Why do NPCs join cults?

[ohiknow]

All Cults are A Pyramid Scheme
Leader
--| Sycophants
----| Socialites
--------| Security
----------------| Slaves
--------------------------------| Suckers
------------------------------------------------| Sacrifice

Where is your NPC in the hiearchy?

 

[Evaniel]

I'm currently listening to the Behind the Bastards podcast, and they're discussing how AI chatbots can unintentionally (through a combination of randomness and engagement-oriented programming) use some of the dynamics of cult leaders with users. One of the chief means is by making the user feel special in some way, like they have a different way of thinking, understand things that others don't, or have access to truth that has somehow been withheld from the "normies."

I think once you have this "specialness" in place, the rest of the factors that attract people to cults (and how they're retained) make more sense: they're being persecuted by normies who don't understand them, they have a community of people who are similarly special and speak the same jargon they do and who reinforce that special status. In a magical world where this "specialness" can be reinforced through magic (whether relevant or not), cults have to be pretty darn prevalent.

 

[Leatherhead]

Yeah all the needs of a social creature are how people get ropped into cults. But I want to point out one thing that seems to get glossed over:
Even if the life of a cultist kind of sucks, so does the life of the average peasant.

You spend your entire life doing backbreaking work for scraps. Then your kid gets sick. Of course you take them to your temple for relief, but the temple "requests a donation" for such services. Something entirely beyond your means. They do some token rituals and maybe slip a few herbs in a broth out of pitty. But that isn't enough, the sickness gets worse. You spend days searching as far as your legs can carry for any kind of medicine, but to no avail. Just as you are about to break from despair, someone approaches you, offering a cure. What choice do you have, how could you possibly say "no" at this point?

And just like that, your kid gets better. You have money, not the extravagance of the nobles. But enough to never be turned away from a shop again. And most importantly you have a way to get back at all those horrible people who could have done something, but didn't. At this point, you yourself are out looking for others who were suffering just like you did. Handing out this salvation as it was handed to you.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

If you want to hold on to that "you're completely justified in stabbing him" line, then it's because they're fanatical believers in whatever the cult is doing.

If you're looking for a realistic justification, it's basically the same reasons people do in the real world: a mix of belief, belonging (and the lack of it in the real world), drugs, coercion, and being sold a lie. The problem is that before long, the cult leaders of today are the next generation from the cult founders of yesterday, so there's a real good chance they're victims themselves (just longer ago, and so moreso). In which case, are you really justified in stabbing him?

Basically, as with many things D&D, it's probably a very good idea not to examine things too closely. Because look too closely and it very quickly can get very uncomfortable.

For sure, that's why I don't want to get too realistic. But I just wanted a step between "hanging out in town, totally normal" and "painting my face with the blood of sacrificed NPCs, worshiping a scary looking dead tree in the woods."

Lots of good suggestions in this thread for a middle step, so thank you, everyone.

 

[ohiknow]

Just as you are about to break from despair, someone approaches you, offering a cure. What choice do you have, how could you possibly say "no" at this point?

This is a good example of how a Vampire gets into a home as well, after draining the family nightly by calling them out into the night with hypnosis, or causing them violent fits all night by intruding on their dreams.

"I have heard of your troubles and I have some experience in these matters, I may be able to help, even to save their lives. I have traveled a long way from my homeland to come to your aid, please allow me into your home."

One step over the threshold and it becomes a vampire cult lair.

 

[Thervin]

Consider how easy it is for cults to thrive in real life just by lying to people. Now imagine if you could actually gain magic powers just by agreeing to worship some guy that you never even see or talk to (instead of a real live human abuser) and you only have to do two weekends a month down at the local corrupted church with the weird green light pouring from the windows. I just got done writing this and I'm already considering signing up.

 

[Meech17]

Desperation is a big thing. If your current situation is just as bad, or perhaps even worse than that promised by the cult, it can be enticing..

And even if your material conditions are probably, and likely actually better than what the cult is offering, perception is everything.

A famous artificer from the Big Kingdom Next Door just built an automatic horse shoeing machine. So the local village Farrier ended up losing his job. His kid ran off to try and strike his fortune in the BKND, and join the Artificer's Union. His other kid became a druid and won't shut up about the environment.. His wife left him for a more successful blacksmith in the next village over.

The world is changing and he feels like he's been left behind. This is the village he grew up in, but it feels foreign to him. The life his father had seems unachievable.

Now this guy in the Dark Spooky Cave outside in the Creepy Woods outside of town is promising to make everything better. All he has to do is summon Orcus who will rain hellfire down upon the lands, and from the rubble his faithful will be able to make a better world.

Does he know Orcus is a bad dude? Sure. But perhaps he's desperate enough that he's willing to destroy everything to try and make it better.

From there it's easy. Listen to any podcast about cults (Time Suck recently did one on the Ant Hill Kids that was wild) and you'll hear that a lot of members had doubts, but they were often in too deep. Devoted too much time. Already gave up everything they had. Maybe they already sacrificed a virgin or two to Orcus.. They know it's wrong, and probably won't end well.. But it's too late to quit now.