Shekinester, creator and queen of the nagas, is one of the most complex deities in the D&D multiverse. She has three distinct aspects, each representing a different alignment, with different portfolios of interest, but all elements of her overriding portfolio of Wisdom.
Shekinester (PDF Version)
(The Three-Faced, Queen of the Nagas, the Naga Queen, the Weaver, the Empowerer, the Preserver, the Three-Faced Queen, Nagarani)
Greater Power of the Outlands, N (CE, LG)
Portfolio:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Wisdom; Weaver: destruction, clearing the old to make way for the new, connections, knowledge; Empowerer: guardian of the young, initiation, testing, growth of character, messenger; Preserver: maintenance, protection, guardian of the dead
Aliases:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â None
Domain Name:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Outlands/the Court of Light
Superior:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â None
Allies:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Agni, Anubis, Brahman, Brihaspati, Indra, Istishia, Istus, Jazirian, Kali, Labelas Enoreth, Meretseger, Nephthys, Osiris, Parrafaire, Renenutet, Siva, Thoth, Vayu, Vishnu, Wadjet, Yama, the Furies, the Moirai, the Norns
Foes:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Merrshaulk, Ravanna, Sseth, Tharizdun, the Dark God
Symbol:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Mask (the Weaver); mirror (the Empowerer); grain jar (the Preserver)
Wor. Align.:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Any
Immensely powerful and mysterious, Shekinester (sheh-kin-EST-ur) is the multi-aspected queen of the nagas. Like the great dragon deity Io, she encompasses goodness, evil, and neutrality; unlike that deity, each of these aspects of her being has different forms. As the most unrestricted evil, she is the Weaver, an old crone who destroys in order to make room for new creation. As the noblest good, she is the Preserver, a matronly figure who offers succor to the starving and protection to all of creation. Finally, as the neutral Empower, she is guardian of the young and offers initiation and tests to transform and grow those who are worthy. All of her aspects operate as dictated by their alignments, but they act with a single will.
Shekinester is an ancient deity, just as her nagas are an ancient race. While the mythology of those serpentine creatures do not credit her with the creation of the multiverse, the do often claim that she existed before the beginning of time, and watched as Annam, Io, or some other power performed that act. Nagas hold that she, without the knowledge of the creator deity, altered reality to continually test mortal creatures, to force them to grow and improve, or fail in the trying. Besides this modification, nagas hold that their goddess has an endless curiosity about the new existence that was created, and her various aspects explore and modify it according to their individual outlook. These explorations have brought her in conflict with a number of other powers, but also brought her to aid yet others; however, her triple-aspected nature means that at times she has opposed and aided the same deities with different aspects in a varied and complex tapestry. A different tale is given about Shekinester’s origin by a number of other races, particularly ophidians and some yuan-ti. They say that her triple-aspect end nature is a remnant of a greater, multi-aspected World Serpent, which also included the forbearers of Jazirian, Merrshaulk, and other reptilian powers. The disparate nature of these aspects caused such a strain on the whole being that it shattered, leaving many different, independent deities in its wake, of which Shekinester is but one. They say she managed to balance her aspects in a way that the original could not. Whether any of this is true us difficult to prove, as none of the deities in question speak of it.
The three aspects of the Naga Queen each have a different form and function, but ultimately operate with tremendous wisdom. As the crone-faced Weaver, she does not destroy indiscriminately, for she knows what is unique and worth protecting; she also knows what can and will be improved upon should space be made for it. At the same time, she knows what is too dangerous to exist, or what has failed the tests life has presented, and should be eliminated to make space for new things to exist. That is not the entirety of her being, however; as a weaver, she brings seemingly unrelated threads of knowledge to reveal new ideas. As the kindly and merciful young maiden Empowerer, she is a guardian of the young and uninitiated; however, she is also a bringer of tests and initiation, which for the unwilling can cause significant “growing pains.” An added element of complexity to Shekinester’s triptych of aspects is that the Empowerer can also appear as an ugly messenger who brings an opportunity for growth or learning to the attention of the young, uninitiated, or naïve. Her third aspect, the matronly Preserver, tends the Arching Flame in Shekinester’s Court of Light in the Outlands. This flame is said, by nagas at least, to be the power that maintains all of existence, and keeps all planes in balance. This flame is also beneficent to those who stay true to themselves, be it for good or evil, but annihilates those who have constantly betrayed their personally held ideals. Finally, the Preserver is a guardian of the dead and a protector of souls, welcoming the newly departed with bread, water, and fruit, and guiding those who are ready back to mortal life through reincarnation.
