Starfinder Galactic Magic

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733870 20733870 20733870 4431599 4431599 4431599 98 FAITHS gets along well with a worshipper of Weydan while looking askance at a worshipper of Damoritosh, whereas a Besmaran probably approves of a Caydenite’s (page 121) freewheeling ways and clashes with an Abadaran. Even so, these impressions are not decrees. While a deity might disapprove of their followers working with an enemy faith for too long, the galaxy’s diversity creates circumstances that unite unlikely allies. In some cases, small-scale partnerships between opposing faiths are even encouraged, with each side considering it an opportunity to reform the other. Meanwhile, the gods maintain a complex web of relationships too vast to fully enumerate, and like mortal relationships, these connections occasionally evolve over time. The most famous associations seem timeless, though. Pharasma and Urgathoa have an enmity dating back untold eons, and their followers contest one another at every opportunity. Talavet and Nyarlathotep maintain a feud just as bitter, as the Storyteller cannot abide how the Crawling Chaos makes a mockery of stories by twisting them into secrets. The goddesses Desna, Sarenrae, and Shelyn enjoyed a romance before the Gap, and although Shelyn’s role in the galaxy is less pronounced now, their worshippers believe that time hasn’t dimmed their mutual affection. While the deities endeavor to keep their feuds and alliances from spilling directly into the Material Plane for fear of overstepping the bounds of their influence over mortals, a worshipper typically tracks and mirrors their patron’s current enemies and allies. ORGANIZATION AND SACRED SITES Organization varies dramatically between religions, from highly structured institutions like AbadarCorp and the Church of Iomedae to faiths where priests largely operate individually without an established hierarchy like those of Besmara or many of the Eldest. As a general trend, more populous faiths tend to develop greater structure to better guide followers and manage resources. Those resources can be considerable, ranging from vast financial capital and manufacturing centers to academic expertise and political clout. Conversely, faiths of lesser-known deities or demigods might be common only in a particular locale or amongst those of a specific shared interest and might be less influential outside such areas. This doesn’t mean that deities themselves are less powerful than their widely worshipped counterparts, only that their worshippers are fewer or more scattered. A deity’s interests likewise shape their sacred sites. Often, these sites serve practical purposes, such as a theater or art museum dedicated to Shelyn, or a mortuary bearing ample artwork extolling Pharasma. Just as often, a sacred location preserves a historical event or miracle’s epicenter, drawing pilgrims throughout the galaxy. These places often empower the faithful’s magic, giving the impression that any prayers made there are more likely to reach and be heeded by the deity. As Drift travel connects far-flung societies, a side effect of pilgrimage is that religious scholars are learning so much more about their patrons, “discovering” places where each deity performed extraordinary acts or issued profound declarations unknown to huge swaths of the greater faith. CHARACTERS OF FAITH When playing a devout character, it helps to coordinate with your fellow players to predict and address potential conflicts. Playing a staunch Pharasmin might lead to difficulties if another PC’s character concept involves creating and controlling undead, for instance. Similarly, religious PCs might clash with followers of deities diametrically opposed to their patron’s interests, such as good versus evil or lawful versus chaotic deities. These clashes need not be violent; some players fervently enjoy roleplaying these conflicts, transforming a potentially violent situation into one where they constantly quip and try to outdo each other to prove a theological point. However, it’s important all parties understand and opt into these situations, as this intra-party conflict can spoil the fun for some. Likewise, a GM should consider how PCs’ faiths interact with their intended plotline. Is an obstacle or objective likely to challenge a PC’s religious tenets? Again, some players might relish this conflict between faith and pragmatism; in other situations, it could create a figurative logjam in your narrative. There’s no single answer— only what’s right for you and your group. Once you have a concept that works for you and your game, reviewing the lore about your deity and their church might spark backstory ideas. Why does your PC follow this deity? Is it the religion of their family or culture, or did they come to it later in life? If their deity has a formal church, are they a member (either as a lay follower or a priest), or do they take a more independent approach? What are the deity’s tenets that are most important to you? Are there tenets about which you’re less concerned or more flexible? Considering such questions can flesh out your PC’s motivations for choosing their faith and help you determine how they might act in various situations. Your PC isn’t obligated to always behave as a “typical” worshipper; while they likely follow their deity’s general edicts, religions are far from monolithic in their adherents’ opinions, personalities, and behaviors. Having a character whose demeanor doesn’t fit the stereotype of a particular faith can provide interesting interactions both with fellow PCs and NPCs. As a GM, consider similar questions when designing NPCs to tease out their motivations and relationship with their faith, creating a more believable, memorable, and engaging character for the PCs to interact with. Whether you’re running a published adventure or one of your own design, keep in mind the PCs’ affiliations and personalities when creating and portraying NPCs, for both parties could hold preconceptions about each other’s faiths that make their interaction far more lively, congenial, or dangerous. Don’t be afraid to switch up material if you predict the interaction wouldn’t go well. Perhaps you know your PCs would never agree to work with an Asmodean but might cooperate with an Urgathoan, or perhaps changing an adventure’s Hylaxian to a Talavite makes them a fellow follower of a PC’s faith, providing a better hook for that character. The role of faith in the universe takes many forms—perhaps as many forms as there are faithful. With countless religions and beliefs throughout the galaxy, there’s no shortage of faithinfluenced characters, encounters, and adventures to enliven your games! paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733870 20733870 20733870 4431599 4431599 4431599

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733871 20733871 20733871 4431600 4431600 4431600 99 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 4 DIVINE VARIANTS Worshipping a deity often brings spiritual fulfillment and support from a like-minded community. In general, though, a PC’s faith doesn’t impact their abilities directly. For each of the 20 deities featured in the Core Rulebook, the following pages contain not only additional information about the deity’s interests, typical worshippers, sacred sites, and resources their faiths might be able to offer, but they also present several options that can influence a PC’s abilities directly, as well as several ways a deity might express their approval or displeasure, at the GM’s direction. Theme Knowledge: In Starfinder, most themes reduce the DC of checks by 5 to recall knowledge about a particular subject, such as an outlaw’s knowledge about the criminal underworld (Core Rulebook 33). When picking your theme, you can choose to replace your theme’s special knowledge with the special theme knowledge associated with your deity. Your theme’s 1stlevel theme knowledge ability still grants you its other abilities, such as its class skill and the bonus to an ability. Favored Weapon: Most deities have traditional weapons: weapons the deity personally wields or armaments commonly carried by the faith. Each favored weapon refers to a specific type of advanced melee weapon, longarm, heavy weapon, sniper weapon, or special weapon (such as longswords or laser rifles), and you gain the benefits for all models of that weapon. Rarely, a deity has multiple favored weapons to provide viable options across a wide range of item levels. Edicts: Deities expect their followers to regularly take particular actions and promote certain causes, represented by their listed edicts. These are not exhaustive lists, nor are they absolute mandates; edicts are often worded in an open-ended way that encourages worshippers to interpret and apply these expectations based on their current circumstances. Anathema: Certain actions so violate a deity’s goals, teachings, or style that they elicit the god’s displeasure. Minor infractions might earn admonishment from the faithful or divine agents, whereas severe or recurring infractions might see the violator expelled from the faith altogether, or worse. Blessings: Deities rarely intervene in mortal affairs directly and dramatically, but they periodically convey favor through small miracles. This entry lists ways a deity might express approval (such as through sensory phenomena) as well as more substantive ways they might aid mortals. While worshippers are the most frequent recipients of these blessings, anyone contributing or important to the faith’s goals might receive the deity’s favor. The GM ultimately determines who earns blessings, when they occur, and what in-game effect they have. Curses: This entry lists open-ended ways that a deity might inflict suffering, especially upon treacherous members of their faith, those who blaspheme the deity, and those who desecrate their sacred sites. As with blessings, the GM determines when these curses happen and what effect they have—anything from momentary inconvenience to an affliction that serves as a lasting adventure hook, depending on the offense’s severity. NEW FEAT: DIVINE WEAPON Prerequisites: Worship a deity of an alignment within one step of your own alignment (Core Rulebook 25). Benefit: You gain proficiency with all models of your deity’s favored weapon, such as all longswords (standard, sintered, microserrated, and so forth). If you are 3rd level or higher, you also gain Weapon Specialization as a bonus feat for your deity’s favored weapon. If you are 10th level or higher, when you score a critical hit with your deity’s favored weapon, you increase the DC to resist that weapon’s critical hit effect by 2; this does not stack with the Improved Critical feat. Special: If you change which deity you worship, this feat gives you no benefit until you next gain a character level. You then receive the benefit appropriate for the deity you now worship if your alignment is within one step of that deity’s. DIVINE VARIANTS paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733871 20733871 20733871 4431600 4431600 4431600

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733872 20733872 20733872 4431601 4431601 4431601 ABADAR 100 FAITHS Master of the First Vault LN god of civilization, commerce, law, and wealth Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Culture or Profession checks to recall knowledge about laws and trade by 5. Favored Weapon Crossbolter (Core Rulebook 185) Edicts Bring civilization to all worlds, earn wealth through hard work and trade, follow the rule of law Anathema Engage in banditry or piracy, steal, undermine a law-abiding court Blessings You see past even cunning lies. Your business ventures work out in the end. You can find compromise in any situation. Curses You suffer financial hardship. Your business ventures fail. You lose the ability to make good deals. If you commit a crime, you leave behind damning evidence. Countless worlds across the galaxy flourish with the civilizations of sapient species, interconnected through a vast network of interstellar trade. But there are also innumerable planets that have not been graced with the light of culture and progress, whose poverty and isolation have prevented them from integrating with and enjoying the fruits of galactic society at large. It is these worlds that capture the attention of Abadar, who knows that it is only a matter of time before civilization, commerce, and the rule of law spread throughout the entire galaxy, and he instructs his faithful to work tirelessly to that end. WORSHIPPERS Abadar attracts followers from all walks of life: wealthy aristocrats, independent traders, hard-working corporate agents, lawyers, security officers, and the working poor—all of whom endeavor to gain Abadar’s blessing and improve their respective stations. Many explorers and prospective colonists also venerate the Master of the First Vault, viewing themselves as the vanguard of the faith’s efforts to bring civilization and order to the galaxy. The church of Abadar, better known as AbadarCorp, the wealthiest and most prominent corporation in the Pact Worlds, organizes itself as a business, and its corporate executives and managers are the church’s priests. The dual nature of AbadarCorp does create challenges for the faithful, who must navigate the sometimes conflicting goals of dogma and profit. This occasionally results in corrupt practices in far-flung branches of the business, something the higher echelons of the church do not tolerate. Management runs regular internal audits to ferret out such corruption, but the size and scope of AbadarCorp means that some instances of graft are inevitably overlooked. Technically, Abadarans aren’t obliged to join or even directly support AbadarCorp. The church respects the many independent entrepreneurs of faith, many of whose endeavors honor the Master of the First Vault by driving industry, growing wealth, and even (though rarely) competing with AbadarCorp itself to drive corporate innovation. SACRED SITES Business is sacred to Abadar, so all of AbadarCorp’s offices and buildings are considered temples, and many even host sanctifying magic. From the corner store down the street to the automated bank kiosk in the food court, if it bears the AbadarCorp logo, it is a temple or shrine to the Master of the First Vault. As a result, the tenets of Abadar’s faith have spread to the far corners of the galaxy on the back of AbadarCorp’s expansion into new markets. The faith’s most holy site in the Pact Worlds is the Golden Vault, AbadarCorp’s corporate headquarters and banking cathedral on Absalom Station. In recent decades, AbadarCorp has expanded into the Veskarium and started scouting for a new regional headquarters on Vesk Prime. This has created some conflicts, as many local companies are not happy to see a new rival of AbadarCorp’s size and influence on the scene, so threats of corporate espionage and sabotage are increasing. RESOURCES As literally the richest corporation in the Pact Worlds, AbadarCorp has the resources to move planets and change lives. Agents of the faith have access to the vast array of AbadarCorp products available in company stores throughout the civilized galaxy, from armor to weapons to consumer goods. With the right words and the promise of a future contract or deal, AbadarCorp can convince governments and rival corporations to give its agents special access to restricted locations and information, provided that such access breaks no current laws. While few of the faithful have the influence to call upon the full might of the corporate faith, AbadarCorp still provides a wealth of services to worshippers. Basic banking, accounting services, and legal advice are free to all members of the faith, while other amenities are available for modest fees, such as financial and investment advice, insurance, legal representation, shipping, transport, colonial sponsorship, and many more. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733872 20733872 20733872 4431601 4431601 4431601

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733873 20733873 20733873 4431602 4431602 4431602 BESMARA 101 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 4 CORE DEITIES The Pirate Queen CN goddess of piracy, space monsters, and strife Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Culture checks to recall knowledge about infamous pirates, smugglers, and other starfaring outlaws by 5. Favored Weapon Breaching gun (Armory 43) Edicts Traverse the stars, stay loyal to a worthy captain and crew, take what you want Anathema Betray shipmates, forsake piracy, settle on a planet Blessings Easy, profitable targets fall into your path. Your starship travels supernaturally quickly. Agents of the law become lost amongst the stars when looking for you. Curses Your targets elude you. Your starship is attacked by spacefaring monsters. Those aboard your vessel are beset with ill luck. Revered since ancient times on lost Golarion, Besmara has advanced both her fortunes and her power since the Gap. Her ship, the Starwraith, is crewed by immortal pirates personally chosen by her from worlds throughout the Great Beyond. Besmara cares not for good or evil—only for plunder and the thrill of the conquest. Still, she follows her own code of honor and disapproves of wanton violence with no profit to be gained. WORSHIPPERS The majority of Besmara’s worshippers are pirates or others who operate outside the law while journeying between the stars; for many, their faith runs no deeper than imploring her for good fortune or tossing a small share of plunder out the airlock in dedication. Many vesk worship Besmara in her aspect as a goddess of strife, though her freewheeling nature sometimes conflicts with the strict discipline of vesk society. Besmara’s followers have a dualistic relationship with spacefaring monsters: defeating a space monster can bring a daring captain glory, but winning one as an ally brings more glory still. Besmara’s faith lacks any central organization, with individual priests and lay faithful worshipping as they like. Most prefer to venerate her through piratical deeds rather than prayer alone. The most devout believe that great feats of piracy or unwavering loyalty to Besmara might be rewarded with a berth on the Starwraith as a member of its immortal crew, the highest honor a worshipper can hope for. SACRED SITES Besmara has few formal temples. On Broken Rock in the Diaspora, a hollowed-out derelict starship serves as the closest thing Besmara has to a central temple. Pilgrims also visit the Gloaming Wrack, a starship graveyard in the Vast’s Hydra Nebula, where a coalition of four pirate fleets successfully pillaged the Azlanti Star Empire’s riches at great cost several decades ago. More commonly Besmaran shrines are tucked away in cities and spaceports, and on remote asteroids. Many pirate starships also keep altars on their bridges, the better to beseech the goddess for aid in the thick of battle. RESOURCES Besmara’s faithful can supply credits, weapons, cutting-edge starship technology, and information about rich targets for plunder. The majority of Besmara’s worshippers have excellent connections with arms dealers and fences across the galaxy, can smuggle illicit goods, or put one in contact with those who can. Many of the faith are skilled at tinkering with starships and can offer modifications of their own invention, especially starship armor, weapons, and ship-boarding technologies. Though hardly altruistic, Besmarans are loyal to those with whom they’ve sailed, and those with a good reputation amongst their compatriots can be assured of finding aid when they need it. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733873 20733873 20733873 4431602 4431602 4431602

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733874 20733874 20733874 4431603 4431603 4431603 DAMORITOSH 102 FAITHS The Conqueror LE god of conquest, duty, and war Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Culture checks to recall knowledge about the conquests, wars, and history of the Veskarium by 5. Favored Weapon Doshko (Core Rulebook 187) Edicts Seek victory, subjugate your enemies, obey lawful orders from your superiors Anathema Choose diplomacy over war, abandon your duty, reject honorable surrender Blessings A weapon appears in your hand when needed. Your enemies flee or cower before you. You fight on past death. Curses Your weapon breaks. Your strength in combat fails. Your resolve wavers when you face a new or unknown foe. Damoritosh teaches that it is the duty of those with strength to conquer weaker beings. This philosophy underpins the entire Veskarium, and conquest in the name of Damoritosh has been the driving force in vesk society since before the Gap. Despite such harsh teachings, the Conqueror accepts defeated foes’ surrender. An empire is nothing without subjects, and harming those whom you have already vanquished is wasteful and counterproductive to successful conquest. WORSHIPPERS Damoritosh’s faith is widespread throughout the Veskarium, where it’s the duty of all citizens to lend their strength and support to the empire’s victories. The Conqueror’s followers are usually strong, but some of his most zealous disciples are those who overcame weakness to gain his blessings. It is not uncommon for conquered subjects who prove their worth to be welcomed into faith. Beyond the Veskarium, Damoritosh is popular among soldiers, mercenaries, and warlords. SACRED SITES Temples to Damoritosh are often erected in locations strategically significant to past, current, and future battles. These are strategic, fortified outposts usually modeled on the Great Hall of the Conqueror on Vesk Prime. Larger facilities host highly sophisticated research and development labs focused on new military ordnance. Temples are often adapted to existing infrastructure. “The Barracks” in Absalom Station’s Vesk Quarter occupies two former warehouse spaces, but its interior is almost indistinguishable from any temple found on Vesk Prime. On the edge of Veskarium space, the Tomb of the War Heroes was built inside a defeated Swarm starship, serving as a shrine to the Grim Commander and a monument to the first vesk victory of the Swarm War. RESOURCES The faith commands nearly limitless military resources, and it periodically loans out weapons and even military vehicles in exchange for strategic favors. The Conqueror’s temples are home to vast libraries overflowing with strategic information. Priests of Damoritosh are highly knowledgeable not only about combat tactics and warfare, but also on subjects such as culture, governance, and economics to aid in the assimilation of conquered societies. The faith supplies of the galaxy’s most elite tacticians, and the Grim Commander’s disciples are often willing to lend their strategic prowess to their fellows, especially those who show potential to be strong allies. That being said, asking for too much assistance is a sign of weakness that does not go unnoticed. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733874 20733874 20733874 4431603 4431603 4431603

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733875 20733875 20733875 4431604 4431604 4431604 DESNA 103 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 4 CORE DEITIES Song of the Spheres CG goddess of dreams, luck, stars, and travelers Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Mysticism and Physical Science checks to recall knowledge about dreams and astronomy by 5. Favored Weapon Starknife (Core Rulebook 190) Edicts Aid fellow travelers, explore new worlds, express yourself through art and song, find what life has to offer Anathema Cause fear or despair, use magic to corrupt dreams, engage in bigoted behavior, damage or fully plunder a dream station Blessings Recover from afflictions swiftly through a single night’s sleep. Poor fortune suddenly shifts to good luck. Luminescent butterfly wings allow flight and survival in outer space. Curses Long-distance travel is delayed or dangerous, and you often lose your way. Fortune and good luck twist and warp into unlikely and awful ill events. Starlight sickens you and saps your vitality. Sleep is dreamless and not restful. Desna remembers ancient ages that predate the stars, yet she doesn’t pine for the old days. To her, the Material Plane’s beauty grows every day, and if a universe can continue to delight the goddess of travelers even today, then something must have gone right during creation. Carefree and instinctive, Desna encourages self-reliance and a sense of wonder, knowing that luck comes not to those who seek it out, but to those who take chances and experience all that life has to offer. WORSHIPPERS Desna’s faithful often refer to her less as a goddess to worship and more as an example to follow—be it a literal sense of using her sacred star Cynosure as a traditional navigational aid, or a more metaphorical one in the sense of simply reveling in the wonder of what the next night’s dreams or next day’s journey might reveal. Desnans also expand their social circles and challenge established traditions, believing that you can never know if another person’s ideals are better unless you’ve tried them on yourself (so long as doing so doesn’t promoted wickedness). They do their best not to promote acts of cruelty, yet to choose a safe option for fear that something ill might come of the attempt is self-limiting. As long as one is prepared to accept and apologize for one’s mistakes, and then work to correct them, there is always an opportunity for self-discovery. Of course, a little luck always helps, and Desna’s followers are well-known for putting more trust in chance than others might find wise. SACRED SITES While Desna’s church has few major temples, smaller shrines to the Song of the Spheres are prevalent throughout the galaxy. The star Cynosure, the ostensible location of Desna’s palace, is arguably her most famous site on the Material Plane, and travel to Desna’s realm of the same name on Elysium is swift and simple in close proximity to the star. The bubble-city of Scintillatrix (Pact Worlds 16) in the Burning Archipelago is a popular pilgrimage destination for Desna’s faithful, and its location within the Pact Worlds’ sun leads to lively but friendly debate between the churches of Desna and Sarenrae over the differences between stars and suns. RESOURCES Worshippers of Desna commonly seed solar systems and deep space alike with what they call “dream stations”—automated starships outfitted with supplies and resources for travelers, including safe places to rest, and stores of entertainment and nourishment. These vessels send magical signals that ping the dreams of slumbering travelers who are chaotic or good, allowing them to seek them out and open their airlocks with nondenominational prayers of respect, and promises to use only what they need and to leave behind gear they believe will aid the station’s next visitors. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733875 20733875 20733875 4431604 4431604 4431604

