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With the upcoming 'Horror Adventures' and 'Strange Aeons' and general lack of decent cleric archetypes, I thought I'd give it a whirl!! Thoughts and feedback always appreciated!
Some clerics are willing to tamper with their own sanity in order to be elevated in the sight of the masters of the Dark Tapestry. A Dark Apostle is a high priest of a Great Old One or Outer God, fervently dedicated to granting their masters access to the material world.
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier. This alters the cleric's class skills.
Weapon and armour proficiency
A Dark Apostle is proficient with the club, dagger, light crossbow, and quarterstaff, and with light armour, but he's not proficient with any type of shield. This replaces the cleric's weapon and armour proficiencies.
Restricted Domain
Irrespective of which deity they worship, one of their domains must always be Void, even if that particular deity does not offer it as a choice. Any of the Void subdomains can be selected as part of this restriction. This ability alters the normal domain ability.
Spontaneous casting and summoning
A Dark Apostle cannot spontaneously cast curing/inflicting spells. Instead they can spontaneously cast Summon Monster spells but only to summon creatures of the Aberration type. They may summon any Aberration equal in CR to ½ their cleric level +1. A Dark Apostle may only summon creatures of the Aberration type. They may communicate perfectly via telepathy with any summoned monster and the creature obeys commands exactly as requested for the duration of the spell.
Forbidden lore
Through their occult readings a Dark Apostle comes across many terrible and ancient incantations and rituals that would be considered heretical for followers of other gods. This knowledge enables access to spells otherwise unavailable but comes at a cost. At 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th and 15th level a Dark Apostle may select a single spell from any other domain/subdomain of a level that they can cast. These may be prepared in their normal spell slots. Once made, the choice cannot be changed. However, they only make half the channelling progress of a normal cleric and reduce their maximum number of daily channels by 2. This ability alters the normal channel ability.
Gift of the Chosen
Knowledge of what lies behind the curtain of the Dark Tapestry is enough to challenge the lucidity of even the most stalwart believer. Madness and insanity are frequently the rewards for service. A Dark Apostle, however, believes these to be gifts given only to the chosen and a sign of high regard.
Every time the cleric prepares his spells, he must test to see if he is afflicted by a form of madness. The form is dependant on the cleric’s level.
7th level: Paranoia (Will DC 15). The character is convinced that the world and all that dwell within it are out to get him.
Effect: –4 penalty on Will saves and Charisma-based skill checks; cannot receive benefit from or attempt the Aid Another action; cannot willingly accept aid (including healing) from another creature.
Duration: D6 rounds - these do not have to be consecutive and can be chosen by the GM.
14th level: Schizophrenia (Will DC 20). The character has lost his grip on reality, and can no longer tell the difference between what is real and what is not.
Effect: –4 penalty on all Wisdom and Charisma-based skill checks and character suffers from confusion.
Duration: D6 rounds - these do not have to be consecutive and can be chosen by the GM.
20th level: Psychosis (Will DC 25). This complex insanity fills the victim with hate for the world. He cannot help but plot and plan the death and destruction of his friends and enemies alike. In such cases, the GM should assume control of the character whenever his psychosis is in control.
Effect: Character becomes chaotic evil
Duration: D6 rounds - these do have to be consecutive but can be chosen by the GM.
This is brilliant...
(Tweaked to enable the summoning ability to scale properly)
Some clerics are willing to tamper with their own sanity in order to be elevated in the sight of the masters of the Dark Tapestry. A Dark Apostle is a high priest of a Great Old One or Outer God, fervently dedicated to granting their masters access to the material world.
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier. This alters the cleric's class skills.
Weapon and armour proficiency
A Dark Apostle is proficient with the club, dagger, light crossbow, and quarterstaff, and with light armour, but he's not proficient with any type of shield. This replaces the cleric's weapon and armour proficiencies.
Restricted Domain
Irrespective of which deity they worship, one of their domains must always be Void, even if that particular deity does not offer it as a choice. Any of the Void subdomains can be selected as part of this restriction. This ability alters the normal domain ability.
Spontaneous casting and summoning
A Dark Apostle cannot spontaneously cast curing/inflicting spells. Instead they can spontaneously cast Summon Monster spells but only to summon creatures of the Aberration type. They may summon any Aberration equal in CR to ½ their cleric level +1 (increasing to +2 at 10th and +3 at 15th level). A Dark Apostle may only summon creatures of the Aberration type. They may communicate perfectly via telepathy with any summoned monster and the creature obeys commands exactly as requested for the duration of the spell.
Forbidden lore
Through their occult readings a Dark Apostle comes across many terrible and ancient incantations and rituals that would be considered heretical for followers of other gods. This knowledge enables access to spells otherwise unavailable but comes at a cost. At 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th and 15th level a Dark Apostle may select a single spell from any other domain/subdomain of a level that they can cast. These may be prepared in their normal spell slots. Once made, the choice cannot be changed. However, they only make half the channelling progress of a normal cleric and reduce their maximum number of daily channels by 2. This ability alters the normal channel ability.
