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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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There is a Legacy version here.

Rancorous Priesthood

Followers of Rovagug must usually conceal their devotion to the Rough Beast, hiding in remote cave complexes or abandoned ruins, but they emerge when they sense weakness, gathering together into a destructive, homicidal mob to hunt down priests of rival deities or slaughter entire towns.

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 28
Unspecific Lore: DC 26
Specific Lore: DC 23

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Rancorous PriesthoodCreature 11

Gargantuan Human Humanoid Troop Unholy 
Source NPC Core pg. 35
Perception +21
Languages Chthonian, Common
Skills Athletics +22, Intimidation +21, Religion +22
Str +7, Dex +2, Con +6, Int +2, Wis +5, Cha +4
AC 31; Fort +23, Ref +17, Will +22
HP 195 (4 segments); Weaknesses area damage 10, splash damage 10
Troop Defenses
Speed 25 feet, troop movement
Divine Spontaneous Spells DC 30, attack +22; 5th divine immolation, noise blast, shadow blast (3 slots); Cantrips (6th) daze, detect magic, divine lance
Cleric Domain Spells DC 30, attack +22, 2 Focus Points; 6th cry of destruction, destructive aura
Rituals DC 30; 4th blight (doesn't require secondary casters)
Troop Spellcasting When the rancorous priesthood Casts a Spell, their constituent members combine their efforts into casting a more powerful version of the spell than any one member could achieve alone. When Casting a Spell that has an area of a burst, cone, or line and doesn't have a duration, increase the area of that spell. Add 5 feet to the radius of a burst that normally has a radius of at least 10 feet (a burst with a smaller radius is not affected). Add 5 feet to the length of a cone or line that is normally 15 feet long or smaller, and add 10 feet to the length of a larger cone or line.Wild Swing [one-action] to [three-actions] Frequency once per round; Effect The members of the mob wildly swing their weapons in a chaotic attack at each enemy in a 5-foot emanation with a DC 25 basic Reflex save. The damage depends on the number of actions.
[one-action] 1d12+2 slashing damage
[two-actions] 2d12+9 slashing damage
[three-actions] 3d12+9 slashing damage

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Troops With Spells

Though Rovagug's followers are the most common, other deities might have rancorous priesthoods. You can use these statistics to represent other devotee troops capable of casting spells by replacing the spells in the list, changing the domain spells, and altering the sanctification. Note that the spell slots are 1 below the maximum rank a spellcaster of their level could normally cast. Heightened lower-level spells can be a good fit, representing the combined effect of several lower-rank spells cast at the same time.

All Monsters in "Devotee"

NameLevel
Abbot1
Acolyte1
Acolyte1
Blasphemer2
Champion7
Deific Champion12
Deific Vessel15
High Priest9
Penitent0
Pilgrim-1
Priest6
Priest6
Prophet2
Rancorous Priesthood11
Sibyl3
Traveling Priest9
Zealot4

Devotee

Source NPC Core pg. 28
Religions inspire devout individuals to uphold their tenets.

Swapping Deities

You can customize an acolyte, zealot, priest, or other NPC tied to a specific deity to match another deity.
  • Change the NPC's sanctification to match the new deity.
  • Add the deity's divine skill at the highest skill modifier the PC has. You can optionally remove the old deity's divine skill.
  • Change their weapon to the new deity's favored weapon. You can usually leave the weapon damage as-is.
  • If the NPC has multiple harm or heal spells at their top spell rank (mimicking a cleric's divine font), change that spell to match the new deity's font. If the NPC has the healing hands ability, change it to selective energy.
    Selective Energy When the devotee casts a version of harm or heal that has an area, they can designate up to 5 creatures in the area. Those creatures are not targeted by the spell.
  • Swap some spells out for devotee spells or others that match the new deity's style. You can swap out domain spells if you choose, but this is a more involved process, and it's best to reference Player Core (see domains and domain spells here).
For information on deity mechanics, see the deitiy table here.

Deity Swap Example

To make a priest of Urgathoa, you would make the following changes to the priest of Sarenrae, following the bullet points above.

Swapping Champion Deities

To make the swap for a champion, use the causes found here.
  • Change the sanctification and divine skill, as noted above.
  • Change the favored weapon as noted above. If the champion had a two-handed weapon and the new deity has a one-handed favored weapon, reduce the champion's AC by 1 and give them a steel shield. Conversely, if the stat block had a one-handed favored weapon and shield, increase the champion's AC by 1, remove the shield, and change the shields of the spirit focus spell if the champion had it (see below).
  • Swap out the champion's reaction (Liberating Step for the champion of Shelyn or Exalted Retributive Strike for the deific champion of Iomedae) for the one listed in the new cause. Include the exalted reaction benefit if the champion's level is high enough.
  • If needed, change the champion's focus spell to lay on hands if the deity allows heal for their divine font or to touch of the void if the deity allows harm. If your champion uses a shield, you can change the focus spell to shields of the spirit.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Crossover Ancestry NPCs

Several of the NPCs elsewhere in NPC Core can fit well in this group: Spirit priest (level 5)

Sidebar - Treasure and Rewards Divinatory Herbs

Revered herbs and other plants hold a sacred role in divine practice, especially in the trances of sibyls and other oracular rituals. These herbs can shift between nations and growing seasons, but common herbs are bay leaves, chamomile, ivy, lavender, and mugwort.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Faithless Goals

What sets a blasphemer apart from the prophet comes down to the blasphemer's at least partial awareness that they're purposefully corrupting the word of their deity. Blasphemers don't have the ability to cast cleric spells, since they're not following the tenets of their god; however, they may have additional spellcasting abilities they use to conceal this fact

Sidebar - Treasure and Rewards Implements Of Faith

The most essential equipment to display one's faith is the religious symbol of their deity, and those traveling in dangerous areas make sure to have the deity's favored weapon at hand. Expressing devotion through their other accoutrement is also a priority, such as blue-and-gold clothing and a golden religious symbol for a follower of Sarenrae or black clothes, chains, and spikes for one of Zon-Kuthon's faithful.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Redemption Through Penance

Gods have many demands, and even the devoted can fail to meet them. It is important to understand what might cause one to lose a connection with their deity and what steps are necessary to atone and regain their place among the devoted, as these vary widely between deities. Though the penitent is the most likely to have fallen from their faith, many of these NPCs could have their divine abilities removed to appear as fallen or excommunicated characters.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Walking In Faith

Devotees who travel the world endeavor to spread word of their faith. They might call upon divine magic (for rituals to strengthen communities, spells to aid the grieving, or to provide protection) to exemplify the ideals of their faith and thwart those that would bring harm. Followers of unholy deities might take a different path, leaving behind ruin, undeath, or other scars that show the power of their deity