Sharess

Sharess - The Deity of Hedonism

The Deity of Hedonism Sharess
Game background
Title(s)	The Dancing Lady Patroness of Festhalls The Festhall Madam Mother of Cats Foe of Set The Lustful Mistress Feline of Felicity Succubus of Sensation The Tawny Temptress
Home plane	Olympus/Brightwater Ysgard/Merratet
Power level	Demigod
Alignment	Chaotic Good
Portfolio	Hedonism Sensual Fulfillment Festhalls Cats
Domains	Chaos Charm Good Pleasure Travel Trickery
Alias(es)	Bast Felidae Zandilar the Dancer
Design details
First appearance	Powers and Pantheons - Page 52
Settings	Forgotten Realms Dungeons and Dragons

For other uses of the word Succubus, see Succubus (disambiguation).

Sharess is known as the Deity of Hedonism, Festhalls and sensual fulfillment in the Dungeons and Dragons role playing game. She has the individualistic and hedonistic personality of a feline and she is constantly grooming herself to ensure her appearance is always up to standards. Sharess is an innate flirt and loves toying around with beautiful mortals. Once she has had her fill, she swiftly moves on to other sources of pleasure.

Another being named Sharess is a brutal Succubus Sorceress who is one of Malcanthet's most loyal and trusted minions. Her focus is to forge clandestine alliances with other powerful demon lords for Malcanthet, or by assassinating those who oppose her.

Sharess - The Deity of Hedonism

Background

Sharess is the deity of hedonism, festhalls and sensual fulfillment. She is often depicted as a beautiful, voluptuous woman with the head of a cat especially in Mulhorand, however she also takes on a completely human appearance, one that it very sexual in nature. She has the individualistic and hedonistic personality of a feline and she is constantly grooming herself to ensure her appearance is always up to standards. Sharess is an innate flirt and loves toying around with beautiful mortals; once she has had her fill, she swiftly moves on to other sources of pleasure.

Sharess was once Bast, a Mulhorandi power who was the patroness of cats, and Anhur's lieutenant. During the Second Empire, she subsumed the portfolio of Felidae, a beast cult deity of felines, nomads, and sensual pleasure. Struck by wanderlust, Bast traveled across Faerûn leaving many cults in her wake. During these travels, she also subsumed the divinity of Zandilar the Dancer, a goddess of the Yuir elves, so that she gained the elvish goddess' portfolio of intense passionate love. After Myth Drannor fell, she began to experiment with the darker side of pleasure and fell under the sway of Shar.

She began to become known as Sharess, but before she was completely subsumed by Shar, she was freed by Sune, during the Time of Troubles. Shar had tried to assassinate her as she had Ibrandul due to her reluctance to be completely dominated by the goddess of shadow, but Sune doused her with a chalice filled with waters from Arvandor's Evergold that restored Sharess' beauty and willpower, giving her the will and the edge to rebel against her mistress. Since then she has spent much of her time in Arvandor, frolicking and pursuing pleasure in all of its forms, despite the warnings of her deific allies and the offers made by Shar. Now she holds on tightly to her independence, fostering a wider worship while at the same time guarding herself from Shar and Loviatar.

Relationships

Sharess has restored alliances with Selûne, Sune, Milil, Hanali Celanil, and Lliira. She now opposes both Loviatar and Shar, who has never forgotten that Sharess escaped from her clutches. She also remembers her Mulhorandi roots, and opposes the evil Set along with the other good-aligned gods of that nation. She has a close relationship with Nobanion, who shares her interest in felines, though Sharess does as much to annoy him as she does to entice him. She also has a romantic relationship with Anhur, though their opinion of each other varies wildly from absolute love to indifference depending on how many fights that they have.

Dogma

Life is to be lived to its fullest, in decadent sensual fulfillment of yourselves and others. That which is good is pleasurable and that which is pleasurable is good. Pleasure is to be sought out at every opportunity and life is to be lived as one endless revel. Spread the bounty of Sharess so that all may join in the endless revel of life and bring joy to all those in pain. Infinite experiences await those who would explore, so try the new as well as savoring the old.

