Istishia, the Water Lord
Alignment: Neutral
Domains: Aquatic [Oceans], Destruction, Plane of Water, Travel, Water, Weather [Monsoons, Storms]
Favored Weapon: Warhammer
Unlike Umberlee who governs the oceans and ocean storms, Eldath who has dominion over pools, springs, and waterfalls and Valkur who strives to protect those who travel the waves. Istishia represents the essence of elemental water itself, the nature of slow change over time, and the ability of water to enact change.
He is one of the four elemental lords worshiped in Faerûn but, like all but Kossuth, has a very small following. He cares only slightly for his followers and is almost predictable in his incomprehensible and alien unpredictability. Most mortals consider his actions incomprehensible and like the other elemental lords he is almost indifferent to his own worshipers.
Dogma: Everything is interconnected and cyclical. Water always triumphs, for earth dissolves through water, fire is extinguished even by steam, and air becomes clouds and then rain, completing the eternal cycle. The Water Lord is the great equalizer and leveler of the elements, acknowledging change but holding to his essential nature. Do not try to be what you are not; rather, excel at what you are and carry this message of personal excellence to the world. Be flexible but not unreasonable. As the rains flow down to the ocean in the folds of earth and not up mountains, so do the truths of Istishia spread throughout the land through their natural routes, not through rank force. The mysteries of life are to be enjoyed and puzzled over, but realize that some answers do not come in this world, but rather in the next. Realize that the cycles of life are mirrored by the cycle of fate; be prepared to pay the price of reaping the reward for the actions of your past or your future.
For Deific Obedience
Obedience: During your meditations to the Water Lord, float upon your back in an accessible body of water; the size or location is irrelevant, because Istishia embodies all that is water upon Toril and beyond. Fill a vial of the water in which you meditate to wear about upon your person for the day. So long as the water token you have collected remains unspilled, you gain a +4 sacred bonus to Swim checks, Constitution checks to hold your breath, or saving throws against mundane or magical drowning.
Boons
1: Water Bender (Sp) wave shield 3/day, river whip 2/day, or quench 1/day
2: Water Champion (Su) The water is your weapon. Three times per day as a standard action, you can sculpt water into the form of a melee weapon with which you are proficient (for a divine caster, this should be your favored weapon). You must have enough water to form the weapon, an amount equal to the weapon’s normal weight. Once formed, the weapon behaves as a weapon of its type with an enhancement bonus of +1, which increases by 1 for every 5 additional Hit Dice you have beyond 5 (up to a maximum of +4 at 20 Hit Dice). This bonus stacks with your existing ABP bonus, or the bonus can be applied toward the following weapon properties: Frost, Icy Burst, Planar, Seaborne or Underwater. This weapon deals double the normal amount of damage to creatures with the fire subtype. The weapon dissolves into ordinary water after a number of rounds equal to your Hit Dice or as soon as it leaves your hand, whichever happens first.
3: Waterborne Companions (Sp) Three times per day, you can summon an ally to assist you. This acts as a summon nature’s ally or summon monster spell with a spell level equal to half your Hit Dice (maximum spell level 9th). If the summoned creatures have an elemental subtype, it must be the Water subtype. If they do not have an elemental subtype, they gain the Water subtype. At 18th level, you can instead opt to summon an elemental army once per day, which acts as elemental swarm, but only summons water elementals. You can communicate with these summoned creatures as if you had a shared language. These summons obey only your commands, and any attempt to dismiss or banish the summons uses the greater of either yours or the summons’ save bonus.
For Followers of Istishia
Archetypes: Aquatic Druid (Druid), Crashing Wave (Cleric), Elemental Monk (Monk; Marid Style, Water element only), Flowing Monk (Monk),
Specialty Priest: Waterwalker (Cleric)
- Watery Channel (Su): Rather than channeling positive energy to heal living or damage undead creatures, or negative energy to damage living or heal undead creatures, the Waterwalker calls forth a 30ft cone of rushing water from the elemental plane of water. Any creature caught in this deluge suffers 1d6 damage per two cleric levels (if another archetype or affect diminishes channel energy, this damage is diminished by the same amount). Those in the area of effect are allowed a Reflex save for half damage. Against creatures of the Fire subtype, the damage dice are d10 instead. The water called forth also quenches any mundane flames in its area of effect. This replaces Channel Energy.
- Blessings of Water: At 1st level, a Waterwalker chooses a spell from the Water Elementalist arcane school that isn’t on the Cleric spell list. This chosen spell is added to the Waterwalker’s spell list as a Cleric spell, treating its spell level the same as on its original spell list. At each level that he gains another level of spells, he chooses another Water spell in this fashion of his highest spell level or lower. These spells can be cast by sacrificing a prepared spell from the Cleric’s regular spell slots, rather than spontaneously casting curing spells. This alters spontaneous casting.
- Waterborne (Su): At 2nd level, the Waterwalker gains a bonus of half his Cleric level to all Swim checks, and to Knowledge (Geography), Knowledge (Planes) and Survival checks regarding bodies of water or elemental water, or navigating therein. At 8th level, he gains a Swim speed equal to his land speed. This replaces the lesser and greater power of one of the Cleric’s domains.
- Archon of Water (Su): At 20th level, the Waterwalker has achieved apotheosis with his elemental lord; he gains the Water subtype, which gives him the ability to breathe both water and air and he no longer has to make Swim checks to move in water, and his swim speed increases to twice his land movement speed. He may dwell or travel upon the Plane of Water without the need to eat, breathe or sleep, and may transport himself and others there or back to the prime once per day, as if by a plane shift spell. This is a capstone ability and cannot be replaced by another capstone ability.
Feats: Breaker of Barriers, Destroyer’s Blessing, Elemental Vigor, Riptide Attack, Squash Flat, Trailblazing Channel, Wave Master.
Magic Items: Kimlé Coat
Prestige Classes: Arcane Devotee, Divine Champion, Divine Disciple, Divine Scion (Unchained)
Traits: Affinity of the Elements, Destructive Blows, Elemental Resilience (Cold), Flounderer, Frightening Speed, Light Sleeper, River Freedom, Sacred Smasher, Strong Swimmer, Wave’s Sight, Wrecking Wrath.
Unique Spell Rules
- Spells of the [Fire] descriptor are prohibited to a divine caster of Istishia.
- Elemental Body II can be prepared as a 5th-level Cleric spell.
- Water Breathing can be prepared as a 2nd-level Ranger spell.
- Water Walk can be prepared as a 3rd-level Druid spell.