Cultist
These are NPC class templates. Add them to some humanoids or other monsters to diversify an encounter. Bold abilities are passive, underlined ones are added to the attack options of the original creature. If necessary, you can adjust the damage dice to match the base monster’s. — SaltyGoo
Cultists worship powerful creatures such as demons, feys and aberrations. Warlocks, witches, heretics and animists are common types of cultists. They have weird magical powers that mimic their object of worship as opposed to spells.
When you roll this monster on your encounter table. Most of them are hints the monster is nearby.
If the party meets this monster, what is it doing?
Generic Cultist
| HD 1 | Armor: 0 |
| Hit it: normal | Dodge it: normal |
| Movement: normal |
→ How to read monster stats
Attacks (1/round)
Fanatical Stab. The cultist makes a melee attack with advantage (1D4 dmg). All attacks against the cultist have advantage until its next turn.
Fanatical Suicide. The cultist dies. All its nearby allies gain 1D4 temporary hit points.
Brain Cultist. A psychic overlord.
Has maximum HP and high intellect. At the end of each round, after everyone has acted, target creature the cultist can see must save or be charmed by it and become its thrall. All thralls are allowed a save each turn the brain cultist takes damage. If a charmed creature is adjacent to the brain cultist, it can take one attack in its stead per round. Out of combat, it can cast scrying-type magic.
Command. Target creature must save or obey a 2-word command from the brain cultist. The command must be achievable in one action.
Dream Cultist. Is it drugs or reality?
Charismatic but absent. When taking damage, the cultist disappear in a puff of colorful smoke, becoming invisible for the rest of the round and teleporting nearby. Out of combat, it can cast illusion magic.
Phantasm. Target creature takes 1D6 damage from an imaginary attack if it fails a save.
Spellcasting. Sleep, Faerie Fire.
Ghoul Cultist. Shepherd of ghouls.
Has maximum HP. All creatures infected with ghoul rabies near the cultist act first in combat and resist magic.
Festering Touch. The cultist makes a melee attack (1D4). On a hit and until washed, all creatures infected with ghoul rabies have advantage on melee attacks against the target and they can smell it from afar.
Rabid Frenzy. The cultist makes two melee attacks (1d4).
Pig Cultist. Worshiper of decadence and other porcine spirits.
Has maximum HP and can make two attacks per turn. Each creature adjacent to the cultist at the beginning of its turn must save or be poisoned by its smell for 1 turn. A creature is immune to this ability for 24h after a successful save.
Bloat. The cultist bloats one of its disciples into a grotesque shape. Provides 1D4 temporary hit points to one creature the cultist can see, but it reduces its speed to slow until it rests.
Tiger Cultist. Worshiper of rakshasas and other feline spirits.
The tiger cultist is agile and covered in tattooed stripes of unholy darkness which allow it to see in the dark, meld in shadows and pounce 20’.
Shadow Claws. The cultist makes two melee attacks (1D4). The attack ignores any damage resistance and armor.