Hestia (Vesta)

The virgin Hestia, daughter of Cronus and Rhea, is the goddess of the hearth, of the right ordering of domesticity and the family, who received the first offering at every sacrifice in the household. In the public domain, the hearth of the prytaneum functioned as her official sanctuary. With the establishment of a new colony, flame from Hestia’s public hearth in the mother city would are carried to the new settlement. She sat on a plain wooden throne with a white woolen cushion and did not trouble to choose an emblem for herself.

She is also known in Italy as Vesta, whose cult round the ever-burning hearth bound Romans together in the form of an extended family. The temple of Apollo at Delphi which always had its inner hestia” Among classical Greeks the altar was always in the open air with no roof but the sky, and that of the oracle at Delphi was the shrine of the Goddess before it was assumed by Apollo. The Mycenaean great hall, such as the hall of Odysseus at Ithaca was a megaron, with a central hearthfire.

The hearth fire of a Greek or a Roman household was not allowed to go out, unless it was ritually extinguished and ritually renewed, accompanied by impressive rituals of completion, purification and renewal. Compare the rituals and connotations of an eternal flame and of sanctuary lamps. At the more developed level of the polis, Hestia symbolizes the alliance between the colonies and their mother cities.

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Hestia is one of the Grecian hearth goddesses. The Romans later called her Vesta. Hestia was said to preside over all sacrifices. One of the prohibitions was that should her fire ever go it, it could not be rekindled by an ordinary fire but only by the sun’s rays or by the friction of two pieces of wood. As Vesta, the leaders of her cult were the Vestal Virgins (these were six girls from ages six to ten) who entered her college and stayed there for thirty years. Those breaking their vow of chastity were whipped to death or entombed. Her witches will be the older women who have completed their temple service.

She is part of a trinity of Artemis (maiden), Hestia (mother), and Hecate (crone).

Symbol: The hearth and the tamed fire which burns there.

Major Temple Sites: Her public hearths were called the prytaneion. Colonists kindle fire from her hearth in the prytaneion and keep it lit until they reached the hearths of new towns and cities

Alignment: LG

Areas of Influence: Hearth, Healing, Home

The Lore of the Gods
Book One: The Greek Gods

Lead Designers
Steven Creech and Kevin Ruesch Lead Editor Steven Schend Creative Director Jim Butler Art Director
Todd Morasch Artwork Aaron D. Siddal

Hestia is the virgin goddess of the hearth and the eldest child of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Unlike the other Olympian deities, Hestia does not reside at Mount Olympus, but on Earth with the mortals. She is considered to be the kindest and gentlest of all of the gods. She has never wed but protects orphans and missing children. She is the goddess of humble domestic joy. Hestia’s power is in her being. She does not strive or seek to accomplish. Around her there are no quarrels, competitions, lovers, conquests, adventures, or romances. She remains centered, refusing to compromise. She is also one of only three gods immune to the spells of Aphrodite (the other two being Athena and Artemis).

Deities & Demigods

By Rich Redman, Skip Williams, James Wyatt

Hestia
Virgin Goddess of the Hearth, Home, and Family
Lesser Deity
Symbol: Hearth, House and Ladle
Home Plane: Olympus
Alignment: Neutral good
Portfolio: Home, hearth, family
Domain: Community, Denial, Protection
Traditional Allies: Hera
Traditional Foes: Any who seek to disrupt the security of the home and spread chaos.
Servitor Creatures: Chastities
Divine Artifact: Wand of the Hearth
Worshipers: Commoners
Cleric Alignments: CG, LG, NG
Favored Weapon: dagger
Favored Class: cleric, monk
Benefits: clerics and monks of Hestia gain +1 on all Will saves.

“In all the temples of the gods she has her share of honor and for all mortals she is of all the gods the most venerated.”

– The Homeric Hymns

This illustrious position belongs to an unassuming deity, Hestia (hess-tee-ah). Though she is Zeus’s sister and a daughter of Cronus and Rhea, Hestia is for the most part uninvolved in the quarrels, politics, and escapades of the other Olympian deities. Instead, she is content with her position as a house deity, worshiped with simple sacrifices by simple people on tiny home altars.

Hestia appears as a young woman with a gleam in her eyes like dancing firelight. She is the firstborn daughter of Cronus and Rhea, but was the last to emerge from her father’s stomach when Zeus liberated his swallowed siblings. Poseidon and Apollo both courted her, but she spurned them both and swore an oath to remain a virgin for ever.

Dogma

Hestia’s faith is a simple one. She teaches the virtues of home and family life, the sweet rewards of labor, and the blessings of food and rest. She encourages common people to take pleasure in the gifts of life as they come, giving thanks to the gods for every earthly blessing.

Clergy and Temples

Hestia’s clerics are usually common people, and often farm the land or carry on a trade in addition to organizing worship of Hestia. Her clerics bless new homes, consecrate the hearth altars found in nearly every home, and share in family celebrations such as births, birthdays, and other rites of passage.