Some myths, particularly among the yuan-ti and ophidians, hold that Shekinester’s multiple aspects are a reflection of an older, greater many-aspected power known as the Great World Serpent. These myths hold that the many aspects eventually caused the being to fragment, with Shekinester just one of many remnants, with other fragments becoming Jazirian, Merrshaulk, and other serpentine and reptilian deities. In contrast, the couatl of Jazirian hold their deity to be the perfected archetype of serpentine powers; other powers such as Shekinester and even Io are but imperfect facsimiles of that archetype. Whether they believe Jazirian was first, and the others later shadows, or the others earlier experiments, they do not say. Needless to say, such an idea is scoffed at by any naga who hears of such a thing.
In general, the Naga Queen is close to members of the Vedic pantheon and the Pharaonic pantheon, as well as various powers of fate. Perhaps her association to the Vedic deities is because they are all seen as aspects of the great Brahman just as she has three separate aspects, or because there are so many deities who form one side of a three-sided concept. Regardless, there are few deities in the pantheon that she is not allied with in at least one of her aspects. Among those she is closest with are Vishnu and Siva, who have much the same dynamism as Shekinester’s Preserver and Weaver aspects. Just as that pair are close friends, each can count on aid from any of The Naga Queen’s aspects should the need arise. Her Weaver aspect is also allied with Kali, for she creates, destroys, and creates again; this alliance is not shared by her other aspects, however. She also maintains a strong relationship with the Three Lords of Chaos, Agni, Vayu, and Indra, for their overall goals loosely mirror her interest in testing and initiating those into later aspects of life. Finally, as a power of wisdom and guardian of the dead, she works with Brihaspati and Yama, whose interests lie in those realms as well. It is said this close relationship with the Vedic powers is why nagas are among their favored servants on the Prime Material plane. Finally, she holds a special animosity towards Ravanna, the patron of the deceitful rakshasas, for he weaves deep illusions in order to corrupt truth and wisdom. In contrast with Vedic mythology, nagas hold that it was Shekinester who aided and protected Brahman when Ravanna created the rakshasas to attack him.
The Three-Faced Queen’s relationship with the Pharaonic pantheon is a bit stormier. As a protector serpent, she is close to the goddesses Wadjet, Meretseger, and Renenutet, granting spells in lieu of that trio in crystal spheres where they do not have access. However, many members consider her Weaver aspect to be similar to the pantheon’s greatest foe, the serpent Apep the World Encircler. In particular, Ra sees little difference between her aspects because of the destruction the Weaver brings. Despite this, her guardianship of the dead is highly admired by Anubis, Osiris, and Nephthys, and the protection offered by her Empowerer and Preserver aspects are respected by many of the remaining members of the pantheon. In all of her aspects, she is close to Thoth, the pantheon’s power of wisdom and knowledge, and some say the first step to becoming one of the Keeper of Knowledge’s proxies is to penetrate the Court of Light in order to gain wisdom.
As an oft-cited embodiment of the Rule-Of-Threes, it comes as no surprise to scholars of the divine that Shekinester is closely allied to the trios of goddesses known as the Norns, the Moirai, and the Furies. Just as with Shekinester, that trio of triptych goddesses sometimes appear as a young maiden, a middle-aged matron, and an elderly crone, and they control various aspects of fate and destiny among mortals who worship their pantheons, creating and measuring their lives. The Naga Queen fulfills a similar function for the naga races, and her Weaver aspect is sometimes shown as biting through a web of fate in order to destroy elements of creation, and then weave something new in its place. As with the Norns and the Moirai, Shekinester is allied with the Baklunish goddess of fate Istus in all of her aspects, and it is said the deity Labelas Enoreth, who measures the length of elven lives has recently forged a tentative alliance with her Empowerer aspect due to his overseeing of the moment of choice, the moment that initiates individuals into their future selves and dictates the direction of the growth of their character. She has long had an association with Jazirian in her Preserver aspect, and guardian nagas generally hold that the Eternal Serpent, who is always male in their mythologies, is the father of Shekinester’s offspring Parrafaire. In contrast, most water nagas hold that the father of the Coiled Guardian is the elemental lord of water, Istishia. While her individual aspects often have a variety of rivalries, the only powers besides Ravenna who garner the ire of all three of her aspects are the evil serpentine deities Merrshaulk and Sseth, who may in fact be the same, and the mysterious entropic powers of Tharizdun and the entity known simply as the Dark God (who again, may be the same). The pair of serpentine deities are worshiped primarily by the yuan-ti, but seek, despite their somnolence, to wrest the worship of spirit nagas from her Weaver aspect. In the case of the entropic deities, it is said they wish to snuff out the Preserver’s Arching Flame, which it is said would lead to the cataclysmic end of existence.
