BoED: magic (items?) for ascetics

[Ferrix]

I will agree and disagree with the statement that alterations to a body make it more ugly. I could easily see how ridges along a characters brow could make the character look more noble (built in crown), a golden hue to the skin, all of these could be seen as aesthetically pleasing while at the same time differentiating the character. The character may become less natural in a sense and be regarded with a sense of awe or fear depending upon how NPC's react to such things.

A character with a vow of poverty could in a sense receive gifts that are not items, permanent magical enchantments upon their body from divine sources, the gain of celestial qualities (transformation), and so on.

I could see these coming out as Exalted Feats persay that are rewarded by the DM or chosen by the player depending upon their balance upon game play.

Basic example:

Timbre of the Angelic [Exalted]
Your voice resonates with the celestial chorus.
Pre-requisites: Cha 17+, Lvl 5, Bardic Song ability
Benefit: You may use a use bardic song to create the equivalent of a circle of protection evil 15' which lasts for as long as you continue to sing and 3 rounds after you stop.

or

Mark of (some god of light) [Exalted]
You were imparted with the gift of god's name and have received a third eye, which when it opens reveals a holy light.
Pre-requisities: blah blah blah
Benefit: When you allow the eye to open you are surrounded by daylight as per the spell. In addition, any evil creature within the radius of the light receives a -1 penalty to strike at you due to the holy radiance emanating from the eye.

These are examples, not meant to be balanced nor very specific just rough ideas.

Carry on... i like the idea mind you.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

The character may become less natural in a sense and be regarded with a sense of awe or fear depending upon how NPC's react to such things.

You can bet that. Read the RoF entry of Aasimars. Aasimars are beautiful beings with celestial qualities, but they are different. Others don't understand that and fear them. Many an aasimar has turned away from the light for he couldn't cope with the treatment he received from the people around him. There's actually some really scary blackguards out there because of that.

 

[Olive]

Personally I see no reason that you couldn't have an evil person with the vow of poverty, and intend to house rule it in my game. Such a character would certainly have access to grafts and symbiots.

I think the up shot is that there are no published examples of what you're after however.

 

[jayaint]

The seed for this discussion is a character I'm building (obviously, lol). I know for a fact that its not min/max'ed, munchkin'd or any such thing. Its an Aasimar Sorcerer/Cleric of Mystra on his way to Mystic Theurge, with the exalted-ascetic feat chain. *whew* That's a mouthful. I'm sure he will be WAY-underpowered to begin with (lvl 6, sor4/clr1 ECL +1 Aasimar) but I am hoping to roleplay him to greatness (chosen of mystra, perhaps?) and i thought that some of these neat-but-not-over-powered extras, physical manifestations of voices in the head, weird skins, etc... would allow my character to have some flavor and coolness (mainly while he is totally underpowered) and maybe, once in awhile, help him to survive.

*shrug*

I REALLY like the idea of kind of adapting them to Exalted feats, via DM approval. And I REALLY want to roleplay up the racial difference and singular-ness of my character and the path he has chosen. So these are good ideas, and if what my DM and I come up with seem like worthwhile ideas, I'll throw them back on here and let you guys see them.

Thanks.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Personally I see no reason that you couldn't have an evil person with the vow of poverty, and intend to house rule it in my game. Such a character would certainly have access to grafts and symbiots.

Probably because no evil power (be it Archfiend or Dark Deity) will reward him for his poverty, but rather wonder about his stupidity...

But this could be a good point to insert the deformities: The character is evil, he sees equipment as a sign of weakness, and uses the discussed "body tweaks" instead.

 

[Ackem]

Probably because no evil power (be it Archfiend or Dark Deity) will reward him for his poverty, but rather wonder about his stupidity...

Nonsense. Read Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson ( or read all of Erikson's novels as they're probably the best fantasy currently being written). The evil in that book consists of a very nasty ascetic cult run by a monstrous being of immense power. The mix of asceticism and evil given in it works rather well and makes a strange sense.

The evil being, who poses as a human prophet called the Pannion Seer despite being completely inhuman and something like a lizard, created the cult out of insanity, a hatred of humanity, and a desire to deform everything as it itself is deformed. It's followers exist in a religious frenzy where they not only deny themself but seek to destroy everything, they raze cities, burn crops, reduce nations to dust. They go beyond the normal idea of an ascetic; they scorn and destroy normal food and use starvation/privation to create more frenzied mobs of fanatics willing to join them in their cannibalism of those who will not convert, they often lack weapons and tear apart those who oppose them with their own hands, they have descended so far into insanity and frenzy that even shelter and clothing are often beyond their savagery. Their asceticism is not because they seek a higher spiritual awareness but because their "god", who is everybit as mad and horrific as they are, is driving them toward debasement and inhumanity. The condition of asceticism maybe the condition of mystics and spiritualists but it's also the condition of animals, which is the state that the Seer seeks to drive it's followers to by stripping away all their material posessions.

This idea could be lifted from it's setting in the Malazan world of Erikson's books and be dropped into a D&D world without many problems. The insane evil being could even be replaced with a completely rational Demon or Devil. Maybe a Devil sees the potential to gain many souls by driving a nation into ruin and evil with a false ascetic religion. Maybe a Demon simply wants to revel in the sheer chaotic destructiveness caused by it. To destroy a country in this manner would more fundamentally convert it to evil then any mere conquest could; it corrupts the souls of it's inhabitants, it reduces the nation to ruin beyond repair, and it drives the inhabitants into an insane crusade that's driven by hunger and that seeks to convert or consume the inhabitants of neighboring lands.

There's dozens of ways asceticism could be twisted by evil. Maybe a demon is using an ascetic, and secretly evil, prophet to subtly twist the message of a religion, the prophet claiming that the mainstream religion has faltered and has grown corrupt and that they should be doing things THIS (subtly evil and very misleading) way and if those fatcat bishops are so good then why are they in their fancy comfortable churches while he's out in the wilderness. Maybe a evil god doesn't like material posessions distracting it's followers from it's dark mysteries. Maybe a evil demon teaches it's followers that material posessions and comforts show weakness and gives his strength to those who scorn them.