Pathfinder Faction Guide: Hellknights

Welcome to my fourth video in my faction series. This week we're tackling a much-request faction: the Hellknights!
▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
0:00 - History of the Hellknights
9:19 - Leadership and Organizational Structure
14:52 - Order of the Chain
19:20 - Order of the Gate
25:42 - Order of the Godclaw
31:11 - Order of the Nail
36:07 - Order of the Pyre
40:21 - Order of the Rack
44:52 - Order of the Scourge
48:37 - Order of the Torrent
51:01 - Lesser Orders
And don't forget to Like & Subscribe!
CREDITS
Content for this video came from "Pathfinder Chronicles: Faction Guide" and additional sources from across Paizo's various publications.
If you enjoyed this video, please support Paizo publishing by purchasing this product or others.
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#paizo #pathfinder #golarion #innersea #roleplaying #rpg #history #lore #d&d #cheliax #hellknights

[@sjoerddz]

I've been waiting for this a long time, Regill from wrath of the righteous is without a doubt one of my most beloved characters in fiction. The most based gnome to ever live. A few quotes by the king of Gnomes: "By siding with the demons you have betrayed all of Mortalkind, and for that, you must pay" "I often notice the wise think their way into traps that a simple man wouldn't even dream of. You don't like that we are strong, but you don't train to become stronger than us, because for you it would mean becoming like us. What can I say to that? Stay weak." "Stop blaming your own incompetence on cosmic forces. The side of Good isn't weak, it's you."

[@TheMythKeeper]

Haha! Yes he's pretty legendary

[@ScottBoydathome]

Regil is an interesting case. He is a tyrant for sure - but sent into to unfuck the unfuckable.

[@rune5916]

A comment to bless this video, so that the mighty algorithm may recommend your video to more potential viewers.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Yes please!

[@grinningbuck]

And as the algorithm determines, so shall it be done.

[@ankitk236]

A Hellcomment to Hellbless this Hellvideo to appease the mighty Hellalgoritm

[@MisterZimbabwe]

Hellknights are one of the most interesting factions Paizo has ever come up with. They really do embody the concept of "Lawful Neutral". Almost like an entire knightly order of Judge Dredds. Sure, they might roll in and beat your village/kingdom into a totalitarian slave state, but they might also topple the autocratic despot running your country into the ground and help install a stable democracy. They're on the side and in support of whatever creates the most lawful and stable society, and the fact they have so much infighting amongst themselves over how to best achieve that really makes them complex characters. Plus it's funny when the big bad evil Suaron looking dudes in cliche villainous spiky armor end up being the good guys in a given situation.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Agree, they're a faction that can often work great as unlikely allies.

[@XDependent]

Easily the best Faction for an ‘Evil’ Campaign. A great way to show how even the villains can have clear and effective goals. Honestly love the diverse viewpoints of the Orders too and how their regionality also affected their focus too.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Evil is not a monolith ;-)

[@joshuaturnquist5538]

I love the Hellknights. Good potential villains with depth and purpose. I like that, despite being evil, their position in Golarion makes sense. They don't just work with devils to be evil contrarians. "Why does the king keep a foreign devil worshipper in his noble court!?" "Because that devil worshipper helps run the legal system and suppress rebels. Dude has a passion for contract law and good negotiating experience. I heard he was also a commander fighting Sarkorian demons."

[@TheMythKeeper]

I like this ;-)

[@Medc-]

MY FAVORITE FACTION! I give this comment up to algorithmic order of the Godclaw in reverence of the eternal order!!!

