As you saw in the title, I'm a DM designing a campaign that's inspired by the witch hunts. It takes place in the forgotten realms because I want the twist to be a true surprise, and takes a few aspects from the grim hollow campaign setting, namely The Arcanist Inquisition. The campaign hasn't started yet but, I'm designing some fairly late stuff in it and have hit a slight wall.
Premise
in the early game the players are investigating a cult of magic and gaining renown in the world and royal reputation, standard stuff. They meet the Arcanist Inquisition, who at this point occupy like a neighbourhood watch level of power meddling in magic because they openly distrust it, much to some townsfolk's annoyance. But at around level 7-10, they discover the cult has been turning ordinary people into these 'Hollow Ones' beings devoid of magic and soul, think like the extremis patients from Iron Man 3. Then they are invited to a ball or event or something, potentially not even, the crucial part is this (the turning point of the campaign) the Hollow Ones are used to blow up significant areas of the city and the king (who the player's should like reasonably) is killed. The cult captures his son/daughter. The Inquisition then uses this magic bomb as an opportunity to seize power and start a totalitarian reign or eradicating magic. Mages are killed or imprisoned. There may also be a magic nullifying element discovered either earlier on or later on.
This begins the second arc of the campaign, no longer the heroic fantasy game, but now a twisted game or survival and secrecy so as to stay alive. The Inquisition's leader is Matthew (Mercer maybe as a play on Matthew Hopkins the witchfinder general and Matt Mercer). The players are forced underground with few magic items and supporters. There will be a whole event about it with some high level evoker being slain in the desert causing a glass lake to form from the sheer destructive power he holds. The king's spellcasters elude capture and form an underground ring along with some dwarves who the players help restart a hidden netherese forge. The Inquisitors each rule over part of the land with Matthew in charge. The Cult still goes around spreading chaos and magic everywhere.
As it turns out, the Inquisition was manipulating the cult to their advantage to sow distrust of magic.
BBEG
Matthew is obviously the BBEG and I do have some character designs in mind for him on heroforge. But I've not attached them so as not to bore people with my creative process.
Inspiration
Just a list for this:
Baulder's Gate 3
Iron Man 3
The Witch Hunts
The Crooked Moon
The Witcher
Help!
I need some help with low level quests, and Inquisitors/High level Cult Leaders for the players to elude, battle or conspire with. Maybe a tanky Paladin type called the Iron Warden or The Iron Heretic; an artificer that created the Hollow Ones or can surgically remove magic and emotions. Stuff like that. If you want to help or ask questions just let me know. Anything is greatly appreciated.
So, you're looking for stat blocks? It would depend on whether you want homebrew or official content. If you want official content, the monster manual has a wide variety of NPCs, such as the warriors and the mages that you can use. I would recommend looking up a list of stat blocks for humanoids on DDB, DnD *******, or ********. If you want homebrew/ unofficial content, there are rules for adding class levels to monsters in the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide. There is also the Expanded Monster Manual series, a group of three books on Dungeon Masters Guild with a huge variety of stats, and I'm sure you can find something in there if you're willing to buy it. If you want to homebrew your own stats, put a thread on Homebrew/House Rules here on DDB asking specifically for help making stats for your specific ideas, and people will probably give you a whole bunch of inspiration. These are the things I usually do when I wan t some stats.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM: He doesn't have much besides the skin on his bones. Me: I'll take the skin on his bones, then.
Down, down, down the road, down the Witches Road
"You see a gigantic, monstrous praying mantis burst from out of the ground. It sprays a stream of acid from it's mouth at one soldier, dissolving him instantly, then it turns and chomps another soldier in half with it's- "
No, sorry. It’s more for ideas for some low level quests or inquisitors or cult leaders. Once I’ve got some ideas I can usually create the homebrew from there.
Arcane Laboratory for the Hollow Ones. Players have to hunt down an artificer that works there to get them to cough up the location, and then disable the lab, possibly by detonating the Hollow Ones themselves.
Assassination/kidnapping attempts on players. You could tie this into the lab by having a player captured and the other players have to track them to the lab and rescue them before it's too late.
