At the back of the market district, under some filthy blankets and reeking of refuse, can be found the Nothing King. If you're generous or lucky enough, you may be able to get an audience with this august personage. In the past, knights, priests, and nobles have all sought his wisdom, and perhaps you will be next. Got a spare coin?
The Nothing King is nominal 'ruler' of the beggars and rough sleepers of the city. He ensures that anyone new is looked after, told which guards to scatter from and which ones can be safely asked for coin, and which temples to loiter at for alms. He's a devastating chess player, according to his own special rules (he quotes that "bishops have magic, that's why you can move 'em anywhere you like"). He is gentle and pragmatic, and although he tries to help all of his "court", he has no illusions of an actual power. What he does have is information- his beggars observe all manner of conversations, between servants and nobles alike, and report it back to him. The Nothing King is smart enough to weave these little strands of conversation apart, with rare misunderstandings. For a price, he might have something to tell you about the person you want to know, or want to know more about. Statistics: The Nothing King is a Neutral Good 7th-level Commoner. He has no special powers, and rational people speculate that he may be a little insane. But his mind is clearly keen, and he cares deeply for all the rough sleepers of his city, and kindly greets new folk who are on the run, cast out, or otherwise homeless. How you can use the Nothing King in your game: - For a peasant hero Player Character, especially one from an urban area, the Nothing King makes an ideal NPC to go to for assistance. Asking for his aid always costs, and no-one who sees his clothing or the pitiful shack he lives in could worry that he spends the gold on himself. In truth, it goes to funding meals and aid for so many and so many times, that the actual contribution per person is miniscule. - Perhaps if investigating a crime, or seking more information on a villain, the PCs might seek out the Nothing King for advice. Beware though, because your villain may actually do the same, and violence in the Nothing King's court is not tolerated, and strictly enforced by bashers with makeshift shivs. - A noble has taken offence to the Nothing King's residence and the treason of calling himself a "king". The noble begins a campaign to demolish this area and drive all the homeless out of the city. The Nothing King, having no political voice, might seek out others to help save his citizens. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 28 December 2019. Traditionally, at least here in Australia, the time immediately after Christmas is when everyone gets to go "splat" a bit. Relaxing, read your books, playing your new games.
It's worth considering how the characters in your games would spend their downtime like this, potentially after their last adventure. Are they cooking, praying, studying up, or just taking part in something not too stressful? Are they playing a few rounds of Three-Dragon Ante at their local establishment, or drawing, sketching, writing their memoirs? How you can use Relaxing in your game: - This is a good time to let Player Characters lose some stress points or regain some Sanity, if you're using those. Having no expectations on you is really nice for a change. - Some of your PCs may have a day job which forces them to work while everyone else is relaxing. This is not going to be as fun for them- do the other members of the party plan around this, or just expect them to catch up? -Finally, do your villains also have a time to relax? What do they do in their spare time, and what do your PCs and villains do if they cross paths "off duty"- like, at a spa or restaurant? Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 27 December 2019. Returning home is an emotional thing for most people, and it can turn into quite an adventure if your unsuspecting family get accidentally involved in sorcerous shenanigans, Thieves' Guild misadventures, or civil wars. Especially if that homecoming happens at a particular time of year.
There are all sorts of events which could involve someone being called back to their home- a holiday, a family event like a wedding, or a summons from the King for a census, perhaps. But coming home isn't always easy- sometimes it takes a long journey through dangerous terrain, or coming face-to-face with people long left behind. Reminders of an old lifetime might bring up concerns for old responsibilities, accusations of abandoning old friends, and people looking to exploit their new connections with someone successful. How you can use homecomings in your game: - An adventurer coming home may be an opportunity for them to resolve ancient wrongs- tracking down their pauper parents, picking up a fight with childhood bullies, or trying to free an old friend from enslavement. - This homecoming event might also be a time for an adventurer to prove their worth to people they haven't seen for a long time, or look into some old personal sidequests- patching a hole in their father's roof, being sought out to pay off their little brother's gambling debts by stealing sixty horses, or trying to find out what the heraldry on their father's old shield means. - Catching up on what's going on in the old home can be an adventure in itself- maybe a new Lord has come to power and is oppressing minorities, or an old ally has fallen from power and cannot be found. Allowing your PCs to investigate these on their own recognizance can be a valuable tool in expanding your world. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 25 December 2019. Having a set-in-stone alignment system is sometimes useful- it lets you know which targets are hurt by particular spells, decide who gets to be smited, and so on. But sometimes it's nice for all dogs to be Goodbois and Goodgirls, whether their alignment says they can be or not.
