Pathfinder Lvl <4 CE Villain

[Epee Assassin]

I am about to run a pathfinder lvl 1 game and need a reoccurring villain who runs a cult. Help!

[Epee Assassin]

Or LE because it's a cult so it must be somewhat linear.

[jmelesky]

Are you looking for fluff or crunch, here? That is, do you want a villain concept you can stat out, or an NPC build you can then put a personality on?

[Epee Assassin]

I would like it to have something solid to work off (Not necessarily a lot) but would also like some sort of idea.

[jmelesky]

You're not giving us anything to go on, here.

He/she leads a cult. Why? Devoted follower of the god/concept in question? Exploiting his/her followers (for money, sex, life energy, or whatever)? Is this his/her life's work, or just a step to a larger plan? Or is he/she just slumming it until something better comes along?

What's the cult like? Are people aware of it? Is it rumors and hearsay, or an obvious real presence? Do they kidnap anyone (babies, virgins, their enemies, whatnot)? Do they kill people? Do they hand out pamphlets to recruit, then brainwash the recruits?

What's the official government stance on this cult? Do they acknowledge its existence, try to cover it up, or support it? Are they aware of its true nature? Have they tried to stop it before? Are any government officials members of the cult (secretly or otherwise)?

[Epee Assassin]

The cult is worshiping a god (The god is either homebrew or completely fake), the cult is their lifelong goal but is a piece of a plan to take over the realm. He promises those who might join what the want and uses some form of hypnotism or similar to get them to help him. He would have a inner circle of 3-10 who do his bidding. Any class is fine but not something obvious like Antipalidin that clearly labels him evil. If he were a cleric he must follow a homebrew god. Almost all races work but not something that core races would hate.

[jmelesky]

In that case, keep it simple. A human Fighter 4 with decent Charisma would have no problem leading a cult, so long as one of her inner circle can do the hypnotism bit for her.

If you want a little more flavorful, an Inquisitor might work well, or even a Cavalier, if you can manage the tactics. Alternately, a Wizard or Sorcerer focused on Enchantment could handle things well, so long as his inner circle were fighter-types willing to interpose themselves between him and harm.

Really, the possibilities are endless.

[Epee Assassin]

How hard would it be to make a deity and have a cleric who led the cult "worship" it?

[jmelesky]

How hard would it be to make a deity and have a cleric who led the cult "worship" it?

Until you're running an epic-level campaign where that deity is actually in combat, all you need are a name, an alignment, a list of domains (four or five is plenty), and a preferred weapon.

A description would be nice, too.

EDIT: Low-level ways to "hypnotize" (assuming you're not actually talking about the hypnotism spell (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/h/hypnotism)) are mostly about charm person (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/c/charm-person).

Of course, as in real life, a high Charisma (possibly boosted with Eagle's Splendor or an item) is generally enough to get people to follow you. Some Diplomacy, then some Bluff, and possibly some Intimidate if people start questioning things.

[Epee Assassin]

Until you're running an epic-level campaign where that deity is actually in combat, all you need are a name, an alignment, a list of domains (four or five is plenty), and a preferred weapon.

A description would be nice, too.

Thank you very much. :smallsmile: I am somewhat new to DMing and I needed some assistance. You have been the most help (especially because my game is Sunday).
P.S.
I've never played a cleric before so could you give me an outline of the stats?
P.P.S.
Is there a low-level hypnotism spell?

[jmelesky]

I've never played a cleric before so could you give me an outline of the stats?

The SRD has a good outline (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/npc-classes/non-player-characters) for creating NPCs, as well as some decent advice.

Also, the same site has a list of sample NPCs (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/npc-s) in the NPC section of its Bestiary.


Is there a low-level hypnotism spell?

You've got hypnotism itself, which i don't think does what you want. Charm Person is much better suited. Also, see my edits above about Charisma and skill checks.

[Prophet_of_Io]

I'd figure out what kind of Cult you want to set up first, it's easy to homebrew a god. Find out why they're trying to take over the realm, why they need the cult, what they're working with. What kind of god do you want? Is he Spitefull, Greedy, or just destructive?
Once you find out where you're coming from the rest falls into place.

For instance: AERONIA, the CE Goddess of Styfe and Glory, seeks to purge the realm into a paradise of Endless battle. To do this she plans on performing a Ritual that would open the barrier between the realms and send her endless hoard of Historys Most Brutal Warriors upon the masses. To complete this Ritual she has called upon the Help of a Half-Elf Bard by the name of Elsebeth. Elsebeth is the Granddaughter of two great War Hero's and has been enthralled with the Glory of Battle since she was young, she seeks to be a part of a battle so great that her stories she would sing would be forever immortalized in time, AERONIA has promised her a Battle that would more than live up to her expectations. Elsebeth lives in the kingdom of (I hate making up Names of Places). A Strong empire that lived it's golden years defending the area's surrounding it. But now, in times of piece, many are stuggling, people feel that the city should be overflowing with wealth in these quiet times, but the Nobles have spent all the Kingdoms Surplus helping neighboring lands. Elsebeth has convinced a handful of people that the Kingdoms fortunes came from the spoils of War, and if it were to be reignited the lands would prosper. Most of the current generation is full of young blood who have only heard stories of wars Glory, much like Elsebeth herself, but do not know it's horrors.

In the daytime, Elsebeth entertains the poorer districts with performances, cheering up children and adults alike with her one-woman acts and happy songs. Only her inner circle knows of her position, as she wears a mask before charming newcomers in the cult.

However, even if the PC's discover Elsebeth and stop her cult, they will be playing right into AERONIA's hand, for to complete the ritual all she needs is a great enough struggle between two sides, with one reveling in the glory of victory. So Long as Elsebeth keeps building a rivalry with the PC's, and the PC's become more and more proud of they're victories, AERONIA grow's that much closer to her paradise she seeks.

I pulled most of that off of what I though would be an interesting God/Goddess, Figured out why she seeks to take over the Realm, and then put together a villain I thought would have a good enough motive to go with it. I think the villain is the most fun, so have fun with it.