Phenax, God of Deception

God of Deception

Phenax is the masked patron of lies and cheats. He is Heliod’s ethical antithesis, governing the spheres of gambling, deception, and betrayal. Phenax was once a mortal who was trapped in the Underworld, but he learned how to forsake his identity to prevent Erebos from detecting what he was doing. He crossed back over the Rivers That Ring the World wrapped in the tattered cloak of Athreos, the River Guide, who ushers the dead to their final rest. Hidden by illusion as he was, neither Athreos nor Erebos could find Phenax and bring him back.
Able to play whatever role the situation calls for, Phenax is a consummate actor. His incisive wit and cunning enable him to read the desires of his marks, adjusting his approach to suit the moment. In his rare moments of candor, Phenax is calm and calculating, always looking toward his next scheme.
Cunning and deceitful, Phenax spins innumerable plots across all of creation. He enjoys upsetting the natural order of things, either by thwarting the plans of his fellow gods or secreting away information for later use.

Phenax’s Influence

Subtlety and manipulation—of mind, word, and deed—are the cornerstones of Phenax’s power and his influence over mortals and immortals alike. Even gods enjoy hearing what they prefer to hear instead of the truth, and Phenax is happy to give them what they want.
He takes pleasure in finding ways to subvert or corrupt champions of law, order, and justice, turning them to his cause. Whether by feeding the hubris of a champion of Heliod or subverting the moral code of a stalwart of Iroas, he tempts mortals by confronting them with seemingly inconsequential decisions, each of which offers an opportunity for the person to compromise their principles. One by one, these acts move the needle of a person’s moral gauge by a small amount. Over time, these choices accumulate until the individual’s fall from grace is complete.

Phenax’s Goals and Quests

Phenax doesn’t want to rule Nyx. He is the perennial outsider, existing only to disrupt the plans of his fellow gods. Every lie, every betrayal, delights him as it sows discord in the world. He respects a well-planned and executed grift or heist, sometimes rewarding able followers with opportunities to serve as his champions.
As the metaphorical progenitor of the Returned, Phenax also takes time to provide shelter and opportunities for his children to disrupt the mortal world. The Phenax’s Quests table suggests a few adventures the god’s champions might involve themselves in:
d6 Adventure Goal 1 Rob or defend a gambling parlor. 2 Destabilize or aid the government of the local polis. 3 Form or foil a heretical cult of Heliod to bring discord to the countryside. 4 Assassinate or protect the local magistrate who has been cracking down on Phenax worshipers. 5 Create a grand prank built around obfuscation and deceit to embarrass a local government or temple. 6 Defeat a champion of another god (most likely Heliod, Erebos, or Iroas).
Phenax fits easily into the role of primary campaign villain. He also might be an unconventional and exciting patron of the player characters. Phenax is the archetypal outsider, and his champions might be tasked with disrupting the established order of a polis or aiding one of the necropoleis in expanding or dealing with various threats. Plots and schemes are Phenax’s lifeblood, suggesting a complex, shifting campaign full of surprises and twists. For example, a simple heist could be the triggering event for a series of major conflicts between two rival temples that ends in a citywide conflagration.
Champions of Phenax could also serve as a bulwark against more aggressive gods who oppress or subjugate others. Alternatively, the party could be a band of freedom fighters resisting the tyrannical ruler of their polis. Even though Phenax traffics in lies and deceit, a morally gray campaign can be built around the use of illicit means to achieve righteous ends.

