Meet the Iconics: Oloch

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Introducing the next of the Advanced Class Guide's new iconic characters, Oloch the warpriest. While the complete rules for making your own warpriest characters debut in the Advanced Class Guide this August, Oloch himself stomps onto the scene in our upcoming Free RPG Day adventure, Pathfinder Module: Risen from the Sands, available at participating game stores Saturday, June 21st. Oloch is also a playable character in the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Skull & Shackles Character Add-On Deck due in August.


Illustration by Wayne Reynolds

Oloch has no memory of a time before pain—pain suffered, and pain inflicted. A half-orc of the Haskodar tribe in Blisterwell, Oloch was raised—if it can truly be called that—with the knowledge that his parents had been quarry slaves who died in the ancient mine's cramped tunnels shortly after his birth. Constantly forced to fight for survival against his larger, stronger tribe-mates, Oloch quickly learned that the best defense is a total lack of fear or restraint. Those who thought to casually bully the child soon learned the error of their ways, for in Oloch's mind, every fight is a fight to the death, and anyone who pretends otherwise leaves themselves vulnerable.

This fearless ferocity did not go unnoticed. As Oloch reached his teenage years, the tribe's leaders began harnessing the boy's abilities. Whether in the gladiatorial pits or in battle against the sometimes-allied One Eye tribe, Oloch shed blood on command—both his own and that of others As his victories mounted, the tribe's priests of Gorum took control of Oloch's education, wrapping him in armor and teaching him the glories of the Lord in Iron. In Gorum, Oloch finally found someone he could look up to: a being of perfect strength, without the pathetic fallibilities of even the other battle-priests. More, Gorum looked into Oloch's heart and put to rest any nagging doubts the half-orc had about his love of violence. He saw the dark thrill Oloch felt as his oversized sword split the spine of an enemy—and rewarded it with magic.

As time went on, Oloch began to chafe at even the meager restrictions placed on him by his orc superiors. Who were they to tell him when and where to fight? And so perhaps it was inevitable that, upon learning the truth of his heritage—that he was no slave child, but rather the stolen son of a human adventurer—he took the chance to sever ties (and limbs) and strike out on his own, taking with him only his favored gear and a description of the fearsome warrior woman who bore him.

Fortunately for Oloch, the legend of a woman brave enough to adventure alone in the Hold of Belkzen—and rumored to tryst unashamedly with orcs—is a hard one to stifle. So it was that he soon found himself standing before the gates of the human settlement of Trunau, calling for its leader, Halgra of the Blackened Blades, to stand forth and meet her son.

To his surprise, she did, and Oloch found himself both shocked and vaguely discomfited by the warmth with which Halgra greeted her lost son, welcoming him into her house. There she told him the story of his birth—how he was the product of a short-lived dalliance with a powerful orc leader she refused to name, and how he had been stolen from her as an infant during a raid on her campsite. She introduced him to his half-siblings, and offered him a place as a defender of Trunau.

Yet a wolf can never be a simple dog, no matter how much it might long to wear the chain. To Halgra's horror, Oloch's lust for battle refused to be sated by simple raids and training bouts. Citizens who roused his ire were terribly injured, and in the end Halgra herself had to take up her sword and drive him from the town, announcing that she would always love him as a son—but that he would never again be allowed in Trunau until he learned to control his battle lust and turn his divine abilities toward a positive end.

Frustrated, feeling shamed for the first time in his life, Oloch left Trunau. For a time he wandered the wilds, yet no ordinary beasts could provide a proper challenge—nor remove the lingering suspicion that there might, as Halgra claimed, be more to life than simple bloodshed. Eventually he wound up in Urgir, where he quickly found work as a government enforcer and champion. Though on the surface, he claims that his position ensures him a steady supply of worthy opponents, in secret Oloch hopes that Grask Uldeth's half-civilized ways will help him puzzle out how to balance the orc and human inside himself and discover the man he was born to be.

Oloch is a quiet, brooding warrior with a disturbing love of violence. Though not actively evil, and scornful of those who pick on obviously weaker opponents, he nevertheless takes it as a given that might makes right, and the whining of those unable to defend their property means little to him. He lives in the moment, relishing the red rush of battle and the communion it brings him with his god. He's not opposed to working with—or even for—those he considers his equals, but those individuals are few and far between, and must take pains to show him proper respect. Perhaps the only activity other than combat that truly brings him pleasure is making music on his drum—and then only if it's sufficiently riotous as to echo the clamor of battle.

James L. Sutter
Managing Editor

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Tags: Iconics Meet the Iconics Oloch Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Warpriest Wayne Reynolds
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21 people marked this as a favorite.

...Heh. WAAAGHPriest.


6 people marked this as a favorite.

You can tell he's a Gorumite from that write-up. He'd give a Barbarian pause with that rage.

Editor-in-Chief

9 people marked this as a favorite.

You can tell he's a Gorumite from that flail! :D

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

12 people marked this as a favorite.