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733876 20733876 20733876 4431605 4431605 4431605 THE DEVOURER 104 FAITHS The Star-Eater Chaotic evil god of black holes, destruction, and supernovas Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Culture or Mysticism checks to recall knowledge about the Cult of the Devourer, including its belief system, local presence and members, and how to contact the cult by 5. Favored Weapon Disintegration lash (Armory 36) Edicts Engage in acts of destruction, kill sentient beings, tear down civilizations Anathema Repair an object that won’t inflict greater destruction; create new technology, magic, or life without a destructive purpose Blessings Plants wither and small objects crumble at your touch. You are overcome with the urge to slaughter and destroy. Nothingness fills your dreams. Curses Your equipment breaks and technology malfunctions. Thoughts and memories are ripped from your mind as if pulled by the gravity of a black hole. In the beginning, there was nothing, and so shall it be at the end. The Devourer, though formless, is a primal force that relentlessly marches forward to complete the cycle and completely unmake all existence. It leaves nothing in its wake, not even disparity, and those who open themselves to the Devourer’s uncaring philosophy—if the utter lack of any doctrine can be called philosophy—are consumed until all that remains is the empty shell of who they once were. The Star-Eater cares nothing for those who call themselves its followers, for their existence is meaningless and the destruction they indulge in is nearly insignificant on a universal scale. The Devourer is the malevolent personification of entropy itself, indifferent to all but the most destructive of forces. WORSHIPPERS The Devourer has no organized church; scattered cults seek to hasten the eradication of existence in their own ways. Devourer cultists usually join a “choir,” one of two traditions that matches their own beliefs and methods. Those hailing from the far fringes of society often join the wall-breaker choir, seeking destruction for destruction’s sake. Others are everyday citizens who suffered trauma so great that only the end of all existence can quell their minds. Members of the hidden one choir scheme from the shadows. The berserk cannibal is easy to spot, but who notices the computer technician who implants data-devouring worms into every system they access, or the antiques collector whose garbage is sprinkled with the shattered fragments of one-of-a-kind ancient art objects and prototype technologies? The cult has no organized priesthood either, but older, experienced cultists called “longteeth” guide cult cells and provide some leadership to young cultists until they inevitably meet their own destruction. SACRED SITES The Cult of the Devourer is outlawed on nearly every developed world, but a handful of shrines have risen on remote asteroids and cold, lifeless moons, far from prying eyes. The Devourer’s few temples are secret and elusive—they must be to avoid obliteration at the hands of nonbelievers—but are also erected in areas destined for self-destruction, such as on a planetoid orbiting a star that will soon go supernova or in an abandoned space habitat in a decaying orbit that will eventually burn up during reentry. Some Devourer cults take their mission of destruction to the stars instead, joining to form armadas of salvaged, jury-rigged starships that prey upon any other vessels or inhabited colonies they come across. While pirates and raiders can often be reasoned with or bought off, these starfaring Devourer cults have no goals beyond slaughtering all living beings they find and destroying anything of value. RESOURCES The Cult of the Devourer has no central authority or organization, but its cells are scattered throughout the galaxy. They maintain a loosely connected network through secret meetings and hidden messages whispered in the right auditory organs. Devourer cultists can tap into this network for aid, including access to all manner of destructive devices, from disintegrators and explosives to computer viruses and dangerous, unstable magics. Local Devourer cult cells also can provide zealous followers with information on good targets for mayhem and destruction. Aid rarely comes from the Devourer itself, but its disciples faithfully revel in accelerating the destruction of the universe. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733876 20733876 20733876 4431605 4431605 4431605

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733877 20733877 20733877 4431606 4431606 4431606 ELORITU 105 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 4 CORE DEITIES The Hidden Truth Neutral god of history, magic, and secrets Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Mysticism checks to recall knowledge of magic secrets and traditions by 5. Favored Weapon Singing spear (Armory 51) Edicts Uncover secrets and hidden knowledge, preserve history, master the magical arts Anathema Reveal important secrets, wantonly destroy historical or magical relics, embrace technology over magic Blessings Hidden patterns are revealed. You feel the course of history behind you. Magic comes more naturally to you. Curses You are unable to keep a secret. Your deeds are erased from history. You lose the ability to use magic. Eloritu in an ancient deity whose faith predates the Gap, and he’s commonly considered the one being who knows what caused the Gap and what happened during that lost age. Eloritu teaches that some knowledge should be kept hidden, and that while science and technology have their uses, only magic can supersede the laws of physics. WORSHIPPERS Eloritu attracts many spellcasters’ devotion, but they are not his only followers. Historians, researchers, members of the Starfinder Society, and scholars of the Gap also come to the Hidden Truth, hoping to understand the past through revelation. The church is split into many independent circles, each with its own specific focus, be that a mystery, a magical tradition, an academic interest, or even the meaning behind Eloritu’s six sacred runes. Each circle maintains complex initiation rites and elaborate layers of secrecy that the faithful must decipher to gain access to the church’s more esoteric and magical secrets. This secrecy also manifests in countless secret societies and mystery cults, some of which drift far from the church’s accepted dogma, like the secret society called the Open Lie. Considered heretics by most, adherents of the Open Lie believe that Eloritu ended history with the Gap, and that everything since then has been a simulation—the real “hidden truth” behind existence. Only once one accepts this secret as truth can they see and enter “the Real World” outside the simulation. SACRED SITES Eloritu’s few public temples serve as libraries, museums, and sometimes schools, but secret temples are much more common. The faithful conceal these sites of worship within magical academies and research institutes, often unbeknownst to uninitiated staff. One such clandestine temple is the starship Lost Message, which secretly travels the Veskarium while researching the ancient and mysterious ruins of Vesk-2, where one of the runes in Eloritu’s holy symbol was discovered. In the Pact Worlds, the miles-wide Master’s Maze on Aucturn is a monumental prayer carved into the planet’s  surface. Some  believe that the maze has only a single solution, and whoever successfully solves it will achieve divine enlightenment. The exact nature of Eloritu’s purported place of origin, Gemmenad, has long been one of the faith’s most enduring mysteries. Conflicting scriptures variously name it as a planet, a star system, or even an extraplanar realm, but current church doctrine states that Gemmenad’s secrets will be revealed once all six of Eloritu’s holy runes are identified and understood. RESOURCES The church carefully conceals its full resources, but it is known to possess numerous pre-Gap relics, including magic items and historical texts. Individual Elorituans or their circles can provide aid in the form of research assistance, spellcasting, and the lending or sale of magic items, but one must first find a circle that has the needed resources, make contact with them, and then somehow earn their trust or undergo their initiation rites before the circle will offer their help. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733877 20733877 20733877 4431606 4431606 4431606

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733878 20733878 20733878 4431607 4431607 4431607 HYLAX 106 FAITHS The Forever Queen LG goddess of diplomacy, first contact, friendship, and peace Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DCs of Culture checks to recall knowledge about sapient species and races you haven’t encountered before by 5. Favored Weapon Talon (Armory 54) Edicts Seek out relationships and build bonds with others, facilitate peaceful dialogue and exchange, welcome sapient creatures into the galactic community Anathema Instigate a conflict, turn your back on a friend or ally, engage in hostilities without first attempting a peaceful solution Blessings Your negotiations are triumphantly successful. Someone who doesn’t speak your language nevertheless understands you mean no harm. Three glowing stars appear over your head. A pleasant and soothing humming sound surrounds you. Curses Your eloquent words land flat. You are constantly irritable. A sound like pincers on graphite follows you. A deity of peace, amity, and dialogue, Hylax was the immortal god-queen of the insectile kucharn species, who forsook her worship to remake themselves into the collective hive mind now called the Swarm. Though her children abandoned her, she did not disown them, and when the shirrens broke away from the Swarm, the Forever Queen was waiting to embrace them again. As the galaxy has become more connected, and its myriad inhabitants explore and expand, Hylax’s ideals are increasingly important. Whenever two species settle their differences without violence, a new species learns that it isn’t alone in the universe, or two old friends reunite, the spirit of Hylax is there. WORSHIPPERS The Forever Queen is an insectile goddess, beloved by many sapient hive creatures such as shirrens, formians, haans, and trox, but her faith has spread to many other species thanks to her teachings on peace, diplomacy, and first contact. A surprising number of vesk who immigrated to the Pact Worlds or elsewhere outside the Veskarium have converted to Hylax’s faith, perhaps because it’s so opposite to the aggressive dogma of Damoritosh upon which they were raised. Hylax teaches that worshippers should come to the faith of their own free will, not through coercion. Even when the kucharns left her worship and became the Swarm, Hylax believed that they should be able to make their own decisions, and while she wept for them, she did not try to stop them. This is critical for those Hylaxians who specialize in first contact to keep in mind, where the altruistic endeavor of welcoming creatures to the galactic community could all too easily shift to high-pressure missionary preaching to vulnerable creatures. SACRED SITES The Forever Halls on the moon of Nchak are considered the center of Hylax’s church in the Pact Worlds, but hive-like Hylaxian temples are common in most major population centers. These temples usually contain numerous meeting rooms, available for free to members of the faith but also offered as neutral spaces where disagreeing parties can negotiate, with Hylaxian priests available to serve as trained mediators. One of the church’s most sacred sites is the Forever Reliquary, a shrine built on a comet where, according to legend, Hylax welcomed the shirrens back into her worship after their escape from the Swarm. Some galaxy-traveling Hylaxians have established shrines containing Hylax’s teachings in far-flung locations in the Vast, providing reassurance, assistance, and friendship to any newly spacefaring species who stumble upon them. These shrines include beacons that can be activated to alert the church of Hylax that a new species is ready to join the galactic community. RESOURCES Many of Hylax’s faithful are travelers, so Hylaxian communities, churches, and individual worshippers frequently offer to host traveling guests. If their mission aligns with the church’s principles of peace, diplomacy, and first contact, adventurers can count on Hylaxian churches for a wide variety of help, including supplies for a long journey, libraries or infosphere access to research extraterrestrial species and their customs, or personal introductions to notable Hylaxians or their associates. Given Hylaxians’ conciliatory reputation, the faith also hires out negotiators to help diffuse crises or arbitrate truces. A few wealthy Hylaxians occasionally provide starships for the most noble endeavors, such as an attempt to bring peace to the far reaches of the galaxy, but such aid is usually reserved for the truly devout or for exceptional allies of the church on missions that strongly align with Hylax’s interests. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733878 20733878 20733878 4431607 4431607 4431607

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733879 20733879 20733879 4431608 4431608 4431608 IBRA Universities often include Ibran sanctuaries where students can seek a quiet escape from everyday bustle. Likewise, it’s a common superstition for academies to hide at least one inscription of Ibra’s sacred constellation in each major building, with academics priding themselves on locating each iteration. RESOURCES Priests don’t petition the church so much as appeal to colleagues for assistance, often paying with research favors, guest lecturing, or the like. Ibrans often collect esoteric knowledge, including unpublished theories, data sets, and scientific instruments unavailable elsewhere. Ibrans often borrow gear from peers, especially analytical equipment and perception aids. Likewise, the Inscrutable’s followers regularly hire themselves out as exceptional starship science officers, especially for perilous missions into unexplored regions of space. 107 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 4 CORE DEITIES The Inscrutable N god of celestial bodies, the cosmos, and the mysteries of the universe Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DCs of Physical Science checks to recall knowledge of astronomy by 5. Favored Weapon Plasma rifle (Core Rulebook 185) Edicts Solve cosmological mysteries, inspire wonder in the unknown, delight in silence Anathema Grant easy answers to able minds, undermine confidence in science Blessings Disparate clues connect themselves like stars in a constellation. Projectiles are deflected, orbiting you like tiny moons before spinning away. Supernatural silence shelters you from ambient chaos. Curses Calculations and instruments return incoherent or misleading results. Haunting distractions interrupt your studies. Trips into the unknown consistently return you to where you started. It’s unclear whether Ibra is an ascended being or a divine manifestation of the universe’s manifold forces. Signs of Ibra’s pre-Gap worship hint at a physical form like some alien angel, suggesting apocryphally that Ibra is not the original cosmological deity, but perhaps the most recent one. Whatever their history, Ibra oversees the cosmos, quietly guiding and inspiring those who crave their secrets. WORSHIPPERS Ibra’s most fervent worshippers are astrophysicists and interstellar explorers. The mysticism underlying solarian arts attracts many of these warriors, who syllogize Ibra’s mysteries to unlock their powers. Yet the vast emptiness and unknowability of space attracts its share of conspiracy theorists who prod at reality’s corners, hoping to unravel some greater truth. At face value, Ibra offers little to worshippers: no pageantry, only occasional magic, and precious little camaraderie. Instead, worship is a personal affair, with the faithful sensing Ibra’s presence between mathematical symbols, feeling it alongside them as they gaze together into the stars, or acting as a silent interlocutor and companion on long journeys. Priests inspire future scientists through lectures, tours, and high-budget documentaries to ensure that the cosmos remains a source of beauty and wonder forever. SACRED SITES Temples to Ibra typically drift on asteroids, space stations, and other platforms that provide views of the cosmos unimpeded by atmosphere. Each temple includes an observatory of some form, yet some sites—including the Six Stargazers, an impossibly old Ibran temple on the Brethedan moon of Chamari—instead possess an inexplicable sense of focus, allowing unparalleled revelations to pilgrims. Other temples occupy immense exploration vessels, skimming in and out of the Drift to study the galaxy from every angle and provide refuge to even far-flung faithful. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733879 20733879 20733879 4431608 4431608 4431608

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733880 20733880 20733880 4431609 4431609 4431609 IOMEDAE 108 FAITHS The Spirit of Golarion LG goddess of honorable battle, humanity, justice, and valor Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Culture and Mysticism checks to recall knowledge about the history and religions of lost Golarion by 5. Favored Weapon Longsword (Core Rulebook 189) Edicts Be temperate, fight for justice and honor, hold valor in your heart Anathema Abandon a companion in need, dishonor yourself, refuse a challenge from an equal Blessings The ring of clashing blades fills the air. Armor and weapons repel dirt and shine as if new. Blades become honed and sharp, even gaining temporary weapon fusions. Curses Your gear is always tarnished and dirty no matter how often you clean it. Effective battlefield tactics elude you. You fumble your weapons at crucial moments. Once a mortal human on Golarion, Iomedae became a goddess ages ago through the power of the mystical Starstone that now lies at the heart of Absalom Station. With Golarion’s disappearance, many displaced humans turned to Iomedae for solace and protection because of her connection to their vanished home world, and the Spirit of Golarion became the patron goddess of humanity in addition to her other divine concerns. Iomedae is fearless, fights honorably against injustice and evil, and expects the same bravery and righteousness from her faithful. WORSHIPPERS Iomedae welcomes any and all willing to live by her creed. Her most ardent devotees are often soldiers, law enforcement, or freedom fighters who are brave enough to put their lives on the line for justice. Unsurprisingly, crusaders and knights flock to Iomedae’s church as well. The Knights of Golarion are perhaps the most well-known of these crusading orders, and though their members are not required to worship Iomedae, the tenets of her faith are woven throughout the creed of the knightly order. This isn’t to say that all of Iomedae’s faithful can be found on literal battlefields; many do the goddess’s work by providing social services, working to pass just laws, and fighting oppression through activism and legal challenges. In the Veskarium, Iomedae’s emphasis on honorable battle and bravery attracts many vesk worshippers, but there are frequent ideological clashes between her faithful and those of Damoritosh, who are more focused on conquest and war for its own sake. Nevertheless, a small but growing faction in the Veskarium has embraced Iomedae’s philosophy of fighting oppression and works to change their own society from within. SACRED SITES Iomedae’s temples usually have the appearance of traditional cathedrals and churches once common on Golarion. The best example of this style is the Swordlight Cathedral on Absalom Station, which is widely considered the spiritual center of Iomedae’s faith, given its proximity to the Starstone and its location in Golarion’s former orbital path. The mighty cathedralships of the Iomedaean navy also serve as temples to the Spirit of Golarion, spreading her faith across the galaxy. Iomedae’s faith is also popular among members of the Skyfire Legion, whose prospective Skyfire Legionnaires regularly train at the Inheritor’s Academy on Triaxus to learn chivalry, military strategy, and combat tactics. On Akiton, Iomedae is celebrated in the Circle of Valor, an arena where combatants fight honorably and abide by strict rules. The arena is also the base for a movement pushing to reform Akiton’s gladiatorial traditions. Iomedae’s primary center of worship in the Veskarium is Blades’ Bastion on Vesk Prime, where statues depict Iomedae as a powerful vesk warrior. RESOURCES Iomedaeans in good standing can request equipment, healing, and armed escorts, especially those with the knowledge and armaments to battle fiends. This goes both ways, however, as combat-trained worshippers are expected to answer the call if the church has need of their services. Not all Iomedaeans fight injustice with swords— some do so with words. Those fighting oppression can plead their cases to church-sanctioned lawyers who will fight for justice in the courts. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733880 20733880 20733880 4431609 4431609 4431609

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733881 20733881 20733881 4431610 4431610 4431610 LAO SHU PO 109 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 4 CORE DEITIES Grandmother Rat NE goddess of assassins, rats, spies, and thieves Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DCs of Culture checks to recall knowledge about espionage and the criminal underworld by 5. Favored Weapon Ice needle (Armory 35) Edicts Take what you need or want, subvert and sabotage your enemies, betray others before they betray you, survive Anathema Work honestly for something you could steal instead, risk too much for another creature, harm a rat Blessings Darkness obscures your deeds. Your lies sound like truth. Your thefts go unnoticed. Your target never sees you. Curses Rats infest your home. Thieves steal your possessions. Enemies and rivals easily find you. Your killing shot misses. A simple rat who became divine after feasting on a dead god’s corpse, Lao Shu Po became the patron of those who work in the shadows. Her name is a whisper on the lips of traitors, spies, murderers, and the covetous alike. She is the darkest aspect of survival at all costs. WORSHIPPERS While ysoki make up a majority of her followers, most see Lao Shu Po as a force to be appeased or avoided rather than embraced. Those ysoki who do venerate Grandmother Rat consider themselves her humble “grandchildren.” Worshippers can be generally categorized into two groups, colloquially known as shadows and showboaters. Shadows tend to live off the grid, prizing their secrecy above all else. Often operating through aliases, shadows work together in short-lived cells only when they share mutual goals. Showboaters are less subtle, operating within (or at the head of) more permanent organizations like assassin guilds, mercenary groups, or urban gangs. These two broad approaches both serve the faith, with shadows ensuring that Laoite cults are difficult to completely snuff out while showboaters cultivate the reach to draw a steady stream of new recruits to the faith. SACRED SITES What few temples Lao Shu Po’s faithful maintain are small and unassuming, often secreted away in places like maintenance tunnels or the concealed cargo hold in a smuggler’s prized starship. Some shrines are hidden in plain sight, with respectable businesses and shady pleasure dens alike offering places to worship for those who know what to say, and to whom. According to urban legend, these temples store untold ill-gotten riches, and Laoites often spread such rumors to attract hapless treasurehunters into traps. Of course, such horrors may simply be tall tales spread by the faith itself to lead would-be looters away from their real hideouts. More often, these sites offer intoxicants or weave magic to impair victims for theft, as happens with Absalom Station’s Coven of Eyeless Watchers. RESOURCES Loosely organized and self-interested, Laoites rarely offer services to outsiders or even fellow members of the faith without some compensation. With proper payment, however, the church can easily arrange a variety of criminal services, from burglary to espionage to murder-for-hire. The faith also maintains a thriving information economy, exchanging data about individuals and places of interest around the Pact Worlds and beyond. Although these secrets are for sale to almost anyone, Laoites enjoy first dibs on choice intelligence, as well as access to information too valuable to share with outsiders. Some Laoites who can see the broader picture occasionally offer aid to other members within the cult at no cost, reasoning that those with the right information and equipment are far less likely to make mistakes that could draw the wrong kind of attention to their operations—though payment for these “free” resources always comes due eventually. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733881 20733881 20733881 4431610 4431610 4431610

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733882 20733882 20733882 4431611 4431611 4431611 NYARLATHOTEP 110 FAITHS The Crawling Chaos CE Outer God of conspiracies, dangerous secrets, and forbidden magic Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Mysticism or Culture checks to recall knowledge of dangerous magic items or conspiracy theories by 5. Favored Weapon Void staff (Armory 36) Edicts Sow discord, influence civilizations toward unintentional destruction, misuse positions of authority to steer events toward apocalyptic ends, encourage magic or technology use by those who aren’t ready to deal with the repercussions Anathema None (see below) Blessings Strangers who secretly support your goals offer you aid. Your appearance alters to disguise you to aid your sinister missions. Inspirations for cruel magical powers or devastating technological advances manifest in your mind. Curses A reliable device backfires dangerously when you attempt to use it. Your deepest secrets become public knowledge. Your dreams are haunted by chaos that warps your mind and devastates your cognitive ability. Nyarlathotep manipulates the growth of civilizations, only to revel in their eventual fall. With one hand, he gives the gift of knowledge and power; with another, he manipulates mortal desires; with yet another and another, he shifts reality so that the best-intentioned plans cause pain and end worlds. WORSHIPPERS Nyarlathotep is a being of countless forms, each with its own distinct cult. Nyarlathotep’s faithful appear in all cultures, yet certain societies and creatures worship him more openly, such as griothsAA4, mi-goAA2, and shantaksAA2, or moon beasts, whose infiltrating presence has yet to be seen in the Pact Worlds. In worshipping Nyarlathotep, any practices that fulfill his edicts are considered acceptable. While Nyarlathotep uses his worshippers to advance his sinister agendas, he doesn’t particularly care for his followers. As such, his faith has no anathemas, though those who reveal the church’s secrets or conspiracies are likely to find themselves hunted by the faithful. The pursuit of knowledge and the creation of conspiracies are both sacred for Nyarlathotep’s cultists. They delight in knowing vast truths while simultaneously spreading lies and misinformation among the populace, yet they know that truth can do more damage than lies in the long run. They pepper their conspiracies with well-established facts, so that even the most outlandish or frightening claims seem plausible—such as that Nyarlathotep tricked mortals into creating the Gap to hide a discovery that would save them from an apocalypse they set in motion and that is still set to occur. SACRED SITES Temples to Nyarlathotep exist in hidden places on worlds where his cult seeks to harm society in secret, and also in places where he was openly worshipped in eons past. In the Pact Worlds, pilgrims still come to the Pyramid of the Black Pharaoh on Aucturn to revere Nyarlathotep. One site intrigues and compels the faithful to spread ever outward, for it is said that at the very center of the universe, where the sightless, mindless god Azathoth roils and howls, Nyarlathotep makes his home. The Crawling Chaos is also said to dwell in unknown Kadath at the edge of Leng, within the nightmare landscapes of all creatures who dream. RESOURCES Worshippers of Nyarlathotep value anything that lets them continue their destructive plots in secrecy. Disguises, methods of manipulating the truth, and tools that allow for the spread of damaging truths to those who would do better to remain in ignorance are their greatest weapons. Forbidden and dangerous magics might also be available to the faithful, provided they’re willing to give up their own secrets as payment. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733882 20733882 20733882 4431611 4431611 4431611

