Pathfinder Spheres players and GMs unite!

[Saberfan]

Since I forgot to address the point mentioned below in my last post and can't figure out how to edit in quotes, I'll just address it in a new one.

21 hours ago, namo said:

I'm not super familiar with "planewalking heroes" (I have only passing familiarity with MtG), but I'm pretty sure I will like this kind of setting. I notice you didn't mention Planescape...? (= the old school planewalking "setting", it comes with a specific lore attached - to Sigil especially - that may not be welcome here.)

Planescape has a very unique vibe to it and is generally more light-hearted and zany than even a standard fantasy setting, exceptions like Planescape: Torment or a few of the modules set in one of the Lower Planes notwithstanding. Magic the Gathering and the Remnant games generally take themselves more seriously and are much closer to the vibe I was wanting to hit.

[Keante]

 

Player or GM? I'm interested in both.

Spheres-only or as an additional option? Spheres only, and no standard magic/spells. Meaning you can use the wizard class if you want, but you have to add a Spheres archetype that replaces spells.

Technology (Guns, vehicles, etc.)? I like early firearms being included, but otherwise no technological stuff.

Gestalt? No, single class is fine. Though bonus feats and talents are highly encouraged.

Mythic? No.

Requested houserules? I think EitR is unnecessary when you have Spheres of Might.

Spellcrafting/Techniques - No. Never bothered to learn these subsystems, to be honest.

Custom Traditions? I think a specific game idea that the GM is really into can warrant a restricted set of traditions, but typically I would say players should be able to customize freely (still following the rules/guidelines, though).

 

[Keante]

I'm not ready to set up an actual game yet, but I'll save in this post some stuff I'm putting together.

The World of Ossenheim

In the world of Ossenheim, the veil between life and death is gossamer thin. Necromancy is not reviled here, but seen as a venerable art that honors the dead. Under the blessing of Revenor, the Skeleton King and Lord of the Dead, practiced necromancers ritualistically bind willing spirits to their preserved mortal remains. These undead, called revenants, retain their living memories and personality. They serve their descendants as revered ancestral guardians and guides.

Families keep the bones of their ancestors in crypts and mausoleums, awaiting the time when a necromancer may come to awaken their forebears. Though unnatural in strength and tirelessness, revenants are not mindless zombies. Rather, they are held to their purpose by magical contracts and familial piety. Most citizens of Ossenheim see their undead ancestors as a continuity with the past, not an abomination.

Balance is maintained between the realms of life and death by Ossenheim's pantheon of gods. Vita the Maiden nurtures the living while Revenor shepherds the dead. Mystic Mortus reads the unseen threads of destiny that govern both. Wise Lathos keeps records of history and ritual so that new generations of necromancers can safely follow their art. Caelo the Ever-Changing brings the seasons that shift the veil between realms with her storms and mists. And over all looms Tempus, measuring out every mortal life and unlife with his eternal scales.

Here in Ossenheim, time and tradition have reconciled mortality's impermanence with the enduring influence of ancestors. The customs of this land allow the bones of the past to support the present, and the present to honor the past in turn. Death is but the continuation of life's duties by other means.

 

The Pantheon of Ossenheim

 

Revenor, god of death

Revenor manifests as a towering skeleton draped in voluminous dark robes, accented with gold threads depicting funeral processions and weeping mourners. His naked skull is crowned with a circled of woven cypress branches, the tree associated with death. In one hand he grips a ceremonial scepter carved from human femurs, symbolizing his authority over mortal remains.

As lord of the dead, Revenor dwells in the cold and misty realm of the afterlife. Here he oversees the transition of newly deceased souls into his keep, weighing the deeds of their past life. Many he deems ready for eternal peace, releasing them from the burden of corporeal existence. But some spirits he returns to the mortal plane as revenants - undead servants created by the necromancers of Ossenheim.

These revenants retain their living memories and personality, bound back into their preserved mortal bodies by solemn ritual. Unlike mindless zombies, they serve willingly - duty and magic-bound to aid their living descendants however they can. Revenor judges each case where necromancers petition for a soul’s return. He allows only spirits he deems fit for renewal back into the wheel of life and service.

To living mortals, Revenor may seem stern and pitiless. But he understands better than any god that death comes for all in its proper time. He shepherds willing souls to what comes after with dignity and compassion. And for those granted a temporary reprisal as revenants, he binds their spirits into unlife’s purpose that both realms - mortal and beyond - may remain in balance.

