Whereas her brother and husband Hyperion is the origin of light, Theia is the origin of sight and the glittering beauty of gems and precious metals. As such, she is a goddess of seeing beauty, whether it is the beauty of finely crafted treasures or the beauty of a natural landscape.
Theia (PDF Version)
(Wide-Shining, Mild-Eyed, Far-Shining One)
Intermediate Power of Carceri, LN
Portfolio: Sight, vision, shining brilliance
Aliases: Thea, Euryphaessa, Ikhnaie
Domain Name: Othrys/Mount Othrys (Phaosseum)
Superior: Kronos
Allies: Eos, Helios, Hyperion, Selene, the Titans
Foes: Erebos, Nyx, the Olympians (nominally)
Symbol: A pair of female eyes radiating light
Wor. Align.: Any
The eldest of the Titan daughters of Ge and Ouranos, Theia (T’EY-ah or THEE-ah) is a goddess of light’s interaction with sight. As the Far-Shining One, she is the patron of optics and those who need keen vision in their work. Finally, it was she who granted the shine and sparkle to precious metals and gems that makes them pleasing to mortal and divine eye alike.
Like her brother Hyperion, Theia is among the keenest of observers. However, where the Father of Light observes to learn, she observes beauty. Whatever wondrous sights or beautiful vistas exist, she wishes to lay her eyes upon them. Theia also desires to view objects of incredible beauty, whether they are formed by the chance of nature or the intent of mortal hand. As with Hyperion, she is not a greedy power; all she wishes is to see such sights, not to own them. It is fitting, then, that in the mythology of the Titans and Olympians she is credited with bringing forth the sight needed to see such objects, and imbued the intrinsic beauty in the precious metals and stones that make up so much of mortal-crafted beauty.
Among the Twelve Titans, there is no more compatible couple than Hyperion and Theia. Falling in love at the same time as their siblings, they wed in the celebratory fervor after Ouranos was defeated. Soon after, Theia gave birth to three beautiful, shining children, all inheriting the brilliant light of their parents. First came Eos, the bringer of rosy-fingered dawn, followed by the tireless and burning Helios, and finally, lovely Selene, who shines in the night. The couple were doting parents, and Theia was not at all surprised when the trio stood with the Olympians in their war for supremacy. In truth, she would have as well were it not for her devotion to Hyperion. Now she works with the other Titanesses to convince their husbands to seek forgiveness from Zeus and eventual release from their prison in Carceri.
Her stance during the Titanomachy resulted in an offer from the Olympians to not be imprisoned, but she voluntarily chose to stay with Hyperion. As such she is limited in how she can interact with the Prime Material Plane, like the other Titans. However, she is one of the most active of all her brethren, with her avatars almost always being found on some plane or another, seeking sights of beauty and wonder. It is said she is never far from the dedication of a master’s work of sculpture or art among those who follow the Titans so that she may be one of the first to set eyes upon it.
Theia’s Avatar (Cleric 32, Mage 31)
Theia appears as a mature woman with her dark, wavy hair pulled back into a bun. Her brown eyes sparkle and shine as if they hold inner light, visible even in the dark as a pair of ghostly specks. She wears either white or pale blue clothing; such is their shade that they seem like they could easily fade into the daytime sky. Over the course of one round, Theia can easily alter her height between that of a normal human and her full stature. She draws her spells from all schools and spheres save those that create darkness.
AC −1; MV 36; HP 144; THAC0 0; #AT 2
Dmg 2d10+8/2d10+8 (fists, +8 Str)
MR 60%; SZ M–G (5½ feet tall to 90 feet tall)
Str 20, Dex 22, Con 21, Int 21, Wis 22, Cha 22
Spells P: 13/13/13/12/11/9/8, W: 7/7/7/7/7/7/7
Saves PPDM 2; RSW 3; PP 5; BW 7; Sp 4
Special Att/Def: Theia dislikes combat, preferring to disable foes with her magic. If she has no choice but to engage in melee, she does so by increasing her height significantly and using her bare hands, for she carries no weapons. However, any mortal being struck by such an attack must make a saving throw vs. spell with a −8 penalty or be permanently blinded. They may only be cured of this blindness by seeking an atonement from a priest of the Far Shining One; only through this method will ordinary spells lift the affliction. Of course, any other deity may personally cure this blindness as well. Avatars and immortal creatures struck by Theia make a normal save and are blinded for 3d6 rounds.