I wanted his mom to be Amiri. :(

Silver Crusade

3 people marked this as a favorite.
F. Wesley Schneider wrote:
You can tell he's a Gorumite from that flail! :D

If by flail, you mean that wicked looking psuedo-holy symbol flail? Seriously, it looks like a sword driven into some rocks! Also, seemingly effective flail!

Seriously, I teared up though, great story, love this Iconic. He's one I was super excited to find out more about.

Paizo Employee Design Manager

2 people marked this as a favorite.

Love it!

It definitely feels like a truly "iconic" warpriest, and the well-fleshed origin story is great.

Silver Crusade

6 people marked this as a favorite.
Jiggy wrote:
I wanted his mom to be Amiri. :(

I can see a massive amount of sexual tension between Oloch and Amiri in fan works lol.

Liberty's Edge

13 people marked this as a favorite.
F. Wesley Schneider wrote:
You can tell he's a Gorumite from that flail! :D

Love the flail, and extra glad to see a half-orc without implied rape in the back story.


22 people marked this as a favorite.

F-YEAH PAIZO, WELL DONE
this is so metal that I have to go do some pushups while drinking jack daniels, brb

Liberty's Edge

6 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Jirelle! Oloch! Ride!


3 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

The only thought that crosses my mind is, how can such a thin hilt support such a large blade?

Paizo Employee Design Manager

2 people marked this as a favorite.

The art makes me want to see a set of feats that let a character TWF with a greatsword and flail as though they were wielding a double weapon....


40 people marked this as a favorite.
zergtitan wrote:
The only thought that crosses my mind is, how can such a thin hilt support such a large blade?

BECAUSE IT PLEASES GORUM


Love the art. Makes it very clear that his guy is a Warrior first and a Priest second. Hopefully the class preview next week will show a more dextrous Warpriest as a comparison.


3 people marked this as a favorite.
Ssalarn wrote:
The art makes me want to see a set of feats that let a character TWF with a greatsword and flail as though they were wielding a double weapon....

Ancient orcish secret...


16 people marked this as a favorite.

Mikaze, you better get out here and see this. Consensual human-orc tryst, methinks.


Awesome as usual!

Grand Lodge

2 people marked this as a favorite.

Yet more validation for WR being my favorite fantasy artist.

Shadow Lodge

Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Even his drum has SPIKES!!!

What do you think the rules are for a drum with armor spikes? ;-)

Paizo Employee Design Manager

11 people marked this as a favorite.
Kieviel wrote:

Even his drum has SPIKES!!!

What do you think the rules are for a drum with armor spikes? ;-)

The drum is also armed with it's own tiny flail as well. Even the musical instruments of Gorum's followers are ready to throw down!


4 people marked this as a favorite.

Oo-Loch! F*CK YEAH! Coming again, to save the M*ther F*cking day yeah!

Grand Lodge

18 people marked this as a favorite.

CRUSH YOUR ENEMIES!! SEE THEM DRIVEN BEFORE YOU!! AND TO HEAR THE LAMENTATIONS OF THEIR <insert preferred gender>!!!


11 people marked this as a favorite.
Joseph Davis wrote:
Jiggy wrote:
I wanted his mom to be Amiri. :(
I can see a massive amount of sexual tension between Oloch and Amiri in fan works lol.

I'm not seeing "tension" so much as "Godsdamn it, do we have to throw a bucket of cold water over you two? You know he won't be able to cast spells without eight hours sleep!" ^.^


3 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Did they slip up here? An iconic character whose mother is still alive and whose father is not confirmed to have died?

So it is good to learn that being an orphan is no longer a requirement for being an iconic adventurer.


27 people marked this as a favorite.

Halgra: YOU'RE A ROTTEN LITTLE BASTARD WITH NO SELF CONTROL!! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE UNTIL YOU CAN CONTROL YOUR BLOOD LUST!!!!

...

Here, I packed some cookies for your tip. Be safe and write home! Mummy loves you!

^unofficial headcannon of how that scene went down.

[Edit] Also, Oloch totally gets carepackages from his mother. Including a pretty cutting hat.


4 people marked this as a favorite.

Yay consensual half orc babies! I kinda wished the mom was the orc, but you cant have everything.

Dark Archive

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Anyone else notice he killed a Texas Ranger and took their badge as a trophy? :P

Liberty's Edge Digital Products Assistant

4 people marked this as a favorite.

Updated to mention that Oloch will also be appearing in the Adventure Card Game: Skull & Shackles Character Add-On Deck


Okay, officially, I like this iconic the best.


Ho man, the war priest is by far the most popular new class in my group and I'm dying to see what awesome mechanics we're going to see on Tuesday. I can't wait to see the final version of this class in play.

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
David knott 242 wrote:

Did they slip up here? An iconic character whose mother is still alive and whose father is not confirmed to have died?

So it is good to learn that being an orphan is no longer a requirement for being an iconic adventurer.

The choices were 'orphan or horribly abused in childhood', which he sort of fits in both points - all the baggage of orphaned childhood, with late occuring abandonment issues.


2 people marked this as a favorite.

Could Grask Uldeth secretly be the unnamed father? Hmmm, my magic 8 ball says "Outlook good!"


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Is it just me, or is this a Half Orc Mikaze will love, if only for his birth.


