Post/Author/DateTime	Post
FiestFan 03-11-06, 07:30 AM	The Raptoran (Races of the Wild) pantheon contains no LG deities that I can find. Paladins in the Realms require sponsorship from a deity. Which deities from other pantheons would be likely - or unlikely - candidates to sponsor a Raptoran? Why would a Raptoran seek a deity outside his native pantheon? The concept is Paladin 6/Skypledged 4/Stormtalon 10. Both PrCs are in Races of the Wild.
WhrenKehrsyn 03-11-06, 10:59 AM	Well, most of the nature dieties are either nuetral or nuetral good. Akadi, who represents air, flying creatures, etc, is chaotic good. Nobanion is lawful good and his portfolio includes good beasts, but his focus is more on large cats. Maybe give us a little more information about what exactly he stands for. Why is he a paladin? With that information we can suggest other dieties.
Uberwoot 03-11-06, 12:37 PM	Personally, I found the new pantheons outlined in the Races of series to be rather uninspiring (of course, I'm not a fan of the core D&D pantheon at all, but that's neither here nor there). Basically, a paladin should pick a deity that represents his or her personal focus. I am quite fond of a list on page 26 of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting that outlines the major paladin orders in the Realms. Interestingly enough, there is one chaotic good deity that paladins may assume as a patron in the Forgotten Realms- Sune, goddess of beauty and love. One of the basic dogmas of the Sunite faith is that beauty "issues from the core of one's being and reveals one's true face to the world" (Faiths and Pantheons, 66). I could see this as being the a cultural outcast's draw to the faith- not necessarily accepted by others, they might find this emphasis on inner beauty comforting. A paladin of Sune is actually one of the things I want to try. /Woot
Gallameed 03-11-06, 12:44 PM	Well, most of the nature dieties are either nuetral or nuetral good. Akadi, who represents air, flying creatures, etc, is chaotic good. Nobanion is lawful good and his portfolio includes good beasts, but his focus is more on large cats. Maybe give us a little more information about what exactly he stands for. Why is he a paladin? With that information we can suggest other dieties. Akadi is neutral like each of the elemental gods on Toril, although firey old Kossuth has a leaning towards law and seems to be buddies with Bane these days. Aerdriee Faenya (spelt wrong?) of the elven pantheon is maybe the chaotic good air godess your thinking of, she even has the "winged mother" title. :)
WhrenKehrsyn 03-11-06, 01:04 PM	Youre right. I was thinking nature gods and gods who have air/wind/etc portfolios. Akadi was the first to come to mind, but when I typed that I meant to say Lurue is CG (had Akadi on my mind and typed about her instead instead...).
Gallameed 03-11-06, 01:04 PM	The Raptoran (Races of the Wild) pantheon contains no LG deities that I can find. Paladins in the Realms require sponsorship from a deity. Which deities from other pantheons would be likely - or unlikely - candidates to sponsor a Raptoran? Why would a Raptoran seek a deity outside his native pantheon? The concept is Paladin 6/Skypledged 4/Stormtalon 10. Both PrCs are in Races of the Wild. How about using the variant paladins of different alignments from UA? You could be a chaotic good paladin of one of the Raptoran pantheon instead? Or how about just being a normal lawful good paladin of a chaotic good god from the Raptoran pantheon? I know it sounds wrong and weird but this is actually allowed for the godess known as Sune (the realms chaotic good deity of beauty, love and passion). Sune has lawful good paladins as an exception to the normal rules. Paladins protect others, Tuilviel Glithien has protection and good as one of her domains so it wouldnt be completly unreasonable to suggest it to your DM. If you really want to have a faerunian deity for your lawful good raptoran then you should really mention which region your playing in, what the theme of the campaign is and how your DM has incorporated the raptorans into the realms. That way I'm sure we could come up with a good story for you. :)
Gallameed 03-11-06, 01:14 PM	Youre right. I was thinking nature gods and gods who have air/wind/etc portfolios. Akadi was the first to come to mind, but when I typed that I meant to say Lurue is CG (had Akadi on my mind and typed about her instead instead...). :D I had the book out in front of me as I'm making some npc's for tonights game, I still managed to spell "Aerdrie Faenya" wrong though! I had a LG air genasi monk player (who wished to create his own LG order of air-monks) face the same problem a while back, it seems like the realms have no LG air-themed deities, in the end he changed alignment and turned into a windwalker (druid of air) of Aerdrie Faenya instead. I'm allowing him to slowly become a chaos monk now. :)
WhrenKehrsyn 03-11-06, 01:26 PM	I had a similar problem once. Im in two games and for one I was making a Maztican coming to Faerun. She is a ranger/healer type, and in her culture water is heavily revered. Its a life bringing thing. So I wanted to make her spell selection limited to exclusively Cure spells and Water themed spells, but theres next to no water themed stuff in D&D, plenty of ice but no water. I also wanted a prestige class for her to work into based on the concept concept of water related to restorative abilities and/or spells (ie. maybe with someting like can use water to cure wounds, like a flask of water, when this ability is used on it is treated like a potion of cure light or something) but there is absolutely nothing like that even in Stormwrack and Sandstorm.
