Your life was dedicated to the service of some divine god or a pantheon of divine gods. You had acted as the go between for the mortal peoples of the world and the holy realm(s) of the gods. Maybe you were the head of a temple, or just a faithful dedicated. You had been in the service of this god(s) for as long you could remember before one fateful night when something pushed you from the grace of the divine. Perhaps, it was an accident, or perhaps the tempting whispers in your mind of things that were beyond belief were promises too good to resist. How far did you fall and who did it? All you know is that now, you have been cast out from the cloth. All of the followers that you knew and loved have turned their backs on you. You have been shunned from the temple and its people. If you are seen or spotted by these people and they know who you are, they may try to bring you to justice, through the elders or through personal means.
When you fell:
It was an accident or a simple misunderstanding. You did something you knew better than to do, or stumbled across something that caught your curiosity and you are now paying for it. You burned the wrong offerings, or uttered a diving phrase wrong, and it resulted in summoning or garnering the attention of the negative deity(ies). Were you tempted into the darkness by someone you thought to be friend or promised something that you just couldn't resist? Those whispers you heard could have been some dark god(s) trying to take you down or corrupt your soul so that you would weaken the faith or just because it was targeting you. If you were indeed targeted, does this being follow you and hinder you?
Someone set you up. A person may have done this to you so they could take your place or just to get you out of the way for something that would benefit them. Are you still a believer or do you even care? Perhaps this your path out of a lifetime of forced servitude to a god that didn't matter to you. Do you seek justice of your own? Are you trying to atone, or seek to restore your name if you were framed? How are you going to go about this? Where does your moral line lie in regards to what you are willing to do to prove your innocence? Keep in mind that the ends may not justify the means to the faith, should you do anything questionable to assuage yourself of the accusations. In the end, if you have done the unthinkable in the eyes of the faith, they may just decide to keep with the judgment they had already reached of you for your new crimes.
It was purposeful. You hated the order and you did whatever you did with complete knowledge that it was going to oppose them. How far did you go? Was it just a little dark spell, or did you know exactly what you wanted to do to all these people from the beginning? How great was your sin? Do consequences follow you, such as being cursed or having any magic you channeled through them taken away? Or perhaps holy messengers seek you out to make you atone for your crimes, depending how large they are. If you fell from grace due to corruption of a daemon, is that daemon pursuing you? Does it have a hold of your mortal soul? Did you instead promise yourself to it?
Whether you were wooed into darkness by a dark being or corrupted by your own actions, talk with your DM to decide the details of your fall from divine grace.
- Skill Proficiencies: Religion, or Arcana, or History
and
Deception, or Insight, or Investigation
- Languages: Celestial
and
Abyssal or Infernal
- Equipment: A cracked or broken holy symbol (originally a gift to you when you first entered the priesthood/dedicated group of the temple you lived at/near), a cursed prayer book or prayer wheel, an odd pouch of brimstone or sulfur, tarnished vestments, a set of common clothes and a pouch containing 10 gp
Roll a d20 or select a number on the table to choose a suggested reason as to why you fell from grace. You can use the exact wording or tweak the reasoning on each a bit to fit your needs. Each can either be something you chose to do, a misunderstanding, or an accident. The idea of these options are to be flexible and for any background choice.
