Northlandish
Tokiwa-Dai
Land of Five Cities
Southlandish
Demi-human
Titans |
Ulphila
(Lesser Goddess, N)
Description:
General Aspect:
Goddess of Calculation: Ulphila is the muse of thought, mathematics, and time. This includes such abstract studies
as music theory, philosophy, logic, and thaumaturgy. Though she is a goddess of time, her sphere does not include
history, as she has no interest in past events or memories. Ulphila's time is that which can be measured and manipulated,
not that which is simply recorded. In mythos where there exists a god or goddess of magic or knowledge, Ulphila
is a courtier to this god(dess).
Worshippers:
Philosophers, mathematicians, musicians, sages, magic theorists, inventors, engineers and device-makers.
Holy Items:
Holy symbol (a device in the shape of the Greek letter Phi - a circle crossed by a single vertical line. The line
and circle may be of the same or different colors, but are always black, white, or silver colored. Mineral substances
- stones or gems and/or metals - are preferred materials). Mechanical devices depend upon Ulphila to correctly
function, and timepieces of all sorts are sacred to her.
Holy Areas:
Any quiet place is suitable for study or meditation. Chapels to Ulphila are frequently found at colleges and universities
(see Hierarchical Organization for description).
Restrictions:
Alignment:
Ulphila has no concept of Good and Evil, and her priests (and many of her followers) consider this to be mortal
vanity and ignorance. Nevertheless, many of her priests believe that a code of ethics is necessary for the harmonious
functioning of human society.
Priests: N, CN, LN
Worshippers: any
Racial Requirements:
Any. Humans, elves and gnomes are most in tune with Ulphila's thoughts.
Ability Requirements:
Wisdom: 13
Intelligence: 16
Preferred Weapons (in order of preference):
None. Ulphila's specialty priests do not study armed combat. They may, however, learn any form of unarmed combat.
Armor:
No armor (including helmets and shields) is allowed to Ulphila's specialty priests.
Magical Items:
Priests of Ulphila can use any magical items normally available to priests, except weapons and armor (non-armor
protective items, e.g. rings, cloaks, etc., are allowed). In addition, the Tome of Clear Thought is of double the
normal benefit for priests of Ulphila.
Non-weapon Proficiencies:
Required: Reading/Writing. Preferred: Astrology, Engineering, Musical Instrument, Navigation, Singing, Spellcraft.
Spheres:
Major:
All
Numbers
Thought
Time
Chaos (for Chaotic Neutral and Neutral priests)
Law (for Lawful Neutral and Neutral priests)
Minor:
Astral
Charm
Divination
Granted Powers:
Counsel / Ill Counsel
Range: Hearing
Duration: 1 turn/level
Casting Time: 1 turn
Area of Effect: 1 creature/level
Saving Throw: Negates (Spell, special adjustments)
Once per week per level, a specialty priest of Ulphila may perform a semi-hypnotic mental feat called Counsel.
Using complex logic, the priest can influence the behavior and thoughts of one or more people (one person per level)
for a certain amount of time (one turn per level). Unless the subjects intentionally deceive the priest, the priest
will know if the Counsel has failed. Certain restrictions apply. First, the subject(s)
of the Counsel
must be able to listen to the priest: this ability cannot be used on individuals or groups engaged in combat or
other highly distracting situations.
Second, it is very helpful if the individual is willing to listen; if the subject's attitude is Friendly, the subject
has a -1 to his or her saving throw versus Spell (Wisdom Magical Defense Adjustment does apply). Cautious subjects
gain a +2 to their saving throw. Subjects exhibiting Threatening or Flight behavior gain a +3, and overtly Hostile
subjects gain a +5.
Third, the priest must be able to communicate effectively with the subject(s). The priest must be able to speak
directly with the subject(s), whether through natural or magical means. A priest speaking a secondary language
(non-magically) must make a proficiency check in that language. Failure of this proficiency check gives the subject(s)
a +2 to the saving throw. Likewise, if the priest is at such a distance or in an environment that he must shout
to be heard, the subject(s) gain a +2 to the saving throw.
Fourth, the subject's own ability to reason is used against him or her, similar to but not precisely the same as
the casting of Tasha's Uncontrollable Hideous
Laughter. Creatures with Intelligence of
4 or less (semi- or non-intelligent) are totally unaffected. Those with Intelligences of 5-7 (low) save with -2
penalties. Those with Intelligences of 8-12 (average to very) save with -4 penalties. Those with Intelligences
of 13-14 (high) save with -2 penalties. Those with Intelligences of 15 and above (exceptional) have unmodified
saving throws. Successful saving throws negate the effects of the Counsel. Lower intelligence creature are unable to fully comprehend
the Counsel
that has been given, and have a tendency to ignore it; creatures with higher intelligence are sometimes able to
see through the logic of the priest's Counsel.
