Bhaal - Piety System Page

God of Murder

Is there any sight more holy than a knife wet with blood? Slick memories of sick moments. A sanguine dream. Perfection.

Bhaal is the god of murder. He is rarely acknowledged or mentioned openly, but his rather particular sphere of influence is quietly sought by those who would do harm to others.

Bhaal’s Champions

Alignment: Often evil, usually chaotic
Suggested Classes: Rogue, Barbarian, Cleric
Suggested Cleric Domains: Death
Suggested Backgrounds: Criminal, Soldier

Champions of Bhaal are his hidden blades and assassins, working the will of their lord in the darkness. The god demands blood, and blood he must therefore have.

Bhaal’s Favor

Bhaal’s favour is seldom bestowed on any mortal, but occasionally the Lord of Murder’s dark whimsy descends on a charismatic cult leader, or a particularly decadent assassin. The chosen party rarely has any say in this.

Bhaal’s scions are almost always drenched in the blood of others, whether they mean to be or not, comprising murderers for-hire, soldiers, cultists and serial killers.

Why did Bhaal seek you out as a champion? The following table offers a few suggestions.

d6	Circumstance
1	You are descended from Bhaalspawn and have a blood tie to the god of murder.
2	You killed your first person as a child. Bhaal found this amusing.
3	You’ve killed lots of people. You enjoy it.
4	You almost murdered someone once. Bhaal wants you to finish the job for some reason.
5	Your family was killed by a cultist of Bhaal. Perhaps he feels responsible for you.
6	You sleepwalk, and you are concerned that your nighttime activities have drawn the attention of Bhaal.

Devotion to Bhaal

Following Bhaal means dedicating yourself to murder above any other concerns. As a follower of Bhaal, consider the ideals below as alternatives to those suggested for your background.

d6	Ideals
1	Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what they stand for. (Any
2	Hatred. Other people are weak and deserve to die.
3	Mortality. Everyone dies. Some of us more proactively than others.
4	Savagery. Killing is an art form.
5	Secrecy. I can only continue to worship Bhaal if I am undiscovered in my deeds.
6	Duplicity. There’s nothing quite like getting to know someone before I slip them a knife between the ribs.

Earning and Losing Piety

You increase your piety score to Bhaal when you expand the god’s influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:

• Killing a living creature
• Ritually glorifying in death or blood
• Leaving Bhaal’s mark at the scene of a death

Your piety score to Bhaal decreases if you diminish Bhaal’s influence in the world or contradict his ideals through acts such as these:

• Showing mercy on a creature within your power to kill and letting it live
• Healing the wounded or sick
• Showing remorse or contrition for a killing

Deity Traits

Favoured God: Bhaal

Piety 3+ Bhaal trait
You gain Inspiration when you personally kill a nontrivial opponent.

In the Library, with the Candlestick

Piety 10+ Bhaal trait
Choose a weapon you own. When you kill a humanoid creature with that weapon, it’s impossible for anyone to later trace that murder back to you.

Quietus

Piety 25+ Bhaal trait
When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, that creature is slain even if it would usually enter Death saving throws or regenerate.

Chosen of Bhaal

Piety 50+ Bhaal trait
You can spend an inspiration die to cast power word kill with this trait. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell. You can only use this spell to kill humanoid creatures.