Gift of the Chosen
Knowledge of what lies behind the curtain of the Dark Tapestry is enough to challenge the lucidity of even the most stalwart believer. Madness and insanity are frequently the rewards for service. A Dark Apostle, however, believes these to be gifts given only to the chosen and a sign of high regard.
Every time the cleric prepares his spells, he must test to see if he is afflicted by a form of madness. The form is dependant on the cleric’s level.
7th level: Paranoia (Will DC 15). The character is convinced that the world and all that dwell within it are out to get him.
Effect: –4 penalty on Will saves and Charisma-based skill checks; cannot receive benefit from or attempt the Aid Another action; cannot willingly accept aid (including healing) from another creature.
Duration: D6 rounds - these do not have to be consecutive and can be chosen by the GM.
14th level: Schizophrenia (Will DC 20). The character has lost his grip on reality, and can no longer tell the difference between what is real and what is not.
Effect: –4 penalty on all Wisdom and Charisma-based skill checks and character suffers from confusion.
Duration: D6 rounds - these do not have to be consecutive and can be chosen by the GM.
20th level: Psychosis (Will DC 25). This complex insanity fills the victim with hate for the world. He cannot help but plot and plan the death and destruction of his friends and enemies alike. In such cases, the GM should assume control of the character whenever his psychosis is in control.
Effect: Character becomes chaotic evil
Duration: D6 rounds - these do have to be consecutive but can be chosen by the GM.
Hmm, not sure how I feel about the summoning part since CR is not the best way to determine how strong a monster is.
Reduced Channeling is technically "a cost". It's also an absolute steal that I would take 999/1000 if I was worshiping a Lovecraftian horror anyway.
The loss of proficiencies isn't to be scoffed at, but it's a pretty great caster archetype. 4 + Int skills, spontaneous Aberration summons, some key Wiz/Sorc spells.
The reason I don't think this will be taken, even in the rare case of a Cthulu/Azathoth worshiping PC, is the DM-triggered insanity. The only people who would take this archetype are the kind who don't care at all about the people around them. A Bloatmage can go on a blood-fueled bender, but it's something that have to make a conscious choice to do. It's something that, maybe if things go absolutely FUBAR, they can resort to. This happens every time the Cleric prepares spells.
There's no problem with playing an Evil character, even a Chaotic Evil character, but you have to care about the party. Even if you don't care about anyone else.
This puts the archetype into NPC-only for me in any campaign going past 6th level.
I do completely get what you're saying but I really wanted the archetype to have an actual different feel to it, something that screams out 'PLAY ME'!
I do definitely think that there should be some kind of madness effect associated with it. I honestly think this is an archetype for people who really appreciate the RP aspect and want to get into character. I totally disagree that its only for people who dont care abut the party.
Realistically for the 'Gift of the Chosen', you are going to have to make a check 1/day and the save is well within the capability of the average cleric. Yes you could fail, but the duration will only be for 3-4 rounds on average and the fact that the GM is in charge of when it occurs is not only excellent for RP purposes but provides a good fail safe against anything too extreme. The paranoia effect is pretty mild in terms of its potential effects within the party.
In terms of pure design I genuinely think the abilities are spot on.
There are so many bland archetypes out there at least this one sticks to the design principles.
Be honest... isnt this exactly what you imagine an Outer God/Great Old One high priest to be like!!!!! ;)))
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I don't think open-ended summoning lists are a good idea. That just grows bigger and nastier with every Bestiary. It's something Paizo has tried to avoid. It would be better to write a new list of summons for every level.
Also, if you're all about summoning Aberrations, how come you don't have Knowledge (Dungeoneering) as a class skill?
I don't think open-ended summoning lists are a good idea. That just grows bigger and nastier with every Bestiary. It's something Paizo has tried to avoid. It would be better to write a new list of summons for every level.
Also, if you're all about summoning Aberrations, how come you don't have Knowledge (Dungeoneering) as a class skill?
Yeah I did think about that but then I thought the balancing factor is that the archetype is hyper-specialised in terms of summoning and so its far less likely to cause future problems. Plus as its an archetype you always have to be wary with word count and it does make things far simpler.
But yes in theory you could come up with a I-IX list...
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What about:
* The dark apostle removes all creatures from his summon monster list except animals and elementals. Animals do not gain celestial/infernal templates but instead gain the (choose some thematic template here, there are several) template. Further, the dark apostle adds the following aberrations to his summon monster spells at the stated levels:
1: ...
2: ...
Filling up a Summon Monster list should be done with care. You don't want to cause analysis paralysis with too many options, but there should be enough on the menu to choose from.
CR is not an ideal indicator for good SMx level. CR measures how easy it is to defeat the monster for adventurers. Adventurers tend to be much better at overcoming weird defences than randomly encountered NPCs/monsters, so you should be careful with that when allocating monsters. Also monsters with many useful SLAs should be rated higher, otherwise Summon Monster becomes a "do everything cheap" spell.
Gift of the Chosen is something that is not going to come up, ever. So if this is supposed to be a flaw that balances being able to spam Chokers at level 1, it needs to be reworked.
Gift of the Chosen was mainly for RP reasons.... anything Lovecraft has to have some madness involved!
