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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Herecite of Zevgavizeb

Secreted away in the dark corners of unnamed libraries, necromancer’s dens, and heretical scriptoriums, obscure texts describe a horrifying ritual that combines sacrifice and suffering to create a powerful undead being known as a herecite. These monsters, stripped of personal will or desire, are born into the service of an evil god whom they worship unerringly and untiringly, often in spite of any opposing religious leanings they may have had in life. Every herecite harbors an unquenchable self-hatred because it was defiled by such a foul resurrection—a rage it turns outward in an attempt to rob others of their faith and lives.

Herecites often outlast the cults that create them. Stranded herecites are drawn to others of their kind, even if they are dedicated to different evil deities, and when brought together they perform rites to magically bind themselves in a group known as a cabal. While cabal members share enhanced magic and defenses, induction into a cabal appears to hold even deeper significance for herecites. The presence of others of their kind with whom they can pray—in verses warped to venerate wicked gods—seems the only solace these tormented beings can find in undeath. Such a fellowship of sorrow is nigh unbreakable, as many an overzealous crusader has discovered far too late.

Customarily found within heavily modified temples to the pantheon of gods they collectively worship, herecites act in service to their creators or as protectors of unholy ground. High priests of different evil gods may even trade herecites among themselves, allowing their minions to form cabals strengthened by their varied faiths. A lone herecite cut off from its creators—often because it is the sole remnant of a destroyed temple or its master has perished—may wander far and wide in search of a cabal to join. Other times, the herecite seeks out a place sacred to the deity it worshipped in life. Whether motivated by a desire for contrition or vengeance, the end result of this baleful pilgrimage is always the desecration of the holy site and the slaughter of its congregants, who may in turn rise as lesser forms of undead.

Recall Knowledge - Undead (Religion): DC 29
Unspecific Lore: DC 27
Specific Lore: DC 24

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Herecite of ZevgavizebCreature 10

Legacy Content

Uncommon CE Medium Undead 
Source Pathfinder #153: Life's Long Shadows pg. 80
Perception +20; darkvision, detect alignment (good only)
Languages Common, Draconic, Infernal
Skills Athletics +20, Intimidation +23, Religion +22, Zevgavizeb Lore +19
Str +6, Dex +4, Con +5, Int +1, Wis +4, Cha +7
Cabal Multiple herecites can form a cabal to gain increased magical abilities and defenses. A cabal consists of two to five herecites. The ritual to form a cabal (or to welcome new herecites into an existing cabal) requires 24 hours of worship, prayer, and vile sacrifice, after which point the herecites become magically bound to one another. All herecites in a cabal gain the cleric domain spells granted by each individual herecite’s deity, and each herecite’s focus pool increases to 3 Focus Points. As long as the cabal exists, herecites in the cabal gain a +2 status bonus to Perception checks and fast healing 10. These benefits persist as long as the cabal consists of two or more herecites that remain within 1 mile of one another.
Herecite Deity A herecite is associated with one evil god and is always of the same alignment as that god. Whenever it wields its deity’s favored weapon, that weapon gains the unholy rune. The herecite’s creators select two domains from their deity; the herecite can cast the domain spells and the advanced domain spells from those domains as cleric focus spells. The herecite can cast the deity’s other granted cleric spells as divine innate spells. Most herecites have 2 Focus Points in their focus pool. The herecite presented here is a herecite of Zevgavizeb.
Items +1 striking spiked gauntlet
AC 30; Fort +19, Ref +20, Will +22
HP 200 (negative healing); Weaknesses good 10
Perverse Prayer [reaction] (auditory, divine, evil) Trigger A creature within 30 feet uses the Sustain a Spell action to sustain a divine spell or the Cast a Spell action to cast a divine spell with a verbal component; Effect The herecite warps the caster’s prayers into a sacrilegious echo praising the evils of its own deity. The triggering caster must succeed at a DC 29 Will saving throw or their spell is disrupted and their action wasted.
Speed 30 feet
Melee [one-action] unholy spiked gauntlet +22 [+18/+14] (agile, free-hand), Damage 2d4+10 piercing plus 1d6 evilDivine Innate Spells DC 28; 5th ravening maw; 3rd crisis of faith, harm (at will), meld into stone; 2nd darkness (x3); 1st ray of enfeeblement; Constant (5th) detect alignment (good only)
Cleric Focus Spells 2 Focus Points, DC 28; 4th enduring might, nature's bounty; 1st athletic rush, vibrant thorns
Rituals DC 28; 2nd consecrate
Assault the Soul [three-actions] (concentrate, divine, evil, necromancy) Requirements The herecite is in a cabal of three or more members, two of which are within 60 feet and have used Cabal Communion within the last round; Effect The herecite casts bind soul, spirit blast, or spiritual epidemic (DC 31). Once a herecite has used this ability (whether or not it was successful), the cabal must wait 24 hours before one of its members can use Assault the Soul again.Cabal Communion [two-actions] (auditory, concentrate) With murmurs and chants, the herecite casts its consciousness toward the other members of its cabal. For 1 round, it senses what other members are sensing, knows their thoughts, and knows their exact location.Curse of Defiled Idols [two-actions] (curse, divine, evil) Recalling the cruelty of the foul ritual that birthed it, the herecite curses an enemy with a fragment of its blasphemy. The herecite targets one creature within 30 feet, which must attempt a DC 29 Will save. On a failure, the creature is cursed. As long as the creature is cursed, any art object, symbol, or implement of religious significance in the creature’s possession—such as a divine spellcasting focus, holy text, fetish, or rendering of a deity—becomes physically corrupted in a way that debases the deity’s tenets (a depiction of Shelyn’s songbird, for example, might lose its beautiful plumage to reveal a hideous skeletal form beneath). While these items continue to function normally, the cursed creature is stupefied 2 as long as it possesses an object corrupted in this fashion. The creature can cast off its corrupted objects to remove the stupefied condition, but any new religious objects it takes into its possession become similarly corrupted. The curse can be lifted by a remove curse spell or by an atone ritual. After a creature is targeted with this ability, regardless of whether it was affected, it becomes immune to herecites’ Curse of Defiled Idols for 1 day.

