Religion in a Space Fantasy RPG, Part 2

This post expands upon my previous one, developing some more ideas for developing a pantheon.

-Nate

Many Gods, One Galaxy

The clash of cultures that occurs when clerics from different worlds begin exploring the solar system can make for many interesting situations; more importantly, this situation can make for numerous intriguing and dramatic plot implications, through which clerics can be more authentically woven into the background of a campaign setting. Here are some suggestions for a few of the possibilities.

Same Deities, Different Names

In this worldview, gods from different worlds with the same portfolio are actually just interpretations of the same power. For example, the Earth Mother Gaea on one world would be the same as the fertility deities on the other planets, based on how those worlds' inhabitants interpreted her. Essentially, all of them view the same divine truth, but interpret it differently due to their own skewed perception and local bias.

In a campaign, these differences could be resolved peacefully, or there could be conflict as one group tries to assert that its interpretation is the correct one. Either way, clerics who travel from world to world still have access to divine magic.

Influence Limited to One World

Contrasting the previous interpretation, this one holds that each deity's power is limited to its world of origin. This means that, on visiting a new planet, the cleric loses access to divine magic. While this interpretation can seem to make sense, the way it limits a character's special abilities makes it pretty unbalancing as far as game mechanics are concerned.

Competition and Conflict Between Faiths

A slight variation on the previous interpretation is one in which clerics can have access to divine magic on planets beyond their homeworld, provided they bring faith in their deity to those planets. This leads to competition between different faiths, since followers of a deity from one planet might try to convert away the faithful of a similar god on another world. This could lead at best to vitriolic preaching against other congregations, or at worst to all-out holy war between nations.

Other Deities and Domains While the handful of interplanetary deities presented above present natural interpretations of the heavenly bodies in a space fantasy campaign, there are many more domains available in the Pathfinder RPG that would be embodied by other gods. Presented here, then, are suggestions for using those domains and gods in a space fantasy campaign. Air, Earth, Fire and Water—These natural forces could be viewed as deities, especially in animistic cultures. What is more, some theorists believe that it is only in striking a balance between the four that life can exist on worlds; that is why the elemental obelisk incorporates all four in its pyramid-like capstone. Charm—Love and lust are also forces of nature, existing among all cultures on every planet. As such, the deity who inspires these feelings is one who can easily move between worlds, and adherents of that faith are not likely to be divided by conflict. Death—Those who believe that this process is necessary and solemn develop different traditions regarding how it should be conducted. Some practice the immolation of bodies, and scatter the remaining ashes among the stars, while others build elaborate tombs drifting in space for interring the dead. Whatever the case, these clerics find plenty of work performing their rituals on ships and in settlements, given the hazards of life in space. Evil—Unfortunately for those who encounter them, followers of this god also move well between worlds. After all, their self-centered outlook means that new planets just represent more opportunity for them to achieve their wicked ends. When encountering the faithful of deities with similar outlooks, they might find fellow conspirators, or they could find enemies who ultimately betray them. Liberation and Luck—These domains are natural ones for spacefarers, since traveling in an aethership represents tremendous freedom for those who are fortunate. Indeed, those intrepid souls who were first to venture into the void might, long after their passing, come to be venerated as the embodiment of these ideals. Magic and Rune—Given that the process of acquiring magical power involves discovering lost lore and artifacts, the deities who represent this process also travel well between worlds. Here again there's a good likelihood for cooperation between congregations, since sharing this information is to the benefit of all. War—The discovery and exploration of new worlds opens unlimited venues for the bloodthirsty followers of these deities. They are, of course, the most likely to lead crusades, not necessarily due to ideological differences, but because they feel driven to conquer.

Religion in a Space Fantasy RPG

Running a fantasy roleplaying campaign that takes the PCs into space presents some interesting complications when it comes to the role that divine powers play in the game. After all, a god who is worshiped on one world might be entirely unknown on another. What is more, two gods from different planets could have the same spheres of influence, even though they're supposed to be universal in the scope of their influence. With that in mind, presented below are a handful of deities who are more interplanetary in their scope and scale.

