Loki

Loki Laufeyjarson is a being of mischief, son of the giants Fárbauti and Laufey, and foster-brother of Odin. He is described as the “contriver of all fraud”. He mixed freely with the gods for a long time, even becoming Odin‘s blood brother. Despite much research, “the figure of Loki remains obscure; there is no trace of a cult, and the name does not appear in place-names”. In mythological terms, Loki is not a god, as he has no cult or followers, rather he is a mythological or mythical being. This is further supported by the fact that he was not a member of Vanir and is not always counted among the Æsir, the two groupings of gods. Sources inconsistently place him among the Æsir; however, this may only be due to his close relation with Odin and the amount of time that he spends among the Æsir (as opposed to his own kin).

Like Odin (though to a lesser extent), Loki bears many names : Lie-Smith, Sly-God, Shape-Changer, Sly-One, Lopt, Sky Traveller, Sky Walker, Wizard Of Lies, and Loftur among others.

Nature

A master of guile and deception. Loki was not so much a figure of unmitigated badness as a kind of celestial con-man. He would often bail out the gods after playing tricks on them, as illustrated by the myth in which he shears Sif’s hair and then replaces it, or when he is responsible for the loss of Iðunn’s apples of youth and then retrieves them again. Loki is an adept shape-shifter, with the ability to change both form (examples include transmogrification to a salmon, horse, bird, flea, etc.) and sex.

Loki’s role is predominantly associated with Odin, either as Odin‘s wily counterpart or antagonist.

Children

Loki was the father (and in one instance the mother) of many beasts, humans and monsters.

Having liaisons with giantesses was nothing unusual for gods in Norse mythology—both Odin and Freyr are good examples; and since Loki was actually a giant himself, there is nothing unusual about this activity. Together with Angrboda, he had three children:

* Jormungand, the sea serpent;
* Fenrir the giant wolf preordained to slay Odin at the time of Ragnarök;
* Hel, ruler of the realm of the dead.

Loki also married a goddess named Sigyn who bore him two sons: Narfi and Vali. (this Vali is not to be confused with Odin‘s son with the giantess Rind). To punish Loki for his part in Balder’s death the gods turned Vali into a rabid wolf who proceeded to tear Narfi’s throat out. Narfi’s remains were used to bind Loki until Ragnarok.

While he was in the form of a mare Loki also gave birth to Sleipnir, the eight-legged steed of Odin.

Scheming with fellow gods

Loki occasionally works with the other gods. For example, he tricked the unnamed giant who built the walls around Asgard, out of being paid for his work by distracting his horse while disguised as a mare—thereby he became the mother of Odin‘s eight-legged horse Sleipnir. In one myth he pits the dwarves against each other in a gifting contest. The dwarves make Odin‘s spear, Freyr‘s ship and Sif’s wig. He even rescues Iðunn. Finally, in Þrymskviða, Loki manages, with Thor at his side, to get Mjolnir back when the giant Þrymr secretly steals it, in order to ask for Freyja as a bride, in exchange.

Even though Loki may have been a liability to gods (leading to the death of Balder, the birth of Fenris and other monsters that would eventually engulf the world), he provided the gods with all their most precious items, from Thor’s hammer to the flying ships, and these artifacts help the gods ultimately defeat evil. He leads to the birth of Ragnarok, but also provides the means to overcome it.

Friend to man

Not all lore depicts Loki as a malevolent being. Loki can be a friend to man: when a troll comes to take a farmer’s son away, the farmer and his wife pray to Odin to protect him. Odin hides the son in a field of wheat, but the troll finds him. Odin rescues the son and takes him back to the farmer and his wife, saying that he is done hiding the son. The couple then prays to Hœnir, who hides the son in the neck-feathers of a swan, but again the troll finds him. On the third day, they pray to Loki, who hides the son amidst the eggs of a flounder. The thurs finds the flounder, but Loki instructs the boy to run into a boathouse. The giant troll gets his head caught and Loki kills him by chopping off his leg and inserting a stick and a stone in the leg stump to prevent it from regenerating. He takes the boy home, and the farmer and his wife embrace both of them.

Slayer of Balder

Loki may have overplayed his hand when, disguised as a giantess, he arranged the murder of Balder. He used mistletoe, the only plant which had not sworn never to harm Balder, and made a dart of it, which he tricked Balder’s blind brother Höðr into throwing at Balder, thereby killing him. Another version of the myth, preserved in Gesta Danorum, does not mention Loki.

It was also possibly he who, in the shape of the giantess Thokk, was the only being that refused to weep for Balder, preventing the defunct god’s return from Hel.

