Initiate (Dissenter)
*Source: Plane Shift: Amonkhet p. 11, Derived from *
- Skill Proficiencies. Athletics, Intimidation
- Tool Proficiencies. One type of gaming set, vehicles (land)
- Equipment. A simple puzzle box, a scroll containing the basic teachings of the five gods, a gaming set, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 15 gp. If you have completed any trials before the start of the campaign, you also have any cartouches you have earned
Even in the carefully constructed and curated city-state of Naktamun, and in the presence of the five gods, some people rebel against the doctrines of the God-Pharaoh. They don’t challenge the existence of the gods, of course, for those gods are visible nearly every day in the streets of the city. Nor do they question the fact of life after death, which is plain to see in the anointed mummies that surround them, as well as the marauding mummies outside the Hekma. Rather, these dissenters simply refuse to follow the ordained course of life that leads to the glorious afterlife.
Some dissenters are spurred by fear, not wanting to subject themselves to a violent death in the trials (or in training for the trials). Some are moved by conscience, unwilling to kill their crop-mates in the trials. For while they cannot deny that the gods exist, they can deny that the gods are just—and can fight to prove that the dictates of an unjust god need not be obeyed. Some believe that one god (probably Bontu) has corrupted the process of the trials and the path to the afterlife. Others correctly intuit that the God-Pharaoh did not actually have the people’s best interests in mind when he ordered their society.
A character who is identified as a dissenter loses the benefit of the initiate’s or vizier’s background feature. In its place, the character gains the Shelter of Dissenters feature.
You are an initiate, on the path to completing the trials of the five gods in the hope of earning a glorified death in the final Trial of Zeal. Some combination of your natural aptitude, your crop’s needs, and your teachers’ assessment while you were an acolyte led you to focus your training in one particular area of specialization—hand-to-hand combat, long-range combat, or spellcasting. But only a well-rounded initiate can be called truly worthy of the afterlife.
If you are a hand-to-hand specialist, consider the barbarian, fighter, monk, paladin, or rogue classes. As a long-range combat specialist, you might be a fighter, a ranger, or a rogue. If you are a spellcasting specialist, you might be a bard, sorcerer, or wizard. And beyond this initial choice, you might consider multiclassing or using feats to round out your skills in all three areas.
Feature: Shelter of Dissenters
If they wish to have any hope of survival, whether hiding within the city or cast out into the desert, dissenters must help each other. You can find a place to hide, rest, or recuperate among other dissenters. They will help shield you from those who hunt you, possibly even risking their lives for you.
Suggested Characteristics
An initiate’s life is focused on the trials, but it doesn’t need to be all about the trials. Though some initiates are highly focused on their training, most undergo that training while also experiencing joy, sorrow, love, loss, anger, jealousy, hope, faith, delight—the whole range of mortal emotions and experience. The afterlife might be a constant presence in every initiate’s mind, but it is the culmination of a life well-lived—not a replacement for it.
| dice: d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I always have a joke on hand when the mood gets too serious. |
| 2 | I use sarcasm and insults to keep a distance between myself and my crop-mates, because I don’t want to get attached to them. |
| 3 | I’ll settle for nothing less than perfection—in myself, in my cropmates, in everything. |
| 4 | I’m so focused on the glorious afterlife that nothing in this life can shake my calm resolve. |
| 5 | I enjoy using my skills to help those who lack those same skills. |
| 6 | I train hard so that I can play hard at the end of the day. I fully expect to play even harder in the glorious afterlife, but I’m not in a hurry to get there. |
| 7 | I’m perfectly happy letting others pick up the slack for me while I take it easy. |
| 8 | I’m constantly sizing up everyone around me, thinking about what kind of opponent they’ll be in the final trial. |
| ^personality-trait |
| dice: d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Solidarity. The thing that matters most of all is that we’re there for each other. (Lawful) |
| 2 | Knowledge. The world is a puzzle—a mystery waiting to be solved. (Neutral) |
| 3 | Strength. All that matters to me is my own perfection. Let everyone else seek that perfection in their own way. (Any) |
| 4 | Ambition. I’m going to prove that I deserve only the best—of everything. (Evil) |
| 5 | Zeal. Anything worth doing is worth throwing my whole self into. (Any) |
| 6 | Redemption. I will train all the harder to make up for the doubt I entertained when I was younger. (Any) |
| ^ideal |
| dice: d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | One of my crop-mates is my dearest friend, and I hope we will face each other in the final trial. |
| 2 | I am in love with a vizier. |
| 3 | I am particularly drawn to one of the five gods, and I want nothing more than to win that god’s particular favor. |
| 4 | I am more devoted to Naktamun and its people than I am to any of the ideals of the gods. |
| 5 | My weapon was a gift from a beloved trainer who died in an accident. |
| 6 | I carry a memento of my time as an acolyte, and I treasure it above all other things. |
| ^bond |
| dice: d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I’m easily distracted by an attractive person, which could be the death of me in the trials. |
| 2 | I really wanted to be a vizier, and I’m angry at the god who didn’t choose me. |
| 3 | Training for a lifetime to die in the end seems like a big waste of energy. |
| 4 | I’m not at all sure I’ll be able to grant a glorified death to any of my crop-mates. |
| 5 | I have a lasting grudge against one of my crop-mates, and each of us wants to see the other fail. |
| 6 | I think I’ve figured out that this world is not what it seems. Something dark is going on here. |
| ^flaw |