out life and reanimating the dead. Or you might wield
your magic to spread fungal rot and noxious gases, pre-
paring parts of the city for annexation.
If you aren't adept at magic, the swarm still needs
you. Golgari warriors both defend the guild's territory
and, when necessary, take offensive action. If you are a
fighter (typically of the Champion archetype), you can
serve as a shock trooper, perhaps fighting alongside
kraul and trolls on behalf of the swarm. If you are a
ranger (likely of the Beast Master archetype) or a rogue
(of the Thief or Assassin archetype), you are more of a
skirmisher. Golgari rangers favor insects and reptiles as
companions.
Background: Golgari Agent
You are a member of a teeming horde-one small part of
a sprawling organism.Just as you are part of the swarm,
the swarm is part of a larger ecosystem, a never-ending
cycle of life, death, rot, and rebirth. You have spent your
life in the slow churn of that ecosystem, in the dark
places of the city where the messy parts of existence
are on display. There is little squeamishness among the
Golgari, no fear of death or taboo about the dead, just a
fierce affirmation of the cycle.
Skill Proficiencies : Nature, Survival
Tool Proficiencies : Poisoner's kit
Lan guages : Choose one of Elvish, Giant, or Kraut
Equipment: A Golgari insignia, a poisoner's kit, a pet
beetle or spider, a set of common clothes, and a belt
pouch containing 10 gp worth of mixed coins
FEATURE: UNDERCIT Y PATHS
You know hidden, underground pathways that you can
use to bypass crowds, obstacles, and observation as you
move through the city. When you aren't in combat, you
and companions you lead can travel between any two lo-
cations in the city twice as fast as your speed would nor-
mally allow. The paths of the undercity are haunted by
dangers that rarely brave the light of the surface world,
so your journey isn't guaranteed to be safe.
Golgari Guild Spells
Prerequisite: Spellcasting or Pact Magic class feature
For you, the spells on the Golgari Guild Spells table are
added to the spell list of your spellcasting class. (If you
are a multiclass character with multiple spell lists, these
spells are added to all of them.)
GOLGARI GUILD SPELLS
Spell Level Spells
Cantrip
l st
2nd
3rd
4th
Sth
dancing lights, spare the dying
entangle, ray of sickness
protection from poison, ray of enfeeblement,
spider climb
animate dead, plant growth
giant insect, grasping vine
cloudkill, insect plague
Golgari magic is often accompanied by a sickly green
glow and a rotting stench.
S UGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
Members of the Golgari Swarm are unmistakably prod-
ucts of the undercity, ill at ease amid the comforts of civ-
ilization. They bring about the same discomfort in oth-
ers by reminding them of death's inevitable approach.
PERSONALITY TRAITS
d8 Personality Trait
Remember, I could ki ll you in your sleep. Or put
centipedes in your bedroll.
2 I like to remind people of their inevitable demise.
3 Sometimes I give voice to the whispers of the rot,
which I hear but no one else does.
4 I do my best to discourage anyone from approaching
or talking to me.
S I have accepted my death. Hence, I don't fear it.
6 Like roots growing through stone, I am relentless and
determined in my action.
7 I put my knowledge of anatomy to use by narrating
the injuries my enemies suffer in grisly detail.
8 Like a wild animal, I lash out viciously when I'm
provoked-and I'm easily provoked.
CHAPTER 2 I GUILDS OF R \\ l\'TC \ 51