Even without it I think the class is pretty well balanced. I would certainly be open to bumping the DC's up by 1 and/or introducing a new madness at say level 4. You have to bare in mind that whether a DC is passed will be strongly influenced by initial point buy and that a save will have to be made every day. In order for this to work as a PC class the saves for Gift of the Chosen should only be failed very occasionally....otherwise things WILL spiral out of control!!
Under the current summoning rules a choker wouldnt be able to be summoned until 2nd level and to be honest a choker is hardly a game breaking monster for a PC to summon. I would put Color Spray as a spell far more likely to end encounters at low levels.
Fiddled with the design a bit in terms of balance and flavour.... havent fleshed out the summoning list yet though. As always feedback please!
Some clerics are willing to tamper with their own sanity, in order to be elevated in the sight of the masters of the Dark Tapestry and gain terrible new powers. A Dark Apostle is a high priest of a Great Old One or Outer God, fervently dedicated to granting their masters access to the material world.
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier. This alters the cleric's class skills.
Weapon and armour proficiency
A Dark Apostle is proficient with the club, dagger, light crossbow, and quarterstaff, and with light armour, but he's not proficient with any type of shield. This replaces the cleric's weapon and armour proficiencies.
Zealout
A dark apostle is fanatical in his worship. Their innate affinity with the abyss and the powers within disrupts aspects of their divine power and as such they completely lose the ability to channel energy. This ability may not be regained through alternate means.This ability alters the normal channel ability.
Restricted Domain
Irrespective of which deity they worship, one of their domains must always be Void, even if that particular deity does not offer it as a choice. Any of the Void subdomains can be selected as part of this restriction. This ability alters the normal domain ability.
Spontaneous casting and summoning
A Dark Apostle cannot spontaneously cast curing/inflicting spells. Instead they can spontaneously cast Summon Monster spells but only to summon creatures of the Aberration type. They may not summon creatures of any other type. They may communicate perfectly via telepathy with any summoned monster and the creature obeys commands exactly as requested for the duration of the spell.
According to the spell level, the following creatures may be summoned:
I:
II:
III:
IV:
V:
VI:
VII:
VIII:
IX:
Forbidden lore
Through their occult readings a Dark Apostle comes across many terrible and ancient incantations and rituals that would be considered heretical for followers of other gods. This knowledge enables access to spells otherwise unavailable. At 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th and 15th level a Dark Apostle may select a single spell from any other domain/subdomain of a level that they can cast. These may be prepared in their normal spell slots. Once made, the choice cannot be changed.
Enlighten the Unbeliever
The ability may be used 1/day from 6th level. A single target within close range may be shown what is behind the skin of reality. The cleric points at his enemy, utters a stream of unnatural, incomprehensible words and exposes them to the emptiness of the abyss. The target must make a DC Fort save equal to 10 + 1/2 cleric level + wisdom modifier. A failed save means the target is paralyzed with fear for D6 + 1 rounds. If the save is passed, the target is merely frightened for D4 + 1 rounds. This ability is a supernatural, fear based effect.
Gift of the Chosen
Knowledge of what lies behind the curtain of the Dark Tapestry is enough to challenge the lucidity of even the most stalwart believer. Madness and insanity are frequently the rewards for service. A Dark Apostle, however, believes these to be gifts given only to the chosen and a sign of high regard. Every time the cleric prepares his spells, he must test to see if he is afflicted by a form of madness. The form is dependant on the cleric’s level and the effects are only applicable for the next 24 hours.
3rd level: Mania (Will DC 12).The character knows what lurks in the abyss and cannot help being fascinated by it.
Effect: The character stands quietly, taking no actions other than to stare into space smiling. It takes a –4 penalty on skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks. Any potential threat, such as a hostile creature approaching, someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a ranged weapon allows the fascinated creature a new saving throw against the fascinating effect. A fascinated creature's ally may shake it free of the spell as a standard action.
Duration: D6 rounds - these do not have to be consecutive and can be chosen by the GM.
7th level: Paranoia (Will DC 16). The character is convinced that the world and all that dwell within it are out to get him.
Effect: –4 penalty on Will saves and Charisma-based skill checks; cannot receive benefit from or attempt the Aid Another action; cannot willingly accept aid (including healing) from another creature.
Duration: D6 rounds - these do not have to be consecutive and can be chosen by the GM.
14th level: Schizophrenia (Will DC 20). The character has lost his grip on reality, and can no longer tell the difference between what is real and what is not.
Effect: –4 penalty on all Wisdom and Charisma-based skill checks and character suffers from confusion.
Duration: D6 rounds - these do not have to be consecutive and can be chosen by the GM.
20th level: Psychosis (Will DC 25). This complex insanity fills the victim with hate for the world. He cannot help but plot and plan the death and destruction of his friends and enemies alike. In such cases, the GM should assume control of the character whenever his psychosis is in control.
Effect: Character becomes chaotic evil
Duration: D6 rounds - these do not have to be consecutive but can be chosen by the GM.