FiestFan 03-12-06, 07:23 AM	If you really want to have a faerunian deity for your lawful good raptoran then you should really mention which region your playing in, what the theme of the campaign is and how your DM has incorporated the raptorans into the realms. That way I'm sure we could come up with a good story for you. Maybe give us a little more information about what exactly he stands for. Why is he a paladin? With that information we can suggest other dieties. Fair enough. :) . He is from Calimshan, in the forest of Mir. DM incorporates Raptorans into the campaign as 'one of the last great secrets of the Elves', in other words, the one ally that the Elves had allowed to stay hidden within their lands from the predations of humanity. The Raptorans swear fealty to the Elves, but not their deities. The campaign is horror-tinged high fantasy, with the Taint rules from (I think) Heroes of Horror. He became a Paladin partially because frequent dealings with the Calimshite merchants taught him the value of knowing and following the letter of the law - or the deal - and partially because he saw Taint begin to effect those around him. He prayed for understanding, was told that Taint was based upon corruption, and swore to remain free of corruption in order to fight Taint at its root. I know that mechanical info about the character is sometimes helpful for background as well, so: STR 13 DEX 9 CON 15 INT 10 WIS 14 CHA 16. Presently (level 1) he weilds a Pick and Shield, with a Morning Star as a secondary weapon.
Gallameed 03-13-06, 06:52 AM	How about the raptorans are able to locate certain rare herbs only found in the forest of Mir for use as spell componets in the outside world. The calishite human merchants are using these raptoran gotten herbs to produce magical drugs which are then used to sudue slaves and prisoners etc for easy transportation across the realms. The elves/raptoran "high council" are turning a blind eye to this dirty little secret as it dosent effect life within their own borders, and they dont want to go starting trouble with their neighbours. (Ooooh, tainted! ;)) Unlike your people, your character has actually seen the effects of these drugs upon innocent people first-hand, from his dealing with the humans on the roads outside the forest. On one fateful occasion you were trading with the mechants as usual and all was normal until the canvass coverings on one of the wagons blew off in the wind, revealing a load of drugged up slaves (of many different types, ages and races) all crammed into a tight Iron cage on the back of the wagon like they were nothing but rubbish. Many of these people looked close to starvation, a few of the stronger ones started to moan and mumble sheilding their eyes from the bright sunlight above... As a creature of the open air and the wide blue skies, it was appalling to see people locked up in a cage like this, and even worse to see them in such a terrible state of health, but what could you do? You were only one person... You walked over to the wagon to get a better look at the "goods" before the merchants pulled the canvass back over the wagon. You caught a glimse of a thin young human lady mumbling something under her breath while staring through you with glazed-over, zombie-like eyes. In her thin pale hand she held a small shiny object, which fell out of her fingers into the mud at your feet as the merchants pulled the canvass down hiding her once and for all... The wagon set off and the merchants said farewell "Good doing business with you!" As soon as the "merchants" were out of sight, you stooped down and picked up the object the woman had dropped. It was a small badge or cloak clasp, as you wiped it off you noticed the detailed depiction of a pair of scales resting upon a warhammer... Confused and feeling wracked with guilt you took flight back home - and away from these humans and their corrupt little goings on... Over the next few days you found yourself often thinking of the woman in the wagon, of the fate of those poor slaves, of the dealings your people had with the 'tainted' humans and how they seemed to be a corrupting influence upon your own kind... You had kept the womans cloakclasp with you since then, intending to have it examined and properly appraised later but you often seemed to absent-mindedly flip the badge over in your hand, and trace the scales and warhammer with your fingertip. A word would often fill your mind... Justice... Yeah so Tyr has picked you as the guy to sort out this slave mess and tasked (guilted) you into becoming his newest most shiny paladin! :D Tyr is a local god for the region but you could swap him for Ilmater, Azuth or some other god you fancy. I picked Tyr because he's a hard arsed old greater god that suits a martial type paladin and he's also an interloper deity like the raptorans and elves pantheons are in Toril. Because Tyr comes from another plane he probaly aint to picky about "other races" worshipping him either, he just wants to deal out some justice, smite the wicked and be quite "old testament". Judge, jury and executioner! ;) I would also like to suggest Lathander, the morning lord is a "sky god" what with him being the sun and everything. Lathander gets on well with other deitys and is a fairly upbeat, accepting sort that would suit your character better if you are still wishing to fit into your raptoran culture, were-as Tyr is a up-tight stuffy judgemental old sod, who is forever serious and would distance you massively from your people and their culture.
