The closest thing to a war god among the Titans, Iapetos represents the time allotted to mortals, as well as violent death. In this way he represents a specific concept of time, just as most of his brothers do. He is also in a sense seen as the ancestor of mankind, for he is the father of Prometheus and Epimetheus. Of all the Titans, he is the one currently least likely to respond well to overtures of forgiveness, for Zeus slew his son Menoitios during the Titanomachy, one of the few major casualties of that war.
Iapetos (PDF Version)
(The Piercer, the Cutter of Lives, the Furious)
Intermediate Power of Carceri, CE
Portfolio: Mortality, the measure of lives, violent death
Aliases: Iapetus, Japetos
Domain Name: Othrys/Mount Othrys (the Forest of Spears)
Superior: Kronos
Allies: Atlas, Klymene, Menoitios, the Titans
Foes: Ouranos, The Olympians
Symbol: A spear slicing a thread
Wor. Align.: Any
The most aggressive of the first generation of Titan brothers, Iapetos (EE-ap-eh-tos or EYE-ap-eh-tos) is seen as the Cutter of Lives, representing mortality and violent death. As with the other Titans, he also represents an aspect of time as many of his brothers do; specifically, the measure of life granted to each creature. However, he is not a power of fate and is not seen as having control over the destinies of humans or other intelligent beings.
Iapetos, fourth-born son of Ge and Ouranos, exists in stark contrast to most of his brothers. Where they are thoughtful and contemplative, he is quick to act with violent force in the face of adversity. He is not rash, however, and is known as a fine strategist and planner when necessary. Instead, he prefers to face issues head on and deal with them directly. Surprisingly, he was not the first to take up arms against his father when Ge came to beg for the aid of the Titans. He recognized the power Ouranos possessed, and knew his own power primarily governed non-divine lifespans, and so was unsure how he would fare in such a fight. It was only when Kronos and Kreios had themselves pledged to fight that he felt the odds were in their favor.
In the time after the defeat of Ouranos when the other Titans were finding love with their siblings, Iapetos found himself less than attractive to his Titaness sisters. Among the many daughters of Okeanos and Tethys, however, he met a maiden named Klymene who could sooth his tempestuous nature, and the pair soon wed. Not long after, she bore to Iapetos four sons, among whom were destined to be among the most famous of the Titans. First came the strong Atlas, followed by vainglorious Menoitios, the sly genius of Prometheus, and the scatterbrained Epimetheus. Iapetos celebrated each birth but found only his eldest pair of sons to take after him; Atlas and Menoitios each reveled in physical acts and were happy to join their father in bouts of combat and wrestling. By contrast, his younger sons disdained those sorts of physical activities. The pair were inseparable, but Prometheus was the one who decided all their activities; Epimetheus was easily swayed by his bolder brother. The two got into much trouble throughout Olympus, much to Iapetos’s chagrin.
Over time, a rift formed between Iapetos and his younger sons. Whether it was due to the favoritism he showed towards Atlas and Menoitios or the discipline he meted out to Prometheus and Epimetheus is unknown, but it came to a head when Zeus and his brothers declared war on the elder Titans. Prometheus declared his support for the Thunderer and, as usual, Epimetheus followed suit. During this war, Menoitios was slain by one of Zeus’s thunderbolts; to this day Iapetos seethes with barely controlled fury at his younger sons, whom he blames for their brother’s death. Some say that the imprisonment of the Titans in Carceri will only end when Iapetos and his brothers can let go of their anger at the Olympians.
The Cutter of Lives cannot send his avatars directly to the Prime Material Plane, being imprisoned in Carceri. He is constantly searching for portals that lead to Prime worlds where he was once worshipped in order to exact revenge on those who now worship Zeus. Luckily for those worlds, he has yet to find many such portals.