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Gift of the Chosen is still problematic. Can the GM activate Madness any time? Before a roll made by a player? After a roll? Because leaving it vague and having people fight each other over whether the GM could apply the -4 to Will before a save against dominate person or after the dice are rolled can kill game tables.
Are these effects mind-affecting? How does it interact with anything that makes you immune to mind-adffecting effects? Is it Su, Ex or SLA? Can it be dispelled?
Bonus question: Android Dark Apostle?
Tricky Bonus Question: Dark Apostle with 1 level of Spiritualist, can he or she shunt the madness into the phantom?
Why is the Mania effect inconsistent with the fascinating condition RAW? Is it intentional?
Considering that 99% of such Clerics will be CE from the get go, the Psychosis is actually the least problematic of all madness types.
In any case, why not use the existing rules for insanity types and make them last 24h instead of having GM making arbitrary decisions as to when do they trigger? From my experience there are two kinds of GMs: those who will forget about the effect altogether, and those who will go out their way to make sure it's a PITA for everyone at the table.
Enlighten the Unbeliever: Fort save against fear effect?
Gift of the Chosen is still problematic. Can the GM activate Madness any time? Before a roll made by a player? After a roll? Because leaving it vague and having people fight each other over whether the GM could apply the -4 to Will before a save against dominate person or after the dice are rolled can kill game tables.
I would say the GM has to state at the start of his turn that he is activating the effect. Will tweak.
Are these effects mind-affecting? How does it interact with anything that makes you immune to mind-adffecting effects? Is it Su, Ex or SLA? Can it be dispelled?
I'm pretty much looking for them to be impossible to shake off. Will tweak.
Bonus question: Android Dark Apostle?
Yes - Gift of the Chosen is divine in nature and is imparted on them by their deity in the form of a test of their sanity.
Tricky Bonus Question: Dark Apostle with 1 level of Spiritualist, can he or she shunt the madness into the phantom?
No
Why is the Mania effect inconsistent with the fascinating condition RAW? Is it intentional?
Intentional - the effect RAW was a bit too easy to shake off, this version is slightly harder.
Considering that 99% of such Clerics will be CE from the get go, the Psychosis is actually the least problematic of all madness types.
Completely disagree - worshippers of Great Old Ones/Outer Gods can be everything from CG going through all the shades of neutrality to CE.This character is for people who are into their roleplay not just their roll play Also in this case having psychosis is worse than 'just being CE' since you also completely lose control of your character to the GM.
In any case, why not use the existing rules for insanity types and make them last 24h instead of having GM making arbitrary decisions as to when do they trigger? From my experience there are two kinds of GMs: those who will forget about the effect altogether, and those who will go out their way to make sure it's a PITA for everyone at the table.
24 hour effects?!?!... No way.... it would throw the balance completely off. First and foremost this is designed to be a PC. The fact that the effects have a limited duration and are saveable for a reasonably optimised character is a deliberate part of the balance and RP process. The saves should only be failed occasionally - any more and it spoils it as a PC. Would consider changing duration to D6+1 rounds - to give it a smidge more ooomph!!
At the end of the day good and bad GMs will be good and bad GMs irrespective of what is and isnt going on!!
Enlighten the Unbeliever: Fort save against fear effect?
Yup
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Tweaked and clarified in a couple of places.....
Some clerics are willing to tamper with their own sanity, in order to be elevated in the sight of the masters of the Dark Tapestry and gain terrible new powers. A Dark Apostle is a high priest of a Great Old One or Outer God, fervently dedicated to granting their masters access to the material world.
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier. This alters the cleric's class skills.
Weapon and armour proficiency
A Dark Apostle is proficient with the club, dagger, light crossbow, and quarterstaff, and with light armour, but he's not proficient with any type of shield. This replaces the cleric's weapon and armour proficiencies.
Zealot
A dark apostle is fanatical in his worship. Their innate affinity with the abyss and the powers within disrupts aspects of their divine power and as such they completely lose the ability to channel energy. This ability may not be regained through alternate means.
Restricted Domain
Irrespective of which deity they worship, one of their domains must always be Void, even if that particular deity does not offer it as a choice. Any of the Void subdomains can be selected as part of this restriction. This ability alters the normal domain ability.
Spontaneous casting and summoning
A Dark Apostle cannot spontaneously cast curing/inflicting spells. Instead they can spontaneously cast Summon Monster spells but only to summon creatures of the Aberration type. They may not summon creatures of any other type. They may communicate perfectly via telepathy with any summoned monster and the creature obeys commands exactly as requested for the duration of the spell.
According to the spell level, the following creatures may be summoned:
I:
II:
III:
IV:
V:
VI:
VII:
VIII:
IX:
Forbidden lore
Through their occult readings a Dark Apostle comes across many terrible and ancient incantations and rituals that would be considered heretical for followers of other gods. This knowledge enables access to spells otherwise unavailable. At 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th and 18th level a Dark Apostle may select a single spell from any other domain/subdomain of a level that they can cast. These may be prepared in their normal spell slots. Once made, the choice cannot be changed.