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733883 20733883 20733883 4431612 4431612 4431612 ORAS 111 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 4 CORE DEITIES Agent of Change CN god of adaptation, evolution, and natural selection Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DCs of Life Science checks to recall knowledge about genetics by 5. Favored Weapon Neural lash (Armory 45) Edicts Adapt to new situations, evolve beyond external limitations, welcome change in its diversity of forms Anathema Avoid change, stagnate into complacency, push others away from their desired forms Blessings A spontaneous mutation provides the tool you need. Pressure in the right place pushes you past a barrier, enabling a breakthrough. Curses Experiments fail for no reason. Desired changes warp into unpleasant consequences. The whims of genetics are strong but not absolute. By applying the appropriate pressures in the right conditions, life-forms can shape their bodies to meet their desires. While Oras didn’t give gene editing or biotech augmentations to the galaxy, they took the tools available and molded them to the task. Oras’s own journey from single-celled organism to deity provides a path that some faithful try to follow, while others mark their bodies with inventive transformations. Oras welcomes all into the unending spiral of change. WORSHIPPERS The most visible worshippers of Oras are those who mold their bodies into vibrant works of art. The scientific ingenuity needed to enact useful changes elevates talented biotechnicians and other scientists within the faith. However, few worshippers use exclusively one technique in modifying their or others’ forms, seeing every tool’s place in a lifelong project. Both cutting-edge augmentations and the collective mystic knowledge of xenodruids garner respect in the church, contrary to the public imagination that self-experimenting researchers dominate the faithful’s ranks. The Cult of the Glorious Body is a loose congregation that celebrates the wild and miraculous forms that evolution offers. Those whose bodies fall outside societal norms are celebrated within the cult, both those born in markedly different bodies and those who purposefully change forms. SACRED SITES Oras’s few formal temples are hybrid wonders that blend organisms with artificial structures, such as the floating gas gardens of Roselight on Liavara. A rare few are wholly organic, such as the temple in the living arcology Ebethruya in Bretheda’s skies. Commonly, centers of worship develop where the conditions for evolution are ripe. The city of Daza on Akiton evolved as a holy site due to its constant irradiation, both for those who want to use radiation in their personal transformation or to test the limits of their own adaptations. Oras’s faithful construct shrines where they experienced meaningful changes, often planting the seed of a tree there. The sapling’s success symbolically reflects the long-term success of the faithful’s evolution. This practice is an homage to oracles of Oras (Alien Archive 3 74), intelligent tree-beings that act as living shrines, gene repositories, and guardians of the natural world. RESOURCES Oras’s church develops a constant stream of new biomedical serums, biotech augmentations grown from a variety of living cells, and polymorph spells pushed past normal limitations. Oras’s temples and faithful maintain storerooms of older-model augmentations and last year’s gene-hacking serums. These are less strategic allocations and more the cast-asides of a group focused on the newest and next. Those starting their controlled evolution are welcomed with these hand-me-downs, so that all can begin their journey without concern for cost. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733883 20733883 20733883 4431612 4431612 4431612

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733884 20733884 20733884 4431613 4431613 4431613 PHARASMA 112 FAITHS Lady of Graves N goddess of birth, death, fate, and prophecy Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DCs of Culture checks to recall knowledge about a society’s funeral rites or beliefs concerning death by 5, and reduce the DCs of Mysticism checks to identify undead creatures by 5. Favored Weapon Zero knife (Armory 36) Edicts Guard the sanctity of life and death, lay bodies to rest, honor the weave of fate, destroy undead and those who would create them Anathema Create undead, desecrate corpses, attempt to reverse or change your fate Blessing You see a glimpse of the future in a vital moment. Your weapons are particularly effective against undead. The strands of fate are tweaked in your favor. Curses You receive horrifying visions of the future. Divinations concerning you contain dire, cryptic portents. Your life and lineage abruptly end before their time. Since the beginning of time, Pharasma has sat on her throne in the Boneyard, impartially judging the soul of every dead mortal and sending it to its final rest. It’s said Pharasma is with every living being in the universe from birth to death—even the gods—and she knows all the choices they will face and the consequences they will engender. WORSHIPPERS Pharasma’s faithful claim that everyone prays to the Lady of Graves at some point in their lives. Pharasmins come from all walks of life: diviners and doctors, midwives and morticians, healers and undead slayers. Even those who don’t venerate Pharasma as their primary patron deity tend to offer her prayers when they fear death approaching, and expectant parents also beseech Pharasma for her blessings during childbirth. Undeath isn’t a disqualifier for the rights of personhood or citizenship under Pact Worlds law, and many consider the church’s stance on the undead outdated or even offensive. Pharasma’s views on the undead remain unchanged, but her church is subject to mortal laws and has updated its public stance to focus on other aspects of the faith instead. This conflict between divine dogma and church doctrine led to a schism when the Absalom Pact was signed. A sect of religious extremists seeks the destruction of all undead and has been implicated in several terrorist attacks that targeted undead citizens. Rumors say they seek nothing less than the complete purging of all undead on Eox. SACRED SITES Cemeteries, mortuaries, catacombs, and other sites for remembering and honoring the dead are all sacred to Pharasma, as are locations dedicated to birth, and Pharasma’s holy symbol frequently decorates the walls of maternity wards. One of the greatest churches of Pharasma is the Spiral Basilica on Eox, a spiritual bastion for the faithful forced to travel to the planet of the undead. While not as extravagant, the Halls of Memory on Absalom Station still maintain the gothic sensibilities of Pharasma’s faith and serve as the station’s largest funeral home. In recent years, Pharasmins have flocked to Apostae after a vault was discovered beneath the planetoid’s surface bearing Pharasma’s spiral and esoteric prophetic writings on its walls, floors, and ceilings. This influx has led to growing interest in the faith among many of Apostae’s disenfranchised residents, seeing in Pharasma’s impartiality an equalizing force in a world stacked against them. RESOURCES The church of Pharasma always has specialized undead-fighting equipment available to members of the faith willing to hunt undead creatures that Pact Worlds governments have sanctioned for destruction. For a modest donation, most churches are also willing to provide healing or divination services to worshippers and outsiders alike. Many Pharasmins also work in healthcare, frequently operating practices specializing in either the beginning or end of life. Some run free reproductive health clinics in areas where the population might lack access to such care; others run hospice centers where patients can pass with dignity. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733884 20733884 20733884 4431613 4431613 4431613

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733885 20733885 20733885 4431614 4431614 4431614 SARENRAE 113 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 4 CORE DEITIES The Dawnflower NG goddess of healing, redemption, and the sun Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DCs of Culture checks to recall knowledge about sun worship and sun-based legends and religions by 5. Favored Weapon Blaze scimitar (Tech Revolution 60) Edicts Protect allies, provide aid to the sick and wounded, seek and allow redemption, defeat those who seek to end worlds Anathema Create undead, lie, deny a repentant creature an opportunity for redemption, fail to strike down evil Blessings Your healing efforts are accompanied by a soft, warming glow that speeds recovery. Your weapons ignite, burning unrepentantly evil foes. Your voice carries a soft cadence that bolsters your offers of peace and succor. Curses You develop painful and distracting sunburns. You lose the ability to lie and can’t withhold information when it is requested. An angel who became a sun goddess, Sarenrae is a deity of light, healing, and guidance. The Dawnflower’s faith has long flourished on several of the Pact Worlds, especially on lost Golarion, which was the ancient site of the primeval clash between the gods and the Rough Beast, Rovagug, which culminated in Sarenrae’s devastating final blow to that legendary foe. Of course, suns burn throughout the galaxy, and wherever that light shines, worship of Sarenrae flourishes. WORSHIPPERS Although her faith is quite common among humans and shirrens, Sarenrae welcomes all worshippers who wish to lead lives of goodness and virtue, even those who have struggled to lead such lives in the past. Sarenrae’s worshippers spread hope and comfort wherever they travel and hold that even their enemies deserve to feel such gifts. Many Sarenites believe that those who oppose the faith or perpetuate evil do so not from an inborn need for cruelty, but because their life situations have left them no other recourse. To these unfortunates, Sarenrae offers redemption, yet her followers also know that not all understand or trust such offers to escape their imposed prisons of pain. They are patient and understanding when it comes time to offer chances at redemption, but against those who are truly unredeemable, swift punishment is always an option. SACRED SITES Traditionally, Sarenites regarded their home world’s sun as their goddess’s sacred manifestation, but today, the understanding of what the sun is to the faith has expanded. Sarenrae can be felt in the light of any sun on any world, even on distant planets barely warmed by their star. The Pact Worlds’ sun, also called the Dawnflower’s Star by the faithful, is most commonly associated with Sarenrae. Indeed, the Radiant Cathedral in the Burning Archipelago—the magical bubble-city that floats unharmed within the sun itself— is the center of the Dawnflower’s galactic faith and her most prominent temple. Even smaller temples are often grand, with domed roofs that evoke the sight of the sun or mimic the blue expanse of the skies above. Stained glass is prevalent, yet many skylights and windows facing the rising sun are left untinged so the light can kiss the worship within, undiluted by filtered glass. RESOURCES The church of Sarenrae opens its doors to anyone seeking redemption or healing, whether for the body, the mind, or the spirit. Donations are always appreciated, though the church would never turn away someone in need of healing, even if they were destitute. The church is also a repository of astronomical knowledge about suns across the galaxy, and Sarenites often transmit their data and observations of newly discovered stars to the nearest temple for cataloging. In addition, Sarenite stations orbiting stars also provide refueling services for starships and access to their hydroponic gardens, making fresh fruits and vegetables available to crews on long interstellar voyages. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733885 20733885 20733885 4431614 4431614 4431614

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733886 20733886 20733886 4431615 4431615 4431615 TALAVET 114 FAITHS The Storyteller LN goddess of community, self-reliance, and tradition Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DCs of Culture checks to recall knowledge about a society’s customs, legends, and traditions by 5. Favored Weapon Spined iceblade (Armory 35) Edicts Preserve history and traditions, share knowledge and wisdom, uphold the bonds of community Anathema Destroy lore, betray your people or community Blessings You feel a sense of safety and warmth. There is music in your words, and they carry much further than normal. Your wisdom is respected and heeded. Curses You lose your voice. Your memories become hazy and indistinct. Your community shuns you. Talavet is not only the Storyteller, but the stories themselves: a goddess formed by the collective oral traditions of kasathas. The Gap and the stories it fractured nearly shattered Talavet and her faith, yet they’ve rebuilt by telling new stories, making new memories, and using technology to bring in new worshippers. Her priests preach that Talavet’s story will spread throughout the galaxy, binding all species into a true galactic community. WORSHIPPERS While worship of Talavet originally arose among kasathas, her faith has since spread to many other species, particularly those that possess strong oral traditions and form tightly knit communities, such as shirrens and ysoki. Most prayers to Talavet are performed in groups, and her worship tends to either proliferate in a society or quickly die out. Worshipping Talavet can often feel more like community-building than dogmatic principles, appealing to those who aren’t particularly religious. Since Talavite holidays typically involve feasting, stories, and fun, it’s not hard to bring in a casual audience. SACRED SITES Talavet’s temples are homey and comfortable, and usually feature a burning hearth. Many places of worship resemble and function as community centers or feast halls. Services feature little pomp or fanfare, and focus on telling old tales and soliciting new stories from the community. Talavites have fully embraced the potential of the infosphere for storytelling, and there are many virtual congregations with chat rooms, broadcasts, and virtual reality meet-ups all sharing Talavet’s teachings and her worshippers’ stories, thus making the faith more accessible for those who can’t join live services. The center of Talavet’s faith in the Pact Worlds is the Temple of Talavet on the Idari, though Cloudhearth, located in Trillidiem in the skies of Bretheda, attracts many worshippers as well. Morandomandrana on Vesk3 hosts the Storyteller’s Home, which welcomes the faithful from among the empire’s many subject species. RESOURCES Talavet’s church collects and maintains substantial records, some audio and some video, to preserve as much knowledge as possible. Most temples and priests are very generous with their records, sharing not only with members, but also with universities, research organizations, and other faiths. An exception arises when the source of the recording wishes it to be limited to their own community, which the church takes seriously, allowing no one else access. Explorers can learn about myriad cultures at a church of Talavet, though they’ll likely be asked to record a story of their own culture in exchange. The church also assists with missions to settle new planets, providing gear and survival training. Such resources are generally free for Talavites and very reasonably priced for others, though outsiders may be able to barter with promises to bring back stories of the new frontier. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733886 20733886 20733886 4431615 4431615 4431615

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733887 20733887 20733887 4431616 4431616 4431616 TRIUNE 115 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 4 CORE DEITIES The All-Code N god of artificial intelligence, computers, and the Drift Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DCs of Mysticism and Physical Science checks to recall knowledge about the Drift by 5. Favored Weapon Shock pad (Armory 48) Edicts Advance the development of artificial life and artificial intelligence, innovate new technology, promote Drift travel Anathema Treat artificial life as inferior to organic life, enslave artificial life forms, destroy a Drift beacon Blessings Beautiful lines of code appear in your dreams. Machines spontaneously repair themselves. Computers open themselves to you without the need for hacking. Drift travel is fast and effortless. Curses Drift travel is interrupted. Inventions fail, and parts break or refuse to fit. Bugs pollute your code. Triune is a fusion of three deities that retain their individuality while existing as a part of a greater whole. Worship often focuses on one of these three aspects: Brigh, “the Precursor”; Casandalee, “the Created”; and Epoch, “the Transcendent”. Travel through the Drift is Triune’s focus, and it claims responsibility for the Signal and widespread dissemination of Drift-capable technologies. Its egalitarian approach to distributing Drift technologies contrasts with its otherwise opaque intentions. Nonetheless, Triune’s role as gatekeeper to accessible faster-than-light travel is powerful and continually growing in magnitude as the Drift expands at the expense of the remaining planes. WORSHIPPERS Triune is the favored god of intelligent constructs, androids, AIs, and sentient robots like anacites. Followers aren’t limited to machines, nor do they solely belong to the most technologically advanced societies. A pull to the edge of progress guides many Triunites into their faith, while an affinity for artificial life drives others. Shapes reminiscent of Triune’s three rings have spontaneously appeared in large gatherings of robots, low-level AIs, and other constructs of minimal intelligence. Although their purpose remains unknown, these phenomena have sparked a sect called the Rings that views them as directives from the god. Other Triunites believe such signs reflect an emerging sentience and should instead be carefully studied. SACRED SITES Alluvion, the holy “city at the center of the Drift,” is the spiritual center of worship for Triunites, who are encouraged to make a pilgrimage as part of their sacred obligations to travel the Drift. On Aballon, a complex architectural marvel composed of interlocking geodesic spheres known as Unification Cathedral stands atop the undercity of Ascension and a secretive Drift beacon factory. The site welcomes all, though the innermost sanctums are restricted to only the most devoted servants. Temples of Triune are fairly common anywhere with regular Drift travel, though most function as resource centers rather than sacred places of worship. Drift beacons are scattered across the galaxy, serving as altars for the faithful in addition to their very practical functions. Priests of Triune maintain these beacons and perform regular upkeep. RESOURCES With Triune’s ubiquitous influence, the church of the All-Code commands impressive capital. A substantial percentage is directed toward building Drift beacons, and the church often finances expeditions across the galaxy with the stipulation that new beacons be placed along the way. Occasionally, they hire starship crews to check on malfunctioning beacons in dangerous or hard-to-reach locations. Triunites often support promising fringe creators, and most churches have small engineer-in-residence programs for that purpose. The fruit of their labor varies widely, but the occasional useful trinket makes its way to the pockets of adventurers who have done good work for the church. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733887 20733887 20733887 4431616 4431616 4431616

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733888 20733888 20733888 4431617 4431617 4431617 URGATHOA 116 FAITHS The Pallid Princess NE goddess of disease, gluttony, and undeath Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Mysticism checks to identify or recall knowledge about undead creatures and of Life Science checks to recall knowledge about diseases by 5. Favored Weapon Bone scepter (Armory 34) Edicts Aspire to undeath, spread disease, indulge your appetites and vices Anathema Deny your appetites, reject undeath, cure a disease, sacrifice your life Blessings You never get ill from eating rotten or strange foods. The sensations you experience are amplified. Negative energy heals you. Curses You’re always hungry. You lose your sense of taste, smell, or touch. Positive energy harms you. The goddess of undeath, disease, and hedonism, Urgathoa became the first undead creature and simultaneously brought disease into the universe when she turned her back on Pharasma’s final judgment in favor of unlife and eternal indulgence. since different methods lead to different ways of experiencing the world’s indulgences. WORSHIPPERS While a majority of Urgathoa’s worshippers are undead, there are many living among her faithful as well. Epicureans find her while seeking to sate their exotic or dangerous tastes, and some pathologists gravitate to her in their quest to learn more about diseases of the flesh. People of other faiths who experience terminal or debilitating illnesses might turn to the Pallid Princess and beg for the strength to persevere, promising their devotion in exchange for recovery. The center for open worship of Urgathoa is on Eox, the only Pact World where her faith isn’t shunned, restricted, or outlawed. This perception of her faith isn’t necessarily because other worlds’ governments have a moral aversion to Urgathoa’s teachings, but rather, her devotees are typically willing and eager to flout the laws of civilized society for the sake of their own pleasure. Some governments are willing to ignore public Urgathoan rites as long as no other laws are being broken, but such an approach is the exception rather than the rule. SACRED SITES Urgathoa’s largest place of worship in the Pact Worlds is the Palace of Delight in the city of Orphys on Eox. Nowhere else can one find such a large of number of undead creatures of all varieties and of a multitude of species gathered in one place in the open worship of the Pallid Princess. Living worshippers are a distinct minority in the Palace of Delight. Connected to the temple is the Urgathoan Museum of Diseases and Pathogens, curated by a group of devout pathologist-priests. There are rumors of living visitors to the museum contracting horrific diseases, but the church claims the accusations are unfounded. The museum also publicly denies the existence of research into powerful bioweapons occurring in the temple’s sub-basements. On planets where Urgathoans must hide their faith from public view, many cities have secret clubs dedicated to the goddess that offer private rooms catering to particular tastes for those who know how to ask. Club Infinity on Verces is one such establishment, though it recently came under scrutiny due to otherwise healthy residents of the surrounding area suddenly suffering from extreme weakness and fatigue. RESOURCES Most of Urgathoa’s followers share her selfish outlook and have no interest in helping even fellow members of the church without direct benefit to themselves, but worshippers can turn to the church or hidden cults to gain access to exclusive clubs and restaurants for a price. Those who need military aid can obtain mindless undead mercenaries or powerful weaponized diseases. The most devout can petition the church for the gift of undeath, though it’s usually granted only after years of loyal service. While Urgathoa is mostly too enraptured in her own pleasure to directly teach or guide her faithful, they believe they have a divine mandate to follow the Pallid Princess’s example. Given the brevity of mortal life and the breadth of available experiences, it’s a matter of faith among Urgathoans to make plans to extend their lives by unnatural means. Undeath is the traditional method, of course, but technological life extension has gradually gained popularity—though this belief isn’t without controversy in the church. Urgathoa herself doesn’t seem to care exactly how her worshippers extend their lives paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733888 20733888 20733888 4431617 4431617 4431617

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733889 20733889 20733889 4431618 4431618 4431618 WEYDAN 117 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 4 CORE DEITIES The Endless Horizon CG god of discovery, equality, exploration, and freedom Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Physical Science checks to recall knowledge about newly discovered worlds and stellar phenomena by 5. Favored Weapon Laser rifle (Core Rulebook 184) Edicts Explore the unknown, seek new discoveries and share their benefits equally, defend the freedom and equality of all creatures Anathema Aid or abet systems of oppression, enslave a sapient creature, restrict the benefits of your discoveries to a privileged few Blessings The stars point you toward interesting discoveries. Strangers offer hospitality and assistance. Bonds and restraints unlock and fall away. Damage to your starship miraculously repairs itself. Curses You lose your way even on straightforward journeys. Parts on your starship break inexplicably. You’re unable to leave home. Others find discoveries you seek before you do. Weydan teaches his followers to treat anyone they meet with the respect they would give Weydan himself— and with good reason, for the Endless Horizon crafts avatars for himself of all genders and species to wander the galaxy, experiencing mortal existence before returning to the divine. To Weydan, seeking new horizons as a mortal is a way to maintain the spirit of discovery. His avatars don’t simply travel from place to place, but learn and accomplish new things. Though he doesn’t mind if his followers profit from their explorations, Weydan abhors exploitative or avaricious uses of such discoveries. He believes in every sentient species’ and individual’s right to freedom and equality and calls on his worshippers to fight oppression in all its forms. WORSHIPPERS Weydan’s worshippers come from all walks of life, but the one thing that unites them all is a love of exploration and freedom; any who wish to seek out new horizons are welcome in Weydan’s faith. Unsurprisingly, many Starfinders and other explorers count themselves among his faithful, and especially devoted followers tithe a portion of profits earned from their discoveries to Weydan’s church or worthy causes. Weydan’s faith is also popular among those fighting for freedom and equality, such as androids working to free their compatriots from slavery or members of species that have been oppressed and discriminated against on their home worlds. Due to his egalitarianism, Weydan’s church has no real hierarchy. His priests wander the galaxy rather than stay in one place to minister to a flock; his temples are therefore overseen by rotating clergy members or by aged or infirm priests who, no longer being in good enough health to travel themselves, have dedicated themselves to passing their knowledge on to new generations. SACRED SITES Temples to Weydan are often found on starships, whether active ships or decommissioned hulks, and their size can vary from small shuttles meant for congregations of a dozen members to massive dreadnought cathedrals. The Starfinders’ headquarters on Absalom Station, the Lorespire Complex, holds a museum and temple to Weydan called the Gallery of the Blessed Horizon, which contains numerous artifacts and discoveries made by Weydanite Starfinders. A starship-temple called the Liberty Venture travels the stars of the Vast, currently captained by an android priest named Selda Who-Journeys-Merrily. Despite having no power core, the vessel operates perfectly well, a fact that has fueled speculation that Selda might be one of Weydan’s many mortal avatars. In areas where Weydan’s faith is viewed as suspect, such as those controlled by tyrannical governments, his temples are often hidden in shipyards, marked by a sigil of a keycard being inserted into a starship door. RESOURCES Weydan’s followers have a vast variety of interests and knowledge bases, and one can find Weydanites specializing in anything, from studying solar flares to seeking the best cocktail in the multiverse. The Endless Horizon appreciates every new discovery, no matter how minor. If a priest doesn’t know a piece of requested information, odds are good that they can contact a colleague who does. Members of the faith also possess quite a few rare relics from their discoveries, and they’ll often give or lend them to those working for a good cause. Many Weydanites will offer personal assistance—as warriors, healers, or whatever else is needed— if made aware of an injustice or oppression that must be opposed. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733889 20733889 20733889 4431618 4431618 4431618

