The Archon of Due Diligence Hunts The Unholy and Holds Paladins to their Oath
/The Paladin, the holy knight, the smite cannon that sometimes heals your party and all-times makes the big party decisions. The Paladin is the pillar of a lot of parties for your game of 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons.
The typical association is that the Paladin is Lawful Good. The squeaky clean, square jaws titular heroes and legends. They work on the straight and narrow, doing what's right for the good of the people. But not always. It's hard to keep a moral code. In a world of adventures, the horrors of fighting monsters constantly can be daunting. For the Paladin, being a champion of their holy cause, there's even more pressure.
With all this responsibility, it's a wonder that more don't snap.
Archon of Due Diligence
Any deity can have Paladins working at their service, spreading the tenets of their faith and the power of their domains. It's in the deity's best interests to have their Paladin spread fine words, and act in the duties befitting the faith. At the same time, any non-evil deity may have Angels in their service. One such Angel is the Archon of Due Diligence. Archons may serve an evil deity, ensuring Evil aligned Paladins spread the destruction and dissent that is befitting their god, and punishing their restraint or hesitation.
The Archon of Due Diligence comes for the wayward and unrighteous - Illusory Angel by Allen Williams
The first of these angels were created when the first mortals took the first services as Paladins. The gods cannot watch over all their Paladins all of the time. The one or more Archons of Due Diligence supervise them this way.
The Archon looks much like many other Angels in some ways, but different in others. Their forms appear illusory or ethereal. Their wings blend into their bodies while their garbs shift constantly. They take largely humanoid appearances.
It is their singular mission to oversee the Paladins of their god's faith. If they stay true, sincerely committed to the path they walk, then there's no trouble at all. The majority of Paladins never interact or even know of their existence. If the Paladin ever acts in ways that go against their oath, or in ways unfavourable to the deity, then they will be pursued by the Archon. This watching Angel will begin to hunt this Paladin.
The following will begin small then become increasingly more dramatic. First they will appear in dreams, offering wisdom and retorts that become more scathing and harmful as the time goes on. If they do not repent, they will appear in their physical form. They will offer their warning to the Paladin, insisting on their repentance once. The Angel will continue to visit the Paladin, with invocations more and more severe each time.
In a combat encounter, the Archon will only engage with the Paladin that works against its faith. Others that get involved will be ignored as it does its efforts to defend itself against interlopers.
Archon Stats Generated with Homebrewery
Guardian of Faith
The Archon will try its utmost to scare or encourage wayward Paladins to the light of faith. Those who atone for their sins are rewarded for their efforts to cleanse their souls. Those who continue down a darker path will be hunted mercilessly.
For the parties that do not have a Paladin, this monster can still be a real threat to the kingdom. There may be reports that a destroyer may be plaguing a religious institution and it's up to our heroes to stop it.
Now we want to hear from you. Do you have any immoral Paladins that would fear the Archon of Due Diligence? How would you use them in games you GM? Let us know in our discord server or in the comments below.
Adam Ray contributes much for adventurers here on Apotheosis Studios. As co-founder of fantasticuniverses.com, they write about card gaming and PC gaming to a corner of the internet he carved out themselves. On Youtube, they can be found game mastering for No Ordinary Heroes, or editing the antics on The Hostile Atmosphere. Find where they dwell by climbing their Linktree.