Divine Relationships

It stands to reason that the god of secrets, deception, and betrayal isn’t close with the rest of the pantheon. This is not to say that Phenax doesn’t have active relationships with others in the pantheon, but his position as the patron of lies doesn’t lead to close, lasting friendships.
Erebos and Athreos despise Phenax, which delights him to no end. Phenax revels in the fact that, as a lowly mortal, he was able to outwit both the Lord of the Underworld and the River Guide. Still bitter over Phenax’s deception, Erebos concocts ways to torment the upstart god. Were he to discover a method to slay Phenax and return him to the Underworld, the god of the dead would pursue it over all other goals.
Phenax finds Heliod and Iroas overbearing and insufferable. Both represent ideologies diametrically opposed to Phenax’s, and both have followers who regularly try to foil his schemes. In turn, Phenax does his best to upend their plans through lies and deception. After all, a fair fight isn’t worth fighting.
Nowhere is Phenax’s commitment to upending the status quo and angering his fellow gods more evident than in his role in the rise of Xenagos, the now destroyed god of revels. Xenagos’s attacks left many of the gods disconnected from their followers, inciting a panic in Nyx. Phenax, basking in the chaos of Xenagos’s plot, found myriad ways to covertly aid him until the satyr’s apotheosis. Helping another mortal ascend to godhood was, to Phenax, the ultimate subversion of authority.

Worshiping Phenax

Every lie is an homage to Phenax. Because his most devout followers are criminals and gamblers, his influence is keenly felt in gambling halls and dens of thieves. But everyone has their own reasons to stray from the truth at times, and thus, they also find small ways to seek Phenax’s favor as they go about their daily lives.
Formal services to Phenax are conducted at night, with the most sacred rituals performed on nights of the new moon. Offerings are made to attract Phenax’s favor, with valuables from successful robberies, parchment filled with lies, or loaded dice being thrown into deep crags or buried at crossroads. Such sacrifices often vanish soon after, claimed by the god or his servants. Devout criminals often offer Phenax stolen goods as part of their preparations for premeditated crimes.
Phenax is worshiped openly in the necropoleis of Asphodel and Odunos, though the Returned who are loyal to Erebos’s agent, Tymaret, refuse to worship the god they’re hunting (see chapter 3). Somber ceremonies are intoned to bless the golden funeral masks the Returned wear.

MYTHS OF PHENAX

The tales told of Phenax’s deeds speak of his duplicity, cunning, and wit.

The Path of Phenax.

Phenax was once a mortal who, like all mortals, passed on to Erebos’s care in the Underworld when his time among the living came to an end. But Phenax found a way to escape the Underworld by sacrificing his identity to the memory-draining waters therein. He was able to cross the Rivers That Ring the World wrapped in a shred of Athreos’s cloak. Since he had no identity, Athreos couldn’t detect him, and thus Erebos couldn’t use his great lash to pull Phenax back. When he emerged back into the realm of mortals, he did so as the first of the Returned. In time, others discovered this quandary of metaphysics, which is now known as the Path of Phenax.

Black Oak of Odunos.

Before Odunos became a necropolis, it was a thriving city akin to Akros or Meletis. When the city fell before Phenax’s assembled forces, some of the populace begged the god of lies to spare them the touch of Erebos’s dread lash. Never one to miss an opportunity to cheat Erebos, Phenax made a solemn promise to those asking for his mercy, assuring them that they wouldn’t be forced into the Underworld, on his honor. Soon afterward, the Returned that had invaded the city murdered these people to the last one—whereupon Phenax, true to his word, bound their bodies and souls to a great oak, making a terrifying amalgam of undeath to guard Odunos and haunt the living for eternity.

Feud with Nylea.

A pair of accomplished hunters, both fervent followers of Nylea, had a bet with one another to prove who was better with a bow. After countless tests found them equally matched, the hunters’ rivalry drew Phenax’s attention. Assuming the form of a dryad, Phenax goaded and taunted the hunters. Though amusing at first, Phenax’s words cut deep, making the hunters careless. Thus, when the dryad suggested a blindfolded test of marksmanship, the hunters agreed. Once blinded, Phenax positioned the hunters to shoot one another. In the moment they fired, though, Nylea noticed Phenax’s trick. She curved her hunters’ arrows mid-flight and multiplied their number. Phenax’s disguise shattered as he was riddled with arrows that pinned him to a great tree. Nylea appeared to the trapped god, mocked his pointless duplicity, and warned him never to threaten her followers again. She then left him to struggle free from the deeply embedded arrows, an escape that took him over a week. During that time, the god concocted plot after plot to have his revenge on Nylea. Some tales claim that this embarrassment directly led to tragedy for Nylea’s favorite dryad companion, while others warn that Phenax’s revenge has only just begun.