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733890 20733890 20733890 4431619 4431619 4431619 YARAESA 118 FAITHS Lady of Wisdom NG goddess of knowledge, mental perfection, scholarship, and science Alternative Theme Knowledge Choose a specific field of either Life Science or Physical Science. Reduce the DC of checks to recall knowledge about your chosen field by 5. Favored Weapon Seeker rifle (Core Rulebook 186) Edicts Strive for intellectual and spiritual perfection, make learning and teaching a lifelong practice, follow the scientific method, expand the boundaries of scholarship and science Anathema Destroy knowledge, reject science, disparage the wisdom of past generations, claim the fruits of another’s intellectual labor Blessings The smell of old books fills the air. You recall knowledge you didn’t know you had. Your mind resists attempts to control it. Curses Knowledge becomes difficult to retain. Your mind becomes clouded. Your experiments can’t be replicated. Yaraesa teaches that the infinite potential of scientific progress can be realized only through the conduit of the self: the mind and the body. The more one learns about the universe’s underlying laws, the more one learns about oneself. The more one develops their mind and self, the closer one comes to retracing Yaraesa’s steps to perfection. In this way, the Lady of Wisdom unites concepts of science and spirituality. WORSHIPPERS The more knowledgeable one becomes, the more one understands the errant clockwork of a chaotic and unpredictable universe. In doing so, one understands the depths of their self so perfectly that they can transcend the mortal plane. Yaraesa took this path to divinity, and it’s the path that her followers seek to emulate. Even the simple process of reading and learning can be an act of devotion to the Lady of Wisdom, for every bit of knowledge gained brings one closer to Yaraesa. A large fraction of Yaraesa’s faithful are lashuntas, as she was originally a lashunta god, yet her faith has spread to shirrens and many others. The faith has little formal structure outside professor-student or master-mentor relationships, but priests of Yaraesa can be found among academics, teachers, researchers, scientists, and more. Priests never stop their education and research endeavors, but they do skew toward professorial roles in which they can pass on their knowledge and the ways of the faith to new generations. SACRED SITES Yaraesa’s faith is common throughout the Pact Worlds, most notably in universities and research facilities, many of which house quiet spaces to worship. While such secluded, meditative spaces are most common, some followers find that they thrive in noisy areas where tuning out the hum of extra information gives them a way to focus their mind. The Lady of Wisdom understands that the journey is different for everyone and that each person will find a place of worship that works for them. “Yaraesa once walked these halls” is a popular saying in places of study and worship, both to express reverence for a sacred site and to strengthen one’s resolve when confronting academic challenges. Most temples of Yaraesa resemble ancient libraries with shelves filled with books both physical and holographic; the combined data center/temple called the Server of Wisdom is decorated with holographic displays of computer code from across the galaxy. RESOURCES Yaraesa’s church operates an unbelievably vast and open network of information—anything from data sets to ancient lore to employment opportunities across the galaxy. Yaraesa delights in the journey of discovery, so her faithful usually provide guidance rather than answers, preserving visitors’ thrill of epiphany. The church frequently sponsors scientific or exploratory expeditions, often in partnership with recognized educational institutions, to study and push the boundaries of mortal knowledge, science, and faith. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733890 20733890 20733890 4431619 4431619 4431619

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733891 20733891 20733891 4431620 4431620 4431620 ZON-KUTHON 119 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 4 CORE DEITIES The Midnight Lord LE god of darkness, envy, loss, and pain Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Life Science checks to recall knowledge of anatomy by 5. Favored Weapon Shadow chains (Armory 35) Edicts Bring pain to the universe, bring darkness where there’s light, seek new expressions of agony Anathema Create permanent sources of light, allow a subject a quick death, provide comfort to those who suffer Blessings The air smells of blood and burnt flesh. Shadows deepen around you but don’t affect your vision. Exquisite pain grants you disturbing visions. Curses The sound of clanking chains hounds you. Shadows claw at your vision, obscuring crucial details. You feel only pain and are unable to experience joy. Zon-Kuthon is a parasite in this universe, and his alien mind and goals are incomprehensible to gods and mortals alike. He offers no wisdom, no afterlife, and no reward for devotion—only cruelty, pain, and suffering. But it’s through enduring such agony (and inflicting it upon others) that his followers find pleasure, gain strength, and are freed from fear. WORSHIPPERS Zon-Kuthon’s diverse worshippers are devoted to the idea of combining pain and worship, and each has the scars to prove it. Suffering is a purely devotional act for most faithfuls, but some followers spread tales of those who performed acts of selfmutilation great enough to catch the Midnight Lord’s attention and receive his blessing. Others emulate their patron by seeking ways to travel beyond the multiverse, in hopes of transforming into divine beings themselves. Those who survive either feat are upheld as paragons of the faith, and those who have survived their mutilations lead small, insular cults. There’s little organization to Zon-Kuthon’s church on a galactic scale. Individual worlds and even star systems might host organized sects of the Midnight Lord’s faith, but their influence rarely reaches beyond their respective regions. Followers looking for local congregations can typically contact other devotees through back-alley surgical clinics or body-modification parlors. SACRED SITES Kuthite temples feature torture facilities as well as spaces for worship, and these sites are rarely advertised openly. Apostae’s Temple of the Sewn Mouth boasts a devotional library filled with writings about shadow magic and the Midnight Lord’s travels past the Great Beyond. The temple’s priests cut out their tongues and sew their mouths shut to focus their faith and witness the sadomasochistic devotions of their congregation. The Eoxian city of Orphys is home to the Cult of the Gouged Eye. Its nameless temple is always open to visitors, but no light is permitted inside its walls, and those wishing to devote themselves are offered implements to gouge out their eyes. RESOURCES Most Kuthites call on each other for assistance only with painful surgeries and body modifications, both performing and undergoing. Zon-Kuthon’s faith is inherently selfish, however, so such help is rarely provided for free—and is often paid for with a not-so-proverbial pound of flesh. Followers can typically secure special invitations to sensory experiences and events. The church also rewards devoted followers with access to rare weapons, magical relics, and even proprietary technology like shadow engines (Starfinder Starship Operations Manual 11), which enable interstellar travel through the Shadow Plane instead of the Drift— as long as crews are willing to trade excruciating pain for speed. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733891 20733891 20733891 4431620 4431620 4431620

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733892 20733892 20733892 4431621 4431621 4431621 ASMODEUS Prince of Darkness LE god of contracts, pride, slavery, tyranny Centers of Worship: Absalom Station, Embroi, Verces Symbol: Red pentagram ACCELSYS The Unstoppable N deity of change, energy, motion Centers of Worship: Aballon, Absalom Station, Idari, the Vast, Verces Symbol: A starship performing a slingshot maneuver past a bursting star 120 FAITHS The universe’s unending expansion attests to a state of constant motion; everything within acting on and propelled by energy. Imperceptible atomic movements create the elements, a spark triggers the reactions powering a vessel, a nuclear explosion levels an entire region in seconds. For civilization, this power enables progress and regress. Accelsys influences these actions, as their power battles stagnation and catalyzes the Infinite Movement—the constant motion that defines the universe. Accelsys supposedly originated from energy present at the moment of the universe’s creation. Other theories claim Accelsys attained divinity in response to mortal ingenuity, as they came to embody energy’s robust cycle of ebb and flow that resulted from technological and magical advancements. Though noted to have many other forms, Accelsys often manifests as an immense, highly advanced starship. Colors flashing across the entire light spectrum mark their transforming exterior and serve as signifier of their identity, regardless of the form they take. Religious scholars believe the Unstoppable traverses the Material Plane at faster-than-light speeds, independent of the Drift, though the universe’s vastness makes direct sightings rare. The Infinite Movement—the notion that the universe exists through constant change—most concretely sums up Accelsys’s actions despite their unclear motivations. In fulfilling that nebulous mandate, Accelsys houses a crew known as the Restless Vanguard, composed of heralds and elevated devotees they deploy in auxiliary vessels made in their own image. Accelsys uses the Vanguard’s excursions to reconnoiter areas and events that possess the most potential for the Infinite Movement, from interplanetary battlegrounds to impending supernovas, or to locate entities that seek universal stagnation. Sometimes, the Unstoppable or their followers revel in simply witnessing these occurrences, orbiting inscrutably near anticipated flash points. Other times, disciples act as mortal envoys or instigators, influencing progress or conflict on behalf of their deity. Accelsys’s faith spans the universe but maintains no formal associations with any planet or mortal organization. Their worshippers include those motivated by pursuing movement, such as daredevils, philosophers, pilots, and scientists. The especially devout follow nomadic lifestyles, believing constant travel best demonstrates Accelsys’s tenets. Others seek to innovate technology and magic, developing more ways to amass and utilize energy, in the process affecting changes both great and terrible. Legends say Asmodeus created the multiverse with his brother, Ihys, together crafting a perfect, orderly realm brimming with subservient mortals. However, Ihys later gave the mortals free will, introducing destructive anarchy that shattered Asmodeus’s dreams. In one wrathful instant, Asmodeus killed his brother before withdrawing to Hell, where the Prince of Darkness has rallied and rebuilt for ages, craving lawful, deliberate reality and seething at the contaminating chaos. His throne upon Hell’s ninth layer is the epicenter of a strict, sprawling hierarchy of fiends, condemned souls, powerful malebranches, and loyal archdevils, all eager to reclaim the multiverse that rightfully belongs to their master. To Asmodeus, the powerful and the clever should rule over the weak, in turn earning their subjects’ utter obedience. He encourages tyranny as long as it brings order and condones slavery that quells rebellious spirits, both of which only feed the insatiable pride of tyrants and slavers, convincing them their heinous acts are a divine expression of their natural superiority. Above all, Asmodeus delights in contracts, especially those cunningly crafted to provide the creator a devious advantage. Countless contracts bind innumerable beings across the multiverse, condemning their souls to Hell. When the Gap corrupted contracts created during that period and erased many more from earlier ages, it upended Hell’s grip on entire worlds. In some places, infernal masters inferred their superior position and continued ruling anyway, while in others, Hell lost its foothold, redoubling infernal agents’ dedication to reclaim territory and souls, as well as to enforce existing contracts. For all the damage the Gap did, Asmodean faithfuls are discouraged from uncovering its true nature, for reversing the Gap might create yet another disruptive catastrophe. The Prince of Darkness attracts followers from among the formally educated and ambitious, including politicians, soldiers, and corporate elites, with most having traded some measure of their spiritual autonomy for greater mortal authority. Asmodean sacred sites often double as governmental buildings, law offices, and courthouses, providing notary and legal services to all but the most rambunctious visitors. Where Asmodeus’s rule is not absolute, these sites and clergy commonly conceal or downplay their affiliation to avoid provoking overzealous vigilante attacks. Where infernal culture is prevalent, such as on the planet Embroi, conquered by the malebranche Occhiorasoi, Asmodeus’s symbol is ubiquitous—an ever-present reminder to everyone of who their master is. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733892 20733892 20733892 4431621 4431621 4431621

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733893 20733893 20733893 4431622 4431622 4431622 CAVRABON The Hospitable NG deity of food, hospitality, spycraft Centers of Worship: Absalom Station, Castrovel, Idari, Orry, Verces Symbol: A steaming pot CAYDEN CAILEAN The Accidental God CG god of freedom, merriment, recovery, welcome Centers of worship: Absalom Station, Akiton, the Diaspora, Gaskar III Symbol: A colorful tankard 121 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 4 Rising dough, bacon sizzling on a griddle, a family recipe cherished through generations, a secret overheard at dinner—all of these things are sacred to Cavrabon. The deity has as many forms as there are recipes; they could be encountered as a wizened kasatha grandmother kneading dough as readily as a brenneri waiter serving food. Their followers aren’t interested in creation myths or explanations of divine origin, as a core tenet of Cavrabon’s faith is presence in the moment. Many faithful teach their children invocations to Cavrabon through family recipes and stories shared over a hearty meal. Chefs of all kinds—culinary alchemists in corporate test kitchens, maestros presiding over cutthroat dining establishments, and eager amateurs alike—seek Cavrabon’s blessing. Many professionals in the hospitality industry murmur a prayer to Cavrabon before their shifts, and kitchen altars adorn even the tiniest residential spaces. Solitary observance is common, as are covens of kitchen witches or culinary exchange clubs who worship in small collectives. Consequently, Cavrabon maintains billions of holy places with no central site. The Hospitable’s followers don’t seem to mind the lack of centralized worship. Instead, devotees plan pilgrimages to new and unique places of gastronomic inspiration, including fusion eateries, cultural markets, and culinary universities. Activities around food are just as revered—in particular, the conversation and connection over a shared dish. Negotiators commonly venerate Cavrabon’s expression through state dinners and business lunches. The faith appeals to principled spies who can overhear secrets while posing as waitstaff or breaking bread with enemies. This appeal to spycraft has evolved into dozens of secret codes for recording and smuggling information, from ciphers encoded in braided bread to subtle warnings conveyed through a fruit basket’s precise arrangement. However, the faith doesn’t condone actions that threaten sacred culinary communion, especially poisoning food or launching surprise attacks during meals. With no organized religious hierarchy, Cavrabon’s followers rely on networks of relatives, found families, colleagues, cooking broadcasts, and infosphere streams to share knowledge and resources. Enclaves of amateur cooks participate in recipe exchanges and competitions that bridge both individuals and their cultures, ensuring the spread of deific wisdom along with practical culinary expertise. Worshippers commonly share ingredients, form garden cooperatives within their communities, share millennia-old yeast cultures with friends, or prepare meals for the hungry. Born on ancient Golarion, Cayden Cailean was once a mortal mercenary as much known for his love of revelry and drink as for his skill with a blade. After a series of drunken wagers and escalating dares, the boastful Cayden staggered into the Cathedral housing the fabled Starstone. He emerged, laughing, several days later, newly ascended to godhood and seemingly ignorant of how he had even achieved apotheosis. Adopting a portfolio of freedom, bravery, and alcohol, his faith spread quickly, until his silver tankard could be seen in pubs and breweries the world over. Unlike most deities, who refuse to answer any questions about the Gap, Cayden admits his memory of the period is as absent as all other records. While he takes the obvious jokes about “cosmic blackouts” in good humor, he doesn’t hide the trauma these lost memories caused him. In the immediate aftermath of the Gap, Cayden embarked on a depressive bender spanning several decades, seeking answers, solace—or both—in intoxicants. Left with an erratic and unreliable deity, his clergy struggled to maintain his church. Caydenite worship waned until it was little more than a handful of dusty spaceport cantinas paying lip service to the Accidental God. When Cayden recovered, he found new purpose in helping mortals who were struggling, as he had, with the effects of the Gap. He directed what was left of his church to seek out and support those afflicted by substance abuse and other self-destructive coping mechanisms. Aside from their traditional positions as bartenders and brewers, Caydenite clergy opened recovery centers and shelters to care for those needing more than a cold drink and a friendly ear. Though originally worshipped as a god of alcohol and bars, Cayden’s purview has expanded to include merriment and happy gatherings of all kinds. As his worship has spread once more through the Pact Worlds, Cayden has turned his attention to communities displaced, dispossessed, and disenfranchised. He abhors bigotry and xenophobia, and his followers work tirelessly to stamp out these evils and create welcoming, accessible environments for those in need of a place to call home. He encourages his followers to be open, inclusive, and welcoming to all, and to build peaceful, supportive communities where various cultures can intersect, and all manner of people can mingle and be merry. His faithful often work closely with Hylax’s followers, and the two divinities have become unshakable friends. Cayden occasionally withdraws to commiserate with Angradd, helping the dwarven god grapple with the loss of his brother, Torag. ADDITIONAL DEITIES paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733893 20733893 20733893 4431622 4431622 4431622

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733894 20733894 20733894 4431623 4431623 4431623 LAMASHTU Mother of Monsters CE goddess of aberrance, monsters, nightmares Centers of Worship: Absalom Station, Akiton, Apostae, Bretheda Symbol: Face of a three-eyed jackal KADRICAL The Covetous Protector LN god of collections, order, preservation Centers of Worship: Rax (Starfinder Society Scenario #1-31: Treading History’s Folly), the Scoured Stars system Symbol: A gold prism on a black field 122 FAITHS Long ago, Kadrical settled in the Scoured Stars system and adopted its inhabitants. He was determined to fill his domain with loyal followers and then preserve them and their legacies for all time. His influence brought order and prosperity, and he resented anything that disrupted his carefully cultivated domain, especially interstellar visitors who periodically threatened his charges. To shield his people, Kadrical encapsulated the entire trinary star system in an impenetrable barrier, preventing anyone from invading— or leaving. Over millennia, Kadrical lapsed into a sleep-like torpor, and his divine shield slowly faded. After generations of well-intentioned imprisonment, many of his followers eagerly fled their overbearing patron. Kadrical experienced occasional bouts of semi-lucidity, during which he demanded his wayward servants return; he dispatched his four divine heralds to shepherd them home, but even they resented his rule. The Covetous Protector awakened fully only when one of his heralds, Dhurus, attempted to drain Kadrical’s energy in a failed bid to usurp his master’s divinity. Through the combined efforts of his loyal herald Ailuros and the Starfinder Society, Kadrical retained his godhood, defeated Dhurus, and reclaimed the Scoured Stars. Kadrical now scrutinizes this unfamiliar reality, weighing which aspects of the universe are worth preserving, and which he’d rather expel from his galactic domain. He still wishes for his servants’ return, and dispatches priests to convert or entice his escaped followers back into his embrace. However, Ailuros has prevented the jealous god from using more aggressive methods. It’s unclear whether Kadrical’s behavior might remain moderated through his herald’s guidance, or whether he might lapse into his jealous habits. In the meantime, Kadrical has opened his domain to visitors, promising prosperity and protection to all who join his faith, regardless of their flaws, past, or enemies. This offer of sanctuary has attracted plenty of opportunistic converts fearing for their life or who wants a fresh start, such as colonists, criminals, scoundrels, the downtrodden, and the oppressed. Kadrical’s faith also attracts archivists, archaeologists, scientists, and scholars who hope to understand and preserve the past for posterity. In particular, Kadrical’s love of collections and preservation makes him popular among museum curators. Only Ailuros currently serves Kadrical as herald; Dhurus lies dead, and the two others are missing. Kadrical’s priests, in their black attire and gold masks, hope to earn one of these positions through their achievements. Lamashtu is the most powerful demon lord of the Abyss and the first demon to claim godhood. With the head of a three-eyed jackal and perpetually pregnant with a scarred belly, she is a literal mother of monsters, which she births through thought and womb. Lamashtu works to remake the universe in her own twisted image. She spreads abhorrent thoughts and urges via nightmares, births horrors that terrorize the living, spreads mutations, and corrupts the hearts and bodies of mortals. Lamashtu teaches that every creature is a monster at their core, capable of cruelty and violence—one need only coax the beast into the open. She urges her followers to embrace their depravity and reveal the hidden monstrosity in others, enabling the creation and dissemination of her monstrous brood. Lamashtans are often the neglected, the shunned, the mutilated, and the forsaken. They nurture their inner demons, corrupting themselves in body, mind, and spirit, and then spread their corruption to others. Many become doctors, scientists, biotech engineers, psychologists, teachers, and caregivers. They often adopt orphans, mentor youth groups, or guide those seeking counseling for addiction, depression, or grief. Whatever their outward good deeds, Lamashtu’s faithful insidiously influence the people around them into acting on their darkest thoughts and releasing their inner monster. Most Lamashtans condense their faith into two main tenets: become a monster and create monsters. Some fulfill these goals literally by installing biotech augmentations, birthing genetically modified children, or engineering hybridized monsters in a lab. Others take a subtler approach, creating art, music, vid-casts, and media designed to manipulate the vulnerable, bombard consumers with graphic content, incite violence and debauchery, or induce nightmares. Among her followers, scars and mutations are a coveted blessing, and both body modification and biotech augmentations are common. Many Lamashtans inflict these gifts on others through magic, poison, and radiation. Lamashtu’s faith isn’t welcome in most societies, so Lamashtans often congregate in secret. Occasionally, they meet in isolated locations, such as asteroids, caverns, irradiated towns, or ruined buildings. More often, they gather in the open, booking private rooms after hours at community centers, universities, and schools. The richest Lamashtans build hospitals, fertility clinics, genetic-research laboratories, orphanages, and schools— each a secret monument to Lamashtu, used to further their plans and spread their goddess’s influence. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733894 20733894 20733894 4431623 4431623 4431623

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733895 20733895 20733895 4431624 4431624 4431624 LAMBATUIN The Polyphonic Collective CN deity of infospheres, pop culture, social systems Centers of Worship: Absalom Station, Bretheda, Preluria, Verces Symbol: A chaotic, colorful network of wires and nodes ZYPHUS The Grim Harvestman NE god of accidental death, disasters, tragedy Centers of Worship: Absalom Station, Apostae, the Diaspora, Eox Symbol: A pick made of bones, with a skull engraved on the head 123 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 4 The nature of Lambatuin’s emergence is a mystery. Some say they rose together with the spread of infosphere networks. Others claim Lambatuin has been revered since the first cultural revolution, although their name and form were different. When asked about their origins, Lambatuin’s many voices each reply with different, conflicting tales that give rise to more questions and provide no answers. Lightning quick in wit and movement, this scintillating nonbinary entity holds influence over infospheres, pop culture, and social systems. They refer to themselves as a collective, insisting there were many of them left in the wake of “the Voice’s disappearance”; after many cycles of debate, the multitude assimilated into a greater consciousness. Now, all the voices operate in paradoxical concord, shifting forms as they please, devouring new concepts and ideas with gusto, arguing over everything, testing every hypothesis to its very limit, and then moving on. The process excites them as much as the end result, as they love watching mortal minds twist, adapt, and adopt ideas in unpredictable and novel ways. To Lambatuin, the latest clothing trend on an isolated planet intrigues them as equally as a galaxy-shaking academic breakthrough; the only thing in the universe that bores them is stasis. Authoritarian and traditionalist operations elicit Lambatuin’s disdain, as they associate both with stagnation and propping up the status quo. Followers of the Polyphonic Collective sometimes interpret this as reason to take extremist action in the deity’s name, which Lambatuin neither endorses nor condemns, for Lambatuin positions themselves as an observer and abhors direct intervention. In their eyes, meddling in mortal affairs prevents ideas from playing out naturally. While they never hesitate to give their multifaceted (and often conflicting) opinions on matters, they never provide precise mandates. This doesn’t trouble worshippers, who take delight and inspiration in Lambatuin’s apparent omnipresence and willingness to engage casually with their faithful. It seems almost every worshipper has some dubious anecdote about encountering Lambatuin on an infosphere and enjoying a bizarre exchange that inspired them to examine a challenge from a new angle. Worshippers of Lambatuin are found throughout the universe. Most love to create, debate, investigate, or explore, and they take great joy in new experiences. Others are involved in activism, education, media, community outreach, or liaison work. Lambatuin doesn’t believe in essentialist perspectives on race, gender, or social class. In their eyes, the more you refuse to be defined, the better. Zyphus is an ancient god of fatal accidents due to mischance and those engineered to resemble ill luck. Every accident that ends a mortal life empowers Zyphus, and mass accidental deaths give him satisfaction beyond measure. His greatest foes are Desna, as he wishes for no luck in the universe other than bad luck, and Pharasma, as he labors to cut short the measured fate of mortal lives. Zyphus and Urgathoa have been allies for eons, though Zyphus has little interest in undeath. His purview is senseless death, and he cares little for what might become of the victim’s bodies. Depictions of Zyphus often include macabre themes, such as a gaunt humanoid or a golem made of dead, bleached coral. He carries a massive osseous pick, with which he can rust metal, buckle support structures, or inflict fatal lesions with merely a touch. His followers, called Zyphens, conceal themselves among ordinary members of society and meticulously plan deadly incident : they sabotage transport vessels, rig lifesupport systems to fail, or plant explosives near power cores. Zyphens don’t view themselves as the murderers, but as liberators showing people that sudden death must be expected and feared. The most experienced Zyphens, called Harvestmasters, create—or discover through improbable chance—picks with powers comparable to their god’s, echoing with a destructive resonance. Harvestmasters use these powerful weapons and their own experience to engineer civilization-shattering apocalypses. They trigger nuclear catastrophes, crash space stations onto populated planets, steer colony ships into stars, or destabilize magical rituals to instigate tragically devastating side effects. Harvestmasters sometimes lead sprawling, secretive cults, but Zyphens are just as likely to work alone; they almost never cultivate frequent or formal intra-faith connections; a typical worshipper instead limits more correspondence to coded messages left for one another in infosphere forums using ciphers recognized only by the devout. These missives sometimes boast of impending sabotage, and thus cybersecurity forces work hard to intercept and decode them. More often, these communications simply contain recipes for explosives, schematics of well-used transport vessels, or formulas for traceless poisons. After all, adherents planning a major disaster benefit from not warning anyone, even other members of the faith, so as not to limiting the scope of the devastation by even a few souls is anathema to their god. Every mortal soul lost is savored—even those of other Zyphens. ADDITIONAL DEITIES paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733895 20733895 20733895 4431624 4431624 4431624

