The Fraternity: A Cult of Asmodeus

The Ruby Rod of Asmodeus

When I began developing the Great Dungeon, I wanted to emphasize OD&D and the Holmes/Moldvay basic sets over the much more popular AD&D game. One of the biggest things I wanted to do was restrict the extreme complexity of the great planar wheel and focus on the simpler, more elemental conflict of Law versus Chaos.

One problem, though: I just couldn’t quit devils, those lawful evil fiends first introduced in AD&D. Try as I might, every time I chopped a devil entry out of a random table, I ended up coming back and putting it back in. Eventually I stopped worrying about it and flung open the gates of the Nine Hells to the Great Dungeon, and I’ve never looked back.

The Cult of Asmodeus in the Great Dungeon

It is a bitter paradox that the same Southrons who introduced the great Church into the North also brought with them the vile practice of devil-worship, which had been hitherto unknown to the region. In the mighty cities of the Southern Empires, the cruel and ambitious have long resorted to infernal powers to achieve their darkest desires. There open veneration of archdevils is discouraged but ultimately permitted, and entire temples to the Asmodeus operate freely. In the North, devil-worship is forbidden by the Church and is largely unknown to the general populace, though rumors of secret cults persist.

The Friends, a lawful evil faction of tieflings, sponsors a secret society known only as the Fraternity, which in turn supports numerous charities and holds exclusive events for members such as masked balls and feasts. Fraternity halls are fairly common in larger towns and cities. Membership in the Fraternity is by invitation only and highly coveted by social climbing merchants and nobles. Members are said to stick together and support each other’s interests outside the Fraternity. While there is much speculation as to who might or might not belong to the society, the membership rolls are closely guarded secrets.

The Fraternity is tiered into nine ascending levels; each new level is said to unlock additional privileges and secrets for attaining members. Rumors abound of decadent rituals performed by high level members, though these are wholly unsubstantiated. Advancement is achieved only through dedication of significant time and coin to the Fraternity.

The Fraternity, of course, is a front for the Cult of Asmodeus, who is known to Fraternity members as Osmoday, a divine spirit associated with leadership and prosperity. The Friends faction contains numerous human diabolic clerics who work closely with the tieflings on expanding the faction’s influence in the Great Dungeon. These clerics wear horned masks and helmets to conceal their identities; each is dedicated to an archdevil patron. In Delvetown the Fraternity maintains a small but reportedly active chapter hall on the outskirts of the village.

The following text is Open Game Content:

Infernal Patrons

Diabolic clerics may choose one of several archdevils as an infernal patron, though of course all ultimately serve Asmodeus.

Infernal Patrons

Deity	Alignment	Areas of Concern	Domains	Favored Weapon
Asmodeus	LE	pride, slavery, tyranny	Evil, Law, Trickery	light mace
Baalzebul	LE	arrogance, flies, lies	Air, Death, Evil	spear
Barbatos	LE	animals, corruption, gateways	Law, Magic, Travel	quarterstaff
Belial	LE	adultery, deception, desire	Charm, Destruction, Evil	ranseur
Dispater	LE	cities, prisons, rulership	Evil, Law, Nobility	heavy mace
Geryon	LE	forbidden knowledge, heresy, snakes	Evil, Strength, Water	heavy flail
Mammon	LE	avarice, watchfulness, wealth	Artifice, Earth, Law	shortspear
Mephistopheles	LE	contracts, devils, secrets	Knowledge, Law, Rune	trident
Moloch	LE	fire, obedience, war	Evil, Fire, War	whip

Sample Diabolic Clerics

Diabolic acolytes are newer initiates into the infernal cult, and are often assigned to dangerous or tedious duties.

Diabolic Acolyte CR 1

Human cleric 1

LE Medium humanoid (human)

Init -1; Senses Listen +2, Spot +2

Languages Common, Infernal

Defense

AC 17, touch 9, flat-footed 17
(+6 armor, -1 Dex, +2 shield)

hp 13 (1d8+5 HD)

Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +4

Offense

Spd 20 ft.

