The Frankenverse in D&D 5: Chess Pieces in the Cosmic Struggle

This continues the “Frankenverse in D&D 5” series. Having replaced the Great Wheel cosmology with my own, I now redefine the celestials, fiends, and other residents of the Outer Planes in the new yet eternal chess game between Law and Chaos.¹

Influences include Steve Jackson Games’s In Nomine, some YouTube videos and supplements from “Pointy Hat” (Antonio Demico), a little bit of Kevin Crawford’s OSR RPG Godbound, the approach to divinity in The Primal Order, and of course shallow knowledge of angelology, demonology, Gnostic theology, and other real-world religions.

Overview

Law, Chaos, and Balance each have a hierarchy of beings serving their respective Powers That Be.

Many have likened the direct servants of the Powers That Be to chess pieces:

• mortals: analogous to the board or minor cannon fodder around each piece.
• pawns: major players on one plane but minor players in the Cosmic Struggle.
• bishops: poweful agents and envoys who can slip in and out of a plane.
• knights: blunt instruments that tilt a plane toward their faction.
• rooks: guardians of the alignment of a plane and strategists in the Struggle.
• queens: penultimate powers too valuable to risk on less than a cataclysm.
• kings: leaders of the faction, pillars of the Alignment.

Beings of Law

Aeons

No matter who may have created each world, nearly all worlds have an associated Aeon to stabilize its natural laws.

Aeons have the powers of gods, but require no belief and no worshippers. They have a task to do – maintain a world or a plane – and they just do it, with Archons and Luminaries acting as their limbs and fingers.

Most representations portray a nude man, but their true forms are vast balls of light, as large as the sun, and possibly acting as the sun.

The Angelic Host

While the Angelic Host began as a faction of “good” within the Law Alliance, over the eons they took over all leadership of the Alliance. Aeons, Archons, and Luminaries, in their assessment, are too limited to oppose Chaos.

While Angels still continue their mission of providing help to mortals, the majority of the Angelic Host – including “new” angels produced by unknown means – now fight against Chaos directly to retake worlds annexed by the Infernal Realms. According to one source a Principality expressed displeasure with this direction; the Principality in question allegedly defected to Balance, taking a number of Archangels and Angels with them, but only some of those Angels and Archangels have appeared in the ranks of the Balance.

“Angelic Host” also refers to the collective will of all Angels. Once upon a time all Angels received revelations from the Most High, supposedly the Creator and Ruler of the entire Cosmos and source of all Law and Goodness. In these latter days the direction of the Angelic Host comes from the Inner Court Seraphs through the Middle Court to the Archangels and Angels of the Outer Court.

If any Angel is slain outside the Supernal Realm its current body dissolves into sparks of light and its spirit reforms in the Supernal Realm. If it is slain within the Supernal Realm – where it has its full stats and home field advantage – its body shatters and it dies permanently with no hope of resurrection.

Angels

The Ishim or Angels are the principal agents of the Angelic Host. All can take on the semblance of an ordinary resident of a Material Plane or become completely ethereal. If they decide to reveal themselves in their full glory, they look like what each viewer expects to see: usually a halo and wings, but otherwise each viewer will see their idea of a beautiful, perfect being.

Those with Truesight, on the other hand, will see a featureless humanoid with feathered(?) wings and an aura of light shining from them.

Angels do all the low-level jobs in the Hierarchy: guarding specific humans (“guardian angels”), observing human behavior (“recording angels”), carry messages to mortals or other beings (“divine messengers”²), and fighting their opposite numbers from the Chaos faction (“warrior angels”). Angels have free will but also conditioning since their creation

Archangels

Depending on one’s perspective, Archangels are the supervising managers, handlers, or sergeants of the Hierarchy. They oversee Angels deployed on the Material Plane or in battlefields in the war against Chaos, and relay orders from the Hierarchy.

Archangels are seldom seen by mortals, but when they are they resemble more powerful and impressive Angels.

Principalities

Principalities only indirectly manage other angels, through their Archangels. Their main duty is as emissaries and observers of mortal nations, including micro-nations and nations without a homeland. If a large group of people share a language and culture, there’s at least one Principality assigned to them.

Principalities are seldom seen by mortals, but when they are they resemble Angels even more impressive than the Archangels. They typically only appear to leaders of their assigned nation, or rarely in “miracles” where they lead a group of refugees to safety.

Middle Court

The Middle Court is the Angelic bureaucracy, overseeing and commanding Principalities. Humans have given them names like Dominions, Virtues, and Powers.

