Introduction
There are almost 400 different unique gods in Pathfinder 2, which is…way too many. It can be somewhat difficult to sort out who’s worth your time dedicating your immortal soul to and who is better left being trapped in an eldritch prison. In this series, I will guide you through each of the many gods of Golarion and go over which of their features will add the most to your Pathfinder career.
In part 4, we are looking at an often overlooked part of the Pathfinder Pantheon: Faiths and Philosophies. These are unique in that most of them don’t have a singular god that they worship, or they pay service to an influential founder or philosopher. You can consider them similar to real-world Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, etc. Guidelines on how to live a moral life, rather than adhering to a group of gods and their edicts.
These are still valid religions in Pathfinder to follow, but they are a little weird when it comes to the mechanics. Some of them give the same type of benefits that gods do, some of them offer edicts/anathemas and sanctification, while still others just offer the edicts/anathemas, and one of them offers nothing. This makes it complicated to rate them uniformly. The compromise I’ve decided to make is that the Faiths that offer the same mechanics as other gods will be rated normally, while those that offer fewer features will be rated on how good they are for just Champions or other characters that get some benefit out of deity worship without being defined by them.
As a disclaimer: There are many Backgrounds, Archetypes, Feats, and other such options that interact with the gods and their features in some way. If we set out to analyze them from a one size fits all standpoint, this already massive project would become nigh impossible. So to keep this relatively straightforward and simple, we will be examining each god from the lens of a Cleric or Champion (except in the cases noted), which are the two classes most heavily involved with the features of the gods. We will also be looking at this through the lens of a classic heroic fantasy game and what is most conducive to that style of play.
Furthermore, while the Divine Attribute only affects two options in the base rules (Raised by Belief Background and the Divine Apex Cleric Feat), these are still mechanical options that gods offer you and are therefore worthy of consideration and evaluation. That said, the Divine Attribute granted by a god will not bear a large weight on that god’s final rating.
Additionally, certain gods push you towards a specific style of play over another, so they will be rated over how well their features synergize with that style of play. For instance: Iomedae is a great god for more martial-focused playstyles, but not amazing for pure caster builds, so it would be pointless to examine her from that standpoint.
With those stipulations out of the way, pull out your prayer books and let’s start some theology!
For more on Golarion’s deities, see our other articles in this series:
Table of Contents
Faiths and Philosophies
Atheism
(Note: This is Rated in General not for Just Clerics/Champions)
Atheism in Golarion is less about denying the very obvious existence of gods in the world, but more the belief that said gods hold no sway on your life (Views that are more in line with Agnosticism, but whatever). As a result, you have no rules to follow and get no benefits. This is less a choice you set out to make for mechanical benefits and more something you choose if your character doesn’t really care about the gods in any way.
: You have no rules to follow and nothing holding you back from playing any character however you want. But you also get no other benefits.
Esoteric Order of the Palatine Eye
This sect pulls a lot of inspiration from a number of occult-centric secret societies that were popular in the late 19th to early 20th centuries among aristocratic nobles. Its founder, Aldus, seems to be inspired by a combination of Aleister Crowley and the famed Egyptologist Howard Carter (discoverer of King Tut’s Tomb). He brought back ancient and spooky knowledge from the desert and mysteriously disappeared due to what many consider to be a curse.
As a result, the Order doesn’t necessarily know all of what their sacred text contains, and you are encouraged to go out and find more of these esoteric texts. The features they offer you thus encourage a curious and investigative playstyle rather than raw power.
: Easy enough to follow. Be curious, seek out information about the order, and don’t tell anyone outside the order about your beliefs.
: Wisdom is great for Clerics, and Intelligence will be good for Recall Knowledge checks.
: Flexible.
: You get nothing.
: Occultism is a useful knowledge skill, but Intelligence-based skills are hard for both the Cleric and the Champion. Occultism is mostly useful for identifying magic and certain esoteric lore associated with Aberrations and the like. Arcana is more broadly applicable in most cases to deal with magic, and you will probably be relying on Religion for most of your knowledge checks anyway.
Very cool and stylish weapon with some good damage and traits. Having it be concealable will come in handy if you’re ever in a situation where weapons aren’t allowed, like a noble party or tense political function.
: Secrecy is not worth taking, but the other three are solid and will give you some good benefits depending on the playstyle you are going for. Pick Ambition if you want to be good in social or politically charged situations; pick Duty if you are going for a more martial-focused build; and pick Knowledge if you want to be the king at remembering and identifying things.
Bit of a mixed bag. Only go for Truth if you have a specific build in mind; otherwise, you’re better off choosing Glyph.
: Mindlink, Time Pocket, and Synaptic Pulse. Keeping with the Order’s Illuminati and secret society vibe, all these spells play into the idea of keeping information hidden from your enemies. Mindlink is great for communicating information to your teammates that you’re worried will be overheard, and Time Pocket can be useful to keep an important item out of the hands of your enemies if you get into a sticky situation. That said, both spells are situational at best. Synaptic Pulse is the only one that will always be useful, as Stunned is a powerful condition to inflict.