Universal Architect

In a polytheistic culture, this faith can cause some conflict. After all, it maintains that a single entity is responsible for the grand scheme of the universe. Even so, that concept is open to interpretation. Some followers maintain that there is only one god, and that worship of any others is little more than superstition. Others contest, however, that additional deities are those who necessarily implement the Architect's plans like laborers on a construction site. Even so, that comparison is not exactly flattering for the other deities. 

This deity's symbol is either a compass and square (in many different cultures) or a set of hieroglyphics (in the desert region from which Ptah originated). Clerics of the Universal Architect wield a warhammer, which is emblematic of building the universe based on the deity's plans.

Sun God

On many worlds, the sun is an obvious symbol of a good influence. After all, it brings the light of day and the warmth of summer. For that reason, this god is the epitome of all that is good, making him a favorite patron of paladins and other such shining paragons of virtue.

The Sun God's holy symbol is a circle with a dot in the middle, often rendered in gold. Clerics and paladins who favor this deity wield the morningstar, the shape of which is suggestive a sun (and that the faithful often pair with a heavy shield emblazoned with the sun emblem).

World Mother

Similarly, depicting the earth as a female deity seems like a logical notion. After all, it is her womb that seeds germinate, eventually yielding all manner of useful herbs, crops and other plants. What is more, the influence of the sun on the warm growing season and the cold winter leads to their being connected as husband and wife. While she is considered to be good and beneficent, she is not so concerned with the balance between law and chaos. 

The followers of this goddess wear a symbol consisting of a circle with a cross through it, which represents the four cardinal directions with which the world is defined. They wield the quarterstaff, a weapon that grows out of their goddess.

Moon Goddess

In contrast to the World Mother, the Moon Goddess is an enigmatic figure. After all, she mostly appears during the night, when darkness envelops the land. What is more, her face is ever changing, implying unpredictability (at best) or duplicity (at worst) in her character. Those who've traveled the spacelanes recognize a similarity between her and the World Mother, which has led to a belief that she is that deity's sister. It is believed, however, that she is unwilling to accept the Sun God's affections, and thus remains aloof and mysterious. Finally, the connection between her phases and the ties has led to her association with Homeworld's oceans and seas, and her nocturnal character means many link her to the animals who only come out at night. 

Followers of the Moon Goddess—among whom the elves are perhaps the most devoted—usually wear a crescent-shaped symbol made of silver. Their chosen weapon is the elven curve blade, which bears similarity to the crescent moon.

The Void

Those who study the heavens at night focus mainly on the points of light, but there are others who obsess with the black that lies between them. Indeed, some become obsessed with this cold darkness, and thus come to see its embrace as the ultimate and inevitable fate of the galaxy. Thus they become obsessed with entropy and all of the harm that it can bring. Given this nature, cults of the Void tend to be secretive in nature and small in their scope. 

The cult's symbol is a black disk that represents the cold dark of space. Its clerics wield starknives, which embody the notions of chaos and destruction.

Mood Music

Since I'm in a space fantasy mood right now, I thought I'd share some Youtube links for music that sets the mood for that kind of adventure.

The Planets by Gustav Holst

Music from the Spelljammer Video Game

Songs Selected by Sable Aradia

"Ambient Space Fantasy" Mix

-Nate

The Grotto

Here's another location that I drew/wrote up for the space fantasy project on which I'm working. Long-time readers of the blog will recognize that I'm once again using old maps for new purposes.

The Grotto

One of the first settlements to be established in the asteroid belt is a curious place known as the Grotto. Built inside an asteroid that was hollowed out by dwarven miners, it consists of a lake and piers for docking aetherships, along with a sprawling tavern, inn and brothel. 

 Refer to the map above for the following location descriptions.