2 people marked this as a favorite.

I think we're getting a CE iconic...


7 people marked this as a favorite.

How many people are looking forward to Mikaze's response to Oloch?


NoncompliAut wrote:
I think we're getting a CE iconic...

I'd wager he'll follow after Our Lord in Iron and be CN. Especially since they call out that Oloch's "not actively evil" in his background.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber
Tels wrote:

Halgra: YOU'RE A ROTTEN LITTLE BASTARD WITH NO SELF CONTROL!! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE UNTIL YOU CAN CONTROL YOUR BLOOD LUST!!!!

...

Here, I packed some cookies for your tip. Be safe and write home! Mummy loves you!

^unofficial headcannon of how that scene went down.

[Edit] Also, Oloch totally gets carepackages from his mother. Including a pretty cutting hat.

I love you. This right here wins everything. Forever.

But really EPIC iconic. CN bloodthirsty far from good warrior first priest second character. LOVE. IT.

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

2 people marked this as a favorite.

My order of preference so far:
1) Quinn
2) Jirelle
3) Oloch


5 people marked this as a favorite.
Dustin Ashe wrote:
Mikaze, you better get out here and see this. Consensual human-orc tryst, methinks.

Yea...he's probably shocked from a powerful squeegasm.


2 people marked this as a favorite.
Suma3da wrote:
NoncompliAut wrote:
I think we're getting a CE iconic...
I'd wager he'll follow after Our Lord in Iron and be CN. Especially since they call out that Oloch's "not actively evil" in his background.

Yeah Paizo has been strangely skittish about evil iconics besides Seltyiel. Which is odd because they made pretty evil sounding backstories for Damiel and Alain but decided they were neutral. Damiel and Oloch's backstories at least mention that they are trying to be better though.

Personally I'd prefer if they just made the characters evil. Villains are interesting too and can be redeemed if the writers/GMs want. Plus the friction in a party of Good, Neutral, and Evil iconics could be interesting for the comics.

I think there should be an iconic for every alignment for the same reason that there are iconics for every class: to help people when making characters.

Paizo Employee Design Manager

2 people marked this as a favorite.
David knott 242 wrote:

Did they slip up here? An iconic character whose mother is still alive and whose father is not confirmed to have died?

So it is good to learn that being an orphan is no longer a requirement for being an iconic adventurer.

Yeah, not only did they make it clear that he's the product of consensual human and orc relations, they avoided giving him a case of Disney Dead Parent Syndrome.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Hell, I'm excited that they've managed to come up with a Gorum worshiper that makes me interested in playing a worshiper of Gorum. If/when PFS sanctions the ACG, I may finally have a PFS character, even if it is just the Oloch pre-gen...

Dark Archive Vendor - Fantasiapelit Tampere

Very cool! I believe Grask Uldeath is his pappy ;) These have all been very exciting characters, and just to see these makes me want to play these classes!

Shadow Lodge

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Each one of these is better than the last! I loved his writeup and I loved how you managed to incorporate Tranau and the preexisting POC orc fighter/sometimes lover Halgra into his narrative. I really want to see him and his family in the comics now. Also it goes without saying but I love his moral delimma over how, what, and when violence is appropriate in his life and watching him struggle with it. I actually have an Ogrekin warpriest in my home game who deals with the same stuff so seeing it echoed in the iconic is absolutely wonderful.

Liberty's Edge

4 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
N'wah wrote:
Anyone else notice he killed a Texas Ranger and took their badge as a trophy? :P

I think someone needs to do some photoshop to have Alain's tattered banner hanging off that banner/trophy post.


I have no great love for new classes, but this writeup is beautiful.


Wow, this guy seems brutal, unarguably my favorite of the advanced classes.
Even if he's not actively evil, I bet he channels negative energy.


Grask Uldeth being the father would be absolutely awesome. It would also be a good possibility that Hundrux Half-Mann is his half-brother by blood, considering one of the rumors about that half-orc is that Halgra is also his mother.

Oloch, looks like they got the name from Moloch, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moloch ,even more awesome because of that.

I want to see what his pregen stats and feats look like, what weapon specialties he has.
The Warpriest has the ability to be an incredibly viable role within the party, and MAN OH MAN do I want to see it in print, with the archetypes. Imagine a warpriest archetype that surrenders more spellcasting for the ability to do even more damage with his weapon? How friggin awesome is that!

I'm honestly so friggin pumped! This is the ONE character that I wanted to see, and the fact that he's from Belkzen!!!! God you have no idea how happy I am to hear this! You know why? Because I always, ALWAYS play half-orcs.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

The stage lights slowly fade on. Mist rises from the fog machines. The crowd is hushed. Then the speakers blair with the announcer:
"The Absalom Amphitheater presents the ACG! With Oloch Warpriest on drums, Investigator Quin on base, and the ever lovely Jirelle the Swashbuckler on lead vocals. Are you ready to rock?!"
The crowd screams "Yes!"
The announcer responds "Well then wait 'til Arodus suckas!"


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

This is almost exactly how I envisioned a warpriest being.
Kickin' ass for his god.

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