Crusader

You have spent your life in the service of a temple to a specific god or pantheon of gods. You act as an intermediary between the realm of the holy and the mortal world, performing sacred rites and offering sacrifices in order to conduct worshipers into the presence of the divine. as well due to being a Trained Soldier of your faith you have also trained as a youth, studied the use of weapons and armor, learned basic survival techniques, including how to stay alive on the battlefield. you might have been part of a standing religious army or a religious mercenary company, or perhaps a member of a local church militia who rose to prominence during a recent war 

Choose a god, a pantheon of gods, or some other quasi-divine being, and work with your DM to detail the nature of your religious service. The Gods of the Multiverse section contain a sample pantheon, from the Forgotten Realms setting. Were you a lesser functionary in a temple, raised from childhood to assist the priests in the sacred rites? Or were you a high priest who suddenly experienced a call to serve your god in a different way? Perhaps you were the leader of a small cult outside of any established temple structure or even an occult group that served a fiendish master that you now deny. As well when you choose this background, work with your DM to determine which military organization you were/are a part of, how far through it's ranks you have progressed, and what kind of experiences you had during your military career.

Skill Proficiencies: Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Religion, Athletics, Intimidation

Tool Proficiencies: Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set, vehicles (land)

Languages: Languages: Two of your choice

Equipment:

Equipment: A Holy Symbol (a gift to you when you entered the priesthood), a prayer book or prayer wheel, 5 sticks of incense, vestments, a set of common clothes, and an Insignia of rank, a trophy taken from a fallen enemy (a dagger, broken blade, or piece of a banner), a set of bone dice or deck of cards, and a pouch containing 15 gp.

 

Suggested Characteristics

Suggested Characteristics

Crusaders are shaped by their experience in temples or other religious communities. Their study of the history, Military tactics, and tenets of their faith and their relationships to temples, shrines, or hierarchies affect their mannerisms and ideals. Their flaws might be some hidden hypocrisy or heretical idea, or an ideal or bond is taken to an extreme. 

As well due to being in Religious wars, these also taking effect on shaping their ideals, creating strong bonds, and often leaving them scarred and vulnerable to fear, shame and hatred

 

d16	Personality Trait
1	I’m always polite and respectful.
2	I can find common ground between the fiercest enemies, empathizing with them and always working toward peace.
3	I’ve lost too many friends, and I’m slow to make new ones.
4	Nothing can shake my optimistic attitude.
5	I can stare down a hell hound without flinching.
6	I am tolerant (or intolerant) of other faiths and respect (or condemn) the worship of other gods.
7	I have a crude sense of humor.
8	I’ve spent so long in the temple that I have little practical experience dealing with people in the outside world.
9	I’m haunted by memories of war. I can’t get the images of violence out of my mind.
10	I idolize a particular hero of my faith, and constantly refer to that person’s deeds and example.
11	I’m full of inspiring and cautionary tales from my military experience relevant to almost every combat situation.
12	I see omens in every event and action. The gods try to speak to us, we just need to listen.
13	I enjoy being strong and like breaking things.
14	I face problems head-on. A simple, direct solution is the best path to success.
15	I quote (or misquote) sacred texts and proverbs in almost every situation.
16	I’ve enjoyed fine food, drink, and high society among my temple’s elite. Rough living grates on me.

d6	Ideal
1	Greater Good. Our lot is to lay down our lives in defense of others. (Good)
2	Tradition. The ancient traditions of worship and sacrifice must be preserved and upheld. (Lawful)
3	Independence. When people follow orders blindly, they embrace a kind of tyranny. (Chaotic)
4	Might. In life as in war, the stronger force wins. (Evil)
5	Live and Let Live. Ideals aren’t worth killing over or going to war for. (Neutral)
6	Aspiration. I seek to prove myself worthy of my god’s favor by matching my actions against his or her teachings. (Any)

d12	Bond
1	I would still lay down my life for the people I served with.
2	I would die to recover an ancient relic of my faith that was lost long ago.
3	Someone saved my life on the battlefield. To this day, I will never leave a friend behind.
4	My honor is my life.
5	I’ll never forget the crushing defeat my company suffered or the enemies who dealt it.
6	Those who fight beside me are those worth dying for.
7	I will someday get revenge on the corrupt temple hierarchy who branded me a heretic.
8	I owe my life to the priest who took me in when my parents died.
9	Everything I do is for the common people.
10	I will do anything to protect the temple where I served.
11	I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.
12	I seek to preserve a sacred text that my enemies consider heretical and seek to destroy.

d12	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.
7	The monstrous enemy we faced in battle still leaves me quivering with fear.
8	I have little respect for anyone who is not a proven warrior.
9	I made a terrible mistake in battle that cost many lives—and I would do anything to keep that mistake secret.
10	My hatred of my enemies is blind and unreasoning.
11	I obey the law, even if the law causes misery.
12	I’d rather eat my armor than admit when I’m wrong.