Enlighten the Unbeliever
The ability may be used 1/day at 6th level. A single target within close range may be shown what is behind the skin of reality. The cleric points at his enemy, utters a stream of unnatural, incomprehensible words and exposes them to the emptiness of the abyss. The target must make a DC Fort save equal to 10 + 1/2 cleric level + wisdom modifier. A failed save means the target is paralyzed with fear for D6+1 rounds. If the save is passed, the target is merely frightened for D4+1 rounds. This ability is a supernatural, fear based effect.
Gift of the Chosen
Knowledge of what lies behind the curtain of the Dark Tapestry is enough to challenge the lucidity of even the most stalwart believer. Madness and insanity are frequently the rewards for service. A Dark Apostle, however, believes these to be gifts given only to the chosen and a sign of high regard. Every time the cleric prepares his spells, he must test to see if he is afflicted by a form of madness. The form is dependant on the cleric’s level and the effects applicable for the next 24 hours. Unless stated, once afflicted, the cleric may not have the condition removed by any means. A GM must declare at the start of their turn whether a condition is in effect.
3rd level: Mania (Will DC 12).The character knows what lurks in the abyss and cannot help being fascinated by it.
Effect: The character stands quietly, taking no actions other than to stare into space smiling. It takes a –4 penalty on skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks. Any potential threat, such as a hostile creature approaching, someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a ranged weapon allows the fascinated creature a new saving throw against the fascinating effect. A fascinated creature's ally may shake it free of the spell as a standard action.
Duration: D6+1 rounds - these do not have to be consecutive and can be chosen by the GM.
7th level: Paranoia (Will DC 16). The character is convinced that the world and all that dwell within it are out to get him.
Effect: –4 penalty on Will saves and Charisma-based skill checks; cannot receive benefit from or attempt the Aid Another action; cannot willingly accept aid (including healing) from another creature.
Duration: D6+1 rounds - these do not have to be consecutive and can be chosen by the GM.
14th level: Schizophrenia (Will DC 20). The character has lost his grip on reality, and can no longer tell the difference between what is real and what is not.
Effect: –4 penalty on all Wisdom and Charisma-based skill checks and character suffers from confusion.
Duration: D6+1 rounds - these do not have to be consecutive and can be chosen by the GM.
20th level: Psychosis (Will DC 25). This complex insanity fills the victim with hate for the world. He cannot help but plot and plan the death and destruction of his friends and enemies alike. In such cases, the GM should assume control of the character whenever his psychosis is in control.
Effect: Character becomes chaotic evil
Duration: D6+1 rounds - these do not have to be consecutive and can be chosen by the GM.
Hi!
This looks like a fun archetype.
What I would do is create a list of aberrations that can be summoned. You know 3 of these at 1st level, plus 1 per rank in Knowledge (dungeoneering). That should limit "summoners freeze" at the table.
For Forbidden lore, I would grant a bonus cantrip/orison at 1st, and 1st-9th spells at odd levels 3-19. This would replace Channel Energy.
For Gift of the Chosen, I would maybe give a minor (constant) madness when spells are prepared, and then require a Saving Throw whenever a Void spell or Summon Monster spell is cast, with a failed save resulting in worse madness for 1d6 rounds.
Hi!
This looks like a fun archetype.
Thanks... that was one of the prime factors behind the design! I do feel these days that archetype design has fallen flat.
Too much...."Replace A with B and C with D - done."
I like archetypes with personality!
What I would do is create a list of aberrations that can be summoned. You know 3 of these at 1st level, plus 1 per rank in Knowledge (dungeoneering). That should limit "summoners freeze" at the table.
Sounds good although if the PC builds up their Knowledge ranks wouldnt that necessitate a huge summon list?
For Forbidden lore, I would grant a bonus cantrip/orison at 1st, and 1st-9th spells at odd levels 3-19. This would replace Channel Energy.
Yup sounds good.... was tempted to make the spell choice from any divine source (a nod to the 3.5 Archivist!) instead of from any domain/subdomain... a slight improvement... dont know whether its enough to upset the balance though? Thought the idea might be more thematically appropriate?
For Gift of the Chosen, I would maybe give a minor (constant) madness when spells are prepared, and then require a Saving Throw whenever a Void spell or Summon Monster spell is cast, with a failed save resulting in worse madness for 1d6 rounds.
Interesting... so the Dark Apostle would constantly be afflicted by a low level madness? Maybe rolled from a choice of 3 via D6 everyday? Would have to be fairly party friendly to make it viable.
So they would potentially be making multiple saves/day and the madness would be level based as above? If that is the case some form of balancing in terms of slight improvement to Forbidden Lore (as suggested above) would be fair I think. Either that or improved use of Enlighten the Believer eg) 2/day at 12th or Panicked instead of frightened??
Cheers for the feedback!
Thanks!
This would only grant 23 monsters over 20 levels, so probably pretty manageable. I also like the idea of adding aberrant templates to existing critters, like the old pseudonatural template from 3.X.
For the daily madness, maybe Disadvantage on Attack Rolls, Ability Checks or Skill Checks, or Saving Throws, determined randomly each day. Each with a "moment of clarity" where each day, he gets one roll with Advantage. (Sorry for using 5th Edition terms!)
