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The Demented One
2008-09-04, 11:49 AM
Penate
Small Outsider (Incorporeal, Native)
Hit Dice: 5d10+5 (32 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: Fly 30 ft. (6 squares) (perfect)
Armor Class: 17 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +4 deflection), touch 17, flatfooted 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/—
Attack: Divine touch +8
Full Attack: Divine touch +8
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Apparition, divine touch, domain of divinity
Special Qualities: Cult, darkvision 60 ft. divine traits, natural invisibility, resistance to cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10, telepathy 100 ft.
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +8
Abilities: Str —, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 18
Skills: Bluff +12, Concentration +9, Diplomacy +12, Intimidate +12, Knowledge (Local) +8, Knowledge (Religion) +8, Sense Motive +12, Spellcraft +8
Feats: Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Any
Advancement: See the cult quality, below
Level Adjustment: —

Not all gods are all-powerful deities. There exist small gods, minor divinities of the hearth, the field, the lakes. Known as Penates, these little deities come into being when a large group of mortals has a strong desire or need for something. This collective desire can sometimes draw a shard of divinity, a remnant from the death of a god or a miracle performed by a powerful deity. This shard of divinity takes on a will and purpose becoming a Penate. Penates depend on mortals to sustain them with their belief, and thus the most powerful are not always those with power over death or bloodshed: The Penate who keeps the blacksmith’s forge burning, or ensures the crops will grow, will have more believers and thus more power than the Penate who can bring death or destruction. Penates are incorporeal and invisible, but they can manifest illusory images of themselves to interact with mortals. Each Penate has its own unique apparition that reflects its nature and domain. Penates are shaped by their mortal worshippers, and thus their thoughts and attitude reflect that of their worshippers: The War Penate who blesses orcish armies will think like an orc, while the Knowledge Penate who provides lore and questions at an elven library will think like an elf.

Apparition (Sp)
At will, a Penate can create an illusory form around it, as the major image spell. The form its apparition takes is set, and always reflects its domain: a Fire Penate might appear as a smoldering ball of flame, while a Healing Penate might appear as an angelic figure of light. While the apparition is illusory, Penates with large cults can use it to interact with material objects. A Penate with a major or grand cult can use its apparition to interact with material objects as the mage hand spell, but the maximum weight of object it can carry is equal to its Charisma modifier times 10 lbs. It still cannot use its apparition to attack creatures, nor can it be attacked.

Divine Touch (Su)
A Penate can overpower mortal creatures with but a touch. Whenever a Penate hits a creature with its divine touch attack, it may choose to either overpower it or convert it. If it overpowers it, the creature’s will is broken, causing it to flee from the Penate for a number of rounds equal to the Penate’s Charisma score, or to cower if it cannot flee. If it converts it, then the creature is charmed for one minute. At the end of that duration, the creature may choose whether or not to remain friendly to the Penate. A creature hit by a divine touch may attempt a DC 16 Will save. If the touch was to overpower, a successful save reduces the effect to being shaken for 1 round. If the touch was to convert, a successful save negates it. The save is Charisma-based. A Penate cannot affect creature’s whose HD exceed its own HD + its Charisma modifier with the divine touch ability.

Domain of Divinity (Sp)
Each Penate has one cleric domain associated with it. The Penate gains its domain’s ability. It can use the 1st-level spell of the domain at will as a spell-like ability, and the 2nd-level spell once per day as a spell-like ability. The caster level for its spell-like abilities is 5th. The DC of its spell-like abilities is Charisma-based. In addition, a Penate with an elemental domain, such as Fire or Air, may, at the DM’s discretion, gain a subtype relating to that element. It gains immunity to an energy type associated with that element, but gains vulnerability to an energy type associated with an opposing element, and loses any resistance it might have had to that energy type. Similar changes (such as a Death Penate being healed by negative energy and harmed by positive energy) are appropriate, at the DM’s discretion.

Cult (Ex)
Each Penate has a small group of worshippers that sustain it with their belief. The size of a Penate’s cult typically depends on how useful it is to mortals: A Death Penate might have only a minor cult, but a Healing Penate could easily have a major or even a grand cult. The DM should choose what size cult a Penate has. A Penate gains benefits based on its cult, shown below. The benefits are not cumulative. None of these benefits are factored into the stat block above.

No Cult: The Penate has no worshippers. It cannot use its domain of divinity or apparition abilities, its Charisma score falls to 10, and it gains one negative level each day. When its negative levels equal its HD, it dies.