Shekinester is surprisingly active on the Prime Material Plane, although she is often inclined to dispatch her offspring Parrafaire in her stead. Her Weaver avatars can be found in ancient, decaying ruins, guarding objects of great power and testing the wisdom of those who would make use of such things, and devouring those unable to pass her tests. Her Empowerer avatars appear unheralded to those who are unaware they have need of the wisdom and initiation she brings; sometimes an avatar of her messenger form will guide a creature to the Empowerer herself. Finally, her Preserver avatars bring sustenance and protection to non-evil populations threatened by extinction, starvation, or some other calamity or threat. She is also dispatched to guard the souls of the dead, particularly her nagas. She rarely considers how her actions may affect the plans or activities of other powers, and is quick to respond when other powers interfere with hers.
Shekinester’s Avatar (Varies by Aspect)
As the Weaver, Shekinester appears as a black-and-crimson serpent with the head of a wrinkled old woman with long, stringy white hair. Her eyes are golden brown that glow softly in the dark. As the Empowerer, she appears as an emerald green serpent with reticulated patterns of chocolate brown and pale jade green and red spines down her back. Her human-like face appears as a beautiful young woman just into adulthood with brilliant green eyes and long raven-black hair; however, as her messenger aspect, her young face is ugly to behold, with pitted skin and lank, greasy hair. Finally, as the Preserver, she appears as a serpent with shimmering green-gold scales and silver spines, with a motherly human-like face and soft, medium-length brown hair. Her eyes are golden in color, and glow brightly in darkness. Shekinester draws her spells from all spheres and schools, but her usage varies by aspect (see below).
Weaver (20-HD Naga, Mage 32, Cleric 32)
AC −5; MV 24; HP 220; THAC0 0; #AT 1
Dmg 1d8 (bite) + special
MR 75%; SZ H (15-feet long)
Str 12, Dex 19, Con 18, Int 20, Wis 24, Cha 1
Spells P: 14/13/13/12/12/11/8, W: 7/7/7/7/7/7/7/7/7
Saves PPDM 2; RSW 3; PP 4; BW 4; Sp 4
Empowerer (20-HD Naga, Cleric 34, Mage 28)
AC −5; MV 24; HP 224; THAC0 −2; #AT 1
Dmg 1d8 (bite) + special
MR 75%; SZ H (15-feet long)
Str 17, Dex 19, Con 18, Int 18, Wis 24, Cha 23
Spells P: 15/14/13/13/12/11/9, W: 6/6/6/6/6/6/6/6/6
Saves PPDM 2; RSW 3; PP 4; BW 4; Sp 4
Preserver (22-HD Naga, Cleric 40)
AC −5; MV 24; HP 257; THAC0 −6; #AT 1
Dmg 1d8 (bite) + special
MR 75%; SZ H (15-feet long)
Str 17, Dex 19, Con 20, Int 20, Wis 24, Cha 22
Spells P: 17/16/16/15/15/13/11
Saves PPDM 2; RSW 5; PP 4; BW 4; Sp 6
Special Att/Def: The bite of the Weaver carries a lethal poison; any creature bitten must save versus poison with a −4 penalty or die instantly. She favors spells from the schools of illusion/phantasm, invocation/evocation, and necromancy, and never casts spells from the sphere of law. Once per day, she can cast disintegrate and slay living, and three times per day she can cast web. If the strands of one of her web spells are gathered and spun into a cloth (or used as a component in a specifically modified mending or major creation spell), the spinner may, after wearing it for one hour, gain the ability to commune with Shekinester once per week for 2d4 weeks. Only the spinner may gain this ability, and then only if female. This cloth operates at the 12th level of ability. If slain, the Weaver’s crystalline heart can be removed, and allows the user to cast legend lore once per day and divination once per week. The possessor of this heart has a 1% non-cumulative chance per day of shifting alignment to chaotic evil, however; this chance rises to 2% if the possessor is male.
