You either were born into or joined a cult and have since left. This cult may be powerful or weak, malignant or beneficial, insidious or out in the open. What is certain is that the cult is insular and doesn't like it when people leave it. In the cult, you gained some lifelong friends, learned esoteric knowledge, and gained important skills.
These friends now hate and/or fear you. The knowledge you learned must be suppressed. The magic and skills you know are only for cultists in good standing. You either must return to the cult, be discredited, or be neutralized, and they will stop at nothing to do so.
NOTE: Gives the Magic Initiate (Cleric) feat and bonuses to Dex, Wis, and Cha. Some versions did not show that information.
- Skill Proficiencies: Religion and Persuasion
- Tool Proficiencies: Herbalism Kit
- Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) Dagger, Priest's Pack, Holy Symbol, Traveler’s Clothes, 8 GP; or (B) 50 GP
When you left the cult, you had to burn some important bridges. You took with you things that were important cult property, including personal possessions, knowledge and skills, and even your body. The cultists have an imperative to hunt you down and take back what is rightfully theirs. With your DM, choose some obscure topics that fit under the skill you have acquired from this background. You have advantage when trying to use that skill on subjects related to that topic. However, the cultists can zero in on you when you publicly do so.
Suggested Characteristics
From your time in the cult, you learned the importance of working with others, of following orders, and putting an ideal or movement ahead of yourself. You were part of a group and felt loved when you hewed to their standards and shunned when you disappointed them. Since you have left, you may find that you can accept the good while refuting the bad, or you may have categorically rejected everything that reminds you of it.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | Seeker. The truth is out there, and I will find it. |
| 2 | Gullible. That cult wasn't right for me, but there will be one some day! |
| 3 | Skeptic. My faith in humanity and reality itself is shaken. |
| 4 | Misanthrope. Humanity is flawed and irredeemable. My time in the cult proved that to me. |
| 5 | Paranoid. Cultists are looking for me everywhere, just waiting to get their revenge. |
| 6 | Cautionary. I'll never do anything again without checking it out first. |
| 7 | Optimist. I came out of the experience a better person, and everything is just getting better. |
| 8 | Sheltered. I've spent most of my life in the cult, and I am just learning how to live normally. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | The group is more important than I am (Lawful) |
| 2 | I will never be bound to a group again (Chaotic) |
| 3 | It's easy and fun to exploit people (Evil) |
| 4 | Everyone needs help sometimes, and I do what I can (Good) |
| 5 | No one should be forced to do anything they don't want to (Chaotic) |
| 6 | Don't trust anyone who says they don't want something from you (Neutral) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I made some good friends in the cult, and I will save them. |
| 2 | I long to return to my home, but it is under cult control. |
| 3 | A spouse or child is being held captive by the cult. |
| 4 | My family disowned me when I joined the cult. I want their acceptance. |
| 5 | I have joined a group to hunt down cultists. |
| 6 | I am in a group of people harmed by cults. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I judge everyone too harshly, especially myself. |
| 2 | I think everyone who professes a religious belief is either stupid, evil, or both. |
| 3 | I am too flexible in my thinking - I accept everything uncritically. |
| 4 | I am inflexible in my thinking - I won't accept new ideas except under duress. |
| 5 | I become obsessive too easily. |
| 6 | I am a flibbertigibbet - I shift goals on a whim. |
Contacts
You and other ex-cultists have a small network devoted to rescuing people from the cult and reintegrating them into society. Current cultists may grant you a temporary truce if you are working toward the same goal or feel like you may rejoin the cult, but they will always pursue you once your common cause ends.
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