• 21 new monsters thematically tied to one of the seven deadly sins,
• 7 templates to bring that sin out in monsters and NPCs,
• complete notes on using sin in any fantasy world,
• 7 Embodiments of Sin to challenge the greatest heroes!

The Monsters of Sin Collection is suitable for multiple levels of play and can be used in any existing setting and campaign, or it can be combined to create a campaign of Sin. Go beyond ordinary monsters, and challenge your champions with threats to mind, body, and spirit!
Available now from Kobold Press!

Gnoll Cultist

Gnoll cultists have little patience for rituals, viewing torture and slaughter as ritual enough. Often, their devotion belongs to their assumed creator, the demon Mordiggian (also known as Vardesain), patron god of the ghouls. Other cultists revere Anu-Akma, Aten, Bastet, Horus, Ninkash, and Thoth-Hermes, and they seek out converts, prey, and slaves. Cultists wear symbols of piety, such as the eye of Mordiggian, the sistrum of Bastet, or the wedjat eye of Horus, and they use appropriate weapons, such as the flail for followers of Mordiggian and daggers for others, with many of the cult’s warriors having affinities for axes.

Playing a Gnoll Cultist

If you choose to play a gnoll Cultist, modify your character as follows:

• Add 1 to your Cunning. Cultists are intelligent and knowledgeable by gnoll standards.
• Choose your deity.
• Pick one of the following focuses: Cunning (Arcane Lore) or Cunning (Healing).
• You can speak Infernal.
• Choose a class. You can play either a mage or warrior.

Roll twice on the accompanying table for additional benefits. Roll 2d6 and add the dice together. If you get the same result twice, re-roll until you get something different.

GNOLL CULTIST

Gnoll Guardian

Interbreeding with hyenas, gnoll guardians have a frightening cackle and are stronger than most gnolls. Concentrated at the Step Pyramids of Faizal, guardians also engage in adventure and expeditions. Such adventures are usually goal-driven, such as for banishment of a particular enemy or retrieval of a coveted artifact. In the service of the priests of Anu-Akma, these gnolls ferociously protect them and the holy sites, and, when off-duty, like to drink. Due to this pastime, guardians are often found in the company of dwarves, with many developing shared deep loyalties with the little ones. Guardians have an affinity for grenades (acid flasks) and two-handed swords.

Playing a Gnoll Guardian

If you choose to play a gnoll guardian, modify your character as follows:

• Add 1 to your Strength. Guardians are brutes, even by gnoll standards.
• Pick one of the following focuses: Constitution (Drinking) or Strength (Intimidation).
• You can speak Dwarvish.
• Choose a class. You can play either a warrior or a rogue.

Roll twice on the accompanying table for additional benefits. Roll 2d6 and add the dice together. If you get the same result twice, re-roll until you get something different.

GNOLL GUARDIAN

In many tribal societies, the chieftain leads the social hierarchy (along with sometimes a council of elders), the hero leads war parties, and the shaman serves as spiritual leader. The tribal shaman is sometimes the only member of a tribe with magic, and he or she often serves a conduit to the spirit world.

Given the debate that preceded this week’s article (and its rebuttal), I reiterate once more that gaming is at its best when we mix familiar elements with new—use nostalgia with a twist. My gaming table is happiest when they expect the same old encounter and instead face something similar but different. Make your players respect the old hat monsters again, and I assure you your gaming table will be better for it. Join me after the jump for my last tribal template the tribal shaman (CR +3).

Serving as a conduit to the arcane and divine requires an understanding of the world, a sharp wit, and the ability to lead others, so add +4 to Wisdom, +4 to Intelligence, and +2 to Charisma. The power to channel and commune with spirits from the other side takes a toll on health, so the shaman receives –2 to Constitution. Despite the cost in terms of health, tribal shamans are still a bit hardier than the average member of the tribe, so +2 BAB and +2 to natural AC.

What little arcane knowledge the tribe has is passed down from shaman to shaman. Furthermore, while the shaman is an arcane caster, matters of the divine are also under his or her auspice, so add +6 to Spellcraft and Healing, and add +4 to all Knowledge skills.

Tribal shamans gain the following feats: Leadership*, Skill Focus (perception), and 1 exotic weapon proficiency. In this case, the shaman need not be 7th level for the feat, and in place of a cohort, the shaman gains an animal companion as an equal level druid. The followers, animal companion, and any tribal chieftains or heroes in the tribe are the only ones that can benefit from the shaman’s share spirits ability.

Spell-Like Abilities: The monster shaman gains all the following spell-like abilities as a cleric with a caster level equal to the shaman’s HD. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

At will—bane, guidance, haunted fey aspect, jolt, mending, message, spark

3/day—burning hands, cure light wounds, darkness, jump, ray of sickening, scorching ray, snap dragon fireworks

1/day—hold person, lightning, speak with dead, stinking cloud, summon monster 2

Defensive Abilities

Shield of Flesh (Ex) Any creatures of the shaman’s base type and any of the shaman’s summoned creatures within 10 ft. can sacrifice a move action to take damage that would have hit the shaman from any source requiring an attack roll.

Dread Sanctuary (Su) Any creature attempting to engage in melee with the shaman must make a Will save equal to 10 + 1/2 the Hit Dice of the shaman or become shaken. Subsequent failures indicate frightened and finally panicked conditions.

Special Abilities

Channel Spirits (Su) For every 3 Hit Dice possessed by the shaman, the shaman gains a familiar spirit that can be channeled by the shaman in a manner similar to demon possession. When the shaman utilizes the familiar spirit, it gains the ability of that spirit. This can be done for 1 minute per Hit Dice + Wisdom modifier.

Ancestor Spirit—Double the positive statistic modifier of subject race and gain +2 BAB, +2 to saves, and the ability to channel energy as a cleric equal to the shaman’s Hit Dice.

Animal Spirit—The shaman may take the form of the animal he or she has chosen, and the shaman may utilize aspects of the animal even in human form. The shaman may, for example, fly like a bird or borrow the strength of a bear. The shaman may also communicate with animals of that type.

Elemental Spirit—The shaman gains an elemental domain as though the shaman were a cleric equal in level to his or her Hit Dice.

Guardian Spirit—The tribal shaman gains great protective powers and grants all tribal allies a +2 to AC and saves as well as the ability to cast dispel magic as a cleric equal to his or her Hit Dice.

Share Spirits (Su) Any direct follower of the shaman’s, any tribal template character, or an animal companion of the shaman may receive a blessing that causes it to be possessed by the shaman’s familiar spirit as though that character were a shaman that is two levels lower than the shaman. When the shaman gives this sacred gift, the magic comes with a trigger, and that familiar spirit may not be accessed by the shaman again that day.