The Far-Shining One can cast blindness at will and can cure blindness with a touch. She can cast light or continual light at will, and magical darkness is automatically dispelled within 100 yards of her. She can see in natural darkness as if it were full daylight and is always under the effects of true seeing. Finally, once per day she can case sunray.
Theia is immune to all fire and light-based attacks and cannot be blinded. Size-altering magics and psionics have no effect on her. She can only be struck by +2 or better weapons.
Other Manifestations
Theia manifests her power on the Prime Material Plane somewhat more often than her brothers. She has been known to grant a follower infravision for up to 7 days, as well as true seeing for no more than 24 hours. The most obvious manifestation of her power causes a favored follower’s eyes to glow as bright as a light spell. This glow allows a creature to unleash blinding blasts from their eyes (this is treated as casting a light spell at will upon a creature), while also being immune to any form of blindness and dispelling magical darkness when unleashed. This manifestation is called Far Shining Eyes by Theia’s followers.
The Titans call on asuras, lesser titans, and monsters of legend as their preferred servants, but Theia is also served by blindheims, crystal dragons, firestars, focoids, glass golems, light aasimon, mercury dragons, nyths, radiance fundamentals, radiance quasielementals, radiant mephits, sunflies, will o’dawns, and will o’wisps. Like Hyperion, she displays her favor through unusual displays of light, such as cloud iridescences, crepuscular rays, and sun dogs, and her disfavor is shown through the appearance of unusual darkness or shadows, a lack of light where there should be light, or the mysterious dimming of flames or other lights.
The Church
Clergy: Clerics, specialty priests, mystics
Clergy’s Align.: LG, LN, N, CN, LE
Turn Undead: C: Yes, if good or neutral, SP: Yes, Mys: No
Cmnd. Undead: C: Yes, if evil, SP: No, Mys: No
All clerics, specialty priests, and mystics of Theia receive religion (Titans) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.
Despite their association with the clergy of Hyperion, the church of Theia is not nearly as well-known as its sibling order. However, they benefit from that order’s positive relations when their association becomes known. Most members of the priesthood keep to the shared temples with the Hyperion clergy, performing their religious duties in concert with their brethren. However, many orders have generated fine crafters of glassware and optical devices, with their reading stones especially popular. A small subset of the clergy takes it upon themselves to be explorers and navigators, although wanderlust and a desire to see new things rarely keeps them in contact with any community long enough to become well known. The one positive of their generally poorly known status is that virtually no other clergies hold a negative opinion of the Theian priesthood.
The priesthood of the Far-Shining One shares temples with the priesthood of Hyperion. Within the confines of these sanctuaries, they develop many devices that take advantage of the principles of optics as well as a variety of glassware. They also run small schools dedicated to creating objects of beauty, from painting to jewelry to sculpture. Each temple focuses on a single discipline, and they cover not only the creation of such items but also teach critical techniques for appreciating such items as well. The volume of output from such temples is rarely significant, and what they create usually demands high prices on the open market.
Novices in the service of Wide-Shining Theia are known as the Unseen, while full priests of the Far-Shining One are Treasures. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by the priesthood of Theia are Agate, Sardonyx, Chalcedony, Carnelian, Garnet, Emerald, Ruby, Amethyst, and Sapphire. High ranking priests have unique individual titles. Specialty priests are called farbrights. The clergy is split nearly evenly between females (52%) and males (48%). Specialty priests (67%) are the largest contingent within the church while clerics (29%) make up much of the remainder; a smattering of prophetic mystics (4%) fill out the whole.