[@TheMythKeeper]

🤣🤣🤣

[@BeckettBaladas]

I really like the Hellknights as one of several examples of very competent worldbuilding on Paizos side alongside Cheliax and Nidal etc. where at first glance they just seem like super evil edgelords but underneath that there is quite a lot of lore that actually makes their existence much more grounded and believable within the setting than your average fantasy/sci-fi edgelord faction

[@flandomaltrizian4603]

Learning about the Hellknights in WotR, they struck me as the most fascinating faction. A reasonable and good person can look at any of the major orders (except maybe the Rack) and make a real argument that they are overall positive forces in the world, despite them being proudly cruel and brutal organizations. Instead of merely being villains they invite consideration of what alignment means. To paraphrase a great philosopher "They’re not wrong, they're just a***oles"

[@TheMythKeeper]

Haha, yeah I love that quote

[@Doja47]

Bed time

[@jackakimbo5718]

Holy shit, a wild Flando sighting! Hellknights are cool too (but assholes).

[@acrab6527]

Even the Rack has a very good argument. The gebbite Romances he mentioned in the video suggest things such as "If the girl you like doesn't like you back, kill her. Then raise her as a zombie, and she'll do whatever you tell her." Seems pretty reasonable to burn all those books. And that's not even getting into the books on how to open portals to let demons in, or the alien artifacts from the Silvermount. "But they're putting down revolutions!" Yeah, and? If the king is evil and you rebel, that's good. If the king is good, and people are rebelling though...

[@TheMythKeeper]

@@acrab6527 That the Gebbite romances are dubious literature is clearly Quick propaganda.

[@fumarc4501]

My friend told me that his Clerics of Asmodeus was not trusted by his previous party. As a Paladin player, I do find it hard to reconcile the requirements of patron gods, so I went with Oathbound Paladin. Since then, I’ve been looking into other options. This was a fascinating listen and gave me a ton of ideas. Thanks for sharing!

[@TheMythKeeper]

You're very welcome, and thanks for the comment

[@Ofley_Adventures]

This is so interesting! Ever since getting into PF2E, I always wondered what these hellknights were. The dreadful aesthetic they wield, combined with their ideology of "enforcement" truly makes them a faction to recognize. Really appreciate you tackle these. Have a beautiful day everyone! Thanks for the vid.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Thank you and I hope this video gave you some of the detail you were looking for!

[@acrab6527]

And the greatest example of how getting rid of alignment is a bad thing.

[@goransekulic3671]

@@acrab6527 Huh, what, how come?

[@acrab6527]

@@goransekulic3671 without alignment you don't have hell knights. It's a strictly lawful organisation. With D&D removing alignment, if they had hell knights, they'd be evil knights, not what pathfinder has.

[@goransekulic3671]

@@acrab6527 Is it better to expand resources trying to fix Alignment or to remove it altogether(cost efficient method)?

[@ilikepie21234]

I just migrated over to PF2e from DnD and the GM was helping me translate the homebrew of my last DM for my paladin. From that shit I got a champion redemer hellknight. The setting is homebrew, and hellknights in their setting are knights who FIGHT hellish forces rather then embodies it. But man, learning about cannon lore about hellknights makes me love the creative choices my current GM made even more. Thanks for the video!

[@TheMythKeeper]

You're very welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@VoteJesusNow]

Hellknights and Katapesh back to back my fav topics

[@TheMythKeeper]

Haha, yes, awesome but also totally random!

[@JohnBrown-no4od]

Looking forward to a Faction Guide for the Pathfinder Society.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Coming very soon

[@sadago2690]

@@TheMythKeeper Fuken hype

[@BronnBlackwater]

Best faction in all of pathfinder!

[@sldkgf]

I forgot about PF 'Hellknights' for a minute and thought Lord Soth or Kargoth hellknights when I say this video pop up.

[@jmcauley650]

Thanks for making these, love Pathfinder lore

[@herkles5416]

One of the things I like about Hell Knights is that despite their name and aesthetic they aren't really tied to Cheliax or Hell itself, but much more towards Law. They probably are much more aligned with the plane of Axis then Hell, but lets be real Axis-Knights doesn't sound anywhere near as cool as Hellknights :P One of the things that is actually neat is that it is actually rather fitting for a Hell's rebel game to have a character as a member of the Hellknights, specifically the Order of the Torrent, but others like the godclaw or the scourage also could work. Its actually pretty neat reading the books how they integrated in a fitting way. and yes Regill from Wrath of the Righteous is such a well written character.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Regill is great and so is Sabinus from Hells Rebels

[@soturi_]

this was the one that i expected the most

[@TheMythKeeper]

Hope you enjoy it ;-)

[@vasemir]

Paying my tribute to the Ordres, and the Algorithm.