God Calling
(Note: This is Rated in General not for Just Clerics/Champions)
On the surface, this sect has a really cool philosophy. Originally practiced by the people of Sarkoris before they were driven out by the Demons bursting out of the world-wound, its tenets teach the methodology to summon and manifest semi-divine beings that the people revere as full gods. It’s just too bad that the faith doesn’t give you any features to exploit that cool premise.
: Protect your clan and don’t make deals with demons. Simple enough. You get no other benefits, though.
Green Faith
The Green Faith is the complete and total reverence of Nature itself as an entity distinct and separate from any one god. Some practitioners of the Green Faith may offer worship to a particular deity like Erastil or the Green Mother, but most eschew all gods entirely. The staple faith of many druids, the Green Faith unsurprisingly gives you many features that help you embody the wrath and serenity of nature.
Unlike some other nature gods, the Green Faith actually leaves room for you to build civilization with the stipulation of encouraging it to live in harmony with nature. That said, in a campaign like Kingmaker, one of the more popular Adventure Paths, you will be exploiting nature A LOT either directly or indirectly, so make sure you discuss with your GM first to decide what is acceptable.
: Both Constitution and Wisdom are great attributes for Clerics. Wisdom is less amazing for Champions, but still handy.
Heal is the better of the two to be forced to pick for most parties.
Holy is the better of the two to pick for most parties.
As a Wisdom-based skill, you will get a lot of mileage out of Nature as a Cleric. Champions will appreciate the ability to identify certain creatures, poisons, and diseases as well.
Unlike most other deities, Green Faith offers you a choice of weapon and they are both…fine. Of the two, Claw is a bit more useful, having more flexible traits, but neither is particularly exceptional, and you can’t just pick up a claw off the ground.
: You get way more options than most any other deity, and all of them (with the exception of Wood) are great picks, especially Air and Earth.
: Another long list with some pretty stellar options. You honestly can’t go wrong with any of these, with the two standouts being Lightning and Sun.
Summon Animal, Speak with Animals, and Wall of Thorns. A pretty solid list, all things considered. Summon Animal is a great spell to have that scales well, assuming you specialize around it. Speak with Animals has its uses for information gathering and diffusing standoffs with wildlife. Wall of Thorns is an excellent area denial spell.
Laws of Mortality
(Note: This is Rated in General not for Just Clerics/Champions)
The followers of the Laws of Mortality take a more extreme approach to Atheism. They don’t just deny the gods’ influence on their lives, they actively reject and revile it. The people of Rahadoum saw the effects of sectarian violence first-hand during the Oath Wars, where people killed each other over disagreements about which god was superior. They came to the belief that all gods, no matter how well-intentioned, exist only to pit their subjects against each other in a never-ending game of influence.
Rahadoum actively suppresses any sort of religious worship and followers of the Laws of Mortality would rather die than be healed by Clerical magic. Druids are viewed with some suspicion, as are celestial-blooded Sorcerers. You cannot pick this faith if you are a Cleric, as it is an inherent contradiction to the order’s fundamental ideology.
This one is a bit tricky. This sect demands that you swear off and actively oppose organized religion. In a party where no one much cares about religion, this can be a very easy set of rules to follow. However, be careful taking this one if anyone in your party even marginally cares about the gods. Accepting help from religious figures could count against your anathema, depending on how strict your GM is. You should never pick this faith if your party has a Cleric or a Champion, as you will actively be encouraged to start conflict with them.
: Both of these abilities are great for any character to pick up. Constitution increases your survivability, while Intelligence will be useful in picking up more skill proficiencies, aiding with crafting and making your Recall Knowledge checks more successful.
: There’s an argument to be made that Medicine is the most useful skill in the entire game (aside from Perception, of course, but it’s technically not a skill). Everyone can benefit from training in this skill.
Prophecies of Kalistrade
(Note: This is Rated in General not for Just Clerics/Champions)
Founded by a prophet named Kalistrade, this sect believes purity of the body, mind, and spirit requires only one thing: MONEY AND LOTS OF IT! Get as much money as you can. Seriously, if you think you have enough wealth, you have already failed. Kalistocrats (amazing name by the way) even encourage you to sleep with someone if you think there’s even an off chance that dude is loaded and would be willing to share some of it with you.
Oddly enough, though, you aren’t really allowed to spend any of that money once you get it. You use the money for financial security, but are highly discouraged from using it to buy frivolous, luxurious, or indulgent things. It’s also highly taboo to give your money to charity. So essentially, the Kalistocrats want you to build a big pile of money to sit and meditate on. Despite this odd, quirky behavior, some of their practices can be downright problematic, encouraging you to actively avoid and not even touch those the sect considers “unclean” (i.e non-believers and poor people).
Be a good merchant, accept newcomers, and don’t be irresponsible with your money. Simple. The only problem is acting like an entitled jerk and not associating with or touching those considered beneath you.
: Most classes will get something out of either of these. Intelligence is the more useful of the two to pick as it offers more skill proficiencies, better crafting and better Recall Knowledge checks, which are always useful. Charisma is less universally applicable, but still has its uses, especially if you want to be able to get your way from NPCs. Unfortunately, neither are key attributes for Champions or Clerics.