Minor Cult: The Penate has under a dozen worshippers. Its worshippers are not devout or dedicated, but simply mortals who offer praise or thanks in exchange for the Penate’s grace. This grants the Penate no bonuses, but does allow it to avoid the penalties of not having a cult.

Major Cult: The Penate has between a dozen and a hundred worshippers, most of whom pray or worship it at household shrines regularly. It gains a +2 sacred or profane bonus to Charisma, and gains one extra hp per hit die. It can use the 3rd-level spell of its domain once per day.

Grand Cult: The Penate has over a hundred devout worshippers. It gains a +4 sacred or profane bonus to Charisma, and gains maximum hp per hit dice. It can use the 2nd-level spell of its domain 3 times per day, the 3rd-level spell of its domain once per day, and the 4th-level spell of its domain once per week.

Divine Traits (Ex)
The Penates are not gods in the same way deities are, but they are still beings of divine power. Penates are immune to ability burn, damage, or drain, energy drain, mind-affecting abilities, petrification, or polymorphing.

Natural Invisibility (Su)
A Penate is unseen and incorporeal, completely invisible. This ability is constant, allowing a Penate to remain invisible even when attacking. This ability is inherent and not subject to the invisibility purge spell. A see invisibility or true seeing spell allows a Penate to be seen, showing it as the form its apparition takes.

fangthane
2008-09-04, 12:30 PM
Two things:
1. No save on Divine touch? I'd have expected at minimum a DC16 save (cha-based) to avoid fleeing (perhaps dazed or nauseous for a round on a successful save?) or charm effects. As written, a 1-minute charm usable at-will with no save (against a party of 9th level, imposed by a CR4) is far too powerful.
2. Invisibility purge not working is understandable; what about Glitterdust? My favourite aspect of GD is that it makes even naturally-invisible creatures visible, but this thing is incorporeal too; how, then, does Glitterdust (or any other "indirect" telltales) affect its visibility? No effect, normal effect, or 50/50?

The Demented One
2008-09-04, 12:41 PM
Two things:
1. No save on Divine touch? I'd have expected at minimum a DC16 save (cha-based) to avoid fleeing (perhaps dazed or nauseous for a round on a successful save?) or charm effects. As written, a 1-minute charm usable at-will with no save (against a party of 9th level, imposed by a CR4) is far too powerful.
Added in a save, good point.


2. Invisibility purge not working is understandable; what about Glitterdust? My favourite aspect of GD is that it makes even naturally-invisible creatures visible, but this thing is incorporeal too; how, then, does Glitterdust (or any other "indirect" telltales) affect its visibility? No effect, normal effect, or 50/50?
Hmm, RAW seems to be mum on the topic, so I'll interpret. Glitterdust, being of the creation school, actually creates a physical substance, instead of a magical effect. I'd say that there's no way it can cover an incorporeal creature, so it wouldn't be effective. You/your DM might rule differently.

fangthane
2008-09-04, 12:56 PM
Looking pretty slick now as far as I'm concerned :) I'd tend to agree on the Glitterdust thing; since it doesn't allow a save for the visibility effect it's obviously physical so I was tending toward either no effect or a 50/50 (as with attacks) and with a save incorporated for the charm/overpower, it's looking good. And, of course, it gives just one more small benefit to a larger cult relative to a smaller one. I'll definitely have to keep these in mind for when I start up another lower-level campaign. :)

The Demented One
2008-09-04, 02:19 PM
I'll definitely have to keep these in mind for when I start up another lower-level campaign. :)
Me and Krimm are actually planning to do a campaign setting that makes heavy use of these; Godpunk, if you will. Think trains with an altar to a Fire Penate instead of a boiler, and you'd be right about on track.

ArlEammon
2008-09-04, 03:00 PM
Mage Towers with an icon or something at the top?

Zeful
2008-09-04, 03:22 PM
So this is a Hawk & Fisher game?

If you don't know what I'm talking about, here is the wikipeadia page. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawk_and_Fisher)

The Demented One
2008-09-04, 04:09 PM
So this is a Hawk & Fisher game?

If you don't know what I'm talking about, here is the wikipeadia page. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawk_and_Fisher)
Yeah, sort of a cross of Shinto, the Roman Empire, the Industrial Revolution, and the Cold War is what we're envisioning.

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll
2008-09-04, 04:11 PM
Small Gods was one of the best Pratchett books, IMHO.

dyslexicfaser
2008-09-04, 05:33 PM
Me likey.

They're almost more like nature spirits than gods. Very Shinto (if I can use a religion as an adjective).

I particularly like how a penate with no worshippers soon dies out.

This homebrew makes me want to make a Wise Wolf Horo penate.

