Acolytes are the first monsters in the B/X monster list, and the first entry in the B/X wandering monster table. So, it's fitting for them to be first in this series of posts about monsters and their tactics in B/X D&D, OSE, and related systems.
Acolytes encountered in the dungeon or wilderness are 1st-level NPC clerics on pilgrimages or just looking for adventure. They are equally likely to be Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic, but they will all have the same alignment in any event.
Acolytes are human. So, when they fight, they fight intelligently and try to preserve their lives. However, Lawful and Chaotic acolytes might be aggressive to those they see as supporting the other side. Neutral acolytes don’t care about the conflict between Law and Chaos, but they will not tolerate interruptions or obstacles to whatever quest they see themselves as on.
Acolytes are listed as 1 HD, rather than 1d6 hp or 1 – 1 or 1 – 2 HD, but they are also described as “1st-level NPC clerics.” It is up to you how to determine their hit points, but if you roll 1d8, you can think of any who have more than 6 hp as those who have been endowed with above-average Constitution scores.
Reactions
- “Immediate Attack.” If the acolytes are outnumbered, they will seek reinforcements to make an attack later.
- “Hostile, Possible Attack.” The acolytes will issue a warning. If the warning is ignored, they will attack unless they are outnumbered, in which case they will seek reinforcements.
- “Uncertain, monster confused.” The acolytes will try to find out who the party are and whether they are a threat.
- “No attack, monster leaves or considers offers.” The acolytes will either leave the area (carrying news of the party to their allies) or offer to help for a negotiated price. Chaotic acolytes are probably looking for a chance to betray the party.
- “Enthusiastic friendship.” The acolytes offer their assistance to the party. If they are Chaotic, the offer is likely a lie.
Acolytes in Dungeons
Acolytes are usually found on the first level of a dungeon, but they may be found as deep as the third level. On the first level, they wander in groups of 1-8, and their dungeon lairs will contain 1-20. Any wandering group with at least four acolytes will include a higher-level cleric, and the population of the lair will include one higher-level cleric for every four acolytes.
Outside their lairs, acolytes are much more common in the day than at night, unless they have some specific holy or unholy business that must be conducted in the night.
Acolytes might have any of several kinds of dungeon lairs. If the acolytes are on a holy quest, their lair will be a more-or-less temporary base camp for their expeditions against whatever enemies they are there to defeat.
The acolytes’ lair might also be a dungeon-based shrine or monastery. Lawfuls rarely have shrines in dungeons. If they do, the shrines will be well-guarded and the acolytes will work to maintain a safe passage for pilgrims. A quarter or more of the lair’s population will consist of pilgrims.
Chaotics rarely welcome pilgrims to their shrines. Instead, the shrines are secret locations where they conduct dark rituals. They will be well-guarded, perhaps with skeletons and zombies guarding the ways into it. If a group of chaotic acolytes has a dungeon lair, you can be sure that they are trying to take charge of any other humanoid monsters on the same level.
Dungeon shrines of neutral acolytes might be like those of Lawfuls or Chaotics. Neutrals usually don’t perform dark rituals quite as enthusiastically as Chaotics, but they may still prefer to keep their religious observances private and away from the prying eyes of others, who might get the wrong impression.
Acolytes in the Wilderness
In the wilderness, acolytes travel in groups of 1 to 20, with one higher-level cleric for every four of them. They are typically encountered only in inhabited areas and cities. Dangerous journeys through uninhabited areas are best less to more experienced pilgrims!
When encountered outside the dungeon, the acolytes are on their way to or from a holy site. There is no reason to assume their destination is nearby.
The wilderness lairs of acolytes range from small hermitages of five acolytes and a higher level cleric to much larger abbeys, with 100 acolytes and overseen by twenty-five more experienced clerics.
Though they might have hired mercenaries or monsters, for security, the acolytes probably guard its inner sanctum themselves. In the daytime, one third will be asleep, as they have nighttime guard duties. Another third will be busy about the business of the shrine, praying, cooking, cleaning, sacrificing, and so on. The last third will have security responsibilities, either guarding or patrolling the area nearby. As always, every group of four acolytes will be overseen by a fifth, more senior cleric.
Combat Tactics
The tactics acolytes use will depend partly on whether they have leaders and, if so, what spells their leaders have available. Without leaders, they will form a line and advance on the enemy. If they win initiative, they won’t stop within movement range of enemies with melee weapons (45’ for unarmored enemies, 35’ for those in leather, 25’ for those in metal armor).
Lawful acolytes will usually aim to capture their enemies alive (if your rules allow for it, and they should), unless they are on mission to kill agents of Chaos. Chaotic acolytes aim to kill, unless they need prisoners for torture or sacrifice. Neutrals might kill or capture; they are likely to deal lethal damage but accept surrender.
Groups with leaders will form a line in front of the leader, but they will not move except to close and attack until the leader has run out of spells. Then the leaders will join the line (on the right for Lawfuls, on the left for Neutrals and Chaotics), and the line will move as when there is no higher-level leader.
Groups with Lawful Leaders
Spell selection depends on what the leaders are expecting on any given day. The options below are typical.
- 2nd- and 3rd-Level Leaders. When preparing for combat, they will usually select light. They cast the spell in the first round, prioritizing enemy spell casters, then ranged attackers, then melee attackers. Leaders who are 3rd-level prepare two castings of light.
- 4th-Level Leaders. If they are able to control when a fight will occur, these leaders prepare bless as their second-level spell, along with protection from evil and light as their first-level spells (unless they know they will be fighting Lawful enemies). They will cast protection from evil on themselves and bless on their whole group before going into combat. In combat, they will cast light in the first round. If they cannot predict, to within a half hour, when a battle will occur, they instead prepare two castings of light and one casting of hold person.They cast hold person first, trying to paralyze as many opponents as possible. In subsequent rounds, they use light to blind anyone not affected by hold person.
- 5th-Level Leaders. These leaders prepare light, protection from evil, hold person, and bless. If possible, they cast bless and protection from evil before a fight. Otherwise, they cast bless in the first round if their allies are not engaged in melee, and they cast hold person in the second round, trying to paralyze as many enemies as possible.
Groups with Chaotic Leaders
Chaotic leaders will operate the same way Lawful ones do, but they will use cause fear in place of light. They can’t cast light, and darkness usually too easily gives the enemy the advantage of being unseen. Note that Chaotic leaders can cast bless on their allies, provided that those allies are of the same religion. In a group of acolytes, that condition will be met.
Groups with Neutral Leaders
A Neutral cleric who cannot cast light will use cause fear if it is available, protection from evil otherwise. If a Neutral cleric cannot cast bless, they will use blight at the first opportunity, imposing saving throw penalties on the enemy.
Treasure
If you were expecting acolytes’ lairs to be full of valuable religious objects, you might be disappointed. They have treasure type U, which means they have 71% chance of no treasure, and the little treasure they might have will be of little value. Gems and jewelry will be of a religious nature, and there is no need to replace coins in their treasure with other goods.
Especially for their higher-level leaders, you can give a 5% chance per level that the cleric has a magic item from each subtable, ignoring results that the cleric cannot use.
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