Bhaal (Ball)

The Strife Emperor, God of Conquest

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For more information on all Betrayer Deities, see: Betrayer Deities

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Blood-drenched armies of brutal warriors oft crush their foes in the name of Bhaal, the evil patron of war and conquest. To serve his will is to accept the call to conflict, seeking lesser people to break and subjugate. Warmongering nations and goblinoid tribes worship the Strife Emperor as they strike out at the world to bend it beneath them. Bhaal twists all living things to his iron will, forcing even nature itself to bow to his whims.
Bhaal is a wholly malevolent and brutal deity that distances himself from mere mortals, preferring to reign over his followers from afar. He savors the terror he instills in others and the hatred that forms in mortals' hearts, utilizing this strife to gain greater control over the realms.

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Physical Description

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Bhaal is often depicted as a brutish, ogre-like man clad from head to toe in jagged black armor. Heads dangle from his belt, and the shadows that obscure his helmeted face do not hide his yellow eyes.

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Divine Realm

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Bhaal plots his conquest of the planes from within the bastion of Banehold, towering among the sweltering pits of the Nine Hells. The Black Bastion resides in Phlegethos, the fourth layer. Bhaal's fortress is said to be the most imperious and terrifying domain in all the Barrens of Doom and Despair. It is said to be so massive that it strikes out any lingering light in the barrens' skies. The Black Bastion houses Bhaal's personal army, which includes devils and other extra-planar soldiers that heed his call for war.
The magnificent palace is constructed from the darkest metals and wood, like adamantine and ebony, and adorned with lustrous precious stones like jet and obsidian.

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Tenets of Faith

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• Fear is your ally. Conquer your fear and inspire it in your foes.


• Disorder and rebellion are to be punished severely.


• Combat is the greatest gift, and perfecting your skills to master it is the greatest pursuit.

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Worshipers

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Among the evil gods, Bhaal's church is among the most stable and powerful. While there is a time when the god encouraged sectarianism and violent disputes, that time has long since passed and today Bhaal's faithful are as likely to solve their disputes through reasonable debate as through show of force. That being said, Bhaal's church is no less ruthless than that of other Betrayer Deities, and it obeys a strict hierarchy extending from the god's most powerful worshipers to his weakest ones, with Bhaal himself the lord of everything they do and, though worshipers of Bhaal come from every station in life, they all know to whom they owe their blessings, ready to turn it over to the Black Lord at any time.
A majority of Bhaal's followers are members of the goblinoid races, which he created to be the perfect fodder under his heel. However, goblinoid worshipers are exceptions to the above, as they tend towards violent displays of force.
Bhaalite customs are often quite spartan in nature and his followers celebrate no holidays in honor of their god, instead showing their gratitude to him through service and the ritual torture and sacrifice of sentient beings offensive to him. Priests of Bhaal pray for their spells under darkness, pledging their eternal loyalty and service to the Black Hand, knowing full well that the penalty for failure or disloyalty is death. His clerics can be recognized by the black-enameled gauntlet worn on one fist.

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Contacts & Relations

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Prime Deities

The Strife Emperor's greatest enemy is Melora, who defeated him during the Dawnspear War. The Strife Emperor grew his armies by corrupting noble creatures into monsters and destroying the wilds to fuel his terrible engines of conflict, and the two deities clashed many times during the war before his defeat.

Betrayer Deities

While Bhaal believes himself the rightful ruler of all the planes and cannot tolerate subservience to anyone, the god is willing, unlike many evil deities, to work with others if it serves his interests, and has formed multiple alliances, chiefly those during the War of First Light and the War of Repellence.

Divine Traits

General Information

Alternative Name(s)
Bhaal the Accursed
The Black Hand
The Dark One
God of Conquest
Lord Bhaal
The Strife Emperor

Alignment
Lawful Evil

Pantheon
Betrayer Deity

Areas of Concern
Conquest, tyranny

Favored Weapon
Spiked chain

Sacred Animal(s)
Hound

Sacred Color(s)
Black, green

Symbol
Flail of chains, each ending in shackles

Worshipers
Conquerors, dictators

Worshipers' Adjective(s)
Bhaalite

Plane
Baator - Banehold, Phlegethos (4th layer)

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D&D 5e

Domains
Forge, Order, War

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Pathfinder 1e

Domains
Destruction, Evil, Law, Nobility, Strength, War

Subdomains
Blood, Fear, Ferocity, Fist, Hatred, Leadership, Slavery, Tactics, Torture, Tyranny

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Pathfinder 2e

Domains
Confidence, Destruction, Might, Tyranny

Alternative Domain(s)
Pain

Divine Ability
Strength or Charisma

Divine Font
Harm

Divine Skill
Intimidation

Cleric Spells
1st: Fear
2nd: Horrifying Blood Loss
4th: Implement of Destruction

Divine Boons

• Minor Boon
  The Black Hand turns your blood and pain into chains to destroy your foes. Once, for 1 minute, whenever you take slashing, piercing, or bleed damage, chains rip forth from your body, affecting creatures in a line from your position in the direction of the attack (or in the direction of your choice for bleed damage or if you deal the damage yourself) with the effect of a Grim Tendrils spell whose level is equal to half your level rounded up, and whose DC is your highest spell DC (or 10 + your level + your Wisdom modifier if you have no spell DC).
• Moderate Boon
  ???
• Major Boon
  ???

Divine Curses

• Minor Curse
  You are surrounded by chains that cause you to always be encumbered and that have the same effects as armor with the noisy trait.
• Moderate Curse
  Ropes, chains, manacles, and other equipment used to bind or constrain you exert enough force to break bone and will alike. While you are bound, you take 1d6 nonlethal damage for every hour you are restrained.
• Major Curse
  ???