Dogma: Search out beauty in the world, both the natural beauty made by the gods and that made by man. See as much as you can and help others to see as well; spread word of beautiful vistas and objects and never hoard such things for yourself. Never fail to appreciate the great or small beauties in life, from a single flower to a wide landscape, or a single polished stone to a brilliantly bejeweled temple.
Day-to-Day Activities: Many members of the church of Theia are itinerant wanderers, traveling from place to place searching for things of beauty to gaze upon. There is often little outward sign of their faith, although they use their skills to support themselves and make the money needed to pay for their travels. Those who dedicate themselves to seeing all the wonders in a single geographic area become known as excellent guides. Those attached to particular temples take the approach of seeing beauty that is donated to their shrine. Such priests are often excellent artists, jewelers, or glaziers and help support the temple through their work. Almost every temple has at least one expert at crafting reading stones, small glass or crystal pieces that magnify text they are placed upon to aid in reading for those with poor eyesight. Such items are often colloquially known as Theia’s Gems.
Important Ceremonies/Holy Days: Like their sibling order dedicated to Hyperion, Theia’s clergy hold the solstices and equinoxes as most holy. The Far-Shining One is worshipped as part of the Hyperioa with a sacrifice of an object of fine artistic work that is burned or buried in a dedicated pit. In addition, individual priests are expected to contribute a small personal object of beauty related to their status within the hierarchy. Novices and those just elevated to priesthood sacrifice items such as a crown or garland of flowers, while wealthy, high-ranked priests sacrifice items such as jeweled rings or necklaces.
Major Centers of Worship: On the slopes of Olympos on Arborea lies the Lucereum, a temple dedicated to Hyperion and Theia. This once-grand temple houses a small priesthood of the Far-Shining One, about half of whom range out from the temple to explore and document the beautiful landscapes of the Upper Planes. As such, excellent guides to a variety of locations can be found at the temple, although few even on Olympos know about their skills. Those who remain work with their brethren among Hyperion’s clergy to repair the intricate lamps the temple was once famous for manufacturing.
Affiliated Orders: While the church of the Far-Shining One maintains no orders of monks or warriors, they do sponsor the Guild of the Sighting Light, an organized band of guides, trailblazers, and explorers consisting mostly of warriors and priests of Theia. This guild publishes travelogues and itineraries to ensure travelers can find their way through settled lands safely and often hire out to guide people through more dangerous or confusing lands. Finally, they take it upon themselves to explore frontier areas and mark new trails for those who will come later.
Priestly Vestments: The ceremonial clothing worn by the clergy of Theia consists of a chiton of fine cloth decorated with beads matching their rank within the priesthood. The chiton itself is always of a pale color, with white, cream, or light gray most common. Embroidered into the cloth are geometric patterns using thread that represents the rank of the priest. The holy symbol used by the priesthood is a metal amulet carved with the shape of an eye and inset with a valuable stone of some sort.
Adventuring Garb: When traveling, members of Theia’s priesthood wear common traveling garb, favoring light armor and weapons if expecting trouble. They dislike melee, favoring instead to use bows or slings to attack from afar. Should they be forced to engage in melee, weapons favored tend to be staves, maces, and clubs.
Specialty Priests (Farbrights)
Requirements: Dexterity 12, Intelligence 10, Wisdom 13
Prime Req.: Dexterity, Wisdom
Alignment: LN
Weapons: All missile weapons plus all bludgeoning (wholly type B) weapons
Armor: Any up to chain mail, no shield
Major Spheres: All, creation, divination, elemental (air), healing, law, numbers, protection, sun, travelers
Minor Spheres: Guardian, necromantic, summoning
Magical Items: As clerics
Req. Profs: Observation
Bonus Profs: Artistic ability, gem cutting, or glass blowing (pick one)
- Farbrights must be human.
- Farbrights are not allowed to multiclass.
- Farbrights can utilize rings of x-ray vision more effectively than other characters, suffering only half the Constitution loss for extended use of the ring.