Of the three Face skills, this one is arguably the most useful, but you really need to invest heavily into it to get much use out of it.
Rivethun
Rivethun is the Dwarven practice of animism and ancestor worship. While not as widespread as those who follow the standard pantheon, the practice of Rivethun still maintains a dedicated following. Its name comes from the old Dwarven word that roughly translates to “releasers of secrets”. Practitioners of Rivethun often suffer from deep-seated trauma or chronic illness and use this pain to center themselves and gain power from their connection to their spiritual energy. They also have a close relationship with the spirits of their ancestors, calling upon them for guidance and aid.
This sect pushes you towards being a medium or bridge between the spirits and mortals. Basically, practice self-discipline and don’t be mean to spirits, and you will be all good.
: Both are invaluable to a Cleric of any build, and Champions still get something out of both.
: Flexible.
: You get nothing.
As a Wisdom-based skill, you will get a lot of mileage out of Nature as a Cleric. Champions will appreciate the ability to identify certain creatures, poisons and diseases as well.
A classic staple for a reason. It is simple (literally) and has good damage and traits.
Overall solid selection, with Earth being the particular standout. Change is good for self-buffing, Nature is great for damage and healing, and Vigil is good for investigation and debuffing.
All great options as well, especially Air.
: Pummeling Stone, Summon Elemental, and Retrocognition. Pummeling Stone is decent for some damage and battlefield control, Summon Elemental is great if you specialize into it, and Retrocognition can be good under the right circumstances. Realistically, though, you will probably be using it to experience some not-so-great memories, which increases the odds the spell will end early. Overall, solid but not amazing spell list.
Sangpotshi
(Note: This is Rated in General not for Just Clerics/Champions)
Sangpotshi is the Pathfinder equivalent of real-life Buddhism and its inspiration is quite evident. Widely practiced on the Eastern continent of Tian Xia, Sangpotshi teaches the cycle of life, death, and rebirth through what they term the River of Life. Karma and fate play an important role in Sangpotshi, with those living a good life being rewarded in their next one until a person achieves spiritual enlightenment and enters the court of Pharasma, whom the followers of Sangpotshi revere and respect, if not outright worship.
The greatest enemies of the Sangpotshi faith are a special type of abomination known as Nindoru. Not quite fiends, not quite undead, these evil and sadistic creatures either were thrown out of the River of Life or actively rejected it in favor of corruption, decadence and immortality. Sangpotshi plays a major role in the Adventure Path Season of Ghosts, and their enemies, the Nindoru, are the primary antagonists of that campaign. On its own, Sangpotshi is a decent faith for average characters to follow, but it becomes blue and almost a necessary pick-up in Season of Ghosts.
Sangpotshi is not subtle about its Buddhist influences, and its Edicts and Anathemas reflect that. Practice self-improvement and discipline, respect your elders, and you will go far.
Both of these attributes are useful for pretty much everyone. Intelligence gets you more skill proficiencies, better crafting and higher recall knowledge checks, while Wisdom is great for your Will save, Perception checks, and some other recall knowledge checks (i.e. Religion and Nature)
: A lot of skills used for Recall Knowledge checks are useful in some ways, but Religion may be easier to specialise into for most characters, as you are encouraged to bump your Wisdom anyway for those better Perception checks and Will Saves.
Whispering Way
(Note: This is Rated in General not for Just Clerics/Champions)
The Whispering Way is an ancient society wrapped in mystery and conspiracy. A large part of this is due to the order’s refusal to ever write their philosophy down, lest their secrets be revealed to outsiders. Instead, it is passed down from the rasping and decayed bodies of Liches and Wights, those who discovered the truth of our existence. Life is a lie, a meaningless construct envisioned by the gods as a way to weaken us. We are taught from our very birth that life is a torturous journey of being a slave to bodily urges, destructive and irrational emotions, with our ultimate reward being death: either eternal oblivion or further subjugation to a divine will.
The Whispering Way rejects this oft-repeated truism in favor of amorality and pragmatism, which they view as the highest form of rationality. Self-interest is a way of life, and undeath is worshipped as the ultimate utopia, an existence free from the cruel cycle of life and death and away from the machinations of the uncaring divinity.
The most famous and powerful follower of the Whispering Way was none other than Tar-Baphon (aka The Whispering Tyrant), the Golarion equivalent of Vecna, who sought to bring the entirety of the world under his sway before ultimately being defeated. As might be expected, this sect comes with a lot of problematic styles of play in otherwise heroic games. In evil-focused campaigns, however, this philosophy can be very fun to play into.
You are basically following the same path as the Pathfinder equivalent of Vecna; of course this was going to be problematic. Don’t follow this sect unless you are in an evil campaign
: Most classes will get something out of either of these. Intelligence is the more useful of the two to pick as it offers more skill proficiencies, better crafting and better Recall Knowledge checks, which are always useful. Charisma is less universally applicable but still has its uses, especially if you want to be able to get your way from NPCs. Unfortunately, neither are key attributes for Champions or Clerics.
: Arcana is a fine skill, but unless you have high intelligence, you probably won’t get a lot of use out of it. Leave the magical identification to your Wizard.
