Herecite of Zevgavizeb
Level 10Attacks
Abilities
Multiple herecites can form a cabal to gain increased magical abilities and defenses. A cabal consists of two to five herecites. The ritual to form a cabal (or to welcome new herecites into an existing cabal) requires 24 hours of worship, prayer, and vile sacrifice, after which point the herecites become magically bound to one another. All herecites in a cabal gain the cleric domain spells granted by each individual herecite's deity, and each herecite's focus pool increases to 3 Focus Points. As
A herecite is associated with one evil god and is always of the same alignment as that god. Whenever it wields its deity's favored weapon, that weapon gains the unholy rune. The herecite's creators select two domains from their deity; the herecite can cast the domain spells and the advanced domain spells from those domains as cleric focus spells. The herecite can cast the deity's other granted cleric spells as divine innate spells. Most herecites have 2 Focus Points in their focus pool. The here
Trigger A creature within 30 feet uses the Sustain a Spell action to sustain a divine spell or the Cast a Spell action to cast a divine spell with a verbal component
Effect The herecite warps the caster's prayers into a sacrilegious echo praising the evils of its own deity. The triggering caster must succeed at a DC 29 will saving throw or their spell is disrupted and their action wasted.
Requirements The herecite is in a cabal of three or more members, two of which are within 60 feet and have used Cabal Communion within the last round
Effect The herecite casts Seize Soul, Spirit Blast, or Spiritual Epidemic (DC 31). Once a herecite has used this ability (whether or not it was successful), the cabal must wait 24 hours before one of its members can use Assault the Soul again.
With murmurs and chants, the herecite casts its consciousness toward the other members of its cabal. For 1 round, it senses what other members are sensing, knows their thoughts, and knows their exact location.
Recalling the cruelty of the foul ritual that birthed it, the herecite curses an enemy with a fragment of its blasphemy. The herecite targets one creature within 30 feet, which must attempt a DC 29 will save. On a failure, the creature is cursed. As long as the creature is cursed, any art object, symbol, or implement of religious significance in the creature's possession-such as a divine spellcasting focus, holy text, fetish, or rendering of a deity-becomes physically corrupted in a way that deb
Secreted away in the dark corners of unnamed libraries, necromancer's dens, and heretical scriptoriums, obscure texts describe a horrifying ritual that combines sacrifice and suffering to create a powerful undead being known as a herecite. These monsters, stripped of personal will or desire, are born into the service of an evil god whom they worship unerringly and untiringly, often in spite of any opposing religious leanings they may have had in life. Every herecite harbors an unquenchable self-hatred because it was defiled by such a foul resurrection-a rage it turns outward in an attempt to rob others of their faith and lives.
Herecites often outlast the cults that create them. Stranded herecites are drawn to others of their kind, even if they are dedicated to different evil deities, and when brought together they perform rites to magically bind themselves in a group known as a cabal. While cabal members share enhanced magic and defenses, induction into a cabal appears to hold even deeper significance for herecites. The presence of others of their kind with whom they can pray-in verses warped to venerate wicked gods-seems the only solace these tormented beings can find in undeath. Such a fellowship of sorrow is nigh unbreakable, as many an overzealous crusader has discovered far too late.
Customarily found within heavily modified temples to the pantheon of gods they collectively worship, herecites act in service to their creators or as protectors of unholy ground. High priests of different evil gods may even trade herecites among themselves, allowing their minions to form cabals strengthened by their varied faiths. A lone herecite cut off from its creators-often because it is the sole remnant of a destroyed temple or its master has perished-may wander far and wide in search of a cabal to join. Other times, the herecite seeks out a place sacred to the deity it worshipped in life. Whether motivated by a desire for contrition or vengeance, the end result of this baleful pilgrimage is always the desecration of the holy site and the slaughter of its congregants, who may in turn rise as lesser forms of undead.