The Empowerer inflicts paralysis on a creature bitten, with a saving throw versus poison at a −4 penalty allowed to negate it. She favors spells from the schools of abjuration, alteration, and enchantment/charm. She can force any creature within 120 feet to possess true seeing for a duration of 1 turn at will, and is able to charm any young creature (those that are at less than 10% of their total lifespan) at will with no save. Her touch can restore up to 3 points of Wisdom lost by a creature (to lamia attacks, etc.) or drain 1d3 points of Wisdom (negated on a successful saving throw versus spell with a −4 penalty), as she desires.
The Preserver’s bite affects creatures as a symbol of persuasion, unless a successful saving throw versus spell is made with a −6 penalty. She draws her spells from all spheres save chaos and war. Once per turn, she can cast forbiddance and dispel evil, and can vomit forth created food and water in the form of water, bread, and fruit. She is able to create a wall of force at will.
Regardless of form, Shekinester is immune to poison, paralyzation, gaseous attacks, death magic, and all mind-controlling or affecting spells and psionics. She can only be struck by weapons of +2 enchantment or higher.
Other Manifestations
The Naga Queen’s Weaver aspect often manifests her power to a follower in danger by ensnaring foes in a powerful web spell at the 10th level of ability, and lasting for double duration. Followers of any aspect of Shekinester are completely immune to this web. She may also grant a follower on a mission, or actively guarding a location, the ability to spit forth a web spell once per day for up to a week, at the 6th level of ability.
In her Empowerer aspect, Shekinester often manifests to a follower by temporarily granting them 1d3 points of Wisdom or protecting against one Wisdom draining attack. In the former case, this boost often comes at a crucial time (such as when a Wisdom check or Wisdom-based proficiency), especially if it would benefit young or immature wards of the follower. The bonus Wisdom never lasts longer than an hour. She may also manifest as a spontaneous idea spell, or grant a follower a single use per day of charm monster or paralyze (as the wand) for up to a week.
Finally, Shekinester’s Preserver aspect most commonly manifests as a vision of an arching white flame that guides a creature or group to a safe location with shelter, potable water, and sustenance. On occasion, she has granted a naga the ability to cause persuasion (as the symbol) with a bite; when this happens, the naga’s eyes have a prominent golden glow, which is a recognized blessing of the goddess.
The Naga Queen communicates to her followers in dreams and waking visions, where they see an appropriate symbol for the aspect communicating to them, and hear her instruction or guidance in their head. Depending on her aspect (and the nature of the task), punishment for ignoring the message can be harsh or relatively mild, although she will never give such a follower more than a single second chance to return to her good graces. She is not known to communicate with human, yuan-ti, ophidian, or other non-naga clergy with any this close to regularity.
Shekinester’s primary servitors are serpentine creatures of all sorts, but each of her aspects favors other servitors as well. The Weaver is served by asps and vipers, aeserpents, bebiliths, dracolisks, darkweavers, feathered serpents, gloomwing serpents, heway, hydrae, mariliths, quasits, shadow asps, and web-spinning spiders. The Empowerer is served by water snakes and garter snakes, basilisks, darters, giant water beetles, gloomwing serpents, herald serpent, hydrae, lillendi, marls, maruts, messenger snakes, qualzarn, rhaumbusun, and zin. The Preserver is served by constricting snakes, aasimon, archons, couatl, crypt servants, crypt things, incarnates of charity and justice, lillendi, serpent lords, and shadow asps. She displays her favor through the discovery of perfectly formed spider webs and natural rock formations with human-like visages (Weaver), still pools and ponds, crystals, and natural glass that are perfectly reflective (Empowerer), and cereal plants, untouched food and water, and plants with known medicinal properties in unusual locations (Preserver). She displays her displeasure through objects crumbling to dust before the eyes of the one whose actions displease her (Weaver), the disembodied cries of young creatures (Empowerer), and the smell of death from famine or disease (Preserver).
The Church
Clergy:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Clerics, Specialty Priests, Shamans
Clergy’s Align.:     Any
Turn Undead:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â C: Yes, if good, SP: No, Sha: Yes, if good
Cmnd. Undead:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â C: Yes, if neutral or evil, SP: No, Sha: Yes, if neutral or evil
All naga specialty priests of Shekinester receive religion (naga) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency, while non-naga clerics, specialty priests, and shamans gain religion (Shekinester/Weaver, Shekinester/Empowerer, or Shekinester/Preserver) based on their alignment. Naga priests never need material components or holy symbols in their spellcasting, although some choose to make use of holy symbols anyway.