| d20 | Fall from Grace |
|---|---|
| 1 | I shoved a priest that was forcing himself upon me, and somebody saw. He fell to his death, but it was self defense, you have to believe me! |
| 2 | I spoke an incantation of darkness and I liked it. |
| 3 | The elder that constantly berated me got what was coming to her. Too bad I wasn't able to stay and watch the poison do the deed. |
| 4 | I left because this temple is just as corrupt as the next of a different faith. |
| 5 | I was just looking at the forbidden spell book. I didn't mean to summon a daemon, honest! |
| 6 | I meant to call upon the dark beast that slaughtered half the temple. |
| 7 | I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got blamed for something somebody else did. |
| 8 | I never wanted to be a part of the priesthood of a faith I didn't believe in. So I renounced the god(s) and left. Now, the temple is angry because I was sworn to their god(s). |
| 9 | Someone said they heard me speaking Abyssal or Infernal and accused me of daemon worship. It may or may not be true. |
| 10 | I was accused of desecrating the largest idol of our god(s) we had. |
| 11 | The daemon amulet wasn't mine, it was put there by somebody else trying to accuse me of evil so they could move up in the priesthood. But I think I like it after all... |
| 12 | I infiltrated the temple as a child. I was always a part of another cult. I was there to sow seeds of malcontent, deception and chaos. |
| 13 | The whole temple was corrupted, it wasn't just me. |
| 14 | The whole faith was a sham; we were worshipping a false god and didn't even know about it. Now, we're all cursed. |
| 15 | I was the only one that came out unscatched from something that attacked the temple, but the elders of the faith are blaming me for the death of all in the temple. |
| 16 | I was the head priest of a temple that signed a contract that gave away not only my soul, but all the others who were sworn in too. |
| 17 | The faith's beliefs changed and new rules were set out. I thought they were wrong, and so I fled for my life/was kicked out and shunned. They're all evil! |
| 18 | There was no god(s) it was all a sham to begin with. |
| 19 | These gods don't hear us anymore, there aren't enough believers for them to pay attention. Why pray to something that doesn't care anymore? |
| 20 | Someone I cared for needed my help. I ended up sacrificing my soul for them to save theirs, and I became cursed because of it. |
As a corrupt acolyte, you are not welcome at any of the temples of your previous faith. Those who know of your transgression, whatever it may be, call for you to be brought before the temple elders so they may allot justice upon you when you are spotted. Depending on the individual who has seen you, they may follow and cause you trouble. As such, you must avoid the temple you served at; however, you can sneak in and masquerade yourself as a priest or priestess at another temple of the same faith due to your knowledge and upbringing. This will have consequences if you are discovered.
You also are infamous to others who have been shunned by this faith. You know how to seek these people out as they have had to go into hiding like you. You may request assistance from these groups or individuals provided the assistance you ask for is not hazardous. In return, they may solicit the same. If you are being pursued by those that have shunned you, others who have been shunned may choose to help you fight them off, but will flee if they believe their life to be at risk.
Spell List
When you fell, the deity that you caught the attention of bestowed you with magic from their domain either because you piqued their curiosity or because they were impressed with you.
Variant: When you dedicated yourself to your evil god(s) you were given access to a portion of their dark magic to help the world realize their great plans.
The spells on the Fallen Acolyte Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class. (If you are a multiclass character with multiple spell lists, these spells are added to all of them.)
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| Cantrip | eldritch blast, guidance |
| 1st | bane, hellish rebuke |
| 2nd | ray of enfeeblement, shadow blade |
| 3rd | bestow curse, feign death |
| 4th | evard's black tentacles, sickening radiance |
| 5th | reincarnate |
Your magic is often accompanied by a darkness or a pale wane light. When you cast beneficial spells on others they are surrounded by a burst of comforting silver moonlight often with a smell of pleasantly burning incense and a very brief tingling feeling throughout the limbs afterward. When you cast negative spells on others, they are surrounded by clinging and heavy shadow, often with a smell of brimstone or sulfur lingering and a slightly upset stomach afterward.
