Bhaal

{
  "name": "Bhaal",
  "page": 103,
  "plane": "Gehenna (Khalas)",
  "title": "God of murder",
  "__prop": "deity",
  "source": "FRHoF",
  "entries": [
    "Bhaal is a god of murder who revels in violence and ritualistic killing. He lends power to those whose slaughters invoke fear and dread. The act of murder is only half the equation. The second half is the suspicion, paranoia, and fear that a seemingly unstoppable killer can evoke. Bhaal inspires fear by slaying those seemingly beyond the reach of death. He is a member of a trio of deities known as the Dead Three alongside Bane and Myrkul.",
    "Bhaal always carries a red handkerchief somewhere on his manifested form. He can take on an alternate appearance regardless of his current form: a hulking figure armed with a long, curved dagger that drips blood. In this hairless form, he wears only a tattered loincloth and is covered with bleeding wounds caused by a blade. His face is a skull flayed of its flesh and surrounded by a halo of blood. When he sends emissaries to carry his word, he usually tasks a {@creature Doppelganger|XMM} in the guise of someone the recipient later learns was dead during the conversation, or he sends a vicious {@creature Mezzoloth|XMM}.",
    "While the folk of Faerûn don't normally pray to Bhaal, some propitiate him when they want to commit murder. A person might have an understandable reason to resort to murder, such as when they're unable to redress an injustice through lawful means, but it's far more common for prayers to Bhaal to be uttered by murderers motivated by jealousy, greed, or wrath. It's rare for anyone but assassins or compulsive killers to take Bhaal as a patron.",
    "Murder cults of Bhaal have arisen in the past, each led by a charismatic, self-styled priest of Bhaal, but organized worship of the Lord of Murder is extremely uncommon. Temples and shrines are similarly rare. Those who erect a shrine to Bhaal usually do so to thank him for a successful murder. Such shrines feature a skull or a severed head surrounded by drops of blood (both from the murdered victim). As with the other members of the Dead Three, Bhaal's cult has infiltrated {@book Baldur's Gate|FRHoF|2|Baldur's Gate} on the {@book Sword Coast|FRHoF|2|Sword Coast}, where a vast temple to the Lord of Murder is said to brood in the tunnels beneath the city.",
    "Chosen of Bhaal are blood-soaked terrors with little or no capacity for empathy. Their divine gifts hone their killing skills to a razor's edge."
  ],
  "altNames": [
    "The Lord of Murder"
  ],
  "pantheon": "Faerûnian",
  "symbolImg": {
    "href": {
      "path": "deities/FRHoF/Bhaal.webp",
      "type": "internal"
    },
    "type": "image",
    "width": 850,
    "credit": "Alejandro Pacheco",
    "height": 848
  },
  "worshipers": "Assassins, murderers",
  "_isEnhanced": true,
  "previousVersions": [
    {
      "name": "Bhaal",
      "page": 21,
      "title": "God of murder",
      "__prop": "deity",
      "source": "SCAG",
      "symbol": "Skull surrounded by ring of bloody droplets",
      "domains": [
        "Death"
      ],
      "entries": [
        "The folk of Faerûn don't normally pray to or acknowledge Bhaal. He is seen as a deeply evil and destructive deity who hungers for death - meaning the death of any sentient beings through unlawful means.",
        "Some people pray to Bhaal when they want to commit murder. A person might have good reason to resort to murder, such as when one is unable to redress some injustice through lawful means. But it's far more common for prayers to Bhaal to be uttered by those who seek to kill someone out of jealousy, greed, or wrath. It's rare for anyone but assassins or compulsive killers to take Bhaal as a patron, and clerics who revere Bhaal often qualify on both counts.",
        "Murder cults of Bhaal have arisen in the past, each led by a charismatic, self-styled priest of Bhaal, but organized worship of the Lord of Murder is extremely uncommon. Temples and shrines are similarly rare. Those who erect a shrine to Bhaal usually do so to thank him for a successful murder. Such shrines typically feature a skull or a severed head surrounded by drops of blood (often both from the murdered victim)."
      ],
      "altNames": [
        "The Lord of Murder"
      ],
      "pantheon": "Faerûnian",
      "alignment": [
        "N",
        "E"
      ],
      "symbolImg": {
        "href": {
          "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Bhaal.webp",
          "type": "internal"
        },
        "type": "image"
      },
      "_isEnhanced": true,
      "isReprinted": true,
      "previousVersions": [
        {
          "name": "Bhaal",
          "page": 294,
          "title": "God of murder",
          "__prop": "deity",
          "source": "PHB",
          "symbol": "Skull surrounded by a ring of blood droplets",
          "domains": [
            "Death"
          ],
          "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms",
          "alignment": [
            "N",
            "E"
          ],
          "basicRules": true,
          "_isEnhanced": true,
          "isReprinted": true
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "Bhaal",
      "page": 294,
      "title": "God of murder",
      "__prop": "deity",
      "source": "PHB",
      "symbol": "Skull surrounded by a ring of blood droplets",
      "domains": [
        "Death"
      ],
      "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms",
      "alignment": [
        "N",
        "E"
      ],
      "basicRules": true,
      "_isEnhanced": true,
      "isReprinted": true
    }
  ]
}