[Deities&Demigods] Characters and Divine Rank 0

[Essex]

Okay, I need to convert two of my characters to Divine Rank 0. I'm trying to figure out what changes I should make when I Ascend them. Here are my sticking points.

1) What kind of stat increase should I give them? Also, do they get the Outsider Hit Dice increase, or should I save that for if they hit Divine Rank 1?

2) One of them is Undead. Does he stay undead, or become outsider with undead characteristics?

PS Has there been any update on Uppper Krust's work? I've been sitting on pins and needles for years now.

 

[Xeriar]

The Divine Array is 35, 31, 25, 24, 24, 24 IIRC

In my not so humble opinion, this is kind of lame. In my own little world, I grant +32 to a main attribute, then +16 to the remaining, but you can also simulate the above by granting +17, +16, +15, +14, +13, +12

Which you might consider to be better.

Ascended characters do not gain outsider HD. They are considered to be their previous race (in D&D, look at the difference between Vecna and Osiris.)

 

[Essex]

Okay that answers the Big One. Thanks alot!!!!

Guess I should check Vecna too, to see how his Undead status is handled. Figured I'd best ask here. Wasn't sure if Divine Rank 0 was supposed to be handled differently than all the other ranks.

 

[Essex]

Okay I got that figured out.

Then I have only one last question.

The person in question is a Vampire. I know he keeps the Undead Quality. Does that mean he's still vulnerable to all the vampiric foibles? It seems kind of odd that a Divine Rank 0 should fear a piece of wood....

 

[Creamsteak]

I'd think that wood would need to pierce at least one of his new immunities/resistances to do anything... like trying to stake him would require a +5 piece of wood, I think.

 

[Essex]

I'd think that wood would need to pierce at least one of his new immunities/resistances to do anything... like trying to stake him would require a +5 piece of wood, I think.

Oh, I like that! Not just any piece of wood will do, gotta find a bit of the True Cross or something obnoxious like that. (This game takes place in the Modern World, but its much more DnD than D20 Modern, hence why I'm posting here).

Under 3.5 the DR is now 15/epic, even for a Rank 0.

Now what about sunlight?

 

[Xeriar]

Oh, I like that! Not just any piece of wood will do, gotta find a bit of the True Cross or something obnoxious like that. (This game takes place in the Modern World, but its much more DnD than D20 Modern, hence why I'm posting here).

Under 3.5 the DR is now 15/epic, even for a Rank 0.

Now what about sunlight?

Similarly you might also subject the 'must recoil from a strongly presented religious symbol' to his spell resistance or something similar.

Or perhaps require a certain status - a boddhistava or a bishop, for example.

For sunlight, you could say it does 20d12 fire damage subject to his divine fire resistance only (so he would have to pick an SDA to be completely immune to sunlight, but he's already come quite a ways at rank 0).

 

[Essex]

Similarly you might also subject the 'must recoil from a strongly presented religious symbol' to his spell resistance or something similar.

Or perhaps require a certain status - a boddhistava or a bishop, for example.

For sunlight, you could say it does 20d12 fire damage subject to his divine fire resistance only (so he would have to pick an SDA to be completely immune to sunlight, but he's already come quite a ways at rank 0).

Excellent!!! Thanks, guys. You've answered all my questions. Even managed to pound out a quick Divine Rank 0 Template to slap on anyone else I may need to do this to. *smirk*

Now I'd just like to pool opinions here. You don't get a portfolio or any related abilities and powers until Divine Rank 1. For the sake of what I'm doing, I'd like to see the characters discover their salient and divine abilities as they progress, but without them suddenly reachign Rank 1. Would handling this power discovery as a piecemeal exploration of their powers, and refuse them Divine Rank 1 until they have ALL of them, be fair? Or would it be better to let them hit Divine Rank 1 before discovering these abilities.

Which leads me into my last conundrum. I get raising Divine Ranks from 1-20, but Hero Deity seems such an odd mixing, that it seems like there's more of a jump from 0 to 1 than from any other rank.

Also, I read up on St. Cuthbert, another Mortal-Turned-God, and he has the 20 outsider Hit Dice, as does Mystra/Midnight, Kelemvor, and Cyric from Faiths and Pantheons. Seems only Vecna got the shaft.

 

[Greybar]

Essex,
I'd love to see that Template, if you wouldn't mind posting it...
john

p.s. to my players - no, of course you shouldn't be worried about that. not at all. look, Helen Reddy!

 

[Essex]

Essex,
I'd love to see that Template, if you wouldn't mind posting it...
john

p.s. to my players - no, of course you shouldn't be worried about that. not at all. look, Helen Reddy!

Ask and thee shall receive

Divine Rank 0 Quick Create Guide

Abilities: +17, +16, +15, +14, +13, +12; assign to abilities in any order
Hit Dice: Same as character, but now maximized
Speed: 60 ft
AC/Defense: +10 Divine Bonus + Charisma Bonus
Attacks: Same as character
Saving Throws: Gets divine rank as bonus to all saves (right now 0 so irrelevant)
Checks: Gets divine rank as bonus to all saves (right now 0 so irrelevant)
Immunities: Transmutation, Ability Drain, Ability Damage, Energy Drain, Mind-Affecting
Damage Reduction: 10/epic
Resistances: Fire 5; Spell 32
Salient Divine Abilities: 0 (or 1 if DM feels nice)
Immortality: cannot age, and cannot die from natural causes
Domains: Pick 3-4 Clerical Domains; does not grant any abilities or powers yet
Travel: May Fly as the spell cast by a 20th level Sorcerer (by standard rules, they don't get this, but I feel that Divine Rank 0 should get somethings spiffy; besides I just saw Revolutions... )