Sho-Jin Setting

[Epic Meepo]

The moon is actually draging the Wheel of Magic with it, forcing it to rotate - which is the source of Arcane Magic.

Ooo! Tidal magic!

[SDragon]

The moon is actually draging the Wheel of Magic with it, forcing it to rotate - which is the source of Arcane Magic.

fits perfectly.

[Azezel]

Deities...

Lately it seems the fashion to get 'creative' (read weird for the sake of weird) with all things divine, but I intend to do a traditional politheistic sort of thing.

In the old Campaign Setting with which I was associated we (for it was a group effort) made all the gods with only one alignment descriptor each. A deity could be Lawful, Neutral or Chaotic - but they had no good/evil descriptor at all. Whilst a deity may act in an ordered or chaotic manner, they are literally above good and evil.

In Sho-Jin Good and Evil are real physical forces no different from gravity or magnetism, and the gods are no more affected by good/evil than by gravity - therefor Sho-Jin gods will have only a single alignment descriptor, L/N/C. A god will, over the eons do things which are good and things which are evil.

In practical terms, anybody of any good/evil alignment might worship any deity, and that especially applies to PCs.

I think I would like about a dozen non-racial deities and one racial deity per race.

I will use the standard racial deities (Moradin, Kurtlemak, Zarus etc) because if I created, say a god of Elves he would really be Correlon Larathian with a different name.

That does leave my needing a Deity for Abiel and a Deity for Formians. I think both these should be female 'queen' type figures.

I am shooting for a Borg-like feel with the formians (they may use Clockwork Horrors) and their Goddess should reflect this flavour.

The Abiel are more 'ballence' types - they don't want dominion of all Sho-Jin, merely to live as they always have done - there are probably many druids in their number. Their  Goddess will embody this - possibly some sort of nurturing mother-figure.

As for the non-racial deities, I want four Elemental deities, some sort of 'Father' figure and some sort of 'Mother' figure, but I have not thought further than that.

[Seraph]

I like Seraphine_Harmonium's second idea - that of a sheet/wheel of magical energy.

Happy to help!

Now: The Moon. Let us say the Wheel of Magic (Find a better name later) is turning slightly faster than Sho-Jin - what if the Moon orbited at the same rate...

In fact!

The sun is the source of Divine Power, and the Moon the source of Arcane power? Hm... Interesting.

The moon is actually draging the Wheel of Magic with it, forcing it to rotate - which is the source of Arcane Magic.

I just came up with that - it could be interesting...

So, going with the torque analogy, the moon exerts its magical force tangentially to the arc of Sho-jin's edge at the end of a sort of magical lever-arm which, causing rotation, results in exponentially greater magical energy to power the world.
Fun.
I like combining magic with physics.

[Azezel]

The nature of a place is fundamentally dependant upon the people who live there, the one influences the other, and the other influences the one.

So far as this concerns me, and Sho-Jin, I must decide which classes and prestige classes are appropriate for my setting.

So, what is it I want? Flavour. Simply put, but an important thing. I must walk the line between restricting the options of a player, and maintaining the flavour I desire. So, we shall start with a few assumptions:

1)Anything that is available to me, as the DM must also be available to a player willing to earn it.
2)Any character with levels in a PC class is hardly normal, and this goes extra for actual PCs.
3)Rules ought be consistent, up until the point where it no-longer serves the greater enjoyment of the game.

So, what do I do with these rules? Well, There are things I want from my setting, which will affect the classes I allow. Classes will be limited by certain factors:

1)Books I own.
2)Classes which follow or reinforce the flavour I desire.
3)Er on the side of leniency.

Point 1 is absolute and objective â,¬' if I don't own the book, you cannot play it. This means no-one in this setting will ever play a Psion, Truenamer or Swordsage, because I have no desire to ever poses those classes' respective books.

Point 2 is entirely subjective, and I have a flavour in mind.

Point 3 is important to me â,¬' I want players to have as much scope as possible.

The flavour I desire stresses certain things. Highest of these is the idea that 'normal' people can do extraordinary things. Given the choice between realistic and cool, I will choose the later every time. If a Player wants his PC to dual wield Large Bastard Swords, then by all means he may do so, if he does it with panache.

In terms of magic â,¬' I like Vancian Casting. I find it flavourful in the extreme, as well as fun and thought provoking. In my setting, I mean to make it the primary and standard kind of magic. Current trends are against Vancian casting, so I will have to exclude several base classes. Furthermore â,¬' I dislike the current trend toward allowing Arcane magic users to wear armour. This is also ground for exclusion, save in extra-ordinary cases.

