Initiate
Source: Plane Shift: Amonkhet p. 8
- 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
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: Trials of the Five Gods
Your life is oriented around your participation in the five trials that will determine your worthiness in the afterlife. While you prepare for and undergo those trials, you have constant access to training. A comfortable place to live and regular meals are provided to you by servitor mummies (the anointed) under the supervision of viziers. You can enjoy these benefits only as long as you obey the societal norms of Naktamun�training for the trials (with or without your crop), obeying the orders of the gods, and following the instructions of their viziers. If you violate these norms, you risk being treated as a dissenter. See “Trials of the Five Gods” for more information about undertaking the trials and their rewards.
The five gods are the effective rulers of Amonkhet. They are not the creators of the plane, but they are its stewards while the people of Naktamun await the return of the God-Pharaoh. The five gods believe they were created by the God-Pharaoh, who charged them with teaching the people the ways of the God-Pharaoh, and with protecting them until he comes.
The five gods embody the five virtues the God-Pharaoh wishes to cultivate in those who will become his Eternals in the afterlife. Each god is responsible for modeling and teaching one of those virtues to the acolytes and initiates of Naktamun, and then testing those initiates to ensure that they have mastered their teachings. Thus, they are present during the acolytes’ first lessons, during the Ceremony of Measuring, during the initiates’ intense training, and at each of the trials that are part of an initiate’s journey.
In the absence of the God-Pharaoh, only the gods can determine whether initiates have proven themselves worthy of the glory of the afterlife. The gods in turn prove their own worthiness by executing their duties infallibly. They make the trials as challenging as possible to ensure that only the most worthy are selected.
Oketra (Solidarity Domain)
“The worthy must know and respect all others whom the God-Pharaoh deems worthy, for in the afterlife, all will be united in purpose and action.”
Oketra is charged with expounding upon this teaching of the God-Pharaoh, instilling in every initiate the virtue of solidarity. She forges each group of children into a crop of acolytes with just one purpose: to be judged worthy of a glorious afterlife. And she instills in each crop the ability to unite in a single action in pursuit of that purpose. She is fond of poetic imagery to communicate her ideals.
Kefnet (Knowledge Domain)
“The worthy shall cultivate a nimble mind that can perceive the wonders beyond imagination that wait in the afterlife.”
Kefnet’s task is to pass on this teaching of the God-Pharaoh and elucidate its meaning. He teaches that the afterlife will be inhabited only by those who have proved by their wits that they are worthy of dwelling in the glorious presence of the God-Pharaoh. He trains acolytes and initiates to push their limits and challenge their mental capacity with spells of ever-greater power.
Rhonas (Strength Domain)
“The worthy shall hone a strong body that can withstand the boundless energies of the afterlife.”
It falls to Rhonas to instill this teaching in those who would enter the afterlife�but to his mind, the words themselves don’t matter. Strength can’t be taught. It must be built through practice and training. Rhonas demonstrates his teachings by his example, rather than by giving his students any kind of academic instruction. He welcomes the people of Naktamun to stand by the Hekma and watch him as he storms into the desert to battle the greatest horrors. He encourages them to observe his indomitable strength, for though they will never equal it, they can aspire to mimicry. He invites them to scrutinize every move and practice what they see.
Bontu (Ambition Domain)
“The worthy shall strive for greatness�supremacy in life leads to supremacy in the afterlife. ”
Bontu has fully embraced this dictum, and though she expends little effort in teaching it, she surely leads by example. Her viziers subtly plant the seeds that flower into the ambition the God-Pharaoh desires. Through insinuation, they remind acolytes and initiates alike that achieving one’s place in the afterlife at the expense of others is not shameful, but is proof of the initiate’s determination and drive. Nothing is more important than that drive, they suggest�not the bonds of a crop, not friendship or love. Not even devotion to a deity.
Hazoret (Zeal Domain)
“The worthy shall rush to the God-Pharaoh’s side with relentless zeal, rising to overcome every obstacle in their way.”
The God-Pharaoh expects those he welcomes into the afterlife to desire it above all other pleasures and achievements, and for them to show their dedication, passion, and fervor through their actions. Hazoret is charged with cultivating this zeal in the initiates who come under her care, and she has undertaken the task with appropriate enthusiasm. She recognizes, however, that the best way to teach zeal is by demonstrating it.
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 |