Propaganda (posters, recruitment graffiti on walls) or attempts to recruit martial characters in discreet tavern meetings.
Harpers pay characters to find and assassinate a major leader, or harper assassins mistake players for agents of the cult.
Players get caught up in gang wars incited by the cult to sow chaos and weaken authority.
Players encounter a large raiding force of the inquisition intent and looting and burning several small towns.
If you have access to the Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, the Aeorians are the perfect monsters for what the Inquisition does; they're all about devouring, reversing, and stopping magic.
The Unearthed Arcana Spellguard Paladin that's currently up is somewhat abut stopping enemy mages, might wanna check that out
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM: He doesn't have much besides the skin on his bones. Me: I'll take the skin on his bones, then.
Down, down, down the road, down the Witches Road
"You see a gigantic, monstrous praying mantis burst from out of the ground. It sprays a stream of acid from it's mouth at one soldier, dissolving him instantly, then it turns and chomps another soldier in half with it's- "
I think the Aeorians might make for a cool beast handler boss.
Thanks for the tip about the Paladin UA hadn't seen that. The Paladin UA's always remind me why I love this game.
On another note, currently working with the idea of the main 4 inquisitors under Matthew as like the four horsemen. The ones I've got so far are:
The Iron Baron - Think like Kraven the Hunter, Baylon Skoll, The First Boss with a nether shard in BG3, that sort of character type, loves the hunt, instills fear. I might give him some pet Aeorians who he uses in a mage combat arena, like Nero with the Christians and Lions
The Zealot/Heretic - A Cleric Style person who has alchemical runes inscribed onto his body that deflect magic or something. Absolutely chaotic, his section of the forgotten realms will lie in absolute chaos.
The Masked Rider - A silent assassin who is not magical in any way, but the slaughter he leaves in his wake is like that of a god, he leaves entire rooms filled with people who don't even know they've died.
The Surgeon - An alchemist who specialises in removing a creature's magic/emotions entirely. I might make this a cult leader though called the Sister of Souls.
Some of these need a bit of development, so any ideas again would be appreciated, but thanks so much for the tips and ideas, I cant even put into words how much this helps.
How powerful are the Inquisitors? If the Inquisition appears in the early game already as antagonists the party can defeat then they aren't going to be scary in the mid-game when they take over unless they also have a massive power gain (not political power but actual literal combat power). If the Inquisitors are meant to be Bosses in the mid-game they have to be untouchably powerful in the early game, so I'd highly discourage having them just be like the neighbourhood watch or something. They should be a well organized and powerful group with leaders the king doesn't want to anger, they could still be something outside of the political establishment to give them a reason to be ambitious and try to assassinate the king, but they should already be a force some people are already wary of - like the freemasons, or the culty evangelicals.
Make the players care, some random evoker getting blowed up in the desert isn't as impactful as the party watching helplessly while one of their favourite allies is dragged off by the inquisition for "interrogation" and "correction". Who are the NPCs the party is going to work with in the early-levels who will then be either allies against the inquisition or victims of the inquisition the party will want to try to save?
What is the common ideology of the Inquisition? What are the 'rules' that they follow that the party can exploit to escape or stay hidden? - e.g. do they mostly patrol the urban areas or do they have some kind of hunting parties out searching the woods? Do they have some kind of surveillance system or do they rely on a network of spies/collaborators to turn in rogue mages? Do they have ways to force captured mages to tell on their fellow mages? etc... etc... Note you can have a shared ideology while still having different flavours for different ArchInquisitors ruling different areas, just as there are a thousand different ways to interpret a religion, people can spin political ideology to their own goals - e.g.
one Inquisitor might be a egomanic who wants to have all the magic to themselves thus is more interested in confiscating magical implements/items than in hunting mages,
another might be a puritan who believes magic is a poison to the soul and they are "purifying" or "saving" mages thus uses mental domination to compel mages to admit their sins,
another might be a sadist who doesn't care if their victims are mages or not, they just want to maim and murder and instil fear in their subjects,
another might be a pragmatist and see magic as an unfair advantage that can be used to exploit the non-magical thus forces mages in their domain to hard labour in service to the state while in magical constraints so they 'learn to respect the non-magical'. etc... etc...
