Oprichniki — The Blackhound Brotherhood of Divine Purge
The black hound arrives before the accusation.
When the Oprichniki ride into a village, estate or market town, people do not ask whether somebody is guilty. They ask whose name has been written down. Black-clad riders close the roads, a Vedyun begins asking questions no frightened witness wants to answer, and somewhere behind them a clerk opens a ledger whose pages can destroy a household.
The Blackhound Brotherhood is Muscovy’s most feared clandestine enforcement order: investigators, mounted enforcers, spies, occult interrogators and purge commanders created from the violence of the recent civil war. Grand Prince Vasily II permits them to act because he remembers captivity, betrayal, blinding and the loss of Moscow. Their commander, Svyatoy Voron, remembers something different. He remembers how quickly princes change and how easily oaths fail.
For adventurers, the Oprichniki are never just background authority. They may hire the characters to hunt something genuinely dangerous, demand a prisoner the party intends to protect, arrive after an adventure to confiscate the evidence, or decide that the characters themselves have become a threat to the order they claim to defend.
At a Glance
| Name | Oprichniki — the Blackhound Brotherhood of Divine Purge |
|---|---|
| Campaign Present | 1454 CE |
| Type | Occult political police, purge brotherhood and clandestine enforcement order |
| Alignment | Lawful Evil institution; individual members vary |
| Political Patron | Grand Prince Vasily II of Muscovy |
| Commander | Svyatoy Voron, the Sacred Raven |
| Formal Founding | 1447, after Vasily II recovered Moscow |
| Core Strength | Approximately 1,106 sworn Oprichniki in 1454; effective strength normally fluctuates between roughly 1,000 and 1,500 |
| Primary Reach | Muscovy, the Novgorod roads and neighbouring Rus lands |
| Symbol | A black hound above a broom; the raven marks Voron’s personal authority |
| Motto | To Sniff Out Treason. To Sweep Away Corruption. |
| Immediate Goal | Complete the Black Ledger and eliminate networks capable of threatening Vasily’s restored regime |
| Long-Term Plan | Break rival centres of political and supernatural power until Muscovy can dominate the Rus lands |
| Secret Doctrine | Rulers are instruments of Judgment, not its source |
What Are the Oprichniki Doing Right Now?
The civil war is over. The fear that created the Brotherhood is not.
| The Black Ledger | Agents collect names, debts, allegiances, family connections, magical patrons and evidence of concealed treason. Being entered into the Ledger does not mean arrest is immediate. It means the Brotherhood has begun deciding what to do with you. |
|---|---|
| Novgorod | Blackhound agents infiltrate merchants, travellers and political networks connected with the Republic of Novgorod. They are preparing for a struggle that has not yet become open war. |
| Civil-War Survivors | Former supporters of Dmitry Shemyaka, displaced households, embittered soldiers and people who changed allegiance at the wrong moment remain under investigation. |
| Supernatural Cases | Vedyuny investigate hauntings, spirit bargains, cursed sites and creatures whose activity might become a political threat. |
| The Eastern Question | Blackhound officers quietly record which Rus princes, merchants and military households profit from tributary relationships with the western orc successor powers. |
The Black Ledger
The Brotherhood’s greatest weapon is not a sword, spell or torture chamber. It is organised memory.
The Black Ledger is not one book. It is a distributed intelligence archive kept through coded lists, copied memoranda, witness statements, confiscated correspondence and annotations made by Vedyuny after supernatural interrogation. Senior cells maintain overlapping copies so that destroying one cache cannot erase the organisation’s knowledge.
A person can enter the Ledger for supporting a rival claimant, concealing wealth, corresponding with Novgorod, serving a foreign patron, harbouring a fugitive, breaking an oath, obstructing an Oprichnik investigation or maintaining a supernatural relationship the Brotherhood does not understand.
Names are rarely marked simply guilty or innocent. They are classified according to usefulness, danger, connections and what might be learned by leaving the subject untouched.
Svyatoy Voron — The Sacred Raven
Svyatoy Voron is the commander, theorist and most dangerous believer in the Blackhound Brotherhood. Lean, controlled and rarely seen without black feathers worked into his clothing, Voron speaks quietly enough that others must stop speaking to hear him.
He was already operating during the early years of the Muscovite civil war, when his followers were a clandestine circle rather than a formal state organisation. The Brotherhood attributes the Night of Red Lanterns in Tver in 1432 to this precursor network. A hostile noble household disappeared after openly condemning Voron’s methods; the story is now part warning, part legend and part deliberate Blackhound propaganda.
Voron concluded from the civil war that loyalty to a person is unreliable. Princes are captured. Princes break agreements. Princes die. Families betray one another. Armies change sides. He therefore teaches that authority must answer to something deeper: oath, obligation, ancestral debt, rightful custody, the consequences of betrayal and the invisible order he calls Judgment.
Vasily II believes Voron serves him. Voron believes Vasily currently serves Judgment.
That difference is the most dangerous secret in Muscovy.
Ranks of the Blackhound Brotherhood
Every sworn Oprichnik belongs to one of five recognised ranks. Terms such as “low,” “mid” or “high” are not Brotherhood ranks and should not be used in their place.
| Rank | Title | Function | Approximate Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank I | Kormchii | Mounted enforcers, patrol riders, guards, escorts and arrest teams | c. 850 |
| Rank II | Vedyuny | Diviners, interrogators, occult investigators and ritual specialists | c. 180 |
| Rank III | Chornyye Teni — Black Shadows | Spies, infiltrators, kidnappers and deniable assassins | c. 70 |
| Rank IV | Volkodlak | Senior commanders of major Blackhound purge detachments | 5 |
| Rank V | Svyatoy Voron — The Sacred Raven | Supreme commander and interpreter of Judgment | 1 |
The current sworn establishment is therefore approximately 1,106 Oprichniki. Recruitment, casualties and temporary expansion mean the effective Brotherhood normally falls somewhere between roughly 1,000 and 1,500 sworn members. Informants, frightened officials, servants, stable hands, unsworn couriers and coerced local auxiliaries are not included in that total.
