Cultists

by gq69

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Cultist Variants

variations on the cultist statblock from the monster
manual based on different otherworldly patrons

Cultist of the Archfey

For popular archfey such as Queen Titania and Oberon, throngs of adoring fanatics seek out their patronage every day. Not all are lucky enough to become warlocks. The vast majority are given a few minor gifts and sent on their way.

Cultists use their skill in Deception, the spell charm person, and the friends cantrip to get their way even if it leaves a trail of broken people behind them. They use minor illusion more for themselves than anyone else, creating beautiful representations of fey courts to tide their longing for one more day. Perhaps this day will be the day they are accepted.

Cultist of the Archfey

Medium humanoid (any race), any chaotic alignment

  • Armor Class 13 (leather armor)
  • Hit Points 9 (2d8)
  • Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 14 (+2) 11 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 12 (+1)
  • Skills Arcana +2, Deception +3
  • Senses passive Perception 10
  • Languages any one language
  • Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)

Dark Devotion. The cultist has advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

Initiate Spellcasting. The cultist is a magic initiate. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 11, +3 to hit with spell attacks). It can cast the following warlock spells.

At will: friends, minor illusion
1/day: charm person

Actions

Sickle. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) slashing damage.

Cultist of the Archlich

Powerful liches don't ask for followers, they demand them. Cultists of the archlich are forced to learn dark powers and serve their master against their will.

Cultists mainly perform daily chores for the archlich, performing upkeep on the dungeon or cleaning out the bodies of failed adventuring parties. Their mage hand and unseen servant help them get more done in a day than a regular maid or cleaner would. Occasionally, a servant might cast chill touch instead of mage hand accidentally, reminding them that they live only at the whim of their dark master.

Cultist of the Archlich

Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment

  • Armor Class 13 (leather armor)
  • Hit Points 11 (2d8 + 2)
  • Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 11 (+0)
  • Skills Arcana +2, Deception +2
  • Senses passive Perception 10
  • Languages any one language
  • Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)

Dark Devotion. The cultist has advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

Initiate Spellcasting. The cultist is a magic initiate. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 10, +2 to hit with spell attacks). It can cast the following warlock spells.

At will: chill touch, mage hand
1/day: unseen servant

Actions

Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.

Cultist of the Fiend

Demon princes and arch devils are vain, egotistical, narcissistic, and sociopathic, and, unfortunately, many people are attracted to those traits. Cultists of fiends learn evil magic in the hopes of impressing their future patron.

Cultists hope to go out in a blaze of glory. They create blazing fires with produce flame for attention, lie and cheat their way to success with friends, and welcome the consequences, hoping to cast hellish rebuke on anyone who dares raise a hand against them.

Cultist of the Fiend

Medium humanoid (any race), any evil alignment

  • Armor Class 13 (leather armor)
  • Hit Points 11 (2d8 + 2)
  • Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 13 (+1)
  • Skills Deception +3, Performance +3
  • Senses passive Perception 10
  • Languages any one language
  • Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)

Dark Devotion. The cultist has advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

Initiate Spellcasting. The cultist is a magic initiate. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 11, +3 to hit with spell attacks). It can cast the following warlock spells.

At will: friends, produce flame
1/day: hellish rebuke

Actions

Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.

Cultist of the Great Old One

Cultists of the Great Old One don't worship their deity in the same way that other cultists might. Instead, the deity is merely a conduit for dark powers that allow the cultist to achieve its sinister goals. They are usually aware of the disastrous consequences of their meddling, but simply choose to ignore them.

Cultists weave visions of terrible futures with minor illusion and demonstrate their otherworldly power with thaumaturgy. Those who get in the way of their research shall suffer at the arms of Hadar.

Cultist of the Great Old One

Medium humanoid (any race), chaotic neutral or chaotic evil

  • Armor Class 13 (leather armor)
  • Hit Points 9 (2d8)
  • Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 8 (-1) 11 (+0)
  • Skills Deception +2, Investigation +3
  • Senses passive Perception 9
  • Languages any one language
  • Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)

Dark Devotion. The cultist has advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

Initiate Spellcasting. The cultist is a magic initiate. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 10, +2 to hit with spell attacks). It can cast the following warlock spells.

At will: minor illusion, thaumaturgy
1/day: arms of Hadar

Actions

Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.

Cultist of the Leviathan

Ungodly monsters of the sea will sometimes rescue drowning sailors if they pledge their loyalty to its ultimate destructive power. Those who accept are granted powers and equipment as a cultist. The leviathan relies much more on its cultists than other patrons might, as they are often its only link to the land above.

