside it, and drew forth a handful of the primordial stuff of chaos. Then, without so much as a grunt of effort, he shaped it into a pillar of adamantine that scraped the sky, and cracked the ground where it stood, a burden whose very existence demanded that no being, not even Sol Invictus, could lift it. And then, Sol Invictus lifted it up anyway. And it was good.
But as the aeons passed, Sol Invictus grew worried. Until the angel’s riddle, he had never considered that it was even possible for a challenge to exist that he could not conquer. True, the one paradoxical task had given him no trouble, but if it was possible for his creations to even conceive of his failure, surely it must be possible that somehow, somewhere in the multiverse, there was something he could not do? Thus, Sol Invictus decided to remake reality, shaping it into a game–the ultimate game. Seizing up countless planes that no longer exist today, he began crafting the Games of Divinity, a reality whose every rule and law was set by him–and thus, within which it was entirely impossible for him to be defeated.
At this, the gods and all the angels were outraged–the world that had spent countless aeons creating was being carelessly destroyed, refashioned into some twisted monument to the Unconquered Sun’s arrogance. Clearly they could not allow, but nor did any of them have the strength to stop him. And thus, the wisest of the gods, the Five Maidens of the Stars, along with the most cunning trickster among them, Three-Faced Luna, created a plan by which to sabotage the Games of Divinity. They dove headlong into the world of the Games of Divinity, and began playing. Sol Invictus, realizing that he could not triumph if others were playing in his absence, entered into his world, leaving it incomplete–and as he did, the Maidens and Luna escaped through a hidden portal, for Sol’s entrance sealed off the Games of Divinity from the rest of reality forevermore.
Since then, Sol Invictus has spent the rest of time playing the game, always triumphing against opponent he creates from shadows and figments. However, the God of Victory, now fallen to a vestige of his former self, is not truly lost to the world. Ancient tomes, penned by the angels themselves, still record the rules of the Games of Divinity, and the invocations by which any mortal may enter their stake into them. By entering into the games, a mortal cultist could conceivably draw the attention of Sol Invictus, and form a pact with him in order to tap his limitless power.
Special Requirement
Before Sol Invictus will even notice the attempt to bind him, the Binder must offer up something of personal significance as a stake in the Games of Divinity. It can be anything, physical or abstract–a treasured sword, the life of one’s still-to-be-born first child, memories of one’s first love–as long as it has some significance to the Binder. The Binder does not lose possession of their stake upon first binding to Sol Invictus, and indeed, does not normally risk doing so–the stake is merely a gesture to draw the god’s attention.
However, Sol Invictus will not deign to bless one who proves to be unworthy of the Unconquered Sun. If, while bound to Sol Invictus, you are defeated in any challenge which you voluntarily enter into–a fight, a game, even something as frivolous as a competition between craftsman–the vestige immediately breaks its pact with you, leaving you and refusing to be bound for another 24 hours. In addition, Sol Invictus claims your stake in the Games of Divinity, permanently taking up whatever you offered. Only epic magic or the influence of an artifact could even hope to recover something lost in the games.
Manifestation
As Sol Invictus’s seal is drawn, it blazes into light, shining with a blinding golden radiance. Five Solars manifest out of nothingness, each clad in shining orichalcum armaments. They kneel, raising their swords into the air–and where the blade-tips touch, a shining orb of solar light forms, before splitting and opening into an eye. The five angels speak as one with the voice of Sol Invictus, addressing the binder.
Sign
A golden sun-glyph appears on the brow of any bound to Sol Invictus. In addition, they glow with an aura of sunlight that illuminates the area around them as a torch. No darkness save for epic magic or artifacts can dim the light of the Unconquered Sun’s sign.
Influence
Sol Invictus will not permit those bound to him to refuse any challenge that is presented to them, even if they stand no chance of victory. If one cannot triumph over anything, then why would they think themselves worthy of the Unconquered Sun’s blessing?
Granted Abilities
Sol Invictus exalts those bound to him above mere mortalkind, making them all but gods.
Essence Triumphant (Ex)
The Unconquered Sun wishes to see his chosen act as champions and exemplars, standing above their mortal brethren, and thus he gifts them with the sun’s own prowess. At the beginning of each encounter, you gain a single temporary action point that lasts for the duration of that encounter.
Solar Exaltation (Su)
Upon binding to Sol Invictus, you choose one aspect of his glory to invoke, gaining a special ability based on your choice. One you choose the aspect, you cannot change it for as long as you remain bound to the Unconquered Sun. The five aspects of Sol Invictus are the Rising Dawn, the ultimate general; the Resplendent Zenith, priest-king of the gods; the Secret Twilight, sorcerer supreme; the Hidden Night, clever and cunning beyond all measure; and the Regal Eclipse, the most eloquent and seductive voice this world has ever heard. You do not gain the benefits of solar exaltation if you fail to display the Unconquered Sun’s sign.
Rising Dawn: Invoking the Rising Dawn, your martial prowess grows immeasurably. You gain a +4 sacred bonus to Strength, and gain proficiency with all martial weapons. In addition, you may choose a single martial stance from any discipline of 6th level or lower. You gain the benefits of that stance for as long as you remain bound to Sol Invictus. This ability prevents you from using any other martial stances you might know–is the gift of the Unconquered Sun not good enough for you, impetuous mortal?