Rank I — Kormchii
Kormchii form the broad base of the Brotherhood. They are mounted patrol riders, arresting officers, escorts, guards and the black-clad figures most ordinary people mean when they say “the Oprichniki have arrived.” They usually work in pairs or small detachments and are expected to obey a superior rank immediately.
Kormchii is used by the Brotherhood in the sense of one who steers or directs a course. It is a rank-name, not a claim that “Steersmen” is its literal institutional English title.
Rank II — Vedyuny
Vedyuny are the Brotherhood’s occult specialists. They examine supernatural evidence, conduct divinations, interrogate witnesses, identify magical influence, negotiate with useful spirits and advise Kormchii when an arrest may provoke something more dangerous than human resistance.
Rank III — Chornyye Teni
The Black Shadows operate where a visible Blackhound uniform would ruin the mission. They infiltrate households, follow messengers, steal documents, turn informants, abduct targets and perform killings the Brotherhood does not intend to acknowledge publicly.
Rank IV — Volkodlak
Only five Volkodlak serve at one time. Each can command a major purge detachment, combine Kormchii, Vedyuny and Black Shadows into a single operation, requisition local assistance and act without waiting for ordinary provincial officials.
Volkodlak is an intentionally threatening adopted title associated with wolf imagery and the older werewolf or wolf-skin tradition. It is not translated as “Wolf-Bearer.”
Rank V — Svyatoy Voron
Svyatoy Voron stands alone at Rank V. No council shares his formal authority. Orders carrying his raven mark override ordinary Blackhound chains of command, although the growing division between the Court Hounds, Purifiers and Raven’s Circle means obedience does not always equal agreement.
Recruitment and Initiation
The Brotherhood prefers people whose previous loyalties have already been broken. Veterans abandoned by commanders, orphans from ruined settlements, servants betrayed by patrons, survivors of supernatural incidents and ambitious lesser retainers make excellent recruits because the order can offer them something stronger than family or local allegiance: certainty.
Recruitment begins with observation. A candidate may spend months performing ordinary courier, guard or intelligence work without knowing who is evaluating them.
Formal initiation preserves the most feared features of the old Brotherhood tradition. The candidate passes seven days with speech restricted to direct answers, spends a night alone beneath the earth or inside a sealed chamber, undergoes interrogation about every former allegiance and finally accepts the hound and broom.
The symbolic death is not supposed to kill the candidate. It is supposed to make the candidate understand that their former life can no longer protect them.
Sworn membership is currently human-only by institutional doctrine. Spirits, familiars and bound supernatural entities may serve the Brotherhood, but they are treated as assets, informants, prisoners or negotiated powers rather than members.
Beliefs and Methods
The Oprichniki do not recognise a single universal mortal religious institution as the source of their authority. Instead they appropriate older traditions of oath, ancestor, sacred place, divination, spirit bargain and supernatural consequence, insisting that each reveals part of the hidden structure of Judgment.
This makes them more dangerous than simple monster hunters. They may correctly identify a threat, misunderstand it, exploit it or manufacture an accusation when politics demands one.
| Blackhound Classification | Meaning | Typical Response |
|---|---|---|
| Bound | A supernatural power already constrained by oath, territory, object or agreement | Preserve the binding and punish anyone who breaks it |
| Tolerated | Dangerous but predictable and not currently hostile to Blackhound interests | Watch, record and avoid unnecessary conflict |
| Useful | A creature, spirit or practitioner who can supply intelligence or power | Bargain, coerce or recruit |
| Unclean | Uncontrolled supernatural influence judged capable of spreading disorder | Contain, interrogate and isolate |
| Condemned | A being or practitioner judged irreconcilably hostile | Destroy it and erase the network supporting it |
Three Brotherhoods Inside One Brotherhood
The Court Hounds
These officers believe the organisation exists because Vasily II created a need for it and therefore must remain subordinate to the Grand Prince. They are ruthless but fundamentally political.
The Purifiers
They want Muscovy strong enough to break rival princes, foreign leverage and every external claim over the Rus lands. They see compromise as temporary weakness.
The Raven’s Circle
Voron’s closest believers hold that Judgment outranks every mortal ruler. They are already asking what happens if the Grand Prince himself becomes an obstacle.
Relations Across the Rus Lands
| Vasily II | Patron, beneficiary and potential future target. His restored government gives the Brotherhood legitimacy, money and access. |
|---|---|
| Muscovy | The Brotherhood’s political home. Its riders act where ordinary officials are too compromised, frightened or locally dependent to act. |
| Republic of Novgorod | The principal external operation of 1454. Blackhound agents map factions, correspondence, money and routes before open confrontation begins. |
| Boyar Houses | Necessary, useful and never trusted. The Brotherhood prefers competing noble networks that cannot unite against Moscow. |
| Ash-Standard Chiefs | A political contradiction. Some Blackhounds accept temporary tributary arrangements; others quietly prepare for a future in which Rus rulers answer to no western orc chief. |
| Foreign Merchants | Potential sources of intelligence and potential channels for espionage. Successful traders often discover that success itself attracts Blackhound attention. |
The wider orc political background belongs to the Age of Severed Crowns, where the Ash-Standard Host is one of the four successor powers descended from Mhurak Stone-Blood’s Great Muster.