Cultists gather in great numbers to terrorise local villages. Their tentacle whip, bolstered with hex and booming blade, can kill most commoners outright in a single blow, demonstrating the storming might of their patron. This proves a dangerous combination even for any heroes who dare cross them.

Cultist of the Leviathan

Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment

  • Armor Class 13 (leather armor)
  • Hit Points 16 (3d8 + 3)
  • Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 13 (+1)
  • Skills Deception +3, Survival +3
  • Senses passive Perception 11
  • Languages any one language
  • Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)

Amphibious. The cultist can breathe air and water.

Dark Devotion. The cultist has advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

Initiate Spellcasting. The cultist is a magic initiate. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 11, +3 to hit with spell attacks). It can cast the following warlock spells.

At will: booming blade, true strike
1/day: hex

Actions

Tentacle Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) slashing damage. This is a +1 magic weapon.

Cultist of the Raven Queen

Locked away in the Shadowfell, the Raven Queen needs warlocks and other servants to carry out her wishes on other planes. For small tasks, she will revive commoners who have recently and unfairly died before their time and instruct them on what to do to earn back their lives. Her cultists are granted spells outside of the usual base of a warlock and are sent out as spies and information gatherers rather than combatants. The raven granted to them by find familiar acts as the Raven Queen's eyes, keeping track of their progress towards their goal.

If the cultist can't complete its goal in sufficient time, the Raven Queen will rescind her offer and the cultist will fall dead on the spot, returned to the earth. If they succeed, however, she will give them the choice to go back to their lives as they once were, changing them back into a commoner, or to join her as a specialised warlock, a raven servant, to spread her influence even further.

Undead Nature. The cultist and the raven servant don't need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep.

Cultist of the Raven Queen

Medium undead, any neutral alignment

  • Armor Class 13 (leather armor)
  • Hit Points 26 (4d8 + 8)
  • Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 14 (+2) 15 (+2) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 12 (+1)
  • Skills Deception +3, Stealth +4
  • Senses passive Perception 10
  • Languages any one language
  • Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)

Dark Devotion. The cultist has advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

Initiate Spellcasting. The cultist is a magic initiate. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 11, +3 to hit with spell attacks). It can cast the following warlock spells.

At will: minor illusion, spare the dying
1/day: find familiar (a raven)

Raven Queen's Protection. When the cultist is reduced to 0 hit points, it can drop to 1 hit point instead, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit, or the cultist is killed outright.

Spy for the Raven Queen. The cultist does not appear obviously undead. A successful DC 16 Wisdom (Medicine) check can determine the cultist's undead nature.

Actions

Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.

Cultists and servants of the Raven Queen make heavy use of their raven familiar, scouting out locations, warning of danger, and even sometimes using the raven to protect others from dying before their time, just as the Raven Queen protected them. Most of their tasks involve reconaissance and stealth, thieving dangerous artefacts or frightening others with visions of death through minor illusion. A raven servant is given even more capabilities for subterfuge, turning invisible, placing hexes to rig competitions, or freezing people in place while the raven servant digs through their things.

Raven Servant

Medium undead, any neutral alignment

  • Armor Class 15 (studded leather)
  • Hit Points 60 (8d8 + 24)
  • Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 17 (+3) 17 (+3) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 16 (+3)
  • Skills Deception +5, History +3, Sleight of Hand +5, Stealth +7
  • Senses passive Perception 11
  • Languages any one language
  • Challenge 3 (700 XP)

Dark Devotion. The raven servant has advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

Spellcasting. The raven servant is a 3rd-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). It can cast the following warlock spells.

Cantrips (at will): chill touch, minor illusion, thaumaturgy, spare the dying
1st-2nd level (2 2nd-level slots): armor of Agathys, darkness, find familiar (a raven), hex, hold person, invisibility

Raven Queen's Protection. When the raven servant is reduced to 0 hit points, it can drop to 1 hit point instead, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit, or the raven servant is killed outright.

Spy for the Raven Queen. The raven servant does not appear obviously undead. A successful DC 18 Wisdom (Medicine) check can determine the raven servant's undead nature.

Actions

Multiattack. The raven servant makes one attack with its dagger and one attack with its shadow blade.

Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage.

Shadow Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) piercing damage. The attack roll is made with advantage if the raven servant is in dim light or darkness. This is a magic weapon attack.