Veneration of the Naga Queen through her different aspects is near-universal among the naga races, although full priestly worship among them is rare. She is credited with their special powers, even for those who venerate other deities. The different naga races see themselves as the product of her different aspects, as mortal embodiments of what those aspects stand for. They do not form organized clergies, even in the rare circumstances of nagas creating a large settlement or temple. Besides nagas, Shekinester is worshiped by some yuan-ti and other serpentine races, as well as humans. With rare exceptions, these races worship only one aspect of the Naga Queen, and tend to worship in a shamanic tradition. The exact relationship between Shekinester’s clergy and other faiths varies by world and aspect.
Temples built to honor the Naga Queen are very rare, generally only built by humans or yuan-ti. Occasionally, nagas will employ others in order to build temples, as well. Temples are generally built with a square or rectangular symmetrical plan, featuring tall stepped conical structure above the central worship hall. Preceding this is a rectangular entrance hall, with more elaborate temples featuring smaller conical structures to either side of the main one. More common for nagas are simple, naturalistic shrines, often in caves. Such shrines typically comprise of little more than an alcove and a simple symbolic representation of one of Shekinester’s aspects, although some nagas get more elaborate with rock carving or painting, depending on their preferences, skills, and magical abilities. Iconography among humans typically matches the form of the goddess worshiped while most yuan-ti iconography, even when worshiping just one aspect, shows her as a naga with three faces on her head.
Due to the lack of a widely-established priesthood and the three different aspects of worship, Shekinester’s clergy has no common titles applied to novices or full priests; each individual group or order creates its own titles and terminology for use within the priesthood. Specialty priests are known as trimukhars. Among nagas, Shekinester’s clergy is weighted towards female members (70%), as males (30%) tend to favor her son, Parrafaire. Other priesthoods of the Naga Queen, such as those created by humans and yuan-ti, tend to be almost exclusively female (95%), with male members being quite unusual (5%). Nagas only ever become specialty priests, but among yuan-ti and other serpentine races, shamans (60%) dominate, with occasional orders of specialty priests (25%) and clerics (15%) found in more organized communities. Human worshipers of the Three-Faced Queen are only ever shamans (90%) and specialty priests (10%). The three main naga races are close to equally represented (guardian nagas, 35%; water nagas, 33%; spirit nagas, 30%) in her clergy, with a small minority of dark nagas and free-willed bone nagas (2%) also taking up her service. Outside of the naga races, the majority of Shekinester’s clergy are human 60%), with most of the rest consisting of yuan-ti (30%), ophidians (8%), and other reptilian or humanoid races (2%).
Dogma: The Weaver’s faith dictates that what is inferior and exhausted should be eliminated to make way for new creatures and objects to have a chance at growth and improvement. Disparate threads of information can be tied together in new ways, or examined for the hidden ways they’re connected in order to discover new knowledge. The Empowerer’s faith teaches that all life is a test, and all decisions are an opportunity for a creatures’ growth of character. They preach that the young are vulnerable and in need of protection, so that they have such opportunities and choices as they grow. It is impossible to avoid these tests and initiations, for they are part of life, and the very act of avoidance is itself one of the choices inherent in the tests. The Preserver’s faith holds that the weak and vulnerable require aid and succor to ensure they are allowed all of what life has to offer them, for good or ill. They believe that the rewards of the afterlife come to those who stay true to themselves and do not waver from their principles when they are judged by the Arching Flame. In addition, they teach that burials and other death rituals are sacred rites that influence whether a creature can pass on, and stress the importance of guarding and defending the dead. All three hold that the pursuit of wisdom throughout life is the greatest goal, and spirits will eventually be offered a chance to return to the mortal world to further improve upon themselves and gain new wisdom through reincarnation.
Nagas simultaneously hold to all of these teachings, but their relative importance and subtly different interpretations reflect their different alignments. The unique combination of these tenets, however, often drives nagas to seek out and guard knowledge, testing those who would gain it for themselves. Among the other races who worship Shekinester, the tenets of one aspect are often followed to the exclusion and ignorance of the others.
