Favored soul and his god

[aaa3]

So with Favored Soul out, how you view possible relationship between favored soul and god, with god pushing his might onto unhappy mortal.

Unhappy as he or she would like to go own way but that god for some sake decided to either back up that mortal or, even support him against a will (a possible evil joke from evil god, could have imagine Lloth tricking and helping constantly an unhappy elf, thus corrupting her/him by letting said elf channell her powers - willingly or not).

Or even a situation, when given mortal often oversteps his boundaries slightly but god simple narrows an eye...cause because "it is him, i like him, but the hell is he doing again now?!" (a good god who has chosen some overly free minded individual who cares not much to things like thievery, time to time bullying people and alike, but when it comes to the boil point, would serve his god).

Because as we know, clerics do "study" and follow code of their god while favored soul is chosen by god and is kind of different in that (may and may not be cleric or in priesthood at all).

[Ecstatic]

I think there is definitely room for someone who slips up or doubts or has issues with their god's dogma. I can see someone getting tasked with doing a god's work and saying "There's no way I can do this, it's too hard, couldn't you find someone else?" And then buckling down and doing the work when the reply is "stop being a pansy and get to work *slap, slap*". The reluctant prophet is a pretty well-accepted religious motif.

That said, you can take it too far if not careful. I would be super leery about RPing, say, a favored soul of Helm whose principle response to the gift of power is "no, **** you, man, I do what I want". I can't imagine that character staying favored for long. Usually, a favored soul will Be a favored soul because they generally align pretty well with the philosophy of their god. There is plenty of room for an occasional personal failure to meet the dogma, same as there would be with any religious character, so long as there is effort while it counts, but always ask "why is the deity giving power away?". "For the lulz" is usually not a good answer; deities have much more efficient ways to mess with people, and "screwing with the mind of some scrub mortal" is probably not high on their to-do list.

[Aelryn Bloodmoon]

Unless you're Lolth. Then you make the most famous drow in the realms who is known for being good and welcome in Silverymoon of all places, your chosen, and laugh as he goes through life spreading chaos simply by existing on the surface.

"I'm a good drow, don't kill me!"

*Riots ensue as the city's government deals with a panicked populace.*

[DestroyerOTN]

To quote the NWN2 wiki, as source material which actually answers to this:

Despite these powers, favored souls are often hindered by a sense of inescapable destiny that surrounds their births. They didn't choose their paths and may not want anything to do with their religion. In this way, the powers of a favored soul can be a burden rather than a blessing.

Interpret as one will, however, the essence is that a character which is reluctant, even defiant to the ends of committing their god's will is plenty possible and could, in fact, be a point of RP. In the longrun, your free will will -probably- hit it's cap (-right- at the borders of your diety's accepted alignment), but it's acceptable to imagine a chosen of talos not -wanting- to mindlessly wander into storms... or a chosen of Vhaerun not -wanting- to go and kill the most important priestess in the city... or a Tormite chosen not -wanting- to literally take a bullet for someone.

[yellowcateyes]

I'm not a fan of Favored Soul in the PW setting. The concept works for pen and paper, where you have an omniscient DM actively playing the role of the god's interference in the mortal's life. There, it's quite easy working the PC's status as reluctant chosen into a plot hook that remains relevant to the story.

Active DM participation in the character's story is less relevant in a persistent world, where you could have a dozen or so 'Favored Souls' loitering around with no active commitment to their patron god's dogma.

Additionally, favored souls tend to be quite rare. Why invest divine powers into a reluctant mortal, undercutting your entire system of aspiring clergy and sycophant faithful? The circumstances ought to be extraordinary. Being a Favored Soul is the very definition of special snowflake.

Personal reservations aside, I suggest looking into the old Abrahamic stories of reluctant prophets and miracles thrust into the hands of seemingly random people. The divine power entrusted to you is your burning bush. You may not like it, but Someone has special designs for you. As a player, separate from your character, try to figure out the vague contours of the god's designs and why that character was chosen. It'll largely be up to you to carry forward the story, as the DMs can't be expected to play the gods tinkering with your hapless mortal.

[Katze]

the favored soul could also be seen much like our version of the adapt class from D&D. it is a cleric that dabbles in other things, a shaman of sorts, or a healer of a tribe of goblins or kobolds.

[Garrsi]

Additionally, favored souls tend to be quite rare. Why invest divine powers into a reluctant mortal, undercutting your entire system of aspiring clergy and sycophant faithful? The circumstances ought to be extraordinary. Being a Favored Soul is the very definition of special snowflake.
.

Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but as far as I remember there are several mostly Chaotic deities with either fairly loosely regulated priesthoods (Evening Glory, Sune, Titiana if we're counting Archfey) or that don't have an organized clerical hierarchy at all (Set, Lurue, Shandukul). I'm sure some clerics will be jealous, and this is a great source of conflict; but why wouldn't they be just as equally jealous of a Paladin? They're special snowflakes handpicked by their deity as well, as is any Cleric come to think of it. The God chooses if to give them power or not, couldn't Tom be just as jealous of the fact Mystra gives Joe more Ice Storms per day?

Some chaotic deities have or create "natural" divine casters like Favored Souls and Oracles because the level of organization required is either impractical or repellent to them. I think it's fairly reasonable that if Torm gives out death spells to Clerics who pledge loyalty to him, why wouldn't deities consider doing it for those who willingly or inadvertently are of use to them?

I actually think the Favoured Soul class is a brilliant one for Fiend and Archfey worshipers on Arelith, even if I'm not the biggest fan weave master mechanics.

[yellowcateyes]

I'm sure some clerics will be jealous, and this is a great source of conflict; but why wouldn't they be just as equally jealous of a Paladin? They're special snowflakes handpicked by their deity as well, as is any Cleric come to think of it. The God chooses if to give them power or not, couldn't Tom be just as jealous of the fact Mystra gives Joe more Ice Storms per day?

Favored Souls are chosen by whatever inscrutable, hidden designs the god may have for the mortal in question. They do not need to undergo trials, they do not need to be trained in divine channeling, nor do they even have to believe in their patron god's dogma or philosophy. There is nothing expected of a favored soul aside from whatever role the god has in mind for that mortal.

Paladins aren't 'chosen' at random. They are granted divine powers only through rigorous training, discipline and faith. They are willing, eager followers of their patron god and that god's dogma. Diverging from their code or their beliefs risks 'falling' - that is, the paladin being stripped of their divine patronage.

The difference between the two are like night and day.

There is no reason for a cleric to be 'jealous' of a paladin - both are ardent believers that obtain their abilities only through fervent faith, study and training.

]Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but as far as I remember there are several mostly Chaotic deities with either fairly loosely regulated priesthoods (Evening Glory, Sune, Titiana if we're counting Archfey) or that don't have an organized clerical hierarchy at all (Set, Lurue, Shandukul).

Sune has organized paladin groups in dedication to her. Her church is also quite structured and affluent for a chaotic goddess. See, for example, the influence of the Sunite Church in Amn.

Titania doesn't exactly have a clergy, but fey are a whole different story entirely.

Ultimately, even 'loosely-regulated' priesthoods have divisions between clergy and followers. Llolth is as chaotic as you can get, but a drow will regret ignoring her temple hierarchy.

I think it's fairly reasonable that if Torm gives out death spells to Clerics who pledge loyalty to him, why wouldn't deities consider doing it for those who willingly or inadvertently are of use to them?

I actually don't see the connection between the two statements here.

[yellowcateyes]

Anyways, before the thread gets too derailed by my personal dislike of Favored Souls in a PW setting, let's cover something constructive.

Here are some self-directed questions that might help a prospective player flush out their character.

• Why did <insert god here> choose your character to receive their divine power? Is it due to a great service or sacrifice your character made in the past? Is it in anticipation of a certain fate in store for your character? Is it for some other hidden reason or design?
• Does your character know why they were chosen? If yes, do they agree with or welcome the reason? If not, does the ambiguity affect their outlook?
• Does your character believe in their patron deity's dogma? If not, what do they truly believe in and how does that color their perspective?
• Whether or not your character agrees with, or believes in, their patron deity, has your character decided to embrace or reject the powers thrust upon them? What is their purpose or reasoning behind that choice?

[Seven Sons of Sin]

But what makes a Favoured soul self-aware? Is it a meeting with Gabriel? One day they can suddenly bless water? Is it considered a "miracle"? Is every Favoured Soul unwilling?

Can Favoured Souls be inside clergies and holy orders?

[The Rambling Midget]

FRWiki's article says that Invokers are like Divine Sorcerers. As Sorcerers are sometimes believed to be descended from Draconic bloodlines, Invokers are believed to be descended from Celestial bloodlines.

So, I would imagine that they discover their connection in the same way that Sorcerers discover theirs, except that they may already have some control from their Cleric training. Something's not right and it takes time to figure out why, but eventually the correct conclusion is likely to be reached.

They probably don't discover their connection until they actually try to invoke the power of their deity, at which point they might notice that something isn't quite right. Or, they may never know, and assume that all divine servants can do what they do.

[Lorkas]

The FR Wiki also says that Invokers have to form a covenant with their deity, which can come in varying types. Not that we have to follow FR Wiki exactly or anything, but that makes it seem to me like you could RP it as a long process of training before finally trying to invoke your deity to forge a covenant.