The binding of Loki and his fate at Ragnarök

The murder of Balder was not left unpunished, and eventually the gods tracked down Loki, who was hiding in a pool at the base of Franang’s Falls in the shape of a salmon. There they caught the Trickster with his own famous invention, the fishing net. They also hunted down Loki’s two children with Sigyn, Narfi and Váli (not to be confused with Váli, the son of Odin and Rind). They changed Váli into a Wolf, and he then turned against his brother and killed him. They used Narfi’s innards to bind Loki to three slabs of stone, and Skaði placed a snake over his head so that its venom would pour onto him. Sigyn sits beside him and collects the venom in a wooden bowl, but she has to empty the bowl when it fills up, during which time the searing venom drips onto the Trickster’s face. The pain is then so terrible that he writhes, making the earth shake.

Balder’s murder was also one of the events that precipitated Ragnarök. Loki would stay bound until then. When Ragnarök finally comes and Loki is freed by the trembling earth, he will sail to Vigrid from the north on a ship that also bears Hel and all those from her realm. Once on the battlefield, he will meet Heimdall, and neither of the two will survive the encounter.

Role-playing Notes

Loki Laufeyjarson a son of Farbauti and Laufey is the god of mischief and strife. A sly, vengeful trickster who is always causing trouble among the gods, he is tolerated in Asgard only because of the great services he has performed in the past, such as helping to create Midgard and the wall guarding Asgard. He has mixed freely with the gods for a long time, even becoming Odin‘s blood brother. In his true form, Loki is a handsome young man who is always dressed in some combination of red and black.

Godly Powers

As a god, Loki possesses tremendous powers of shapeshifting, energy/matter manipulation, invisiblitiy, flight/teleportation, immortality, clairvoyance, and unlimited power over trickery and mischief, as well as a godlike ability to manipulate mortals and gods alike. He also has godlike magical capabilities with Magick.

Lokis Boots

He also wears a pair of boots that allow him to walk on water and fly

As the god of mischief and strife, Loki is one of the most active and unpleasant of gods. Yet, there is also an attractive side to his personality: he is handsome, sociable, and has a good sense of humor. Loki is one of the few gods who is at home with giants and dwarves, and often turns to them for help in his schemes. He is invariably in some sort of trouble with his fellows and will not hesitate to turn to his worshipers for help in extracting himself. Omens from Loki usually come in the form of an illusion.

Duties of the Priesthood

In order to collect a large gathering of followers, Loki is rather loose in his requirements and generous in his gifts. Priests of Loki may be of any alignment except lawful, and are not required to perform any services except those occasionally demanded by the god himself. When a priest prays to Loki for some personal gain, there is a 1% chance per level that Loki will send help the priest (but never more than three times in a lifetime).

Loki (Aesir)
The Trickster; God of Mischief, Strife, and Fire; The Sly One, Father of Lies The Shape Changer, The Sky Traveler
Greater Deity
Symbol: Flame, Mask
Home Plane: Asgard before Balder’s death, Midgard afterward
Traditional Allies: Giants, Fenris, Jormungand, Hel
Traditional Foes: Odin
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Portfolio: Thieves, trickery, murder
Worshipers: Rogues, assassins
Cleric Alignments: CE, CN, NE
Domains: Chaos, Destruction, Fire, Trickery
Favored Weapon: dagger
Divine Artifact: Mask of Deception
Favored Class: Rogue
Favored Race: Halfling, Human
Benefits: Rogues who follow Loki gain the ability to alter self once per day.

Loki (loh-kee) is an ambiguous figure in Asgardian myth. A handsome and clever young man, he often accompanies the gods on their journeys. Many tales of Thor mention Loki as his companion. The youngest inhabitant of Asgard, some myths state he was the child of the giants Farbauti and Laufey, while others place him at creation with Odin. Loki excels at subverting order and finding solutions and answers the other gods never consider. Restless and easily bored, Loki often amuses himself by playing practical jokes on the other gods. He can take many different forms and often becomes female. Loki is responsible for most of the gods’ greatest treasures, challenging the dwarves to outdo their gift of Sif’s hair.

Not until Ragnarok approaches does Loki truly become evil and malicious. For his role in Balder’s death, Odin turns one of Loki’s sons, Vali, into a wolf and sets him on another son, Narfi. The gods use Narfi’s entrails to bind Loki in a cave, and they set a poisonous snake over him to drip venom into his wounds. Loki’s wife, Sigyn, stays with him and tries to protect him from the venom. When the venom splashes on Loki, his pained spasms are the source of earthquakes. Loki is destined to break free for Ragnarok.