The effect of the Counsel varies according to the intent of the priest. The first
effect is similar to that of the wizards' spell Suggestion. The priest suggests that a course of action is appropriate
under the circumstances, and the subject feels compelled to act on the priest's advice. The subject, once affected,
cannot be swayed from this action throughout the duration of the Counsel. In addition, he or she will continue to believe that this
is the proper response to those circumstances indefinitely, unless convinced otherwise. Each time someone argues
against the (expired) Counsel, the subject gets another chance to save; each time he or she fails, his or her next
save is at an additional -1 (cumulative), as he or she becomes more and more convinced of the properness of that
action. The priest who gave the Counsel can automatically disenchant the subject at any time; in
this case, however, the subject will then immediately become Hostile to the priest, can ignore without a save any
further attempts at Counsel, and gets an immediate save at +4 against any other Counsel
that the priest may have given him previously, whether expired or not.
Example: Certes, a fifth level specialty priest of Ulphila, strikes up a conversation with the member of the evil
duke's garrison who are manning the gates. In the course of the conversation, he gives them wise Counsel.
Through several feats of logic and twisted reasoning, he assures them that were a lone man wearing a pink cloak
to arrive at the castle gates, he must be allowed to enter, and once inside cannot be disturbed or maltreated for
any reason. The Counsel is taken by the guards, and Certes returns to his friends. Fifteen
minutes later, one of the PCs who happens to be wearing a pink cloak walks up to the gates, and the guards not
only allow him in, but actually escort him as he strides into the palace and beheads the evil duke, and protect
him from the other guards as he makes his escape. For another half hour, the guards will be quite certain that
they did the absolutely correct thing. If any of them manage to escape being hung for treason and end up on guard
duty again, they will probably let in the next rosy-clad adventurer as well, unless their sergeant manages to convince
them otherwise.
The second effect of a Counsel is a sort of extreme mental distraction; this is often called
Ill Counsel.
Subjects of Ill Counsel find themselves doubting their own actions at every step and unable
to focus or concentrate. The subject's Wisdom and Intelligence are temporarily reduced by 2 points for the duration
of the spell, as the subject devotes much of his or her brainpower to riddling out what exactly the priest was
talking about. The subject's initiative and surprise rolls suffer a penalty of +2. Spell casting subjects find
that it takes twice the normal casting time for any spells, and similarly complex actions (arts and crafts, calculations,
lock picking, puzzle solving, etc.) also take twice the normal time to perform. All thieves' skills are performed
at a -10% penalty, but thieving skills performed upon the subject (move silently, hide in shadows, pick pockets)
are at an additional +10% to succeed. Saving throws versus spells, rod, staff, or wand, or breath weapons are all
made at a -1 penalty. Armor class bonuses for Dexterity are reduced by 1, as are attack rolls (damage rolls are
unaffected). Unlike the suggestive form of Counsel, Ill
Counsel disperses immediately upon expiring;
however, the character will probably not ever realize that he or she was unfairly befuddled. Less intelligent creatures
will assume that they didn't and couldn't understand the priest's complex logic; more intelligent creatures will
figure out arguments against it. A subject can only be under the influence of one Ill
Counsel at a time.
Estimate
Range: Special
Duration: Instantaneous
Casting Time: 1 round
Area of Effect: 1 object, part of an object, or group of objects
Saving Throw: N/A
This ability allows the specialty priest of Ulphila to estimate, with a good degree of accuracy, the quantity of
any measurable thing or space in any form of measurement. Measurement can include number, length, time, distance,
area, weight, volume, intensity, and so on, although obviously this may only be effective if the measurement can
be communicated to others (example: "How bright is daylight?" may be estimated, but without a system
of measurement [such as lumens], the estimate is useless ["About, uh… well, really really bright."]).
Subjects of estimation can be individual or grouped - the area of a single valley, or the number of human infantry
troops who can fit in that valley. The only restriction to range is that the priest must be able to observe firsthand
the subject(s) of the estimation in a manner consistent with the measurement: he or she must be able to see the
size of the subject, or feel the weight, or see the group. Simply knowing or being told the measurements of a subject
is not sufficient, no matter how detailed.
Note that in addition to determining the number of individuals from the size of a group, the priest can also determine
the size of a whole from observing a part; thus, from looking at the foot (or even the footprint) of a giant, he
or she can estimate that giant's height or weight; or, by hefting a rock, judging the weight of a certain boulder
of the same composition. Estimations involving more than one object (such as the above example of infantrymen in
a valley) must allow the priest to observe both objects (i.e., an infantryman and the valley).