Supernatural Operations
The Brotherhood does not treat every supernatural being as an enemy. It treats every supernatural relationship as something that must be understood before somebody else can use it.
A forest spirit guarding an old boundary may be left in place if its demands are predictable. A rusalka responsible for repeated deaths may be hunted, questioned or released only after the circumstances binding her to the water are understood. A spirit that can identify a smuggler’s route may receive terms the Brotherhood would never offer an accused human conspirator.
This is why adventurers are sometimes hired rather than arrested. The Oprichniki know that destroying every strange thing in the forests and rivers of the Rus lands is impossible. They want useful threats documented, dangerous threats contained and uncontrollable threats removed.
More regional creatures can be found in the Slavic Monsters collection.
Standing with the Oprichniki
Use the wider SpiralWorlds faction Standing framework, with the following Blackhound interpretation.
| Standing | What the Brotherhood Believes | What It Means in Play |
|---|---|---|
| Enemy | Your name is marked for capture, destruction or exemplary punishment. | Road watches, confiscation orders, informants, covert attacks and specialised pursuit teams. |
| Hostile | You have obstructed an investigation or protected somebody they want. | Surveillance, questioned contacts, closed gates and pressure applied to allies. |
| Unknown | You are simply another traveller whose loyalties have not been established. | Questions, document checks and occasional searches. |
| Known | Your previous conduct is recorded and currently acceptable. | Routine passage, minor work and access to junior Blackhound contacts. |
| Favoured | You have solved a problem the Brotherhood could not solve cheaply itself. | Information, limited protection, sealed introductions and specialist assignments. |
| Trusted | You have kept Blackhound secrets despite personal risk. | Senior contacts, safe lodging, restricted intelligence and dangerous requests. |
| Inner Circle | The organisation believes you belong inside its future. | Fragments of the Black Ledger, strategic information and direct access to the struggle between Voron’s factions. |
Game Mechanics
Each edition panel below is self-contained. The five rank stat blocks represent a typical combat-ready member of that rank, except Svyatoy Voron, who is unique. Rank does not mean that every individual has identical abilities; these are the default Blackhound profiles a GM can place directly into play.
Oprichniki — 5.5e / 2024
Rank I — Kormchii
Medium Humanoid (Human), Lawful Evil
AC 17 Initiative +2 (12)
HP 45 (6d8 + 18) Speed 30 ft.
Saving Throws Str +5, Dex +4, Con +5, Wis +3
Skills Animal Handling +3, Athletics +5, Intimidation +2, Perception +3
Senses Passive Perception 13
Languages regional Rus speech plus any languages learned in life
CR 2 (450 XP; PB +2)
Blackhound Discipline. While the Kormchii is within 10 feet of another conscious Oprichnik, it has Advantage on saving throws against the Frightened condition.
Mounted Enforcer. Mounting or dismounting costs the Kormchii only 5 feet of movement. While mounted, the Kormchii has Advantage on any ability check or saving throw it makes to remain mounted.
Multiattack. The Kormchii makes two Saber attacks, or one Lance attack.
Lance. Melee Attack Roll: +5, reach 10 ft. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) Piercing damage. If the Kormchii is mounted and moved at least 20 feet straight toward the target immediately before the hit, the attack deals an extra 5 (1d10) Piercing damage.
Saber. Melee Attack Roll: +5, reach 5 ft. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) Slashing damage.
Close Ranks. When another Oprichnik within 5 feet of the Kormchii is hit by an attack, the Kormchii adds 2 to that ally’s AC against the triggering attack, potentially causing it to miss. The Kormchii must be carrying a shield.
Rank II — Vedyun
Medium Humanoid (Human), Lawful Evil
AC 14 Initiative +2 (12)
HP 67 (9d8 + 27) Speed 30 ft.
Saving Throws Dex +4, Con +5, Int +5, Wis +5
Skills Arcana +5, Insight +5, Investigation +5, Perception +5
Senses Passive Perception 15
Languages regional Rus speech plus two learned languages
CR 4 (1,100 XP; PB +2)
Read the Lie. The Vedyun has Advantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks made to determine whether a creature is deliberately lying.
Multiattack. The Vedyun makes two Oathbrand attacks.
Oathbrand. Ranged Spell Attack: +5, range 60 ft. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) Psychic damage.
Spirit Chain (Recharge 5–6). Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 13, one creature the Vedyun can see within 60 feet. Failure: 18 (4d8) Psychic damage, and the target has the Restrained condition until the end of the Vedyun’s next turn. Success: Half damage only.
Spellcasting. The Vedyun casts one of the following spells, using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks):
At Will: Detect Magic, Message
2/Day Each: Detect Thoughts, See Invisibility
1/Day Each: Clairvoyance, Dispel Magic
Rank III — Chornyye Teni, Black Shadow
Medium Humanoid (Human), Lawful Evil
AC 16 Initiative +4 (14)
HP 78 (12d8 + 24) Speed 35 ft.
Saving Throws Dex +7, Con +5, Int +5, Wis +5, Cha +5
Skills Deception +8, Perception +5, Sleight of Hand +7, Stealth +10
Senses Passive Perception 15
Languages regional Rus speech plus two learned languages
CR 5 (1,800 XP; PB +3)
Evasion. If the Black Shadow is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw and only half damage if it fails.
Exposed Secret. Once on each of the Black Shadow’s turns, when it hits a creature while it has Advantage on the attack roll or while another Oprichnik is within 5 feet of the target, the attack deals an extra 10 (3d6) damage of the attack’s type.