 

Vita, goddess of life and fertility

Vita appears as a young woman in the full blossoming flower of youth and beauty. Her russet hair tumbles in lustrous waves across her shoulders, adorned with fresh flower buds that continuously open and transform into new varieties. Her skin gives off a warm glow of vitality, flushed with gentle color as though lit from within by the first blush of sunrise.

Vita dresses in gowns of embroidered silk that hug close to the curves of her body before spilling forth into gauzy skirts and sleeves, echoing the petals of an opening rose. The fabric constantly changes in rippling hues - emerald, sky blue, dusky rose, buttercup yellow - like a field of wildflowers waving in the wind.

When Vita walks, new grass and tiny field blossoms emerge from the soil beneath her feet. Birds alight hopefully on her outstretched fingertips, and furry woodland creatures gather adoringly around her legs. Bees and butterflies trail in her footsteps, drunken on the honey-sweet perfume that envelops Vita'spresence.

Vita dwells in a hilltop palace surrounded by lush gardens in endless bloom. Fountains burble, vines cling to open archways, and golden bees buzz lazily through the fragrant air. Within her halls, youths engage in joyful arts and lovers chase one another laughing through rose bushes heavy with blossom. An aura of innocence, devotion and carefree contentment infuses Vita’s domain - a refuge from worldly troubles and the ravages of time.

Yet Vita is not just goddess of youth but of the full cycle of fertility. She oversees pregnancy, birth, and the nurturing of new families. Hers are the blessings that yield abundant crops, fertile animals, and protection over mothers and their offspring. For even in winter's barren chill, Vita’s gifts prepare seeds for their next flowering come spring.

 

Mortus, god of dreams and omens

Ever shrouded in mystery, Mortus appears as a lithe young man with wild raven hair and skin as pale as moonlight. He dresses in a dark hooded cloak. This cloak shifts and drifts around him like mist, obscuring his form and casting his face in shadow.

When the hood pulls back, it reveals Mortus’ eyes - luminous pools of quicksilver that reflect an ancient wisdom far beyond his youthful appearance. Some find his gaze unsettling, as though Mortus sees into the depths of their soul and discerns their secret shames.

Mortus wanders the shadowy realms of dreams and visions, drinking in the unspoken fears and desires of mortals. He reads the omens written in the patterns of moonlight and cloud, hearing prophetic whispers on the wind. With a soft voice he murmurs cryptic pronouncements and sibylline verses, weaving strands of fate.

His dreams insinuate themselves into mortal minds, bringing portents and revelations. Those who can interpret Mortus’ symbols find guidance, while the unwary risk madness and ruin. Even other gods tread carefully with Mortus, for he sometimes sees destinies to which even they are bound.

 

Lathos, goddess of history and memory

Lathos typically manifests as a silver-haired woman with a back slightly hunched from long hours studiously poring over ancient texts. Her keen eyes gleam with relentless curiosity behind half-moon spectacles. Lathos dresses in simple robes the color of parchment, with myriad pockets and straps to hold scrolls, quills, and strange measuring instruments.

She dwells in the Great Archive, a library filled with skyscraping shelves stacked high with books, tomes, tablets, and unfurled scrolls. Owls glide to and fro amongst the shelves carrying more manuscripts in their beaks to deposit. Each document contains some snippet of history, prophecy, ancestry or ritual across all races and realms. Lathos meticulously studies them all, ever seeking connections and insights.  

At the center of the archives is a great oaken table where Lathos pieces together scroll fragments, compares accounts from multiple sources, and scribbles down timelines and genealogies. When not engaged in these works of scholarship, Lathos flits through the archives plucking scrolls seemingly at random but always guided by some eldritch inspiration.

Lathos values meticulous research, disciplined curiosity, and rigorous verification of claims against evidence. She urges all to drink deeply from the great pool of history to learn its lessons well. But she warns that the past can be slippery - records degrade, eyewitnesses err, and objectivity fades over time. One must parse truth from falsehood by cross-referencing multiple sources when possible. For it is only by honoring the complex messiness of lived truth that the future may progress wisely.