Suggested Characteristics
Acolytes are shaped by their experience in temples or other religious communities. Their study of the history 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 taken to an extreme.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I don't know quite what to do with myself now that I no longer have the structure of the temple. |
| 2 | I still pray and follow all of the commandments of the faith. I refuse to believe the deity I follow has turned its back on me. |
| 3 | The world is wonderful and now that I am no longer beholden to the rules of some dumb god, I am going to immerse myself in the full experience of material living. |
| 4 | I cannot believe all of the things I did not learn about the world. There is so much knowledge to be had. |
| 5 | I have grown used to being alone and prefer it that way. Company spells misfortune, as I have learned the hard way. |
| 6 | I have spent so much of my youth away from everyday society and I come off awkward due to social queues and nuances that I tend to miss because of the cloistered way I was raised. |
| 7 | I have a morbidly dark humor, often making jokes and laughing at the most inappropriate times. |
| 8 | I often misquote the sacred texts of my previous faith as a joke, or to turn a situation to my favor through fake rhetoric. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Faith. I still hold the ideals of my faith and will always do good, no matter the personal cost. (Good) |
| 2 | Power. Ever since getting my first taste of real power, I am hungry for more and I will stop at nothing to obtain it. (Evil) |
| 3 | Solitude. Assemblies of people usually result in organized religion, and I'm trying to avoid that. (Neutral) |
| 4 | Infidelity. Religion is used to control the masses, and it is our job to pull the wool from their eyes and show them they are being used. (Chaotic) |
| 5 | Order. Organized religion is often corrupt, and it is our job to purge the evil and restore order. (Lawful) |
| 6 | Nihilism. I have seen with my own eyes that the gods either don't exist, or don't care. We're all just pawns in their games of supposed divinity. So why should I listen? (Any) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | Despite the outcome, I still cling to the idea that the person who was my mentor is like family. |
| 2 | The deity(ies) I now follow showed me my true calling. I finally know what freedom is and owe everything to him/her/them. |
| 3 | The faith is all that I had... I am lost without it and will seek to restore my good name and go back to its loving embrace. |
| 4 | I know exactly who framed me. I will get my revenge. |
| 5 | The person who turned me from the path of 'the righteous' is like my best friend now. |
| 6 | It is now my goal in life to bring my ex faith to its knees. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I cannot stand religious people, they all look like sheeple to me now. I can't hide my disgust when around them. |
| 2 | Since becoming part of society, I have found it hard to resist... Well, they're known as extracurricular activities and I don't really care if they are legal or not. |
| 3 | I grew up too sheltered and am now definitely too naive and gullible for my own good. |
| 4 | I have been alone for so long now that everyone that I meet I try to make friends with. Even if its an obviously bad idea. |
| 5 | When forced to choose between my god(s) or others, I will always be loyal to my god(s). |
| 6 | I adore misery. I can't help but go wrecking relationships, breaking hearts, being devil's advocate, repeating lies and giving terrible news. If there is an opportunity to spread mischief, I will find it, use it and abuse it. |
Contacts
Your varied and complicated past has given you a plethora of opportunities to make both friends and rivals within and without of your temple and faith, and/or the cult you now serve. The connection of peoples in the faith is like a giant spider web that has allowed for you to befriend or make enemies with all sorts of people in high and low standing. Roll twice on the Acolyte Contacts table (for an ally and a rival) and once on the Non-Acolyte Contacts table.
| d8 | Contact |
|---|---|
| 1 | I had a secret relationship within the cloistor, even after everything that happened they have chosen to stay in touch with me. |
| 2 | One of my parents is the leader of a sister sect, they told me I was chosen for a higher calling, this is my trial and they will do what they can to return me to the cloth when the time comes. |
| 3 | I was not cast out alone, a fellow accolyte was banished along side me. Though we went our separate ways, we've walked a similar path since that day. |
| 4 | As a child, I was the handmaiden to one of the High Priestesses. |
| 5 | The High Priest of the Cult favors me, already they seek me out over those who have served longer. |
| 6 | A state official who also shares the shame of being shunned has taken pity on me. Long ago they changed their fate and now plan to help me do the same. |
| 7 | An elder of the faith was personally snubbed by my desertion or sentencing and keeps trying to contact me. |
| 8 | A general on the militant side of the faith has been tracking me unrelentlessly under orders of the ruling High Priestess. |
| d10 | Non-contact |
|---|---|