Middle Court angels are almost never seen by mortals. They usually adopt mortal guises whenever they want to walk among humans (seen or unseen). Their true forms are an insanity-inducing jumble of wings, eyes, and faces.

Wheels

Wheels, Thrones or Ophánim are pillars of the Inner Court, quite literally. Their ceaseless turning as they chant prayers to the Most High keeps the palaces of the Inner Court aloft and the battle fortresses of the Angelic Host moving.

Physically the Wheels look like concentric wheels lined with eyes, dozens of meters in circumference. In the center is a mass that looks either like an eye or a face or like nothing any mortal has ever seen. (Or at least that’s how mortals who survived the experience try to describe it.) Their innumerable eyes not only watch their surroundings but the space around the structure they’re supporting. They also emit rays like a Beholder™, but far more numerous … and weirder.

A Wheel’s outer rims deflect attacks against the central mass, which has less armor. Sufficient damage to this mass will kill the Wheel. If a Wheel is slain, the structure they’re supporting – or at least the part they’re supporting – cracks, turns to rubble, and sublimates into the Astral Plane.

Guardians

Guardians or Kerúbim, once relegated to the Outer Court, are now the soldiers of the Inner Court.

Now overseen directly by Seraphs, their main duties are to guard the Supernal Realm and man (person? being?) the battle fortresses of the Angelic Host after the cold war against Chaos turned hot. In that respect they resemble mortal Marines and Secret Service. In these latter days one of the less pleasant duties of a Guardian is to track down deserters from the Angelic Host.

Like all angels the Guardians can assume a mortal guise, but their true (and preferred) form is that of a winged giant with weapons for arms and eight eyes arranged around what could be called its “head”. Its head only supports its eyes; to kill one an attacker must breach its armor and break its core.

Seraphs

The Fire Serpents or Séraphim have risen from the Middle Court to become the ministers of the Inner Court.

It’s an open secret that decisions of “The Angelic Host” are in fact decisions among the Seraphs as to the direction of the War. (Others call it the Cosmic Struggle, but to the Host it’s most definitely a War.) They claim that all decisions come from the Most High, but unlike other messages from the Most High only the Seraphs can hear them …

At least one Seraph, and possibly more, commands each battle fortress. If the fortress is infiltrated – against the Angelic Rules of War, which Chaos predictably ignores – a Seraph will emerge from the fortress to neutralize the threat. Otherwise Seraphs only appear in the Supernal Realm or in worlds already fallen to Law.

Seraphs do not bother with a mortal guise. They only appear in their insanity-inducing true forms. They are angels of Truth, after all.

Bearers

The Bearers of the Throne of the Most High are the four Chayot Ha Kodesh. And they are missing, along with the Throne of the Most High. They will be back soon …

Archons

Archons oversee some aspect of the physical world: fire, oceans, gravity.

Archons notoriously lack imagination or emotion. While highly intelligent, they stick to the letter of the task their Aeon assigned them. They also cannot empathize with other beings, as that might interfere with their duties.

Archons can appear roughly humanoid, but their native state is an ellipsoid of pure white light with luminous pseudopods.

Believers of Law

Law has a huge following of ordinary people who want a simple life where tomorrow resembles today, which resembles the day before. They are little different than believers in any other creed. Clerics and Champions of Law can often find refuge among these common folk.

Champions of Law

The Powers of Law select Champions from among those who exemplify the virtues of law and dedication to the cause. Champions fight to bring their home plane under the influence of Law and the Supernal Realms.

A Champion of Law often receives visions and premonitions from the Powers. A Champion of Law may call upon the Powers of Law for a one-time bonus on any task, including combat. Depending on the strength of that bond they may even receive Advantage or an automatic success. Alternatively, they may ask for a once-per-scene penalty on a roll that threatens to harm them directly. Depending how frivolous the request is, the Champion may lose some or all of their bond with Law, and perhaps their status as Champion.

Champions of Law tend to look like the ideal members of their class: gleaming armor, immaculate clothing, and a reassuring charm that allays all fears. They literally never get dirty, no matter what they have been doing only moments before. The effect is equivalent to a minor Cantrip, but is always on.

Gods of Law

Gods of order, civilization, and virtue often, consciously or not, tilt their world toward Law. They, their Clerics, and their followers act to reduce unknowns, restrict freedom, and remove the setbacks that promote growth.

