Cults
A cult for our purposes is any organization patronized by a godlike being of great power. Power so great that part of its patronage involves granting tokens of that power to its followers, usually in the form of magical traits or spells.
Patrons
Whether the patron sought out a cult or the cult sought out a patron, the patron has more of an outsized influence on the cult than the cult does on the patron. History is rife with examples of a gentle cult being misled by a patron into becoming monstrous over time.
In spite of that, patrons do depend on their cult. Patrons generally inhabit the Unseen, and such entities cannot come to the Seen without being called. So it is that the cult acts like a lens through which the power and directives of the patron are interpreted. Without the cult, the patron would eventually die or be unable to act on the Seen.
The power and domains of a patron have the most overt mechanical effect on their cult, but the personality and ambitions of the patron also matter. To receive power from the patron, one must further the patron's agenda and assure the patron of their overt loyalty... or at least dependence. Remember that everything in this world was, or at least was once, a human being. Some patrons are less deific than might be hoped.
Power
Not all patrons are created equal. Some patrons are simply stronger or weaker than their counterparts, some are outright subservient or in some sort of formal vassal relationship with other patrons.
Depending on the culture, the power of patrons - and beings from the Unseen in general - are titled differently.
| Rank | Souls | Nostrum | Westfalian | Elven |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6th | 100,000+ | High God | Kaiser (Emperor) | Aureum (Golden) |
| 5th | 10,00 | God(dess) | Konig (King) | Argenteus (Silvery) |
| 4th | 1,000 | Lesser God | Erzherzog (Archduke) | Ferrum (Iron) |
| 3rd | 200 | Angel | Herzog (Duke) | Dominus (Master) |
| 2nd | 100 | Lesser Angel | Graf (Count) | Magus (Mage) |
| 1st | 50 | Spirit | Ritter (Knight) | Debutant |
Domains
Areas of influence and power that the patron has. So two patrons with a fire domain would both be able to grant powers or spells related to fire to their followers, while unless they had a domain related to the cold as well they could not grant powers related to freezing things.
In general, the more specific a domain the greater the patron's power over it. So a patron who has a domain of metals would be able to exercise power over metal objects. A patron with power over specifically iron would have no power over metals other than iron, but be stronger in the domain of iron than a patron with powers over all metals.
Cultists
Unless a Patron is already on the Seen, which is rarely the case, they cannot interact with the physical world whatsoever without being first called upon or invoked. This can be through runes, if those runes have not already been claimed by another higher power, or it can just be through calling upon powers already granted.
Becoming a cultist is different depending on each cult. Each cult will have its own initiation ritual.
Every cultist will have a nested trait, representing their status within the cult of and boons from their patron. The name of the trait changes with each rank, e.g. when one progresses from initiate to neophyte.
Ranks
The gods play favorites, just like everyone else. The more favored a servant, the greater the powers granted them. The ranks are gated behind certain point requirements. While these can be granted during events or as fiat by a DM, typically progression through a cult is by accruing points. These points are the measure of how much tangible work the cultist has accomplished on behalf of the patron, and when one passes the threshold from one rank to another they should tag a DM so they can handle what that rankup experience is like.
Note that only certain patrons can have cultists of a certain rank. A second rank patron can only sustain cultists of up to Neophyte rank. If those Neophytes want to garner more power, then they will either have to jump ship to a different patron or figure out a way to empower theirs.
Initiate - 0 points. The lowest servant of a patron, initiates have only just undergone their initiation ritual. - Initiates gain nothing from their association with the cult yet, except for whatever their initiation ritual may have done to them.
Neophyte - 100 points. A cultist who has performed some minor service for their patron. - They may learn a weak spell, or be given some minor boon as part of their trait.
Follower - 250 points. Generally a cultist who has been in service to the patron for some time, accustomed to the principles of their cult. - They may learn a few weak spells, have a few minor boons, or have one moderately powerful boon.
Adept - 500 points. A leader in the cult, or an especially devoted follower. - They might have a cornucopia of weak abilities, a few moderately powerful ones, or one distinctly powerful signature ability.
Paladin - 1,000 points. A true devotee of their patron, or someone so useful to the patron that their cynicism doesn't matter. - A paladin might have several moderately powerful options, or a very limited selection of powerful signature abilities.
Exalt - 3,000 points. The most trusted and powerful servants of their patron. - The abilities of an exalt are the stuff of legend, far surpassing any other cultist.
Progression
This is a nonexhaustive list of all the ways a character can further the agenda of their patron. There will always be more ways to do so than can be articulated as a list, so don't feel constrained to what's on this list when thinking of ways to progress within a cult.
The lion's share of points are divvied up to the organizer for the event or deed. They receive half of all the points for the event. The other half of the points are distributed among everyone who made meaningful contributions to the event: whether that be in the form of donated equipment/finances, or physically attending the event.
Contribution By Offering | Varies A contribution in material resources to some mission. It may be in the form of equipment, money, personnel, or anything else with a value. For every 100 pence in value contributed, they gain 1 point.
Acts of Fellowship | 50 Fostering the bonds of fellowship between members of the cult, whether that be reinforcing existing bonds of friendship or reconciling a potential rift.
Oath | 50-200 Making a conditional oath by their true name. The oath must be in the form that they always will or won't perform a particular action under certain conditions. I.e., "I will never eat the meat of a dog" or "I will always accept food given by a woman." If the character breaks any of their oaths made to the patron they are put under penance. Depending on how severe the oath is deemed to be, they receive more juice.
Punish Apostate | 300 Meeting out significant harm against someone who abandoned or betrayed the cult in the past.
Minor Act | 200 Preaching a sermon, making a sacrifice, other acts of devotion to their patron, performing some deed in furtherance of the patron's agenda, etc.
Major Act | 500 Making a huge sacrifice, a major shift in favor of the patron's agenda, etc.
Defeat Rival Cult | 1000 Patrons have rivals, and those rivals have their own cults. Defeating a rival cult in a significant way can take many forms: defeating them in a field battle, taking over one of their safehouses, taking several key members captive, etc.
Exsanguinate Rival | 2000 Somehow managing to subvert an enemy cult's patron so thoroughly that they enable their patron to consume its soul.
Penance
When a character is under penance, they lose access to all of their cult-derived magic, and any positive effects of their cultist trait are paused. When this penance comes into effect, conditions will be given for lifting it, depending on the circumstance.
Excommunication
A character who has so thoroughly broke with the cult as to be barred from it in perpetuity. They forever lose all connection with their patron, and may even be hunted down by the cult.