Iapetos’s Avatar (Fighter 32, Crusader 24)
Iapetos appears as an enormous bearded human male with dark hair and a somewhat unkempt beard. He has piercing steel-grey eyes and his skin is tanned, as if he spends much time in the sunlight, and is always covered in a slight sheen of perspiration. He is armored with a bronze panoply and wears a helm made of dozens of dragon horns, with a red plume of chimera mane hair. Over the course of one round, he can easily alter his height between that of a normal human and his full stature. He draws his spells from all spheres except healing and law.
AC −1; MV 36; HP 216; THAC0 −10; #AT 5/2
Dmg 6d6+17 (spear+4, +11 Str, +2 spec. in spear)
MR 50%; SZ M–G (6 feet tall to 100 feet tall)
Str 23, Dex 19, Con 24, Int 20, Wis 19, Cha 20
Spells P: 12/11/11/10/9/8/3
Saves PPDM 2; RSW 5; PP 4; BW 4; Sp 6
Special Att/Def: Iapetos favors melee when faced with dangerous situations, wielding a spear +4 named Lifender. This spear can manifest a power word, kill effect within a 60′ radius once per day, and any creature of 10 HD or less struck by the spear must make a saving throw vs. death with a −4 penalty or die instantly.
The Piercer uses every spell from the Combat sphere at their maximum effect in terms of duration, range, and damage. He can cast piercing 6 times per day, flame arrow 3 times per day, and once per day he can utter a death spell.
The Cutter of Lives can only be struck by +2 or better weapons. He is immune to size-affecting magic, death magic, caused wounds, and takes half damage from any spells from the sphere of Combat.
Other Manifestations
Like his brothers, Iapetos rarely manifests his power on the Prime Material Plane. On those occasions he does so, it typically takes the form of a faint reddish glow on a single piercing weapon that grants it the ability to strike any creature, regardless of protections or defenses. This does not lead to attack or damage bonuses, nor does it ignore a target’s Armor Class, but it does allow the weapon to ignore immunity to certain magical weapons as well as spells such as stoneskin or protection from normal missiles. He has also manifested a blade barrier in tight quarters to protect a follower in danger and impede hostile forces. This latter effect is far rarer, however.
The Titans call on asuras, lesser titans, and monsters of legend as their preferred servants, but Iapetos is also served by boars, bonespears, crimson death, farastu gehreleths, fhorge, incarnates of anger, manticores, porcupines, quills, scorpions, slicer beetles, smilodons, snakes, spriggans, sword spiders, sword spirits, and verbeeg. The Cutter of Lives neither displays his favor nor disfavor through any particular discoveries, but makes his feelings known on occasion through the phantom feelings of cuts or slices. While usually these indicate his displeasure with a follower, it can indicate a positive response, and it is up to the follower to interpret which it is.
The Church
Clergy: Clerics, crusaders, specialty priests, fighters
Clergy’s Align.: CN, LE, NE, CE
Turn Undead: C: No, Cru: No, SP: No, F: No
Cmnd. Undead: C: Yes, Cru: No, SP: No, F: No
All clerics, crusaders, and specialty priests of Iapetos receive religion (Titan) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency. Clerics of Iapetos may gain proficiency with spears in addition to their normal compliment of weapons.
Prominent and respected within communities that worship the Titans openly, the clergy of the Cutter of Lives is tightly entwined with the military forces and warrior training. They oversee many ceremonies bringing young men into the ranks of the soldiery, and work to promote combat training among the populace. They advocate for offense as the best defense, seeing preemptive strikes as an important tool to ensure their people are never surprised by their enemies. They are firm in their convictions that every able-bodied member of society be trained and prepared for war at any time. Outside of such societies, the priesthood of Iapetos find support only among bandits and outlaws, being seen as cruel, bloodthirsty, and paranoid.
Temples built to honor the Piercer are typically built in the standard style of the Titans and Olympians and feature many friezes and metopes depicting famous battles. Red is a favored color throughout the temple, with hangings, accents, and frieze backgrounds frequently featuring shades of the color. Weapons and shields decorate much of the statuary found inside and out these temples; many of these arms represent trophies brought back by warriors of the temple or gifted by soldiers or generals who wish to gain the favor of the Iapetan clergy. A visit to a major sanctuary dedicated to the Cutter of Lives can often quickly reveal exactly what all of a nation’s major foes are typically armed with.