True “Lords of Law”, however, make their purposes clear. They would replace judgement with rules, wild nature with tame gardens, and variation with inflexible norms. While seemingly kind, they often prove intolerant of anything that threatens to cross the increasingly restrictive boundaries they’ve set. Yet people still throng to them, perhaps they crave stability and security far more than they value their free will.

Jurists of Law

Jurists are the highest mortal authority on the Books of Law, the precepts revealed to the ancient Prophets by the Powers of Law. When a Teacher or believer has a question about how to apply the Law, Jurists deliberate and confer before handing down an opinion. That opinion becomes precedent, although later opinions may amend or circumscribe that judgement.

Luminaries

Luminaries resemble Angels very closely, but without the wing motif. Their true forms resemble balls of light, similar to the “Energy Beings” of UFO mythology.

Like their masters the Archons Luminaries lack imagination or emotion. They perform their duties to the best of their ability, and defer to their Archon if circumstances get “complicated”.

Saints

Saints are the favored of the Angels. Most are commoners or petty nobles with no formal religious training beyond the basics but who have a quality the Angels admire. They can channel the power of Angels into theurgy worthy of a Cleric.

The Angels endorse Saints only rarely, preferring to work with trained and competent Clerics. The Faithful believe even dead saints from the past can intercede with the Powers That Be, which most Teachers regard as idolatry.

Servants of Law

Servants of Law are ordinary (or extraordinary) mortals who aid the cause of Law in big ways or small, sometimes unknowingly. They’re usually the lawmakers, the enforcers, the Clerics of Order, and others who follow orders without question and prefer security to freedom.

Teachers of Law

In the Temples of Law, Teachers assume the role of priests in other religions. They instruct the laity on the Laws set forth by the Prophets and the Powers of Law, give nonbinding judgements applying the Law to specific situations, and lead prayers to the Powers That Be.

Beings of Chaos

Champions of Chaos

Champions of Chaos fight to bring a world into the sphere of Ch They exhibit extraordinary dedication to Chaos, but dedication is not enough; the Powers of Chaos must choose them to exemplify and advance Chaos.

A Champion of Chaos often receives visions and premonitions from the Powers. Champions of Chaos can call upon their bond with Chaos to replenish some of their spell slots, or if they are not casters their Hit Points.

If slain, a Champion may rise again as undead with all their former abilities.

Most Champions of Chaos look the part: black armor, cruel looking weapons, skull and fiend motifs, perhaps even some strange mutations. A few affect a mild, ordinary appearance belied by their disturbing manner.

Chaos Gods

Gods of disorder, disaster, and “do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law” gravitate toward Chaos. Their actions, and those of their Clerics and followers, knowingly or unknowingly tilt a world toward Chaos.

True “Chaos Gods”, however, make no secret of their dedication to war, famine, pestillence, death (or undeath), and unbridled destruction. Despite their less than appealing portfolio, they still attract cultists.

Cultists of Chaos

Cultists of Chaos are ordinary (or extraordinary) beings who aid the cause of Chaos in big ways or small.

Cultists often assume they’ll be the “favored ones” who will escape the end of all things or the “fittest survivors” who will rule over the rubble. Still others simply crave death not only for themselves but all those they hate (frequently everybody), or are simply too mad to see the consequences of their actions.

Daemons

Daemons, being creatures of Chaos, are naturally formless beings that look like distortions in the Ethereal Plane. They can take on the following physical and psychic forms:

• A characteristically bizarre, monstrous chimera of several animals and humanoids.

  The size, speed, and strength of this physical form depends on the mental characteristics (Int, Wis, Cha) and power level of the Daemon. Harming this form forces the demon back to the Chaos Realms. If encountered in the Chaos Realms, this form will be much tougher, but slaying it slays the Demon. Now for the other nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine …

• A humanoid form, usually with a telltale like horns, a tail, or claws.

  This humanoid form is a mere puppet conjured from nothing. The Daemon can augment its speed or strength somehat but in battle it will change to its full monstrous form. Destroying this form weakens the Daemon only a little.

• A spirit possessing an animal, an insane human(oid), a willing human(oid), or (for brief periods) a corpse.

  The Daemon may augment the host’s speed or strength, usually at the expense of the host’s physical health or integrity. If slain the host is dead, if not already, but the Daemon is free to possess someone else.

• An illusory form projected into the minds of some or all observers based on one of the above.

  A Daemon only creates one of these forms to communicate with a mortal and/or drive one mad.

Daemons have other, suitably random powers.