So, which classes will I allow in Sho-Jin?

All Base Classes from the PHB and all PrC's from the DMG. These classes I think are the minimum a Player has the right to expect.

From the PHB II, I will allow only the Knight Base Class, since all of the other base classes in that book, while mechanically unobjectionable, do not even begin to fit my flavour. I will however allow all Variant Base Classes from that same book, provided the standard Base Class is allowed. (Similarly, any racial substitution class levels will be allowed, provided the normal version of the class is allowed, and I own the book from which the racial substitution came).

From the Complete Adventurer I will allow the Scout and, for characters from the 'Asian' side of Sho-Jin, the Ninja.

From the Complete Arcane I will allow the Warlock and the Wu-Jen. The Warlock breaks both of my rules â,¬' it is a non-Vancian caster that uses Arcane Magic in armour I am satisfied that the Warlock is 'cool' enough and flavourful enough to be worth breaking the guidelines I have set forth.
Wu-Jen are mostly from the Asian side of Sho-Jin, but There will be a few native to 'this' side, a little like monks, they originated on one side, but can be found on the other in small numbers.

From the Complete Warrior I will allow only the Swashbuckler. Why not the Samurai? Simple answer: I don't like it. A player wishing to play a Samurai can be a Fighter, a Ranger, a Paladin, a Swashbuckler or any of half a dozen other classes. Speaking of which, both the Variant Paladin and Ranger from the Complete Warrior are allowed â,¬' indeed, encouraged over the normal versions.

Only the Favoured Soul is allowed from the Complete Divine.

This gives 18 Base Classes from which to choose (as well as a further five NPC classes):
Barbarian â,¬' PHB
Bard â,¬' PHB
Cleric â,¬' PHB
Druid â,¬' PHB
Favoured Soul â,¬' Complete Divine
Fighter â,¬' PHB
Knight â,¬' PHB II
Monk â,¬' PHB
Ninja â,¬' Complete Adventurer
Paladin - PHB
Ranger â,¬' PHB
Rogue â,¬' PHB
Scout â,¬' Complete Adventurer
Sorcerer â,¬' PHB
Swashbuckler â,¬' Complete Warrior
Warlock â,¬' Complete Arcane
Wizard â,¬' PHB
Wu-Jen â,¬' Complete Arcane

More may be added as I gain books (most of my books do not contain Base Classes)

Of those 18 â,¬' two Arcanists can reliably cast spells in armour, and four can cast spells without preping them ahead of time (three arcane, one divine). I am satisfied with these numbers.

Ten are spellscasting classes, eight are mundane. Only six of the ten spellscasters are full casters. Again, a number that I think is about right.

So, is there anything I would change about those classes?

Yes. I think I will (mostly) remove Armour Proficiency from Clerics and Favoured Souls. They may still take the feats, and Divine magic has no spell failure from armour, but they do not gain proficiency for free.

Clerics and Favoured Souls are powerful classes, they can stand to take a nerf, and in terms of flavour, most priests simply would not have learned to wear armour â,¬' those who worship a warlike god should either take the feats or multi class.

Sorcerers will gain a d6 HD and Use Magic Device as a Class Skill.

Other than that, Classes remain as printed â,¬' I am leery of making too many changes to classes, but those above points have always been something I wanted to implement.

As for Prestige Classes â,¬' I am willing to be slightly more flexible over my flavour rules, but only when given a cast iron reason by a player. I will not list all allowed PrC's here, simply re-state my criterion:

1)Cool is more important than realistic.
2)Non-Vancian casting PrC's are extremely discouraged and will almost always be denied, same goes for armoured Arcane casting. (The exception to the non-Vancian thing is any PrC that grants a progression of a previous casting class, Sorcerers etc can gain PrC's that offer casting progression if they want).


So â,¬' what do you think? What are my errors, what have I got right? What would you not be willing to put up with, were you a player?

[ironpanzer1]

Sounds good. In fact, that is pretty much the list of PC classes that I use in my own world (except the ninja - who is just plain annoying and should be a PrC). I agree with all of your points that you set out in numbers, and as a player would be fine with following them. Your world, in particular is quite unique. I like the concept of the sun as the home of the gods, and I may use it at some time in the future, if that is alright.

[Azezel]

Sounds good. In fact, that is pretty much the list of PC classes that I use in my own world (except the ninja - who is just plain annoying and should be a PrC). I agree with all of your points that you set out in numbers, and as a player would be fine with following them. Your world, in particular is quite unique. I like the concept of the sun as the home of the gods, and I may use it at some time in the future, if that is alright.