Multiattack. The Black Shadow makes two Black Knife attacks.
Black Knife. Melee or Ranged Attack Roll: +7, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft. Hit: 11 (1d6 + 4 Piercing plus 1d6 Poison) damage.
Cunning Step. The Black Shadow takes the Dash, Disengage or Hide action.
Vanish into the Crowd. When an attack misses the Black Shadow, it moves up to half its Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks.
Rank IV — Volkodlak
Medium Humanoid (Human), Lawful Evil
AC 18 Initiative +2 (12)
HP 144 (17d8 + 68) Speed 30 ft.
Saving Throws Str +8, Dex +5, Con +7, Wis +5, Cha +6
Skills Athletics +8, Intimidation +6, Perception +5
Senses Passive Perception 15
Languages regional Rus speech plus two learned languages
CR 8 (3,900 XP; PB +3)
Purge Commander. Allied Oprichniki within 30 feet of the Volkodlak have Advantage on saving throws against the Frightened condition.
Multiattack. The Volkodlak makes three Blackhound Blade attacks.
Blackhound Blade. Melee Attack Roll: +8, reach 5 ft. Hit: 14 (1d10 + 5 Slashing plus 1d6 Psychic) damage.
Wolf’s Verdict (Recharge 5–6). Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 14, each enemy in a 30-foot cone. Failure: 21 (6d6) Psychic damage, and the creature has the Frightened condition for 1 minute. The creature repeats the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the condition on itself on a success. Success: Half damage only.
Hunt Them Down. One allied Oprichnik within 30 feet that can hear the Volkodlak can use its Reaction to move up to half its Speed and make one weapon attack.
Rank V — Svyatoy Voron, the Sacred Raven
Medium Humanoid (Human), Lawful Evil — Unique
AC 19 Initiative +4 (14)
HP 195 (23d8 + 92) Speed 30 ft.
Saving Throws Str +6, Dex +9, Con +9, Int +9, Wis +10, Cha +8
Skills Arcana +9, Deception +8, Insight +15, Intimidation +8, Investigation +9, Perception +10
Condition Immunities Frightened
Senses Passive Perception 20
Languages regional Rus speech plus four learned languages
CR 13 (10,000 XP; PB +5)
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Voron fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.
Master of the Black Ledger. Voron has Advantage on Wisdom (Insight) and Intelligence (Investigation) checks concerning a creature whose identity, allies or previous actions have been recorded by the Brotherhood.
Multiattack. Voron makes three Raven Blade attacks.
Raven Blade. Melee Attack Roll: +9, reach 5 ft. Hit: 17 (1d8 + 4 Piercing plus 2d8 Psychic) damage.
Judgment of the Raven (Recharge 5–6). Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 18, up to three creatures Voron can see within 60 feet. Failure: 36 (8d8) Psychic damage, and the target has the Frightened condition for 1 minute. The target repeats the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the condition on itself on a success. Success: Half damage only.
Spellcasting. Voron casts one of the following spells, using Wisdom as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks):
At Will: Detect Magic, Message, Thaumaturgy
2/Day Each: Command, Detect Thoughts, Dispel Magic, Hold Person
1/Day Each: Arcane Eye, Geas
Seal of Condemnation. Voron marks one creature he can see within 60 feet for 1 minute. Once per turn when Voron or another Oprichnik damages the marked creature, that attack deals an extra 3 (1d6) Psychic damage. Voron can have only one creature marked at a time.
Legendary Action Uses: 3. Immediately after another creature’s turn, Voron can expend one use to take one of the following actions. Voron regains all expended uses at the start of each of his turns.
Silent Step. Voron moves up to half his Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks.
Raven Blade. Voron makes one Raven Blade attack.
Open the Ledger (Costs 2 Uses). Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 18, one creature Voron can see within 60 feet. Failure: 9 (2d8) Psychic damage, and the creature has the Frightened condition until the end of its next turn.
5.5e Faction Procedures
Use DC 12 for routine Blackhound procedure, DC 15 for protected information and DC 18 for material held by a senior cell. Choose the ability and proficiency that fit what the character actually does.
A character at Known Standing or better who openly carries legitimate Blackhound authority has Advantage on an appropriate ability check against a frightened or subordinate Muscovite official when that authority directly matters. Misusing the seal risks an immediate Standing loss if discovered.
When the characters become active subjects of investigation, begin Pressure at 1. Raise it when they obstruct an operation, kill an agent, destroy evidence or publicly humiliate the Brotherhood. Pressure 2 brings surveillance, 3 brings a targeted raid or kidnapping attempt, and 4 brings a senior purge detachment.
A routine patrol contains four to six Kormchii. An inquiry team adds a Vedyun. A covert operation substitutes a Black Shadow. A major purge is led by a Volkodlak and combines mounted enforcers, occult support and covert agents.
Removing a serious false accusation normally requires three meaningful successes before two failures: expose a forged report, turn a witness, recover missing evidence, identify the real conspirator or force a senior officer to reconsider the case. Violence alone rarely clears the Ledger.
Characters who reach Trusted Standing or Pressure 4 become strategically interesting. Svyatoy Voron no longer delegates every decision concerning them.
Oprichniki — Pathfinder 1e
Rank I — Kormchii
Human fighter 3 — CR 2; XP 600; LE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +2; Senses Perception +3
AC 20, touch 12, flat-footed 18 (+6 armor, +2 Dex, +2 shield)
hp 27 (3d10+6)
Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +4
Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk lance +8 (1d8+3/×3) or longsword +6 (1d8+3/19–20)
Ranged light crossbow +5 (1d8/19–20)
Special A lance deals double damage when used from the back of a charging mount.
Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +3; CMB +6; CMD 18
Feats Iron Will, Mounted Combat, Power Attack, Ride-By Attack, Weapon Focus (lance)
Skills Handle Animal +5, Intimidate +5, Perception +3, Ride +8
Languages regional Rus speech
SQ armor training 1, bravery +1
Gear mwk breastplate, heavy steel shield, mwk lance, longsword, light crossbow, military saddle, black horse, Blackhound badge
Rank II — Vedyun
Human diviner 5 — CR 4; XP 1,200; LE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +4; Senses Perception +7
AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+4 mage armor, +2 Dex)
hp 30 (5d6+5 plus Toughness)
Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +6
Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk dagger +2 (1d4−1/19–20)
Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 5th; concentration +9; normal save DC 14 + spell level; divination save DC 16 + spell level)
3rd — clairaudience/clairvoyance (D), dispel magic, suggestion
2nd — detect thoughts (D), locate object, mirror image, see invisibility
1st — true strike (D), charm person, comprehend languages, mage armor, shield
0 — detect magic, mage hand, message, read magic
Str 8, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 10
Base Atk +2; CMB +1; CMD 13
Feats Combat Casting, Greater Spell Focus (divination), Spell Focus (divination), Toughness, Scribe Scroll, Spell Mastery (mage armor, detect thoughts, see invisibility, clairaudience/clairvoyance)
Skills Knowledge (arcana) +12, Knowledge (local) +12, Knowledge (planes) +12, Perception +7, Sense Motive +7, Spellcraft +12
Languages regional Rus speech plus three learned languages
SQ arcane bond, diviner’s fortune 7/day, forewarned +2; opposition schools conjuration and necromancy
Gear bonded iron ring, ritual knife, spellbook, spell component pouch, Blackhound seal
Rank III — Chornyye Teni, Black Shadow
Human rogue 6 — CR 5; XP 1,600; LE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +8; Senses Perception +10
AC 18, touch 15, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor, +4 Dex, +1 dodge)
hp 42 (6d8+12)
Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +3
Defensive Abilities evasion, trap sense +2, uncanny dodge
Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk short sword +9 (1d6+1/19–20)
Ranged mwk shortbow +9 (1d6/×3)
Special Attacks sneak attack +3d6
Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +4; CMB +5; CMD 20
Feats Dodge, Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Stealth), Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +13, Bluff +9, Disable Device +13, Disguise +9, Perception +10, Sense Motive +10, Sleight of Hand +13, Stealth +16
Languages regional Rus speech plus two learned languages
Rogue Talents combat trick (Mobility), fast stealth, surprise attack
Gear mwk studded leather, mwk short sword, mwk shortbow, mwk thieves’ tools, disguise kit, Blackhound cipher sheet
Rank IV — Volkodlak
Human fighter 9 — CR 8; XP 4,800; LE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +2; Senses Perception +7
AC 22, touch 13, flat-footed 20 (+7 armor, +2 Dex, +1 deflection, +2 shield)
hp 90 (9d10+27 plus Toughness)
Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +6
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +1 longsword +18/+13 (1d8+10/17–20) or mwk lance +16/+11 (1d8+6/×3)
Melee with Power Attack +1 longsword +15/+10 (1d8+16/17–20)
Ranged mwk composite longbow (+3 Str) +12/+7 (1d8+3/×3)
Commanding Bark (Ex) 3/day. As a swift action, the Volkodlak grants allied Oprichniki within 30 feet a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and Will saves until the start of the Volkodlak’s next turn.
Str 20, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 12
Base Atk +9; CMB +14; CMD 27
Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Critical (longsword), Iron Will, Mounted Combat, Power Attack, Ride-By Attack, Shield Focus, Spirited Charge, Toughness, Weapon Focus (longsword), Weapon Specialization (longsword)
Skills Handle Animal +10, Intimidate +10, Perception +7, Ride +14
Languages regional Rus speech
SQ armor training 2, bravery +2, weapon training (heavy blades +2, spears +1)
Gear +1 breastplate, heavy steel shield, +1 longsword, mwk lance, mwk composite longbow (+3 Str), ring of protection +1, black warhorse, Blackhound command seal
Rank V — Svyatoy Voron, the Sacred Raven
Human cleric 10/fighter 3, devotee of the ideal of Judgment — CR 12; XP 19,200; LE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +6; Senses Perception +18
AC 24, touch 13, flat-footed 22 (+8 armor, +2 Dex, +1 deflection, +3 shield)
hp 104 (10d8+3d10+26 plus Toughness)
Fort +14, Ref +8, Will +17
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +2 longsword +16/+11 (1d8+5/17–20)
Special Attacks channel negative energy 5d6, 5/day (DC 17); spontaneous inflict spells
Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 10th; concentration +15; save DC 15 + spell level)
5th — break enchantment, greater command, mark of justice, true seeing (D)
4th — discern lies, divination (D), freedom of movement, order’s wrath, spell immunity
3rd — bestow curse, dispel magic, invisibility purge, prayer, speak with dead (D)
2nd — calm emotions, detect thoughts (D), hold person, silence, spiritual weapon, zone of truth
1st — command, comprehend languages (D), divine favor, doom, protection from chaos, shield of faith
0 — detect magic, guidance, read magic, resistance
D Knowledge domain spell; domains Knowledge and Law.
Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 20, Cha 14
Base Atk +10; CMB +13; CMD 26
Feats Combat Casting, Improved Critical (longsword), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Mounted Combat, Power Attack, Ride-By Attack, Step Up, Toughness, Weapon Focus (longsword)
Skills Intimidate +15, Knowledge (history) +13, Knowledge (nobility) +13, Knowledge (planes) +13, Perception +18, Sense Motive +18, Spellcraft +13
Languages regional Rus speech plus four learned languages
SQ armor training 1, bravery +1, aura of law, domain powers (Knowledge, Law)
Gear +2 breastplate, +1 heavy steel shield, +2 longsword, cloak of resistance +2, headband of inspired wisdom +2, ring of protection +1, raven-marked Blackhound seal
Pathfinder 1e Faction Procedures
Use DC 15 for routine cell information, DC 20 for protected operational knowledge and DC 25 for senior Black Ledger material. Diplomacy, Intimidate, Perception, Sense Motive, Knowledge (local) and appropriate magical investigation may all matter according to the approach.
Known or better Standing can grant a +2 circumstance bonus on an appropriate social check made to secure routine cooperation from a frightened or subordinate Muscovite official. Abuse of the seal can reduce Standing by one or more steps.
Pressure ranges from 1 to 4. At 2 the Brotherhood begins organised surveillance. At 3 it targets the characters’ contacts, property or travel. At 4 a Volkodlak receives authority to end the problem.
Kormchii form the martial base of encounters. Vedyuny provide divination, interrogation and control. Black Shadows specialise in infiltration and ambush. Volkodlak commanders coordinate mixed detachments rather than acting as solitary duelists.
Treat clearing a major accusation as a complex investigation requiring three successful discoveries or negotiations before two major failures. Relevant checks normally fall between DC 18 and DC 25 according to protection and political risk.
Trusted allies and Pressure 4 enemies cease to be routine cases. Their choices begin altering the internal balance between Court Hounds, Purifiers and the Raven’s Circle.
Oprichniki — D&D 3.5e
Rank I — Kormchii
Human fighter 2 — CR 2; LE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +2; Senses Listen +1, Spot +1
AC 20, touch 12, flat-footed 18 (+6 armor, +2 Dex, +2 shield)
hp 19 (2d10+4)
Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +1
Speed 20 ft.
Melee mwk lance +7 (1d8+3/×3) or longsword +5 (1d8+3/19–20)
Ranged light crossbow +4 (1d8/19–20)
Special A lance deals double damage when used from the back of a charging mount.
Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +2; Grp +5
Feats Mounted Combat, Power Attack, Ride-By Attack, Weapon Focus (lance)
Skills Handle Animal +5, Intimidate +5, Ride +7
Languages regional Rus speech
Gear mwk breastplate, heavy steel shield, mwk lance, longsword, light crossbow, military saddle, black horse, Blackhound badge
Rank II — Vedyun
Human diviner 4 — CR 4; LE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +6; Senses Listen +2, Spot +2
AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+4 mage armor, +2 Dex)
hp 15 (4d4+4)
Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +6
Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk dagger +2 (1d4−1/19–20)
Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 4th; normal save DC 14 + spell level; divination save DC 15 + spell level)
2nd — detect thoughts (D), locate object, mirror image, see invisibility
1st — true strike (D), charm person, comprehend languages, mage armor, shield
0 — detect magic (D), mage hand, message, read magic, resistance
Str 8, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 10
Base Atk +2; Grp +1
Feats Combat Casting, Improved Initiative, Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus (divination)
Skills Concentration +8, Knowledge (arcana) +11, Knowledge (local) +11, Knowledge (the planes) +11, Sense Motive +5, Spellcraft +13
Languages regional Rus speech plus three learned languages
Specialist Divination; prohibited school necromancy
Gear ritual knife, spellbook, spell component pouch, Blackhound seal
Rank III — Chornyye Teni, Black Shadow
Human rogue 5 — CR 5; LE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +8; Senses Listen +9, Spot +9
AC 18, touch 15, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor, +4 Dex, +1 dodge)
hp 30 (5d6+10)
Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +2
Defensive Abilities evasion, trap sense +1, uncanny dodge
Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk short sword +8 (1d6+1/19–20)
Ranged mwk shortbow +8 (1d6/×3)
Special Attacks sneak attack +3d6
Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +3; Grp +4
Feats Dodge, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse
Skills Bluff +8, Disable Device +12, Disguise +8, Hide +12, Listen +9, Move Silently +12, Open Lock +14, Search +10, Sense Motive +9, Spot +9, Tumble +12
Languages regional Rus speech plus two learned languages
Gear mwk studded leather, mwk short sword, mwk shortbow, mwk thieves’ tools, disguise kit, Blackhound cipher sheet
Rank IV — Volkodlak
Human fighter 8 — CR 8; LE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +2; Senses Listen +1, Spot +1
AC 22, touch 13, flat-footed 20 (+7 armor, +2 Dex, +1 deflection, +2 shield)
hp 72 (8d10+24)
Fort +9, Ref +4, Will +5
Speed 20 ft.
Melee +1 longsword +15/+10 (1d8+8/17–20)
Melee with Power Attack +1 longsword +12/+7 (1d8+11/17–20)
Ranged mwk composite longbow (+3 Str) +11/+6 (1d8+3/×3)
Commanding Bark (Ex) 3/day. As a swift action, the Volkodlak grants allied Oprichniki within 30 feet a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and Will saves until the start of the Volkodlak’s next turn.