Harrow Blade 03-14-06, 12:44 AM	As a side to Gallameed's idea there are lots of clerics travelling all over the realms all spouting how good there god is. Every now and then some one is going to beleive them. You may have had a Cleric of one of the typically Paladin promoting gods visit your town/village/home and he convinced you how good it would be if you were a Paladin of his/her god. Failing that I belive I read some where (don't ask me where) that you can worship an ideal rather than a specific god. Eg Good instead of a good god.
Gallameed 03-14-06, 03:40 AM	Failing that I belive I read some where (don't ask me where) that you can worship an ideal rather than a specific god. Eg Good instead of a good god. The rules are strict in the Forgotten Realms setting, you have to have a patron deity in order to cast divine spells and receive your special class related magical goodies I'm afraid. :) But yeah, clerics, paladins, favored souls, druids, rangers and divine bards are surely travelling around the realms scouting out wannabe's and potentials to add to their church all the time!
Gallameed 03-14-06, 04:04 AM	Another background idea for your Raptoran paladin could revolve around the drow? In the FRCS, it mentions (under the forest of Mir entry) that there are three drow settlements dedicated to Vhaeraun located just under the foothills of the Marching Mountains. Theres also an old mythal here to an ancient elven city here as well, you can bet that the reason the drow have moved into the area is because they want all the old elven secrets and high magic goodness left long hidden within, they might even want to take the city for themselves... Adventurers also would want to get into the old lost city for the very same reasons, or perhaps they are good guys that were hired by the elves of Mir to protect it from the drow? As raptoran villiages/towns are usually in the mountains it would make sense if the adventurers, drow and raptorans came to blows or crossed paths at some point. Being the ally's of the elves might even make you raptorans a target? What if when your character set off for his "Walk of the four winds" he was captured by the drow and a fellow prisoner happened to be a paladin (from the adventuring group) who helped you to eventually escape? The paladin even gave his own life to save you! Because of his amazing act of self sacarifice and virtue you decided to become just like him giving yourself to Ilmater (or whoever)? Being a prisoner of the drow would be one hell of an eye opener for your raptoran; the drow are the evil. They are chaotic evil, cruel and heartless monsters, they torture, kill and maim, they are arrogant, self serving and utterly vile pieces of work who seek to rule over all the lesser races. Next to them the paladin would look like the most hope-inspiring shining white light of goodness ever! Your raptoran character would definatly come to see the paladin as salvation, being such a counter point to the drow would make your raptoran hold the paladin and the paladins deity, code etc in very high regard after that! Or you could have been hired as a scout by the adventurers and travelled with them for a while learning their ways and of their gods shortly before becoming a paladin yourself?
FiestFan 03-14-06, 07:21 AM	First, thanks, all, for your ideas. They sparked others in me, and were sound. In looking at the forest of Mir, the thing I kept gravitating toward was the mythal which is extant inside, decaying and dangerous. Raptorans could easily be used, with this DM's method of incorporating them in the Realms, as aireal scouts and guards around the Elven mythals. I like the 'captured by the Drow' angle very much. Perhaps he was captured in an effort of the Drow to find safe passage into the mythal, or intimidate him into revealing a way to make magic work there correctly. A Paladin of Nobadion, scouring the area for poachers, helped in his rescue and enlightened him through his sacrifice. This fits with the weapon he uses, as well as the Nature aspect. Thoughts?
Neverwrong 03-14-06, 09:01 AM	Sounds nice. Wasn't there an LN elf godess though? And horror in FR? Sounds a bit like An Ice elemental on the plane of minerals. Out of place, if not quite silly.
