Cyric - Piety System Page

God of Lies and Strife

Love is a lie, the greatest lie ever told. Break free of your chains. Join me.

Cyric is not the kind of god you want on your side, or not on your side. Or anywhere near your affairs, if truth be told. The Prince of Lies has a reputation for strife, deceit and madness, one he reinforces with glee.

Cyric’s Champions

Alignment: Usually evil, often chaotic
Suggested Classes: Rogue, Bard
Suggested Cleric Domains: Death, Trickery
Suggested Backgrounds: Charlatan, Criminal

Champions of Cyric consider his gospel to be simple - bonds and connections between others are a lie, and wither away like leaves in autumn. Self-reliance is the only commandment.

Cyric’s Favor

Cyric’s favour is oft given to those who indiscriminately and without a shadow of doubt or remorse put their interests before those of others, by any means necessary.

Cyric’s scions are thus drawn from the ranks of liars and deserters, but more commonly from the ranks of those with institutional privilege, such as those with hereditary wealth or those who run businesses that exploit their workers.

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

d6	Circumstance
1	You were born under a dark sun.
2	Someone in your bloodline once read the Cyrinishad, and the taint was passed down to you.
3	You can’t seem to stop lying to everyone.
4	You’ve founded a business or a married life founded on a single lie that could destroy everything.
5	You are fascinated by the sociology surrounding falsehoods and rumours.
6	You’ve betrayed every friendship you ever had.

Devotion to Cyric

Following Cyric means dedicating yourself to mendacity. As a follower of Cyric, 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	Cruelty. It’s fun to slowly torture people emotionally.
3	Pragmatism. All bonds fade away - before that happens you should make sure you get some use out of them.
4	Pride. I am a liar beyond compare, it sustains me.
5	Secrecy. I enjoy the silent cat and mouse game of lying to people and avoiding being caught.
6	Consolation. There are times when a lie is kinder than the truth.

Earning and Losing Piety

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

• Exploiting another creature to your own benefit
• Betraying a friend or associate
• Lying to further your agenda

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

• Honesty that could compromise you in any way
• Helping others in a way that doesn’t also benefit you

Deity Traits

Favoured God: Cyric

Piety 3+ Cyric trait
You gain Inspiration when you successfully lie in a way that furthers the goals of you or your party

Forked Tongue

Piety 10+ Cyric trait
You can cast charm person with this trait, requiring no components. 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.

Feint and Stab

Piety 25+ Cyric trait
When you make an attack roll against a Surprised creature you may roll against the passive Insight score of the target, not their Armour Class.

Chosen of Cyric

Piety 50+ Cyric trait
You can spend an inspiration die to cast glibness with this trait. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. This version of the spell ends immediately if you tell an intentional truth when answering a question.