There’s currently a god for every letter (though Pakellas isn’t around anymore), as well as the number 1. So it got me thinking, what about a god for the number 2? Introducing Sheza and Sargol, the Twins of Desolation! My idea was to make a god that focuses on improving AC and survivability, aimed toward melee brawlers and Forgecraft casters, and building off of preexisting characters (the Desolation, Zenata…). This was mostly for fun, as I don’t know much about game balance, but I hope you’ll enjoy it regardless.
“Answer their insolence with our steel.” “Make them fear us once again!”
The divine twins Sheza and Sargol are the dread gods of weaponry and tyranny. Though their Empire and cult were cast down by the good gods long ago, they cling to reality through dark rituals and burn with desire to punish the world that so easily forgot them. Allegiants will be granted the power to summon constructs from the earth, unleash blasts of malevolent spite and become one with steel in their service as an instrument of vengeance.
The Twins grant followers endurance against weapons, which increases as they gain piety. Followers will be able to call forth legions of unwavering constructs, as well as channel the resentment of the Twins to decimate and enthrall their opponents. The Twins will also gird their servants with armour pulled from their coffers. The most devout of followers will eventually learn how to replace their mortal flesh with exalted metal.
The Twins like it when you kill living beings, you destroy the undead, you kill demons, and you destroy nonliving beings. The Twins especially like it when you kill holy beings.
Piety level -: “Ragged Foo”
- Patronage of Steel: The weapons of your foes recognize your subservience to the Twins, so they try to avoid harming you. You gain a bonus to AC against melee attacks and ranged weapons that increases as you gain piety.
Piety level *: “Seeker”
- Sheza’s Legion: Open a portal to the Desolation, calling forth 4-8 summoned constructs and 2-3 dancing weapons. The amount and power of the summoned monsters is dependent on Invocations skill. Possible summons include Saltlings, Peacekeepers, Iron Golems and Crystal Guardians.
You open a gate to the Desolation and call forth imperial servants.
Piety level **: “Vengeant”
- Sargol’s Grudge: Unleash a blast of damage on a 5x5 area, dealing damage to enemies that grows stronger with the amount of constructs adjacent to them. Constructs are those summoned by Sheza’s Legion, dancing weapons, and any creatures created by Forgecraft spells. Enemies killed by this attack will be briefly reanimated, forced to serve the Twins’ will beyond death. The blast’s damage is dependent on Invocations skill.
A blast of resentment erupts from the earth!
Dark wills grip the [enemy]'s corpse, forcing it to serve beyond death.
Piety level ***: “Weapon of the Spiteful”
- No new abilities
Piety level ****: “Halazid”
- Armours: Whenever you gain piety on gift timeout, the Twins have a chance to gift you pieces of armour. The armour created will be enchanted, and possibly an artefact. The Twins will gift you body armour (except robes), shields, cloaks, gloves and boots/bardings, but not orbs or scarves.
Piety level *****: “Imperial Dominator”
- No new abilities
Piety level ******: “Right Hand of Desolation”
- Ritual of Exaltation: Once per game, you can perform a sacred ritual to replace two different parts of your body with two chosen pieces of armour (except robes, orbs, or scarves). This will add half of the armours’ AC/SH and encumbrance to your stats (rounded up), as well as allow you to wear another piece of armour over the metallic body part. If the armours you fuse with have positive or negative properties, you will permanently gain half of their effects rounded up (Rampaging, Flight, and See Invisible work as normal; ^Fragile, ^Contam and ^Drain do nothing). This can be done even if you normally couldn’t wear that armour slot due to your species or mutations, because the metal bends to fit your frame. However, your maximum HP will be reduced by 20%, as the ritual disfigures your body.
Sheza and Sargol guide you through the ritual. You carve away your [body part] and [body part], then place pieces of armour over the wounds. The metal shifts, melding with your flesh seamlessly!
(If Poltergeist) Sheza and Sargol guide you through the ritual. You wrap your essence around the pieces of armour and feel dark currents binding your spirit to the metal. The armour splinters and whirls around you, the pieces chained to your soul!
Helmet: Scalp, skull (Revenant, Mummy), rubbery scalp (Octopode)
Body armour: Chest, mantle (Octopode)
Cloak: Shoulders, web (Octopode), scruff (Felid)
Gloves: Hands, claws (Troll, Revenant), upper tentacles (Octopode), front paws (Felid)
Boots: Feet, waist (Djinni), talons (Tengu), lower tentacles (Octopode), back paws (Felid)
Barding: Midsection
Shield: Left arm, left arm-pair (Formicid), left tentacles (Octopode), left side (Felid)
Altar: A salt-covered altar of the Twins.
An abandoned altar of the Twins Sheza and Sargol, the ritual offerings turned into piles of salt. The altar keeps catching your gaze, dark whispers echoing in your ears whenever you look at it.
Wrath: Those who offend the Twins will find themselves beset by remnants of the imperial legions, sent to punish them for their treachery. Traitors will have their equipment corroded, and potions and scrolls spitefully turned into salt before their eyes. The Twins will also withdraw their gift of exaltation, leaving former acolytes with inert and useless metal disfiguring their flesh.
Upon abandonment, you lose the AC/SH and properties from the 6* melded armour, and the Twins will occasionally punish you with one of the following forms of divine retribution:
- Durably summon a group of Desolation mobs.
Sheza sends thralls to punish you.
- Corrosion +10 for some time, bypasses rCorr.
Sargol utters bitter curses against you. You feel a wave of hatred corroding your equipment.
- There’s a chance potions and scrolls will fail to activate.
You try to quaff the potion, but end up spitting a mouthful of salt.
You try to read the scroll, but it crumbles into a puff of salt in your hands.