You're quite welcome to use the sun thing.

As for the Ninja - for my part I think that anyone who wants to play a ninja should be quite happy with the rogue or monk class and just dress in black pyjamas, but I am trying to be as acomadating as I can be, and not exclude a class without a good reason.

[SDragon]

are there non-vancian PrCs within a vancian system?

also, i like your choice of classes. lots of very DEX based classes :)

[Azezel]

are there non-vancian PrCs within a vancian system?

also, i like your choice of classes. lots of very DEX based classes :)

It depends - if one was playing a non-vancian base class, then one could adopt a PrC that offered continued spellscasting progression of that Base Class (Archmage for instance), but I would highly discourage (and probably deny) those PrC's which offer their own discrete non-vancian casting (Assassin for example).

Non-Vancian casting exists in Sho-Jin, but it is by far and away the exception, not the rule. To the point that, upon meeting a strange spellscaster in Sho-Jin, one should 99% of the time, be safe in  assuming that it is a Vancian caster.

Sorcerers and BArds (who are regarded as Sorcerers themselves) are rare inheritors of Draconic Blood, impresive, even fearsome, but rare. Warlocks are the results of dark pacts or unfortunate curses, even rarer and with powers all but unknown to the public. Favoured Souls are the chosen of gods, and no-body expects a god to play by mortal rules.

[Azezel]

This is my first draft of deities.

I really would like to hear what you think about this pack of yahoos I've taken to calling a pantheon.

All Creation - Goddess of Nature.
Titles: All creation has no other titles or names, she needs none.
Alignment: Neutral.
Holy Symbol: A plain disc with a hole in the centre.
Portfolio: All things that exist.
Domains: Air, Animal, Balance, Creation, Death, Earth, Family, Healing, Moon, Ocean, Pestilence, Plant, Protection, Purification, Renewal, Sun, Travel, Windstorm.

All Creation is patron of, simply put, all things. At least, all things natural. She seems to turn a blind eye to the results of sapient effort, either Magical or Mundane, but she is not actually hostile to such projects. She is typically represented as a middle aged or old Elf woman of fine health and features, often nude, or in simple clothing though she can and has been depicted by nearly anything of natural kind.

The Church of All Creation is widespread and popular. It is mostly a non-interventionist organisation and does not often sponsor or field Adventurers, but in special cases, it has the resources and manpower needed to affect truly worldwide operations.

Clerics of All Creation are strict vegans and often have taboos against killing, and sometimes any act of violence. They usually where light colours and are noted as cheerful compassionate people with iron wills.

Belldandy â,¬' Goddess of Luck.
Titles: Lady Luck, Mistress Fortune, The Divine Dealer, Lady of the Dice,
Alignment: Chaotic.
Holy Symbol: Three playing cards, fanned: Queen of Cups, King of Wands & Ace of Coins
Portfolio: Luck, bad and good, chance, serendipity, coincidence, gambling, Lost Causes.
Domains: Chaos, Charm, Competition, Evil, Fate, Good, Law, Luck, Pride, Protection, Sun, Trickery.

The Goddess called Lady Luck at times, and as plenty worse things when she gives ill fortune is utterly chaotic. She is the enemy of complacency and an irresistible agent of change. Belldandy is typically shown as a young Human woman with long brown hair and one blue eye, and one brown. Often she is shown holding dice, or her three playing cards, and sometimes holding a brass balance, though this is meant ironically.

Belldandy's church is fairly small, but it would be the work of a long day to track down one person who had never offered her a prayer. Adventurers of all stripes are more than likely to give her a thought, and her church has produced more than the occasional roguish hero.

Clerics of Belldandy are quite different from one another as a rule, but common amongst them is a certain devil-may-care lust for life and a certain degree of dumb luck in whatever they do. Clerics normally wear red. Nobody ever bets against a Cleric of Belldandy.

Father Time - God of Time.
Titles: The Old Man.
Alignment: Neutral.
Holy Symbol: an Hourglass.
Portfolio: All that was or ever will be.
Domains: Celerity, Death, Deathbound, Fate, Healing, Knowledge, Law, Oracle, Pact, Planning, Protection, Renewal, Sun, Time.

All that is, is the province of All Creation. Before then, and once it has past, her husband stewards it, Future and Past. Father Time is depicted as a stern old Elf man with a white beard and an hourglass in his hand, and, more rarely, he is depicted as an ancient tree â,¬' sometimes Sho-Jin is supported by the tree.