[@TheMythKeeper]

The algorithm abides

[@cynicgamer12]

“You may question his methods but you can’t dispute the results!” Hellknights are dope. Just stating facts.

[@TheMythKeeper]

You're not wrong...

[@RyanVonAegir]

As someone who got into Pathfinder with Owlcat games, and has been a player in a group that completed book 1 of Hells Rebels, the Hellknights are interesting. I've enjoyed them as very loose allies more than antagonists. On that note, my kineticist Halfling died in the final fight of book 1 of HR so I was going to play a Champion of Milani, and I look forward to the dynamic they brings when we meet Hellknights!

[@TheMythKeeper]

Yeah, should be fun 🙂

[@goldenbrigain7031]

I’m trying to get my Paladin to become a Hellknight. This rocks!

[@placeholdername3818]

Which order is your character thinking of joining? What kind of Paladin are they?

[@TheMythKeeper]

@@placeholdername3818 You took my question!

[@goldenbrigain7031]

@@placeholdername3818he’s a guy beating his head against the wall a bit trying to develop/discover an overarching ideology which can in detail explain the true nature of good to such a poignant extent it can also function as a guide to ensure success in all endeavors to achieve the ends of of the forces of good…the orders of the Pyre, Godclaw, Scourge, and Nail are all tempting offers.

[@aaronmeek6342]

Love your videos. I can always use more Hellknights in my campaign.

[@Gunstonization]

Synchronicitous timing - just did a little Hellknight one-shot to flush out some background plot (Order of the Rack/Chain), and some of your info in here fits nigh perfectly with the situation I concocted. Yay.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Rock on! Love to hear it

[@joshuakirkham9593]

One of my most anticipated videos for Pathfinder. This really expands my knowledge of Hell Knights. Thank you, MythKeeper.

[@TheMythKeeper]

You're very welcome, thanks for watching!

[@ytchanviewer5389]

I haven't played PF:WotR (yet), but I read the Pathfinders Comics, so I knew the Hellknights as a bunch of righteous assholes. So it was good to hear a background lore video on them.

[@TheMythKeeper]

The lead Hellknight in WotR is a ton of fun. When you do get around to playing you'll like him.

[@ankitk236]

A Hellcomment to Hellbless this Hellvideo to appease the mighty Hellalgoritm

[@TheMythKeeper]

Surely its the Hellgorithm?

[@ankitk236]

HellNo, my dear Hell@@TheMythKeeper , its Hellalgoritm

[@TheMythKeeper]

@@ankitk236 🤣🤣🤣

[@jadenthomas5261]

Your content is awesome I'm actually excited to go to work tonight so I can chuck boxes while watching this. I haven't seen the video yet but if anyone happens to really enjoy Hellknights I HIGHLY recommend Liane Merciel's Pathfinder Tales: Hellknight novel it was fantastic

[@TheMythKeeper]

Thanks for the kind words and I hope you enjoy it

[@jadenthomas5261]

​@TheMythKeeper I absolutely did enjoy the video and despite how much I love Cheliax I still learned new things. And I didn't even need to bring up Pathfinder Hellknight, this is Mythkeeper we're talking about I should've known you'd mention it.