All Monsters in "Herecite"

NameLevel
Herecite of Zevgavizeb10

Herecite

Source Pathfinder #153: Life's Long Shadows pg. 80
Secreted away in the dark corners of unnamed libraries, necromancer’s dens, and heretical scriptoriums, obscure texts describe a horrifying ritual that combines sacrifice and suffering to create a powerful undead being known as a herecite. These monsters, stripped of personal will or desire, are born into the service of an evil god whom they worship unerringly and untiringly, often in spite of any opposing religious leanings they may have had in life. Every herecite harbors an unquenchable self-hatred because it was defiled by such a foul resurrection—a rage it turns outward in an attempt to rob others of their faith and lives.

Herecites often outlast the cults that create them. Stranded herecites are drawn to others of their kind, even if they are dedicated to different evil deities, and when brought together they perform rites to magically bind themselves in a group known as a cabal. While cabal members share enhanced magic and defenses, induction into a cabal appears to hold even deeper significance for herecites. The presence of others of their kind with whom they can pray—in verses warped to venerate wicked gods—seems the only solace these tormented beings can find in undeath. Such a fellowship of sorrow is nigh unbreakable, as many an overzealous crusader has discovered far too late.

Customarily found within heavily modified temples to the pantheon of gods they collectively worship, herecites act in service to their creators or as protectors of unholy ground. High priests of different evil gods may even trade herecites among themselves, allowing their minions to form cabals strengthened by their varied faiths. A lone herecite cut off from its creators—often because it is the sole remnant of a destroyed temple or its master has perished—may wander far and wide in search of a cabal to join. Other times, the herecite seeks out a place sacred to the deity it worshipped in life. Whether motivated by a desire for contrition or vengeance, the end result of this baleful pilgrimage is always the desecration of the holy site and the slaughter of its congregants, who may in turn rise as lesser forms of undead.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Blasphemous Rebirth

The ritual to create a herecite demands the sacrifice of five devotees of the same non-evil god. During the ritual, the devotees’ bodies and souls meld together to form a single profane entity. Regardless of the deity it worships in undeath, the herecite always bears a debauched likeness to the god its constituent members previously worshipped. Followers of Erastil may reform into an aged man with a stag’s skull for a head, the blood of would-be hunters dripping from its monstrous fangs; worshippers of Desna might transmute into a woman weighed down by chains, her butterfly wings hacked to limp shreds.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Supplicating Herecites

When conflict fails, it is possible to appease a herecite by offering sacrifices and gifts. The sacrifice of a mortal is almost always sufficient for the herecite to allow supplicants passage into its temple or beyond.