Faithless Ecclesiarch
Level 6Attacks
Abilities
When the herexen is destroyed, it explodes in a wave of void energy with the effects of a 3rd-level, 3-action Harm spell (DC 24 fortitude). The herexen is destroyed, so it doesn't gain any Hit Points from this use of harm , and it doesn't need to have any harm spells remaining to use this ability.
30 feet. Other herexens are bolstered by the presence of a faithless ecclesiarch. Whenever a herexen in the aura casts a Harm spell, that harm spell is heightened by 1 rank (to a maximum of 3rd).
While wielding the favored weapon of its former deity (such as a staff for an ex-Nethys herexen), the herexen's Strikes deal an additional 2d6 spirit damage against creatures that can cast divine spells. This damages divine spellcasters who follow the herexen's former faith regardless of their alignment.
Trigger A creature fails a saving throw against a spell cast by the faithless ecclesiarch
Effect The faithless ecclesiarch siphons the triggering creature's spiritual energy to fuel their own magic. The triggering creature is Stupefied 1 for 1 round, and the faithless ecclesiarch regains 1 Focus Point.
Faithless ecclesiarchs were powerful religious leaders in life—archpriests, hierarchs, oracles, and divine servitors personally blessed by their deities. They are adept at corrupting the pious and inspiring their fellow herexens, often becoming leaders among their kind. This faithless ecclesiarch once worshipped Nethys, god of magic.
A herexen is an undead heretic, driven by hate to destroy the deity they once served. Herexens choose their faith willingly in life, rising to become respected religious figures within their church. Shortly before or during their death, they lose faith in their chosen deity so completely they become a full heretic, blaspheming, committing atrocities, and cursing their god. These anathemic acts bind their soul to their flesh, causing them to rise as cursed beings. To a herexen, faith is the ultimate lie.
Although the circumstances that drive a pious worshipper to break with their faith are varied, herexens are unified in purpose. Herexens spend their existence fighting their former god in every manner they can, destroying iconography and temples, slaying worshippers, banding together with other herexens who oppose the same deity, conscripting lesser undead, and hiring living proxies to wreak havoc or spread misinformation. A particularly motivated herexen may even plot to kill or unseat the deity they once revered. Curiously, herexens maintain a corrupted form of their divine powers after death, wielding the weapons and magic of their past faith to tear it down.