Novices in the service of the Piercer are called Spearchildren. Full priests of the Cutter of Lives are called Phalangians. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by the Iapetan priesthood are Sfendone, Toxotes, Akontion, Kopis, Xiphos, Xyston, and Doru. High ranking priests have unique individual titles. Specialty priests in the service of Iapetos are called lifepiercers. Crusaders (48%) and specialty priests (39%) dominate the Iapetan priesthood, with the remainder comprised of clerics (10%) and fighters (3%). The clergy is predominantly male (83%), although a small number of females (17%) are drawn to the Piercer’s service, mostly among amazon communities.
Dogma: A life cut short by the spear is a sad but ofttimes necessary thing. War ensures the continued survival of your people, your leaders, and your lands. Fight your enemies before they bring battle to your doorstep. Face your foes with spear in hand and courage in your heart and cut them down in honor and glory.
Day-to-Day Activities: Members of the Iapetan clergy are often military leaders or soldiers, although those who tend to large or remote sanctuaries may only be tasked with defending their own temples. They train hard to be the best warriors they can, and often train the young men of their lands, especially those too injured to fight any more.
Important Ceremonies/Holy Days: Holy days within the Iapetan priesthood vary from land to land, for they always honor great military victories of their nation. These ceremonies typically involve re-enactments of battles of the heroic death of some famous warrior, martial contests such as javelin throws, and sacrifices to Iapetos and heroic ancestors. The duration of such events varies with the significance of the victory; those seen as existential are usually multi-day affairs for example.
Major Centers of Worship: On the first layer of Carceri lies a great sanctuary of Iapetos known as the Sarisseum. It is a great walled complex with hundreds of mercenary warriors who train all hours to make themselves into the strongest phalanx force on the Lower Planes. Over the centuries they have fought on one side or the other of the Blood War, and it is said they have even fought on behalf of Upper Planar forces on some of their excursions into the infernal realms.
Affiliated Orders: The church of Iapetos maintains no monastic orders, nor do they sponsor any independent martial orders. They do, however, sponsor a number of mercenary bands that are not formally part of their priesthood. Not every temple does so, and some temples sponsor multiple mercenary bands.
Priestly Vestments: Pale himations slashed with red are worn by the clergy of Iapetos. These robes also have fringes of deep red with irregular patterning, made to look as if the hems have been dragged across pools of blood. Ceremonial open-faced helms are worn on the head, and the highest-ranking priests carry blunted spears with heads of precious metals decorated with red ribbons or tassels as staves of office. Sometimes full ceremonial armor is also worn by the high priests, especially if conducting a ceremony to honor a warrior fallen in battle. The holy symbol used by the clergy is a medallion set with a depiction of a spear cutting thread, often painted with red for the thread and the spearhead.
Adventuring Garb: Members of the Iapetan priesthood arm themselves in the best armor they can afford, especially a bronze plate panoply with a boar tusk helm. However, cuirasses and scale armor are the most common among the clergy as a whole. For weapons, they favor spears, javelins, and short swords, only using other weapons if these are unavailable or of low quality. They prefer to travel fully armed to both honor Iapetos and to discourage bandits and thieves from attacking them.
Specialty Priests (Lifepiercers)
Requirements: Strength 14, Constitution 12, Wisdom 9
Prime Req.: Strength, Wisdom
Alignment: CN, CE
Weapons: Any
Armor: Any
Major Spheres: All, combat, elemental (earth, fire), healing, law, necromantic, protection, time, war
Minor Spheres: Divination, guardian, summoning
Magical Items: As clerics and warriors
Req. Profs: Spear
Bonus Profs: Endurance
- Lifepiercers must be human.
- Lifepiercers are not allowed to multiclass.
- Lifepiercers can select proficiencies from the warrior group without penalty.