The Church of Sharess

The Church of Sharess is of casual nature, and her clergy are responsible for the running of many festhalls found throughout large cities in Faeru. These festhalls seek to indulge every pleasure imaginable. Privately owned festhalls usually employ at least one or two Sharessan clerics.

The Church of Sharess probably celebrate the most festivals out of all the faiths of Faerun. These revels are known collectively as the Endless Revels of Life. Even daily events present a chance for Sharessan to revel; sometimes even the rising and setting of the sun. Their most beloved festival is the Midsummer's Eve festival, where the pursuit of pleasure has no boundary. Sharessan clerics pray for their spells at dusk.

Statistics

• Name: Sharess
• Title: The Dancing Lady, Mother of Cats
• Home: Brightwater
• Power: Demigod
• Alignment: Chaotic Good
• Interests: Hedonism, Sensual Fulfillment, Festhalls, Cats
• Favored Weapon: A great cat's claw (Claw Bracer)

Sharess - Succubus Sorceress

Sharess - Succubus Sorceress

The Succubus Sorceress Sharess
Game information
Gender	Female
Race	Succubus Sorceress
Class	Medium Outsider (Chaotic, Demon, Evil, Extraplanar)
Alignment	Chaotic Evil
Age	Physically in her late 20's
Title	Favored of Malcanthet
Alias	Varies
Setting	All Editions Dungeon and Dragons

Sharess is a brutal succubus sorceress and is one of Malcanthet's most loyal and trusted minions. Her role is to forge clandestine alliances with other powerful demon lords, or by assassinating those who oppose Malcanthet.

Background

When she came to Malcanthet's attention, Sharess was a Succubus looking to raise her position in the ranks of the Succubi by whatever means were needed. Malcanthet offered her a position of importance but with the caveat that she would learn to be less reliant on her inherent Succubus abilities and learn to use other, more shadowy forms of power to wield. It became apparent that Sharess had some aptitude for using magic and as well was skilled in the game of diplomacy. Honing those abilities and adding to them the skills of an assassin has served Sharess well since that time, making her one of Malcanthet's most loyal and trusted minions.

Sharess prefers to work in the shadows as much as possible with the intent of keeping her role in the changing of views towards Malcanthet, or the sudden demise of a demon lord or other threat, a mystery. While she is a Succubus, when there is no other choice but to eliminate her target, using her natural Succubus powers is a last resort.

She is more likely to use a bladed weapon, a trap, poison, or other seemingly ordinary means of attack to mask her being in the area and attracting attention to her. The apparent cause of death being a Succubus would make her missions that much more difficult and warn future targets of her intent.

If she is sent to "encourage" a demon lord or other target of Malcanthet's interest to sway their opinion, or support her, Sharess has no qualms about using all of her seductive abilities in whatever means necessary to accomplish her mission. Besides using her sexual abilities and persuasion, she will also use her innate mind control abilities if needed. As well, using her polymorph abilities to appear as someone her target desires or is already intimate with is an option for her to use.

Her ultimate goal is to become Malcanthet's right hand Succubus, gaining the status and power that she sees to be what her reward of service will provide. Nothing else matters to Sharess save this singular goal and woe be to those that stand in her way.

