Divine Senses

[The Keeper of Secret]

This as been on my mind for some time and finally decided to ask. I love the rules for deities in Immortal`s Handbook - Ascension.

One thing that I can`t figure out is Divine Senses, even a Greater Deity only has 10x the senses of the base creature, so how do they know when something affecting their portfolio happens or when one of their followers pray to them?

It may be in Ascension somewhere, but if it is I can`t find it.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hello The Keeper of Secrets!

This as been on my mind for some time and finally decided to ask. I love the rules for deities in Immortal`s Handbook - Ascension.

Thanks very much, glad you like the book.

One thing that I can`t figure out is Divine Senses, even a Greater Deity only has 10x the senses of the base creature, so how do they know when something affecting their portfolio happens or when one of their followers pray to them?

It may be in Ascension somewhere, but if it is I can`t find it.

I assumed things like 'hearing' prayers was not hearing in the traditional sense (no pun intended), but clearly some supernatural power attuned to each individual deity. Similarly with feeling some disturbance to their native realm or something affecting their portfolio. The deity just automatically knows.

Also remember also that Heimdall had cosmic senses beyond Odin's. But for a normal deity about x10 senses seemed appropriate.

Its interesting in researching my Vampire Bestiary that the reason vampires recoil from Garlic is because they have a superstrong sense of smell, not for any 'supernatural' reason. Its possible this idea could also be used to temporarily discombobulate a deity if you assume its heightened senses are natural rather than supernatural.

 

[Mr.Satan]

Divine senses, they need some more rules. I've been bothered by this as well. There just aren't enough rules regarding divine senses or a deity's connection to it's portfolios, realm, petitioners, or worshipers. How do they all interact? What can a deity sense? What can block a diety's senses?

On that note (blocking senses)...is the following balanced for a Vile feat? It conceals your identity (not your location, intentions, etc.), suppresses your auras, and offers a slowly scaling bonus to Bluff, Disguise, and Intimidate checks.


In exchange, it costs a feat, is a Vile feat (leaving you beholden to an evil patron unless you happen to be an evil patron yourself), expends a single use of your ki power, can be destroyed.

<style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; </style>Ghost-Face [Vile]
You wear a symbolic mask of death and fear.
Prerequisites: Ninja level 7th, Ghost-Faced Killer level 1st.
Benefit: As a free action, that does not provoke an attack of opportunity, you can spend one daily use of your ki power to manifest a mask.
This mask cannot be removed; exists until destroyed/dismissed; and has 1 hardness point (and 2 hit points) per character level.
When wearing this mask, your face is concealed and you are immune to identification (even vs. divination, forensics, scent, x-ray vision, etc.); can freely suppress any/all of your auras (if any; does not count as an action); and gain a +1 bonus per 8 character levels on Bluff, Disguise, and Intimidate checks.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Howdy Mr Satan!

Divine senses, they need some more rules. I've been bothered by this as well. There just aren't enough rules regarding divine senses or a deity's connection to it's portfolios, realm, petitioners, or worshipers. How do they all interact? What can a deity sense? What can block a diety's senses?

- A deity can hear the prayers of its worshippers.
- A deity can choose to see through the eyes of a Petitioner, but does not do so automatically - it must choose to do so and while doing so cannot itself see...although its possible there may be some level of translucency therein.
- A deity can sense disturbances to its realm (damage and so forth)
- A deity can also choose to extend its senses anywhere over its realm, though (as with petitioners) must choose to do so.

On that note (blocking senses)...is the following balanced for a Vile feat? It conceals your identity (not your location, intentions, etc.), suppresses your auras, and offers a slowly scaling bonus to Bluff, Disguise, and Intimidate checks.

In exchange, it costs a feat, is a Vile feat (leaving you beholden to an evil patron unless you happen to be an evil patron yourself), expends a single use of your ki power, can be destroyed.

I'm honestly not sure about the feat, but it seems a continuation of the abuse of absolutes systemic in 3E...Thus requiring a spiralling war of absolute one-upmanship.