Father Time's Church is widespread, though not nearly so popular as that of All Creation. Most people barely Think of The Old Man, and his church like it that way. The church concern themselves with the recording of births, deaths and marriages, although they very rarely conduct the associated ceremonies (most people would rather such a ceremony be handled by another church). Between such events the church almost might not exist, so far as the typical person is concerned.

Clerics of Father time are a serene order of patient, contemplative observers. They almost never take direct action, and as such, hardly figure in Adventurous goings-on. They wear black, and listen more than they talk, and know more than they say.

Feanor â,¬' God of War
Titles: Lord of War.
Alignment: Lawful.
Holy Symbol: Crossed Swords.
Portfolio: Soldiers, Duty, Determination, Honour, Martial Prowess.
Domains: Competition, Courage, Death, Destruction, Fate, Force, Glory, Hatred, Healing, Liberation, Protection, Strength, Sun, Tyranny, War.

Feanor is Patron of Those who fight for a cause, but never the supporter of a cause. Feanor cares not for what one fights, provided one fights with all one's might, and heart, and does so with honour. Paladins and Blackguards alike share the grace and patronage of Feanor. Feanor is depicted as an Orc, or an Abiel Soldier, often mounted on a black horse, with the heads of his enemies tied to his saddle by their hair.

The Church of Feanor has few temples, but many times many shrines. Wherever fighting men are, there are shrines. The church often sponsors Adventurers, or task their own members to do something. The church is wealthy and probably has access to more, and more effective raw manpower than any other, hence, churches and nations watch it carefully.

Feanor's Clerics (almost always multi-classed with some martial class) are present anywhere there is strife, valued for the healing they give the injured, and respected for their own martial powers. Most Feanoran Clerics wear red, because it does not show blood, Abiel Clerics of Feanor wear green, for the same reason.

Glory â,¬' Goddess of Fire.
Titles: The Spark, The Flame, The Inferno, The Dancer.
Alignment: Chaotic.
Holy Symbol: A flame.
Portfolio: Fire, Heat, Creation, Destruction, the Core of the World
Domains: Chaos, Craft, Creation, Destruction, Fire, Glory, Healing, Nobility, Purification, Strength, Sun, Trickery.

Glory is truly awesome, she re-makes the stuff or reality at whim and can create or destroy with the least thought. Everyone makes a point of staying on the good side of Glory, it is just prudent. She is capricious, but without actual malice, still one'd not want to put her to the test, her power is beyond question. Artists take great pride in cunningly working the visage of a woman, usually a Gnome into pictures of flame and fire, or, in working fire and flame into their images of Glory's Gnome form.

Glory's church is most powerful toward the centre of Sho-Jin, but remains a force with which to be reckoned wherever one travels. The highly proactive doctrine of the church meshes well with Adventurers, as does the power of the Goddess.

Clerics of Glory are well treated wherever they go, for no-one wants to offend them. They tend to be proactive, forthright and impetuous, in any sphere besides their religion, they feel it is better to seek forgiveness than permission. They were what colour they damned well please.


Jagger â,¬' God of Thunder
Titles: Stormlord, Thunderer, The Rakehell.
Alignment: Chaotic.
Holy Symbol: a Thunderbolt.
Portfolio: Storms, Thunder, Lightning, Base Pleasure.
Domains: Air, Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Force, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Retribution, Sloth, Storm, Strength, Sun, Water, Wealth, Windstorm, Wrath.

Jagger is a coarse, unsubtle deity who delights in coarse unsubtle things. He is not completely wilful, but he is free spirited and given to over-reaction. He is the patron of those who love his three 'virtues' of Wine, [Gender of your Choice] & Song. He often takes mortal form to seduce attractive men and women on Sho-Jin, and has had affairs with several of his fellow deities. Jagger is typically depicted as an Elf or Human of powerful physique and surrounded by ample drink, food and company.

The Stormlord's church preaches the value of such joys as can be had here & now. The philosophy is very much 'seize the day'. Because of their fairly (extremely) accommodating doctrine, the church is popular with those who might be frowned upon by other organisations. That said, anyone who does not want to by struck by a stray (or otherwise) bolt of lightning makes a point of raising a glass to the Thunderer now and again.

The reputation which goes before Clerics of the Rakehell is only partially exaggerated. The occasional feast, drinking competition or one-night-stand is practically a holy rite. That said, no-one can maintain that sort of life every day, and Jagger's Clerics appreciate the finer things as much as the next man. Jagger's Clerics wear white and silver, and always know where the best parties are (Hint: Temple of Jagger).