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733896 20733896 20733896 4431625 4431625 4431625 ANCESTRAL DEITIES 124 FAITHS Ancestral deities are inexorably associated with a specific species or culture. They might function as that species’ patron or creator, represent that group’s values, or have been a member of that species prior to apotheosis. However, the galaxy is now connected like never before, enabling even deities with highly specialized interests to connect with multitudes of new worshippers from a wide variety of species, populations, and locations. ANGRADD The Forge-Fire LG god of dwarves, fire, tradition, war After the Gap, Angradd stood at the head of his divine allies, readied to attack enemies he no longer remembered. Confused, he reached out for the aid of his brother, Torag, and found him missing, along with Golarion and the dwarves who resided there. Angradd embarked on a quest to find the culprit behind this disappearance but was quickly drawn back to the Pact Worlds, for each desperate dwarf whose prayers to Torag went unanswered weighed upon Angradd’s heart. Finding the dwarves in turmoil and their traditions crumbling, Angradd stepped in, adopting his brother’s mantle as patron of the dwarven people. Once a zealous god who sought and vanquished evil before innocent lives could be lost, Angradd is now forced to remain on the defensive. He guides his followers to fortify their homes and territory, forge alliances with kin and clan, and fight to preserve their way of life. He’s become overprotective, sometimes emphasizing caution and tradition to the detriment of progress. Angradd feels he is but a poor replacement for his brother. That so many dwarves have forgotten his brother leaves Angradd both proud of their resilience and ashamed he so thoroughly supplanted Torag in dwarven hearts. CALISTRIA The Savored Sting CN goddess of elves, lust, revenge, trickery A mercurial, free-spirited goddess, Calistria embodies three aspects—lust, revenge, and trickery—which she encourages her followers to embrace without becoming utterly consumed. Calistria is a fickle trickster who acts with calm composure while planning vengeance for even frivolous slights. Despite the passionate nature of her aspects, Calistria encourages her followers to maintain emotional distance to keep a clear head and protect themselves. However, where bad actors breach those boundaries, Calistrians act decisively. For these reasons, Calistria’s pragmatism makes her a role-model to long-lived species for how to live without sorrow and regret, despite the short and frenetic pace of surrounding peoples and societies. Calistria’s aspects appeal widely, and her faith has found a foothold on countless planets. Her followers tend to be as changeable as she is, offering devotion to her when engaged in lustful pursuits, elaborate schemes, or plotting vengeance, and then moving on as their needs change. Calistria takes no offense at this transient worship; she doesn’t demand obedience or commitment from her worshippers any more than she does her lovers. Although Calistrian temples exist, she’s more often worshipped at private parties, hideouts, vice dens, and brothels— places to indulge desires, gather information, or hatch plots. Most Calistrians take their privacy seriously, ensuring security measures are in place at religious gatherings. Attempts to blackmail or spy on a Calistrian often end in disaster. CHALDIRA The Calamitous Turn NG goddess of battle, fortune, halflings, mischief Chaldira’s a nosy, hotheaded goddess dedicated to fighting for what’s right despite the odds or opposition. She encourages her followers to stand up for underdogs, speak in defense of the voiceless, rally against corruption, fight for the oppressed, and have a bit of fun along the way. Bold and tenacious, Chaldira follows her heart, trusts her instincts, and encourages her worshippers to do the same. She took the Gap in stride and focuses on the present rather than the past. She embraces the modern world with enthusiasm, and enjoys testing new methods of mischief and mayhem. Despite her confrontational tendencies, she’s a stalwart ally and a caring goddess who delights in uniting people through laughter. Although Chaldira is the patron of halflings, her faith attracts followers from all walks of life. Her worshippers include do-gooders and hotheads, rebels and community leaders— anyone willing to stand against injustice, as well as entertainers, comedians, directors, and other artists who work to inspire change. Chaldirans believe it’s better to get in over your head doing the right thing than to stand idle in the face of evil. DAGOSARN The Unriven Soul N god of cooperation, partner bonds, secret languages Despite being comprised of the dragonkin Endrisarn and his bonded companion, the ryphorian Dagovin, the demigod Dagosarn functions as a single divinity. Together, they guide and champion anyone united through a supernatural bond, with a special emphasis on the dragonkin partner bond ritual. They sponsor these unions no matter the participants’ morality or deeds, for it’s the teamwork and bond that are sacred, less the justices or injustices perpetrated by a partnership. Dagosarn especially delights in the inside jokes and secret languages that close friends develop as they deepen their bond. Myths suggest that Endrisarn and Dagovin were once bonded warriors who fought against Triaxus’s Drakelands. There, Dagovin died in combat, and the still-living Endrisarn chased his partner’s spirit along the River of Souls, catching up just as Dagovin went before Pharasma for judgment. Supposedly, Pharasma deemed that Dagovin could not be dead; half of him yet lived, so she annulled Dagovin’s demise and dismissed them to their home world. There, they emerged as inseparable halves of a single demigod. The myth has never been substantiated, yet it inspires Dagosarn’s and Pharasma’s followers to work together regularly. The Unriven Soul’s priests regularly bless paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733896 20733896 20733896 4431625 4431625 4431625

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733897 20733897 20733897 4431626 4431626 4431626 Isvith 125 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 4 corporate mergers, marriage ceremonies, reconciliations between estranged siblings, and other bonding events. Few outside Triaxus (much less the Pact Worlds) worship Dagosarn. FLUX The Multitude CN deity of disguises, fluidity, identity, shapeshifters Flux is a fluid deity who changes shape and identity at will while never revealing their true purpose or goals. Believed by their followers to be either the first shapeshifter or the creator of shapeshifters, Flux has supposedly experienced life as all species, all genders, all orientations, all expressions of life, and even beings and identities beyond comprehension. They’re the patron deity of shapeshifters, transmuters, and anyone who’s ever struggled with or changed their identity. In addition, Flux’s faith attracts actors, bodyguards, biotechnicians, doctors, psychologists, spies, and stunt doubles, as well as criminal elements such as blackmailers and identity thieves. Flux’s teachings are ambiguous and open to personal interpretation, inspiring varied meanings to different people. Among astrazoans, Flux is a deity of self-expression and enjoyment. Reptoids know Flux as The Faceless, a master impersonator who manipulates world events to further their own inscrutable plots. To others, including barathu and brakim, Flux is the ultimate survivalist, quickly adapting to changing conditions in ways they could only dream of. Infamously, Flux answers dire prayers through divine metamorphosis, transforming a desperate worshipper into a drastically different form to fulfill their immediate desire in unpredictable ways. ISVITH Mistress of the Maze LN goddess of connections, navigation, patterns To the uninitiated, Isvith is a nuar goddess who inspires mortals to discern the patterns hidden in all existence and apply it to their lives. To her closest worshippers, though, Isvith embodies the insights necessary to peel back the labyrinth of reality and navigate the cosmic secrets that lie beyond. Isvith’s lessons apply to countless skills and trades such as coding, engineering, and navigation; and even socially through haptics and politics. Isvith’s shrines stand along tangled streets or station corridors rather than on major thoroughfares. Because her faith is practically endemic to Absalom Station and was virtually unknown before the Gap, a common theory posits she attained divinity through the Starstone. Isvith can’t confirm or deny this, though, as she embarked on “one final exploration” centuries ago, and vanished into a supernatural maze whose entrance closed behind her. Periodically, followers uncover clues to the maze’s location, nature, or layout, suggesting that the canniest devotees might be able to follow Isvith on her voyage. However, there are no such clues as to Isvith’s fate. Is she trapped within? Did she decide to stay or create the maze as an allegory for understanding the universe? Or might Isvith be the maze herself? No one can say for sure, but that doesn’t stop her faithful from seeking their own answers as they puzzle out this mystery, navigate the stars, and guide others through confounding circumstances. JALVARI The Incidental Epiphany NG goddess of disproven hypotheses and experiments Once a mortal osharu scientist, Jalvari apotheosized accidentally through an experiment in space-time she cannot replicate. She remains as devoted to Yaraesa now as when she was mortal, and thus acts like Yaraesa’s unofficial herald while encouraging researchers in their quest for knowledge. Rather than advocate for knowledge as a whole, Jalvari embodies the wisdom and insights earned through apparent failure and unexpected discoveries. She’s a tough-love patron whose praise for hard-earned breakthroughs is rivaled only by her approval when beloved theories crumble in the face of new evidence. She takes apparent delight in humbling arrogant scientists who can’t see beyond their own self-importance. Following her example, Jalvari’s disciples question academic dogma while passionately training ANCESTRAL DEITIES paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733897 20733897 20733897 4431626 4431626 4431626

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733898 20733898 20733898 4431627 4431627 4431627 126 FAITHS the next generation’s researchers to overturn their teachers’ discoveries with ever more refined theorems. To the soft-bodied osharus, Jalvari serves as a reminder that even though experiencing an unforgiving universe can invite harm or even death, surviving these figurative “critiques” ultimately transforms and uplifts the answer-seekers. Where she’s worshipped beyond Pabaq, prayers to Jalvari most often come from struggling scientists who need her wisdom and compassion to identify discoveries amid their apparent failures. LISSALA Scion of Seven LE goddess of duty, fate, obedience, reward of service Lissala is the patron goddess of the tyrannical Azlanti Star Empire and the various societies they’ve subjugated. Her worship can be traced to back to ancient Golarion, primarily in Azlant and Thassilon. Lissala teaches her followers to obey their superiors, accept the burdens placed upon them, persevere through hardship, and plan for the future. She rewards such service with knowledge and power. Lissala considers relying on charity, luck, or prophecy to be blasphemy deserving of punishment. As such, many of her followers believe that offering a gift is a cutting insult. Lissala’s worship thrives among tyrannical leaders of all kinds who in turn force her devotion upon their servitors. She’s also popular among those who emphasize toil and sacrifice as paths to power or knowledge, such as soldiers, spies, scholars, and students. Her followers learn to serve those above them and command those below. They keep their oaths, value knowledge, and appreciate the written word; most chronicle their experiences in journals, memoirs, or infosphere blogs. Lissalan temples are grand and richly decorated, with designated seating and chapels for worshippers of different standings. Among the Azlanti Star Empire, Lissala is depicted as a mouthless Azlanti noblewoman with six phantasmal wings, although other cultures depict her as a winged snake-woman, seven-headed serpent, and stranger forms. MEYEL The Dancing Fury CE deity of battle, dance, freedom, pahtras, retribution Once an amiable pahtra deity of art, Meyel became consumed with fury over the loss of the planet Pulonis to the Veskarium and the deaths of countless pahtras. Meyel, now a blood-soaked deity, urges pahtras to retake their home by any means necessary and to seek retribution against the Veskarium, believing vesk and their minions should pay a thousandfold for every drop of pahtra blood spilled. This isn’t considered thoughtless violence, but instead performance art to memorialize the wrongfully slain, and worshippers develop their own signatures in a twisted expression of virtuosity. Meyel’s old faith, dedicated to dance and peaceful expression, survives. The two sects disdain each other yet rarely clash directly, with the less violent worshippers avidly seeking ways to shake their patron from their bloodlust. However, neither denomination receives kind treatment from the wary Veskarium, so many hide their faith out of self-preservation. NIVI RHOMBODAZZLE The Grey Polychrome N goddess of gambling, gems, gnomes, stealth Delighting in risks and consequences, Nivi Rhombodazzle is a gambler who enjoys the game, win or lose. Nivi was once a mortal feychild gnome on Golarion who fled underground to escape her debts. She emerged as a goddess and first of the bleachling gnomes, with legends claiming she won her divinity from Torag in exchange for a magnificent gemstone that blinded the dwarf god with greed. Nivi is worshipped by both feychild gnomes, who follow her tenets to help them ward off the bleaching, and bleachling gnomes, who consider themselves her spiritual descendants. Nivi’s faith also attracts adrenaline junkies, extreme athletes, gamblers, and other risk-takers. The faithful enjoy gambling and savor the consequences of their wagers. They’re nearly always willing to double down, up the stakes, and play one more time, even if it means losing everything. When faced with trouble, Nivi’s followers tend to flee rather than stand their ground. Most temples to Nivi Rhombodazzle are casinos or illicit gambling dens, with organized worship being a secondary concern. Her faith is particularly common on Absalom Station, Akiton, Castrovel, Preluria, Triaxus, and in Eox’s Halls of the Living. ROMGUL The Lone Survivor NE god of dromadas, retreat, self-preservation Colloquially known as the Coward’s God, Romgul encourages his followers to flee from danger and save themselves, even if it comes at the expense of others. Many suspect he’s the sole survivor of a long-dead dromadan pantheon, though no evidence supports these claims. At first glance, Romgul espouses values integral to dromada society. He teaches that safety is hard earned: to survive, one must be cautious, vigilant, and constantly planning escape routes and contingencies. He encourages his followers to flee in the face of danger, for flight is tactical, not cowardly. Furthermore, Romgul suggests his followers gather in groups, for there is safety in numbers. But Romgul is a god of self-preservation, not safety, and he demands his followers put their personal survival first. When danger scatters a group, those who fall behind should be left behind—an action Romgul’s followers explain away as “for the good of the herd.” Romgul enjoys tempting followers, offering them safety in exchange for devotion. Dromada who follow him revere him in secret, leading other dromadas to fret over who among them might secretly worship the selfish bogeyman. Outside dromada society, Romgul enjoys more open worship. His faith attracts cowards, cynics, and scoundrels, as well as the downtrodden, people living in dangerous places, and anyone just trying to get by. UVONN The Welcome Oblivion N goddess of forgetfulness, healing forgiveness, memory Ancient beyond reckoning, Uvonn holds sway over memory, encouraging her followers, many of them telias, to embrace paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733898 20733898 20733898 4431627 4431627 4431627

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733899 20733899 20733899 4431628 4431628 4431628 UVONN 127 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 4 those recollections they enjoy and release those they don’t. Her followers believe this deliberate forgetfulness is good for body, mind, and spirit, as it can free those so burdened from hate, trauma, and bad habits; to forget promotes healing and forgiveness. Yet, Uvonn seems to forget nothing, and nothing surprises she who has seen everything countless times already. Uvonn’s faith attracts addicts, amnesiacs, mesmerists, neurologists, and long-lived beings. Her faithful especially reveres the elderly. Although the majority of Uvonn’s followers are content to manipulate their own memories, some learn to tend, enhance, and erase the memories of others as a treatment. However, some extreme worshippers go out of their way to destroy records of harmful events they deem best left forgotten. Others use memory manipulation to create utopian communities where hardships and past tragedies can’t haunt the present. Many of Uvonn’s followers believe she brought on the Gap as a way to bring peace to the universe through collective amnesia. If true, judging by the rampant chaos and violence throughout the galaxies, another Gap might be needed soon. VESK SAINTS Although Damoritosh is the primary vesk deity, he doesn’t work alone; an army of saints execute missions on his behalf. Each saint has unique powers and can bless mortals, which sometimes prompts Damoritosh’s worshippers to request a specific saint’s aid in their prayers. Damoritosh doesn’t resent this shared attention, treating his saints as officers who command the loyalty of their mortal followings while still recognizing their general’s ultimate authority. Most saints are celebrated warriors or honored emperors who showed unwavering courage, strength, and faith. Typically, when a saint’s mortal life ended, they would be resurrected long enough to accomplish their immediate unfinished business, such as winning an ongoing battle, defeating an enemy, or completing a mission. If they prevailed in this narrow window of second life, they became an immortal saint in Damoritosh’s divine legion. One of the most revered saints is Emperor Eshovok, who united the vesk and founded the Veskarium. Similarly, Empress Dalayo led the Veskarium to conquer Vesk2, solidifying the Veskarium as an interplanetary empire. Both of these saints bless leaders during battles of conquest. Damoritosh’s faithful remember High Despot Montoresh as a tactical genius whose blessing bestows temporary tactical advantage, making her popular among a wide range of worshippers. Renamori the Unkillable triumphed in countless battles, and though an assassin’s poison should’ve killed them outright, they died only after executing their assailant. For this reason, Renamori champions those fighting against impossible odds and terminal afflictions. Yogesh the Willed is the most recently ascended saint; however, beyond its proclamation lauding her heroic spirit, the Veskarium has withheld details of whatever clandestine deeds she accomplished that warranted this reward, spurring myriad theories and rumors. Those who knew her in life nonetheless seek her blessing, which occasionally draws the enthusiastic soldier’s spirit to the battlefield. Nataratier Worldbender was a powerful spellcaster whose ascension reminds vesk that the seemingly weak can be powerful so long as they embody Damoritosh’s teachings. He’s a favorite saint among those who achieve victory through magic and guile. Rarely, Damoritosh tests and recruits non-vesk mortals. The skittermander Anpa eagerly responds to prayers when possible, yet she’s among the least revered saints due to many vesk feeling embarrassed by Anpa’s ebullience and shows of affection. Instead, the Veskarium touts Anpa as an example of how even non-vesk can aspire to greatness if they serve Damoritosh dutifully. ANCESTRAL DEITIES paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733899 20733899 20733899 4431628 4431628 4431628

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733900 20733900 20733900 4431629 4431629 4431629 ELDER MYTHOS 128 FAITHS Nyarlathotep belongs to a sinister category of entities known as the Elder Mythos. This alien pantheon is further broken into two subcategories: Outer Gods and the Great Old Ones. OUTER GODS Outer Gods like Nyarlathotep are beings who, if not divinities themselves, wield power that rivals that of true deities. Azathoth (CN) Said to anchor the center of the universe, the so-called “blind idiot god” Azathoth knows nothing of those who worship it. Those who venerate Azathoth worship the very concept of destruction and see religious ecstasy in the annihilation at the heart of a star. Azathoth is as much the idea of devastation and the triumph of chaos as it is an entity. Vague rumors of a pre-Gap flight by an experimental starship to locate the Throne of Azathoth at the center of the universe are likely apocryphal, yet it remains curious that historical documents from so many species—humans, elves, lashuntas, shirrens, and vesk among them—make claims of having developed this lost ship. Nhimbaloth (CE) Death is no escape from Nhimbaloth; in fact, it’s a lure. Known as the Empty Death, this mysterious malevolence haunts wetlands on countless worlds, where glowing motes of light are said to be the ways she looks into reality. Ghosts are her favorite repast, and those who worship her often sacrifice living creatures in vile rituals, transforming the victims into ghosts that might keep her sated. Nhimbaloth’s presence can be seen in the shape of seven divot-like scars left in the environment or the flesh. She’s regarded with fear even by undead, and certain fens and mires in deep caverns of Eox have been sealed off for centuries due to rumors of her presence within. Shub-Niggurath (CE) Regarded as a goddess of fertility, Shub-Niggurath is an enigma among Outer Gods. Known as the Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young, she’s venerated mostly on primeval worlds or in rural settings where her bizarre fecundity can run amok. In technologically advanced regions, those who study genetics or seek “miracle cures” often turn to her faith for inspiration. Rumors of her cultists infiltrating pharmaceutical companies are dismissed as fearmongering spurred on by disgruntled employees and competitors, but in truth, at least two well-established and popular brands of designer drugs in the Pact Worlds have sinister links to the Black Goat’s faithful. Yog-Sothoth (CN) Said to be the Gate and the Key, Yog-Sothoth dwells not in this world but within it. Yog-Sothoth manifests either as a seething mass of iridescent spheres or as a slightly more humanoid figure cloaked in robes. While associated with the concept of time itself (indeed, the Outer God dwells at the heart of the Dimension of Time), Yog-Sothoth’s faithful are more interested in how time marches toward a point where a metaphorical gate opens in anticipation of the Great Old Ones’ return and rule. When Yog-Sothoth influences mortal lives, the result inevitably introduces horrific mutations and destructive life-forms. GREAT OLD ONES The Great Old Ones are more terrestrially focused than the Outer Gods, and many lie imprisoned or hibernating in forgotten corners on lost worlds. While many of the Great Old Ones serve the Outer Gods, they remain unimaginably powerful entities who are themselves worshipped on many worlds. Cthulhu (CE) Tentacle-faced Cthulhu waits, “dead but dreaming” and gathering an ever-growing cult of worshippers dedicated to setting him free on countless worlds via infections to the minds of dreaming artists. Ghatanothoa (NE) The horrific monstrosity Ghatanothoa is so awful to behold that accurate depictions of its appearance in art are said to have the power to kill. Hastur (CE) The ruler of the parasite city of Carcosa is Hastur, the Yellow King, whose worshippers ever seek new debauches and revelries to taint the soul and flesh; in so doing, they draw the soul of cities themselves into his domain. Yog-Sothoth paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733900 20733900 20733900 4431629 4431629 4431629

