Lathander, the Morninglord

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Alignment: Neutral Good
Domains: Art, Desert (as Amaunator), Fire, Glory, Good, Nobility, Protection, Radiance, Renewal, Strength [Competition, Self-Realization], Sun [Day, Light]
Favored Weapon: Morningstar

Lathander  is a deity of creativity, dawn, renewal, birth, athletics, spring, self-perfection, vitality and youth. Lathander is the god called upon to bless birth and fertility related ceremonies. As the god of beginnings, Lathander traditionally receives prayer from many inhabitants of Faerûn at the start of a journey or endeavor. Lathander’s name is invoked to seal alliances and start new ventures or companies. As a result, the god is very popular among the merchant classes.

Lathander — and many of His clergy by extension — has a reputation for being sometimes overly enthusiastic, slightly vain, and given to excesses, all flaws very common among the young. He is also eternally optimistic and doggedly perseverant, and again this often mirrors in the attitudes of his clergy,

Some followers of Lathander insist that he was in fact the reincarnation of Amaunator, the Netherese god of the sun. Others take this heresy further, claiming that he will someday take up the mantle of the lawful neutral Amaunator again, and that the transformation from deity of the morning to sun god is imminent.

Dogma: Strive always to aid, to foster new hope, new ideas, and new prosperity for all humankind and its allies. Perfect thyself, and guard ever against pride, for it is a sacred duty to foster new growth, nurture growing things, and work for rebirth and renewal. Be fertile in mind and body. Consider always the consequences of thine actions so that the least effort may bring the greatest and best reward. Wherever you go, sow seeds of plants, tend the growing things you find, and plant seeds of hope, new ideas, and plans for a rosy future in the minds of all. Whenever possible, see each dawn.

Obedience: Say your prayers in the full rays of the morning sun or on a sunlit altar, thank Lathander for the beginning of another day to embark upon good deeds for those around you; after prayer, begin your day with calisthenics in order to better your personal temple to the Morninglord, which is your body. If you are infirm, injured or otherwise unable to exercise thus, then make some creative work — a drawing, or short work of prose or poetry, or pot a seedling — and share it with someone as a blessing of the Commander of Creativity. Gain a +4 sacred bonus on Artistry, Craft and Diplomacy checks.

For Deific Obedience

Boons
1: Morning Star (Sp) dancing lanternAPG 3/day, continual flame 2/day, or daylight 1/day
2: Righteous Strike (Sp) You can channel the effects of holy smite through your weapon. You must declare your use of this ability before you roll your attack. On a hit, the target is affected as if targeted with holy smite. If you miss the target, the ability is wasted. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1).
3: Angelic Ally (Sp) Once per day as a standard action, you can summon a movanic deva to aid you. You gain telepathy with the movanic deva to a range of 100 feet. The deva follows your commands perfectly for 1 minute for every Hit Die you possess before vanishing back to its home. The deva doesn’t follow commands that would cause it to violate its alignment by committing evil acts, and it could even attack you if the command is particularly egregious.

Paladin Code

The paladins of the Morninglord are fierce warriors and idealists. They provide hope to the weak and support to the righteous, and they quest for perfection both in body and in spirit. Their tenets include the following:

  • I will protect my allies with my life. They are my light and my strength, as I am their light and their strength. We rise together.
  • The best battle is a battle I win. I will fight fairly when the fight is fair, and I will strike quickly and without mercy when it is not.
  • A challenge that is won unfairly is not a challenge won. I am no cheat, and I will lose any contest of honor or mettle rather than resort to knavery.
  • I will not abide evil, and will combat it with steel when words are not enough. I do not flinch from my faith, and do not fear embarrassment.
  • I will show the less fortunate the light of the Morninglord. I will live my life as his mortal blade, shining with the light of truth.
  • Every day is a contest to better oneself, and every deed undertaken is an opportunity to condition myself for the trials ahead.

For Followers of Lathander

Archetypes: and Alternate Class Features: Angelfire Apostle† (Cleric), Dervish of Dawn† (Bard), Dawnflower Dervish† (Fighter), Sunsinger† (Skald)

Specialty Priest: Morninglord† (Cleric)

Divine Fighting Technique: Lathander’s Sun Blade

Feats: Beacon of Hope, Bestow Hope, Divine Dignity, Divine Expression, Fire God’s Blessing, Glorious Heat, Hands of Valor, Intrepid Rescuer, Merciless Rush, Perfect Casting, Persuasive Performer, Protective Channel, Sun Striker.

Magic Items

Prestige Classes: Crimson Templar†, Dawnflower Anchorite†, Dawnflower Dissident† (Unchained)
*Requires +5 BAB; grants 4 skill points per level, morningstar instead of bastard sword, flavored against both undead and evil outsiders

Spells: Burst of Glory, Shield of Dawn (+greater), Sign of the Dawn, Light Prison, Unwelcome Halo

Traits: A Shining Beacon, Ambassador, Cleansing Light, Cleansing the Twisted, Dawn Renewal, Dawn’s Vigor, Ear for Music, Flame of the Dawn, Forge’s Flame, Honey-Tongued, Light-Bringer, Purity of Faith, Regal Presence, Renewing  Mercy, Strength of the Sun, Strength’s Fanfare, Strong Willed, The City Protects, The Flexing Arm.

Unique Spell Rules

  • Daylight can be prepared as a 3rd-level Ranger spell
  • Flame Blade can be prepared as a 3rd-level Cleric or Inquisitor spell, or a 2nd-level Paladin or Ranger spell.
  • Sunbeam can be prepared as a 5th-level Inquisitor spell, or a 4th level Paladin or Ranger spell.
  • Sunburst can be prepared as a 6th-level Inquisitor spell
  • Sun Metal can be prepared as a 1st-level Inquisitor spell

Clergy and Temples

Specialty priests of Lathander call themselves Morninglords. Clerics of Lathander call both themselves and their specialty priest brethren Dawnpriests, ignoring any difference. About 35% of the organized priesthood are specialty priests; a larger number of the adventuring priests are Morninglords. Lathanderites seek to build anew, encourage the rebirth of barren areas and more productive growth in cultivated lands, drive out evil, and either restore civilization to heights it once had or lead it to new dizzying heights of interracial harmony, cooperation, and pursuit of the arts and progress. To do this, they battle monsters to nurture civilization; they plant seeds and new seedlings, they encourage and aid adventurers, travelers, traders, and pilgrims as the harbingers of culture; and they recover lost magical items, pieces of literature, and works of art. Lathanderites study, restore, and attempt to duplicate, emulate, or expand upon these recovered items and works when possible.

The ostentatious cathedrals of Lathander, with their abundant statuary and gaudy stained-glass windows, reflect the order’s great wealth. All temples include a mass hall that faces eastward, allowing the congregation to watch the first rays of the rising sun. In crowded or walled cities, temples are built for height, with ceremonies held on the third or even fourth floor of the structure. When such construction is impossible, a complex series of mirrors channels the sun’s rays. Lathanderian architecture is dominated by elaborate fountains that often spill into shallow moats of holy water winding throughout the temple complex.

Temples and shrines also sponsor athletic events and competitions where people of all classes and races can strive together in nonhostile competition in wrestling, distance throwing, target archery, running, jumping, horseback riding, or any of a number of other noninjurious sports. Other competitions sponsored by Lathanderian churches are for honors in the literary and fine arts. Such competitions are usually for a prize, which may be money, a special item or piece of art, or even a work written about the victor by a famous poet or artist. Winning a competition sponsored by the Lathanderites brings great status in certain circles.