1. Entrance

The mouth of this artificial cavern is about two hundred feet wide, broad enough to admit all but the largest of aetherships.

2. Lake

More than five hundred feet long and almost seven hundred feet wide, this body of water provides hydration for the inhabitants of the asteroid colony as well as a save place for atherships to land.

3. Piers

Each of these platforms is fifteen feet wide an 150 feet long, and provides a place for aetherships or their longboats to tie up and unload passengers and cargo.

4. The Sign of the Cup and Loaf

This large, two-story structure is the heart of activity in the Grotto; refer to the map and location descriptions below for details.

5. Privies

Each of these small outbuildings has the expected bench with a hole cut through it, and sits over a fifteen-feet-deep pit.

6. Obelisk

Located along the edge of the artificial lake is the Grotto's elemental obelisk, which provides warmth, air and gravity in the settlement.

Inhabitants of the Grotto

In addition to the many visitors who pass through the grotto on a short-term basis, presented here are some of the regular locals.

• Ioannis the satyr runs the Sign of the Cup and Loaf; he is assisted by a dozen faun employees. These are carefree beings who enjoy serving good food and drink to happy visitors; if a situation turns hostile, they call upon the centaurs to deal with it. Ioannis in particular is fond of outlandish stories, and has been known to by a round of drinks or meals for those who have interesting tales to tell.
• Half a dozen centaurs, led by Sophia, act as dockhands for vessels that pass through the Grotto, and serve as law enforcement when necessary. While the Grotto has few laws, stealing from or doing significant harm to others is not permitted. Sophia is a tough customer, but respects those who prove themselves worthy of it.
• A lunar naga, Mira, resides in the Grotto; nobody knows just how she pays for room and board. She is fascinated by watching the stars, and often swims across the artificial lake in order to gaze out from the cavern's entrance.
• A swarm of ratfolk, led by a male named Nartamus, handle upkeep around the Grotto—and, in doing so, gather up any useful items or information that they can. Just what they do with this information is unknown, since they otherwise keep to themselves.
• Two of the regular bar patrons are a kitsune named Yuriko and a tanuki named Hiroshi. She is an incorrigible flirt, while he is a generally jovial drunkard. They are fixtures at the end of the bar in the Sign of the Cup and Loaf's main room.

In addition to the aforementioned characters, the GM could use this location as a chance to introduce Gonzalo the mercane from Crossroads or even some of the janni from the cold red desert world. 

The Sign of the Cup and Loaf

Refer to the map above for the following area descriptions.

1. Entrances

Under normal circumstances the doors are left wide open, except in times of crisis; otherwise, the place sees business twenty-four hours a day. Two centaur bouncers are normally posted at either entrance, however, to keep out those who are looking to bring trouble into the establishment.

2. Bar and Dining Hall

This area is wide open to the ceiling twenty feet above, although four large chandeliers—elaborate sets of concentric wrought-iron hoops filled with candles—hang only fifteen feet above the floor. Each of these is connected to a heavy rope and pulley system that is anchored at the railing in the center of the balcony opposite the bar. These ropes are particularly strong, having hardness 3 and 8 hit points. While rather roughly hewn, the tables in this area are also especially stout. They can hold up to three hundred pounds without ill effect; beyond this they must make a Fortitude save with a DC equal to the excess pounds divided by ten.

The bar is stocked with beer and wine, as well as more exotic beverages at the GM's discretion. For food, the house specialty is a stew with many and varied ingredients (that is, whatever is available in port) known as salmagundi. Fawn servers make their way about the room, while Ioannis the satyr stays behind the bar.

3. Kitchen

Unlike the rest of the building, which has wooden floors, the floor here is made of cut stone. A large

oven stands against the outside wall, while a preparation table occupies the center of the room. The

cabinets are loaded with crockery, cutlery and other such supplies.

4. Pantry

All of the dry goods, bottles, barrels and tins are stored in here, along with extra candles for the

chandeliers and linens for the rooms.