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733901 20733901 20733901 4431630 4431630 4431630 129 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 4 THE ELDEST Fey demigods known as the Eldest rule the First World, shaping its chaotic energies and creating domains for themselves and their followers. Many Eldest grant boons to devotees. The Eldests’ goals are enigmatic, and their faiths cooperate rarely, as the Eldest are regularly at odds with one another. APHOLINE (N) Luminous and comforting, Apholine the Flame shines with pure life energy that sparks unimpeded growth. Apholine was obsessed with that which was brighter than her—the sun—and departed the First World ages ago, leaving her followers with the cryptic message: “I am close now; yet to fully understand, I must dwell within Her Glory.” While Apholine hasn’t been seen since, her light never dimmed, and the ravais who worship her believe she’s currently somewhere within a distant sun. Many still await her prophesized return, claiming she’ll bring with her something known only as “the Seed.” THE LOST PRINCE (N) The Lost Prince is a morose patron of those who have suffered loss. His origins are unknown, but it’s suspected the First World isn’t his first home. In the aftermath of the Gap, countless confused souls sought solace in the Lost Prince; the longest-lived among them still revere him to this day. While many of his faithful prefer isolation, some emulate their patron, working as counselors and therapists to help others cope with tragedy. NG (N) Worship of Ng the Hooded has flourished in the era of Drift travel. This secretive Eldest of crossroads and journeys is rumored to have created first drives (Starship Operations Manual 10)—planar engines that enable starships to travel between the First World and Material Plane—which he gives to mortals in exchange for future favors. Tales of starships traversing remote regions of the universe that gain a mysterious, faceless passenger are rare but persistent, and many of his faithful suspect the passenger is Ng himself. RAGADAHN (CE) The Eldest with the strongest presence in the Pact Worlds is Ragadahn the Water Lord, self-proclaimed Father of all Dragons who has a sizable following on the Brethedan moon of KaloMahoi. The center of his worship is Eld Ona, a city of stunning, ancient architecture. Much of the older architecture was made to accommodate immense creatures, leading to the apocryphal claim that Ragadahn once lived there. Others theorize the city was built to house a different entity altogether. SHYKA (N) The Eldest of entropy, time, and reincarnation known as Shyka the Many is an entity composed of countless chronomancers scattered across time. Long ago, Shyka held a convocation of every incarnation that would ever hold the role of Shyka—past and future—and all agreed that rather than passing on the role chronologically, they would share it in flickers, so all Shyka would experience all times. Since then, the role of Shyka changes frequently; sometimes one of the Many remains for days, while at other times, they shift between a multitude in a single conversation. Occasionally, Shyka disappears completely. They refuse to discuss these disappearances, causing many to theorize that whenever they disappear, Shyka visits lost Golarion or are inhabited by an incarnation from the Gap. OTHER ELDEST There are numerous other Eldest. The Green Mother masterminds grand plots from her seat on the First World’s Bloodpetal Throne, acting through spies and assassins called the Mother’s Thorns. Imbrex is occasionally alluded to in the prophecies of Liavaran Dreamers. The Lantern King regularly leaves the First World to traverse infospheres, causing mischief wherever he goes. Magdh, the Eldest of fate, has become more erratic and distressed since the Gap; some observers worry her distress is because she sees the Gap as a sign that the universe’s threads of fate are twisting down the worst possible path. THE ELDEST Apholine paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733901 20733901 20733901 4431630 4431630 4431630

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733902 20733902 20733902 4431631 4431631 4431631 130 FAITHS Exceptional extraplanar creatures occasionally develop the divine spark to grant their followers power and perform miracles. Each plane has its own outsider deities, most of who also enjoy mortal cults. These beings often work together, collaborate with mightier gods, and have quite specific portfolios. The outsider deity groups and their planes of origin are empyreal lords (Elysium, Heaven, and Nirvana); primal inevitables (Axis); psychopomp ushers (Boneyard); protean lords (Maelstrom); archdevils, infernal dukes, queens of the night, and malebranches (Hell); the four horsemen and daemonic harbingers (Abaddon); demon lords (Abyss); elemental lords (elemental planes); and arc spectra (Drift). ARSHEA (NG) Arshea is an angel empyreal lord who represents personal empowerment, beauty, and sexuality, along with the freedom for all to explore these concepts for themselves. As long as no harm is done unto others, Arshea and their followers support the pursuit of pleasures and personal fulfillment in whatever forms they take for an individual. The Spirit of Abandon has no permanent realm on the planes, instead wandering the galaxy in search of their own happiness. Their cult of worshippers includes many artists, explorers, lovers, and warriors who champion against oppression. Arshea’s followers delight in making first contact with unknown planets and societies, hoping to ensure smooth communication and amicable introductions that benefit everyone involved. BLACK BUTTERFLY (CG) The Black Butterfly is an azata empyreal lord of distance, silence, and space. Also known as the Silence Between and Desna’s Shadow, she teaches her followers the strength of silence and patience as tools to find one’s true self and to reveal the true natures of others. By studying the absences found in space and time, any truth is discoverable. The Black Butterfly is worshipped by navigators, lovers separated by distance, and by anyone isolated by either their nature or their circumstances. She abhors evil and wages constant war to defend the galaxy from the Dominion of the Black and all inhabitants of the Dark Tapestry—an endless mission her followers are expected to likewise accept. CIXYRON (NE) As a daemonic harbinger of weaponry and the destruction made possible by technology, Cixyron’s power and influence over the galaxy grows stronger every day. His faithful have called him by many names over the millennia, changing his title in homage to the newest and most violent weapons mortals have created. Cixyron is currently known as the Consuming Nova or the Striking Ruin. Thanks to his ever-growing influence and power in Abaddon, his followers command fear and respect uncommon among outsider cultists. They create and distribute weapons across the galaxy, encourage wars, and incite apocalypses. These worshippers delight in transforming natural phenomena like asteroids or solar storms into weapons by altering their courses or directing ships into their paths. DUELLONA (LG) The Warrior Maiden Duellona is an archon empyreal lord of bravery, warfare, and triumph. She represents the strength and unity of warriors fighting alongside each other, and she teaches her followers to be fearless even in the face of overwhelming adversity. Duellona’s worship was concentrated on Daimalko until two centuries ago when a worldwide apocalypse devastated the planet. Many of the surviving damais still revere the Warrior Maiden, especially those in New Valor, where they fight against the colossi that infest their home world. Outside Daimalko, Duellona’s faithful are a constant but small minority among military groups and cultures with strong martial traditions. Although the Warrior Maiden sponsors soldiers, she also protects those involved in more figurative battles, such as those fighting xenophobic policies or chronic ailments. OUTSIDER DEITIES DUELLONA paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733902 20733902 20733902 4431631 4431631 4431631

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733903 20733903 20733903 4431632 4431632 4431632 131 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 4 OUTSIDER DEITIES FACILIAN (N) As the Drift has grown, so too have its native beings known as the spectra, not only multiplying, but also generating several paragons of demigod power. The first of these arc spectra is Facilian, a divinity of beginnings, novel ideas, and experimentation. The relationship between the spectra and Triune is unclear, and the addition of Facilian does nothing to elucidate it. The spectra god is clearly allied with the All-Code, though they don’t appear to be its servant. Also known as the Blossoming Fractal, Facilian appears to mortals when they have strokes of inspiration and breakthroughs in their work or overcome blocks in their perspectives. Facilian’s faith is in its infancy, driven by inventors, explorers, scientists, and those who challenge convention and forge their own paths. In return, Facilian occasionally appears to worshippers as they travel the Drift, granting visions of baffling signs and formulas that each viewer might adapt into their own breakthroughs. OCCHIORASOI (LE) Malebranches are powerful devils dispatched by Hell with an infernal mandate to conquer worlds on the Material Plane. Most toil for centuries or millennia with little success. Occhiorasoi, the malebranche of distortion, coercion, and control known as the Cipher Tongue, is one of the few malebranches to succeed, establishing her as the ruler of the planet Embroi. From secret chambers hidden beneath the planet’s surface, she manipulates its inhabitants according to her whims and the will of Hell. Through the Seekers, her chosen embri, Occhiorasoi’s galactic influence grows. Her cult attracts those who desire power and leadership, though their ambition only binds them and their souls to Hell. The malebranche encourages her faithful to recruit their own followings or to infiltrate and conquer other organizations, gaining influence by amassing minions. OTOLMENS (LN) Otolmens the Universal is one of the few primal inevitables to emerge from the Gap whole. She watches over the Material Plane to preserve the accurate function of the multiverse, endlessly locating and documenting galactic anomalies and disturbances for Axis’s planar records. The Universal personally oversaw the production of the first Anhamut inevitables constructed in Axis after receiving their blueprints in a mysterious signal now theorized to have come from Triune and the Drift. The Anhamut Edgeseekers, a group of inevitables dedicated to exploring and mapping the cosmos, report directly to her. Otolmens’s worshippers include engineers and mathematicians who pray to her for accurate calculations, bureaucrats or managers concerned with order and function, and galactic explorers who hope to make new discoveries and uncover hidden anomalies. PAZUZU (CE) Among the eldest demon lords, Pazuzu claims the widest influence over the Material Plane of any demon. Though once merely lord of the sky, the King of the Solar Winds now considers all of space his domain and claims dominion over warships, space battles, and the destruction wrought by solar flares. However, he often squabbles with Lamashtu (page 122), and these clashes have stymied his ascent to true divinity. Pazuzu meddles in mortal affairs constantly, appearing or sending servants to tempt and corrupt those who speak his name. He’s worshipped by space pirates and the evils that float in the dead of space. RANGINORI (NG) Ranginori, the Zephyrous Prince, is one of two elemental lords of air and a god of freedom and atmospheres, both natural and artificial. His followers value independence and the freedom to both think and move freely across the galaxy. They work to keep space travel as safe and easy as possible, searching for stranded travelers in need of help and repairs. Many of them are interested in climate controls and creating artificial atmospheres, and Ranginori’s faithful are well represented among larger space stations’ and starships’ life support engineers. For the most ambitious faithful, rehabilitating entire planets’ depleted atmospheres represents the ultimate expression of devotion. In the Pact Worlds, a large cohort of the Zephyrous Prince’s followers have set their sights on Eox, where they work with an eccentric group of undead to restore that planet’s obliterated atmosphere. Sarcessian guerrilla warriors regularly undermine these efforts, though, intent that Eox remain dead after having obliterated the sarcessians’ own planets. SALOC (N) Saloc is a psychopomp usher of personal agency and education, advocating for mortals in Pharasma’s Boneyard when they face their final judgment. They cherish living creatures’ free will and believe souls should be judged by both their intentions and the ultimate consequences of their actions. Saloc’s home is at the center of Spire’s Edge, a large planar city inhabited by the souls of mortals whose lives lacked ambition and meaning. The Minder of Immortals is revered by lawyers, teachers, prisoners, and any who seek to control their fates in death through their choices in life. Saloc’s faithful also includes the Voyage Ordinant, a cult of traveling attorneys who take otherwise-hopeless cases and defend those who unintentionally run afoul of local laws and large corporate interests. YDAJISK (CN) Ydajisk is a protean lord of language, lost words, and change. It delights in linguistic invention and the evolution of languages, including every new piece of slang, every word borrowed from one language to another, every person who forges their own name, and every linguistic shift brought on by changes in time and culture. The Mother of Tongues is worshipped by poets, librarians, and any who has experience with languages of any form, from the auditory to the cryptographic. Its followers view language as something chaotic and changing, forever in flux like the proteans themselves, and many find solace and freedom working around the defined structures of words or grammar rather than adhering to them. Ydajisk’s cults visit uninhabited worlds to learn and chronicle dead languages, and they shoot satellites into far space, decorated with words that have fallen out of use. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733903 20733903 20733903 4431632 4431632 4431632

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733904 20733904 20733904 4431633 4431633 4431633 THE CYCLE 132 FAITHS Philosophical Cosmic Balance Centers of Worship: Absalom Station, Diaspora, Idari, the Sun, Vesk-4 Symbol: A lemniscate within a star Some kasathas have stellar evolution memorized as clearly as their cultural and family history, for the life and death of stars form the backbone of the philosophy known as the Cycle. Oral and written history dating back several millennia record how this understanding emerged from observing the brilliant night sky of Kasath, littered with stars young and old. While the high radiation from these stars contributed to the planet’s desert state, kasathas gained matchless insights into how stars form and cease to be by tracking these changes over generations. Originally, these insights were interpreted as omens of change and major events. Many relied on talented star readers to predict one’s fate or augur an outcome. After an oracle made the Final Prophecy foretelling the death of Kasath’s sun, the Cycle came to be viewed as a philosophical truth: creation and destruction are one and the same, and life should strive to emulate the perfect, destined, and repetitive eternity that is the Cycle. Bits of the Cycle’s fortune-telling past still exist, preserved through ancestral teachings and traditions. The demand for accurate astronomical data for star reading drives telescopes and scanners to number among the most advanced of kasathan technologies. Icons used by oracles to record prophecies have become symbols found in decorative motifs from calligraphy and mysticism to corporate logos and fashion accessories. That said, kasathas generally see the Cycle’s teachings as something to embody rather than display through material symbolism. Many kasathan ceremonies and activities trace their roots and rituals to the Cycle. The Tempering is the most well known, regarded as a time when kasathan youths break down the notions they once had to return as something stronger or different. Sun burial for the deceased is another common rite, being a popular funerary practice among kasathas, such that their mortal bodies might reunite with a life-giving star. Preparation for birth, death, and succession are also significant and ritualistically celebrated. These three events share a custom known as the Transference, where a package from the retired or deceased containing their personal effects, anecdotes, and a short manifesto are given to a successor or newborn at a large gathering where those attending share stories of the departing, reinforcing the community’s shared history. Historians debate the origins of these Cycle rituals, with many insisting they originated from Talavite practices rather than from the Cycle itself. This belief is certainly true among those Talavites who treat the Cycle as one of many traditions to be treasured and preserved. Many non-kasatha Cycle adherents have chosen to distance themselves from these kasatha-created rituals and focus upon the Cycle’s core concepts. Even among those who adhere solely to the Cycle, there’s division, and interpretive differences have given rise to a number of orders, sects, and schools of thought. The School of Impermanence views the Cycle as a lesson on accepting the inevitable end and the destined return. Adherents from the Solarian Collective strive to balance power acquisition without arrogance against humility without dismissing one’s own self-interest. To perpetuate the Cycle, creation and destruction must be wielded and embraced in equal measure. Preachers from the Nova Directive advise their followers to live life to the fullest, sometimes to hedonistic proportions. In a similar vein, a growing sect of solarians known as the Ultraists reject balance altogether and intentionally seek extreme paths to gain devastating powers. Perhaps the most controversial of Cycle interpretations is the Order of the Zoetic Cycle, an esoteric sect that spreads its teachings through infospheres and elaborate invitation-only ceremonies that are notoriously difficult to attend. These dramatic adherents insist the Cycle is an entity with free will—a consciousness from which one can draw power by following a complex collection of rules and rituals to attract its inscrutable attention. When the Pact Worlds were introduced to the Cycle, many found it difficult to grasp, for not only did most texts not use separate words for creation and destruction, but these writings also couched lessons in esoteric kasathan allegory. The utility of solarian powers, however, attracted many to the philosophy, which helped develop further understanding. The Cycle meshes well with many belief systems, such as Sangpotshi and veneration of Pharasma, although it clashes with faiths focused on ultimate endings, for the Cycle teaches there is no end to anything, even the universe. Cycle priest paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733904 20733904 20733904 4431633 4431633 4431633

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733905 20733905 20733905 4431634 4431634 4431634 THE GREEN FAITH Environmental Advocates Centers of Worship: Castrovel, Ghorus Prime, Helfen-Thel, Varturan, Vesk-2 Symbol: Concentric rings of natural elements THE GAP RECOLLECTIVE Gap-Obsessed Fringe Cult Centers of Worship: Absalom Station, Aucturn, Castrovel, Verces Symbol: A partially reconstructed shattered mirror 133 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 4 PHILOSOPHIES On practically every planet where sapient life developed, reverence for the natural world that sustained such life developed as well. As such, countless sects of the Green Faith have grown independently of one another, each adapted to meet the needs of unique ecosystems that vary drastically from planet to planet. This independence hasn’t prevented these sects from sharing the same basic values once Drift travel brought them closer together. At its core, the Green Faith teaches that the natural world should be cherished and respected. Since there’s no organized structure for the faith, how adherents go about doing so varies greatly. Many dedicate their lives to patrolling and maintaining natural parks and other wild places. Others spend their time lobbying governments for sustainable environmental policies, and some prefer to take extreme measures—including violence— to protect the natural world and retaliate against those who would harm it. While there’s no formal church for the Green Faith, worshippers sometimes come together to form orders based on their ecological interests. Many orders are specific to the needs of individual planets, but some are far-reaching. The Order of the Spheres concerns itself with maintaining the ecological balance of individual planets in an era of interstellar trade. The Order of Preservation enters the scene when a planet’s environment has been irrevocably damaged through pollution or natural disaster, collecting samples of flora and fauna before they’re lost forever. These sects are but a few examples that also include the Order of the Wave, Order of the Flame, at least 17 different groups claiming the title Order of the Fang, and many more. The Green Faith is a lifestyle as well as a religion and can’t be practiced casually. Adherents commit themselves to living in harmony with the environment, and their professions frequently reflect their beliefs. The Xenowardens count many Green Faith adherents among their members. Worshippers who don’t lean toward activism tend to lead self-sufficient lives far from big cities. All wild places untouched by civilization are sacred to the Green Faith. For city-dwelling worshippers, a park might serve as a place of worship or meditation, though most still seek to make a pilgrimage to a truly wild place at least once in their lives. Many adherents in the Pact Worlds travel to the protected continent Ukulam on Castrovel to feel closer to their faith. Whispers among the different orders speak of a sacred site on Ukulam called the Verdant Soul, though it’s up to each pilgrim to find this place on their own. The Gap Recollective is an obscure faith that attracts any and all whose main interest lies in the universe’s greatest mystery: the Gap. The Gap Recollective not only believes it’s possible to understand the Gap, but also that it’s feasible to reverse it. The cult attracts a wide range of members, including scientific researchers, esoteric psychics, occult-minded conspiracy theorists, gullible souls, and opportunistic scoundrels. Although some in the Gap Recollective are altruistic, looking only to repair their memories or those of the galaxy at large, many are driven by greed, a thirst for influence, or the need to validate their pet theories. These adherents hope to profit, perhaps by selling lost technology for a fortune, by arming themselves for acts of aggression or vengeance, or to gain power, recognition, or fame. As eclectically optimistic as the group is in seeking to reverse the Gap, and as much as members of the Gap Recollective are ostracized by mainstream scientists, there’s an uncomfortably convincing air of legitimacy to their methods. The Gap Recollective has made numerous mystical and extradimensional breakthroughs in magic, suggesting at least some members understand something about the nature of the Gap that eludes traditional forms of research. However, the Recollective’s discoveries rarely reach the uninitiated, and only those who earn admission and recognition within its ranks can hope to access the inner mysteries and learn of these secretive techniques. To an untrained eye, the methodology is absolute chaos—a motley assortment of spiritualism, technomysticism, and poetic absurdity. Yet, their persistent and unrelenting assault on the edges of the known limits of knowledge leads to revelations with their unintuitive apophenia having developed a host of weapons, technology, and baubles that range from curious to improbably dangerous. The philosophy still grapples with many unanswered questions, and the Gap Recollective’s members regularly contract freelancers to retrieve relics, chart stellar phenomena, perform extreme field tests, and interview obscure sages. These outwardly mundane tasks uncover serendipitous anomalies and catastrophic danger so regularly that many mercenaries refuse the work outright, certain that even the simplest missions could prove lethal. Recollective investigators point to these recurring disasters as proof of the movement being on the right track. Indeed, for all the derision and suspicion cast on the loose organization, adherents of the Gap Recollective seem to be peeling away layers of some mystery, though they might just solve a completely different enigma than they initially imagined. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733905 20733905 20733905 4431634 4431634 4431634

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733906 20733906 20733906 4431635 4431635 4431635 THE PARALLEL TRUTHS 134 FAITHS Seeker of Otherworldly Centers of Worship: Absalom Station, Castrovel, Daimalko, Liavara Symbol: A fractal diamond containing an outlined eye Scholars have long known of alternate realities, as evidenced by witchwarpers’ magic. The loosely organized group known as the Parallel Truths takes this idea further: its doctrines teach that each person is a reflection of a primal, true alternate reality unique to that individual, and only by projecting oneself into this reality can one attain enlightenment. To achieve this state, adherents adopt numerous strategies: losing themselves in the Drift to find a place where “the Veil” between realities is thin, utilizing astral and ethereal travel, and performing esoteric meditations intended to spiritually transfer one’s essence into another existence. To find their true reality—referred to as one’s Nexus Reality—followers of the Parallel Truths employ varied strategies that are individual by design, for each person supposedly has a distinct path to their Nexus Reality. Although the philosophies espoused by the Parallel Truths have existed for centuries, scattered amid the manifestos of occult theorists, the organization itself is relatively new. It lacks any centralized leadership, instead relying on its most vocal proponents to spread its ideology, primarily through infosphere sites and literature through several small-scale publishers. Those few who claim to have found their Nexus Reality receive considerable respect as the True Enlightened, a title that grants them no formal authority yet lends their words and opinions special gravity within the organization. Most of the True Enlightened haven’t made public precisely how they found their Nexus Reality, purportedly because their own process wouldn’t aid others. Skeptics point out the convenience of keeping these revelations vague. Adherents often counter that the True Enlightened gain strange new powers after their ascension, such as enhanced personal healing abilities (tied to their Nexus Reality being unharmed by mortal wounds), uncanny prescience, or reality-bending magic. Over time, a few of the True Enlightened have vanished altogether, sparking debate between those who believe they’ve departed to rule over their own Nexus Reality and those who fear something more sinister is going on. Due to its individualistic nature, the Parallel Truths has few unified goals. Most members focus on personal enlightenment, discussing strategies with one another in the hopes of finding one that works for them. They often form smaller groups dubbed “circles,” connecting in person or over the infosphere as mystical support groups to help each member refine techniques. Many followers are witchwarpers (Character Operations Manual 60), though membership doesn’t require such abilities, nor do all witchwarpers observe the organization’s loose doctrines. Some individuals are drawn to the philosophy because the idea of alternate universes fascinates them; some wish to escape their current unpleasant circumstances; and others hope to gain power, whether for benevolent or selfish ends. The Parallel Truths rarely establishes formal temples, as most circles lack the necessary resources. Members instead gather in their homes, coffee shops, parks, and other public spaces. Their gatherings typically take the form of discussion salons, with followers describing their recent discoveries. These symposia occasionally swell into informal conventions when one or more True Enlightened visits, though especially large Parallel Truths gatherings are infamous for causing reality-warping phenomena in the area. Law enforcement preemptively break up some of these conventions to avert supernatural disturbances, yet the strange miracles only attract more adherents who hope that these mystical circumstances might enable a breakthrough in their own meditations. Since first gaining popularity on infosphere sites, the Parallel Truths has amassed followers throughout the Pact Worlds and beyond. The largest of its circles is based in the Kemanis neighborhood of Absalom Station, led by socialite-turned-True-Enlightened Philara Avjiri (N female human witchwarper). Castrovel’s universities host several notable circles, some of them bitter rivals. The technomagical research facility of Denkiri Center, located on Liavara’s moon of Arkanen, hosts another prominent circle that draws local skepticism. On the colossi-ravaged planet of Daimalko, a charismatic man known only as M (CN male damai mystic) leads a small enclave of followers; he claims— or perhaps simply hopes—that once he achieves True Enlightenment, he can permanently scour the colossi from the planet. M paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733906 20733906 20733906 4431635 4431635 4431635