What is the relationship between the cult and the Inquisition? Are they allies? Or is the Inquisition just using them and then hunts them down after they have served their purpose? Does the Inquisition want the research by the cult to better control mages? Or do they see the cult as a bunch of fools and degenerates? Or are they now rivals as the two dominant forces with desperate hunted mages turning to the cult for protection or to enact revenge on the inquisitors?
Sorry for the long response ad wait, here's the answers:
Power Level
The Inquisitors have the power of something like the freemasons. Similar to what you suggested.
NPCs
There will be a point near the assassination where all NPCs the party have encountered may have different reactions, some may help them, some may try to turn them in, but there will always be an ever existing sense of paranoia.
THE INQUISITION: CORE LAWS OF THE ANTI‑MAGIC STATE ---
1. Magic Is Forbidden - All forms of magic — arcane, divine, innate, learned, ritual, item‑based — are illegal. - Possession, use, or concealment of magic is treason. - Ignorance is not a defense.
---
2. All Magical Persons Are Property of the State - Spellcasters must surrender themselves for registration and containment. - Unregistered mages are hunted, detained, or executed. - Magical creatures are to be captured, dissected, or destroyed.
---
3. Magical Items Must Be Surrendered - All enchanted objects must be turned over to the Inquisition. - Unauthorized possession is punishable by death. - Only the Inquisition may “purify” and repurpose magical artifacts.
---
4. The Inquisition Overrides All Local Authority - No king, council, mayor, or guard may obstruct inquisitorial action. - Civilian institutions must comply immediately. - Failure to report magic is aiding heresy.
---
5. Fear Is Order - Public executions, hunts, and displays are sanctioned tools of control. - The Horsemen are symbols of state power. - The Rider’s bell signals mandatory curfew and evacuation.
---
6. Purity Must Be Enforced - Magic is a plague; those touched by it are contaminated. - The Surgeon extracts corruption. - The Heretic breaks resistance. - The Baron hunts the unnatural. - The Rider heralds the purge.
---
7. Only the Inquisition May Weaponize Magic - Controlled magic is a state resource. - Captured mages may be bound into service. - Arcane, Divine, and Primal magic are permitted only under inquisitorial supervision.
---
8. The Cult Is the Enemy of the People - The pro‑magic cult seeks to destroy civilization. - Any association with them is treason. - Their members are to be reported or executed.
---
9. Civilians Must Obey - Report all magical sightings. - Surrender magical items. - Do not shelter mages. - Comply with inquisitorial curfews and evacuations. - Interference is punishable by death.
---
10. The Grand Inquisitor’s Word Is Absolute - His interpretation of “order” defines the law. - His use of magic is justified because it is “contained.” - His authority supersedes all others.
Something like that.
Personal Ideology
The Rider - Heralds the purge. They were injured by magic and the curse spreading through them was contained by Matthew, so they are undyingly loyal to him. They believe that the innocents should be wary and warned and the mages should be fearful and scared.
The Heretic - Has his min was fractured when the surgeon experimented on him by branding him with antimagic tattoos. He is now a pure sadist, hunting mage and allies alike should he feel like it. He has no restraint and wants to be associated with a sense of fear.
The Surgeon - Views magic as a rot and plague, and has a saviour complex. They extract magic, hunt magical creatures to experiment on, etc, etc. They have a twisted sense of saving he mages by destroying their minds and magic. They create combined abominations out of magical creatures and people.
The Iron Baron - Views magic as an uneven playing field, an unfair and unnatural advantage. So he hunts them in huge arenas with his two pet aeorians using axes or hunting knives. He uses the antimagic material to nullify some powers and wants to show that magic is no match for years of training.
Mercer, The Grand Inquisitor - Views magic as chaos, unordered and unbridled destruction. He wants to destroy all magic and is not afraid to use magic items or captured mages to do so.
