Order of Knights Templar

The Church of the Silver Flame includes three orders of clergy: ministers who tend congregations, friars who spread the faith, and templars who fight evil in the flesh. Your group has been ordained as templars and sent into war against the forces of evil.

As templars of the Silver Flame, you have distinctive silver tabards to wear over your other clothing or armor. You also have the privilege of using a knightly honorific before your name (typically “sir” or “lady”), and you are immediately recognized as a knight, an agent of the church, and effectively a lesser member of Thrane’s aristocracy. This status guarantees the good will of members of the church and citizens of Thrane, but carries less weight and might even provoke animosity outside Thrane.

Hierarchy. The order of the Templars of the Silver Flame is represented on the Council of Cardinals that serves as the governing body of Thrane and the church. Seven commanders govern the knights of the order under the Grand Master’s leadership: one for each of the Five Nations of old, one for foreign lands, and one for the seas. Their assistants carry the title of marshal, but no real division of rank exists beneath them.

Knights templar are free to wander the world in pursuit of the order’s aims. When leaving the jurisdiction of one commander and entering that of another, it is a knight’s responsibility to promptly report to the commander of the new area, in case that commander has a pressing need for a knight to perform a mission. The commanders try to keep each other informed about where knights are operating and what they are doing, but this system works better in some places—and between some commanders—than others.

Allies. The other two orders of the Church of the Silver Flame’s clergy—ministers and friars—staunchly support the knights templar. Even when there is rivalry among the leaders of these orders and other officials of the church, the rank and file members support each other regardless of order. You can count on these clergy to help you secure spellcasting services, and to offer you other material aid within reason.

Enemies. Since the order of knights templar is sworn to exterminate supernatural evil, such creatures are always hostile when they recognize a knight templar. The following groups and creatures viciously oppose the templars of the Silver Flame:

• Fiends and Undead. Unnatural beings loathe templars, as they represent everything these foul creatures despise—light, life, hope, and good. These menaces sometimes go to great lengths to trap and destroy templars, and fiends take particular pleasure in corrupting the faithful to evil.
• Lycanthropes. All types and alignments of lycanthropes have a particular hatred for the Church of the Silver Flame, thanks to the crusade that nearly exterminated their kind over a century ago. Shifters are uncomfortable with the templars for the same reason.
• The Order of the Emerald Claw. Tied as it is to the Blood of Vol and the worship of the undead, the Order of the Emerald Claw opposes the Church of the Silver Flame and its agents in the world.

With a religious order as your group’s patron, you gain the following benefits:

Divine Service. In times of need, your group can appeal to the priests of your faith for magical aid. A cleric or druid of your faith who is of sufficiently high level will cast any spell of up to 5th level on your group’s behalf, without charge. The priest even provides any costly material components needed for the spell, so long as you can demonstrate your need and are in good standing with the church.

Equipment. Each member of your party has a holy symbol or druidic focus, even if it isn’t needed for spellcasting. Each of you also has a book containing prayers, rites, and scriptures of your faith.

Proficiencies. Each member of your party gains proficiency in the Religion skill, if the character doesn’t already have it.

Religious orders attract people from all walks of life. It can be fun to play against type—to make a devout character with the criminal or charlatan background, for example. Regardless of your origins, consider the following roles for the characters in your party:

Fixer. The Fixer might work for a religious order for entirely non-religious reasons. This character does the order’s dirty work and clears away its problems. It’s entirely possible for an entire party to be made up of Fixers, but rogues and fighters are especially well suited to this kind of work. Characters with the criminal background excel at putting their skills and contacts to use on the church’s behalf.

Prophet. The Prophet is a visionary with a more-or-less direct connection to the divine. This character might be the driving force behind the group’s quests, steering them according to divine will. Proficiency in skills such as Insight and Religion can help reflect this character’s divine connection. The Prophet is often a cleric or druid, but could also be an NPC with no real adventuring skills, who needs the group’s protection.

Scholar. The Scholar brings academic knowledge to bear in the religious order’s work, often in the form of proficiency in History and Religion. This character might be an expert on ancient ruins or know all the weaknesses of the demons they are hunting. Characters with access to divination magic (including clerics with the Knowledge domains as well as wizards) might excel at this role. Many Scholars come from the sage background. Unlike the Prophet and Zealot, the Scholar isn’t necessarily devout, just knowledgeable.

Teacher. Those in this role spread the teachings of the faith. This isn’t usually an effort to win converts—though it can be, especially in the case of the Church of the Silver Flame—but rather the task of encouraging people to live according to the highest ideals of faith. Proficiency in skills such as Persuasion (or sometimes Intimidation) and Religion can be useful for this character. Many clerics fill this role, but devout bards can also be effective Teachers. Some Teachers bring skills from the entertainer background into the service of their faith.

Zealot. Dedicated to smiting the foes of the faith, the Zealot focuses on combat above all. Clerics, druids, and paladins make iconic Zealots, but any character can play this role; there are barbarians whose fury is fueled by their devotion, and rangers sworn to track down the enemies of the faith. The soldier and folk hero backgrounds are well suited to such champions of the faith.

Your primary contact within the religious order is usually some kind of priest—not necessarily a cleric or druid, but someone who holds a priestly office and a position of some authority in the hierarchy of the organization. This person might direct you and your adventures according to their interpretation of divine will, or they might trust the gods to lead you to do what needs to be done. Of course, some priests (as well as lay functionaries) are more interested in their own agendas than any supposed divine will. Consult the Order Contact table to determine your liaison within the religious order.

Order Contact

Some religious orders are viewed with suspicion by the priestly hierarchies of their faiths; others are viewed as champions who act as the gods’ hands in the world. Within a religious order, some members are highly respected while others are seen as dangerous for one reason or another. What is your relationship to the hierarchy you’re a part of? Is your entire order held in particularly high or low esteem? Or does your adventuring party stand out from the larger order for some reason? Is your behavior in line with the expectations of your religion, or is it unorthodox in some way? Reference the Order Reputation table to determine how you’re viewed by your larger religious institution.

Order Reputation

What is the nature of your work for the religious order? As a group, consult the Religious Service table and work with your DM to decide what role you play—which likely shapes the kind of adventures you undertake.

Religious Service