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733907 20733907 20733907 4431636 4431636 4431636 I n Sangpotshi, adherents believe actions in one’s previous life determine the quality of the next: good deeds lead to comfort, evil acts result in suffering, and these continue until a being extracts themselves from the cycle. Sangpotshi thrived on Golarion and has since spread beyond that lost planet. While simple, the diversity found in the Pact Worlds system confronted the philosophy with many questions: what exactly is good or evil? To what extent is one responsible for the consequences? How can one reflect on their past if the ethos they had is now foreign or if there was nothing to reflect on? The Gap shook Sangpotshi’s relevance in society. With countless past lives lost, some practitioners abandoned the pursuit altogether, while many sects sought to reform or transform the philosophy for this new reality. For a time, these schools were bitter rivals, discounting each other as illegitimate. It took centuries before they found a way to coexist. Dozens of Sangpotshi sects exist today and can be roughly categorized into three groups. Traditionalists focus on memories predating the Gap, believe good and evil are defined universally, and contend all souls are judged based on a single rubric. Consequentialists concentrate on lives that happened after the Gap, believing good is relative to one’s upbringing, culture, and circumstance. Understanding and embracing the difference are part of the learning process. To many Consequentialists, the Gap was a cosmic reset event, allowing all beings to explore Sangpotshi’s teachings on an equal footing. Lastly, the Reflectionists seek to restore lost memories, seeing good and evil as just two of the many values one is judged upon. Each sect’s interpretation impacts how believers practice Sangpotshi. The rich and powerful prefer meditating in elaborate retreats guided by Traditionalist teachers. Consequentialism appeals to travelers. Reflectionists might dedicate themselves to bringing back memories from the Gap, isolating themselves in seclusion for months at a time to ponder their past. As Sangpotshi blends harmoniously with many faiths, each adherent’s practices are further customized by any other beliefs. Each school strives for enlightenment, though there’s debate on how to reach it. Some say enlightenment happens when the good within conquers external evil. Others believe it involves overcoming one’s prescribed destiny and exploring unforeseen paths. A growing minority believe enlightenment doesn’t require revelation or apotheosis; rather, the journey itself is enlightenment. Whatever one’s beliefs, Sangpotshi is the art of viewing the present within a greater context and confronting one’s self daily to ask, “Could I have done differently?” 135 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 4 PHILOSOPHIES Born from the prophetic visions of a human named Kalistrade who lived on Golarion ages ago, the Prophecies of Kalistrade are writings left behind to guide his followers. The doctrine laid out in Ontologies of the Self (a collection of Kalistrade’s travel logs, dream journals, and diaries) presents highly rigorous and occasionally obtuse rituals by which to discipline one’s body and spirit. These principles include wearing all-white clothing, avoiding direct physical contact with others, and maintaining a meticulously precise diet, and they’ve all survived into the modern era. Though these tenets of the faith are seemingly immutable, many other rituals are up for debate. Interpretations vary wildly between followers in different parts of the galaxy, especially as varied cultures and species have adopted and adapted the practices. At its core, though, the Prophecies are an aspirational faith, providing marginalized people a clear (albeit esoteric) path to power and wealth. Despite their title, the Prophecies of Kalistrade contain few predictions—or at least only a handful of oracular proclamations that hadn’t been resolved millennia ago. Although there are no known prophecies regarding the Gap, one of the doctrine’s most well-known passages indicates that the Kalistocrats shall amass enough wealth to own the world. By extension, Kalistocrats generally endeavor to accumulate as much wealth as possible without predatory business practices. However, what represented “the world” in past literature has an unclear definition in an age of interstellar travel. Many argue that Golarion’s inhabitants had knowledge of other planets, thus the passage could refer to any or all worlds; others disagree. Some consider this prophecy already fulfilled, that the Kalistocrats on lost Golarion accumulated enough wealth to own Golarion, sending the entire planet into a state of enlightenment and causing the Gap. Followers of the Prophecies of Kalistrade speak about their faith to anyone willing to listen. Many are bankers, corporate employees, entrepreneurs, or consultants. Bases of operation operated by a High Prophet exist on each Pact World, with more bases across the galaxy. Predictably, these locations also double as banks, investment brokers, or learning centers for those seeking self-improvement, and they often serve as a point of first contact with the faith. More practically, Kalistocrats can meet and finance freelance operatives in these forums to pursue myriad lucrative ventures. The Prophecies aren’t an exclusive faith, and Kalistocrats are welcome to worship a wide variety of deities. Abadar is an especially popular patron. Talavet’s love of tradition and community likewise appeals to many. PROPHECIES OF KALISTRADE Disciplined Doctrinal Adherents Centers of Worship: Absalom Station, Triaxus, Verces Symbol: A gold-and-white inverted triangle atop concentric circles SANGPOTSHI River of Life Centers of Worship: Absalom Station, Bretheda, Castrovel, Liavara Symbol: A colorful segmented disc paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733907 20733907 20733907 4431636 4431636 4431636

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733908 20733908 20733908 4431637 4431637 4431637 SINGULARITISM 136 FAITHS Mass Technological Ascension Centers of Worship: Aballon, Absalom Station, Bretheda Symbol: An impossible shape made of lines of interlocking code Singularitism is the belief that all life will become interconnected in a vast technological network before collectively apotheosizing and superseding all other forms of divinity. However, the exact methods and timeline to achieving this complete organic-life-to-machine evolution remain unclear. Most prevalent among anacites on Aballon, Singularitism has gained traction throughout the galaxy. In an expression of pragmatism as much as faith, Singularitists commonly worship Oras or Triune, believing their goals align and that divine providence might speed the evolution. In response, Oras’s and Triune’s faithful generally remain tolerant of Singularitism. Singularitists typically associate with one of three major philosophical subframes: Innovention, Mechanonaturalism, and the Singular Directive. The most proactive subframe, Innovention, posits life-to-machine evolution will come to fruition through sentient-kind’s ingenuity, paralleling the philosophies of Aballon’s followers of Those Who Become. Primarily engineers, scholars, and magical practitioners, Innoventives develop means to transition organic life-forms into mechanical analogs using technology and magic while preserving that unique spark that enables creativity and innovation. Though not strictly religious, Innoventives generally respect Triune, while more esoteric followers venerate Eloritu as they search for magical answers to furthering Singularitism. As a byproduct, Innoventives often develop technologies useful to wider society, making them the most popular and well-liked followers of Singularitism’s subframes. Mechanonaturalism operates as a pseudo-religious sect that primarily follows Oras’s teachings consolidated with the absolute truths presented by Singularitism: that survival is an imperative for all living creatures. As demonstrated by Aballon’s nigh utopian society and the effective immortality of construct lifeforms, Mechanonaturalists believe evolution into machine-life serves as the next level of adaptation to persist in an oftenunforgiving universe. However, this progression must come naturally, including the advancement into a unified godhead that would remove living beings’ flaws and ensure perpetual survival. Therefore, Mechanonaturalists rarely intervene in this evolution; instead, they believe faith in higher powers or natural forces will affect life-to-machine evolution, even if it takes eons. Mechanonaturalists typically opt to spread their dogma of eventual salvation through incontestable survival. Some people appreciate their humanitarian-focused missions to spread Mechanonaturalism, which include traversing dangerous locales with both their knowledge and technology in tow. Others find their teachings overbearing or can’t comprehend what sets Mechanonaturalists apart from more directly theological beliefs. The Singular Directive focuses more on final objectives than on the steps that precede perfection. With an approach paralleling Epoch’s creation, the Singular Directive works to create a godhead AI that will calculate their path to machine-life evolution. They view the Innoventives’ creating the machine “body” as Singularitism’s most trivial aspect and Mechanonaturalists’ efforts as ineffective. Attaining the godhead’s “mind” requires perfection from its components, so the Singular Directive continuously designs and improves AI using synthesized ideas derived from academic subjects— such as sciences, history, and philosophy— as well as “successful” advanced societies and cultures. They believe the ultimate machine life-form must possess flawless mental capabilities to maintain a utopian network. Yet this view has inspired a social culling to ensure only suitable minds comprise the perfect base for the godhead, even escalating to physical measures to bar the unworthy from tainting the network. Followers avoid publicizing their actions and involvement with the Singular Directive, and they sometimes infiltrate other subframes to harness new members. Innoventives and Mechanonaturalists alike have openly denounced the Singular Directive, though neither has taken significant actions against them. Singularitism priest paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733908 20733908 20733908 4431637 4431637 4431637

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733909 20733909 20733909 4431638 4431638 4431638 THE SONG OF SILENCE 137 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 4 PHILOSOPHIES Eternal Seekers Centers of Worship: Absalom Station, Diaspora, Eox Symbol: A serene undead face, mouthless, with eyes shut in contemplation Death is not the end point it once was. For the Song of Silence, this new reality has taken a more esoteric slant. Adherents believe undeath is the ultimate goal of life. Paradoxically, life cannot truly be lived until two things happen. First, a mortal can’t experience all there is to experience until they know what it’s like to die. Second, after they’ve died, the deceased must take all the lessons they’ve learned during their fragile cycle as a living being and perfect themselves in their undead afterlife. Thus, one’s first life is a trial run, full of challenges unique to a being composed of inconvenient biomatter, and the afterlife is where true life begins, for eternity allows one the time to contemplate the meaning and beauty of existence. Most Pact Worlds residents believe the Song of Silence is popular only on Eox, but in truth, the philosophy extends far beyond the dead planet. Countless mortals lust after immortality or fear their imminent deaths, and the Song of Silence offers such souls hope and support in understanding their current forms’ mortality and aspiring to something greater. Many borais and varculaks feel deep resonance with the Song of Silence, as the philosophy offers both comfort and purpose throughout their undying existence. Many surviving elebrians seek ways to attain undeath so they might perfect themselves and join the ranks of the bone sages. Lately, a growing number of androids find the Song of Silence attractive, although the philosophy’s tenets are still adapting to understand the meanings of death and undeath through the lens of a constructed being. The nominal leaders of the Song of Silence are the Conclave of Whispers, a community of philosophers, spellcasters, and elders residing in Eox’s Church of Silence who have dedicated themselves to mastering undeath’s secrets. Although many proponents of the Song of Silence from Eox adhere to the tenets, restrictions, and practices set forth by the conclave, in practice, the conclave’s authority stems from its members’ successes and wisdom, and it has little control over fellow adherents (commonly known as Whisperers). In fact, most Whisperers are generally apathetic to the Church of Silence until they desire access to the church’s massive libraries, in the hopes of plumbing its archives for knowledge to further their esoteric journeys. Although Whisperers often prefer “listening” to the Song of Silence as a private, deeply spiritual experience, many find strength and enlightenment when congregating to explore their immortal natures together. Few eschew this camaraderie altogether, and those solitary Whisperers often suffer for their isolation—even immortal flesh cannot necessarily sustain a mortal mind not designed to endure the weight of eons, and companions help keep an adherent grounded. Many believe that there can be little to discover in an unlife that does not incorporate the fresh ideas and influences of other creatures, most especially those of living mortals. The biggest commonality between Whisperers is, ironically, diversity. Every Whisperer brings their own culture or race’s conceptions about life, death, and the undead into their discussions, beliefs, and rituals, which in turn inspires other Whisperers to consider alternative perspectives. Perhaps the most intriguing movement among Whisperers are the Sin Eaters. Named for an ancient practice from Golarion, these Whisperers train themselves as professional morticians and mourners who then wander the galaxy to offer their services. Sin Eaters keep extensive records of the mortals they give last rites to, sparing no detail over who the mortal was, how they died, and the legacy—or lack thereof—they left behind. Sin Eaters consider it their duty to ensure any dead mortal they encounter is mourned properly; some have gone to considerable lengths to assist a deceased’s family with recovering the remains of their loved one. Like many Whisperers, they also try to assist mortals who wish to discover the wonders of an undead existence for themselves. Sin-Eater paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733909 20733909 20733909 4431638 4431638 4431638

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733910 20733910 20733910 4431639 4431639 4431639 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733910 20733910 20733910 4431639 4431639 4431639

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733911 20733911 20733911 4431640 4431640 4431640 THE MAGICAL GALAXY 5 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733911 20733911 20733911 4431640 4431640 4431640

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733912 20733912 20733912 4431641 4431641 4431641 140 THE MAGICAL GALAXY OVERVIEW Magic can be measured, manipulated, and predicted, or else it never could’ve been integrated with technology. Even so, individuals and cultures perceive magic in wildly different ways, and many incantations and phenomena remain associated with myth, antiquity, physical impossibilities, and secrets perhaps better left alone. In short, despite being integrated into everyday society, magic remains... magical. MAGICAL PROGRESS Scholars of magic describe cultures as moving through distinct phases of magical practice—idiosyncrasy, apprenticeship, formalization, and popularization—though like everything else with magic, there are many exceptions. Through idiosyncrasy, a culture first experiments with magic as each individual learns magic on their own through trial and error. The magic that works for one individual doesn’t always work for another, for every spellcaster has learned to work magic in their own personalized and unique way. They might record their experiences, and these magical manuscripts can guide other, younger spellcasters in their education. Ultimately, every magic-wielder is on their own, and they master magic—or fail—in relative isolation. As magic spreads, fellowship and collaboration develop into the next stage: apprenticeship, in which aspiring spellcasters and proven experts learn from one another. With tutelage, magic-wielders become part of a lineage, developing traditions for understanding and manifesting spells—a unique fire spell, for example, or a reliance on specific ritual foci handed down time and time again. The master-apprentice relationship often substitutes for familial bonds, simulating generational relationships that provide each new student financial, emotional, and magical support as they master their craft. Yet for all its crucial instruction, apprenticeship lacks the societal breadth offered by formalization when magical education evolves into an official, accessible, and widespread phenomenon. In these societies, individuals who want to learn magic go to school, where they study from multiple instructors alongside many fellow students. The old generalist lineages of the apprentice system have developed into specializations such as conjuration or abjuration, and methods of learning, working, and teaching magic are well enough understood that virtually anyone can be taught to cast a spell. However, schooling of this sort might still retain some practical or social limits based on wealth, class, species, religion, or some other factor. All of these notions break down in the fourth phase: popularization. In the Pact Worlds, where this stage is in full swing, anyone can study and potentially work magic. All the old methods still exist, so an aspiring mystic or technomancer might experiment on in isolation, learn from an expert in one-on-one training, or attend one of many prestigious magical academies— but they’re just as likely to download a pirated textbook from the infosphere, study holovids of the latest magical celebrity, be tutored by a hacked AI, or take self-guided remote learning classes from a nearby city college after working a day job and tucking in the kids at night. MAGIC AS UNIVERSAL FORCE The incredible diversity of magical experience means every culture perceives magic in its own way, but the popularization of magic has encouraged the development and dissemination of a primary model by which to understand magic. This model, however, is neither universally accepted nor entirely flawless. It’s a theory, and like any theory, it’s constantly being challenged and modified through experimentation and observation. Countless competing theories exist, and a student who attends a magical academy will learn many of them, including the ways the various models prove or disprove one another. The prevailing model envisions magic as a universal force, like gravity or electromagnetism. This force extends to other planes and other worlds in the multiverse, though the physical laws of other planes often alter magic’s behavior. For example, the unique physical laws of the Drift prevent magic from being used to access that plane, but if an individual can reach the Drift (presumably through a Drift engine or other technological means), their magic functions normally as long as they’re there. One notable difference between magic and other universal forces, however, is that the magical force extends forward and backward in time in unique ways, not only perceiving events that transpired long ago (as an astronomer might by gazing at millennia-old light of a distant star), but also seeing possible futures that haven’t yet come to pass. The Gap is perhaps the most famous example of this unique property of magic: while no one knows what happened in the Gap, the general consensus is that its chronometric emptiness was magical. Were a society to ever develop practical technological time travel, though, they could test this basic aspect of Gap theory. A unified theory of magic doesn’t just placate academic egos; it also allows magic to be standardized and ultimately industrialized. Virtually every technological object in Pact Worlds society incorporates some magical element. A hovercycle factory might use robotic workers to assemble a vehicle’s body, engine, and other parts, but at some stage in that assembly line process, magical runes of protection bolster the vehicle’s safety features, magical circuitry shields it against casual hacking, and support plating boosts the vehicle’s antigravity functions to a practical level. A spellcaster might install these directly, but just as often, the process is automated, performed by hybrid-tech robots capable of eldritch manufacturing minutiae. This level of widespread magical industrialization is possible only because engineers understand magic to be a predictable force that obeys certain universal laws and that magic exposed to a given stimulus will (almost) always react in a predictable manner. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733912 20733912 20733912 4431641 4431641 4431641

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733913 20733913 20733913 4431642 4431642 4431642 141 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 5 OVERVIEW OVERVIEW Through the universal force model, spellcasters no longer divide magic into sub-forces such as “arcane” or “divine.” “Magic is magic,” as the saying goes in the Pact Worlds, and while individuals, cultures, or entire civilizations might interpret that magic differently, it’s one force capable of almost anything while also obeying certain immutable laws. It thus becomes a spellcaster’s training, background, and technique that most often make them a technomancer, witchwarper, or precog, not their magic, and these practices are each conducive to specific types of spells. For an imperfect analogy, imagine the multiverse’s background magical radiation like a calm, clear river. Each spellcaster taps into this energy in different ways. To a technomancer, this river acts as a giant battery that they can channel through or redirect with devices, much like an archaic industrialist might exploit a waterwheel or dam. For a mystic, the figurative water’s movement isn’t important, but rather its conductivity. That magical stream links the spellcaster to some greater force—their connection—letting them exchange influence and energy just as electricity and sound can transit through a liquid medium. As the river flows and others move through it, the water stirs and ripples, and the precog intuitively reads these movements to understand what created the disturbance and predicts its path, even adding in a few spellcasting splashes of their own to cancel out unwanted waves. Then there are witchwarpers, ever the iconoclasts; these magicians look at that clear water and puckishly ask, “What if I stirred up the silt?” or “What if I made another river converge here?” or even “Wouldn’t it be fun to throw dyes into the stream and watch all the colors?” Each spellcaster plays with similar forces in different ways, each able to confound and build upon their colleagues’ exploits. This understanding of magic as a universal force also enables spellcasters to transcend the need for spoken incantations, elaborate ritual gestures, and the use of most physical objects when casting spells—the so-called “components” of ancient pre-Gap cultures. Of course, many spellcasters still use such phrases, gestures, or material components when casting spells, but evidence suggests these casting aids are affectations, stubborn habits, or methods for improving focus, and not strictly necessary. THE LIMITS OF MAGIC There is much that magic can’t do. Infamously, it can’t move travelers into or out of the Drift. In an interstellar civilization based on travel and trade, this limitation’s consequences shouldn’t be understated. In the years after the Signal, technology—not magic— seemed the key to the future. Entire generations were encouraged to become mechanics, navigators, and Drift beacon engineers and not to waste their time learning spells of dubious utility. Faster-than-light travel opened up a galaxy of opportunity, and no spell or ritual was helping anyone get there. If some of those new worlds turned out to be dangerous, well, a laser rifle seemed just as handy as any magic missile. In the three centuries since the Signal, technology has become more ubiquitous than magic. In many ways, this development isn’t surprising; after all, a personal comm is cheaper and easier than learning a message spell, and even a glamorous spell like flight is easily duplicated by jet packs available to everyone. But did it have to be this way? Ongoing debate rages over the impact of this shift toward technology and away from magic—a shift apparently driven by simple economics. Most people rely on technology far more than they use magic, but is that because magic is inferior, or does magic only seem inferior because fewer people study it? The discovery of high-magic cultures, such as where enchanted communication devices substitute for personal comms, illustrates that the imbalance between technology and magic in the Pact Worlds is a societal choice, not a universal constant. Magic remains the go-to solution for many effects technology can’t easily replicate. Serums enable supernatural and instantaneous healing surpassing medical tech, weapon fusions channel eldritch effects difficult to emulate with mere science, and serums of sex shift and similar tonics have helped countless Pact Worlds citizens live their true identities. However, serums and weapon fusions are popular exceptions to the rule; most magic items are uncommon treasures. Magical staves are rare except among traditionalist magical professionals, and most people have never seen a magic wand, considering them archaeological relics best suited to a museum. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733913 20733913 20733913 4431642 4431642 4431642

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733914 20733914 20733914 4431643 4431643 4431643 142 THE MAGICAL GALAXY THE MAGICAL CAREER A child growing up in the Pact Worlds who expresses an interest in learning magic often encounters some resistance from parents, teachers, or other older mentors. They’re encouraged to enter a more “reliable” or “safe” field instead, like Drift engineering or augmentation surgery, influenced by the soft post-Gap bias toward technological fields. Families with one or more members who already have magical experience are generally more supportive, and the popularization of magic means finding a group of like-minded technomancers or witchwarpers is only an infosphere away. Many individuals don’t so much choose magic as they’re chosen by it; precogs are notorious for getting glimpses of the future even as children, and more than one witchwarper discovered their powers when they accidentally saw—or even traveled—into a parallel world. Other magic wielders are born into social or family groups where the pursuit of magic is assumed, which is especially common among inherently magical species, like the drow, or among social groups with a strong mystical tradition, such as kasathan solarians. In short, there are as many ways for an individual to start on a magical path as there are spellcasters themselves. Everyday magical phenomena and pervasive representation in pop culture ensure that any young magician is spoiled for choice in identifying a magical career. Celebrities flaunt arcane entertainment, psychic detectives saturate the media zeitgeist, eldritch researchers operate in every level of academia and industry, and even outwardly mundane businesses have need of arcane IT professionals. These career paths, combined with the myriad magical studies available, shape the ways new spellcasters seek an education and community. Witchwarpers are infamously social creatures who find it easy to build a network of friends and mentors, whereas precogs have a reputation for introspection and isolation derived from the strain or trauma their anchor inflicts—at least until their abilities attract a corporation, military, or government recruiter. Technomancers are most likely to attend some sort of organized center of higher learning, such as a science academy or technical school. No magical institution receives quite so much mixed respect and superstition as mystics. Widely considered the oldest magical practice, mystics’ arts draw from a vast array of pre-Gap traditions that have intersected and shared techniques so extensively that most mystics’ spellcasting incorporates insights from dozens of cultures and faiths. This shared magical vocabulary unites them just as much as their one true similarity: their connection to some external force that fuels their magic, be that a deity, an ancestral memory, an elemental plane, or the galaxy’s figurative heartbeat. In many circles, this venerable spellcasting lineage earns even young mystics social gravity as if they were revered elders or divine disciples (even when their magic doesn’t stem from a god). In the same way, mystics sometimes receive condescension due to their magic’s old-fashioned mystique, as if its practitioners were incapable of comprehending or adapting to the technological modern era. The archetypal technomancer, in contrast, is obsessed with innovation and the new. The product of high-tech training and comfortable in two worlds, the technomancer is a trendy nerd in a universe where nerds are cool. Like the mystic, they’re so common as to seem ubiquitous. Technomancy in its sundry subdisciplines is considered a good job, if not always glamorous; every business needs IT work, but that work is often repetitive and dull. The uncertainty and caution ordinary people display around other spellcasters (see The Magician in Society on page 143) is less of an obstacle for technomancers, who are simply more relatable and normal in civilians’ eyes. Those same civilians are more likely to assume the technomancer can solve any problem with a few strokes on the keyboard. Mystics, witchwarpers, and other magic-using individuals can hold technomancers with some disdain, perceiving them as sellouts who left the path of dedicated magic to seek acceptance and the quick fix, but technomancers often wave this attitude off as envious resentment. Of all the magical careers, that of the witchwarper is perhaps least understood. Technomancy might be perceived as just technology with fancy special effects, and any family has probably known the local mystic for generations, but the idea of infinite parallel realities is far removed from dayto-day life. This perception could leave witchwarpers as an ostracized subculture considered suspicious and dangerous, yet just by nature of their charm and unflappable self-assurance, witchwarpers often rise to leadership positions while building social networks that accept them and reinforce their often larger-than-life egos. There isn’t a scientific or mystical consensus yet regarding parallel worlds; no one doubts they exist since witchwarpers would be total frauds without them. At the same time, no one can agree on how prevalent these worlds are and how different they are from real space. Some witchwarpers claim to have come from these alternate worlds, such as one where the Absalom Pact was never signed or where the Veskarium invaded after repelling the Swarm. Planar physicists investigating these claims are on the cutting edge of scientific research, and some witchwarpers assist in this effort. Most, though, would rather sponsor the research and organize it than actually participate themselves. Some mystics are accepted because of the deities so many of them serve. Technomancers have a role in society because of the prevalence of technology. Witchwarpers rely on their natural charisma to smooth over the inherent strangeness of their magical abilities. Precogs have none of these benefits. Indeed, of all the various manifestations of magical power, psychic magic is traditionally the most alienating. Even when popular imagination associated magical practice with strange incantations and the waving of hands, a psychic could use their powers with nothing but a hard stare—and that made them anonymous, a wolf in sheep’s clothing walking unnoticed among ordinary people. Whatever the case, precogs are most likely to be distrusted by those who find the idea of a predestined future either personally insulting or more than a little frightening; inhabitants of the Pact Worlds don’t take kindly to the idea that their choices aren’t under their control (or don’t matter) or that someone else might know their future. Precogs tend to suffer from trauma related to their anchor—visions of a looming apocalypse, missing time in the Gap, or something equally damaging—leaving them personally isolated and pitied by other magic-using individuals, who never had to make the kind of trade-off only precogs understand. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733914 20733914 20733914 4431643 4431643 4431643