Daemons revel in provoking fear and destroying things indiscriminately.

Daemon Lords

Daemon Lords are orders of magnitude more powerful than the “average” Daemon. They also revel in destruction, but often approach it methodically.

Daemon Lords resent the Devil Princes for ruling the Chaos Coalition, and may easily be persuaded to ruin a Prince’s schemes … and many other things …

Dark Archons

Devils discovered that while Archons lack human emotions or desires, they do have a kind of pride in their work and a determination to see it through. Thus devils have corrupted some Archons to regard the mortals of their world as nuisances. Mortals use magic to defy natural laws, appeal to the gods with illogical emotions, and breed like rabbits (which Archons also hate).

So-called Dark Archons, then, undertake a crusade to eliminate all living things, first by corrupting some of them, then by using the corrupted ones to slaughter or control the rest. Their goal is complete control of all living things to curb their untidiness and mess, an excess of Law that serves the purposes of Chaos.

The pure light of normal Archons show threads and flecks of colored light or shadow in Dark Archons. As a Dark Archon falls to its own perfectionistic, prideful, biology-hating nature, it gradually grows iridescent, then kaleidescopic, and finally solidly dark. The progression shows just as clearly in its Luminaries, which become Umbrals.

Devils

The first Devils were defectors from the Angelic Host, or defective Angels depending on one’s theories about Angels. The Devils then corrupted human souls, then endowed the worst of them with supernatural power to act as their agents. Thus began what some called Hell, which was soon incorporated into the Infernal Realms.

Betraying their original Lawful nature, Devils never break an oath or promise. They do exactly what they said they will. No less, no more … unless it amuses them.

Some wag³ dubbed the rigid rank structure of Hell the “Lowerarchy”, and wasn’t immediately eviscerated by angry ghûls. We will therefore cautiously follow suit.

Archdevils

Archdevils are to the Lowerarchy what Archangels are to the Angelic Host: managers of Chaos’s massive effort to corrupt humanity and get it to destroy itself.

When Hell joined the Coalition of Chaos Archdevils found themselves in charge not only of relatable and career-minded Devils but the utterly uncontrollable Daemons, the contrary Evil Jinn, and the incomprehensibly alien Horrors. As one might expect from long-time denizens of Hell they quietly cursed the Devil Princes’ sadism and got back to work.

Like most Devils the Archdevils were once mortal creatures. Unlike most Devils the Archdevils fell to corruption by themselves. Thus they make effective mentors for lesser devils and persuasive advocates for the cause of Chaos. Thus they also fill the role of the Principalities as ambassadors to the nations of the Cosmos.

Devil Princes

The Devil Princes were the leaders of the Fallen Angels, and after they joined the Coalition their drive and tactical sense propelled them to a position just under the Elder Evils. (The Daemon Lords were not happy …)

Each Devil Prince rules a domain in the Infernal Realm, which also includes conquered territories from other Realms. Like born bureaucrats they also manage departments of the “government” of the Coalition of Chaos. It’s all very confusing, which is exactly how the Devil Princes like it.

Erinyes

Like the Devil Princes, the Erinyes were originally Angels. Unlike them, they do not enjoy convoluted schemes that stretch over decades. They prefer violence and torture.⁴

Erinyes act as Hell’s, and later Chaos’s enforcers. Anyone – mortal or devil – who violates the terms of a contract must answer to the Erinyes. Likewise anyone – daemon, devil, jinn, or horror – who disobeys orders will endure, er, reeducation in Hell. They might be Chaos, but they have a war to win.

Physically Erinyes sometimes look like beautiful women with black wings. Sometimes they look like horrible women with black wings. Their true forms through Truesight are of winged humanoids, but there the resemblance to the Angels they once were ends.

Hellish Adepts

Much of Hell works like a Ponzi scheme: corrupted souls become devils, who corrupt new souls which after a trial period may also become devils, and so on and so on and so on.

The Hellish Adepts embody this principle. Goetic magi who summon a devil to give them power often get a Hellish Adept who does indeed grant them power. That power corrupts the user, which eventually turns the magus into a new Hellish Adept.

Hellish Adepts are relatively Minor Devils, but they make a large and ever growing proportion of devils.

Eldest Evils

The Eldest Evils are allegedly the oldest and most evil beings ever to emerge from the first great cycle of the multiverse. They transcended not only the worlds that spawned them but the limitations of time and the void to form a cabal that leads the Coalition of Chaos. Some even say that the “Powers That Be”, at least on the Chaos side, is simply them, much as Law’s Seraphs allegedly deposed their “Most High” and put themselves in power. Those who entertain such ideas are usually snatched away by the Erinyes, torn apart by invisible Horrors, or meet some other gruesome fate.