Hestia has no temples of her own, but she has a place of honor in every Olympian temple. Every hearth fire that burns in temples and in homes is an altar to Hestia, and so her honor is high indeed despite her low rank in the pantheon.

Hestia
Expert 20
Large outsider (Good)
Divine Rank	9
Hit Dice	20d8+160 (outsider) plus 20d6+160 (Exp) (600 hp)
Initiative	+12 (+8 Dexterity, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed	80 ft.
AC	58 (-1 size, +8 Dexterity, +9 divine, +22 natural, +10 deflection)
Attacks	Small +5 flaming burst dagger +55/+50/+45/+40 melee; or spell +50 melee touch or +46 ranged touch
Damage	Small +5 flaming burst dagger 1d6+17/19–20; or by spell
Face/Reach	5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks	Domain powers, salient divine abilities, spell like abilities.
Special Qualities	Divine immunities, DR 44/+4, fast healing 29, understand, speak, and read all languages and speak directly to all beings within 9 miles, remote communication, godly realm, teleport without error at will, plane shift at will, SR 41, divine aura (900 ft., DC 29).
Saves	Fort +39, Ref +39, Will +47.
Abilities	Strength 35, Dexterity 27, Constitution 27, Intelligence 30, Wisdom 43, Charisma 30.
Skills	Appraise +49, Balance +19, Craft (basketweaving) +59, Craft (pottery) +59, Craft (weaving) +59, Diplomacy +61, Gather Information +59, Heal +67, Hide +13, Jump +23, Knowledge (arcana) +39, Knowledge (local) +49, Knowledge (religion) +49, Listen +57, Profession (cook) +65, Profession (farmer) +65, Profession (herbalist) +65, Search +49, Sense Motive +65, Spot +57, Tumble +37.
Feats	Alertness, Dodge, Combat Expertise, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Skill Focus (Craft (basketweaving)], Skill Focus [Craft (pottery)], Skill Focus [Craft (weaving)], Skill Focus [Knowledge (local)], Skill Focus [Knowledge (religion)], Skill Focus [Profession (cook)], Skill Focus [Profession (farmer)], Skill Focus [Profession (herbalist)].
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, Area Divine Shield, Avatar, Divine Blast, Divine Dodge, Divine Fast Healing, Divine Shield, Energy Storm (fire), Extra Energy Immunity (fire).
Domain Powers	Once per day, an opponent you designate may not add its appropriate ability modifier to a single attack roll, skill check, spell, or spell-like ability.; 9/day protective ward (touched subject gains +9 resistance bonus on next saving throw, maximum duration 1 hour).
Spell-Like Abilities	Hestia uses these abilities as a 19th level caster. The save DCs are 29 + spell level. , antimagic field, bless, dispel magic, globe of invulnerability, heroes feast, magic circle against evil, mass heal, mind blank, miracle, peace aura, prayer, prismatic sphere, protection from energy, refuge, repulsion, sanctuary, sanctuary, mass, sequester, shield other, spell immunity, Spell Resistance, status, telepathic bond, touch me not:

Other Divine Powers

As a lesser deity, Hestia may take 10 on any check. Hestia treats a 1 on an attack roll or saving throw normally and not as an automatic failure. She is immortal.

Senses: Hestia can see, hear, touch, and smell at a distance of nine miles. As a standard action, she can perceive anything within nine miles of her worshipers, holy sites, objects, or any location where one of her titles or name was spoken in the last hour. She can extend her senses to up to five locations at once. She can block the sensing power of deities of her rank or lower at up to two remote locations at once for 9 hours.

Portfolio Sense: Hestia has no portfolio sense.

Automatic Actions: Hestia can use Craft (basketweaving), Craft (pottery), Craft (weaving), Profession (cook), Profession (farmer), or Profession (herbalist) as a free action if the DC for the task is 20 or lower. She can perform up to five such free actions each round.

Create Magic Items: Hestia can create minor magic items involving fire or cooking, such as a wand of fireball or a Murlynd’s spoon, as long as the item’s market price does not exceed 30,000 gp.

Avatars

Hestia rarely uses her avatar.

Avatar of Hestia:
As Hestia except divine rank 4;
AC 48 (touch 21, flat-footed 21);
Atk +50/+45/+40/+35 melee (1d6+17 plus 1d6 fire/19–20, Small +5 flaming burst dagger) or spell +45 melee touch or +41 ranged touch;
SQ DR 39/+4, SR 36, divine aura (40 ft., DC 24);
SV Fort +34, Ref +34, Will +42;
all skill modifiers reduced by 5.
Salient Divine Abilities: Alter Size, Divine Dodge, Divine Fast Healing, Divine Shield, Extra Energy Immunity (fire).
Spell-Like Abilities: Caster level 14th; saving throw DC 24 + spell level.

Artifact of the Gods that the Avatar may possess:

Wand of the Hearth:

This simple looking wooden wand personifies the perception of Hestia as Protector of the Home. It grants the wielder the following abilities (20th level):

• death ward at will
• shield other at will
• antimagic field – 3/day
• guards and wards – 3/day
• heal – 3/day
• shared fate – 3/day (see New Spells)