Cultist
You are a member of a cult, either presently or formerly. You devoted long, strenuous days of your life towards whatever intangible, metaphysical force that guides your faith, but at last, that has changed. Perhaps your deity of choice reached out to you to give you a mission, perhaps you finally hung up the dark robes and ceremonial knife to start a new chapter in your life, whatever the case may be, you’ve decided to take what you’ve learned from your life as a worshiper of the ungodly, and embark on a new chapter of your life as an adventurer.
Talk with your DM to figure out the specifics of your cult of origin, to see if there are any other areas of play that might be influenced by your experience with dark rituals and the arcane.
Skill Proficiencies: Choose two of the following skills to have proficiency in:
Arcana, Religion, Nature, Medicine, Intimidation
Languages: Two of your choice
Equipment: A symbol relating to membership in your cult, a book detailing your dark rituals, 5 candlesticks, dark hooded vestments (or others that relate to your cult), a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing [roll]3d10+5[/roll] gp
Feature: Shadow-Caller’s Instinct
As a cultist, you have a connection to places of worship, and the rituals used to summon extraplanar beings. You have advantage when making an Arcana or Religion check to uncover the origins or purpose of an object relating to Demons, Devils, or Aberrations. Talk to your DM if you wish to swap out one of these creature types for one that more closely resembles your cult’s theme.
Suggested Characteristics
d5 Personality Trait
1 Nothing can shake my optimistic attitude.
2 I quote (or misquote) sacred texts and proverbs in almost every situation.
3 I am tolerant (or intolerant) of other faiths and respect (or condemn) the worship of other gods.
4 I’ve enjoyed fine food, drink, and high society among my temple’s elite. Rough living grates on me.
5 I’ve spent so long in the temple that I have little practical experience dealing with people in the outside world.
d5 Ideal
1 Tradition. The ancient traditions of worship and sacrifice must be preserved and upheld. (Lawful)
2 Change. We must help bring about the changes the gods are constantly working in the world. (Chaotic)
3 Power. I hope to one day rise to the top of my faith’s religious hierarchy. (Lawful)
4 Faith. I trust that my deity will guide my actions. I have faith that if I work hard, things will go well. (Lawful)
5 Aspiration. I seek to prove myself worthy of my god’s favor by matching my actions against his or her teachings. (Any)
d5 Bond
1 I would die to recover an ancient relic of my faith that was lost long ago.
2 I will someday get revenge on the corrupt temple hierarchy who branded me a heretic.
3 Everything I do is for the common people.
4 I will do anything to protect the temple where I served.
5 I seek to preserve a sacred text that my enemies consider heretical and seek to destroy.
d6 Flaw
1 I judge others harshly, and myself even more severely.
2 I put too much trust in those who wield power within my temple’s hierarchy.
3 My piety sometimes leads me to blindly trust those that profess faith in my god.
4 I am inflexible in my thinking.
5 I am suspicious of strangers and expect the worst of them.
6 Once I pick a goal, I become obsessed with it to the detriment of everything else in my life.
Variant Feature: Void-Touched Charisma
As a cultist, you have an innate connection to other followers of your faith, and can command the respect of followers of cults with similar values. You and your adventuring companions can expect to receive free healing and care at a outpost, shrine, or other established presence of your faith.
You also may have dedicated yourself to a cult at a particular place of worship where you have residence. While at or near your home, you can call upon fellow cultists for assistance, so long as it does not require them to engage in an overly-hazardous task, and you remain in good-standing with your cult.