As Campaign Patron

Alignment: Usually chaotic, often neutral
Suggested Classes: Bard, cleric, monk, rogue, warlock
Suggested Cleric Domains: Trickery
Suggested Backgrounds: Charlatan, criminal, entertainer, sailor (pirate), urchin
Most champions of Phenax are exemplars of deceit, motivated by greed, revenge, or a good swindle. They have chosen to serve a mortal who ascended to godhood, possibly because they want to emulate him.

Phenax’s Favor

Phenax expects his champions to be cunning and self-sufficient, much as he was when he escaped the Underworld. He has great respect for a sound plan that is craftily executed and might offer all manner of clever assistance to mortals he deems worthy.
What did you do to garner his attention? What set you apart in his eyes from petty schemers, grifters, and criminals? What made him think you would be a good champion? The Phenax’s Favor table offers a handful of suggestions.
Phenax’s Favor d6 Circumstance 1 You were born at midnight under the new moon. 2 One of your parents is a champion of Phenax. 3 You pulled off a daring theft or escaped from confinement at a young age. 4 You have proven yourself a capable liar and teller of tall tales. 5 You dedicated your life to upsetting the balance of power in a corrupt polis. 6 You have no idea why Phenax showed interest in you, and you might sometimes wish he hadn’t.

Devotion to Phenax

Following Phenax means devoting yourself to a life of trickery and guile. To a champion of Phenax, a life without risk is no life at all. Some rules are meant to be broken, some secrets meant to be shared, and order must be upended from time to time. As a follower of Phenax, consider the ideals on the Phenax’s Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.
Phenax’s Ideals d6 Ideal 1 Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what he stands for. (Any) 2 Pragmatism. The ends justify the means; I do whatever it takes to win. (Evil) 3 Duplicity. I lie when it suits me, which makes things so much easier. (Chaotic) 4 Secrecy. All deception requires secrecy, but not all secrets are meant to deceive. (Any) 5 Luck. Want more luck? Take more chances! (Chaotic) 6 Adaptability. Plans change, circumstances go awry. I must bend in response to changes, not break. (Any)

Earning and Losing Piety

Phenax’s champions are pawns in his grand game of lying, cheating, and deception. He takes particular pleasure in tormenting Heliod and Iroas, whom he regards with special scorn. Phenax’s servants have a tendency to show up at the most inconvenient times and places. You increase your piety score to Phenax when you expand the god’s influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:

• Helping a fugitive escape justice
• Pulling off a daring robbery
• Obstruct champions of other gods
• Building or restoring a temple to Phenax

Your piety score to Phenax decreases if you diminish Phenax’s influence in the world, contradict his ideals, or make him look ridiculous or ineffectual through acts such as these:

• Forthrightly assisting lawgivers in their duties
• Swearing and then honoring an oath
• Bringing order in times of chaos

Phenax’s Devotee Piety 3+ Phenax trait
As a devotee of Phenax, you have proven yourself accomplished at deception. You can call on Phenax’s blessing and cast disguise self with this trait. While the spell is active, your shadow still resembles your original form. You can cast the spell in this way a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
Phenax’s Votary Piety 10+ Phenax trait
Your words are inspired by Theros’s greatest liar. You have advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks.
Phenax’s Disciple Piety 25+ Phenax trait
When you are hidden from a creature and miss it with an attack, making the attack doesn’t reveal your position.
Champion of Deception Piety 50+ Phenax trait
You can increase your Dexterity or Charisma score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2.