Here is the final version... as always tell us what you think!
Some clerics are willing to tamper with their own sanity, in order to be elevated in the sight of the masters of the Dark Tapestry and gain terrible new powers. A Dark Apostle is a high priest of a Great Old One or Outer God, fervently dedicated to granting their masters access to the material world.
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier. This alters the cleric's class skills.
Weapon and armour proficiency
A Dark Apostle is proficient with the club, dagger and quarterstaff, and with light armour, but he's not proficient with any type of shield. This replaces the cleric's weapon and armour proficiencies.
Zealot
A dark apostle is fanatical in his worship. Their innate affinity with the abyss and the powers within disrupts aspects of their divine power and as such they completely lose the ability to channel energy. This ability may not be regained through alternate means.
Restricted Domain
Irrespective of which deity they worship, one of their domains must always be Void, even if that particular deity does not offer it as a choice. Any of the Void subdomains can be selected as part of this restriction. This ability alters the normal domain ability.
Spontaneous casting and summoning
A Dark Apostle cannot spontaneously cast curing/inflicting spells. Instead they can spontaneously cast Summon Monster spells but only to summon creatures of the Aberration type. They may not summon creatures of any other type. They may communicate perfectly via telepathy with any summoned monster and the creature obeys commands exactly as requested for the duration of the spell.
According to the spell level, the following creatures may be summoned:
I: Akata, Dossensus, Bogwiggle
II: Fleshdreg, Reefclaw, Goblin Snake, Choker, Sinspawn
III: Fleshdreg Swarm, Ghelarn, Shadowgarm, Chon Chon, Ettercap, Vampiric Mist
IV: Fleshwarp (Grothlut), Gibbering Mouther, Mimic, Blightspawn, Cloaker
V: Capramace, Fleshwarp (Drider), Lurker Above, Dark Naga, Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
VI: Bee Man of Bellis, Emkrah, Spawning Canker, Trench Mist, Spawn of Yog-Sothoth
VII: Argorth, Moon Beast, Royal Naga, Siyokoy, Gug
VIII: Irlgaunt, Living Rune, Azruverda, Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath, Ghorazagh,
IX: Yah-Thelgaad, Neothelid, Targotha, Hyakume, The Mouldering Emperor
Forbidden lore
Through their occult readings a Dark Apostle comes across many terrible and ancient incantations and rituals that would be considered heretical for followers of other gods. This knowledge enables access to spells otherwise unavailable. The cleric gets a bonus cantrip at 1st, and at every odd level from 3rd to 19th a bonus spell from 1st to 9th level. A Dark Apostle may select these spells from any other divine spell list. These may be prepared in their normal spell slots. Once made, the choice cannot be changed.
Enlighten the Unbeliever
The ability may be used 1/day at 6th level. A single target within close range may be shown what is behind the skin of reality. The cleric points at his enemy, utters a stream of unnatural, incomprehensible words and exposes them to the emptiness of the abyss. The target must make a DC Fort save equal to 10 + 1/2 cleric level + wisdom modifier. A failed save means the target is paralyzed with fear for D6+1 rounds. If the save is passed, the target is merely frightened for D4+1 rounds. This ability is a supernatural, fear based effect.
Gifts of the Chosen
Knowledge of what lies behind the curtain of the Dark Tapestry is enough to challenge the lucidity of even the most stalwart believer. Madness and insanity are frequently the rewards for service. A Dark Apostle, however, believes these to be gifts given only to the chosen and a sign of high regard. Every time the cleric prepares his spells, he is afflicted by a minor madness. This type is determined each time by rolling a D6:
1-2: Distracted - the character sees shapes and darting movements in the peripherals of his vision that can cause him to lose focus. He receives a -2 penalty to sense motive, perception, perform, diplomacy, intimidate and bluff skills. However, once per day through bizarre means he can see danger where others do not and may be considered as having rolled a natural 20 for a single initiative check.
3-4: Shakes - the character feels the abyss flowing through him causing him to twitch and shake periodically. He receives a -2 penalty to any stealth, ride, swim, handle animal or acrobatics checks as well as -1 AC. However, once per day the power of the void flows through him and he may automatically pass a single strength based skill or ability check.
5-6: Voices - the character hears voices in his mind from behind the curtain of reality, feeding him garbled information. He receives a -2 penalty to all knowledge checks. However, once per day he has a moment of sheer genius and can apply a single metamagic feat of his choice to a spell.
In addition, whenever the Dark Apostle casts a Void domain or summon monster spell he must see if a higher form of madness affects him. The effects stack with a minor madness, however, they can only be affected by one of these higher forms at a time. The form is dependant on the cleric’s level and the effects applicable for the next 24 hours. Unless stated, once afflicted, the cleric may not have the condition removed by any means. A GM must declare at the start of their turn whether a condition is in effect.
3rd level: Mania (Will DC 12).The character knows what lurks in the abyss and cannot help being fascinated by it.
Effect: The character stands quietly, taking no actions other than to stare into space smiling. It takes a –4 penalty on skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks. Any potential threat, such as a hostile creature approaching, someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a ranged weapon allows the fascinated creature a new saving throw against the fascinating effect. A fascinated creature's ally may shake it free of the condition as a standard action.
