Cultist

You were once an obedient member of a religious cult, following a dark god, a demon prince, a twisted fey or just a power-hungry fanatic; which hardly matters now. What matters is that you found the strength to break free of blind servitude and see the wrong you did. Innocents died by your hand, sacrificed on altars or slain in raids. Brainwashed, drugged or simply misled, you committed crimes you can hardly ask forgiveness for, but you've left the cult determined to make a new life.

You gain: +1 Charisma; the Charming Liar talent; 2 ranks in Deception and Society.

Starting Equipment:

• Traveler's clothes
• Your cult's identifying mark
• Dagger
• Scroll of a minor ritual
• Pack of candles
• 15 gp

Feature — The Black Sheep: You readily spot members of cults like yours, and people with similar patterns of manipulation or dependency. Some former brethren may not know you defected and could still offer you shelter.

Cult Identification (1d6): Cults mark their members so they can recognize one another. Choose or roll how your old cult marked you. 1. Markings (tattoos, brands), 2. Ritual disfigurement, 3. Accessories (rings, medallions), 4. Distinctive clothing, 5. Passwords or signs, 6. Several—roll twice (reroll 6s)

Quirk (1d8)

1. My past haunts my dreams; I often wake screaming, or don't sleep at all.
2. I anger fast and lash out when someone tries to control me or give me orders.
3. After being a pawn in someone else's game, I can't make choices of my own; I'm indecisive.
4. I'm having second thoughts about leaving; the right circumstances could pull me back.
5. My boundaries were broken so often in the cult that I've lost my sense of them; I often behave oddly or inappropriately.
6. Shame, helplessness and inferiority swing my moods without warning.
7. I feel immense guilt for what I've done and welcome suffering as atonement; I barely look after myself.
8. I expect a knife in the gut any day and see assassins in every shadow.

Ideal (1d6)

1. Protective. Cults meddle with forces beyond their control. Someone has to stop those fools, and I know how they think.
2. Nihilist. Nothing really matters. People are small, and their struggles change nothing.
3. Repentant. I can't undo the harm I've done, but I can spend my life trying to make amends.
4. Anarchist. No one should rule over anyone else. No gods, no masters.
5. Faithful. The cause may have been true, but its leaders were rotten. I follow my faith, not them.
6. Selfish. The world's doomed anyway, so I might as well enjoy what's left of it.

Pledge (1d6)

1. When I left the cult I took one of its relics, and for some reason I can't part with it.
2. They were meant to be sacrificed; I helped them escape, and now I feel responsible for them.
3. It breaks my heart that a close friend, lover or relative is still loyal to the cult.
4. The cult leader made me kill an old friend during my initiation. I haven't forgotten, and I want revenge.
5. I can't stand by while more young people are turned into fanatics or used for someone's gain.
6. No one can ever know I was part of the cult.

Flaw (1d6)

1. Sometimes I hear voices telling me to do terrible things, and sometimes I give in.
2. I trance out and lose touch with reality; at times I'm delusional or delirious.
3. I find great solace in self-punishment; the road to salvation runs through blood and pain.
4. Before I left, my dark master or the cult leader gave me a task I've yet to complete.
5. The cult fed us drugs, and I still crave them badly enough to do anything for a dose.
6. I dread killing another thinking creature; I've spilled enough blood.

Roll or choose one of each, then pair each with a Virtue or Vice (2 of each).

Features

The Black Sheep. You readily spot members of cults like yours, and people with similar patterns of manipulation or dependency. Some former brethren may not know you defected and could still offer you shelter.

Starting Equipment

• Traveler's clothes
• Your cult's identifying mark
• Dagger
• Scroll of a minor ritual
• Pack of candles
• 15 gp