 

Tempus, god of time and destiny

Tempus appears as an elderly man with a long, flowing beard as white as hoarfrost. His back is stooped with the weight of eons, and he leans heavily on an ornate staff carved with ouroboros serpents and arcane symbols. Tempus' robes are voluminous and heavy, colored in hues of deep umber, slate, and iron gray. The fabric is embroidered with hourglasses, clocks, sundials, and other icons of time's passage.

On his wrist Tempus wears a bracelet formed from a bronze gear, ever turning. In his veins runs not blood but silvery sand, each grain representing a mortal life he measures. In one gnarled hand he clutches an hourglass of mammoth proportions, filled with this glittering sand. With the other he holds aloft a set of scales, weighing human souls and deeds.

Tempus' face is a craggy landscape of wrinkles, like eroded mountains and valleys carved by ageless rivers. His eyes are pale and rheumy on the surface, yet their milky depths swirl with eons of memory and foresight. Above his snowy beard, Tempus' lips are pressed into a thin line, never smiling or frowning. His is an impartial countenance, frozen in eternal observation.

Tempus dwells outside the normal movement of time, such that a minute for him may be an epoch for mortals. He observes the weaving of past, present and future simultaneously. The march of days means little to eternal Tempus. Only the grand cycles of seasons, ages, and aeons have meaning in his calculations. All things mortal will crumble to dust before Tempus' endless reign concludes.

 

Caelo, goddess of sky and seasons

Caelo is the capricious goddess of sky and seasons, given to sudden shifts in mood that are reflected in the weather of the mortal realm. She appears as a lithe woman with windswept auburn hair, clothed in diaphanous robes that flow and flutter about her. Caelo's most striking features are her constellation of prismatic eyes that gaze down upon the world below.

Caelo resides in a great cloud palace that drifts across the heavens. From here she observes the comings and goings of mortals. When she is in a foul mood, Caelo conjures up thunderheads and sends driving rains or blizzards to pummel the land. But in fair weather her laughter rings clear as birdsong, and a warm breeze ruffles meadows and rooftops.

Caelo often flies down to earth, her passage marked by sudden gusts of wind that stir up leaves and whip clothing about. She is closest with her brother Mortus who reads the omens in cloud patterns and understands Caelo's mercurial moods. Mortals know that when Caelo is calm and skies are clear, the veil between living and dead is firmest. But when storms roll in, the spirits grow restless and stir.

Few dare entreat Caelo directly, for her wrath is terrible to behold. But all honor her place in Ossenheim's web of life and death. Though at times destructive, Caelo's storms also nourish the land and bid seeds to sprout. Her rains echo the endless cycle of mortal lives, withering some while bringing renewal to others.

 

 

Society in Ossenheim

Family Dynasties - Wealth and status are concentrated in aristocratic households who maintain a long lineage of ancestral revenants that they can call upon for power. The oldest families dominate politics.

More on family dynasties

• The most esteemed lineages can trace their great ancestral revenants back for hundreds of years. The antiquity of one's line brings prestige.
• Ruling dynasties often keep rolls of their most prominent ancestors, the feats they achieved as revenants, and their years of service.
• Inheritance and succession emphasizes not just the living heirs but also the wisdom of their undead forebears. Elders consult the family's ancestral advisors for guidance on decisions that will impact generations to come.
• Necromantic training focuses on preserving lineage - binding revenants, recording histories, maintaining ancestral crypts. Multi-generational master-apprentice relationships reinforce dynastic continuity.

Ancestor Cults - Less organized than a formal clergy, each region/town has its own cultural practices and belief system about honoring the dead. Local revenants become objects of veneration.

More on ancestor cults

• Revenants of extraordinary renown or deeds sometimes attract followings who venerate them independently of familial relation. Their tombs or crypts become shrines with devoted cultists.
• These cults keep candlelight vigils, bring offerings befitting the revenant's life story, and spread folk tales about their subjects across the region. They may ask to commune with or seek blessings from revenants they revere outside of their lineage.
• In more remote areas, towns fashion (or embellish) a shared mythical ancestor. This "village guardian revenant" becomes the center of their oral history and traditional rituals passed through generations.

Barter Economy - The labor and knowledge of revenants is a key commodity that living relatives can trade for mutual benefit. Favors may be exchanged between families.