Duration: D6 rounds - these do not have to be consecutive and can be chosen by the GM.
7th level: Paranoia (Will DC 16). The character is convinced that the world and all that dwell within it are out to get him.
Effect: –4 penalty on Will saves and Charisma-based skill checks; cannot receive benefit from or attempt the Aid Another action; cannot willingly accept aid (including healing) from another creature.
Duration: D6 rounds - these do not have to be consecutive and can be chosen by the GM.
14th level: Schizophrenia (Will DC 20). The character has lost his grip on reality, and can no longer tell the difference between what is real and what is not.
Effect: –4 penalty on all Wisdom and Charisma-based skill checks and character suffers from confusion.
Duration: D6 rounds - these do not have to be consecutive and can be chosen by the GM.
20th level: Psychosis (Will DC 25). This complex insanity fills the victim with hate for the world. He cannot help but plot and plan the death and destruction of his friends and enemies alike. In such cases, the GM should assume control of the character whenever his psychosis is in control.
Effect: Character becomes chaotic evil
Duration: D6 rounds - these do not have to be consecutive and can be chosen by the GM.
Looks good!
Oh no, oh no! I looked! I looked! And I saw nothing!
The kind of nothing that devours sanity and corrupts souls.
Also, you might want to give them proficiency in light crossbows or some other simple ranged weapon.
Cheers... its been fun putting it together.
I deleted the crossbow option as I was really trying to strip the martial aspect to the bones and keep things low tech.... but maybe something like a sling.
I can imagine poisoned crossbow bolts being a main weapon for dark cultists.
Also, every class has at least 1 ranged weapon. Just in case...
Pretty cool. I would definitely play one.
However, I don't think you should inflict the frightened condition on a save. Losing control of your character for 4 rounds when you make the save? Not cool. Should be staggered or shaken.
Pretty cool. I would definitely play one.
However, I don't think you should inflict the frightened condition on a save. Losing control of your character for 4 rounds when you make the save? Not cool. Should be staggered or shaken.
Good to hear!... What I find very disappointing is that without any self-bias or arrogance, I think the archetype is more interesting and worthwhile playing than ANY current cleric archetype. I think it has a real sense of divine flavour.... you look at it and say "Now that cleric is serious about his worship!!"
I think you always have to look at the bigger picture with these things:
1) Its only 1/day and short range and to 1 target.
2) Dont focus on the individual ability too much but see whether it fits in with the overall power balance of the class - IMO it does easily.
3) Frightened isnt that bad....you do not "lose control" of your character in any way.... you just have to attempt to flee. In doing so you might well have to fight or cast spells... etc
4) The duration averages at 3-4 rounds... hardly encounter ending.
5) The PC is supposed to be a high servant of the abyss, he absolutely should have something along these lines. Think about it from a RP perspective - you are exposing the mortal brain to something indescribably wrong and alien.... even if you manage to stop your brain from overloading being staggered or shaken is a bit too tame.
6) Certain creatures are immune to fear based effects
7) Look at the Void Wizard's special abilities in comparison.... I think I have been very conservative!
8) I was very close when tweaking things to upping the useage to 2/day at 12th...even with that I think the power balance would still be absolutely fine.
I always look very carefully at balance when I'm designing archetypes and I genuinely think I have been quite conservative with the Dark Apostle all things considered. There are v.few (if any) archetypes that I'm aware of that could potentially suffer the level of hindrance that mine could on a daily basis.
Ps I'm working on another cleric archetype... "The Reaper"
This is the final, final version! I've reinstated the x-bow option and tweaked 'Forbidden Lore' - I felt that as this was the bit that had most of the plus for the class in terms of ability, being 2 levels behind in terms of spell level was a bit weak....
Some clerics are willing to tamper with their own sanity, in order to be elevated in the sight of the masters of the Dark Tapestry and gain terrible new powers. A Dark Apostle is a high priest of a Great Old One or Outer God, fervently dedicated to granting their masters access to the material world.
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier. This alters the cleric's class skills.
Weapon and armour proficiency
A Dark Apostle is proficient with the club, dagger, quarterstaff, light crossbow and with light armour, but he's not proficient with any type of shield. This replaces the cleric's weapon and armour proficiencies.
Zealot
A dark apostle is fanatical in his worship. Their innate affinity with the abyss and the powers within disrupts aspects of their divine power and as such they completely lose the ability to channel energy. This ability may not be regained through alternate means.
Restricted Domain
Irrespective of which deity they worship, one of their domains must always be Void, even if that particular deity does not offer it as a choice. Any of the Void subdomains can be selected as part of this restriction. This ability alters the normal domain ability.
Spontaneous casting and summoning
A Dark Apostle cannot spontaneously cast curing/inflicting spells. Instead they can spontaneously cast Summon Monster spells but only to summon creatures of the Aberration type. They may not summon creatures of any other type. They may communicate perfectly via telepathy with any summoned monster and the creature obeys commands exactly as requested for the duration of the spell.