Str 20, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 12
Base Atk +8; Grp +13
Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Critical (longsword), Iron Will, Mounted Combat, Power Attack, Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge, Weapon Focus (longsword), Weapon Specialization (longsword)
Skills Handle Animal +12, Intimidate +12, Ride +13
Languages regional Rus speech
Gear +1 breastplate, heavy steel shield, +1 longsword, mwk lance, mwk composite longbow (+3 Str), ring of protection +1, black warhorse, Blackhound command seal
Rank V — Svyatoy Voron, the Sacred Raven
Human cleric 10/fighter 3 of the ideal of Judgment — CR 13; LE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +6; Senses Listen +5, Spot +5
AC 24, touch 13, flat-footed 22 (+8 armor, +2 Dex, +1 deflection, +3 shield)
hp 91 (10d8+3d10+26)
Fort +14, Ref +8, Will +17
Speed 20 ft.
Melee +2 longsword +16/+11 (1d8+5/17–20)
Special Attacks rebuke undead 5/day; spontaneous inflict spells
Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 10th; save DC 15 + spell level)
5th — break enchantment, greater command, mark of justice, true seeing (D)
4th — discern lies, divination (D), freedom of movement, order’s wrath, spell immunity
3rd — bestow curse, clairaudience/clairvoyance (D), dispel magic, invisibility purge, prayer
2nd — calm emotions, detect thoughts (D), hold person, silence, spiritual weapon, zone of truth
1st — command, detect secret doors (D), divine favor, doom, protection from chaos, shield of faith
0 — detect magic, guidance, light, mending, read magic, resistance
D Knowledge domain spell; domains Knowledge and Law.
Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 20, Cha 14
Base Atk +10; Grp +13
Feats Combat Casting, Improved Critical (longsword), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Mounted Combat, Power Attack, Ride-By Attack, Weapon Focus (longsword)
Skills Concentration +15, Diplomacy +12, Intimidate +10, Knowledge (history) +14, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +14, Knowledge (the planes) +14, Spellcraft +14
Languages regional Rus speech plus four learned languages
SQ aura of law, domain powers (Knowledge, Law)
Gear +2 breastplate, +1 heavy steel shield, +2 longsword, cloak of resistance +2, periapt of Wisdom +2, ring of protection +1, raven-marked Blackhound seal
D&D 3.5e Faction Procedures
Use DC 15 for common operational knowledge, DC 20 for guarded information and DC 25 for senior Black Ledger material. Gather Information, Intimidate, Knowledge (local), Search, Sense Motive and appropriate magical investigation can all contribute.
Characters at Known Standing or better may gain a +2 circumstance bonus on an appropriate social check when legitimate Blackhound authority is enough to influence a subordinate official. Fraudulent use creates evidence the Brotherhood can later uncover.
Track Pressure from 1 to 4. Pressure 2 means watchers and informants. Pressure 3 means active interference, searches and attacks on support networks. Pressure 4 authorises an elite purge detachment.
Kormchii are disciplined martial enforcers. Vedyuny are occult investigators and magical interrogators. Black Shadows are stealth specialists. Volkodlak are senior martial leaders supported by mixed detachments.
A serious Black Ledger accusation should require more than one Diplomacy check. Recover evidence, expose the informer, identify the true offender or gain the intervention of somebody whose testimony the Brotherhood cannot conveniently ignore.
At the highest levels of trust or hostility, the question is no longer whether the characters can evade the Oprichniki. It is whether Voron thinks they belong in his vision of the Rus lands.
Encounters with the Blackhounds
| Encounter | What Is Actually Happening |
|---|---|
| The Road Closed at Dusk | Kormchii have sealed a bridge while a Vedyun questions travellers about a missing courier. |
| The Empty House | An entire household has vanished. The Blackhound seal on the door may mean arrest, protection or a warning not to enter. |
| The Helpful Interrogator | A Vedyun genuinely wants the characters’ help solving a supernatural killing before innocent people are blamed. |
| The Wrong Name | A copied Ledger page contains a character’s name beside an accusation they have never heard before. |
| The Black Horse | A riderless Brotherhood horse arrives carrying a bloodless saddlebag full of sealed reports. |
| The Forest Agreement | The Oprichniki order the characters to enforce an old boundary pact with something living beyond the road. |
| The Quiet Arrest | A Black Shadow asks the characters to leave an inn for ten minutes. Somebody upstairs is about to disappear. |
| The Raven Watches | A raven repeatedly appears after the party interferes with Brotherhood business. Whether it is mundane, trained or something stranger is deliberately unclear. |
Adventures and Missions
The Black Ledger of Novgorod
A courier carrying a partial list of Novgorodian targets disappears. The Brotherhood wants the document recovered unopened. Several people whose names are inside want it destroyed. One wants to know who informed on him.
The Night of Red Lanterns
Lights have returned to the abandoned Tver estate associated with Voron’s 1432 precursor cell. The Brotherhood orders the characters to enter before local rivals discover what survived inside.
The Drowned Witness
A murder victim’s last known witness is a rusalka. The Oprichniki want testimony. The rusalka wants the truth about her own death first.
The Forest Refuses the Road
A new military road violates an old agreement with a woodland power. The Brotherhood initially treats the resulting disappearances as sabotage. The characters must discover whether the original pact should be restored or broken.
The False Hound
Somebody is using Blackhound insignia to conduct arrests and confiscations. Proving the fraud will embarrass the Brotherhood; failing to expose it may allow a private feud to become a regional purge.
The Grand Prince’s Name
A stolen cipher suggests that somebody inside the Raven’s Circle has opened a file on Vasily II himself. The document may be genuine, a trap or the first evidence that Voron’s doctrine has reached its logical conclusion.