- Farbrights can cure blindness (as the 3rd-level priest spell cure blindness or deafness) once per week
- Once per day, farbrights can cast blinding flash or detect metals and minerals (as the 1st-level priest spell) once per day.
- At 3rd level, farbrights can cast blindness or glitterdust (as the 2nd-level wizard spells) once per day).
- At 5th level, farbrights can cast glow (as the 3rd-level priest spell) or infravision (as the 3rd-level wizard spell) once per day.
- At 7th level, farbrights can cast dark sight (as the 4th-level priest spell) or wizard eye (as the 4th-level wizard spell) once per day.
- At 9th level, farbrights can cast true seeing (as the 5th-level priest spell) once per day.
- At 12th level, farbrights can cast eyebite (as the 6th-level wizard spell) once per day.
- At 15th level, farbrights can cast x-ray vision (as the 8th-level wizard spell) once per day.
Theian Spells
In addition to the spells listed below, priests of the Far-Shining One can cast the 1st-level priest spell detect metals and minerals, detailed in Powers and Pantheons in the entry for Geb, and the 3rd-level priest spell glow, a Pholtus spell detailed in the Priest’s Spell Compendium, Vol.II.
1st Level
Blinding Flash (Pr 1; Invocation/Evocation)
Sphere: Sun
Range: 30 ft.
Components: V, M
Duration: Instantaneous
Casting Time: 4
Area of Effect: 15-ft. radius
Saving Throw: Neg.
By means of this spell, the caster causes intense light to flash from a single visible object made of precious metal or valuable gemstones. Anything from the size of a silver coin to a gold-sheathed door works with this spell, and the caster need not be touching or holding the object; in fact, the light can emanate from an object held by another. All creatures looking at the object and within 15 feet when the blinding flash is invoked must make a saving throw versus spell or be blinded for 1d3+1 rounds. The caster is immune to their own casting of blinding flash. Blinded creatures suffer a −4 penalty to their attack rolls and opponents gain a +4 bonus to their attack rolls.
If cast on a small, hand-held object in the caster’s possession, the spell can remain dormant for up to one hour; the caster can then throw the object at any time during the hour to trigger the blinding flash. A normal attack roll is required, with range modifiers for the throw, utilizing the grenade-like missile chart to determine where misses land. Any object that holds a blinding flash or is the focus of a ranged casting are not consumed or harmed by the spell in any way, although thrown objects may break or be otherwise damaged from the impact.
2nd Level
Eagle Eyes (Pr 2; Alteration)
Sphere: Animal
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 1 hr./level
Casting Time: 5
Area of Effect: 1 creature
Saving Throw: None
This spell gives the recipient an especially keen distance vision, effectively doubling the range at which he can see things, as well as enhancing the details that he can make out. The effect can be disorienting at first, and the recipient must make an Intelligence check or become dizzy and confused for 1d10 minutes.
The material component for this spell is the priest’s holy symbol.
4th Level
Dark Sight (Pr 4; Alteration)
Sphere: Sun
Range: 0
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 1 turn/level
Casting Time: 7
Area of Effect: The caster
Saving Throw: None
While this spell is in effect, the caster can see through normal and magical darkness as if it were a clear, sunny day. For the duration of the spell, the caster’s eyes emit light out to their normal visual range that is entirely invisible to all other creatures. Physical objects block this light as they would normal light, such that objects and creatures cast shadows directly away from the caster. This invisible light does not dispel magical darkness as either a light or continual light spell does, and the caster can still lose the benefits of this invisible light if blinded. Finally, when viewed with true seeing, the caster’s eyes can clearly be seen emitting bright beams of light. If the caster of dark sight and a creature under the effects of true seeing meet gazes, the creature benefitting from true seeing must make a saving throw versus spell or be blinded for 2d4 rounds. Dark sight overrides and disables the caster’s natural or magical infravision for the duration of the spell.
The material components for this spell are the priest’s holy symbol and a polished tiger eye stone worth at least 10 gp.