Lihr â,¬' Goddess of Water
Titles: Sea Maiden, Lady of the Deep, Walker, Lady Secret.
Alignment: Chaotic.
Holy Symbol: a Raindrop.
Portfolio: Water, Seas, Rivers, Lakes, Rain, Movement, Travel, Secrets.
Domains: Inquisition, Ocean, Purification, Slime, Storm, Sun, Trade, Travel, Water.

Lihr is the capricious Goddess of Water and of Secrets. She is also patron of travellers, and almost everyone will offer her a prayer before the start of a journey. Lihr has a two-fold representation, in her capacity as Goddess of Secrets, or as Goddess of Travellers, she is normally shown as a Halfling, whereas when seen as Goddess of Water, she is normally an Aquatic Elf, or sometimes an Aventi.

Lihr's Church handles its Goddess' various spheres mostly  separately, a given temple, while having a nod to the other aspects, will primarily focus on one aspect, either Water, Travel or Secrets. The majority of Temples are dedicated to Lihr in her capacity as Goddess of Water. Most large crossroads and way-houses will have a shrine to Lihr as Goddess of Travel. As for Secrets, Temples and Shrines to Lihr as Goddess of Secrets are very few in number.

Clerics too focus their efforts on only one of Lihr's areas of power, again, most focus on Lihr as Water Goddess, fewer worship her as Patron of Travellers, and fewer still revere their Goddess as the Keeper of Secrets.

Love â,¬' Goddess of Love
Titles: None.
Alignment: Chaotic.
Holy Symbol: one hand in another.
Portfolio: Romantic, Platonic & Erotic Love, Partnership, Courtship and infatuation.
Domains: Charm, Dream, Envy, Illusion, Lust, Madness, Nobility, Pride, Sun.

Love is the most remote of the deities, she has never once been known to take mortal from, and exists more as a universal force than a distinct being. Nevertheless, a deity she is and her power is felt far and wide. Love is said to love all things, and this has driven her to some questionable ends. Since she has never revealed any from, she is represented in many many ways, mostly as the idealised subject of the artist.

The Church of Love is fairly small in power, wealth and personnel, likely due to its Goddess' distant and inscrutable nature. There are those who do not believe she is a Goddess at all, or even an actual being. The church's policy on this amounts to 'When you're in love, you'll know better'. The daily business of the church is in weddings, matchmaking and treating social diseases, which it does discretely and for a nominal fee.

Clerics of Love fall in to two categories, as a rule, the hopeless romantics and the scorned lovers. Love's Clerics do a nice line in vengeance of the slighted, but the Romantics focus on happier aspects. There are of course exceptions to the categories though. Clerics of Love wear royal blue and their reception generally depends on the love history of any given individual. Legend has it they are extensively trained in the arts of the boudoir...


Mother Lara â,¬' Goddess of Fertility
Titles: All Mother, The Midwife, Great Lady, Lady Green.
Alignment: Neutral
Holy Symbol: an overflowing cup.
Portfolio: Fertility, Childbirth, Renewal, Growth, Healing, Family, Agriculture, Reward.
Domains: Animal, Community, Creation, Family, Gluttony, Healing, Plant, Purification, Renewal, Sun, Water.

Mother Lara is the cheery, curvy, patron Goddess of all things that grow. She has a love of life, and green things and good tilled earth and especially of her family, which is to say, everyone. She is generally depicted a fat little Dwarf woman, always smiling, and often carrying one or more children, usually not Dwarves themselves. She is everyone's favourite aunt, indulgent, kind and comforting. Farmers often make corn dollies in her likeness, and these can be found in all corners of Sho-Jin.

Mother Lara's church welcomes all, and all come. She is popular with Midwives and Farmers, but also with people who have little or no connection with her portfolio. Of all the deities of Sho-Jin, Mother Lara is the most active and approachable, she is known to regularly take mortal form and walk Sho-Jin, often acting as a midwife.

Clerics of the All Mother are nurturing healers, and spiritual leaders of their communities, renowned for their wisdom and compassion. They wear green and make a point of helping things that grow, with spells such as Plant Growth.