If the Characters Ignore Them
The Oprichniki continue acting between adventures. They are a faction with independent goals, not an encounter waiting in a room.
| First Move | Blackhound agents expand the Black Ledger and map Novgorodian contacts. |
|---|---|
| Second Move | A prominent household is accused, searched and stripped of influence. |
| Third Move | Novgorodian counter-agents begin killing suspected informers. |
| Fourth Move | Purifiers demand stronger action and begin bypassing cautious Court Hounds. |
| Fifth Move | Voron’s inner circle gains access to information previously reserved for the Grand Prince. |
| End State | The Brotherhood stops asking whether Muscovy should dominate the Rus lands and begins deciding who is worthy to rule the Muscovy that results. |
History of the Brotherhood
The Oprichniki are an intentional SpiralWorlds divergence.
During the long Muscovite dynastic conflict, Svyatoy Voron’s precursor network specialised in finding defectors, tracing hidden correspondence and dealing with supernatural incidents that ordinary retainers could not explain. The Night of Red Lanterns in 1432 belongs to this clandestine phase.
In 1446 Vasily II was captured by his enemies and blinded. His return to Moscow in 1447 proved that even catastrophic defeat did not end the struggle for the grand-princely throne. In SpiralWorlds, that restoration is when Vasily formally sanctions Voron’s network and gives the Blackhound Brotherhood access to state money, prisoners, roads and officials.
The principal dynastic war has ended by the campaign present, but the institutions created by fear remain. The Brotherhood now needs new enemies to justify powers that few rulers voluntarily surrender once granted.
Historically, the Oprichnina belongs to the much later reign of Ivan IV and the years 1565–1572. SpiralWorlds deliberately moves the name and some of the imagery associated with that later institution into an alternate 1454 development while replacing its historical leadership, chronology and religious setting with campaign canon.
Languages, Codes and Signs
The Brotherhood has no universal supernatural language and does not use “Common.” Members speak the languages they genuinely know.
Operational cells favour regional Rus speech, court and administrative terminology, written ciphers, hand signs, recognition phrases and variations of the hound-and-broom mark. Vedyuny sometimes add symbolic annotations intelligible only to their own cell.
A Blackhound cipher is a security system, not a language. Two Oprichniki without a shared spoken language may recognise the same signs and still require an interpreter for an actual conversation.
Related SpiralWorlds Pages
Historical Inspiration and Sources
The Blackhound Brotherhood is fictional SpiralWorlds material built around a deliberate alternate-history divergence. Historical scholarship establishes what conventional chronology looked like; the campaign then deliberately changes it.
| Muscovy and Vasily II | Janet Martin, Medieval Russia, 980–1584, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press. The chronology records Vasily II’s capture and blinding in 1446, recovery of Moscow in 1447, Dmitry Shemyaka’s death in 1453 and the Treaty of Iazhelbitsy in 1456. |
|---|---|
| Moscow and Novgorod | Research on the Novgorod Republic and its neighbours records Vasily II’s 1456 campaign and the peace settlement at Yazhelbitsy. The Blackhound intelligence campaign is already active in 1454. |
| Later Oprichnina | Ivan IV’s sixteenth-century Oprichnina begins in 1565 and ends in 1572. The Blackhound Brotherhood of 1454 is an earlier and distinct institution. |
| Blackhound Chronicle | Svyatoy Voron, the Blackhound Brotherhood, the Black Ledger, the 1432 Night of Red Lanterns, the 1447 Blackhound founding and its supernatural operations form the Blackhound chronicle. |
Artwork and Licensing
Hero: Oprichniki — The Blackhound Brotherhood. Original SpiralWorlds illustration, 2026.
Faction symbol: Blackhound Brotherhood Symbol. Original SpiralWorlds illustration, 2026.
Black Ledger investigation: Original SpiralWorlds illustration, 2026.
Ranks of the Blackhound Brotherhood: Original SpiralWorlds illustration, 2026.
The Blackhound Brotherhood, Svyatoy Voron, the Black Ledger, the Night of Red Lanterns adaptation, the Brotherhood’s internal factions, encounters, missions, campaign chronology and other SpiralWorlds-specific setting material on this page are original campaign-setting content.
SRD 5.2.1 Attribution
This work includes rules material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC. SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Legacy Open Game Content
Mechanical rules material inside the Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e mechanics panels is designated Open Game Content only to the extent that it derives from material already released as Open Game Content under the Open Game License version 1.0a.
No other portion of this page is designated Open Game Content. SpiralWorlds setting material, the Blackhound Brotherhood, Svyatoy Voron, the Black Ledger, 1454 campaign material, original abilities and encounter concepts, artwork, CSS, page design, adventure material and editorial presentation are excluded from that designation.
Open Game License v1.0a & Section 15 Copyright Notices
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved.
1. Definitions: (a) “Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content;
(b) “Derivative Material” means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted;
(c) “Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute;
(d) “Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity;
(e) “Product Identity” means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures; characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product Identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content;
(f) “Trademark” means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License;
(g) “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content;
(h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement.
2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that You Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License.
3. Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.
4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use the Open Game Content.
5. Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.
6. Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content You Distribute.
7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity.
You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity.
The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity.
8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content.
9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License.
10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute.
11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so.
12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.
13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.
14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable.
15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
System Reference Document Copyright 2000–2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook © 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Jason Bulmahn, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook and Skip Williams.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC.
Original Oprichniki — The Blackhound Brotherhood of Divine Purge setting material, Svyatoy Voron, Black Ledger material, 1454 campaign material, original abilities, adventure material, artwork and editorial content Copyright © 2026 SpiralWorlds. All rights reserved except material separately identified as Open Game Content or licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.
Keep this reference growing
If this page helped with your reading or game, you can support its upkeep or explore the curated books.
Explore the Bookshop — epics, classics and stories behind imagined worlds.