Dogma

Loki’s cult is generally hidden. Despite having a constructive role in society, the cult commands little respect and known members may find themselves ostracized. The cultists believe they aid people through practical jokes and humor. Though outsiders may consider the jokes cruel, they’re rarely deliberately harmful. Instead, they’re meant to encourage their victims to look at life from another perspective and to gain insight by doing so.

Darker forms of the cult teach assassination, murder, mayhem, and all forms of worldly chaos. These sinister versions of the cult are more common after Balder;s death, as Loki takes sides with the giants against the Asgardians.

Clergy and Temples

Like the cult members, Loki’s clergy keep their nature quiet. They generally have other professions in addition to their roles as clerics, and many are rogues or sorcerers.

Temples to Loki are windowless places, often below ground, lit by torches and other fires. From the outside they appear to be legitimate businesses or the entrances to small, simple caves. The temples include supplies of weapons, poisons, and other tools of mayhem in addition to resources for committing practical jokes.

Visitors to Loki’s temples are rare. Those who find them generally do so purposefully, because they seek initiation or are already members of the cult. People who stumble across them find themselves treated with suspicious curiosity at best and outright violence at worst. Giants, on the other hand, receive warm welcomes and the support of the members and clergy.

LOKI
Rogue 20/Sorcerer 20
Medium-Size outsider
Divine Rank	16
Hit Dice	20d8+160 (outsider) plus 20d6+160 (Rog) plus 20d4+160 (Sor) (840 hp)
Initiative	+15, always first (+11 Dexterity, +4 Improved Initiative, Supreme Initiative)
Speed	60 ft.
AC	83 (+11 Dexterity, +16 divine, +29 natural, +17 deflection)
Attacks*	+5 chaotic unholy dagger of venom +73/+68/+63/+58 melee; or spell +64 melee touch or +67 ranged touch *Always receives a 20 on attack rolls; roll die to check for critical hit.
Damage*	+5 chaotic unholy dagger of venom 1d4+13/17–20 plus poison (deathblade, DC 20, 1d6  Constitution/2d6 Constitution) or by spell *Always does maximum damage (dagger 17 points)
Face/Reach	5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks	Domain powers, salient divine abilities, spell-like abilities, sneak attack +13d6, crippling strike, opportunist. Special Qualities: Divine immunities, DR 51/+4, understand, speak, and read all languages and speak directly to all beings within 16 miles, remote communication, godly realm, teleport without error at will, plane shift at will, familiar (wolves), evasion, defensive roll, improved evasion, uncanny dodge (cannot be flanked, +4 against traps), SR 48, divine aura (16 miles, DC 43).
Saves*	Fort +56, Ref +59, Will +56. *Always receives a 20 on saves.
Abilities	Strength 27, Dexterity 32, Constitution 27, Intelligence 29, Wisdom 27, Charisma 44.
Skills*	Alchemy +51, Appraise +53, Balance +59, Bluff +61, Climb +52, Concentration +50, Craft(metalworking) +57, Craft (stoneworking) +57, Diplomacy +69, Disable Device +53, Disguise +61, Escape Artist +55, Gather Information +61, Hide +55, Innuendo +32, Intimidate +65, Jump +56, Knowledge (arcana) +51, Listen +54, move silently +55, Open Lock +55, Pick Pocket +57, Read Lips +49, Scry +43, Search +53, Sense Motive +52, Spellcraft +51, Spot +54, Swim +49, Tumble +56. *Always receives a 20 on checks.
Feats	Alertness, Blind-Fight, Cleave, Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Empower Spell, Enlarge Spell, Combat Expertise, Extend Spell, Improved Critical (dagger), Improved Initiative, Mobility, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Silent Spell, Spring Attack, Still Spell, Weapon Finesse (dagger), Weapon Focus (dagger), Whirlwind Attack.
Divine Immunities	Ability damage, ability drain, acid, cold, death effects, disease, disintegration, electricity, energy drain, mind-affecting effects, Paralysis, poison, sleep, stunning, transmutation, imprisonment, banishment.
Salient Divine Abilities	Alter Form, Alter Reality, Alter Size, Automatic Metamagic (quicken sorcerer spells), Battlesense, Divine Celerity, Divine Dodge, Divine Glibness, Divine Rogue, Divine Sneak Attack, Extra Domain (Destruction), Extra Energy Immunity (fire), Hand of Death, Instant Counterspell, Life and Death, Mass Life and Death, Shapechange, Supreme Initiative, True Shapechange, Wave of Chaos, Wound Enemy.
Domain Powers	Cast chaos spells at +1 level; 16/day smite (+4 on attack and +16 on damage for one weapon attack); cast evil spells at +1 caster level.