Day-to-Day Activities: To non-naga, Shekinester’s clergy among that serpentine race are difficult to distinguish based on their activities. They are required to make no sacrifices or rituals, and their prayers are private and personal. The only requirement made of them is to stay true to their dogma, but these teachings also govern their non-priestly brethren, if not so strictly.
Among humans, yuan-ti, and other races, the activities of the clergy varies by aspect, and the only typical similarities is that priests usually serve roles of teachers and wise advisers to their people. Followers of the Weaver can be cruel and harsh towards those failing to meet their standards, but they are also quite knowledgeable and willing to share such knowledge to those who work hard and succeed at their appointed tasks. Many also have a habitual quirk of weaving when they think. The Empowerer’s faithful protect the young of their society, teaching them what they need to due to join society as an adult. They also administer coming-of-age tests, and judge the suitability of prospective adults. Finally, the Preserver’s clergy are great defenders of the downtrodden, and their societies tend to have the greatest equity among members. They also tend to the cemeteries, tombs, or other burial locations of their people, ensuring they are undisturbed by animal, man, or magic.
Important Ceremonies/Holy Days: The Three-Faced Queen’s naga clergy observe no holy days and make no sacrifices or offerings to their goddess. Among other races, ceremonies vary widely, with little similarity between them. Sacrifices are more likely among the Weaver’s followers, while burial and coming-of-age type ceremonies tend to be important among the faithful of the Preserver and the Empowerer, respectively.
Major Centers of Worship: There are no known major holy sites acknowledged by the Shekinestran clergy.
Affiliated Orders: The Naga Queen’s priesthood sponsors no martial or monastic sects, although some yuan-ti followers of the Preserver take up a hermitic lifestyle with others of their faith.
Priestly Vestments: The ceremonial garb of the Naga Queen’s humanoid clergy varies with the aspect worshiped and the favored clothing of their society. Followers of the Weaver favor homespun robes in black with crimson edges, while those who follow the Empowerer use robes with geometric patterns of emerald and turquoise, and those who follow the Preserver use robes of white with green or gold edges. Nagas use no ceremonial garments whatsoever. The holy symbol used followers of the Weaver is a small carved mask, a loom’s shuttle, or a piece of hand-woven cloth with a mask design on it. The holy symbol of the Empowerer’s clergy is usually a small mirror or a single pearl, while the Preserver’s clergy typically use a small jar or an emblem of a cereal grain plant.
Adventuring Garb: Those followers of Shekinester who are capable of using weapons and armor favor the common equipment of their society if there is a relatively limited subset available. If there is a wide assortment available, they prefer piercing weapons and scale or lamellar armor. Nonlethal weapons are sometimes favored by the non-evil members of the clergy, while followers of the Weaver often use poison.
Specialty Priests (Trimukhars)
Requirements:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Wisdom 14
Prime Req.:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Wisdom
Alignment:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â LG, N, CE
Weapons:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â All piercing (wholly Type P) weapons, net, rope, and mancatcher
Armor:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Any up to scale and lamellar, plus shields
Major Spheres:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â All, astral, divination, guardian, healing, protection, thought, time
Minor Spheres:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Charm, creation, necromantic, wards
Magical Items:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Same as clerics, plus any items related to serpents
Req. Profs:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â None
Bonus Profs:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â See Below
- Most trimukhars are nagas, but humans, yuan-ti, ophidians, and other serpentine races may join the ranks. Almost any race may become trimukhars on the Outer Planes.
- Naga trimukhars have no restriction on the types of weapons, armor, or magic items they are capable of using, within the limits of their forms. In addition, those with wizardly spellcasting powers retain them as a priest.
- Among non-naga trimukhars, those of chaotic evil alignment gain weaving as a bonus proficiency, those of true neutrality gain local history as a bonus proficiency, and those of lawful good alignment gain weather sense as a bonus proficiency.
- Trimukhars of chaotic evil alignment gain major access to the spheres of chaos and necromantic, those of true neutrality gain major access to the spheres of charm and travelers, and those of lawful good gain major access to the spheres of law and creation.
- Once per day, trimukhars can cast ceremony—cleric (burial or coming of age) or ceremony—druid (coming of age or rest eternal) (as the 1st-level priest spells).
- At 3rd level, trimukhars of chaotic evil alignment can cast web (as the 2nd-level wizard spell), trimukhars of true neutrality can paralyze (as the wand), and trimukhars of lawful good alignment can cast create food and water (as the 3rd-level priest spell) once per day each.
