Deities of Hearth: Skyfather

Skyfather

God of the Skies

Skyfather is the embodiment of the uncaring elements from above. Sunlight, snow, lightning, wind, and rain do not distinguish between law and chaos. They merely exist to run their course, and so does Skyfather.

Pride and self-assurance radiate from Skyfather as light floods from the sun. He is cheerful and sociable, forming bonds easily with those who prove themselves strong and honorable. His friendship can be as easily lost, though, turning him from ally to enemy as the consequence of a single misstep or perceived betrayal.

He is often depicted as a strong, bronze-skinned warrior with clouds for a beard, eyes as bright as the sun, and wielding a spear of lightning and a swirling shield of wind.

Skyfather’s Influence

Skyfather sees everything from his throne high above the clouds, and it is to him that petitioners pray for rain and sunshine for their crops and mercy during storms at sea. As the sun and rain fall on everything above the surface, Skyfather sees no reason to hide his works or to keep secrets. As such, he is a bold and conspicuous deity when demonstrating his power.

Skyfather sees the people of Hearth as his wayward children, but he does not consider it his responsibility to teach them good or evil, law or chaos. He is an aloof parent, preferring to let mortals learn from their own mistakes and to let the nature of the elements run its course. However, he admires those who sacrifice for others, brave their fears for the good of their community, and uphold their oaths and dedication to family with honor. Skyfather considers himself a being of eternal perfection, and does not find interest in people born with physical deformities or who are, in his opinion, destined to fail. The easiest way to gain Skyfather’s affection is to praise him and admire his works.

Skyfather’s scion creatures are angels and the mighty thunderbird.

Skyfather’s Goals

Skyfather is an indifferent god with no ultimate goal in the universe, preferring mainly to allow all people to make their own choices and see what results from it. He acts not because of grand plans or high ideals, but on the whims of his restless mind. On the rare occasions when he contemplates what he would do if he were ascendant in the pantheon, his most fervent wish is to be left alone. He finds anything not related to his own domains or anything that excites him boring and pointless, and believes that the best balance could be had if he were the sole watcher of the world.

Divine Relationships

Skyfather is the most centrally respected god in the Pentatheon, and also the most disdained. His constantly changing and (in the other gods’ opinion) halfhearted and lazy approach to godhood means that he is rarely worth arguing with. He tends to side most with Lawbringer, whose fairness and strength he values, and his former wife, Hearthmatron.

Their daughter, Moondancer, frustrates Skyfather, partly because she is in some ways fickler than he is, and also because she takes an indirect, cunning approach to her goals instead of facing them head-on. Furthermore, Skyfather’s focus on revealing things with light directly conflicts with her ideals of concealing secrets in darkness. Moondancer also may have played one too many pranks on him in the past, and Skyfather is not one to let grudges go easily.

Skyfather also opposes the craftiness and fatalist goals of his brother, Deepwarden, and detests the darkness of the water beneath the oceans and the tunnels beneath the earth, where his eyes cannot penetrate from the sky.

Worshiping Skyfather

Skyfather is by far the most universally revered of the deities by peoples on the surface world who can see the sky. Devout worshipers of Skyfather try to wake before dawn to watch the sun stain the sky blood red as it conquers the darkness. They also stay outside during thunderstorms to behold Skyfather’s power. Other ways to gain Skyfather's attention and favor are by invoking his name as a battlecry, violently destroying fiends, avenging loved ones’ deaths, and making honorable oaths.

Skyfather’s Champions

Alignment: Always neutral

Suggested Classes: Barbarian, cleric, fighter, monk, paladin

Domains: Light, Tempest, War

Paladin Oaths: Devotion, Glory, Vengeance

Suggested Backgrounds: Athlete, folk hero, hermit, outlander, noble, sailor, soldier

Champions of Skyfather are typically either exemplars of light and strength, or conflicted heroes motivated by revenge and sworn vows. Like Skyfather, they are often justifiably proud and haughty from many previous victories.