The identities of the Eldest Evils is also unknown. Rumors variously include an ancient lich, an aboleth, an evil god, an entity from outside the Cosmos, and an avatar of one of the Great Old Ones.

Evil Jinn

See also Jinn.

Evil Jinn intentionally or accidentally serve the cause of Chaos. Most such Jinn are subspecies known for their antisocial or contrary ways:

• A Ghûl is a comparatively weak Jinn that mimics a human form to work mischief. Some of them animate human(oid) corpses; the first “ghouls” may have been ghûl who inhabited a corpse and couldn’t get back out.
• An Ifriti is a stronger, craftier Jinn who uses strength and guile to sow Chaos among humans (and other humanoids). They sometimes bully ghûl into serving them.
• A Maridi revels in their power and lack of intelligence and simply smashes everything. They tend to do the opposite of whatever someone asks, a tendency which can be used to trick them.
• A Shaitan is a cursed Jinn who cannot manifest physically. They instead use their knowledge and persuasion to tempt mortals into serving Chaos.

Great Old Ones

The Great Old Ones are ancient beings from another Multiverse, or maybe the universe that existed before the Uncounted Worlds. All are huge, powerful, and insanity-inducing in their true form. Nearly all are mercifully locked away in their own demi-planes or prisons, but they can still communicate with their minions through dreams and telepathic messages.

Horrors

Horrors are diverse and terrifying creatures, seemingly composed entirely of mouths, eyes, and tentacles or pseudopods. (In fact, some also resemble worms, insects, reptiles, mammals, and undead humans.) No two are exactly alike,

Horrors are the direct servants of the Great Old Ones, seconded to the Chaos Alliance as shock troops and general harbingers of doom.

Umbrals

Umbrals serve Dark Archons the same way Luminaries serve Archons. They share their master’s marks of degeneration.

Most are little more than extensions of their master’s will; typically one in the service of a Dark Archon possesses just enough independence to lead the others without the Dark Archon’s constant attention.

Beings of Balance

Balance has its Powers That Be, but only a few powerful supernatural servants. Most of the forces of Balance are mortals or ex-mortals. Thus we include them in this breakdown.

Eudaemons

Some Daemons quite like the mortal worlds the way they are and don’t want to turn them into Infernal Realms. Many operate independently, but all sooner or later gravitate to Balance as the only sustainable alternative. Few are what mortals would call “good”.

Immortals

Immortals are have transcended corporeality and can survive as a spirit or ethereal presence until they assemble a new body.⁵ Mortals can attain immortality without the shortcuts of lichdom or vampirism, but the process is very difficult.

Immortals often join the Balance to preserve their worlds for their expected lifespan, i.e forever. A few Champions “ascend” to immortality because they have achieved mastery of the principles of Balance.

Jinn

Jinn are an ancient species of semi-corporeal (or ambi-ethereal) beings said to be made of “smokeless fire”. If they so choose they can assume a humanoid form and interact with normal matter, but they prefer to remain ethereal in the form of luminous smoke or fire.

Jinn frequent the upper air of the Material Worlds but prefer the Astral Plane. Most dwell in their demi-plane Jinnistan, home to the famous City of Brass, or their Astral outpost, the City of Horn and Ivory.

While Jinn have no great love for humanity, the wisest among them see that both Law and Chaos would take away the freedom they prize.

Gods

Many gods choose Law or Chaos because of the perceived benefits, and many more remain Unaligned, but gods of nature, peace, and/or wisdom actively support the Balance. Even if the gods aren’t active in their world, they often encourage their clerics to serve the Balance as well.

Rebel Angels

As the politics of the Angelic Host grows ever more weird, many Angels and even a few Archangels have defected to Balance as the Greater Good or at least the Lesser Evil. Such defectors use their powers to masquerade as humanoids; those who interact with higher beings even wear a “fake skin” – often made from a dead humanoid – to foil Truesight, lest their former compatriots try to end their existence.

Roles

What defines the forces of Balance is not their species but their role. This is their strength. When a Justiciar, Castellan, or Regent falls an Advocate or Protector can rise to take their place. Even if a Judge falls, the Regents gather to nominate a new one.

What follows is an explanation of each role in the Cosmic Struggle.