[b]Resplendent Zenith: Invoking the Resplendent Zenith, you become a mortal godling. You gain a +4 sacred bonus to Wisdom, and a +10 sacred bonus on all Concentration and Knowledge (Religion) checks. Your type changes to outsider, you gain the native subtype, and you gain damage reduction 10. Only weapons whose alignments are opposite to both aspects of your own overcome this damage reduction.
[b]Secret Twilight: Invoking the Secret Twilight, you gain supreme knowledge of all arcana. You gain a +4 sacred bonus to Intelligence, and a +10 sacred bonus on all Knowledge (Arcana) and Spellcraft checks. You may cast arcane spells of 6th level or lower from spell completion and spell trigger items without having to make a Use Magic Device check.
[b]Hidden Night: Invoking the Hidden Night, you become a master assassin. You gain a +4 sacred bonus to Dexterity, and a +10 sacred bonus on all Hide and Move Silently checks. Whenever you successfully hit an enemy that is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC or flatfooted, you gain a sacred bonus on the damage roll equal to your Binder level, even if that creature is immune to sneak attack damage–the Unconquered Sun scoffs at such petty things.
[b]Regal Eclipse: Invoking the Regal Eclipse, you become a diplomat beyond any compare. You gain a +4 sacred bonus to Charisma, and a +10 sacred bonus on all Bluff and Diplomacy checks. You may use mass suggestion as a spell-like ability, with caster level equal to your binder level. Once you have used it, you must wait until 10 minutes after the end of its duration before you can use it again.
Transcendent Hero (Ex)
Sol Invictus's champions are beyond mundane failure. Rolling a natural 1 does not automatically cause you to miss on an attack roll, or to fail a saving throw, ability check, or skill check. In addition, whenever you roll a natural 20 on a ability check or skill check, you treat the result of the dice roll as being a 30, rather than a 20.
Sol Invinctus, the invincible God of Victory, lies trapped within a perfect game which he can never lose. Still, those who know the ancient rules of the Games of Divinity can place their stake it, drawing the mad god’s attention to them long enough for him to bestow his gift upon them.
Vestige Level: 8th
Binding DC: 40
Legend
Sol Invictus was, and still is, the God of Victory. He ruled the kingdom of the heavens in the days after the world’s creation, ruling over the gods with an unquestionable, but benevolent, dictatorship. The angels called Solars were his creations, agents of his will throughout the multiverse. All-powerful as he was, Sol Invictus was above any corruption, nor could any revolution or usurpation ever succeed against him, and thus, the gods were willing to consent to his rule.
All was well until one day, a newly-formed Solar posed a riddle to one of his brethren: did the Unconquered Sun have the divine power to create a stone so massive that not even he, who could never fail at any task, could lift it? Sol heard this young angel’s riddle, and manifested right in front of him. The Unconquered Sun then tore reality itself asunder, reaching into the shapeless wild outside it, and drew forth a handful of the primordial stuff of chaos. Then, without so much as a grunt of effort, he shaped it into a pillar of adamantine that scraped the sky, and cracked the ground where it stood, a burden whose very existence demanded that no being, not even Sol Invictus, could lift it. And then, Sol Invictus lifted it up anyway. And it was good.
But as the aeons passed, Sol Invictus grew worried. Until the angel’s riddle, he had never considered that it was even possible for a challenge to exist that he could not conquer. True, the one paradoxical task had given him no trouble, but if it was possible for his creations to even conceive of his failure, surely it must be possible that somehow, somewhere in the multiverse, there was something he could not do? Thus, Sol Invictus decided to remake reality, shaping it into a game–the ultimate game. Seizing up countless planes that no longer exist today, he began crafting the Games of Divinity, a reality whose every rule and law was set by him–and thus, within which it was entirely impossible for him to be defeated.
At this, the gods and all the angels were outraged–the world that had spent countless aeons creating was being carelessly destroyed, refashioned into some twisted monument to the Unconquered Sun’s arrogance. Clearly they could not allow, but nor did any of them have the strength to stop him. And thus, the wisest of the gods, the Five Maidens of the Stars, along with the most cunning trickster among them, Three-Faced Luna, created a plan by which to sabotage the Games of Divinity. They dove headlong into the world of the Games of Divinity, and began playing. Sol Invictus, realizing that he could not triumph if others were playing in his absence, entered into his world, leaving it incomplete–and as he did, the Maidens and Luna escaped through a hidden portal, for Sol’s entrance sealed off the Games of Divinity from the rest of reality forevermore.
Since then, Sol Invictus has spent the rest of time playing the game, always triumphing against opponent he creates from shadows and figments. However, the God of Victory, now fallen to a vestige of his former self, is not truly lost to the world. Ancient tomes, penned by the angels themselves, still record the rules of the Games of Divinity, and the invocations by which any mortal may enter their stake into them. By entering into the games, a mortal cultist could conceivably draw the attention of Sol Invictus, and form a pact with him in order to tap his limitless power.
