You know the secret symbology of your cult, which can pop up in some surprising places. With a subtle gesture or knowing handshake you can discern who follows the ways of your dark lord. Cloisters of your cult may be hidden across the galaxy, identified by the secret signs and symbols designed to lead the faithful to places of dark worship. Such cloistered often contain enough lodging and food for at least ten people, for a week, and sometimes harbor eldritch treasures belonging to the cult.
Ex-Cultist
Feature: Secret Signs
BackgroundExpanded Content
At a glance
- Skill proficiencies
- Choose two from Deception, Intimidation, Investigation, or Lore
- Tool proficiencies
- Poisoner's kit
- Languages
- One of your choice
- Equipment
- A set of common clothes including a robe, a symbol of devotion, a copy of a blasphemous holy text, a curved ritual knife, a poisoner's kit, and a belt pouch containing 50 cr
Once you served alongside your fellow neophytes. You worshiped at altars to a deific entity, performed the sacraments and adorned yourself in the proper fashion. You basked in this dark glory with your fellows as you served this higher, malign power. But, something changed. Now, you wander the world outside of isolated circle of brethren, either unwillingly or of your own volition.
Suggested characteristics
A cult washes away all doubt and instills faith throughout a cultist's life. Even if a service is forsworn, members are still deeply affected by their old life.
Change of Heart
Why did you walk away from the world you knew? Was this a choice you made, or did fate separate you from your fellow devotees? Do you wish to undo the evil that your cult perpetuated, or would you rejoin your cult if given the chance?
| d4 | Change of Heart |
|---|---|
| 1 | I witnessed a particularly gruesome rite and ran for my life. |
| 2 | I asked the wrong kind of questions. The others planned to sacrifice me to our dark lord, but I escaped. |
| 3 | The others took their own lives to ascend. I could not. |
| 4 | I no longer believed in what we were doing. It seemed wrong, somehow. |
Feature
- Secret Signs
| d8 | Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | Everything is a sign of coming doom. Every. Single. Thing. |
| 2 | The world is so exciting! Now I can do things previously forbidden like drinking wine or wearing shoes. |
| 3 | The dark lord used to order us to do everything. It's a little hard for me to live without that. |
| 4 | If my friends will let me, I'll openly reminisce about my old days in the cult all day long. |
| 5 | I can't help but check the holy scriptures for advice about any given situation. |
| 6 | It's not the end of the world. That's not for another five years, three months, ten days, twelve hours... |
| 7 | I hate my cult for what they made me do and what they made me become. |
| 8 | I'll happily inform those I meet of the many ways in which they are being heretical. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Loyalty — My new companions are my new family, I will protect them. (Lawful) |
| 2 | Redemption — I must fix the evils my cult has done. (Light) |
| 3 | Independence — I'll never be bound in servitude again! (Chaotic) |
| 4 | Power — The dark lord was weak in the end. I will be stronger than they ever were. (Dark) |
| 5 | Secrets — The lore of my cult is historically important, and I should preserve it. (Neutral) |
| 6 | Revision — The cult failed because the holy book was wrong. I must learn about the outside world, and fix the book's errors. (Any) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I must discover the truth behind my dark lord, even if it kills me. |
| 2 | I need to reconnect with the people from my life before the cult, if I can ever find them. |
| 3 | I must free other people from unwitting service to dark masters. |
| 4 | A monstrous, immortal guardian of the cult is hunting me. I pray it never finds me. |
| 5 | I sacrificed my light in service to the dark lord, and now I seek to reclaim it. |
| 6 | The day of reckoning is coming, and my knowledge is the key to stopping it. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | If I ever had the chance, I'd definitely rejoin my cult. |
| 2 | I'm a little too into blood sacrifice. |
| 3 | Knowledge is more important than sanity. |
| 4 | I'm often more interested in than frightened of abominable eldritch monsters. |
| 5 | I'm almost too willing to follow orders without thinking. |
| 6 | Murder was significantly less frowned upon by the cult than in the outside world. |
| d8 | Feat |
|---|---|
| 1 | Silver-Tongued |
| 2 | Threatening |
| 3 | Investigator |
| 4 | Loremaster |
| 5 | Specialist |
| 6 | Linguist |
| 7 | Galvanizing Presence |
| 8 | Force-Sensitive |