EDIT: Gwyn, was that the one with Anansi the spider/trickster god?

The Demented One
2008-09-04, 06:05 PM
EDIT: Gwyn, was that the one with Anansi the spider/trickster god?
Nope. I think that you're thinking either American Gods or Anansi Boys, both of which are by Neil Gaiman.

AstralFire
2008-09-04, 06:35 PM
The 'no cult' death is a little fast given that they're supposed to just lose all sense of self and wander aimlessly for ages before eventually being extinguished.

The Demented One
2008-09-04, 08:12 PM
The 'no cult' death is a little fast given that they're supposed to just lose all sense of self and wander aimlessly for ages before eventually being extinguished.
These aren't meant to be Pratchet's small gods, these are just my own version of the old Roman penates, which are the same concept.

Hairb
2008-09-04, 10:11 PM
This is rather neat conceptually, and brilliantly executed. I suppose the next step is a class specialised in dealing with these little guys.

Krimm_Blackleaf
2008-09-04, 10:41 PM
This is rather neat conceptually, and brilliantly executed. I suppose the next step is a class specialised in dealing with these little guys.

...

That was creepy. Just talking about that with TD1...

dyslexicfaser
2008-09-04, 11:13 PM
What kind, if you mind me asking?

One for the Penate worshippers, sort of an 'ask the local penate for assistance or a manifestation' thing?

Krimm_Blackleaf
2008-09-04, 11:33 PM
What kind, if you mind me asking?

One for the Penate worshippers, sort of an 'ask the local penate for assistance or a manifestation' thing?

The idea I'm toying with right now is someone who mimics the power of a small group of believers to force a penate into existence. It can then use the little gods ability over the divine to his own power.

Hairb
2008-09-04, 11:59 PM
The idea I'm toying with right now is someone who mimics the power of a small group of believers to force a penate into existence. It can then use the little gods ability over the divine to his own power.

For what it's worth, I had conceived a character skilled in discourse and diplomacy with these godlings, manipulating and petitioning them for a fraction of their might, and even attaining some sort of apotheosis eventually.

TD1, mind if I have a stab at this?

The Demented One
2008-09-05, 12:06 AM
For what it's worth, I had conceived a character skilled in discourse and diplomacy with these godlings, manipulating and petitioning them for a fraction of their might, and even attaining some sort of apotheosis eventually.

TD1, mind if I have a stab at this?
Me and Krimm are already working on a class to use them and a skill for petitioning them. But feel free to take your own stab in the dark.

Debihuman
2008-09-05, 09:00 AM
Shouldn't these have a Divine Rank even if it is Divine Rank 0?

Debby

The Demented One
2008-09-05, 09:07 AM
Shouldn't these have a Divine Rank even if it is Divine Rank 0?

Debby
Nope, I'm deliberately avoiding using the normal deity rules. Deities, even rank 0, still get a pretty good deal. These guys are divine, but nowhere near that powerful (at least, not without a prophet).

puppyavenger
2008-09-05, 10:32 AM
If they get enough worshipers, do they eventually become a god?

The Demented One
2008-09-05, 01:48 PM
If they get enough worshipers, do they eventually become a god?
Not really. The setting does feature penates with nation-spanning cults, but they're on par with Balors or Solars, not true gods. The schism between the old creator deities and the newly created penates is one of the major undercurrents of the setting.

However, that's just us. A Penate ascending to godhood with a sufficiently large cult makes perfect sense, and it'd work really well if you wanted to do it that way.

Triaxx
2008-09-05, 05:10 PM
Feat:
Penate Host
Prereq:Level 6, worship the penate that will possess, must have same alignment
Effect:An NPC or character with the feat Penate Host may give himself up to the control of his chosen Penate for 1d6 hours per week. Any longer and the power will over flow and destroy the host. This must be done willingly, although either the host may call upon the Penate, or the Penate may ask to enter the host.

The relationship is symbiotic, and while the Penate is in possession of the body it maintains all powers the body controls, as well as it's own, excepting it's Natural Invisibility. Divine Traits only apply to the Penate and any ability that would effect the host, but not the Penate forces the possession to end early.
Normal: Penates are incorporeal.

Debihuman
2008-09-05, 07:38 PM
Nope, I'm deliberately avoiding using the normal deity rules. Deities, even rank 0, still get a pretty good deal. These guys are divine, but nowhere near that powerful (at least, not without a prophet).

It makes it hard to fit in with a more generic campaign that's all. I'm not opposed to breaking the rules per se, but it makes them harder to adequately judge for balance and other things.

Debby