Special Requirement
Before Sol Invictus will even notice the attempt to bind him, the Binder must offer up something of personal significance as a stake in the Games of Divinity. It can be anything, physical or abstract–a treasured sword, the life of one’s still-to-be-born first child, memories of one’s first love–as long as it has some significance to the Binder. The Binder does not lose possession of their stake upon first binding to Sol Invictus, and indeed, does not normally risk doing so–the stake is merely a gesture to draw the god’s attention.
However, Sol Invictus will not deign to bless one who proves to be unworthy of the Unconquered Sun. If, while bound to Sol Invictus, you are defeated in any challenge which you voluntarily enter into–a fight, a game, even something as frivolous as a competition between craftsman–the vestige immediately breaks its pact with you, leaving you and refusing to be bound for another 24 hours. In addition, Sol Invictus claims your stake in the Games of Divinity, permanently taking up whatever you offered. Only epic magic or the influence of an artifact could even hope to recover something lost in the games.
Manifestation
As Sol Invictus’s seal is drawn, it blazes into light, shining with a blinding golden radiance. Five Solars manifest out of nothingness, each clad in shining orichalcum armaments. They kneel, raising their swords into the air–and where the blade-tips touch, a shining orb of solar light forms, before splitting and opening into an eye. The five angels speak as one with the voice of Sol Invictus, addressing the binder.
Sign
A golden sun-glyph appears on the brow of any bound to Sol Invictus. In addition, they glow with an aura of sunlight that illuminates the area around them as a torch. No darkness save for epic magic or artifacts can dim the light of the Unconquered Sun’s sign.
Influence
Sol Invictus will not permit those bound to him to refuse any challenge that is presented to them, even if they stand no chance of victory. If one cannot triumph over anything, then why would they think themselves worthy of the Unconquered Sun’s blessing?
Granted Abilities
Sol Invictus exalts those bound to him above mere mortalkind, making them all but gods.
Essence Triumphant (Ex)
The Unconquered Sun wishes to see his chosen act as champions and exemplars, standing above their mortal brethren, and thus he gifts them with the sun’s own prowess. At the beginning of each encounter, you gain a single temporary action point that lasts for the duration of that encounter.
Solar Exaltation (Su)
Upon binding to Sol Invictus, you choose one aspect of his glory to invoke, gaining a special ability based on your choice. One you choose the aspect, you cannot change it for as long as you remain bound to the Unconquered Sun. The five aspects of Sol Invictus are the Rising Dawn, the ultimate general; the Resplendent Zenith, priest-king of the gods; the Secret Twilight, sorcerer supreme; the Hidden Night, clever and cunning beyond all measure; and the Regal Eclipse, the most eloquent and seductive voice this world has ever heard. You do not gain the benefits of solar exaltation if you fail to display the Unconquered Sun’s sign.
Rising Dawn: Invoking the Rising Dawn, your martial prowess grows immeasurably. You gain a +4 sacred bonus to Strength, and gain proficiency with all martial weapons. In addition, you may choose a single martial stance from any discipline of 6th level or lower. You gain the benefits of that stance for as long as you remain bound to Sol Invictus. This ability prevents you from using any other martial stances you might know–is the gift of the Unconquered Sun not good enough for you, impetuous mortal?
[b]Resplendent Zenith: Invoking the Resplendent Zenith, you become a mortal godling. You gain a +4 sacred bonus to Wisdom, and a +10 sacred bonus on all Concentration and Knowledge (Religion) checks. Your type changes to outsider, you gain the native subtype, and you gain damage reduction 10. Only weapons whose alignments are opposite to both aspects of your own overcome this damage reduction.
[b]Secret Twilight: Invoking the Secret Twilight, you gain supreme knowledge of all arcana. You gain a +4 sacred bonus to Intelligence, and a +10 sacred bonus on all Knowledge (Arcana) and Spellcraft checks. You may cast arcane spells of 6th level or lower from spell completion and spell trigger items without having to make a Use Magic Device check.
[b]Hidden Night: Invoking the Hidden Night, you become a master assassin. You gain a +4 sacred bonus to Dexterity, and a +10 sacred bonus on all Hide and Move Silently checks. Whenever you successfully hit an enemy that is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC or flatfooted, you gain a sacred bonus on the damage roll equal to your Binder level, even if that creature is immune to sneak attack damage–the Unconquered Sun scoffs at such petty things.
[b]Regal Eclipse: Invoking the Regal Eclipse, you become a diplomat beyond any compare. You gain a +4 sacred bonus to Charisma, and a +10 sacred bonus on all Bluff and Diplomacy checks. You may use mass suggestion as a spell-like ability, with caster level equal to your binder level. Once you have used it, you must wait until 10 minutes after the end of its duration before you can use it again.
Transcendent Hero (Ex)
Sol Invictus's champions are beyond mundane failure. Rolling a natural 1 does not automatically cause you to miss on an attack roll, or to fail a saving throw, ability check, or skill check. In addition, whenever you roll a natural 20 on a ability check or skill check, you treat the result of the dice roll as being a 30, rather than a 20.