Gallameed 03-14-06, 09:28 AM	First, thanks, all, for your ideas. They sparked others in me, and were sound. In looking at the forest of Mir, the thing I kept gravitating toward was the mythal which is extant inside, decaying and dangerous. Raptorans could easily be used, with this DM's method of incorporating them in the Realms, as aireal scouts and guards around the Elven mythals. I like the 'captured by the Drow' angle very much. Perhaps he was captured in an effort of the Drow to find safe passage into the mythal, or intimidate him into revealing a way to make magic work there correctly. A Paladin of Nobadion, scouring the area for poachers, helped in his rescue and enlightened him through his sacrifice. This fits with the weapon he uses, as well as the Nature aspect. Thoughts? Sounds good, I still like Lathander though, he's a nature deity, he even has an on/off relationship with Chauntea who is Toril! ;) And it pays to have friends in high places! :D ;) But seriously, I hear your ideas and realise you want something that fits with a more hidden, non-human feel, something nature-themed and more central to the Mir forest right? Also the favored weapon fits perfectly and Nobanion is obscure enough to make him your own. I just noticed Nobanion has wings?! Thats good, it reinforces another link he has to a LG raptoran. :) The paladin of Nobanion protecting the forest from poachers is a nice touch, he sounds extremly interesting. Nobanions church is highly organised and there would be a very specific reason why a paladin would be so far from the typical areas where the faith of Nobanion is focused. A paladin of Lord Firemane would most likely be a stranger from the far away Dragon Coast, Vilhon Reach, Shining Coast or (as this is where Nobanion's faith is strongest and Nobanion's Avatar is said to roam) the Gulthmere Forest. So your raptoran could have been tasked with some great and important quest from the paladin with his last dying breath. (Thats if you decide to not keep him alive ;)) You could keep the paladin around as a mentor figure, ask if the DM will help flesh him out as the regular "kindly teacher/Obewan" npc if you like. Malar is one of Nobanion's main enemies perhaps you could use that, Malar is often used by Lolth as a minion, she might have something to do with the Vaeruanian drow (like killing or reclaiming them) and the church of Nobanion, raptorans and this Mythal in the Mir are all caught in the middle somehow... I'll have a think and post back later. :)
Gallameed 03-14-06, 09:53 AM	And horror in FR? Sounds a bit like An Ice elemental on the plane of minerals. Out of place, if not quite silly. Why would you ever think that? The realms connect to both the dreaded far realms (even deities fear that place) and the demi-plane of dread of the Ravenloft setting. There are Lich kings in the realms (Larloch) with their own undead armies, the tyranical Zhentarim led by the church of Bane are taking over, cities of mindflayers plot in the underdark, a certain large port-city is secretly ruled by vampires, and the floating city of shade threatens to reshape the land into its own vile vision all that and then theres things like Shar's shadow weave... It was even the first setting to introduce the almighty eeeevil known as the Dracolich to D&D! The Forgotten Realms is rightly known to be high fantasy yes, but it can also be very dark and "horror-themed" if you look a little deeper. Any style of game can work in the realms. In the Champions of Valor book it mentions alignments being more 'grey' in FR's than in other standard D&D settings. There have always been horror elements in the realms. :)
FiestFan 03-14-06, 12:19 PM	Malar is one of Nobanion's main enemies perhaps you could use that, Malar is often used by Lolth as a minion, she might have something to do with the Vaeruanian drow (like killing or reclaiming them) and the church of Nobanion, raptorans and this Mythal in the Mir are all caught in the middle somehow... Talked to the DM. He supplied this help: the Paladin NPC's dying words were 'Find the Malarite werebeast before she leeches the mythal.' This seems like it *may* tie the NPC's reason for being so far from the Dragon Coast together with my character's recruitment (new word?) into the Nobanion Paladinhood. I'm thinking that my character, while captured, overheard conversation between the Drow about 'their moon-strengthened informant'. This should allow the DM ample wiggleroom to incorporate aspects of my backstory into the overplot at his own pace. DM isn't too keen on the 'ghostly mentor' idea, though, for precisely the Obiwan reason.
Gallameed 03-14-06, 12:24 PM	DM isn't too keen on the 'ghostly mentor' idea, though, for precisely the Obiwan reason. I wouldnt expect any sane DM to be! :D