Spell-Like Abilities: Loki uses these abilities as a 26th-level caster, except for chaos spells and evil spells, which he uses as a 27th-level caster. The save DCs are 43 + spell level.

animate objects, blasphemy, change self, chaos hammer, circle of doom, cloak of chaos, confusion, contagion, create undead, desecrate, disintegrate, dispel good, dispel law, earthquake, false vision, harm, implosion, inflict critical wounds, inflict light wounds, invisibility, magic circle against good, magic circle against law, mislead, nondetection, polymorph any object, protection from good, protection from law, screen, shatter, summon monster IX (as chaos or evil spell only), time stop, unholy aura, unholy blight, word of chaos.

Sorcerer Spells Known (6/11/10/ 10/10/10/9/9/9/9; base DC = 27 + spell level):

• 0 – arcane mark, dancing lights, daze, detect magic, Detect Poison, mage hand, open/close, prestidigitation, read magic;
• 1st- cause fear, charm person, comprehend languages, erase, hypnotism;
• 2nd-misdirection, obscure object, rope trick, see invisibility, hideous laughter;
• 3rd- secret page, shrink item, suggestion, vampiric touch;
• 4th- arcane eye, bestow curse, charm monster, confusion;
• 5th-animate dead, contact other plane, dream, nightmare;
• 6th-circle of death, flesh to stone, geas/quest;
• 7th-shadow walk, simulacrum, vanish;
• 8th-mass charm, irresistible dance, Trap the Soul;
• 9th- gate, temporal stasis, wish.

Other Divine Powers

As a greater deity, Loki automatically receives the best possible result on any die roll he makes (including attack rolls, damage, checks, and saves). He is immortal.

Senses: Loki can see, hear, touch, and smell at a distance of sixteen miles. As a standard action, he can perceive anything within sixteen miles of his worshipers, holy sites, objects, or any location where one of his titles or name was spoken in the last hour.

He can extend his senses to up to twenty locations at once. He can block the sensing power of deities of his rank or lower at up to two remote locations at once for 16 hours.

Portfolio Sense: Loki senses all crimes, Constitution games, practical jokes, and tricks the instant they happen and sixteen weeks into the past and future.

Automatic Actions: Loki can use any rogue class skill as a free action if the DC for the task is 30 or lower. He can perform up to twenty such free actions each round.

Create Magic Items: Loki can create any magic item related to rogues or assassins.

The Lore of the Gods

Book Two: The Asgardians

Lead Designers Steven Creech and Kevin Ruesch Lead Editor Steven Schend Creative Director Jim Butler Art Director Todd Morasch
Illustrations Michael Nickovich Typesetter Joshua Gilchrist

Loki is a giant who became a member of the Aesir when Odin made him a blood brother. He is a mischief-maker and often referred to as the Father of Lies. Loki is a shape-shifter, and his form is always changing so that he can perform his mischief. After causing the death of Balder, Loki was punished and bound with chains deep beneath the earth for being a conspirator in Balder’s slaying. Loki’s wife Sigyn (not the mother of his offspring) devotes her life to sheltering him by holding a bowl below the serpents that drip venom on Loki’s face. It is said that every time Sigyn goes to empty the dish, the venom causes Loki to go into spasms, causing the earth to quake. According to legend, he will be freed at the time of Ragnarok and die fighting Heimdall as they kill each other.

Loki is indeed the most evil among the residents of Asgard. He is called ‘Foe of the Gods, Forger of Evil, Cheat of the gods, and Contriver of Balder’s Death’. He is an ambiguous character, for he provides others with advice in one occasion and then tries to defy and hinder them in the next. His plan to destroy the gods of Asgard and the universe is no secret for it is foretold that his hideous children will be active in the coming of Ragnarok. He had three offspring by a giantess named Angurboda: the wolf Fenris, the Midgard serpent Jormungand, and Hel, who reigns over the realm of the dead.

Artifacts that the Avatar May Possess:

Mask of Deception

The mask is made of oak and brass, however when placed over the face it floats an inch away and moves with the wearer. When so placed the mask becomes invisible and intangible. The mask can be removed at will.

The Mask Of Deception has the following powers (at 20th level):

• -Steal identity** 1/day.
• –Misdirection at will.
• –suggestion at will.
• –modify memory at will.
• –mislead at will.
• –Mass suggestion 5/day.
• –alter self at will.
• -Seeming 5/day.
• -Non-detection continuously.
• –veil 5/day.
• -Shape change 1/day.