[@almitrahopkins1873]

From my own folio of characters: The dark elven assassin Daedeloth started life as a cleric of Nocticula & Callistria. A paravicar of the Order of the Gate divined his own assassination at the hands of the simple dark elf slave girl, then had her tortured and executed. She awoke in the presence of Nocticula as an idealized half-celestial dark elf noble. She returned to the prime material to mercilessly hunt the paravicar who had her killed, fulfilling his divination. She makes her home in the city of Almas, in the Bathhouse of the Ladies, a bathhouse, temple and abbey devoted to Nocticula & Callistria. There is always food, drink, entertainments and shelter to be had within the bathhouse walls. Agents of the Bellflower network and Firebrands can always be found there, since the Dark Angel considers them her fellow knights against the Hellknights. She often travels into Cheliax on the hunt for hellknights, never missing the opportunity to send one into the hells. If you want to use her in your games, she is a half-celestial dark elf noble cleric 1/fighter 1/rogue 3, but you can level her up to fit your needs.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Awesome, thanks for sharing

[@bandaid6550]

My group and I are wrapping up the first part of Age of Ages atm, and I've been loving the Hellknight element of it so far. They're definitely going to make a return in future campaigns!

[@dejalmer]

Ive been wanting to run a hellknight campaign for a while where each player is a member of the same Hellknight order. Where instead of the standard good vs evil campaign its a law vs chaos game. Thie has definiteky helped for ideas and would be good to give players to prep for the game.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Yeah thats a cool concept

[@justinr6006]

Interesting nice to learn more about these folks. They were in WOTR

[@carlborneke8641]

I can’t be the only one here who wants a Hellknight Samurai/Cavalier Order. A Hellknight Samurai would be absolutely badass. Especially with an Infernal Mount.

[@TheMythKeeper]

This is a concept that totally works

[@Thoendithas]

I now look forward to these videos each week!! Thanks for all you do!

[@TheMythKeeper]

You are so welcome!

[@hollowmask222]

The thing I Love about the hell knights even though they are evil and cruel I can at least understand. I get their philosophy a little and given the state of things they bring order in a very chaotic world. Not only that but the organization actually is a help to society which explains why even though they literally serve and cooperate with devils people actually might want to keep them around and not regret keeping them.

[@crunchybotrightnow4472]

I am Regill Derenge, Paralictor of the Order of the Godclaw, and temporary officer if the join unit of Hellknights and the Order of the Sunrise Sword. You and your man must smash like and subscribe button, this is an order.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Haha! Good orders

[@davdav1370]

oh, this was a treat :)

[@goransekulic3671]

Regill Derenge kinda approves of this video. But you know him and HKs: it can always be better. To satisfy a HK? Hogwash, I tell you! :)

[@kaisiegfried425]

YES YES YES, right after Cheliax my favorite Faction or lets say Sub Faction

[@TheMythKeeper]

Love to hear it

[@athaler2402]

Great video on a great faction! And the uniqueness of the orders really is something! I think the description is not quite right though as it relates to the Eagle Knights at the beginning, right?

[@TheMythKeeper]

Thanks for that! It was a copy/paste error!

[@everett910]

Yessss, been excited for this

[@TheMythKeeper]

Should be a fun one!

[@DarkDeamonFox]

Great I was waiting for this one!!!

[@TheMythKeeper]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@trajanfidelis1532]

Great inspiration for some evil npc's in my game. Thanks for the video!

[@ehwhocaresanyway]

Thanks for making this.Ever since coming across Regil in WotR I've been looking for a video on Hellknights. That gnome and his iron discipline (steel? diamond? mithril?) was one of the best parts of the game.

[@TheMythKeeper]

I've said it before, Regill is awesome

[@israelmorales4249]

Thx, one of my favorite factions of Golarion, i still think a Hell knight is close to be an "antipaladin" than the actual class.

[@TheMythKeeper]

I agree ;-)

[@timseyer6769]

This is perhaps the most intricate and most successful attempt to make lawfullness cool in all of ttrpgdom.

[@houmamkitet9555]

Nice video my first character was a hellknight ranger of the order of the torrent

[@TheMythKeeper]

Great character concept

[@003mohamud]

The order of the pike seems like an interesting background for a Witcher type player.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Totally

[@jordanlogelin372]

Abrogail ll. being maybe a Yandere for Lictor Toulon Vidoc is the funniest shit I have heard in weeks.