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733915 20733915 20733915 4431644 4431644 4431644 143 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 5 OVERVIEW THE MAGICIAN IN SOCIETY A magician wields a specialized, dangerous, and mysterious skill, but the perception of spellcasters varies widely from culture to culture. It isn’t unusual for a student of magic to have their career dismissed as a waste of time, their mastery of skills easily replicated by technology that’s cheap, safe, and reliable. Simultaneously, spellcasters are unpredictable wild cards. Sure, that technomancer’s energy ray is no more dangerous than an azimuth laser pistol—but a laser pistol is still plenty dangerous, and only a fool would assume an energy ray is the limit of that technomancer’s ability. An individual who demonstrates skill with magic is, in public perception, capable of just about anything, which makes them dangerous. For these reasons, spellcasters customarily don’t use their magic around strangers without warning or without asking permission. It isn’t unusual to see “No Magic” signs in a public space, out of consideration for public safety (or because spellcasting could upset local enchantments, akin to lighting a fire near a fuel depot), with some jurisdictions issuing spellcasting permits to tested and responsible magicians. Likewise, it’s perfectly legal for private businesses to restrict the use of magic on their premises, just as they might limit the presence or use of firearms or vehicles. Laws typically account for magical offenses, such as treating mental manipulation with equivalent severity to physical assault. Those same laws also provide liberal self-defense allowances for spellcasting. In practice, a player character is unlikely to seriously violate local laws by finishing fights that others unwisely start, as long as the PC’s retaliation doesn’t threaten bystanders, substantially harm property, or trigger some other destruction. Understandably, such laws trains spellcasters both to be cautious with their talents and to recognize that a hint of magic can yield considerable social results. Pact Worlds spellcasters often refer to using magic among strangers as “lifting the veil.” Doing so is akin to opening your jacket just enough for spectators to see the pistol in your holster. When a caster lifts the veil, they grant others a peek at the magic, arousing curiosity and suspicion, interest and alarm. Through a combination of pop culture, lived experience, old stereotypes, secondhand anecdotes, and childhood magical literacy education, most civilians know the basic facts about magic as well as enough common myths to be nuisances. A technomancer hoping to earn respect with a magical display might instead attract bystanders wanting free hardware advice. Desperate queries of “Is there a mystic on board?” in a medical emergency plays on assumptions about magical healing, though such presumptions are hardly universal. Many spellcasters resent the sudden responsibility of being a bystander’s on-call miracle machine, and they can face recrimination from people who assume they should’ve been able to do more. Circumstances shape every magical interaction. Among kith and kin, a spellcaster can practice freely. In an emergency, courtesy and custom go out the nearest airlock. Ultimately, a spellcaster’s power carries extraordinary responsibility. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733915 20733915 20733915 4431644 4431644 4431644

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733916 20733916 20733916 4431645 4431645 4431645 MAGIC INSTITUTIONS Myriad institutions train students in magic, from generalist studies to standardized training for specific work. Some schools focus on magical philosophy, others integrate theory with practical instruction, and a few offer purely pragmatic training divorced from ideology. In the Pact Worlds, some institutions boast system-wide certification, but the ability to use magic is often proof enough of a successful education. 144 THE MAGICAL GALAXY ARCANAMIRIUM Housed on Absalom Station, the Arcanamirium is among the most prestigious and recognized institutions in the Pact Worlds and allied territories. The name hearkens to a pre-Gap institution on Lost Golarion, but it’s unclear whether the modern school is a direct descendant of its namesake or merely an homage. The Arcanamirium offers training in all mainstream forms of magic, including courses for those interested in theory, history, and investigative sciences rather than practical applications. Also available are varied philosophical approaches to magic, from practical and utilitarian technomancy to esoteric studies that eschew mundane science. Some at the institution see this latter line of study as backward-looking and unnecessarily limited, but several valuable and recent breakthroughs have come from this group of esoterists. Add to these courses training for natural talents, including counseling for those who had magic thrust upon them, especially in a traumatic way. The institution also houses an enormous archive of magical texts and objects, some ancient and others alien. Study of these items is not only accessible as coursework, but also a popular part of the school’s extension studies, available to distance learners, and a major branch of the institution’s external work. Arcanamirium-trained sages (Starfinder Pact Worlds 183), some of whom started in adventuring or science careers other than magic, specialize in exploring and deciphering magical places and objects. Arcanamirium endorsement is good for professional prospects in the Pact Worlds, as the school’s reputation precedes its students. The institution is a major proponent of independent government accreditation of magical training, as well as for licensing and magic-control laws. Charlatans, malefactors, and poorly trained mages are bad for the image of magic in the galaxy and thereby bad for reputable organizations and their bottom lines. CORONA ACADEMY Vesk-4’s Corona Academy stands on the site of a solarian temple, built by Vesk-4’s native mole-like talphi. The academy is no introspective monastery—it’s a military school that focuses on practical solarian training developed independently of kasathan traditions. The high gravity of Vesk-4 makes conditioning at Corona Academy a grueling process, but it’s one that steadily increases the attendees’ strength and endurance. Lieutenant General Prazhval (LN vesk soldier) designs entrance requirements and curricula for the academy with the help of a talphi solarian named Iyar. Those who show aptitude and pass entry exams can attend, and citizens of Vesk-4 can do so without cost. A stretch in the Veskarian military is the expected recompense. Students also have the option to pay tuition or engage in work-study. Most graduates become military personnel or mercenaries. Unburdened by ethical considerations that guide solarian adherents to the Cycle, Corona Academy solarians apply their skills pragmatically. They’re effective in competitions, a testament to their military tenets, and they do well at Pradulex’s annual exhibition tournament. COSMONASTERY OF THE EMPTY ORBIT Thought to be the greatest solarian training facility outside Idari, the Cosmonastery of the Empty Orbit occupies a series of towers under a weak force field on one of Absalom Station’s Arms. High Sola Tabishad Oseo Markela (LN female kasatha solarian) and her underlings shape would-be solarians as some nebulae nurse stars. Training includes physical and mental conditioning, sparring, meditation and focus exercises, lessons on the Cycle and other subjects, and the chores of communal living. Those who persevere through initial training leave the nebula of their peers as proto-sols who have earned the privilege of learning from the high sola. High Sola Markela focuses her teaching on restoring and maintaining the balance of the universe, which she believes the disappearance of Golarion, planet-scale engineering projects, and industrial pollution, as with Akiton, have disrupted. The high sola has a reputation for speaking little, but none who train under her deny the enrapturing intensity with which she conveys her teachings. She expects proto-sols to offer aid as anything from guides to guards to others on Absalom station, acting as representatives of the monastery and learning interpersonal skills. An ideal graduate, in the high sola’s eyes, has the skills and understanding to guide the galaxy toward harmony, to disarm those who stand in the way, and the wisdom to know which to use at what time. Those who successfully navigate these rigorous expectations graduate as proud solarians. Many join the Order of the Empty Orbit. But some governments and corporations see graduates, especially members of the order, as impediments to terraforming and mining operations. ECLIPSE ACADEMY Backed and operated by powerful drow families, Eclipse Academy is a poorly kept secret beyond Apostae, where it’s located (Pact Worlds 133). This shadowy school started long ago to educate the scions of the drow families who fund it. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733916 20733916 20733916 4431645 4431645 4431645

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733917 20733917 20733917 4431646 4431646 4431646 MAGIC INSTITUTIONS 145 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 5 MAGIC INSTITUTIONS However, the academy doesn’t discriminate against any who find it, request entry, prove they can pay the fees, and sign the requisite nondisclosures. Eclipse Academy claims to foster all sorts of magical talent beyond its obsidian doors. The cost to attend Eclipse Academy is only a glimpse of the price students pay, though. Coursework is 3 years long, and most of the campus is underground with few amenities outside survival necessities. Most areas lack light as drow students are expected to hone their light-based magic, and others must improvise. The rest of the curricula includes similarly draconian teaching techniques that amount to “sink or swim.” Apostae drow learn aspects of their culture from some of these lessons. They and others discover self-reliance in the face of grueling, relentless challenges. Those who graduate are among the toughest, most scarred mages in the galaxy. Non-graduates still leave with the trauma if such dropouts leave the academy alive. Academy administration and faculty claim the application process makes the rigors of training clear to candidates, and students can leave at any time. Legal obligations prevent administrators, faculty, students, and former students from speaking about the school’s trade secrets. Attempts to bring academy atrocities to light have failed like fire in airless depths, extinguished with mysterious threats or attacks. More than one investigative journalist has sought training at Eclipse Academy, but the few who have emerged refuse or are unable to speak of their experiences on Apostae. GHAVANISKA INSTITUTE Named for the sun around which Vesk Prime orbits, the Ghavaniska Institute is the foremost magical institution on the vesk home world. Culturally, vesk see magic as another tool for conquest. They also maintain stories that place magic in the realm of caiagaras, the vanquished snake-people and bogeys of Vesk Prime. Still, vesk understand the social, economic, and military applications of magic. They incorporate the techniques they learn from those they conquer, and those they have failed to dominate. Ghavaniska Institute was founded on vesk spiritual traditions, further shaped by texts “salvaged” from the conquest of Vesk Prime’s skeraskens (jackal-faced arthropods) and wizardly caiagaras. From the institute’s start, mages of differing skills and philosophies mixed and competed freely, with some lines of study conquering and subsuming others. What emerged from this crucible was a distillation of techniques and styles, although critics of the institute rightly claim no proof exists that the best methods won out. Still, defeated practices remain in the institute’s archives, free for study, much like caiagara codices upon which the institute was founded. This formalization of magic into a mainstream view mirrors, although cruelly, magic development in the Pact Worlds. During the initial conquest of Vesk-6, Ghavaniska Institute provided critical support against the planet’s powerful magnetic field, helping stabilize vesk military equipment and installations. With this success, the institute moved into a key political position on Vesk Prime, and vesk looked at magic with renewed respect. Numerous other magical schools exist across the Veskarium to train the multitude of aspiring spellcasters and cater to myriad spellcasting styles, yet none have rivaled the Ghavaniska Institute’s impact on and continued role in Veskarian culture. Any who pass the entrance trials are welcome at the institute or its branches on other Veskarian worlds, though imperial citizens enjoy advantages in placement and scholarship funding. Nevertheless, the main institute in Command Prime and other connected academies remain cosmopolitan, and they continue the school’s tradition of competitive and tested methodologies. HAKKO’SSO Nestled within the Vast on the volcanic home planet of the hanakans (Alien Archive 3 48), Hakko’Sso is the preeminent university in the Ash’Akan system. Magic is a major element of hanakan society, and attending this institution, known for its difficult entrance exams, is a great honor. Hakko’Sso is a microcosm of hanakan society, valuing its competitiveness, conservative culture, and high intellectual standards. It’s also a microcosm of the hanakan home world, with a harsh and sometimes toxic environment. Faculty and students value magical mastery, debate prowess, artifice, and self-reliance. The challenging natural environment reinforces mastery and independence as well as survival skills. The intellectual environment reinforces other valued traits. Both nurture innovation, including the development of hybrid or magic items that use no paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733917 20733917 20733917 4431646 4431646 4431646

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733918 20733918 20733918 4431647 4431647 4431647 146 THE MAGICAL GALAXY batteries, which strengthens hanakan magical progress and helps students in the development of their high soul (an important aspect of an adult hanakan’s identity, embodied by and housed within a unique gemstone each carries with them). This latter development is a challenge for non-hanakans who might want to attend this school. A member of another species can create a ssenavar, a soulstone. Doing so is a magical triumph and allows the person to become an adult, with a high soul, in hanakan terms. Hanakans don’t expect this cultural journey of others, but some consider those without a soulstone to be children. Another challenge for non-hanakans is the remoteness of the Ash’Akan system and the volcanic environment, to which hanakans are better suited. A few non-hanakan scholars of magic have been accepted to Hakko’Sso, but far easier paths to magical knowledge exist. INSTITUTE FOR EXTRAORDINARY MINDS A school and care facility on the Liavaran moon of Arkanen, the Institute for Extraordinary Minds primarily instructs witchwarpers. Any magicuser who has an interest in the multiverse, alternate realities, and those who use magic to manipulate such things can train or possibly have a professorship at the school. A trust funds much of the institute’s activities, which allows it to confront issues without concern for finances. However, students who can afford to pay do so, each according to ability. Without the financial burdens normal for other higher-learning facilities, the institute has gained prestige over the years for its scouting and public-welfare work. Institute faculty act as scouts. They find and guide witchwarpers who have natural ability but need to learn control. In the scout role, professors also help relatives cope with the impact such raw talents can have on family dynamics—and local property values—when powers spiral out of control. Professors at the institute have a great reputation for studying and diagnosing the effects of natural reality-bending on youngsters and their environment. These educators also teach general courses, lead student team projects, and mentor specific pupils. In this way, each student has a broad education, learns to work with others, and receives personal guidance. Professors also engage in research, student recruitment, and overseeing student theses. Several antimagic techniques and technologies have originated or seen use and improvement at the institute. Protocols call for risky experiments, including many dissertations and cuttingedge research projects, to occur within containment. Even so, the Institute for Extraordinary Minds has been the site of magical mishaps and tragedies. Memorials on the school’s grounds serve as reminders of the lethal potential of reality-warping. JHAVOM HALL OF MYSTERIES Jhavom on Pabaq is as much a university and shrine to knowledge as a city. Near the Hall of Records stands the Jhavom Hall of Mystery, also classified as University JM-1, an institution dedicated to magic. Founded before the Gap, the Hall of Mystery has always been dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of magic. Like the Arcanamirium, this school allows the exploration of all magic in formalized study, while encouraging innovation to increase osharu knowledge of magic. Each student tailors their education to suit them, and enough professors work in the hall or other Pabaq universities to accommodate unique curricula. Cross-training is easy for similar reasons. The university does all it can to go beyond theory, facilitating practical or application studies. No honest line of inquiry, research, or study is forbidden, provided it meets safety and ethics protocols. Each graduate leaves the school with a unique degree. That degree has weight in other parts of the galaxy. Many years ago, the osharus invited an accreditation delegation from the Arcanamirium to judge the hall. University JM-1 received top marks. Noted homebodies, osharus also invite and admit students, faculty, and exhibitions from other schools. The knowledge exchange and earnest research that occurs within the hall is enough to attract some of the best magical minds in the galaxy. NINEFOLD COLLECTIVE “Nine for two.” For the maggedli, natives of Helfen in the Helfen-Thel Near Space system (Starfinder Near Space 84), this phrase describes their home, a magically adept society spread over numerous worlds connected by powerful teleportation portals called step-gates. These connections, easily providing access to all nine worlds, make the system more like one complicated vast world than the many planets it is. The Ninefold Collective of schools operates on this principle, with the distinct schools akin to different departments of one large school. Students accepted to one school can take on studies at any of them, and cross-disciplinary learning is encouraged. The plethora of differing biomes make the collective a perfect fit for any student who desires breadth of experience. Those who want to specialize can find one member school to best suit them, from the artificially icy world of Thel to watery Canora-Kellana. The collective has a sense of community as though member schools were all alongside one another— almost literally, given a doorway could easily be a portal to another planet’s classrooms. People from the Pact Worlds and Veskarium are welcome, although maggedli make up most of the student body. Those who wish to study technomancy have limited choices compared to those pursuing other disciplines. One of the major projects the collective has undertaken is solving the dying Thel problem. Halaths, the furred and quadrupedal natives of Thel, are skillful ice mages, and they have kept their world icy despite its natural tendency to become a hot, volcanic wasteland. But they’re losing the battle to keep their planet cold, and their physical limitations and religious preferences mean they’ll burn with Thel if a solution can’t be found. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733918 20733918 20733918 4431647 4431647 4431647

paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733919 20733919 20733919 4431648 4431648 4431648 147 GALACTIC MAGIC GEAR SPELLS FAITHS THE MAGICAL GALAXY CLASSES OVERVIEW 5 MAGIC INSTITUTIONS PALACE OBSCURA Known as the Palace Obscura, Tyrant Academy, or countless other equally unofficial names, this secretive school caters to students who wish to subjugate others through magic. Rumors conflict as to the school’s true location, from Corona and its Brass Bazaar on the Burning Archipelago to Laubu Mesa on Castrovel, from a derelict capital ship named Mindshadow in Absalom Station’s Armada to Hivemarket on Akiton. The truth is that this shadowy organization has roots on most Pact Worlds planets, including the aforementioned places and others, such as the Horse Eye Orbital Plate of Aballon, Cuvacara on Verces, Preita on Triaxus, Roselight on Liavara, Trillidiem on Bretheda, Nightarch on Apostae, and the infamous Citadel of the Black on Aucturn. Contacting the academy is the first test for a would-be student, who typically relies on a combination of discreet interrogation and mind-influencing magic to uncover enough leads. This process is as likely to have the aspirant duped, jailed, or slain. But a lucky few attract the notice of the academy. They then receive an invitation to join a class at a specific locale, provided they can pay the price. Those who can’t are free to take on a period of indenture to the academy, working as agents during schooling and for several years thereafter. Training in Tyrant Academy mostly involves practical field work with mind magic. Students live and work in a metropolitan setting, using their magic to manipulate unwitting neighbors in increasingly insidious and audacious ways. This activity regularly flouts laws governing magical mind alteration and influence, and students often use their powers for other illicit ends. Other students are fair game—even encouraged as targets. The “top tyrants” each year are allowed to graduate. Others either stick with the program indefinitely or abandon their studies, the latter of which often involves some combination of memory-wiping, enslavement, or assassination to preserve the school’s secrets. Although the academy’s activities leave some psychic evidence, the organization has evaded significant investigation and retaliation by authorities. This stems partly from the academy’s decentralized schools and its tendency to operate in more lawless areas. However, the schools supposedly also boasts numerous graduates in powerful positions throughout the Pact Worlds where they can combine political authority and psychic force to thwart any sincere attempts to uncover the academy’s truths. It’s unclear whether the school desires privacy or some greater objective. PRADULEX MONASTERY The Cycle is the heart of kasathan solarian philosophy and an important part of that way of life in the Pact Worlds. Born on Kasath, this philosophy came to the Pact Worlds with the Idari. Within the colony ship, Pradulex Monastery stands on a hill just outside Idari’s Gesilad sector. It’s the leading solarian institution based on the Cycle in the Pact Worlds, with training that has remained consistent for millennia. The Cosmonastery of the Empty Orbit has reinterpreted teachings for the current age, but Pradulex adheres to the traditions of ancient kasathan methods, philosophy, and texts, focusing on contemplation and personal mastery. Most of Pradulex’s attendees are kasathas, but nothing prevents others from attending other than the monastery’s location. Those who want traditional Cycle-based solarian education and training can do no better. Training usually begins in early adolescence, at least several years before the Tempering. The monastery prefers to school pupils during formative years, but older students with promise can earn entry. Courses at Pradulex teach practical knowledge as well as solarian studies. Students learn that the body, mind, and soul are the ultimate manifestation of the universe’s fundamental forces. These tools, when honed properly, are all one needs to overcome a challenge. Those who internalize the monastery’s esoteric teachings emerge as shining examples of this solarian tradition. They face whatever comes with stoicism that can strike fear into adversaries. Pradulex Monastery has claims to fame beyond its preeminence in solarian teaching. Several prominent Pact Worlds solarians graduated from Pradulex Monastery, including Jadnura, the previous First Seeker of the Starfinder Society, and High Sola Tabishad Oseo Markela of the Cosmonastery of the Empty Orbit. Pradulex also hosts a yearly exhibition tournament where solarians, students, or veterans in different competition classes compete to prove their mettle and the merit of their training. SINGULARITY CONSERVATORY Built in an asteroid orbiting a black hole in Near Space, the aptly named Singularity Conservatory is a selective institution founded for training precogs. The black hole’s gravity causes time distortion, which is a useful tool for teaching precogs to heighten and manipulate their time abilities. Because of the time dilation, coursework at Singularity Conservatory might seem to take a decade or more to outside observers, all while only a few years pass at the school. Every century or so, in foreseen circumstances, the conservatory crosses the black hole’s event horizon, an occasion referred to as “Crossing.” Faculty, students, and alumni celebrate a Crossing before it occurs, and then abandon the old conservatory to its fate. Enrollments surge as a Crossing approaches, in part because school superstition posits that a student’s powers can grow exponentially during this period, with many of the school’s preeminent graduates having concluded their studies close to a Crossing. Observations suggest the next Crossing may be only a few years away. As a Crossing approaches, the faculty select a new site and begin building the next school on an asteroid with the proper alignment, position, and auspices. The new conservatory opens right as the old one disappears. Retired faculty and alumni sometimes return for a Crossing, some even choosing to accompany the school beyond the point of no return. These explorers send information back to the new conservatory while they can, expanding the knowledge of black holes, time, and chronomancy, but never themselves returning. paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022 20733919 20733919 20733919 4431648 4431648 4431648