Ascension

[Palanan]

Apart from the Starstone, is there any way in Pathfinder mechanics or lore to ascend to a higher state of being?

I know divinity is the default assumption, and I’m not ruling that out, but I’m also interested to know if there are ways to reach demigodhood, or some other transcendent form higher and more powerful than ordinary mortals.

[Psyren]

To quote Saitama Irori: "100 pushups! 100 situps! 100 squats! 10km running every single day!"

Irori became a god entirely on his own without the Starstone by achieving physical and mental perfection, so theoretically anyone could do it.

It might help if you defined the category of divinity you're okay with achieving - the categories are listed in Planar Adventures, but you can also find the list here. (https://www.aonprd.com/Rules.aspx?Name=Quasi%20Deity&Category=Divine%20Power)

[MesiDoomstalker]

I'm gonna mention a few spoilers for Paizo APs! You have been warned.

The A.I. Unity achieved partial divinity by running endless simulations of worlds where he is some variety of ruler. He discovered the most devout digital people granted him some small modicum of power and would preserve these digital people between iterations of simulations. Over time, the accumulation of these simulated worshippers granted him power. The conclusion of Iron Gods has the PC's preventing Unity's Ascension, where he would launch his A.I. core into low orbit around Galorion. This would allow him to spread a dry-to-wet virus that would force living creatures to worship him and ascend.

This implies that sufficient worship could cause one to ascend.

However, one of the suggested conclusions, is placing the other A.I. Casandalee into the launch. This causes her to ascend... despite not having any worshippers or using Unity's Worhsip Virus thing. It takes blowing up the Divinity Drive (the FTL engine the starship Divinity used which has been described as close to the divine as possible without crossing that boundary) to do so; presumably Unity's plan also included blowing the Divinity Drive to power his worship virus.

So this implies sufficient worship and utilizing specially prepared hyper-tech FTL engine exploded can both achieve apotheosis.

Baba Yaga, reportedly, could have (and could still) ascend to Godhood at any time. No mention on the methodology (she chooses not to because people would be asking her for things and she hates that). But like Irori, it implies that after a certain point of personal power, apotheosis is just a matter of will/choice.

Aroden was an Azlanti human, once upon a time. I believe he was a god prior to raising the Starstone (and Absalom alongside it) from the Inner Sea. So there's another non-Starstone ascension (no method mentioned that I'm aware of). Unless he was the first to take the test prior to raising it?

There's a new God in 2e known as the Razimere, the Living God but all the lore I've found on him claims that he passed the Starstone test despite all other lore I've found said that there has only be 3 to so do; Cayden Calien, Imodea and Norgorber. Razimere claims there was 31 steps to complete the Starstone test.

From the lore I've read, a sufficiently powerful Outsider are Demigods in their own rights (based on Paizo's refusal to stat such entities and also giving them diety-stats IE domains, favored weapons, etc).

[Kurald Galain]

Notably, the seven Runelords have not Ascended.


There's a new God in 2e known as the Razimere, the Living God but all the lore I've found on him claims that he passed the Starstone test
Razmir is lying. He's a petty tyrant who makes the people in his country treat him as a god on penalty of execution. The funny bit is that Razmiran Priests appear as antagonists at several places, and mechanically they're all actually sorcerers.
He's a 19th-level wizard, where Immortality is a discovery available only to 20th-level wizards. He owes his longevity to the Sun Orchid Elixir. As a high-level wizard he does have the power to level a city (which is how he became to rule his country); for the average peasant it doesn't get more god-like than that.

There is at least one adventure module where a PC can Ascend.
The Rasping Rebirth, which is the climax of a plot arc which started in The Night March Of Kalkamedes.

[legomaster00156]

Any Mythic character can take abilities which allow them to grant spells to followers, eventually giving the full domain set of a demigod. Ascension to full deity status, though, is entirely in the hands of the GM.

[Calthropstu]

Any Mythic character can take abilities which allow them to grant spells to followers, eventually giving the full domain set of a demigod. Ascension to full deity status, though, is entirely in the hands of the GM.

This. It really is as simple as the GM saying "And poof... You're a god."

[Psyren]

Any Mythic character can take abilities which allow them to grant spells to followers, eventually giving the full domain set of a demigod. Ascension to full deity status, though, is entirely in the hands of the GM.


This. It really is as simple as the GM saying "And poof... You're a god."

I'll add to this that everything Mythic-related is in the GM's hands, whether that's becoming a mythic character, advancing in rank, how long you maintain it etc. All of the elements are subject to approval.

[legomaster00156]

Ok. To be more clear, there is no strictly mechanical method to full divinity, but there is a strictly mechanical method to achieving demigod status.