Accuracy is variable depending on system of measurement and quantity. In numbers of 1-10, the priest can estimate
to the nearest 0.1 of a unit. In numbers of 11-30, to the nearest 0.5 of a unit. In numbers of 31-75, the priest
can estimate to the nearest unit. In numbers of 76-200, estimation is to the nearest 5. In numbers of 201-500,
to the nearest 10. 501-1000, to the nearest 20. 1001-3000, to the nearest 50. 3001-7500, to the nearest 100. 7500-20,000,
to the nearest 500. 20,000-50,000, to the nearest 1000. 50,000-100,000, to the nearest 10,000. Over 100,000, to
the nearest 20,000. Numbers over one million cannot be estimated (except to say, "millions").
Priests of any level can use this ability as often as needed, but must concentrate undisturbed on the subject for
the entire casting time.
Turning Undead:
Priests of Ulphila may turn undead. This is usually accomplished by reasoning their existence away through complex
logic, thus weakening or even breaking the bond between the undead's corpse and the source of its animation (i.e.,
the negative material plane, outer plane, etc.).
Ethos:
Ulphila is the goddess and muse of those who study the way in which the universe is perceived and considered, specifically
with relation to mathematics and logic. Arts and sciences overseen by Ulphila include certain branches of philosophy,
astronomy, astrology, numerology, music theory, geometry, engineering, psychology, kinesiology, physics, and so
on; most of Ulphila's priests and worshippers are practitioners of these studies. Because of the complex nature
of many of these subjects, Ulphila is only recognized in cultures with a sophisticated concept of science, such
as the ancient Romans, Greeks, Persians, Arabs, and Chinese had. Any culture which is advanced enough to shift
magical education from an apprenticeship system to a collegiate system is likely to have organized worship of Ulphila.
Ulphila is not a goddess of knowledge; that is to say, she has no interest in information about things or events,
but rather in the way in which this information is gathered and used. Ulphila's tenets state that the universe
is vastly more extensive than mortals are capable of perceiving. Just as a human cannot distinctively picture a
group of 34,829 people, neither can his or her mind comprehend the enormity of objective reality. Those with supernatural
powers are able to tap into the imperceivable to shift parts of that into the perceivable realm, thus changing
the subjective universe. Of course, there are huge limitations to even magical mortals' ability to perceive and
shift perceptions, and thus mortal magic is a localized event. Only the gods, who are able to perceive a more or
less broader range of reality, can affect the universe on a grand scale.
Neither Ulphila nor most of her worshippers are committed to any particular morality, as this, according to Ulphila's
theology, is a fabrication of the mortal mind's attempt to justify reality. However, certain aspects of Ulphila's
worship include an appreciation of aesthetic that implies the necessity of ethical behavior in social settings,
in order to maintain harmony among individuals. Not all of Ulphila's advocates adhere to this interpretation, however;
many insist that ethics are irrelevant to aesthetic, and that the individual's ability to live harmoniously with
his or her own nature and environment is more important that his or her ability to live with other individuals.
Ulphila does not require sacrifices from her priests per se; however, many of her ardent followers live in eremitic
conditions and depend on contributions, both material and monetary, from their worldly brothers and sisters in
order to survive.
Priests of Ulphila are often sought by laypersons for a variety of reasons. They are frequently asked to divine
the circumstances surrounding a person or event, whether as a fortuneteller or a counselor. Engineers consult them
to examine the integrity of designs. Because of their frequent proximity to places of education, they are sometimes
solicited for advice on scholarly matters; but personal ethics as well as arrangements with local university faculty
and administration (of whom the priests are frequently members) almost inevitably forbid them from helping students
cheat.
Hierarchical Organization:
Ulphila does not have a universal church.
There is no set system of rank or seniority within the church, though many priests of Ulphila hold degrees or titles
from other institutions. Mastery of logic, mathematics, and philosophy are respected and recognized informally
among the clergy, and publication of scientific treatises is one means of gaining recognition from church members.
There is no official ordination or promotional ceremony; those not worthy of becoming a priest of Ulphila are simply
never able to master the studies. Charlatans and failures are recognizable to true priests of Ulphila after an
exchange of only a few words.
Rites and liturgies vary over location, culture,
and time, but worship frequently includes meditation over mind-bending riddles and puzzles, and exercises to improve
and extend perception, observation, and logic. Also studied are philosophical and technical works by the masters.
These sorts of contemplations and ruminations are necessary to increase in mastery of Ulphila's concepts and the
perception and manipulation of reality, and priests must occasionally spend time at a Ulphilan chapel to increase
his or her abilities (a priest must have studied thus once in a level in order to advance to the next level).
Houses of worship range from the austere to the
wildly intricate. They are usually designed to invoke a sense of mathematical perfection, whether by exact angles
and proportions, or by apparently impossible architectural configurations. Due to the habits of most worshippers
of Ulphila, her churches are most often founded in university towns or as hermitages in remote wilderness settings.
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