D&D 5E (2024) Forgotten Realms Question: Do followers of Bane engage in sacrifices?

ECMO3

Legend
I am working up a character who is going to be a Scion of the Dead 3 Rogue. I have some of her backstory together - basically she was intended to be sacrificed as a child but was saved by a group of adventurers right before she was about to be killed.

As far as the campaign goes Bane works a lot better from a story perspective than either Myrkul or Bhaal.
 

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Traditionally yes.

Black alter giant gauntlet manifests crushy crushy. May have been a bigby's variant.

Faith's and Avatars covers it.

These days ask WotC.

I've used LN ones however that dont practice it. 3E allowed LN Baneites can't remember if 2E did as clergy, followers yes irrc.

Pretty much all the evil FR gods want sacrifices, tolerate it or are willing to use it if they really have to.
 

If it works in your campaign, then yes. There can also be different levels of priest and different alignments and even sects inside the church. These all can practice slightly different things. As the god of tyranny, hate, and terror, I can see having public sacrifices as a good means to show everyone which wallet is yours when they pull it out of the bag so everyone can be Fonzie.
 

It’s difficult with Bane because as FR accumulated other fiendish entities from the larger D&D multiverse, he got progressively less fiendish to occupy a different niche.

Older TSR material portrays Bane as somewhat of a Sauron analogue. He has fiends and dark forces at his command, and his worship entails sacrifice and other sort of black magic. Back then, Asmodeus and the Demon Lords weren’t as prominent in FR, Bane filled that narrative need.

The Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide portrays Bane as a power of strength and tyranny, the more acceptable face of the Dead Three — his followers hunt folk bandits and commit atrocities, but it’s all for a “greater good” purpose, namely law and order. Peasants may welcome the Banites’ tyranny if it saves them from the depredations of orcs and gnolls.

I think the SCAG’s interpretation of Bane wouldn’t do sacrifices; it doesn’t fit his description and the world’s reaction to it. Those Banites would do harsh executions, mass trials, and other fascitic stuff, but not sacrifices and occult black magic.

As usual, I think this is a DM-dependant question.
 

A Bane cult trying to gain legitimacy in a non-Evil area won't be openly murdering people as sacrifices but I imagine they might do something like extreme nonlethal hazing.

Once the Bane cult is in control or if they can do it secretly they will murder people as sacrifices as a demonstration of power and a way to enforce their status quo if the victim was trying to change things.
 


I think the SCAG’s interpretation of Bane wouldn’t do sacrifices; it doesn’t fit his description and the world’s reaction to it. Those Banites would do harsh executions, mass trials, and other fascitic stuff, but not sacrifices and occult black magic.
Bane as a god of tyranny would absolutely do sacrifices, they would just first have to designate those who they're sacrificing as "undesirable" or against the social order. I could see Banites rounding up Gur, for example, and sacrificing them.

I hope it's not gauche to Godwin's Law the God of Tyranny, but six million Jews were effectively sacrificed to the altar of Nazi tyranny.
 

In 5E/ 1500ish FR....no, never. Bane is a good correct villain that only does "Disney Bad" things.

Classic Realms: Yes. It is mentioned plenty of times in the older FR books. 3E even had rules for it.....
 

That’s a great idea for a thread! I’ve always enjoyed Simulationist games for the sense of consistency and immersion they create. I think in the past 10–15 years, we’ve seen some interesting developments — newer systems tend to streamline the rules while still keeping that grounded, cause-and-effect feeling.


Games like Mythras, The O, Zweihänder, or even Ironsworn take simulation in dif
I am working up a character who is going to be a Scion of the Dead 3 Rogue. I have some of her backstory together - basically she was intended to be sacrificed as a child but was saved by a group of adventurers right before she was about to be killed.

As far as the campaign goes Bane works a lot better from a story perspective than either Myrkul or Bhaal.
 

In 5E/ 1500ish FR....no, never. Bane is a good correct villain that only does "Disney Bad" things.

Classic Realms: Yes. It is mentioned plenty of times in the older FR books. 3E even had rules for it.....

Yeah WotC hasn't ruled it out though afaik. Theres just not that much out there.

He's been less of a cartoon since 3E.

As I said all the evil gods will do it the "nicer" ones dont have it as part of their services iirc. Examplle Mask. If he needs a blood sacrifice for something he wants though....
 

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