The World
The world is set in the 2024 forgotten realms. The evoker thing was less about the players knowing them, more about the physical impact the inquisition has had on the world. It's a way to show the iron fist that the inquisition has. Each of the main bits I've assigned to a different inquisitor who will hold them as their domain. The Dalelands - The Rider Calimshan - The Heretic Icewind Dale - Resists due to its hostile and barren nature Baldur's Gate - Resists with Mercer and The Heretic still trying to extend into them. The Moonshae Isles - The Surgeon and Fey resistance as the surgeon captures and experiments on the fey. Cormyr - Mercer, it's the heart of the Forgotten Realms now. Anauroch - The Iron Baron
Have Matthew himself, hire the group to hunt down a party that includes couple mages. He will tell them they are bad, but really they are just part of his opposition. Or if not to take out some people, hire the group to go fetch something needed to create the hallow ones or something. But he will not tell them that, he lies about it.
One it introduces the BBEG early, but as nice guy not eluding that he is the BBEG.
It helps with Matthew's plot of the hollow ones.
It aggravates the group and motivates them to go after him even more. Once they realize they played in a part of all this destruction
Hey,
As you saw in the title, I'm a DM designing a campaign that's inspired by the witch hunts. It takes place in the forgotten realms because I want the twist to be a true surprise, and takes a few aspects from the grim hollow campaign setting, namely The Arcanist Inquisition. The campaign hasn't started yet but, I'm designing some fairly late stuff in it and have hit a slight wall.
Premise
in the early game the players are investigating a cult of magic and gaining renown in the world and royal reputation, standard stuff. They meet the Arcanist Inquisition, who at this point occupy like a neighbourhood watch level of power meddling in magic because they openly distrust it, much to some townsfolk's annoyance. But at around level 7-10, they discover the cult has been turning ordinary people into these 'Hollow Ones' beings devoid of magic and soul, think like the extremis patients from Iron Man 3. Then they are invited to a ball or event or something, potentially not even, the crucial part is this (the turning point of the campaign) the Hollow Ones are used to blow up significant areas of the city and the king (who the player's should like reasonably) is killed. The cult captures his son/daughter. The Inquisition then uses this magic bomb as an opportunity to seize power and start a totalitarian reign or eradicating magic. Mages are killed or imprisoned. There may also be a magic nullifying element discovered either earlier on or later on.
This begins the second arc of the campaign, no longer the heroic fantasy game, but now a twisted game or survival and secrecy so as to stay alive. The Inquisition's leader is Matthew (Mercer maybe as a play on Matthew Hopkins the witchfinder general and Matt Mercer). The players are forced underground with few magic items and supporters. There will be a whole event about it with some high level evoker being slain in the desert causing a glass lake to form from the sheer destructive power he holds. The king's spellcasters elude capture and form an underground ring along with some dwarves who the players help restart a hidden netherese forge. The Inquisitors each rule over part of the land with Matthew in charge. The Cult still goes around spreading chaos and magic everywhere.
As it turns out, the Inquisition was manipulating the cult to their advantage to sow distrust of magic.
BBEG
Matthew is obviously the BBEG and I do have some character designs in mind for him on heroforge. But I've not attached them so as not to bore people with my creative process.
Inspiration
Just a list for this:
Help!
I need some help with low level quests, and Inquisitors/High level Cult Leaders for the players to elude, battle or conspire with. Maybe a tanky Paladin type called the Iron Warden or The Iron Heretic; an artificer that created the Hollow Ones or can surgically remove magic and emotions. Stuff like that. If you want to help or ask questions just let me know. Anything is greatly appreciated.
So, you're looking for stat blocks? It would depend on whether you want homebrew or official content. If you want official content, the monster manual has a wide variety of NPCs, such as the warriors and the mages that you can use. I would recommend looking up a list of stat blocks for humanoids on DDB, DnD *******, or ********. If you want homebrew/ unofficial content, there are rules for adding class levels to monsters in the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide. There is also the Expanded Monster Manual series, a group of three books on Dungeon Masters Guild with a huge variety of stats, and I'm sure you can find something in there if you're willing to buy it. If you want to homebrew your own stats, put a thread on Homebrew/House Rules here on DDB asking specifically for help making stats for your specific ideas, and people will probably give you a whole bunch of inspiration. These are the things I usually do when I wan t some stats.