- At 5th level, trimukhars can cast idea or augury (as the 2nd-level priest spells) once per day.
- At 7th level, trimukhars of chaotic evil alignment can cast poison (as the reverse of the 4th-level priest spell, neutralize poison), trimukhars of true neutrality can cast charm monster (as the 4th-level wizard spell), and trimukhars of lawful good alignment can cast dispel evil (as the 5th-level priest spell) once per day each.
- At 9th level, trimukhars can cast commune (as the 5th-level priest spell) once per day.
- At 12th level, trimukhars can cast symbol of persuasion (as the 7th-level priest spell) once per day. In addition to scribing the symbol, they can perform this power by touch as well.
Shekinestran Spells
In addition to the spells listed below, priests of the Naga Queen can cast the 6th-level priest spell enmeshment, detailed in From the Ashes and the Priest’s Spell Compendium Vol.I, in the entry for Istus.
4th Level
Clarity of Sight (Pr 4; Divination)
Sphere:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Divination
Range:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Touch
Components:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â V, S
Duration:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1 turn/level
Casting Time:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 7
Area of Effect:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1 creature
Saving Throw:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Neg.
This variation on the true seeing spell forces an unwilling target (who is allowed a saving throw versus spell to avoid the effects) to see through self-delusions and false information they believe to be true. For example, if cast on a creature that has been charmed by a creature using polymorph or illusion magic to assume a pleasing form, this spell will reveal to the target the true form of the creature and that their requests are made with magical influence, allowing a new saving throw for the charm with a +4 bonus. In addition, if the target believes they are a good and lawful figure, but they have committed evil acts and their alignment has shifted, or they are manipulated to achieve evil ends, this will be revealed to them. This spell also allows them to see through illusions that specifically target them or engage with them; an unknown wizard walking by the target on a busy street under an illusionary guise will not be revealed even if the pair issue casual greetings, but a wizard under the guise of an illusion who is attempting to purchase a plot of land owned by the affected creature would be.
The target of this spell must interact with the delusions or false information in order to see through it. If the target dealt with a disguised wizard years earlier on a regular basis but has not had any dealings with them since, this would not be revealed unless the target gave the incident more than a passing thought or it came up in a conversation.
Threads of Knowledge (Pr 4; Divination)
Sphere:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Divination
Range:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Special
Components:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â V, S, M
Duration:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Special
Casting Time:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1 turn
Area of Effect:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Special
Saving Throw:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â None
With this spell, the caster can divine the connections between two or more pieces of seemingly-unrelated information. For example, if the priest knows that their king was assassinated recently, and at the time, there was a merchant from a neighboring kingdom visiting, they can use the threads of knowledge spell to determine if the merchant played any role in the assassination. The spell reveals that the merchant paid another to assassinate the king, but not whom or why; further information would be needed to elucidate the details with this spell.
Casting the threads of knowledge spell is physically exhausting, and the priest must rest for at least one hour after casting it, and cannot cast it more than once per day. The rest need not be in bed, but activity physical activity such as cooking, cleaning, or traveling on horseback or by cart is impossible; travel by coach or ship, however, is possible.
The material components for this spell are the priest’s holy symbol and three threads that are entwined during the casting.
5th Level
Protection From Destruction (Pr 5; Abjuration)
Sphere:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Protection
Range:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Touch
Components:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â V, S, M
Duration:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1 hr./level
Casting Time:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 8
Area of Effect:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1 creature or object
Saving Throw:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â None
This spell grants a creature or object complete immunity from magical effects that would bring about their instant destruction. While under this protection, living creatures are unaffected by spells such as disintegrate, slay living, destruction, death spell, finger of death, and power word, kill. Creatures affected by this magic can still be slain through normal and magical damage, poisons, disease, falls, and the like. If cast on an object, this spell prevents spells such as disintegrate, decay, age to destruction, and similar spells and effects from harming the object. The object can still be physically broken, cut, crushed, or destroyed, even through magical means, so long as the spell causes damage or harm rather than magical destruction. For example, extremely hot magical fires can still melt a sword under the protection of this spell, and transmute water to dust could still destroy a magical potion, as the spell effect is a state change rather than specific destruction.
The protection this spell grants lasts for one hour per caster level, to a maximum of 24 hours. This spell cannot affect the same creature or object more than once per week.
The material component for this spell is the priest’s holy symbol.