Once, perhaps not too long ago, you served alongside your fellow neophytes. You worshipped a dark creature or eldritch god, performed sacraments, and adorned yourself with the suitable tattoos or ceremonial scars. You basked in this dark glory with your fellows, feeling the clarity of purpose that comes with service to a higher power.
You may still serve your cult, or you left them behind in your search for other things. In either case, you have been marked by your connection to dark cults.
- Skill Proficiencies:
- Tool Proficiencies:
Poisoner's Kit
- Languages:
One of your choice
- Equipment:
Lightly tattered robes, a symbol of devotion, a blasphemous holy text, a curved ritual dagger, a poisoner's kit, and a small pouch containing 5 gp.
Many adventurers used to be cultists, leaving behind that life in search of new or different things. Work with your DM to determine what caused you to break from your cult, or roll on the table below.
| d8 | Change of Heart |
|---|---|
| 1 | I witnessed a particularly gruesome rite and ran for my life. |
| 2 | I botched a ritual which slaughtered other members of my circle. Only I survived. |
| 3 | I asked the wrong kind of questions. The others planned to sacrifice me to our dark lord, but I escaped. |
| 4 | Adventurers hunted down my brethren, and only I was able to escape. |
| 5 | The other cultists disappeared through a portal to a land of unspeakable horrors. Terrified, I stayed behind. |
| 6 | The others took their own lives to ascend. I could not. |
| 7 | I no longer believed in what we were doing. It seemed wrong, somehow. |
| 8 | A friend or family member rescued me, taking me away by force. |
You know the secret symbology of your cult, which is used by members to identify themselves to fellow adherents. Some influential persons or townsfolk may be members of your cult, and with a subtle gesture or hand sign you can discern who follows the ways of your dark patron.
Cloisters of your cult may be hidden in different towns. These signs can identify such cloisters, and if they are still active, the adherents there may feel obliged to provide you and your companions with food and lodging.
Suggested Characteristics
A cult washes away doubt and instills faith; this simple fact reverberates all throughout a cultist's life. Even if a cultist has forsworn their service, they are still deeply affected by their old life.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | Everything is a sign of coming doom. Every. Single. Thing. |
| 2 | The world outside is so exciting! Now I can do everything the dark lord forbid, like drinking wine, or wearing shoes! |
| 3 | If I'm not stopped, I will openly reminisce about my old days in the cult all day long. |
| 4 | I can't help but check my cult's holy scriptures for advice about any given situation. |
| 5 | I still can't help but check the holy scriptures for advice about any given situation. |
| 6 | It's no big deal; 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 | The dark lord used to order us to do everything, and it's a little hard for me to live without that structure. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Loyalty. One must commit themselves to their beliefs unwaveringly. (Lawful) |
| 2 | Reparation. I believe that evil deeds can be repented. I must believe. (Good) |
| 3 | Independence. I'll never be bound in servitude again! (Chaotic) |
| 4 | Power. My dark patron holds power, but I plan to be stronger than they'll ever be. (Evil) |
| 5 | Secrets. The lore of my cult is historically important, and I must preserve it. (Neutral) |
| 6 | Revision. My cult's holy book is wrong. I must learn about the outside world, and fix the book's errors. (Chaotic) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I must discover the truth behind the entity I worshipped, even if it kills me. |
| 2 | I yearn to reconnect with the people from my life before the cult. |
| 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 sold my soul in service to the dark powers, 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 too willing to follow orders without thinking. |
| 6 | Murder was significantly less frowned upon by the cult than it is in the outside world. |