- Lifepiercers attack as warriors of the same level.
- Lifepiercers receive Constitution hit point adjustments to their Hit Dice as if they were warriors.
- Female lifepiercers may take the Amazon priest kit if they are from an amazon society.
- Lifepiercers cast all spells from the Combat sphere as if they are two levels higher.
- When fighting as part of a spear wall formation, a lifepiercer gains a +1 bonus to their Armor Class, and grants a similar bonus to those on either side of them. This bonus is not cumulative with itself if two lifepiercers stand in formation next to each other; each only gains a single +1 bonus to their AC.
- Lifepiercers gain a +1 bonus to their attack roll when using any sort of spear, trident, or spear-like polearm in melee.
- Once per day, lifepiercers can cast bless or courage (as the 1st-level priest spells).
- At 3rd level, lifepiercers can cast aid or flying spear (as the 2nd-level priest spells) once per day.
- At 6th level, lifepiercers can cast caltrops (as the 3rd-level priest spell) or flame arrow (as the 3rd-level wizard spell) once per day.
- At 9th level, lifepiercers can cast strength (as the 2nd-level wizard spell) once per day.
- At 12th level, lifepiercers can cast finger of death (as the 7th-level priest spell) once per week.
- At 15th level, lifepiercers can cast power word, kill (as the 9th level wizard spell) once per week.
Iapetan Spells
1st Level
Piercing (Pr 1; Invocation/Evocation)
Sphere: Combat
Range: 5 yds. + 5 yds./level
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Instantaneous
Casting Time: 4
Area of Effect: Multiple creatures within a 30-ft. cube
Saving Throw: None
This spell creates one or more spears of magical force that the caster can direct at any targets within the area of effect. The spears strike as if hurled by the caster, including any attack and damage bonuses, dealing 1d6 points of damage to those targeted by this spell. These force spears gain no additional magical bonuses to their attack rolls but do strike as +1 weapons for determining what they can hit. Furthermore, the magical force created by this spell operates as a spear in all other respects, including damage type, so creatures immune to piercing attacks suffer no damage from this spell.
For every four levels the caster has achieved, they create an additional spear of force. Thus, a 4th level caster creates two spears, an 8th level caster creates three spears, etc. All targets must be within a 30-foot cube.
The material component for this spell is a small silver model of a spear worth 5 gp.
2nd Level
Flying Spear (Pr 2; Alteration)
Sphere: Combat
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 1 rd./level
Casting Time: 5
Area of Effect: 1 spear
Saving Throw: None
By means of this spell, the caster enchants a single spear, magical or otherwise, to flit about and attack on its own, similar to a dancing weapon. The weapon attacks on its own, using the caster’s THAC0, as directed by the caster using mental commands. A weapon enchanted with the flying spear must stay within 60 feet of the caster and gets one attack per round on the caster’s initiative; it will be dragged along with the caster if at the edge of the area when they move to ensure it stays within range, but if some force moves it out of the area or the caster teleports or blinks beyond its range, the magic is instantly ended. A creature may try to grab the spear if they make an attack against AC 0; if they manage to grab on, a successful Strength check against the caster’s own Strength score will render it immobile until let go or the spell ends.
The material components for this spell are the spear (which is not consumed) and a pinch of pixie dust or a griffon feather.
6th Level
Iapetos’s Spear (Pr 6; Invocation/Evocation)
Sphere: Combat
Range: 0
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 1 rd./level
Casting Time: 9
Area of Effect: 1 spear of force
Saving Throw: None
With this spell, the caster creates a powerful spear made entirely of magical force. The priest can wield this magical weapon just as well as a normal spear, but this spear deals 3d6 points of damage to small or medium creatures and 3d8 to creatures larger than man-sized. This spear gains no attack or damage bonuses but can hit those creatures struck only by +3 or better magical weapons.
The material components for this spell are the priest’s holy symbol and a golden model of a spear with a diamond spearhead worth at least 500 gp.