Melee mwk heavy mace +2 (1d8+1)

Special Attacks rebuke undead 4/day (+1, 2d6+2, 1st)

Spells Prepared (CL 1st, 2nd for law or evil spells)

1st—command (DC 13), protection from good ^D, sanctuary (DC 13)

0—detect magic, resistance, virtue

^D domain spells; Domains law, evil

Statistics

Str 13, Dex 8, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 12

Base Atk +0; Grp +1

Feats Lightning Reflexes, Toughness

Skills Concentration +5, Knowledge (religion) +4, Speak Language (Infernal), Spellcraft +4

SQ auras (lawful, evil), spontaneous casting (inflict spells)

Combat Gear potion of endure elements (fire), oil of magic weapon, scroll of cure moderate wounds; Other Gear masterwork splint mail, masterwork heavy steel shield, masterwork heavy mace

Diabolic underpriests are often accompanied by 1d3 acolytes.

Diabolic Underpriest CR 3

Human cleric 3

LE Medium humanoid (human)

Init -1; Senses Listen +2, Spot +2

Languages Common, Infernal

Defense

AC 18, touch 9, flat-footed 18
(+7 armor, -1 Dex, +2 shield)

hp 26 (3d8+9 HD)

Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +5

Offense

Spd 20 ft.

Melee mwk heavy mace +4 (1d8+1)

Special Attacks rebuke undead 8/day (+3, 2d6+4, 3rd)

Spells Prepared (CL 3rd, 4th for law or evil spells)

2nd—desecrate^D, silence (DC 14), hold person (DC 14)

1st—command (DC 13), divine favor, protection from good^D, sanctuary (DC 13)

0—detect magic, guidance, resistance, virtue

^D domain spells; Domains evil, law

Statistics

Str 13, Dex 8, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 12

Base Atk +2; Grp +3

Feats Extra Turning, Lightning Reflexes, Toughness

Skills Concentration +7, Knowledge (religion) +6, Speak Language (Infernal), Spellcraft +6

SQ auras (lawful, evil), spontaneous casting (inflict spells)

Combat Gear potion of cure serious wounds, scroll of summon monster III; Other Gear+1 splint mail, masterwork heavy steel shield, masterwork heavy mace

Diabolic priests often head up small cells of devil worshipers and may report directly to an Evil High Priest.

Diabolic Priest CR 5

Human cleric 5

LE Medium humanoid (human)

Init -1; Senses Listen +3, Spot +3

Languages Common, Infernal

Defense

AC 19, touch 9, flat-footed 19
(+7 armor, -1 Dex, +3 shield)

hp 39 (5d8+13 HD)

Fort +7, Ref +3, Will +8

Offense

Spd 20 ft.

Melee mwk heavy mace +5 (1d8+1)

Special Attacks rebuke undead 8/day (+3, 2d6+5, 4th)

Spells Prepared (CL 5th, 6th for law or evil spells)

3rd—blindness/deafness (DC 16), deeper darkness, magic circle against good ^D

2nd—bear’s endurance, desecrate ^D, silence (DC 15), hold person (DC 15)

1st—bless, command (DC 14), divine favor, protection from good ^D, sanctuary (DC 14)

0—detect magic, guidance, resistance, virtue

^D domain spells; Domains evil, law

Statistics

Str 13, Dex 8, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 12

Base Atk +3; Grp +4

Feats Extra Turning, Lightning Reflexes, Toughness

Skills Concentration +9, Knowledge (religion) +8, Speak Language (Infernal), Spellcraft +8

SQ auras (lawful, evil), spontaneous casting (inflict spells)

Combat Gear potion of cure serious wounds, scroll of flame strike; Other Gear +1 splint mail, +1 heavy steel shield, cloak of resistance +1, masterwork heavy mace

OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a

The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved.

1. Definitions: (a) “Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b) “Derivative Material” means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) “Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d) “Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) “Product Identity” means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts, creatures, characters, stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f ) “Trademark” means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement.
2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License.
3. Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.
4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content.
5. Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.
6. Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute.
7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity.
8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content.
9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License.
10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You distribute.
11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so.
12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.
13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.
14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable.
15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
    
    • Open Game License v 1.0a, Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
    • System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
    • System Reference Document 5.1, Copyright 2016, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
    • Pathfinder Chronicles: Princes of Darkness, Book of the Damned, Vol. I. Copyright 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC;
      Author: F. Wesley Schneider.
    • The Fraternity: A Cult of Asmodeus, Copyright 2017, R. Dorman.