According to the spell level, the following creatures may be summoned:
I: Akata, Dossensus, Bogwiggle
II: Fleshdreg, Reefclaw, Goblin Snake, Choker, Sinspawn
III: Fleshdreg Swarm, Ghelarn, Shadowgarm, Chon Chon, Ettercap, Vampiric Mist
IV: Fleshwarp (Grothlut), Gibbering Mouther, Mimic, Blightspawn, Cloaker
V: Capramace, Fleshwarp (Drider), Lurker Above, Dark Naga, Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
VI: Bee Man of Bellis, Emkrah, Spawning Canker, Trench Mist, Spawn of Yog-Sothoth
VII: Argorth, Moon Beast, Royal Naga, Siyokoy, Gug
VIII: Irlgaunt, Living Rune, Azruverda, Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath, Ghorazagh,
IX: Yah-Thelgaad, Neothelid, Targotha, Hyakume, The Mouldering Emperor
Forbidden lore
Through their occult readings a Dark Apostle comes across many terrible and ancient incantations and rituals that would be considered heretical for followers of other gods. This knowledge enables access to spells otherwise unavailable. The cleric at 1st, and then at every odd level till 17th receives a bonus spell from 1st to 9th level. A Dark Apostle may select these spells from any other divine source. These may be prepared in their normal spell slots. Once made, the choice cannot be changed.
Enlighten the Unbeliever
The ability may be used 1/day at 6th level. A single target within close range may be shown what is behind the skin of reality. The cleric points at his enemy, utters a stream of unnatural, incomprehensible words and exposes them to the emptiness of the abyss. The target must make a DC Fort save equal to 10 + 1/2 cleric level + wisdom modifier. A failed save means the target is paralyzed with fear for D6+1 rounds. If the save is passed, the target is merely frightened for D4+1 rounds. This ability is a supernatural, fear based effect.
Gifts of the Chosen
Knowledge of what lies behind the curtain of the Dark Tapestry is enough to challenge the lucidity of even the most stalwart believer. Madness and insanity are frequently the rewards for service. A Dark Apostle, however, believes these to be gifts given only to the chosen and a sign of high regard. Every time the cleric prepares his spells, he is afflicted by a minor madness. This type is determined each time by rolling a D6:
1-2: Distracted - the character sees shapes and darting movements in the peripherals of his vision that can cause him to lose focus. He receives a -2 penalty to sense motive, perception, perform, diplomacy, intimidate and bluff skills. However, once per day through bizarre means he can see danger where others do not and may be considered as having rolled a natural 20 for a single initiative check.
3-4: Shakes - the character feels the abyss flowing through him causing him to twitch and shake periodically. He receives a -2 penalty to any stealth, ride, swim, handle animal or acrobatics checks as well as -1 AC. However, once per day the power of the void flows through him and he may automatically pass a single strength based skill or ability check.
5-6: Voices - the character hears voices in his mind from behind the curtain of reality, feeding him garbled information. He receives a -2 penalty to all knowledge checks. However, once per day he has a moment of sheer genius and can apply a single metamagic feat of his choice to a spell.
In addition, whenever the Dark Apostle casts a Void domain or summon monster spell he must see if a higher form of madness affects him. The effects stack with a minor madness, however, they can only be affected by one of these higher forms at a time. The form is dependant on the cleric’s level and the effects applicable for the next 24 hours. Unless stated, once afflicted, the cleric may not have the condition removed by any means. A GM must declare at the start of their turn whether a condition is in effect.
3rd level: Mania (Will DC 12) .The character knows what lurks in the abyss and cannot help being fascinated by it.
Effect: The character stands quietly, taking no actions other than to stare into space smiling. It takes a –4 penalty on skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks. Any potential threat, such as a hostile creature approaching, someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a ranged weapon allows the fascinated creature a new saving throw against the fascinating effect. A fascinated creature's ally may shake it free of the condition as a standard action.
Duration: D6 rounds - these do not have to be consecutive and can be chosen by the GM.
7th level: Paranoia (Will DC 16) . The character is convinced that the world and all that dwell within it are out to get him.
Effect: –4 penalty on Will saves and Charisma-based skill checks; cannot receive benefit from or attempt the Aid Another action; cannot willingly accept aid (including healing) from another creature.
Duration: D6 rounds - these do not have to be consecutive and can be chosen by the GM.
14th level: Schizophrenia (Will DC 20) . The character has lost his grip on reality, and can no longer tell the difference between what is real and what is not.
Effect: –4 penalty on all Wisdom and Charisma-based skill checks and character suffers from confusion.
Duration: D6 rounds - these do not have to be consecutive and can be chosen by the GM.
20th level: Psychosis (Will DC 25) . This complex insanity fills the victim with hate for the world. He cannot help but plot and plan the death and destruction of his friends and enemies alike. In such cases, the GM should assume control of the character whenever his psychosis is in control.
Effect: Character becomes chaotic evil
Duration: D6 rounds - these do not have to be consecutive and can be chosen by the GM.
You should toss mi-go, shoggoth, and elder things, and yithians to the summon list at appropriate levels