As Campaign Villain

Regardless of whether Phenax begins the campaign as a villain or turns against his champions during the course of play, he presents himself as a confounding, slippery foe. As a campaign villain, Phenax might be driven by a desire to incite conflict against his fellow gods, usually to serve his own ends. Although Phenax doesn’t desire rulership over Nyx, he does love to hoard damaging secrets and powerful magic. Acquiring these coveted items always involves duplicity and theft, and sometimes murder. To Phenax, the ends justify the means. Upsetting the order of things is a worthy goal, whether it’s done as a means to a greater end or simply to enjoy the disruption caused by radical change.
The campaign’s objective might involve determining what Phenax is up to and thwarting his scheme or, failing that, dealing with the fallout. Whatever the objective, it will require the player characters to confront a being who was clever enough to escape the Underworld.
Servants of Phenax dot the world, largely staying hidden until they are needed to help spin the web of lies that advances his plots. His servants prefer to confront foes using guile, cunning, and planning instead of brute force. Phenax and his champions move with purpose, don’t draw attention to themselves, and use misdirection to keep foes guessing about when and where their next attack will come. Phenax’s followers could be involved in the political machinations of a polis or the crimes of the local thieves’ guild. Investigating instances of gambling, smuggling, robbery, and fencing stolen loot might bring the characters into opposition against Phenax and his followers. Whenever possible, servants of Phenax try to stage their misdeeds in a way that implicates other faiths or groups, to stir up as much conflict and confusion as possible.
The Phenax’s Villains table suggests a variety of foes that might arise from among the god’s followers.

Phenax’s Villains

d8 Villain 1 A charismatic crime boss (bandit captain) unites local gangs in a bid to seize control of the polis. 2 A Returned palamnite (see chapter 6) wreaks havoc across the countryside in Phenax’s name. 3 The lies of a government functionary (noble) start a trade war between struggling settlements. 4 Phenax cultists establish a fake cult of Ephara in a bid to start a sectarian civil war in Meletis. 5 An information broker (spy) holds damaging secrets about important folk and is blackmailing them. 6 A group of vocal iconoclasts (nobles) are fomenting social upheaval that threatens to turn to violence. 7 A champion (veteran) of Heliod is threatening to torch a section of the polis in her hunt for a Phenax-worshiping oath breaker. 8 Folk go missing then turn up with no memory of their disappearance. Phenax cult fanatics are brainwashing these souls for use as sleeper agents.

Phenax’s Monsters

Phenax is often associated with monsters and individuals that use cleverness and guile to overcome foes. The Phenax’s Monsters table presents just a few foes likely to serve the god’s will. Phenax’s Monsters Challenge Creature Source 1 Returned sentry MOoT 3 Leucrotta VGtM 3 Slithering tracker VGtM 4 Returned palamnite MOoT 5 Ghostblade eidolon MOoT 5 Master thief VGtM 8 Assassin MM 16 Phoenix MToF

Phenax’s Divine Schemes

Phenax’s activities can have a wide-ranging impact on both the pantheon and the mortal world. The Phenax’s Divine Schemes table offers examples of the ways in which Phenax’s duplicity might have a mythic impact, catching adventurers in the middle of divine squabbles.
Phenax’s Divine Schemes d4 Scheme 1 Phenax finds an artifact capable of imprisoning Athreos and engages in a shadow war with Erebos, causing pandemonium in the Underworld. As a result, droves of Returned flood the mortal world. 2 Phenax undertakes a plot to transform Erebos into one of the Returned. If he succeeds, the balance of life and death will be shattered. 3 Phenax vanishes. For a time, it’s believe the god has been killed or grew bored and left Theros. In fact, though, Phenax managed to imprison another god and has since taken their place. 4 Phenax dispatches a powerful agent to find a lost relic called Deception’s Edge, a dagger that enables the wielder to warp the minds of mortals. Once in possession of the artifact, the agent embarks on a campaign of assassination and espionage that threatens to lead to all-out war between Akros and Meletis.

Phenax is a shadowy and mysterious figure. When appearing before mortals, he prefers the form of a willowy humanoid with ashen gray skin, clad in elegant robes. He has also been known to appear in a variety of animal forms, including the shapes of asps, mockingbirds, or rats. Regardless of his shape, a mask forever conceals the blank face of the first Returned.

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