DM: He doesn't have much besides the skin on his bones. Me: I'll take the skin on his bones, then.
Down, down, down the road, down the Witches Road
"You see a gigantic, monstrous praying mantis burst from out of the ground. It sprays a stream of acid from it's mouth at one soldier, dissolving him instantly, then it turns and chomps another soldier in half with it's- "
"When are we gonna take a snack break?"
No, sorry. It’s more for ideas for some low level quests or inquisitors or cult leaders. Once I’ve got some ideas I can usually create the homebrew from there.
Oh, okay. Here are some ideas:
DM: He doesn't have much besides the skin on his bones. Me: I'll take the skin on his bones, then.
Down, down, down the road, down the Witches Road
"You see a gigantic, monstrous praying mantis burst from out of the ground. It sprays a stream of acid from it's mouth at one soldier, dissolving him instantly, then it turns and chomps another soldier in half with it's- "
"When are we gonna take a snack break?"
Thanks so much got a few ideas now.
I think the Aeorians might make for a cool beast handler boss.
Thanks for the tip about the Paladin UA hadn't seen that. The Paladin UA's always remind me why I love this game.
On another note, currently working with the idea of the main 4 inquisitors under Matthew as like the four horsemen. The ones I've got so far are:
Some of these need a bit of development, so any ideas again would be appreciated, but thanks so much for the tips and ideas, I cant even put into words how much this helps.
A couple of suggestions:
Sorry for the long response ad wait, here's the answers:
Power Level
The Inquisitors have the power of something like the freemasons. Similar to what you suggested.
NPCs
There will be a point near the assassination where all NPCs the party have encountered may have different reactions, some may help them, some may try to turn them in, but there will always be an ever existing sense of paranoia.
THE INQUISITION: CORE LAWS OF THE ANTI‑MAGIC STATE
---
1. Magic Is Forbidden
- All forms of magic — arcane, divine, innate, learned, ritual, item‑based — are illegal.
- Possession, use, or concealment of magic is treason.
- Ignorance is not a defense.
---
2. All Magical Persons Are Property of the State
- Spellcasters must surrender themselves for registration and containment.
- Unregistered mages are hunted, detained, or executed.
- Magical creatures are to be captured, dissected, or destroyed.
---
3. Magical Items Must Be Surrendered
- All enchanted objects must be turned over to the Inquisition.
- Unauthorized possession is punishable by death.
- Only the Inquisition may “purify” and repurpose magical artifacts.
---
4. The Inquisition Overrides All Local Authority
- No king, council, mayor, or guard may obstruct inquisitorial action.
- Civilian institutions must comply immediately.
- Failure to report magic is aiding heresy.
---
5. Fear Is Order
- Public executions, hunts, and displays are sanctioned tools of control.
- The Horsemen are symbols of state power.
- The Rider’s bell signals mandatory curfew and evacuation.
---
6. Purity Must Be Enforced
- Magic is a plague; those touched by it are contaminated.
- The Surgeon extracts corruption.
- The Heretic breaks resistance.
- The Baron hunts the unnatural.
- The Rider heralds the purge.
---
7. Only the Inquisition May Weaponize Magic
- Controlled magic is a state resource.
- Captured mages may be bound into service.
- Arcane, Divine, and Primal magic are permitted only under inquisitorial supervision.
---
8. The Cult Is the Enemy of the People
- The pro‑magic cult seeks to destroy civilization.
- Any association with them is treason.
- Their members are to be reported or executed.
---
9. Civilians Must Obey
- Report all magical sightings.
- Surrender magical items.
- Do not shelter mages.
- Comply with inquisitorial curfews and evacuations.
- Interference is punishable by death.
---
10. The Grand Inquisitor’s Word Is Absolute
- His interpretation of “order” defines the law.
