Eldritch Acolyte

You are a voice for The Beyond. A conduit for the unfathomable entities that existed long before the pantheons of Gods and other divine beings that foolish and naïve mortals follow nowadays. You are here to prepare the way in the world for the return of one, or more, of The Great Old Ones. Whether through exposure, experience, or scholarly training, your mind is attuned to madness. You have insight into the chaotic, the crazy, the maddened, and the insane. Eldritch Acolytes can be, but are not always, evil. They have a unique outlook on life and death, morality, and indeed on existence as we know it.

Maybe you are a scholar of Psychiatry or Psychology; a warden, worker, or inmate of an asylum; or perhaps you have been given the slightest glimpse of The Void and have made a connection with one of the Great Old Ones themselves, or an avatar thereof. Whatever the case, you are a shepherd for the lost flock, the voice of an endless eternity that beckons unto the world. 

Skill Proficiencies: Choose 2 from Arcana, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, Persuasion, or Religion.

Languages: You know Deep Speech and one other language of your choice.

Equipment: A small ceremonial knife, a prayer book or prayer wheel, 5 sticks of incense, vestments, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 15 gp.

Suggested Characteristics

Eldritch Acolytes are shaped by their experience with broken and fragile minds or the study of the unknown. Their ideals are shaped by the pursuit of one thing alone, the return of the long-forgotten and ultimately unknowable eldritch denizens of The Beyond. Their flaws might be some attachment to a former life of worship or sanity, or an ideal or bond taken to an extreme.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I idolize a particular hero of my faith, and constantly refer to that person’s deeds and example.
2	I can sway the minds of the weak-willed with beguiling tales of things far beyond them and their gods.
3	I see omens in every event and action. The Old Ones try to reach us, we need but open our minds.
4	Nothing can shake my fatalistic attitude.
5	I quote (or misquote) sacred texts and proverbs in almost every situation.
6	I am tolerant (or intolerant) of other faiths and respect (or condemn) the worship of other gods.
7	I am inexorably drawn to secret texts, hidden tomes, or the lure of knowledge once forgotten.
8	I’ve spent so long among the insane that I have little practical experience dealing with the sane people of the world.

d6	Ideal
1	Tradition. The ancient traditions of worship and sacrifice must be preserved and upheld. (Lawful)
2	Charity. I always try to help those in need, no matter what the personal cost. (Good)
3	Change. We must help bring about the changes the gods are constantly working in the world. (Chaotic)
4	Power. I hope to one day rise to the top of my faith’s hierarchy, even i only to serve as an ultimate sacrifice. (Lawful)
5	Faith. I trust that my deity will guide my actions. I have faith that if I work hard, things will go well. (Lawful)
6	Aspiration. I seek to prove myself worthy of my god’s favor by matching my actions against his or her teachings. (Any)

d6	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	I owe my life to the priest who took me in when my parents died.
4	Everything I do is for the common people.
5	I will do anything to protect the temple where I served.
6	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	My mind is perhaps more fragile than I let on. The madness sometimes seeps through the veneer of calm.
3	My piety sometimes leads me to outbursts against established religions of other gods.
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.