Pathfinder Faction Guide: Hellknights 

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."

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

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.

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

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!

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.

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."

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"

Looking forward to a Faction Guide for the Pathfinder Society.

I hope Paizo has reached out to you for some official work. You are my main source of lore.

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!

Hellknights and Katapesh back to back my fav topics

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.

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

Best faction in all of pathfinder!

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.

this was the one that i expected the most

Thanks for making these, love Pathfinder lore

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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!

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!

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

A Hellcomment to Hellbless this Hellvideo to appease the mighty Hellalgoritm

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

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.

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?

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

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.

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

Yessss, been excited for this

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

Great I was waiting for this one!!!

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

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

Paying my tribute to the Ordres, and the Algorithm.

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

oh, this was a treat :)

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! :)

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.

I would love some videos about Arcadia!

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

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.

Good stuff

Thank you!

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

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

I love all Mythkeeper videos!

Yessssss hellknights! Best knights!!!

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.

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.

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

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.

The order of the rack is just the brotherhood of steel

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.

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.

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?

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

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

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 ?

I wish wed get a lost omens book on hellknights

👏👏👏

i really want a 2e Hellknight book tbh

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

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

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.

Hellknigth novel it's good!

🤘😈🤘

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

😮

"Hans are we the baddies?"

Talk about the drow :D

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

what are your thoughts on the death of gorum?

Can you make a video on parts of tian xia?

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

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

Sooo…Godsrain thoughts?

Basically, Judge Dredd.

So....they're Judge Dred.

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

.

A great and terrible faction