5. Rooms

Each of these rooms boasts a bed, table and chairs, wardrobe and storage trunk. Although there are

thirty-eight of them in total, roughly a dozen are occupied on a continual basis by the Grotto's regulars. Rooms can be let by the hour, night, week or month, depending on a guest’s needs.

6. Balcony

The tables on this level all have a full view of the bar and dining hall below. The railing has hardness 5 and 10 hit points. In case someone feel the need to do so, the ropes attached to the chandeliers have

sufficient length to allow a person to swing anywhere on the bottom floor of the establishment. Doing

so, by the way, requires a DC 12 Acrobatics check, once the rope has been cut loose. Should one of the chandeliers be allowed to crash to the floor, everyone in the four squares underneath it must make a DC 15 Reflex save or suffer 4d6 hit points damage. Swinging from the chandeliers themselves requires a DC 15 Tumble check, although they have the same chance of breaking as do the tables in the dining hall (see above).

7. Master Bedroom

These are Ioannis’ private quarters, a fact that can be noted from the high-quality lock on the

door (DC 30 check to open). Inside there is a large, four-poster bed complete with curtains, along witha table and chairs and a carved wooden stand for the satyr's lute. All of these are carved from matching dark mahogany, and are very valuable because of it (1000 gp for the set).

Underneath the aforementioned rug there is a loose board in the floor; it is protected by a very

small crossbow trap that fires poison bolts (DC 25 to find; DC 25 to disable; +6 attack; damage 1d4

plus poison; DC 18 Fortitude save to resist 1d6 Strength damage). Concealed herein are a pouch

containing 10,000 sp.

Throwback Thursday: Spelljammer Reviews

Back in August, when I posted my recap of this year's Gen Con, I mentioned that I'm working on a series of space fantasy adventures—actually, an adventure path. I don't know if I've mentioned before that I like to coordinate my reading with my writing. Looking for space fantasy novels to go with this project is what brought me to The Daedalus Incident, The Enceladus Crisis and The Venusian Gambit, books that I reviewed back in July. I've also tracked down a printed copy of The Sail Weaver by Muffy Morrigan. To fill in the gaps, however, I've also been rereading some of my old Spelljammer books, and I figured I'd share some of my thoughts. Please note that I'm reviewing the first novel here, and I'll add to this post as I finish the other ones. 

Beyond the Moons by David “Zeb” Cook

This is an unusual series because it has six novels by five different authors. The first book, then, needs to launch the whole thing, and does a good job of it. Detailed below are what I see as the pros and cons of the novel.

Pros I like the main character, Teldin Moore. He's a pretty average guy, a farmer from Krynn, who's put into an unusual situation after a Spelljammer vessel crashes on his land. I really like Gomja, the Giff warrior who survives the crash. He is easily my favorite character in the whole book. The action moves at a good pace, with a good balance between combat and plot development. David “Zeb” Cook does a good job of making the evil neogi seem really different from other characters and monsters.

Cons I don't love the main character. Sometimes it seems that Teldin is not as important as the cloak that he wears, which may have been the author's intention. Even so, I like Gomja more than Teldin. This is really a Dragonlance novel, since the whole thing is an extended chase scene across large parts of that setting and only reaches Wildspace at the very end. (Again, however, I understand why the novel is written that way.)

Additional Notes I find it interesting to note that this series of six novels matches the number of modules typically found in a Pathfinder Adventure Path. It has me wondering what level Teldin is during each book. (I assume that, since he's a veteran from the War of the Lance, he has gained some XP before the start of this book.) It's always interesting to see how much fiction based on AD&D campaign settings reflects the rules of the game. The spells depicted in this book seem quite similar, but combat in a story never quite feels like how it works in the game.

Into the Void by Nigel Findley

In this second novel of the series, much of the action takes place in Wildspace, although it concludes in and above the Forgotten Realms. Once again, here are some highs, lows and other notes.

