Deities

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Divine magic is usually granted by a patron or deity. Clerics and paladins draw their power from a deity while shamans utilize the spirits of the dead. Witches and druids call power from nature itself and bards may take upon themselves any patron.
Living within the graces of a divine patron is usually required to maintain a conduit to divine power. Going directly against the tenants of a patron may result in being cut off from divine magic unless you have traded your fealty to another patron.

Deities

Your DM may provide you with a list of deities or divine powers or allow you to create your own. If you are designing your deity or divine patron, the aspects to consider are Creed, Cause, Domains, Rebuking, Language, and Favored Weapon. Three example deities are provided below.

Aspects of Deities

Creed: The ethos followers of your deity live by. Most clerics and paladins must adhere to this creed to maintain their divine power.
Cause: Your deity's cause is something or some things they champion. A divine power might be the goddess of something esoteric like storms, soldiers, or retribution or something more specific like protecting the weak or destroying everything beautiful. Your deity's cause provides direction to your service and divine guidance.
Domains: Domains determine spell selection and spontaneous spells. Deities grant access to four divine domains. If you feel your deity would grant access to a primal domain, check with your DM.
Rebuking: Your deity's rebuking options define the creatures your deity opposes or wields influence over. A deity grants the ability to turn or rebuke two subtypes of outsiders or turn or command a type of outsider. For example, a god of light might allow his followers to command angels and turn incorporeal undead while a goddess of destruction might grant her followers the ability to turn celestials.
Language: Your deity’s language is the language in which they communicate. You use this language to access your divine powers.
Favored Weapon: A favored weapon is the offensive symbol of your deity and the most weapon amongst their followers. It may reflect their protective nature, such as a quarterstaff, or their ruthlessness, such as a stiletto.

Example Deities

CATRAXA, GODDESS OF STORM

A goddess of storms and oceans, Catraxa is known for both indifference and fury.
Creed: Embrace chaos by never being predictable.
Cause: Storms, oceans, fate, and vengeance. Catraxa’s followers are usually chaotic in alignment, prone to whim and desire. They are equally likely to be capriciously good, capriciously evil, or just capricious.
Domains: Air, Darkness, Freedom, Water
Rebuking: Command Air & Water elementals, turn Earth and Fire elementals
Language: Celestial
Favored Weapon: Ranseur (trident)

THE JACKSBERRY

Little is known about the Jacksberry, other than he is often represented by unnatural amalgamations of animals.
Creed: Give a gift when one should be taken and take something when a gift should be given.
Cause: Trickery, thieves, jesters, and troubadours. The Jacksberry’s followers possess some bent of deception to their personalities, and for gifting quality hard candies. When something depicts a creature with the hindquarters of one animal and the forequarters of another, it is usually attributed to the Jacksberry.
Domains: Binding, Darkness, Freedom, Trickery
Rebuking: Turn angels and devils
Language: Thieves’ Cant
Favored Weapon: Sap

TITAN, GOD OF WAR

A god of war and mercenaries, Titan is known for cruelty and might.
Creed: Fight with honor and kill to show mercy.
Cause: War, mercenaries, victory. Titan’s followers almost all possess a military bent and a penchant for seeking war. They are usually not good but often lawful in alignment.
Domains: Death, Justice, Protection, War
Rebuking: Command devils, turn undead
Language: Infernal
Favored Weapon: Longsword

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