Special Thanks: Much of the content in this section was inspired by material from Sine Nomine Publishing, though it has undergone significant revisions to be more appropriate for use with the Spheres systems and is no longer compatible with the original format. If you enjoy high-powered games, we strongly recommend checking out SNP's Godbound game system. (This link is to a free version of that game's rules. Physical copies of Godbound are also available at DriveThruRPG and from other fine RPG stores.)
About: Deific Talents are not official Spheres material, and they are neither published nor endorsed by Drop Dead Studios. Instead, these talents represent unusual or extreme powers that go beyond even Advanced Talents, and many can cause significant disruption when they appear in a game world.
Deific Talents are not appropriate (or intended) for player characters, though temporary access to specific Deific Talents can be a plot point within the game. These talents are more appropriate for major villains, epic NPCs, and similar notable figures within a game world that the GM wants to make a step above the rest. The default rule is that player characters cannot take Deific Talents without the GM's permission. They are not a good choice for "Mythic Spheres" content.
Each Deific Talent is associated with a base sphere. Deific Talents can only be taken by characters who have that base sphere. GMs may choose to impose additional prerequisites, or to reassign the sphere a Deific Talent is linked to if it makes more sense for their game. For example, many Deific Guardian Talents also make sense for the Protection and Shield spheres, while many Nature talents could plausibly be interchanged with the Weather sphere. The War and Warleader spheres are particularly easy to swap talents between, though saving throws may need to be adjusted.
If there is a conflict in effects between a normal power and a Deific Talent, the Deific Talent takes precedence (though all ongoing Deific Talents can be dispelled or countered by the appropriate abilities). If two Deific Talents would oppose each other, the characters using the talents must make opposing d20 rolls, rerolling ties, until a winner is determined. A character may always choose to have their Deific Talent fail against another Deific Talent. Deific Talents always lose to actual divine intervention (including the Miracle spell or direct action by a deity, though demigods are not strong enough to automatically overcome them).
All references to Caster Level refer to the user's Caster Level with the associated sphere. Any creature that succeeds on a saving throw against a Deific Talent cannot be affected by the same talent from the same creature for 24 hours. When abilities grant you the ability to teleport to a destination under certain criteria, you may either pick an appropriate location you know of or move to the valid destination closest to the place you're trying to reach. If an ability allows a saving throw, you may choose to grant one to a creature even if they would not normally be allowed to make one.
Any creature with a Deific Talent in a martial sphere acquires an additional martial focus, gained and spent separately from any other martial focus they have, that can only be spend on Deific Talent(s). The character can still spend their normal Martial Focus on Deific Talents. Any references to regaining martial focus refer specifically to regaining the martial focus spent on that talent - the ability does not end if you regain a separate martial focus you have. You do not automatically regain this martial focus after rest (or through any other method) unless you wish to.
Some abilities (particularly those dealing a high amount of damage) say that they can only be used once per round. This limit applies even if you gain an extra attack or standard action, and you cannot use such extra actions to use another ability with the same limit.
You may always choose to use a Deific Talent at less than maximum power (as if you were weaker), but you cannot reduce the effect below 1 CL/BAB and a +1 in your relevant ability modifier. Some talents have additional limits on how much they can be weakened. Many talents can only be resisted by foes with equal to or more hit dice than the user - this is meant to make them distinctly stronger against weak foes, and more challenging to use against creatures ultimately more powerful than the user. Thus, even if players are permitted to take Deific Talents, most powerful "boss" type foes will still have a chance to resist these effects. This is intentional. Deific Talents are often (but not always) harder to save against than other abilities.
Regardless of effect, Deific Talents cannot control, harm, or destroy artifacts unless they are part of the artifact's stated method of destruction. It is possible to hide, move, or otherwise conceal such powerful magical items with Deific Talents.
Giving Deific Talents To Characters
There are several ways for a character (typically, but not necessarily, an NPC) to gain Deific Talents.
- Single Slot: In this format, the character is given a Deific Talent. While this still has the potential to provide a significant amount of power, it is rarely game-breaking for an enemy to have this.
- Expert Access: With this rule, a character can take a Deific Talent in place of a normal talent as long as they have at least five talents in the base sphere.
- Expensive Talents: When this rule is active, each Deific Talent costs two magic talents. Characters may choose to not spend a talent at any given level in order to 'save up' for a Deific Talent.
- Plot Gift: In this format, a character gains one or more Deific Talents based on the needs of the plot. For example, a deity may give someone a selection of Deific Talents (typically from one or two spheres) to help them accomplish a specific task. In most cases, these should be thematic choices, rather than chosen specifically for their power. This is the recommended method when giving Deific Talents to NPCs.
- The Most Important Rule: The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game is yours to enjoy as your group sees fit. If you want to open the floodgates for a wild and crazy session (or campaign) where Deific Talents can be taken in place of any normal talent, go ahead! Just remember that things will be wildly imbalanced (Deific Talents are not intended for use in this way), so the GM may have to make a lot of stuff up on the fly.
Examples Of Characters And Plots Using Deific Talents
- Archmage's Anarchy: A great wizard has finally surpassed the limits of his magic and gained access to a single extraordinarily powerful ability that he's begun to use on a near-constant basis. Word of this has spread, and now the Kingdom is desperate to find a group of heroes powerful enough to stop him before he brings the whole country down.
- Divine Avatar: The character is the physical avatar of a deity, a demigod, or a similarly powerful creature. Their powers go beyond normal limits and they have learned several Deific Talents. This is revealed in the party's time of darkest need, when the avatar saves them from a deadly threat. The avatar then leaves, but only after warning the party about the next threat they face.
- Gift Of The Heavens: A Cleric, Oracle, or other religiously-dedicated character is granted one use of a specific Deific Talent and told to use it in a specific time and place in support of their patron's will.
- Power Of A Child: A child has begun to manifest incredible magical powers, but has little control over them. The party is asked to reach the child and safely subdue them so the wizards waiting nearby can cast wards and bring them to a safer space for education.
- Secrets Of Magic: A Wizard, Sorcerer, or other arcane figure learns how to use a Deific Talent one time. Now they are being hunted by an organization that hopes to extract the information and find a way to duplicate it for frequent use.
Magical Deific Talents
This page includes Deific Talent options for Spheres of Power.
Martial Deific Talents
This page includes Deific Talent options for Spheres of Might.
Universal Deific Talents
This page includes Deific Talents suitable for a variety of different characters. They do not require use of both Spheres of Power and Spheres of Might - rather, Universal Deific Talents are focused more on themes and concepts. They have their own, unique prerequisites.
FAQ's
Why Do Some Spheres Not Have Deific Talents? Frankly, we didn't see anything that matched those Spheres. In general, we tried to stay true to the themes of spheres when assigning them, and some spheres matched much better than others.
Why Are Most Damage-Dealing Powers Outside The Destruction Sphere? Thematic reasons. At a sufficiently high power level, sphere designations are basically arbitrary to begin with. For example, is a godlike bolt of divine lightning a destructive blast, a manipulation of nature, or a manifestation of weather? Many deific talents are, quite frankly, suitable to be in several spheres. This is why GMs are allowed to change the sphere a Deific Talent is associated with - if you think something other than what's listed here works better for your game, then go ahead and change it! These house rules are your house rules, and you can use them however you want.