More on barter economy

• The labor, memories and arcane talents of revenants are all negotiable commodities between dynasties or cults. A family may "lease out" one of its undead ancestors temporarily in return for social bonds, knowledge, or resources.
• Inter-family disputes may be resolved through "ancestor tribunals." Venerated revenants from neutral lineages hear arguments and dispense wisdom, which families agree to abide by.
• Indeed contracts signed "before the ancestors" carry great sacrosanct weight. Oaths sworn under the eyes of one's venerated dead are rarely broken, lest they convey dishonor into the afterlife and beyond...

Ethical Codes - With necromancy so prevalent, cultural mores and codes of ethics have arisen around what is considered acceptable treatment/use of the dead. Taboos limit abuses.

More on ethical codes

• The bones of intelligent mortals who die with their mental faculties intact are consecrated exclusively for revenant transformation. Desecrating consecrated remains prevents them from returning as revenants to guide future generations.
• However, the bones and bodies of non-sentient beasts may be used for spells or rituals requiring the animation of temporary undead servants. These mindless skeletons and zombies are no different than using other tools and pose no affront to the soul.
• The use of bloody or violent rituals to damage souls or bind them against their will is forbidden. Necromancy at its heart should employ respect, not tyranny.
• One's ancestry and progeny deserve consideration, even when deceased. The unethical handling of any mortal remains risks curses carried into the afterlife and beyond. Revenants remember those who wrongly used their bones.

 

 

The Umbral League

This clandestine group of noble scions has a radical notion - to someday abolish the nepotistic reliance on ancestral revenants in politics and society. They advocate for a future where a citizen's worth is judged by their own merits, not the renown of their long-dead forebears.

Such blasphemy against cherished traditions around lineage, ancestry and honoring the dead must be whispered for now. So the skeptical youths who make up the Umbral League use secrecy, coded missives, and anonymous publications to share their controversial ideas without risking familial disfavor or exile.

The League has silently been gathering resources and marginal support amongst minor houses and commoner associations. The embittered and disenfranchised make willing (if surreptitious) recruits. If one day the movement gains enough backing, the Umbral League hopes to pressure Ossenheim into a cultural reformation.

 

The Order of the Immortal Archive

This monastic order split off generations ago from Lathos' clergy, dissatisfied with disorganized local histories and risk of knowledge being lost without rigor. The ascetic scholars of the Order dedicated themselves to systematically collecting and preserving records from across Ossenheim.

To fund their libraries, scriptoria and research, the Order sells access to their meticulously cross-referenced archives for fees - from confirming noble genealogies to providing property deeds or unique documents.

The white-robed brothers and sisters have established regional chapterhouses and annexes across the country. Their neutrality and reputation for reliable recall has only grown, even as old dynasties begrudgingly pay tithes to ensure accurate accounting of their households for posterity.

 

Edited December 5, 2023 by Keante (see edit history)

[AvzinTW]

6 hours ago, Keante said:

 

Player or GM? I'm interested in both.

Spheres-only or as an additional option? Spheres only, and no standard magic/spells. Meaning you can use the wizard class if you want, but you have to add a Spheres archetype that replaces spells.

Technology (Guns, vehicles, etc.)? I like early firearms being included, but otherwise no technological stuff.

Gestalt? No, single class is fine. Though bonus feats and talents are highly encouraged.

Mythic? No.

Requested houserules? I think EitR is unnecessary when you have Spheres of Might.

Spellcrafting/Techniques - No. Never bothered to learn these subsystems, to be honest.

Custom Traditions? I think a specific game idea that the GM is really into can warrant a restricted set of traditions, but typically I would say players should be able to customize freely (still following the rules/guidelines, though).

 

Nice. Do you allow Spheres of Origin? I might be interested in using an origin tradition that makes my character (partially) undead.

[Saberfan]

I nearly have all the requisite information nailed down for my game. There are a few changes that I have made as part of the refining process and a few additional things that need noting as well:

• My final stance on what content is allowed is that everything MUST use Spheres; this was the original plan, but I wanted to reiterate it since I was considering other things to be permissible. If you're interested in an official Paizo class, it will need to use one of the Spheres archetypes available on the wiki or, if you plan on using the Kineticist, the alternate Spheres homebrew version that I will provide.
• I have knocked down the RP available for creating a custom race down to 21 and adjusted a few things as well: max ability score purchase caps being lower to reduce the possibility of minmaxed-to-the-max builds, flight costing more RP because of how strong it is, etc.
• Spellcrafting/Techniquecrafting is allowed. There's also the option to mix the two if you're looking to emulate the 'mystic martial arts' tropes that can be found in books like Path of War. GM fiat is a given when allowing custom spells and techniques, so bear that in mind when making requests.
• Oaths are off the table because of how easy it is to circumvent or otherwise easily ignore their restrictions.
• Players do not need to worry about acquiring a means of planar travel at character creation since they will all have the ability to via a magical crystal and the existence of planar gate. That's not to say that existing options are off the table, just that they are not required.
• Sage is off the table unless I can manage to find the homebrew fixes that corrects it's broken mechanics.
• Divine Talents are not allowed for players, period. While major antagonists may use them, the PCs may not.
• No mythic ranks for PCs, although major antagonists will have at least one.

Edited November 21, 2023 by Saberfan (see edit history)

[Keante]

10 minutes ago, Saberfan said:

Sage is off the table unless I can manage to find the homebrew fixes that corrects it's broken mechanics.

I have not heard of a fix for Sage before and would be very interested to see it if you find it!

[Keante]

17 hours ago, AvzinTW said:

Nice. Do you allow Spheres of Origin? I might be interested in using an origin tradition that makes my character (partially) undead.

I would probably allow Spheres of Origin. I have found it to be very burdensome to wade through, though, and would not want all players to feel like they need to use it. So if an individual player wanted to use it we'd be talking through it so it's not becoming a power boost relative to others.

[AvzinTW]

1 hour ago, Keante said:

I would probably allow Spheres of Origin. I have found it to be very burdensome to wade through, though, and would not want all players to feel like they need to use it. So if an individual player wanted to use it we'd be talking through it so it's not becoming a power boost relative to others.

Ah, nice. The only thing I can think of so far is that their type is undead, and one of their three auxiliary talents is Negative Energy Affinity.

[TheFred]

I like Spheres, on the whole, though I seem to be fairly unique in only liking it a bit; a lot of people seem to absolutely adore it, whilst a few loathe it.

2 hours ago, Keante said:

I would probably allow Spheres of Origin. I have found it to be very burdensome to wade through, though, and would not want all players to feel like they need to use it. So if an individual player wanted to use it we'd be talking through it so it's not becoming a power boost relative to others.

Spheres of Origin seems to be the epitome of Sphere's over-spheresiness; let's make a stupidly-complicated system for... essentially no reason? In their defence, it's not any worse than the Paizo race-builder.

Undead are I think a particularly interesting/weird thing about SoO. On the one hand, it's easy to make an undead character... but on the other, you get none of the traits of undead. That means that, unless you specifically take more talents to change it, you're healed by positive energy, have no immunities to any kinds of effects, even death effects, etc... you also always have a Con score, and there's no talent that can change that.

2 hours ago, Keante said:

2 hours ago, Saberfan said:

Sage is off the table unless I can manage to find the homebrew fixes that corrects it's broken mechanics.

I have not heard of a fix for Sage before and would be very interested to see it if you find it!

When you say "broken mechanics"... do you mean something in particular (other than just Ki Blaster) or do you think the whole way the Sage works is broken? As I understand it, the problem is more just that all the options are wildly imbalanced and range from truly terrible to stupidly overpowered (with very little in-between). A homebrew "fix" would probably have to nerf a whole bunch of those (and ideally buff some of the others); I don't think there's a quick/easy/succinct way to do that.

[namo]

@SaberfanI just discovered Deific Talents thanks to the mention above; I didn't know they existed! I don't think they will be missed, I've never seen them included in a game up until now.

I also checked out the Race Points, and as Inash indicated abilities are better-structured than Spheres of Origin, though balance is an issue in both cases.

21 RP does seem enough for variety and a fair amount of power. I've started building a fey race, to try the system out.

1 hour ago, TheFred said:

I like Spheres, on the whole, though I seem to be fairly unique in only liking it a bit; a lot of people seem to absolutely adore it, whilst a few loathe it.

Oh, I'm definitely not a fanatic of Spheres. I like them perhaps more than you, but a lot of things make me shake my head: for instance, so many talents do so little... Some of them should really just cost half a talent, but of course nobody in their right mind would start using a point system, adding extra complexity (though some Advanced Talents could cost 2! Hmm, I'm onto something 😉). Guile improves that a little bit with the notion of Utility talents (probably inspired by more recent editions like PF2E... perhaps also 5E as well, I don't know it well enough), but it's late.

