The consumption of red lyrium has transformed these misguided templars into something sinister and grotesque. Early initiates benefit from super-human strength, making them extremely deadly in combat. But as the toxic lyrium takes root within their bodies, these templars undergo a physical transformation beyond their control, turning them into rage-filled beasts. Needless to say, encounters with red templars are extremely dangerous. Before engaging in combat, activate the tactical camera and scout the different types of enemies to devise a plan of attack. Be on the watch for archers and shadows—consider making these your primary targets.
Behemoth
Locale: Various
Level Range: 12-30
Health Modifier: 1.5
Armor: Very High
Resistances:
- Fire
Vulnerabilities:
- Cold
Immunities:
- Physical Effects
- Fear
- Paralyze
- Sleep
- Weaken
- Burning
“We could have held off a battering ram, but the behemoth? It took the gate off at the hinges. Then it screamed. Not a roar or growl—a scream, all rage and pain. As I drew my blade, all I could think was: ‘There’s a templar in there.’ Somewhere in that thing was a brother or sister of the Order; every fiber of my soul was crying out to them. But whoever it might have been, whoever’s son or daughter, they were lost to us, swallowed by corruption and lies. I held the only way I could, the only way any of us can. We must end their suffering. And, Maker willing, we must try to remember them as they were.”
— From the reports of Knight-Captain Veddir, Tactical Considerations for the Inquisition
Horror
Locale: Various
Level Range: 4-30
Health Modifier: 1
Armor: High
Resistances:
- Electricity
Vulnerabilities:
- Spirit
Immunities:
- Fear*
- Paralyze*
- Freeze*
- Sleep*
- Shock
* Only when enraged
“Whatever you do, don’t get too close to those red templars with giant lumps on their backs. They can ‘spit’ lyrium! You can actually see it growing before they fling it at you from their palms. One hit Henley in the face. (He’d have a mass of scars if I hadn’t been there to heal the wounds as we plucked the stuff out.) We started to beat it down with some spells, and the air went sour. I felt sick, like you do when you’ve been around too much raw lyrium. Lyra almost passed out. I grabbed her and ran. With luck, the thing found better prey than us. I never loved the templars, but seeing them mutilated with lyrium doesn’t give me cheer. I don’t understand why they’d inflict this on themselves.”
— Jahna
Red Templar Archer
Locale: Various
Level Range: 4-30
Health Modifier: 0.75
Armor: Low
Resistances: None
Vulnerabilities: None
Immunities: None
“Take aim. Red lyrium isn’t the weak stuff they fed you all your life. The song is deeper. It’s got a will of its own. Tame it, and it will do things the Chantry’s instructions never dreamed of. Listen. Focus on the arrow in your hand. Pour power into it when it leaves the bow. That strength can fly across a battlefield and punch a hole through the thickest armor. Soon you won’t need to stop to hear it. Practice, and the song will always be in your blood. And fire.”
— Red templar archer, instructing new recruits starting to take red lyrium
Red Templar Foot Soldier
Locale: Various
Level Range: 4-30
Health Modifier: 1
Armor: Average
Resistances: None
Vulnerabilities: None
Immunities: None
“The soldiers looked like normal men and women, but they rained down blows so hard it numbed my arm through my shield. It took three minutes to kill just one, and he only stopped when I cut off his head! That’s when I saw their leader: a huge misshapen knight. He made a gesture and a streak of light streamed from him into one of the soldiers. Red lyrium bursts through the soldier’s back; he changed into some kind of thing that made all the mages sick. I still don’t know how we survived. These mages are children and frightened scholars, hiding from the war after their Circle fell. Still, if one of them wasn’t a healer, I’d have lost my sword arm.”
— An excerpt from a letter from a templar knight who left the Order, to her husband
Red Templar Guardsman
Locale: Various
Level Range: 8-30
Health Modifier: 1.25
Armor: High
Resistances: None
Vulnerabilities:
- Electricity
Immunities: None
“When I saw the templars marching up the road, my heart was glad. I asked if they’d come to stop the rebel mages who burned down the farms, but one growled it was none of our business. That’s when I noticed his eyes were red. Not like he’d had a long night at the inn, but really truly red. Vernie announced that these were the bann’s lands, and it was his business who was in them. The templar bastard cut him down without a word! A dozen of us against three of them, and we never got a strike past their shields. They’re stronger than any man I’ve known. The templars swung full tower shields of metal like they weighed nothing.”
— An excerpt from a letter from a guardsman employed by Bann Harkwold
Red Templar Knight
Locale: Various
Level Range: 8-30
Health Modifier: 1.25
Armor: Very High
Resistances:
- Cold
Vulnerabilities:
- Fire
Immunities:
- Physical Effects
- Paralyze
- Freeze
- Chill
“More and more my fellow templars stop talking when I walk into rooms. There is little talk of continuing our hunt for the rebel mages. There is little talk of anything at all. I see the red vials they wear openly around their necks, no longer hidden. They are stronger than the rest of us, and it suddenly seems as if proper blue lyrium has become rare. ‘Shortages,’ they tell me. I saw Ser Randall the morning, and his eyes were red. For the first time, I am wondering if I should abandon my post and flee the Order for good.”
— Excerpt from the journal of Ser Caitlin of the Order of Templars, 9:41 Dragon
Shadow
Locale: Various
Level Range: 12-30
Health Modifier: 1.2
Armor: Average
Resistances: None
Vulnerabilities: None
Immunities:
- Fear
- Freeze
- Sleep
- Snare
“The specimen was fresh, killed only a few hours ago by a troop of chevaliers patrolling outside the city. Their captain told me, in a strained and sickly voice, that a group of red templars had descended on his men and massacred them. I gave him my condolences, but he seemed not to hear me. The one on my slab was fast, the captain muttered, much nimbler than its bulk suggested. Imagine my nausea when I opened up the creature and saw that red lyrium had fused to the bones, overgrown its lungs, and spread like a fungus into the brain. As I watched, the red crystal pulsed and spread the smallest fraction of an inch deeper into the flesh of the corpse. Blood drained out of the surrounding tissue, as if the lyrium itself were feeding on it.”
— An excerpt from the diary of Professor Auffret, a naturalist studying at the University of Val Royeaux