Beshaba, Maid of Misfortune

Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Domains: Chaos, Envy, Evil, Luck [Curse, Fate], Lust (Charm), Trickery, Wrath
Favored Weapon: Scourge

Beshaba is a deity who is feared far more than she is venerated, for she is spiteful, petty, and malicious. The Maid of Misfortune is given to random behavior and bouts of extreme jealousy with regards to Tymora, demanding equal veneration (or at least lip service) to that given to her sister. Although the thought of Beshaba actually appearing is enough to make most folk tremble, she is always invited and welcomed formally in speeches or ceremonies of formal functions (such as marriages and coronations), contests of sport or martial prowess, or at the naming of children. If not invited, she may take offense and wreak endless misfortune upon those involved.

Dogma: Bad things happen to everyone, and only by following Beshaba may a person perhaps be spared the worst of her effects. Too much good luck is a bad thing, and to even it out, the wise should plan to undermine the fortunate. Whatever happens, it can only get worse. Fear the Maid of Misfortune and revere her. Spread the message across Faerun to obey Beshaba and make offerings to appease her. If she is not appeased, all will taste firsthand the curse that is spreading throughout Faerun: “Beshaba provides!” (misery and misfortune). Make others worship Beshaba and then they will spread the ill luck she can bring. Never falsely advise any being in how to worship Beshaba, or pay the price of being cast out and cursed with misfortune all their days.

For Deific Obedience

Obedience: Spend at least 30 minutes working to make another sentient creature’s life measurably worse or more miserable, whether by destroying its property, sabotaging its efforts, or afflicting it magically. Your victim must survive this encounter, but your actions can indirectly lead to its death, such as tainting a plague-ridden man’s medicine or stealing the money a woman would use to pay back a loan. You must make your victim aware of Beshaba’s involvement, and always name some price or task your victim can perform to assuage their troubles as petition to Black Bess, though this price does not need to be reasonable. Roll a d20 after completing your obedience. At any time during the day, you may substitute this die roll once for any d20 roll, with the number rolled determining who may be the target. If it rolls low, you may substitute someone else’s die roll; if it rolls high, you may substitute one of your own.

1: Champion of Cruel Chance (Sp) deathwatch 3/day, false life 2/day, or healing thief 1/day
2: Cloak of Curses (Su) You can surround yourself in a shroud of misfortune, distorting the world around you. Once per day, you can activate your cloak of curses as a standard action, and maintain it for up to 1 minute per Hit Die you possess. While the cloak is active, Attacks from creatures that attack you suffer a 20% miss chance. This miss chance increases to 30% if the attacking creature is good, or is a follower of Tymora (this miss chance does not stack). Creatures that succeed at a Will saving throw (DC = 10 + 1/2 your Hit Dice + your Charisma modifier) are not affected by your cloak of curses.
3: Fatal Misfortune (Su) When you activate your Cloak of Curses, the aura of misfortune grows even stronger against those so unlucky as to be caught within it. The cloak radiates its misfortune into all squares adjacent around you. Creatures of the animal or vermin type are so repelled by the feeling of impending doom that they refuse to approach within this radius unless they are controlled by someone who makes a Handle Animal check against the above save DC. Any other creatures within the aura who roll a natural 1 on either a saving throw or attack roll suffer some catastrophic failure. If the roll was a failed saving throw, then any level dependent variable adverse effects are multiplied by half, as if Empowered, or any other adverse affect is doubled in duration. If the roll was a failed attack roll, then the failed attack becomes a critical fumble; roll a d20 on the table below to determine the result of the fumble (you may, in fact, substitute one such victim’s d20 roll on this table with the die roll from your obedience, if not already used for the day).

19-20 Target is flat-footed til their next turn.
16-18 You get an attack of opportunity against the creature.
15 All threatening opponents get attacks of opportunity.
13-14 Target falls prone; 14 target also suffers 1d6 nonlethal damage from the fall.
12 Target’s attack is made at -2.
11 Target’s next attack is at -3.
10 Target’s next attack is at -4.
9 Target loses next attack.
8 Target drops their weapon.
7 Target drops weapon and it skids 1d3*5 feet in a random direction.
6 Target’s weapon is damaged equal to its normal damage dice.
5 Target hits random other target for subdual damage.
4 Target hits random other target for normal damage.
3 Target hits self for subdual damage.
2 Target hits self for normal damage.
1 Target rolls twice on this table, suffering both results.

