Creature Feature (5e): Bishop

The Pieces worship the Game in exclusivity. They do not deny the existence of outside deities, nor even the possibility one such deity may have created their Game in the first place; they simply are indifferent to such thoughts. While all Pieces have a subconscious understanding of the Game and its Rules, it is primarily the role of the Bishops to understand such things on a conscious philosophical level. These Bishops do not proselytize nor preach. Why would they? All Pieces are already of the faith. Instead, the Bishops mostly do their work on the battlefield, working their holy magic in service to their Kings (exactly where this power comes from remains baffling to outside scholars). 

Bishop

Medium construct, lawful neutral

Armor Class 16
Hit Points 54 (12d8)
Speed 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 13 (+1)

Saving Throws Charisma +5, Dexterity +6
Skills Insight +7, Persuasion +5, Religion +6
Damage Resistances piercing and slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren’t adamantine
Damage Immunities poison, psychic; 
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Common, telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge 9 (5000 XP)

Special Traits

  • Alien Faith. A Bishop generally knows extremely little of outside faiths. All religion checks they make regarding faiths not native to the Board are made with disadvantage. However, they are inherently knowledgeable right at creation regarding their own faith. Bishops make any check regarding the worship of the Game with advantage.
  • Checkmate. A Bishop is destroyed, crumbling to dust, if its King is ever destroyed.
  • Divinity of Stone: A Bishop’s spells may affect constructs even if the spell would ordinarily be unable to do so. This trait only affects spells cast on willing targets. Unwilling constructs are affected (or unaffected) as normal by a given spell.
  • Impossible Stone. A Bishop’s attacks and weapons are considered magical for the purposes of the damage they deal so long as the Bishop is alive.

Actions

  • Staff of Impossible StoneMelee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d8 ) bludgeoning damage.
  • Spellcasting. A Bishop is a 10th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks). The Bishop has the following cleric spells prepared:
    • Cantrips: Guidance, Light, Mending, Resistance, Thaumaturgy
    • 1st: Bane, Bless, Guiding Bolts, Healing Words
    • 2nd: Augury, Silence, Spiritual Weapon
    • 3rd: Bestow Curse, Dispel Magic, Remove Curse, 
    • 4th: Divination, Freedom of Movement, Guardian of Faith, 
    • 5th: Planar Binding, Scrying

Gear: 

  • The Bishops tend to carry 2000 gp worth of strange statuettes and gemstones that serve as their spell components. While useless for an outside cleric’s spellcasting, these alien non-magical objects remain valuable for their beauty and rarity.

About

The Bishops always take the form of a middle-aged, bearded male. They “wear” long robes and tall mitre caps. It is these hats that perhaps are one of few hints as to the true origins of the Board, as not all deities assign such clothing to their clergy. Then again, perhaps their design is explicitly meant to conceal those origins through inaccurate association. The Bishops wield staves of Impossible Stone, and, like all their kin, are made entirely of either the ebony or ivory colored stone that matches their King. When not following orders, they tend to be calm, and a bit condescending, in nature. 



About Quin Callahan

Quin Callahan is a freelance writer and college level English and economics tutor of over four years experience. He has written for a variety of gaming, technology, and economics publications. His favorite animal might be the squid but he is rarely certain.

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