Pros I like that this novel presents more of life on a spelljamming vessel, something that wasn't present in the previous book. While the creation of suspicion seems a little heavy-handed at times, it still works; the betrayal at the end still makes for intriguing drama. Once again, there's a good mix of action sequences and scenes that develop the overall story of the series.

Cons There's a feeling in this novel that the author was only allowed to do so much; it seems like there were prescribed start- and endpoints for novels in this series, and authors were forced to work inside them. Because of that, it feels a little less than epic in scope and scale. Description in this novel seems overly inclined to use hyperbole, with many situations being really painful, frightening, etc.

Additional Notes I know that romance adds interest to novels, but it seems to happen really easily for Teldin Moore. In this novel he develops it first with a gnome (?!) and then a human, which seems like a lot since he already experienced that with an elf in the preceding book.

The Maelstrom's Eye by Roger E. Moore

This third entry from the series leads from the Rock of Bral to a gnomish outpost called Ironpiece, and thence to what might be the most unusual sphere in the whole Spelljammer cosmology. It adds the orcish fleet to mix, too, along with a mysterious villain who looks like a lich.

Pros Seeing the Rock of Bral was a fun touch, given that it was the base of operations for my adventuring party back in junior high and high school. This novel also sees a favorite character's return. There's some good, solid ship-to-ship combat in here, too.

Cons In this novel Teldin is often angry. After seeing his personality through the two previous books, this seemed uncharacteristically harsh from him. There's a heavy dose of weirdness and silliness in the book, too, given its focus on gnomes and the bizarre Herdsapce. The addition of the orcish fleet means that a decent amount of it focuses on building up those characters, which at first distracts from Teldin's own story.

Additional Notes Once again there's potential romance for Teldin, this time in the form of a kender. I won't spoil how it develops, but it's becoming hard to take any love interest for him all that seriously.

The Radiant Dragon by Elaine Cunningham

The fourth novel in the Cloakmaster Cycle—and the second one not set on a major campaign world—takes Teldin Moore right into the middle of the Unhuman Wars, the growing conflict between the goblinoids and the rest of the Known Spheres. Both sides seek to gain control of the mighty Spelljammer vessel, either by recruiting Teldin or by killing him and taking his cloak.

Pros The titular character, a radiant dragon named Celestial Nightpearl, is an interesting addition to the series. We see some familiar faces again, such as Estriss the mind flayer and Vallus Leafbower the elf. Two young dracons, Trivit and Chirp, are fun characters that provide an engaging contrast to Teldin Moore. There's effective drama involving Teldin's decision about whether or not to help the elves by bringing the legendary ship to their side in the Unhuman Wars.

Cons Once again, it's too hard to become invested in characters who aren't Teldin Moore, since many of them are only around for one novel. The plot element of having someone in Teldin's crew supplying information to those who seek the cloak is starting to feel overused.

Additional Notes Cunningham also does a good job of working in numerous monsters from the Spelljammer canon, including the witchlight marauder. Since my brother was the DM for our Spelljammer campaign, and thus I didn't have much opportunity to look through the Monstrous Compendium appendices for the setting, I'm wondering just how tough those beasts are in terms of game mechanics.  At the end of this book there's a list with the remaining titles in the series. Next up is The Broken Sphere, written by Nigel Findley; after that comes The Ultimate Helm by Roger E. Moore. These two authors will have a chance to revisit the series, although I know that it's not entirely going to work out that way.

The Broken Sphere by Nigel Findley

This, the fifth novel in the series, sets the reader up for the big finale. Detailed below are some thoughts about it.

Pros Nigel Findley does a good job of developing steps in Teldin Moore's search for the Spelljammer; our protagonist visits some interesting locations, meets unusual characters and learns a curiously different means by which to seek the vessel's place of origin. The novel finishes on a suitably dramatic cliffhanger, thereby setting up the series finale in Book 6.	Cons I've grown tired of having enemy agents aboard Teldin's vessel, along with their intrigues, as a plot element. Once again, we see how messed up is Teldin's love life. This, too, has grown tiresome. It still feels that the items Teldin carries are the source of his abilities, as opposed to him relying on his own innate qualities.
Additional Notes This, then, sets us up for the big finale—but one that I already know won't live up to expectations. Even so, we sail onward.

