Faith-Forfeit

Faith-forfeit is the term given to those who lose themselves in non-nature divine magic and "forfeit" their consciousnesses to the gods, almost like undead in mindless behavior. Such incidents are very few and far between due to the nature of divine magic and the people who tend to be attracted to it; it is not nearly as frequent as arcane-addled individuals, and it is not as physically obvious as becoming parasite-pledged, but the resultant effects of becoming faith-forfeit are fairly well-documented among studiers of divine magic.
==Causes==
Becoming faith-forfeit normally involves attempting to cast divine spells that are too strong for an individual to withstand. It is thought that by drawing too much on gods' energies, the connection between the individual and the source of power is violently severed, and the whiplash of trying to reconnect to the powers' source has a negative impact on the individual's brain.
==Effects==
Descent into becoming faith-forfeit is a gradual process, and the loss in control increases both as time goes on and as the individual's divine magic becomes more powerful. Those who know the faith-forfeit individual tend to report that the person seemed somehow off in some way, such as repeating behaviors typical of the individual (habits especially) but in extreme, distorted, or inappropriate ways. For example, someone who became faith-forfeit and had a nail-biting habit might start to gnaw on their fingers. Faith-forfeit are overall seen as strangers in their own bodies, acting almost like a stranger trying to pretend to be them based on what they know and failing miserably in doing so.
Faith-forfeit individuals have not been studied extensively due to their overwhelming tendency to disappear when their symptoms worsen and become more obvious to others around them. It is thought that faith-forfeit people still have a degree of autonomy and control over themselves, but only rarely -- and most often in times of great stress or need. These moments of clarity grow rarer and rarer as time goes on. It is unknown if faith-forfeit vanish due to whatever is "controlling" them, or if they disappear because they realize that they are becoming a burden on those around them and seek to help their loved ones by disappearing entirely.
==Race Template==
A member of any Ealdremen race can become faith-forfeit. The base creature's size, type, speed, abilities, and class do not change. Faith-forfeit status does not have to be applied at character creation and can be added during a campaign if the prerequisites are met.
===Prerequisites===
Ability to cast divine spells not from the druid spell list. Must have attempted to cast a divine spell of 5th level or higher without the ability to do so.
===Divinely Inspired===
Faith-forfeit hear the voice of an unseen god, and it augments their mental prowess and understanding of the world, even if they cannot convey what they know. Faith-forfeit receive a racial bonus of +2 to whatever ability score was used to cast the spell that made them faith-forfeit (Charisma for oracles, Wisdom for clerics, and so on). In addition, they receive Skill Focus to a Knowledge skill of their choosing as a bonus feat and can make Knowledge checks with that skill untrained if they have no ranks in it.
===Zeal and Greed's Nascency===
Faith-forfeit gain the ability to cast spells of a domain connected to the god they worshiped, even if they already could cast domain spells prior to becoming faith-forfeit. The faith-forfeit chooses one domain to gain the domain spells of. Regardless of the individual's method of casting, these domain spells do not need to be prepared in advance and do not count against the faith-forfeit's number of spells learned. Casting them, however, does count as a spell per day. Faith-forfeit can only cast domain spells that are lower level than the highest level spells they can cast from their class.
If an individual did not have a deity at the time of becoming faith-forfeit, or revered many deities, they gain a domain of their alignment (Law, Chaos, Good, or Evil) or the Madness domain. Subdomains or different domains than those listed here can be selected upon DM approval. Once a domain is selected, it cannot be changed.
===Waking Dead===
Faith-forfeit take a penalty equivalent to their level on skill checks that involve socially interacting with another creature. This includes, but is not limited to, Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Perform, and Sense Motive.
===Going Through the Motions===
If given a non-magical command that will not harm or kill itself, the faith-forfeit individual must make a Will save (DC 10+character level of the creature making the request). If the save is failed, the faith-forfeit individual must follow the command to the best of their ability for 1d3 rounds. As a free action, the faith-forfeit individual may attempt another Will save to stop following the command before the duration expires.
If the command would cause direct harm to the faith-forfeit's allies or go contrary to their alignment, they receive a +2 morale bonus on the Will save. Commands that will harm or kill the faith-forfeit individual are automatically resisted, and the faith-forfeit individual must be able to understand the command.
===Still There...===
Faith-forfeit add their character level to saving throws made to resist mind-altering spell effects. In addition, they receive Iron Will as a bonus feat.
Category:Terms
Category:Magic
Category:No Spoilers
Category:Homebrew