| 1 | My sibling left and joined a cult that opposed the faith. |
| 2 | I brought someone into the fold of the faith, saving them from a life as an urchin. |
| 3 | A friendly guard that I've known outside of the faith believes that I can be brought back to the path of light. |
| 4 | Growing up, I was bullied by a little snot that has since risen in rank above me. |
| 5 | One of the individuals who hunts me actually believes that I am innocent. |
| 6 | One of the Elders believes that this trial against me is nothing more than a Witch Hunt that wastes the faith's time. |
| 7 | A Noble has learned of my connection to the Cult and fears my association. |
| 8 | One of the shunned keeps giving me cryptic messages and follows me around when they see me, waiting for something amazing to happen to them too. |
| 9 | A fervent believer of a cult thinks that I can help him speak to his god believing that I can hear divine voices. |
| 10 | A witch of the old gods is also persecuted by my religion. We once shared solace in their woods. |
You are a member of a cult for a deity or deities that are unholy. These are the entities that desire ruination, chaos, destruction and malcontent. You worship the deity(ies) with all that you are and seek to bring about the desires of your god(s). You are the most dedicated and it is of the greatest importance to you that your god(s) ideals are realized in the mortal realm. Perhaps you were raised up in this cult, or brought in as a youth, or maybe you were forced in through some means of trickery. Whatever the reason, this has been your life, it is your life, and will be your life. Worshipping evil god(s) like these brings with it a sort of manic fervor to your beliefs and worship. But it also brings great powers. How far do you go to appease your god(s)? Is it dedication or zealousness? What do you do for your power?
Who are you in regards to this cult? Do your ideals line up with the entity that you serve or do they differ? Are you happy to stay in this cult? If so, where is your moral line at? What have you done to make your god happy? Have you murdered or simply stolen? Instead, for all the god's supposed evilness, maybe they're happiest to be left alone, away from human civilization and don't require such a thing.
You:
Are a leader or a follower. You do what it takes to lead or follow along in the congregation. Are you the one that leads the procession, or the one that helps the High Priest? Do you recruit people or are you the one that preaches to the new ones when they come to mass? What do you do for your god and how does that affect you? Just what does your god(s) require for their sacrifice and what role do you play in it?
Wish to escape. If you are trying to escape, consider the consequences for attempting to do so, whether or not somebody else in the cult knows, if you fled with nobody watching, or even faked your own death to escape. Where do your morals lie? Just how evil is your god(s)? What is your role in worship and/or sacrifice? Consider other ramifications such as loss of great dark abilities, if you are being hunted by your old cult, or by the evil that you worshipped specifically. Perhaps you've decided to join another's cult whose god has promised you more, or even started your own cult to further your own gains.
Are trying to reform. You know that what you have been doing is evil and can take it no longer. There will always be a stain on your soul, but now you seek to atone and repent of all the wrong that you have committed. This could be because you have had a change of heart, or maybe because you never wanted this in the first place, you were forced here because of one wrong decision or another or even a trick. Be careful, your past can come up to haunt you.
Work with your DM to flesh out the reason as to why you are there, who you are within, and whether or not you are staying in the cult.
The Cult you serve can be found everywhere if you know what to look for. As a member you know how to seek out fellow cultists. These cultists come from all walks of life from the down trodden and deseperate, to nobles and rulers. While meetings in public is looked down upon, those made in secret and in the shadows may allow you to curry favors and benefits that are hard earned by those who lack such contacts.
A word to the wise, be careful what you ask for and how you do it; your cult is not welcome among proper society and you will burn contacts by revealing their allegiences or by openly requesting favors. Beyond this, remember that all things come at a price, the bigger the ask the greater the debt; how the cult will expect repayment will only be known when they call on you to pay your dues, which the cult always does. While the cult will allow you to continue to incur debt with them, this will only further the favor you must return to them.
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Posted Mar 22, 2021this made into a really fun story
a holy warrior who found out the gods left us, later turning into an assassin against other religions makes for a great background
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Posted Nov 28, 2021I'm glad you enjoyed using this! My wife actually created this background, and it will please her greatly that someone used it in such an epic way, and then commented on it! Cheers!