A small, skittish creature (see table) with too much intelligence in its eyes.
Wants
To do & be recognized for its job. To complain about it.
Intellect
Shrewd about petty local spirit politics.
Morality
Will do anything if the price is right.
Spirit-Touched: You are able to speak, even if your species is not normally capable of doing so.
Psychopomps are the undignified creatures who handle the messy job of ferrying messages & souls around for more powerful spirits. Sometimes called "familiars" when employed by human magicians, they are in fact just regular animals possessed by a touch of power.
A psychopomp in the wild is likely running a job.
Treasure: Stashes of trinkets, candles, incense, and offerings in its lair.
Psychopomp form
d66
Psychopomp form
11–12
Crow/raven. Speaks in clipped sentences. CAW!
13–14
Fox. Trades riddles for information.
15–16
Ferret/weasel. Will steal small objects to hold as collateral.
21–22
Mouse. Unnervingly still.
23–24
Owl. SIlent. Judges you.
25–26
Toad/frog. Patient & slow.
31–32
Moth. Drawn to candlelight.
33–34
Small dog. Loyal to whoever fed it last.
35–36
Cat. Appears when it wants to, leaves when it wants to.
41–42
Snake/eel. Slithers through cracks in reality.
43–44
Whirling mote. A fire, smoke, or dust spirit. Leaves scorch marks or dust trails in the shape of words.
45–46
Swarm. A collective intelligence of insects. Completely mindless.
51–52
Tired human runner. A living person hired by a nearby temple, half-possessed by a psychopomp spirit. They're exhausted. Offer them tea.
53–54
Newt. Lives in cremation ash and warm places. Smells of smoke. Emits a faint glow.
55–56
Hare/rabbit. Skittish, twitchy. Speaks in rapid bursts.
61–62
Large spider. Silent.
63–64
Fish. Only near a body of water.
65–66
Something Wrong. A ghostly presence. Rustling leaves, foreign creeping shadows.
Current job
d6
Current job
1
Soul collection. Going to pick up a recently deceased spirit & deliver it to the appropriate afterlife.
2
Message delivery. 2-in-6 chance it's for the PCs, from the most powerful local spirit.
3
Haunting remediation: Investigating reports of a ghost or restless spirit. Tasked with either resolving it or reporting back to a higher power.
4
Boundary Patrol: Scouting for intruding foreigners. Will report to its master.
5
Debt Collection: Tracking down someone whose family owes a godscult payment for a late grandparent's internment.
6
Errand for a God: But it forgot what it was. Maybe the Party can help it remember?
Patron god/force
d6
Patron god/force
1
A Named Cult. Works for a specific temple or cult hierarchy. Protective of its employer's reputation.
2
A local God of thresholds. Transitions, doorways, dawn/dusk. The psychopomp handles the 'crossing over' moment specifically; it is normally a doorman.
3
Magistrate's familiar. Records the names and stories of the dead.
4
Law. Investigates wrongful deaths. This psychopomp is offputtingly professional. Takes notes. Asks pointed questions.
5
Freelance. No boss. Shows up where it smells opportunity — unattended corpses, loose spirits, neglected funeral rites. Will negotiate its own price.
6
The Moon. Currently pretending otherwise.
Petty complaints
d6
Petty complaints
1
The incense at the last temple that paid me was substandard. Wanna know where their vault is?
2
I carried a soul seventeen miles through a battlefield and all I got was a 'that'll do.'
3
The other psychopomps the priests employ won't share the good jobs.
4
Somebody keeps stealing my candle-stubs. I had them stacked neatly by my roadside shrine and now they're gone.
5
Nobody donates enough. Hey, you look wealthy.
6
Someone keeps performing funerals for all kinds of things I can't do anything about. Can you show up and tell her to knock it off?