Pluto â,¬' God of Earth
Titles: The Underlord, Stonelord, Ruler of the Disc.
Alignment: Lawful.
Holy Symbol: a Hammer.
Portfolio: Earth, Stone, Metal, Smithing, Mining, Natural Philosophy.
Domains: Cavern, Craft, Earth, Knowledge, Metal, Strength, Sun, Wealth,

Pluto is a cunning, humourless and demanding god who espouses hard work and personal effort, physically and mentally. Whether in intellectual or physical pursuits, Pluto demands fortitude, stoicism and determination to better oneself. He is typically represented as an Orc, or a Dwarf apparelled for the Forge.

The church of Pluto reflects their somewhat grim God. Their Temples are architecturally wondrous,   church architects take pride in demonstrating that they need no magic to achieve truly impressive structures. The church patronises engineers, scientists, and craftsmen, and ask only first refusal of the products of innovation. As a result, the Church of Pluto can bring to bare a variety of things unknown to the world in general.

Pluto's Clerics are physically and mentally superb specimens of their races, trained from early childhood to be paragons of development. They wear steel-grey and yellow colours and and truly believe that 'obstacle' is another word for 'opportunity'


Shide â,¬' Goddess of Ice
Titles: Patient Lady, Ice Maiden, Ice Queen, Lady of Frost, Cold Heart, The Queen to Come.
Alignment: Neutral.
Holy Symbol: A Snowflake.
Portfolio: Ice, Cold, The Rim of the World, Snow, Patience.
Domains: Balance, Cold, Deathbound, Fate, Planning, Protection, Sun, Water.

Shide is the cold, calculating and infinitely patient Goddess of Ice. Shidi doctrine teaches that the universe, like a clockwork thing, will one day wind down, and Shide alone will rule a frozen, dead cosmos beyond all time. Shide is normally depicted as a pale skinned, white-haired Human without expression on her hauntingly beautiful face.

The Church of Shide has a fairly hard sell in their emotionless, fatalistic Goddess. Until such time as the Universe is dead, they encourage people to seize life while the chance is here. Work for the future, be not afraid of long term plans, be patient and wise. The church is most powerful at the frozen rim of the world, but there are outposts in warmer climes.

Shide's Clerics are logical, forward-thinking people who always have a plan and one or two to spare. They never waste resources, nor are they misers, but weigh all things to a nicety. Shide's Clerics wear white or pale blue and are known to be just, if unfeeling judges.

The Archmagus â,¬' God of Magic
Titles: Great Wizard, Lord of Magic, The Spellbinder.
Alignment: Neutral.
Holy Symbol, an Eight Pointed Star (Each point corresponds to a different school of magic).
Portfolio: Magic, Spells, Spellscasters.
Domains: Illusion, Knowledge, Magic, Planning, Rune, Spell, Summoner, Sun, Undeath.

The Archmagus is an enigmatic Deity dedicated to Magic. His is strictly non-interventionist, and allows anyone with the talent to use magic for whatever they choose. A policy which mortals have questioned for centuries. By all accounts The Archmagus is content to let mortals second guess him all they like, he is a God and that's the end of it. Many representations of the Archmagus exist, typically as an elderly man of one race or another, garbed as a Wizard. If the Archmagus has a preference for any mortal form, he has never let on.

They Church of the Archmagus operate charitable schools for Wizards and Wu-Jen, and they conduct their own researches. Beyond that, they, like their God, do not particularly care what the public think of them, and as a result, the public think quite poorly of the Church of the Archmagus. Pinion runs that every evil spellscaster has at least the tacit support of the Church and its God.

Clerics of the Archmagus are often Arcanists as well. Typically they are not cut out for Adventuring, though once in a  while an expedition will be mounted to seek out some piece or other of Magical bric-a-brac or scholarship. Clerics wear purple, maroon or burgundy coloured clothing normally.

The Librarian â,¬' God of Knowledge
Titles: The All Knowing.
Alignment: Lawful.
Holy Symbol: A quill (or an Inkpen, The Librarian moves with the times).
Portfolio: Knowledge, Scholars.
Domains: Inquisition, Knowledge, Law, Mentalism, Mind, Oracle, Sun.

The Librarian is the archetypal scholar, a philomath beyond compare, he desires to know everything which is. His if often shown as a crooked old man surrounded by his vast celestial library, where he collects everything which can be known.

To aid their God, the church gather all Knowledge to them. They do not hoard it though, but amass it in libraries open to all, free of charge. Thanks to the free education programme of the church, almost everyone in civilised lands has at least the opportunity to learn to read. For a nominal fee, Junior Clerics will research any subject a person might wish. The church is popular amongst all, save those who have something to gain from an ignorant population.

