What's A Sacrifice Worth?

[Palanan]

You're the leader of a successful warband with no shortage of mewling captives. You have a stone circle, high altar, blunt instruments and obsidian knives.

But before you get carried away, you want to be sure you get maximum value for every piteous whimper cut cruelly short. So you want to know: what can you get for a sacrifice?

In game terms, within the Pathfinder ruleset, what benefits could a sacrifice provide, either to an individual or a group? Are there feats, spells, etc. that allow for this?

[Geddy2112]

There are rules for this, under binding outsiders (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/variant-magic-rules/binding-outsiders). A fair amount of evil outsiders love a sacrifice, but it depends on the outsider. For example "The best way to attract the eye of a bearded devil is to offer a restrained victim for its bloody use, so that it might painfully murder its target." Imps specifically give a +2 to charisma checks for the heart ripped from a living dove. Handmaiden devils specifically like innocent children, the younger the better

The rules for the spell planar binding (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/p/planar-binding) give you a bonus of up to +6 for the charisma check to ask the creature to do something, depending on the nature of the bribe offered.

Planar ally (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/p/planar-ally) is less specific on the mechanics of an offering, instead having the fee be in gold based on the HD of the creature called, time to complete the task, and nature of the request.
This paragraph from planar ally indicates that such sacrifices or offerings can get the creature to perform a greater task, or accept the sacrifice as part or in lieu of payment.
"A nonhazardous task requires only half the indicated payment, while an especially hazardous task might require a greater gift. Few if any creatures will accept a task that seems suicidal (remember, a called creature actually dies when it is killed, unlike a summoned creature). However, if the task is strongly aligned with the creature's ethos, it may halve or even waive the payment"

[Arutema]

If you have the Deific Obedience feat, you can make a daily sacrifice to Lamashtu (http://www.archivesofnethys.com/DeityDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Lamashtu) for +1 natural armor, plus some additional boons at 12, 16, and 20 character levels (see link for details). This is also required to maintain the Exalted, Sentinel, or Evangelist PRCs if you worship Lamashtu.

Alternatively, you can take Demonic Obedience and sacrifice a newborn to her for +4 on saves against insanity, confusion, and polymorph.

[Elder_Basilisk]

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/daemons/cacodaemon

they have a soul lock ability that creates a soul gem once per day. Should be worth something to a creature from the lower planes.

Also, relatively low level and easy to bind into a sacrificial altar should you want to make a habit of such things. Unfortunately, it's a strict quantity game. The soul of a 95 year old 1st level commoner rapist ends up creating the same gem as a 24 year old 20th level virgin paladin. So if you want mechanical rewards for getting the best souls, you'll need to find something else.

[denthor]

For 3.5 I suggest you look at the book of vile darkness there is a table for 1d100 rolls that will give you a random result plus suggestions and modifiers

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Arutema
If you have the Deific Obedience feat, you can make a daily sacrifice to Lamashtu for +1 natural armor, plus some additional boons at 12, 16, and 20 character levels (see link for details). This is also required to maintain the Exalted, Sentinel, or Evangelist PRCs if you worship Lamashtu.

This is almost exactly what I was looking for. The binding and whatnot isn't what I had in mind, but this sort of thing is excellent.

Question is, are there other benefits from other Golarion deities, or is Lamashtu the only one that gives these options?


Originally Posted by Elder_Basilisk
So if you want mechanical rewards for getting the best souls, you'll need to find something else.

No, I meant what were the best possible benefits for any given sacrifice, assuming all sacrifices are equal. Hadn't been thinking otherwise.

[Tuvarkz]

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/daemons/cacodaemon

they have a soul lock ability that creates a soul gem once per day. Should be worth something to a creature from the lower planes.

Also, relatively low level and easy to bind into a sacrificial altar should you want to make a habit of such things. Unfortunately, it's a strict quantity game. The soul of a 95 year old 1st level commoner rapist ends up creating the same gem as a 24 year old 20th level virgin paladin. So if you want mechanical rewards for getting the best souls, you'll need to find something else.

Except
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/daemons
Establishes that mid-level adventurers' souls are worth 500 gp, high-level ones up to 5000 gp and even beyond for the best of the best.

[Arutema]

This is almost exactly what I was looking for. The binding and whatnot isn't what I had in mind, but this sort of thing is excellent.

Question is, are there other benefits from other Golarion deities, or is Lamashtu the only one that gives these options?

There are obediences for all the core deities printed in Inner Sea Gods, plus a few others in Inner Sea Faiths. (Sing a drinking song to Cayden, prostitute yourself in Calistria's name, torture a slave for Asmodeus, etc.) Only Lamashtu's demands the sacrifice of living creatures.