The King in Yellow CR Varies; XP Varies CE Great Old One of decadence, disorder, and nihilism Primary Source Robert Chambers, The King in Yellow stories C U LT Domains Chaos, Evil, Rune, Void Subdomains Dark Tapestry, Language, Stars, Wards Favored Weapon rapier Symbol the Yellow Sign Temple amphitheaters, performance halls, noble villas and manors Worshipers decadent nobles, gravediggers, necromancers, sadistic performers and entertainers, those who have found the Yellow Sign Servitors undead, those who have found the Yellow Sign INFLUENCE Area special (see Pallid Mask) Proxy the Pallid Mask’s slave Effects Pallid Mask D E F E AT Combat In order to defeat the influence of the King in Yellow, the current wearer of the Pallid Mask must be slain When the current host dies, the Pallid Mask cracks slightly and becomes one of the lesser pallid masks The true Pallid Mask relocates elsewhere in the universe to seek out its new host, and generally does not return immediately to the same world on which its host was defeated INFLUENCE EFFEC TS Pallid Mask The influence of the King in Yellow is inexorably linked to the Pallid Mask This potent item (lesser versions, themselves powerful, are detailed on page 168) manifests within an active Yellow Sign when an appropriate host finds the sign At this point, the appropriate host is compelled to touch the Yellow Sign, at which point the Pallid Mask manifests on the host’s face, granting the King in Yellow template (see below) Who the Pallid Mask chooses as host is subject to the GM’s discretion and whim, but it must be a character who has found the Yellow Sign and is destined to serve as the King in Yellow (knowingly or not) (Important: You should never force a PC to become the King in Yellow this way— the King in Yellow should always be a GM-controlled NPC villain.) Creating the King in Yellow “The King in Yellow” is an acquired template that can be added to any Small or Medium creature with a human-like face (referred to hereafter as the base creature) Technically, the Pallid Mask can choose any such creature as its host, but it generally seeks the most powerful potential host it can Build the King in Yellow from among the highest tier of hosts possible in your campaign, preferring spellcasters (The example King in Yellow assumes a typical Pathfinder 254