[@TheMythKeeper]

It’s true 😂

[@moistmaidenlover5565]

That he'll knight gnome is my Favourite lil guy in WOTR. Wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him with my freedoms tho.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Regill is a legend ;-)

[@nathanburns5553]

Good stuff

[@Cyd_Goblin]

I would love some videos about Arcadia!

[@TheMythKeeper]

Eventually ;-)

[@christopherpugnetti5827]

Much appreciation for your work. Fun video! Here’s a nice comment for the algorithm-lictors .

[@TheMythKeeper]

Thank you!

[@Phalcon777]

Great video as always. Coming from D&D and I know that the hell Knights existed before this however they do greatly kind of remind me of illrigers. Those are a devil inspired type Paladin class by mcdm. They're different obviously but just kind of similarities there are interesting.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Definitely similar concept

[@OranjMoose]

The order of the rack is just the brotherhood of steel

[@TheMythKeeper]

Ha! Yes

[@matix314]

The children crave Hell's vengeance, ppl really liked Regil in the WotR videogame, Hell's Vengeance could be a good option for owlcat next pathfinder crpg...at least that adventure path got me to like the lawful evil mindset, I used to be a only Chaotic good/neutral player, dealing with the other hellknights orders to get something from the pike was a fun.

[@dbryant965]

Thank you!

[@TheMythKeeper]

You're welcome!

[@travisbaggett2813]

I love all Mythkeeper videos!

[@TheMythKeeper]

And I love all your comments!

[@chadbusch8541]

Yessssss hellknights! Best knights!!!

[@winstonsmith3703]

Could you do an Absalom and starstone isles video series? Covering all the locations on the isles

[@TheMythKeeper]

Yes! These are now scripted and coming soon. Not 1, but 3 videos - 1 history video, 1 absalom gazetteer video, 1 starstone isle video.... that's how dense that little island is.

[@karablak-je6ed]

@@TheMythKeeper Speaking of dense locations... Is there any chance you'll revisit your Taldor video at some point in the future? Because there's so freaking much there that, despite being an hour long, your video was more of a vignette than an actual deep dive. 😅

[@TheMythKeeper]

@@karablak-je6ed Maybe... I do actually have some more Taldor content coming very soon, but its not a deep dive. I'll keep the lid on that until it comes out though (actually it just hit the MythKeeper club channel so very soon). The one region Deep Dive that I definitely know I'm revisiting is Varisia, which was my first ever deep dive and I did when I wasn't quite sure how much detail I could get away with covering in these.

[@RicardoPM777]

👏👏👏

[@Breakingfasst88]

A faction that makes you say “They’re out of line, but they have a point.” How far will you go to keep the peace and order?

[@SageofStars]

One of those factions that can only exist in this kind of setting, because anyone else does the things they do they'd have the Good Guys(TM) pointing the stabby things at them AND keeping them from recruiting newbies into their orders, while the Bad Guys(R), would instead be using their whole, must follow laws/contracts/orders, against them with some exact worded contracts...which is what happens in about half the APs that heavily feature them. They are the definition of Lawful Stupid nine times out of ten. Regill is so far the only leader they've had that sounded and acted rationally...and even then it only works for him because a Demi-God pulls his butt out of the fire a few times, much as he likes to think otherwise.

[@TheMythKeeper]

Regill is definitely the hellknight standout.

[@frederickgleicher1385]

Well done !!! I have learned a great deal of about the Hell knights, but I am curious, how entrenched is the Order of the Pike by the Emerald Spire ? Do you know how they have developed now that the world wound is closed ?

[@TheMythKeeper]

I believe the Hell Knights around the Emerald Spire remained even after the closure of the Worldwound. I also think that depending on how the Emerald Spire Superdungeon played out in your home game, or how Kingmaker played out, that those Hellknights may be more or less well entrenched throughout the River Kingdoms as well.

[@marcussimoes2909]

Hellknigth novel it's good!

[@TheMythKeeper]

Keep those novel recommendations coming!