The Ultimate Helm by Russ T. Howard

The first time I read this book, I was disappointed. It felt much different in tone from the other five in the series. That, combined with the fact that I knew some change of author had occurred, led me to be dismissive of it.

I'm glad that I've read it a second time.

This time around, while I still think that it has a different tone from the other novels in the series, I also see how it develops a theme that provides a sense of closure for the series, and how some of its idiosyncratic qualities help to develop that theme. What is more, I think I see how it does a good job of taking material from the Spelljammer RPG line—most notably, the Legend of Spelljammer boxed set and the adventure modules Goblin's Return and Heart of the Enemy—and works them into a cohesive narrative.

Pros Howard does a good job of keeping the action moving with numerous short chapters and shifts between different characters. The introduction to each chapter provides a snippet of background information from the history of the Spelljammer, which helps to make it a richer setting. We see the return of several familiar faces, and they are brought back into the story in sensible and meaningful ways. There are a lot of vividly described battle scenes. As mentioned previously, although the plot and theme feel distinctly different from the rest of the series, they do combine to create a meaningful conclusion for the series.

Cons I don't like the depiction of Teldin on the front cover, since it departs so notably from how he's depicted on the other covers. Once again, the novel introduces a bunch of characters who aren't going to be around very long. Because the battle scenes act as the backdrop to the character-centered action, I sometimes felt distracted in reading them. Some grammar and punctuation errors in the novel make me wonder how thorough the editing process for it was.

Additional Notes I need to read some of my old Spelljammer RPG material to see just how this borrows from that existing canon, and thus to give some perspective on what I think must have been the author's process. There's a special “thank you” for Roger E. Moore on the inside title page, “for his contributions to this work,” that makes me wonder just what events transpired in the development of this novel.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

I know that popular response to the Pirates of the Caribbean movies has declined with each successive installment, but I think I would be amiss for not mentioning the upcoming film. The first entry has been described as a perfect example of inspiration for the Skull & Bones campaign setting for which this blog was created, even though it was released after that book.

Here's the teaser for Dead Men Tell No Tales.

Teaser Trailer

-Nate

Pirates of the Caribbean Comic #1 Review

Pirate-themed comic books are something of a mixed bag. There are good ones, like the short-live El Cazador series, less thrilling ones such as the overly violent and sexual Rawbone, and eclectic ones like Pirate Eye. I watch out for them, but not with much energy since they're few and far between. That's why I was surprised to hear of a new series based on Pirates of the Caribbean. Some might think of starting a comic based on those four (and soonish to be five) films to be unusual, seeing as many found the last movie or two to be evidence the series is growing long in the tooth. It is, after all, thirteen years since the first film premiered in theaters. I was intrigued, however, and picked up the first issue. Detailed below are what I see as the strengths and weaknesses of the first issue.

Strengths

• It provides a fun blend of action and story development. 
• The plot involves Maroon renegades in Jamaica, an intriguing group of people whom I've included in numerous adventures that I've written for this blog. 
• The dialogue does a good job of capturing the spirit from the movies. When I read it, it sounds like the actors from the films are speaking it. 

Weaknesses 

• Perhaps because of that last strength, the dialogue in some of the panels is rather wordy. Although I'm a guy who loves reading, I don't want to do a lot of it when I'm reading comic books. 
• The story is set between the first and second movie, which means I know that Captain Jack Sparrow can't die. To be fair, though, this is a problem with a lot of movie tie-ins. 

All in all, I enjoyed the first issue; it has an engaging story that could provide fodder for adventures in the Skull & Bones or Pirates of the Spanish Main settings, and that's what matters most to me. We'll see if the second issue matches up to that. 

-Nate