The Uncaring, Lord of All Magics, Archmage of the Deities
Greater Deity
Symbol: Eye balanced on a pedestal inside a pentagon
Home Plane: The Outlands
Alignment: Neutral
Portfolio: Magic, arcane knowledge, foresight, balance
Worshippers: Wizards, sorcerers, illusionists, philosophers, sages
Cleric Alignments: LN, NG, N, NE, CN
Domains: Knowledge, Magic, Mind, Oracle, Trickery
Favoured Weapon: “Staff of Boccob” (Quarterstaff)
Relics: Rod of reversal, tome of ancient lore
The deity of magic, Boccob (bock-obb), appears as a handsome man of indeterminate age clad in loose purple garments. Shimmering golden runes that move and change cover his attire. He has few followers, but this fact does not seem to concern him in the least.
Boccob is a distant deity who promotes no special agenda, except proclaiming magic the most important force in the world — more vital than good, evil, law or chaos. Most of his clerics observe strict neutrality. One missal advises Boccob’s followers to seek balance above good, evil, law or chaos and to push back encroachments of good or evil.
This steadfast moderation in political, ethical and philosophical affairs earns Boccob and his followers few friends. Nevertheless, Boccob’s worshippers are respected for their knowledge and magical prowess, and their advice is valued (if not always completely trusted).
Boccob’s clerics favour purple garments with gold trim; many are cleric/wizards or cleric/sorcerers. Most remain aloof from worldly affairs and devote themselves to magical research and to formulating prophecies. They share their knowledge of the future only sparingly, lest someone get the upper hand and upset the balance. Boccob’s clergy actively creates magic items, which they usually sell to anyone with the cash to buy them. During war, Boccob’s clerics happily sell magic items to all sides. Many of Boccob’s clerics keep busy rooting out bits of magical lore, recovering lost magic items and investigating mysteries. They adamantly oppose any attempt to destroy a magic item or any magical place.
Boccob’s temples are usually located in urban areas. They are always well fortified to withstand outside interference, and they house extensive libraries. Most are also well equipped with various scrying devices. The clergy use them to spot infiltrators and keep an eye on the surrounding area.
Visitors to a temple of Boccob usually get a cool greeting at best and are never truly welcomed unless they have some unusual magic item to offer for examination or money to spend on spells, magic items or information.
Boccob’s clerics are alert for signs of magical aptitude among youngsters, and they offer education to any youth they deem worthy of the privilege, whether noble or commoner. Clerics of Boccob almost always learn their prayers and sacraments in a classroom at a major temple-college.
Anything that involves powerful magic involves the followers of Boccob. Creating or destroying artifacts, uncovering new kinds of magic, and travelling the Outer Planes are all common quests. A follower of Boccob might rescue a sorcerer captured by bugbears, brave a ruin to retrieve an ancient spellbook or break up a cult of ur-priests seeking to cut off magic power to all but themselves.
Prayers to Boccob have remarkably florid language. One common one begins, “Hail and I greet you, Boccob, Master of Magic, All-Seeing, All-Potent Revealer of Mysteries Beyond Compare, Whose Perspicacity knows no boundaries, most puissant protector of the eldritch realms, both known and unknown…”.
Boccob favours tall, round towers for his temples. Almost all have colleges for the study of both divine and arcane magic, and visitors are as likely to meet wizards as clerics inside. Most Boccob temples provide magic item identification and a number of divinations to the public.
Boccob’s followers celebrate powerful magic in all its forms, performing ceremonies when a magic item is made or a new spell discovered. Many high-level followers make pilgrimages to other planes to see magic in action.
On the rare occasions when Boccob deigns to use a herald, it’s almost always a 20th-level wizard. Allies are janni genies, invisible stalkers and Huge elementals (any kind).
Source: Deities and Demigods (Page 60), Complete Divine (Page 110)