Judges

Judges lead the Balance. They assess whether a world is at risk of falling to Law or Chaos and dispatch agents – Justiciars, Castellans, Advocates, and Protectors. They also assess and appoint mortals to act as Champions of Balance.

Judges are frequently also Regents or (rarely) Castellans or Justiciars. They are considered the wisest in the Faction of Balance, and therefore the ones worthy to coordinate all efforts across the multiverse. Thus conclaves of Judges – as well as Parliaments of Protectors before the Judges – occur in the Astral Plane, under tight security both in the Material and Astral Planes.

Regents

Regents preside over realms and worlds that serve as (relatively) safe havens for the forces of Balance. That said, they can never relax their vigilance lest agents of Law or Chaos creep in unawares.

To their subjects, Regents appear either as aloof and forbidding rulers or strange leaders of strange towns where everyone seems suspiciously peaceful. Like all appearances, these deceive: Regents host furious strategy sessions, stockpile Overworld-scale artifacts for the front lines, and treat the physical, magical, and psychic wounds of those who have faced the hordes of Law or Chaos and lived.

Castellans

Castellans defend part or all of a world from the influence of Law or Chaos. Unlike Regents, Castellans command forward bases in the Cosmic Struggle. As such, they have fewer resources to spare and less time to rest and plan.

To their subjects, Castellans resemble weird wizards or mad martial artists in isolated fortresses training for a war which (to unknowning eyes) never comes.

Justiciars

Justiciars are powerful Immortals who move from world to world shifting the balance of power away from Law or Chaos back to Balance. Usually their methods are less than subtle.

To the uninitiated, Justiciars seem like especially powerful and larger-than-life adventurers or monsters. (Most common folk fail to see the difference.) Unlike native adventurers and monsters, Justiciars use weapons and techniques from across the multiverse.

Advocates

Advocates influence the policy of mortal (and immortal) rulers through persuasion and judicious use of psychic abilities.

To those they advise they seem like ordinary merchant princes or courtiers with perhaps an otherworldly air. Only those with Truesight can discern their actual species; Divine Sense reveals the stench of … neutrality? (It smells like the air after a storm.) It’s not like a fiend and not quite like a celestial, so Paladins will be baffled but alert.

Protectors

Protectors monitor a world or a region within a world for signs of Law or Chaos gaining undue power. They also represent the interests of this world in the Astral Parliament.

To those they protect, Protectors resemble uncharacteristically kindly lords or inquisitive travelers who poke their noses into everyone’s business. Toughs who try to rob them often wake up the next morning lying in a field, not remembering what happened next.

Champions of Balance

Champions of Balance fight to keep the Balance in their home world, region, or plane. Some worlds have only one Champion, others have a dozen or more. The Judges choose which mortals serve as their Champions. Masters of Balance use Champions as exemplars, and sometimes receive their teachings from them.

Champions of Balance may call upon the Powers of the Balance once a battle to receive some of their Hit Points back. The amount depends on the strength of their bond with the Balance. Alternatively, they may use that bond to shake off one mental condition, if the Powers agree.

Champions of Balance look indistinguishable from other high-level adventurers or powerful political and economic figures. Some will try to work the symbol of Balance – a stylized scale – into their coat of arms or seal of office, while the rest keep their allegiance a complete secret.

Masters of Balance

Masters are Agents of Balance who further the cause by example and through teaching. Most preach and practice non-violent, or at least non-lethal, ways of maintaining Balance because indiscriminate killing tilts the world toward Chaos. Many are mystics⁶, psychics⁷, and/or practitioners of other subtle powers, as magic also tilts the world toward Chaos, while over-reliance on gods and divine intervention tilt the world toward Law.

Masters of Balance resemble (or are) high-level Monks, Druids, scholars, or travelers. A few work the symbol of Balance – a stylized pair of scales – into their clothing or personal seal as subtle advertising.

Disciples of Balance

Disciples are Agents of Balance who learn from and assist a Master. Most aspire to become Masters themselves some day.

Typical Disciples look like disciples of their Masters, easily mistaken for low-level Monks or humble peasants.

Agents of Balance

Agents of Balance are ordinary (or extraordinary) mortals who aid the cause of Balance in big ways or small. Some have received their teachings from a Master, others simply saw the trend away from Balance and decided to act.

Agents look like any other member of society. Their usefulness relies on keeping their true motives hidden. Unfortunately, their activities often leave them open to charges of spying or witchcraft⁸ under more paranoid regimes.