- His use of magic is justified because it is “contained.”
- His authority supersedes all others.
Something like that.
Personal Ideology
The Rider - Heralds the purge. They were injured by magic and the curse spreading through them was contained by Matthew, so they are undyingly loyal to him. They believe that the innocents should be wary and warned and the mages should be fearful and scared.
The Heretic - Has his min was fractured when the surgeon experimented on him by branding him with antimagic tattoos. He is now a pure sadist, hunting mage and allies alike should he feel like it. He has no restraint and wants to be associated with a sense of fear.
The Surgeon - Views magic as a rot and plague, and has a saviour complex. They extract magic, hunt magical creatures to experiment on, etc, etc. They have a twisted sense of saving he mages by destroying their minds and magic. They create combined abominations out of magical creatures and people.
The Iron Baron - Views magic as an uneven playing field, an unfair and unnatural advantage. So he hunts them in huge arenas with his two pet aeorians using axes or hunting knives. He uses the antimagic material to nullify some powers and wants to show that magic is no match for years of training.
Mercer, The Grand Inquisitor - Views magic as chaos, unordered and unbridled destruction. He wants to destroy all magic and is not afraid to use magic items or captured mages to do so.
The World
The world is set in the 2024 forgotten realms. The evoker thing was less about the players knowing them, more about the physical impact the inquisition has had on the world. It's a way to show the iron fist that the inquisition has. Each of the main bits I've assigned to a different inquisitor who will hold them as their domain.
The Dalelands - The Rider
Calimshan - The Heretic
Icewind Dale - Resists due to its hostile and barren nature
Baldur's Gate - Resists with Mercer and The Heretic still trying to extend into them.
The Moonshae Isles - The Surgeon and Fey resistance as the surgeon captures and experiments on the fey.
Cormyr - Mercer, it's the heart of the Forgotten Realms now.
Anauroch - The Iron Baron
Any Questions?
And if anyone was interested in the design aspects I've got some stuff on heroforge for each, but the style of each is sort of kicking my backside.
The Iron Baron
Draft 1 - https://www.heroforge.com/load_config=532330068/
Draft 2 - https://www.heroforge.com/load_config=532363915/
Draft 3 (Arguably a step backwards) - https://www.heroforge.com/load_config=532384873/
Draft 4 (The latest one I've done as of this moment) - https://www.heroforge.com/load_config=532388816/
External Source that I adapted - https://www.heroforge.com/load_config=532483596/
The Surgeon
Draft 1 - https://www.heroforge.com/load_config=532412160/
Draft 2 - https://www.heroforge.com/load_config=532417494/
Draft 3 - https://www.heroforge.com/load_config=532442620/
Draft 4 - https://www.heroforge.com/load_config=532549024/ Inspired by this: (2) Concept Art and Illustration | A dark surgeon who surgically harvests organs from magical creatures to add to herself I drew | Facebook
Draft 5 (The latest of my drafts) - https://www.heroforge.com/load_config=532549304/
External Source 1 - https://www.heroforge.com/load_config=532544189/
External Source 2 - https://www.heroforge.com/load_config=532543711/
The Heretic
Draft - https://www.heroforge.com/load_config=532416819/
The Herald
Draft - https://www.heroforge.com/load_config=532467719/
The Grand Inquisitor
Draft 1 - https://www.heroforge.com/load_config=532328351/
Draft 2 - https://www.heroforge.com/load_config=532332394/
I'd love to hear any thoughts, suggestions, improvements or anything else anyone has to offer. I can't say I'm amazing at heroforge, but oh well
Have Matthew himself, hire the group to hunt down a party that includes couple mages. He will tell them they are bad, but really they are just part of his opposition. Or if not to take out some people, hire the group to go fetch something needed to create the hallow ones or something. But he will not tell them that, he lies about it.
One it introduces the BBEG early, but as nice guy not eluding that he is the BBEG.
It helps with Matthew's plot of the hollow ones.
It aggravates the group and motivates them to go after him even more. Once they realize they played in a part of all this destruction
Plot twist
Matthew is a spell caster himself