And there's just a lot of bloat to wade through, overall.

But the attraction of strongly-themed characters is undeniable, and SoP does that much better than core/vancian. (I hope we're not going to derail the thread with that...)

Edited November 22, 2023 by namo (see edit history)

[Saberfan]

3 hours ago, Keante said:

I have not heard of a fix for Sage before and would be very interested to see it if you find it!

I would imagine that a lot of Spheres players feel the same! The Sage class is amazing in concept and is pretty close to the mystic martial artist fantasy as you can get outside of Path of War, but it's execution leaves a lot to be desired from a balance perspective. Rest assured that I will post the fixes if I can manage to find them.

1 hour ago, TheFred said:

When you say "broken mechanics"... do you mean something in particular (other than just Ki Blaster) or do you think the whole way the Sage works is broken? As I understand it, the problem is more just that all the options are wildly imbalanced and range from truly terrible to stupidly overpowered (with very little in-between). A homebrew "fix" would probably have to nerf a whole bunch of those (and ideally buff some of the others); I don't think there's a quick/easy/succinct way to do that.

There is more broken than not when it comes to the Sage class and it requires fixes across the board. In fact, I would go so far as to say that there is more wrong with the Sage class than the rest of the Spheres system put together, which speaks to both how well the Spheres system is written and how systematically brokenthe Sage truly is.

50 minutes ago, namo said:

I just discovered Deific Talents thanks to the mention above; I didn't know they existed! I don't think they will be missed, I've never seen them included in a game up until now.

Deific Talents are pretty cool in the craziest kinds of Spheres games because they're essentially 'mythic lite' options that really change how the game is played. Sadly, they're a little hard to include in even those games because many Spheres do not have a single Deific Talent and it feels unfair to let other players mess around with phenomenal cosmic powers while everyone else has to do without.

[TheFred]

Yeah, probably best not to get into the merits of Spheres vs not (feels kind of... edition wars-y, even if it's not an actual edition). Still, there are several things that irk me about it... I can see the attraction of "half talents" but I'm sceptical that that extra complexity is worth it. I've not looked at Guile at all yet. My gut guess is that if it's anything like Origins (and based on the trends), it's extra complexity for no real reason. I've heard other people saying it's great, but so far I think mostly only people who really love Spheres anyway... still, I am always happy to be pleasantly surprised. I'll check it out once I've gathered enough energy for it. 🙂

I would happily attempt to write a rebalanced Sage but, like I say, I don't think it's a quick fix - it probably means going through all the packages and esoteries and rebalancing them (also I'm not a big fan of the "Ki pool but actually by the way it's casting" bit - feels pretty clunky).

[OzzyKP]

18 hours ago, namo said:

Oh, I'm definitely not a fanatic of Spheres. I like them perhaps more than you, but a lot of things make me shake my head: for instance, so many talents do so little... Some of them should really just cost half a talent, but of course nobody in their right mind would start using a point system, adding extra complexity (though some Advanced Talents could cost 2! Hmm, I'm onto something 😉). Guile improves that a little bit with the notion of Utility talents (probably inspired by more recent editions like PF2E... perhaps also 5E as well, I don't know it well enough), but it's late.

They are absolutely working on extending the idea of utility talents to Spheres of Power & Might.

[TheFred]

They should probably clean up the existing stuff first. 😛 Spheres of Might needs a rewrite more than Spheres of Power ever did (and USoP was, on the whole, a definite improvement; one or two of the changes seemed pretty weird to me, but they definitely cut out some of the chaff and streamlined some stuff).

[namo]

@TheFred Don't rush for SoG, it's IMO more complex and bloated than the others... And the classes seem underpowered to me, but I haven't playtested them.
There are still some nice spots, of course; I like plans for instance, developing the Brilliant Planner core feat into a small subsystem.

 

On 11/22/2023 at 7:55 PM, OzzyKP said:

They are absolutely working on extending the idea of utility talents to Spheres of Power & Might.

Oh, they're preparing stuff that goes beyond this Optional Rule? Where can I learn more about that?

 

@Keante this looks very nice as well (I had missed some of the setting description). A Ghost Sovereign Soul Weaver might fit well in the setting, except if what they do is deemed sacrilegious. A Shepherd of the Lost (another archetype) also.

Edited November 23, 2023 by namo (see edit history)