#implement

@jegulus-microfic February 16, Word count 441

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It did not take long for Barty to implement his plan. He completely disappeared for three days, without even a word to Evan. He came strolling into the Potters’ kitchen on the fourth morning, waving a copy of the Daily Prophet in the air. He tossed it on the table, beaming from ear to ear. 

“Dare I open this?” Regulus asked, his eyebrow quirking as he reached for the newspaper that Barty had tossed front page down. James leaned in, curious as to what Barty had done. He wished he hadn’t. 

Regulus flipped the paper over to be greeted by a full-page picture of Barty walking naked through the Ministry of Magic’s atrium. 

“Father is now hiding in disgrace. He’s out of the running for Minister of Magic, and I am being disinherited,” Barty proclaimed proudly, sitting down at the chair Effie conjured for him and accepting a kiss on the cheek from her, as well as a large plate of pancakes. 

“What will you do for money?” James asked; he’d known how scared Sirius and Regulus had been about not having two Knuts to rub together when they’d been disinherited. 

“I was given my own personal fortune when I turned seventeen, and before my little stunt, I went to check with the Gringotts Goblins that that couldn’t be touched if, you know, disinheritance/Azkaban for life. So I’m good on money for a while,” he shrugged and dug into his food. 

“Well, we’ll always be here for you, darling,” Effie told him, and Monty nodded in agreement. 

“Thank you, Effie,” Barty blew her a kiss and stuffed his mouth full again. “So, what are you losers doing today?”

“We’re going house hunting,” Regulus said, carefully placing his knife and fork together in the centre of his plate. “Would you like to come along? I’m sure there will be some wonderful curses to break on some of the properties.”

Barty’s face lit up. “Ooo, yeah. Count me in!” James groaned. This was not what he’d imagined the day was going to be. 

“Good, assemble the rabble. Might as well include them all as I’m sure they’ll have something to say about it if we don’t,” Regulus told Barty. “Sirius, have you got that property list?” 

“Yup,” Sirius said around a mouthful of food and tossed a roll of parchment to him. 

“I think we should start with this one,” Regulus said, pointing at one of the listings. James looked down at the parchment. 

“Number 8? Where’s the rest of the address?”

“Exactly,” Regulus answered, as though that explained it. James shrugged; he guessed he’d find out when they got there, hopefully. 

(art by nhociory on DeviantArt)

It’s no secret that the thaumaturge class in Second Edition is heavily inspired by the occultist of the previous edition with a sprinkling of the monster hunter vibe of the inquisitor.

However, while that is true, the two thaumaturge implements we’ve looked at so far have been pretty standard “folk magic”. Wearing amulets of protection, ringing bells to ward off evil, pretty basic stuff.

However, today’s subject is pretty heavily linked to both real-world occult practices, but also to living religion, though broadly-enough used so as to not crib on any specifically.

The chalice and other revered drinking implements is associated with healing and bounty. Certainly the most well-known rituals involving such vessels are seen in various sects of Christianity, to the point where one particular cup is often described with miraculous powers and a certain measure of divine authority to the bearer (just don’t choose poorly).

However, that particular faith is not the only one to use chalices. Indeed, several Wiccan and Neo-Pagan rites use a chalice as the feminine, yonic aspect to the masculine athame knife.

In Pathfinder 2e, the chalice as an implement is heavily associated with healing, and while other implements channel the wielder’s belief in their power when used, the chalice is a rarity in that it constantly produces a consumable fluid (wine or other spirits, or perhaps more grisly fluids if that suits the character). The implement is also associated with the signs of The Mother and the Newlyweds in the Cosmic Caravan astrology, as well as sea dragons in Tian mysticism.

Additionally, the chalice doesn’t specifically have to be in that form either. Amphoras, hollowed gourds, or even the skull of an enemy are also quite viable, as long as they can hold liquid and have mystical significance. What they have in common is their capacity for providing healing and well-being to the drinker. So let’s get into it!

As mentioned above, the primary use of the chalice is to drink from the ever-flowing fluid within, either a sip to gain temporary vitality, or draining it entirely to truly be healed. However, the fluid refills slowly, meaning that it cannot be drained again until it has refilled (though one can still sip from the dregs at the bottom when needed).

Many rituals require the spilling of essence to be symbolically collected in the cup to be drunk, and thaumaturges make use of that association by learning how to channel the lost vital essence of injury into their chalice, bolstering the healing or vitality it provides in the seconds after such wounds occur.

They can even use the stolen life of enemies, particularly those that they are targeting the weaknesses of, to bolster the healing of the vessel even further.

The most powerful, however, learn to truly turn the chalice into a vessel of healing, allowing the fluid within to allieviate various conditions and even counteract poison and disease when drained.

Additionally, certain feats prove quite useful for this implement, namely Root to Life, Call Implement, Thaumaturgic Ritualist, Shared Warding, Wonder Worker, and others that suit your needs.

The healing of the chalice definitely leans towards a support role, but the fact that the chalice is at it’s strongest when your foes are taking damage also means you should build for combat too. It’s also worth noting that you’ll almost always be getting the post-injury bonus to healing and temp hp when using this implement because, let’s face it, the most common time to use healing is after you or an ally becomes injured. With that in mind, I would build them as a second-line fighter getting their hands dirty but also pulling their allies aside for a moment to give them bolstering juices.

With their focus on healing and the significance of the chalice in both occult and religious affairs, one could play into that by making your thaumaturge character a religious person if that suits their narrative. Exactly what sort of deity they worship can vary greatly, as the symbology of the cup is quite variable, after all.

Ironically, despite being of suli and vishkanya blood, Viada values healing more than they ever have the poison in their veins, invoking that belief in the chalice they carry. That isn’t to say that they are afraid to use that poison when the need arises, however.

Studying from his more gourd-like friend, Bounty the vine leshy has come to understand the power behind even the most obscure superstition, but his favorite by far is the power of the chalice as a giver of life. That is why the contents of his personal chalice is wine made from the very grapes that grow from his body, his way of giving something of himself to others.

A beautiful day begins

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