Clerics of The Librarian are founts of information â,¬' some of it actually relevant. All Clerics have spent some time as scrivening clerks of a library, researching for other people, and as such, they know a little about near anything. Clerics wear no particular colours, but when they are recognised, they are normally well received, for the church is known as the friend of the people.

The Song We Sing â,¬' Goddess of Music
Titles: The Siren, The Diva, The Melody, Lady Conductor, Maestro, The Bard.
Alignment: Lawful.
Holy Symbol: Stylised Treble Clef
Portfolio: Music, Musicians, Art, Artists, Expression.
Domains: Charm, Creation, Dream, Illusion, Nobility, Pride, Sun.

The Bard is a beautiful, playful Goddess, a being of childlike joy and excitement. She immerses herself luxuriously in Art, Poetry and most especially in Music, and she thinks it all very wonderful. She is the subject of some of the greatest masterpieces of Sho-Jin, not least because so many of Sho-Jin's greatest masters worship her. She is normally represented as an adolescent Gnome, but sometimes as a Human or Elf, always, she is surrounded by things of beauty.

The Church of the Song We Sing is rich, for every year the will of some great artist remembers it, and in turn, the church patronises up-and-coming artists of many fields. The Diva is popular among normal people, because her religious services are fun, with singing of nice hymns in temples of exquisite beauty.

Clerics of the Song We Sing are talented, creative artists who see their gift as something to be shared, and to be shown off. The Church rarely patronises Adventurers, but some Clerics find their muse in a life of daring do, and the church supports this. Clerics wear whichever colours appeal to them, and are well accustomed to a little busking to compliment their income.

The Woman Wept - Goddess of Sorrow.
Titles: None.
Alignment: Neutral.
Holy Symbol: None. (For the purposes of game mechanics, individual Clerics can specify an individual Divine Focus)
Portfolio: None.
Domains: Good, Healing, Protection, Sun, Community, Family, Liberation, Madness.

'She saw the suffering, and the woman wept.' So reads the entire holy scriptures of the Goddess whose name no-one knows. Much of the world is ill, evil and in pain, and one being feels the full weight of it, and she weeps. Typically shown as a Human or Elf woman, the Goddess is a popular subject for artists, who try to out-do one another in portrayal of utter despair, inconsolable sadness.

The Church of The Woman Wept has one, single mission, to which they are devoted beyond all things. They will, personally and without possibility of failure or cessation, make the whole world better. Every ill, every injustice, they will right, every wound and disease, they will cure, every sadness they will undo. The church is small and poor, very few people have what it takes to be a member, and all of its resources are devoted to its mission, but in terms of public support, it is far and away the most popular, and in pursuit of a popular cause, the church could conceivably mobilise a large number of fair-weather friends.

Clerics of the Woman Wept are few, for obvious reasons, but they are truly special. They tend to be earnest, compassionate people who truly believe in what they do. A Cleric lives by three words, 'Do no Ill', though different Clerics can have very different MO's. Almost all Clerics are wanderers. They go from place to place, helping who need help, and setting right what is wrong. They wear silver and blue, and are welcome almost everywhere.

Zephyr â,¬' God of Air
Titles: The Ever-Present, The Lord of the Sky, Windlord.
Alignment: Lawful.
Holy Symbol: A Silhouette of a Swift.
Portfolio: Air, Wind, News, Guides.
Domains: Air, Celerity, Knowledge, Storm, Sun, Windstorm.

Zephyr is Lord of the winds, master of the open sky and bearer of news. He is normally represented as four similar Halflings of different ages. The Gentle Turnward wind is a boy, the sultry wind which blows from the core is a young man in the prime of life, the powerful antiturnward wind is a middle-aged blow-hard, and the cold rim-wind is an old man.

Zephyr's Temples typically are square buildings, with each edge dedicated to one of the four winds. The church is neither rich, nor populous, but it has one great service, for which it is relied upon. No matter the distance or circumstances, a message entrusted to the Church of Zephyr reaches its destination. This is taken as simple fact by the public, it is as reliable as the sun rising.

Zephyr's Clerics often fall under the heading of 'Adventurer'. When magical means are either not available, or net desired, it falls to some Cleric to carry a letter to its destination, and no-matter what, a Cleric will see it done. The church often recruits Adventurers as bodyguards for such Clerics.

Well?

[Azezel]

Further: Belief, Prayer & Worship.

Everyone on Sho-Jin believes in all of these deities - in fact, it's not so much a matter of belief as knowledge - that these deities exist is as obvious as that the sky is blue (the sky is blue on Sho-Jin, although it is fairly pale at the rim).