[@Wintermist-SWE]

Well, now it'll be way easier to RP a Hellknight in WotR :D

[@mach1275]

Great video! I was wondering, where did you find the maxims of the Chain? I want to make a Hellknight PC, but it's shockingly hard to find specific info like that online. Every time I google it, I wind up only getting stuff about the Order of the Chain or stuff about actual real life chains.

[@TheMythKeeper]

You need the books. (Check the link in my description.) Not everything in the books makes its way onto the wiki.

[@mach1275]

@@TheMythKeeper gotcha. Thanks for the help!

[@ThudFudgins]

Talk about the drow :D

[@TheMythKeeper]

Very soon, my friend

[@ThudFudgins]

@@TheMythKeeper

[@Nolinquisitor]

🤘😈🤘

[@TheMythKeeper]

🤘

[@DaDunge]

"Hans are we the baddies?"

[@TheMythKeeper]

🤣 Literally my favorite sketch ever

[@DaDunge]

@@TheMythKeeper It's one of the truly great ones.

[@gregcoe93]

Really hoping them make a dedicated book for hellknights. After The remaster and the removal of lawful and chaos they need an update

[@TheMythKeeper]

Remaster removed the alignment system but not the concept of law itself, the hell knights will remain dedicated to order even if the alignments are gone. But totally agree on wanting a new book

[@louisst-amand9207]

i really want a 2e Hellknight book tbh

[@TheMythKeeper]

I'd like to see something akin to the old Faction Guide for 2E where we get specialty classes and archetypes for a range of factions - Aspis agents, Eagle Knights, Hellknights and more

[@louisst-amand9207]

@@TheMythKeeper are you gonna do a knight of lastwall deep dive as well?

[@TheMythKeeper]

@@louisst-amand9207 Yes sir

[@warmonger5950]

😮

[@magnusprime27]

I wish wed get a lost omens book on hellknights

[@gewdguy6972]

what are your thoughts on the death of gorum?

[@TheMythKeeper]

I've said this before, but the best thing PF ever decided to do was the Living World. I love that the world isn't static and that its constantly changing - and in big ways too. The world I started playing in around 4708 in game year is very different from the Pathfinder of 4724, up to and including different gods. I think that's pretty great.

[@Helltanz98]

Is muh boy choaz of the godclaw rocking a mjolnir pendant there? :D

[@TheMythKeeper]

Hehehe! Maybe....

[@arch-warlock7409]

man, how do the baddies always get the badass looking armor?

[@TheMythKeeper]

Because black metal & chains = badass I guess!

[@greenlotus3718]

Does a hell knight have to answer to someone higher from another order or just his?

[@TheMythKeeper]

Each Hellknight order is completely autonomous. The Lictor of the order is the supreme authority for that order.

[@uchihawhitebeard5110]

Can you make a video on parts of tian xia?

[@TheMythKeeper]

After the upcoming book is out

[@Briar7862]

Sooo…Godsrain thoughts?

[@TheMythKeeper]

I've said this before, but the best thing PF ever decided to do was the Living World. I love that the world isn't static and that its constantly changing - and in big ways too. The world I started playing in around 4708 in game year is very different from the Pathfinder of 4724, up to and including different gods. I think that's pretty great.

[@MrTotalAhole]

Basically, Judge Dredd.

[@TheMythKeeper]

"I am the law!"

[@Wastelandman7000]

So....they're Judge Dred.

[@TheMythKeeper]

They are the law

[@harrisc1977]

One of my favorite factions. Judge Dredd with broadswords. Can be played as villains or unlikely allies both even in the same campaign.

[@4everfighter]

How can you be an atheist in an order that summons demons?

[@TheMythKeeper]

Atheist in Pathfinder doesn't mean you don't believe in Gods, it means you don't worship them. Nobody in Pathfinder doesn't believe in the Gods, because they are verifiable.

[@NieroSnake]

.

[@RicardoPM777]

A great and terrible faction

[@TheMythKeeper]

Too true!