8h (edited) • Creature of the Week
CotW Pivot!
For the first week of March I am creating a Cult for your campaigns!
The Cult: The Prowlers of the Pale Gallop
"The sky is our ceiling; the hunt is our spice."
The Prowlers are an obscure, all-female sect of hunters and gourmands who worship Zyro the Food Meister, a minor Fiend from the Abyss who takes the form of a six-eyed, leopard-spotted Tabaxi of immense girth. They believe that civilization (walls, roofs, and "blandness") softens the soul. To them, the ultimate life is a violent hunt followed by a decadent, herb-infused feast.
The Deity: Zyro the Food Meister
Zyro is a Cat Fiend (Neutral Evil) who rules a small, open-air pocket dimension in the Abyss known as The Infinite Pantry. Unlike most demons who want to destroy, Zyro wants to consume. She grants her followers supernatural predatory grace, provided they never eat "common" food and never step foot under a finished roof.
Cult Dogma & Taboos
- The Great Outdoors: The cult suffers from a unique psychological aversion to being indoors. Entering a building requires a DC 15 Wisdom Saving Throw to avoid the Frightened condition. They sleep under the stars, even in blizzards.
- The Gender Ban: No men are permitted. Zyro claims men "lack the necessary feline finesse" and "smell like wet dogs."
- The White Nectar (Ranch): The cult is obsessed with a magical condiment they call "The White Nectar"—essentially a hyper-potent, magically infused Ranch Dressing. They use it as a dip, a war paint, and a ritualistic offering. To them, a meal without "The Zing" is a blasphemy.
- Lavish Trading: They don't care for gold. They trade in Lavish Treats: candied monster hearts, Owlbear marrow crackers, or "The Zing" itself.
Recruitment: The Selective Purge
The Prowlers are notoriously picky. To join, a candidate must be female and pass The Three Tastings:
- The Scent: Must track a displacer beast by smell alone across 10 miles.
- The Kill: Must take down a CR 3 or higher beast using only "claws" (unarmed strikes or daggers).
- The Palate: Must drink a pint of Zyro’s "Ancient Hidden Valley" Ranch without vomiting. It is spicy enough to melt lead.
Faction Mechanics (2024 Edition)
If a player earns the favor of the Prowlers, they might gain the following Epic Boon or Feat Expansion:
Feature: Initiate of the Pale Gallop
Prerequisite: Female-identifying, must have shared a meal with the Prowlers.
- Feral Agility: You can use the Dash or Disengage action as a Bonus Action. Once you use this, you can’t use it again until you move 0 feet on one of your turns.
- The Rancher’s Constitution: You have Resistance to Poison damage and advantage on saving throws against the Poisoned condition (a result of the caustic ranch rituals).
- Indoor Malaise: You have Disadvantage on Initiative rolls while inside a building with four walls and a roof.
Cultist Stats (NPC)
Prowler Huntress:
Medium Humanoid (Any Species), Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 15 (Leather Armor, Feline Grace)
Hit Points 44 (8d8+8)
Speed 40 ft., Climb 30 ft., Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 14
Languages: Common, Abyssal
Actions
- Multiattack: The Huntress makes two Claw-Dagger attacks.
- Claw-Dagger: Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. Hit: 6 (1d6+3) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) acid damage (from the caustic Ranch coating).
- Ranch Glob (Recharge 5-6): Ranged Attack: +5 to hit, range 30/60 ft. The Huntress throws a glob of hyper-viscous ranch. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength Saving Throw or be Restrained by the sticky, herbal sludge.
Bonus Actions
- Pounce: If the Huntress moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a Claw-Dagger attack, the target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength Saving Throw or be knocked Prone.
Plot Hook: The Great Harvest
The Prowlers have descended upon a local town, not to burn it, but to "liberate" its livestock and spices. They are currently besieging the town's legendary creamery because the owner refuses to hand over his secret herb blend. They refuse to enter the town gates, so they are using catapults to launch jars of ranch into the streets to "grease the way" for their feline mounts.
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