Most everyone will Pray to most of these deities from time to time, asking for intersession in some matter. People don't expect such prayers to be answered, but are mostly willing to take any positive outcome as being at least partially a result of the prayer.

Worship is a devout thing, a person only worships one deity, that deity is the most important in that persons life - he probably still prays to other deities, but he only ever worships that one.

Incidentally - besides the 18 listed above, there is a single Deity assosiated with each race - these are the normal Correlon, Moradin, Garl etc, plus Zarus for Humans.

[Azezel]

Religion, or, something very like it.

You will not that each deity has only a single Alignmtn descriptor (L/N/C). It is my experience, both as a player and a DM that the [Evil] descriptor particualarly is not a good thing for a deity to have. Firstly, because it limits player choice. (How many of us would like to play a Cleric of Nerul who is a compassionate, good hearted person dedicated to easing the passing of the ill and dying?), and also because it limits deities.

I mean come-on, Mystra is quite obviously evil (or at best, neutral) but because she has to be available to Good PCs and NPCs she gets stuck with the wrong descriptor.

No, for my money it is better to do away with the good/evil axis for deities (I mean, y'know - Gods, they are above that sort of thing).

All deities of Sho-Jin are capable of good and evil, have done good and evil and will do again, they have plans and motives of which mortals cannot even speculate. I do not stat gods, all of their ability scores (Including Wisdom) are, so far as mortals are concerned, limitless.

Speaking of stats (and of Mystra) All gods are as old as the universe, but no older, they are enduring, none die, no-one ascends, there is no portfolio pass-the-parcel, all is today as it always has been and will be.The gods did not create the Universe, but they did create Sho-Jin, and all that is on it.

There are no 'planes' and the nature of things beyond the Material World if there is anything beyond, is a mystery. (Spells such as Rope Trick still function normally). The afterlife (Heaven and Hell) is known to be real, but the only way to get there is to die. Celestials and Infernals (Demons * Devils are both Infernals) matter only when they interact with Sho-Jin, and that only happens when they are summoned - they cannot get their under their own power.

Souls are re-incarnated, but they spend a period in the afterlife between lives.


As for religion on Sho-Jin:

Each deity has a church - that is, an organization dedicated to the worship of that deity, and to enacting the will of that deity on Sho-Jin. Churches interact with one another through an ecumenical council, an inter-church diplomatic organization. Some churches are antagonistic toward some others, but it is unusual to see it come to violence an any scale, at most it is one Cleric Vs one other.

Not everyone who works for a church is a Cleric, or even an Adept, though actual priests are one or other of those classes.

Any Cleric who worships a specific deity has to be a member of that deity's church. While a Cleric cannot worship a principle or alignment, he can worship the Pantheon as a whole, in which case he cannot be a member of any specific church.

Typically, Favoured Souls are few in number - they are always granted spells by a single, specific deity, but are rarely part of that deity's church.

Druids may worship a deity, but their magic does not come from the gods, but from the cosmos itself.

All deities offer the Sun domain, because the sun is the 'home' of the gods - that is, the sun is where the gods are, or it is the gods, or something like that. Language sort of breaks down at this point. The sun is an infinitely small point of blinding white holy radiance.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Let me ask, if you feel there is no reason to keep to the good/evil axis for deities, do you believe there is something to be gained by keeping the law/chaos axis?  The obvious implication is that law/chaos will be the underlining conflict throughout your setting.  Which is okay, of course, if that's the case.  If you do not want alignmnent to seem like a major theme but still want it for monsters, consider dropping it entirely from deities - they are simply beyond mortal conceptions of morality and categorization.

All deities offer the Sun domain?  I agree with your reasoning, though it is strange for a deity to have both Undeath and Sun.  Still, many mythical deities had contradictory portfolios.

[SDragon]

If you do not want alignmnent to seem like a major theme but still want it for monsters, consider dropping it entirely from deities - they are simply beyond mortal conceptions of morality and categorization.

pretty much how i'm going with Xiluh.


and i like the emphasis on the sun... making it figuratively as well as literally a central part of the setting is an incredibly nice touch.

[Seraph]

In Avayevnon, there is an astrology-based alignment system.  It has nothing to do with good and evil, law and chaos.  Now, there is a god which is "described" as being good, and demon lords which are "described" as being evil, but they aren't assigned a particular concrete alignment.  This system applies to everyone.  A neat thing about that is that "evil" can now be a curse word.  A hero can say "You evil bastard!" to a villain and they can actually be offended. ;)