Antipaladin Code

Most Blackguards of Beshaba arise from those of poor and/or humble origins, rising to power through the power of opportunism, and most take pleasure in the idea of disrupting or perverting the plans and best intentions of other folk.

• Life promises nothing; I take what I can through my own power. I make others misfortune into my fortune.
• I make others fear the hidden, the uncertain, and make it so they cannot trust fate. In dread, they shall beg my Maid’s mercies.
• When I kill, I strive to do so creatively, ironically; evidence of Misfortune’s play is testament that life can always get worse.
• I do not strive for the admiration of Black Bess; I live to earn the aversion of her gaze upon me.

For Followers of Beshaba

Archetypes and Alternate Class Features: Divine Scourge (Cleric), Fortune Thief† (Vigilante), Hexcrafter (Magus), Witch-Eyed Knight† (Antipaladin)

Specialty Priest: Doommaster† (Cleric)

• A Doommaster must select Luck, Curse, or Fate as one of her domains.
• Harbinger of Misfortune (Su) At 1st level, as an immediate action, a Doommaster can decrease the attack roll or saving throw of another creature by 1 (thus, a 3 becomes a 2, and so on). She does this after the dice are rolled, but before the results are known. She can do this a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier (if any). At 10th level, instead of reducing the die roll by 1, she can opt to make the creature reroll the save or attack roll and have to take the lower result; this is still done before the results are determined. At 15th level, when she uses this ability and the targeted creature rolls lower on the second roll, she effectively steals the fortune of the affected creature, and she retains this stolen fortune until at some point in the same day, she chooses either to increase one of her own attack rolls or saving throws by 1, or she can opt to reroll and take the higher result; again this is done after the dice are rolled, but before the results are revealed. She can only retain one use of this stolen fortune at a time, even if she uses her misfortune ability upon another target before she spends it. If she doesn’t use the stolen fortune before the end of the day, it is lost when she rests to regain her spells. At 20th level, she may choose to automatically succeed on one saving throw per day without rolling dice. This replaces spontaneous casting and channel energy.

Feats: Bravery in Action, Conversion Channel, Fateful Channel, Fearsome Finish, Shatter Resolve, Unbound Bravery, Undaunted Bravery

Magic Items: Fate’s Shears, Grim Gloom Mail

Prestige Classes: Arcane Devotee, Divine Champion, Divine Disciple, Divine Scion (Unchained), Divine Seeker

Traits: Agent of Chance, Backstabber, Call for Help, Cheat Death, Denial of Fate, Holy Schemer, Liar’s Tongue, Opportunistic (works with deity’s favored weapon), Practiced Deception, Reckless Luck, Stoic Optimism, Thrill-Seeker

Unique Spell Rules

• Crushing Despair can be prepared as a 4th-level Cleric or 3rd-level Antipaladin spell.
• Fumble can be prepared as a 4th-level Cleric spell or 3rd-level Antipaladin spell.
• Violent Misfire can be prepared as a 3rd-level Cleric or 2nd-level Antipaladin spell.
• Violent Misfire, Mass can be prepared as a 6th-level Cleric spell.

Clergy and Temples

The exclusively human clergy of the Maid of Misfortune is dominated by the spiteful, the malicious, and the reckless. Those high in status in Beshaba’s church are almost excluslvely female. The priesthood is split approximately half between specialty priests and other clergy.

Beshaba is worshiped largely out of fear, and it is the task of her clergy to spread that fear by starting talk of Beshaba’s power and latest wickedness and by instructing all in how to make offerings to her or in how to join her clergy if they would prefer to be protected against all misfortune. Along the way, the members of her clergy take care to indulge their tastes for random cruelty and sadism. They enjoy acting mysteriously to manipulate simpler folk into serving them in matters both great and small, from providing them with food, luxurious shelter, and companionship to giving them weapons to wield against their rivals against the clergy of all other faiths, or even against their internicine rivals.

The worship of Beshaba is fairly widespread and varied throughout the Realms. As a rule of thumb, if Tymora can be found in the area, then Beshaba probably goes hand in hand. However, in the lands of Cormyr — in no small part to the influence of the church of Tymora in Arabel — worship of Black Bess is outlawed outright. This is strictly enforced in Arabel and its surrounds, even if adherence to said laws starts to waver the further out it gets from Lord Dharmos’ influence. Her followers prefer to keep a low profile even in those cities which profess tolerance and those towns which actively support evil religions, misfortune is best dealt when it strikes unawares.