Rao (Greyhawk Action)

Greyhawk Action!

The serene god, Rao is a Flan god, the brother of Allitur and the son of Beory and Pelor. He is the god of reason, peace, and law. He is the first medicine-man and the oft-ignored adviser of Obad-Hai.

In Synchretism Rao is identified with Lendor, the father of the Suel pantheon. Dwarfs name him Dumathoin the lord of secrets. His sponsored godlings pursue different aspects of his portfolio – the most famous is Vecna, the lord of evil secrets. As Delleb he is the Oerdian god of intellect and study. As Pholus he is the Oerdian god of law and by extension of rulership, a strict disciplinarian.

Rao (RAH-oh) is shown as an old man with dark skin, white hair, slender hands, and a serene smile. Any time an offering of peace is made, Rao grows a day younger. Although he never intervenes directly on Oerth, Rao is the creator of several artifacts of good, particularly the Crook of Rao. He is a dedicated foe of Iuz, an ally of Zilchus, and is otherwise friendly with all other beings. He can cause any aggressive being to relax into an agreeable calmness with a glance, having thwarted even Nerull with this power in the past. His holy symbol is a white heart of wood or metal, or a heart-shaped mask with a calm expression.

Reason is the greatest gift. It leads to discourse, which leads to peace, which leads to serenity. If all could be convinced to reason with each other, the world would enjoy the harmony of benign order. Some refuse to use reason and instead resort to violence, at which time action—governed by reason and wisdom—is required to counteract their deeds and restore peace.

His clerics pursue knowledge, paths of logical thought, theology, and introspective meditation. They prefer peaceful means over violence, but are not above using force when their arguments are ignored or the bastions of reason are threatened. They search for new schools of thinking, fabled locales of calmness and quietude, powerful magic to use in the cause of Law and Good.

Alignment: Lawful Good

Weapon: Light mace

Symbol: White heart or a heart-shaped mask with a calm expression.

Action Technique

Charm, Know, Spot.

Pathfinder Domains

Community, Law (Archon), Good (Archon), Knowledge (Thought), Nobility (Leadership).

Pathfinder Traits

• Demon Hunter
• Honeyed Words

Pathfinder Obedience

Write a wrong or cause for aggression on a slip of parchment and bury the parchment in fertile soil. Plant a seed above the buried knowledge and pray over the site that good and growth can come from the decaying parchment. Gain a +4 sacred bonus on saving throws against enchantment effects.

Boons

1. Peacefulness (Sp) unprepared combatant 3/day, calm emotions 2/day, or charitable impulse 1/day
2. Relaxation (Su) Three times per day, you can attempt a melee touch attack to obliterate the cares of the wicked. On a successful hit, the target takes a penalty to Charisma equal to 1d6 + 1 per 2 HD you possess (maximum 1d6+5, to a minimum Charisma score of 1). This penalty lasts for 1 round per HD. If the target succeeds at a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 your HD + your Wis modifier), the penalty is halved.
3. Still Mind (Su) You are continually shielded as if by a mind blank spell. If anyone attempts to divine information about you through scry or similar spells and is foiled by the mind blank, the scrier must succeed at a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 your HD + your Wis modifier) or take 1d6 points of Intelligence damage.