The Five Commands of Skyfather

1. Perfect your body, mind, and spirit as much as possible.
2. Be true, generous, merciful, and protective to those who have proven to be loyal friends.
3. Never turn away from an honorable fight.
4. Be temperate and avoid extremes in belief, conduct, and action.
5. Honor your parents and the elderly by heeding their wisdom.

Devotion to Skyfather

Servants of Skyfather devote themselves to personal perfection and strength, and go out into the world to demonstrate that power in noble ways. As a follower of Skyfather, consider the ideals on the Skyfather’s Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.

Skyfather's Ideals

d6	Ideal
1	Destiny. Whatever my fate, I will embrace it with Skyfather’s blessing, for it was meant to be.
2	Courage. No fear or pain can turn me away.
3	Vigilance. Those who defy or manipulate destiny are menaces that must be stopped.
4	Protection. I must keep my people safe from threats both external and internal.
5	Excellence. People should look to me as an example of the best that mortal folk can be.
6	Disdain. What’s the point of involving myself in others’ affairs when I could spend that time perfecting myself instead?

Earning and Losing Piety

You increase your piety score to Skyfather when you expand his influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:

• Exacting vengeance for a significant wrong done to you
• Defending innocents from attacking monsters
• Carrying out punishment on a fugitive from justice

Your piety score to Skyfather decreases if you diminish his influence in the world, contradict his ideals, or make him look ridiculous or ineffectual through acts such as these:

• Breaking an explicit promise or oath
• Putting others at risk through cowardice
• Giving in to extremes in emotions, ordeals, or treatment to others

Skyfather’s Devotee

Piety 3+ Skyfather Trait

As a devotee of the god of the skies, you can call on Skyfather’s favor to cast divine favor with this trait. You can choose to deal cold or lightning damage instead of radiant (your choice with each hit). Skyfather’s blessing manifests as a crackling nimbus around your weapons, which shed bright light in a 5-foot radius for the duration. You can cast the spell in this way a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Skyfather’s Votary

Piety 10+ Skyfather Trait

You can cast daylight with this trait. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Skyfather’s Disciple

Piety 25+ Skyfather Trait

The energy of the storm fills your being, granting you advantage on initiative rolls.

Champion of the Skies

Piety 50+ Skyfather Trait

You can increase your Strength or Wisdom score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2.

Omens of Skyfather

d8	Omen of Skyfather
1	The sun briefly glows unbearably bright.
2	Lightning strikes, thunder rumbles, or rain falls in a clear sky.
3	A frigid wind blows in a particular direction.
4	Clouds swirl in the shape of Skyfather’s holy symbol.
5	A nearby metal weapon or pieces of armor crackle with electricity.
6	All shadows within sight disappear briefly.
7	The scent of petrichor fills the air.
8	The weather suddenly changes drastically.

Skyfather’s Domain: Overheaven

Overheaven is a realm of infinite skies, endless days, and no rules. Dwellings and villages sit atop clouds and floating islands, all creatures can fly effortlessly, and from an impossibly vast height below, every surface of Hearth can be seen. Overheaven itself exists in the sun, from which the light of Skyfather casts light upon all surfaces of Hearth, and thus no shadow exists anywhere: every surface is lit with brilliant sunlight or radiant lightning that crackles through the clouds.

Worshipers of Skyfather spend paradise here, as do valiant warriors, avengers, and those who were noble and mighty but did not lean toward any particular god during their life. These residents spend their afterlives soaring through the skies doing as they please. Residents of Overheaven tend to be loners, reveling in augmenting their own power and observing the still-living members of Hearth from afar. When they do interact with other residents, they pass the time by proving their strength in honorable and violent duels. Those who die are simply reborn a few hours later. 

Oathbreakers, cowards, deceivers of crowds, those who took their lives on Hearth to unhealthy extremes, and those who tried to hide their sins from the gods may come to Overheaven as a punishment. Here, they are exposed and vulnerable, their secrets revealed to all. They find themselves dreadfully alone and yet eternally pursued by warriors eager to show their mettle, in a blindingly bright world where there is nowhere to hide from Skyfather’s light.

Heavenly Soaring. All creatures have a flying speed of 60 feet and can hover.

Immortal Wrath. A creature who dies comes back to life with all its hit points and gear after 2d12 hours.