Feasibility of duplicitous NE/LE Tempest Cleric with Egyptian Pantheon

[Cerys]

Hey all,

Happy to be a part of the forum. I was steered here by the Devout and Dead cleric guide, and even though it was comprehensive, I just had a few questions.

For a wood elf tempest (dex) cleric, when would I ideally be looking to pick up sharpshooter (or another feat?).

Secondly, I have a bit of a feasibility question, as I mentioned in the title. On that note, hopefully you’re ready for the ride that is my naïve character building process. I’ve only played 3.5 and not much of that, so I wanted to make sure that what I have in mind is feasible. (My friend liked dming L5R which is like, an entirely different rodeo). Originally, I assumed my campaign was going to use the F.Realms pantheon as we were in that setting. I had this amazing idea for a LE Death Cleric that would swear loyalty to Kelemvor. Anyone that questioned why she had such a… necrotic leaning in her combat style would be met with a zealous lecture on the plague of undead that sought to avoid Kelemvor's judgement. I even had cool phrases I had made up. ("Luck is for fools, Kelemvor promises certainty to us all." and the like). In reality, she would be a follower of Loviatar and rejoice in the pain of battle and use the ‘undead hunter’ ploy as a front to spread Loviatar’s teachings.

Well, I found out we’re using the Egyptian pantheon and if I play a death domain cleric, my DM would really like me to not play them under an evil deity. It would have to be Anubis or Nepthys. I realized after chatting with him that I’m much more invested in the challenge of playing a duplicitous zealot of an evil character than I am in the challenge of playing in the Death domain specifically. So I’ve decided to go with a wood elf tempest cleric (Dex/Wis) that is a loyal follower of Sobek. Unfortunately, the Egyptian pantheon doesn’t give me much to work with as far as other Tempest domain deities, so I was planning on spinning her as a reformed believer in Thoth who pursues knowledge by adventuring and atoning for her past sins.

How feasible would this be? I understand that other party members don’t have an encyclopedia of Tempest vs Knowledge cantrips, but I fear that they’ll call my character out the second she uses her Channel Divinity ability. Do you have any suggestions? I’m really invested in this deep undercover long machination/series of plans via evil cleric idea, but I don’t want to dive into something that I have no way to realistically pull off.

Thanks for any advice/suggestions/critiques!

[lunaticfringe]

I lent my PBH to one of my players but IRL Horus was a Storm/Weather God or at least partly. I'm not sure what they list him as in PBH. Maybe spin it as you are a member of a weird, non mainstream, Horus Sect. Set I believe was also Stormy, but he is probably listed Evil.

Also Nut, I forget Mother-Sky/Father-Earth in Egyptian Mythology.

[CantigThimble]

Hrmm, are you going to be trying to fool the players or just their characters? Fooling players about what class you play is pretty much impossible so you'd either need to pick a domain that could fall under two gods or get them to work with you out of character.

You could try claiming to be a follower of Osiris (who has nature) and claim that tempest is just another aspect of nature.

If you're not married to the tempest idea then I might try being a light cleric and claiming to be a sun worshiper while secretly worshiping Apep. Apep doesn't have light listed as a domain but he's a god of fire so that just seems silly and I would be surprised if your DM didn't allow it. (Light domain is mostly scorch and burn spells, with a bit of blinding)

[Cerys]

Hrmm, are you going to be trying to fool the players or just their characters? Fooling players about what class you play is pretty much impossible so you'd either need to pick a domain that could fall under two gods or get them to work with you out of character.

I'm not trying to fool the players, esp with such a well know/established pantheon. But with the DM saying 'everyone knows about the Gods, everyone knows which God governs the sun', it gave me pause. Is a Ven Paladin going to be able to saunter up and say "Aha, lightning and thunder! Well that's Set or Sobek so you must be evil!" I'm being a bit paranoid, I know. I doubt anyone would be that aggressive early on without a ton of religious knowledge or some great anti-Set backstory.

On that note, do you have any unique ways of hiding a holy symbol? I've been brainstorming

[bluthunda]

I'm not the most well versed in the actual rules for casting with your holy symbol but unless the DM says you have to show your Holy Symbol to cast outwards I would just have it Branded on my hand underneath my armor gloves ? And everytime you heal someone make sure you touch them with the hand you have branded for extra RP value

[Biggstick]

So is the idea more important to you or is the class what's important to you?

You can play a Priest of a deity (or pretend to be a priest of a deity while actually serving another) as any class. A Fighter or a Rogue can work just as well serving a deity, without receiving any power, and still act in accordance with how a Priest of said deity works.

Now don't scoff at me, but a Bard is one of the best classes at pretending to be something they're not. You get Expertise to be even better at Deception plus any other skill you want to be better at. You get tons of skills, you get Healing Word (to still act as a Cleric). You can wear any holy symbol you want, hell, throw it on all your stuff! And any spells that you feel you gotta have, you can pick up with Bardic Secrets.

[Herobizkit]

Following up on being a Bard, taking the Charlatan or Criminal/Spy background would be very helpful in pretending to be something you're not.

Further to that end, being a Druid in that setting would go a long way to being a worshiper of Crocodiles... to the point you could eventually morph into one. Druids also get a few Thunder and Lightning spells.

[Unoriginal]

I'm not trying to fool the players, esp with such a well know/established pantheon. But with the DM saying 'everyone knows about the Gods, everyone knows which God governs the sun', it gave me pause. Is a Ven Paladin going to be able to saunter up and say "Aha, lightning and thunder! Well that's Set or Sobek so you must be evil!" I'm being a bit paranoid, I know. I doubt anyone would be that aggressive early on without a ton of religious knowledge or some great anti-Set backstory.

On that note, do you have any unique ways of hiding a holy symbol? I've been brainstorming

First, remember that even if D&D list Sobek or Set as evil, it doesn't mean they are antagonistic to the rest of the Pantheon.

Set battles the serpent that want to end the Sun and is Horus's lover, for exemple.

So there is no reason for people to go "this person is a Cleric of Set, they must be evil!"

Note that the PHB has "suggested Domains" listed for gods, not "they can only grant those Domains".

[Azreal]

Seth is the Egyptian god of the Desert and often associated with Storms. While he is also a trickster god he's hardly the only one who has done ahitty things to the others. (Isis learned Ra's true name and threatened to kill him unless he made Osiris King)

While dickish Seth does protect the world from being destroyed in chaos by fighting the serpent Aphosis and defending Ra as he travels through the Underworld.

I'd go so far as to say there are violent Gods but not quite evil ones for Egypt.

[lunaticfringe]

It's been awhile since college but I believe most Egyptian Gods in someway bring Order (which was Good to them) to Chaos (which was bad), even the Jerks. It's really one of those Pantheons that is wide open to interpretation if you use it in 5e.

Loki and Fenrir are also good examples. They both are relatively benign until other godlike beings start freaking out over prophecies, but are almost always statted as some kind evil in D&D. Fenrir was basically Clifford until somebody decided to read the last page of the Novel iirc.

[Unoriginal]

Loki and Fenrir are also good examples. They both are relatively benign until other godlike beings start freaking out over prophecies, but are almost always statted as some kind evil in D&D. Fenrir was basically Clifford until somebody decided to read the last page of the Novel iirc.

Loki can be pretty nasty in some myths, but hardly worse than the other Norse gods. Fenrir was just a giant wolf who thought it was nice to get glory and show off his strength when challenged.

Then the Aesir bound him out of fear.