Statistics

Name	Sharess
Gender	Female
Type	Succubus Sorceress 8/Thrall of Malcanthet 8
Sub-Type	Medium outsider (chaotic, evil, tanar'ri)
Alignment	Chaotic Evil
CR	17
Init	+3
Senses	Darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +28, Spot +20 Aura telepathic gaze (100 ft.)
Languages	Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic; tongues, telepathy 100
Armour Class	35, touch 21, flat-footed 27
hp	171 (22 HD)
DR	DR 10/cold iron or good Immune electricity, poison Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10
SR	18
Fort	+13
Ref	+16
Will	+20
Speed	30 ft., fly 50 ft. (average)
Melee	Energy drain) and claw +14 (id6)
Base Atk	+16
Grp Atk	+16
Atk Options	Arcane Strike, Sneak Attack +2d6
Special Actions	Bardic music 8/day (countersong, fascinate, inspire competence, inspire courage +2, suggestion), energy drain
Abilities	Str 10, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 18, Wis 17, Cha 37
Special Qualities	Bardic knowledge +12, change shape, profane beauty
Feats	Arcane Strike, Greater Spell Focus (enchantment), Persuasive, Practiced Spellcaster, Spell Focus (enchantment), Thrall to Demon (Malcanthet)
Skills	Bluff +48, Concentration +29, Diplomacy +48, Disguise +21 (+31 when using change shape), Escape Artist +12, Hide +12, Intimidate +50, Knowledge (religion) +12, Knowledge (the planes) +29, Listen +28, Perform (sing, dance) +38, Move Silently +12, Spellcraft +12, Spot +20, Tumble +19
Possessions	Amulet of health +6, bracers of armor +5, ring of counterspells (contains greater dispel magic)

Spells Known (CL 18th)

5th (4/day)	Greater dispel magic, mass suggestion (DC 32), mislead (DC 30)
4th (6/day)	Cure critical wounds, dominate person (DC 29), freedom of movement, ruin delver's fortune
3rd (6/day)	Cure serious wounds, displacement, glibness, love's lament (DC 28)
2nd (6/day)	Enthrall (DC29), entice gift (DC 27), suggestion (DC 29), whirling blade
ist (7/day)	Critical strike, grease (DC 24), silent image (DC 24), Hideous laughter (DC 26)
0 (4/day)	Detect magic, mage hand, mending, message, open/close, prestidigitation

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th)

At will	Charm monster (DC 27), detect good, detect thoughts (DC 25), ethereal jaunt (self plus 5o pounds of objects only), suggestion (DC 26), greater teleport (self plus 5o pounds of objects only)
3/day	Dominate monster (DC 33., language-dependent)

• Betrayal (Su): If Sharess deals damage to an ally with a weapon or spell, the ally must make a DC 31 Will save or be stunned for 1d4 rounds.

• Draining Kiss (Su): Three times per day, Sharess' energy drain can inflict 2 negative levels rather than 1.

• Dominating Voice (Su): Sharess gains a +8 competence bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks and a +2 profane bonus to the save DC of any language-dependent spell she casts.

• Profane Beauty (Su): Sharess gains a deflection bonus to her Armor Class equal to her Charisma bonus (maximum bonus equal to her thrall of Malcanthet level).

• Reflect Enchantment (Ex): Three times per day, when Sharess makes her saving throw to resist any enchantment spell, she may reflexively reflect that spell back at its source, as if she had cast the spell on the target.

• Telepathic Gaze (Ex): Sharess can read the surface thoughts of any creature that meets her gaze as if she had cast detect thoughts and concentrated on the target for 3 rounds. The target can attempt to resist this gaze by making a DC 31 Will save. If Sharess reads someone's thoughts, she gains a +5 circumstance bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate checks made against that opponent.

Notes: Arcane Strike allows Sharess to sacrifice a spell as a free action to gain a bonus on her attack rolls equal to the level of the spell sacrificed and a bonus on weapon damage rolls equal to 1d4 points x the level of the spell sacrificed. Practiced Spellcaster increases her effective caster level for bard spells by +4. Thrall to Demon allows her to gain a +1 luck bonus on any one roll while performing an evil act. Several of Sharess' spells can be substituted with other similar spells. Replace critical strike with cure light wounds, entice gift with hold person, love's lament with confusion, ruin delver's fortune with modify memory, and whirling blade with cure moderate wounds.

External Links

• Sharess at the Forgotten Realms Wikia