So, who defines alignment? In a functional sense, you as the GM define alignment. But (hod on to your brains, people, I'm about do discuss philosophy) do you define it in a Kantian sense, that certain actions (like lying, killing, and kicking puppies) are always evil no matter the context and no matter how much joy they bring to the wider world, or a Utilitarian sense, that actions are only good or bad depending on their wider outcomes ("we have to lie to the princess because her knowing the truth would be bad for the peasants"). Can a wicked creature do good, and thus attain goodness, even temporarily? And, most importantly, who keeps track of this in your game world? Do the Gods keep objective counters tracking who is evil and worthy of punishment (and does an evil god then reward those people? How does that work?), or is alignment only what morality makes of it (and there's no lasting objective scores, people are just people)? Are creatures who don't know any better (and some which explicitly have no alignment as they're not considered intelligent enough to have morality) still "good"if they're devoted to doing what they do well enough to make people happy? What this all comes down to is Christmas presents, naturally, and who gets them. How you can use moral philosophy in your game: - D&D's inbuilt alignment system is a little more Kantian, but it's also a bit super racist (all Orcs and Drow are evil, for example). Eberron's alignment system decoupled race from alignment, saying that creatures of those races tended to behave that way because of their societal upbringing. Perhaps there is a true moral philosophy of 'Goodness', and striving towards it is what confers the status of being Nice. - Maybe your world's version of Santa only delivers to people who have made progress in taking more good actions than the last year, and taking those actions, regardless of whether they were mind-controlled, persuaded, or dodged around, confers the status of Niceness. - Alternately, your world could always have some kind of corruptor-devil, a creature that travels the world distributing gifts to the Naughty. They reward people who've made little actions of Evil (lying, stealing food, cheating on taxes) to further sway them to more committed Evil deeds. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 21 December 2019. Random treasure works for procedurally-generated dungeons, but sometimes you want personalized treasure. Like Father Christmas giving the Pevensie children their gifts (Peter's sword and shield, Susan's bow and horn, and Lucy's dagger and magical cordial), you can sometimes have the opportunity to have a patron, or magical creature, grant personal rewards that are tailored to what the characters want or may need in the future.
You can use this to reward progress along a character arc, to give them resources they'll need in the future, or enhance items they already carry (perhaps 'revealing the magic that was always in them'). This might mean that someone's family dagger which they've always carried becomes a magical weapon, or that the scented ribbon left to them by their beloved gains the strength of steel and can revive them if laid upon their lips. How you can use Gifts in your game: - I usually give a character a personalized gift on (or at the game session closest to) their player's birthday. It's a fun little way to do something nice for one of your friends, and can let each person be "ahead of the curve" briefly without making the other player characters feel left out. - Some kind of seasonal Genie or other magical creature (a polymorphed dragon or celestial) might wander the earth and distribute gifts to worthy people or even heroes when the mood strikes them. - Rolling a random +1 magic weapon can easily be replaced with one of the characters' weapons becoming magic. This works best if your campaign is set up to reflect it, but it means you can have a character start with something that's important to them, without it being an overpowered weapon to start with. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 20 December 2019. +++ REPORT REDACTED UNDER VERMILION SECURITY +++
+++ NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE +++ "The Santabomination" incident occurred in northern Siberia approximately twelve months ago. We were able to neutralize the creature at substantial cost in manpower and materiel, as well as fourteen square miles of forest which is completely uninhabitable now. Security closed in pretty quickly, and we thought we had everything locked down... but somehow, some footage got out to CNN, and now we're blown. We've investigated all the troops who survived, but no-one has any security breaches recorded. Our suspicion is that it may have been one of the civilians we missed. We're on edge this year though. No-one's sure if we should expect another one. We have a dedicated base built up, with heavy weapon emplacements and three regiments patrolling the lockdown zone with surveillance equipment and air support. We can't even describe that thing properly. Samples have shown that it was carbon-based, and it definitely ate, we saw that. As for where it came from, we still have no idea. +++ REPORT ENDS +++ How you can use the Santabomination in your game: - A mysterious monster that turns up only on specific dates (a sacred day from an ancient and forgotten calendar, perhaps) can threaten an area with terrible danger, but may allow wily adventurers to prepare for their next emergence. - Such a creature might also carry some kind of treasure, whether material prizes or something more valuable but less ordinary, like ambergris. This could give rise to a tradition of hunters trying to kill the beast in order to seize the riches it carries. - Perhaps the beast is created by an evil sorcerer who dwells in the mountains at the northern pole, having enslaved a race of elves. He transforms a handful at a time into his abominations and sends them forth to ravage the lands that yet defy him. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 19 December 2019. This spell coats a victim with a viscous, clinging, fire which spreads to any creature or object they touch.
Spreadflame 3nd-level Conjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Components: V, S, M (a fist-sized ball of pitch, with a pinch of brimstone, and molasses rolled into it) Duration: 5 rounds You slap the target with a ball of pitch, which splashes open and spreads clinging flame which spreads to anything they touch. Make a melee spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 3d6 fire damage. At the start of the target's turn, they can make a Dexterity saving throw as a bonus action to extinguish the fire. If they fail, they take 3d6 fire damage. Any creature next to the target must make a Dexterity saving throw or also catch fire. If a creature touches or attacks the target with a natural weapon, they have disadvantage on this saving throw. The fire ignites any flammable objects adjacent to burning targets that aren’t being worn or carried. At the end of the spell's duration, all sources of fire are extinguished. At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 and the spell's duration extends by 1 round, for each slot level above 3rd. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 18 December 2019. In a D&D world, it's expected that your characters believe in their gods devoutly- that's how you get healed, see magic, and obtain blessings. It's not an act of faith so much as a pretty sensible worship of an incredibly-powerful being. So the fairly natural standard is to pick the one closest to your alignment and ethos, and just say "that one is my patron", or favourite.
This doesn't have to be the case, though. As with real-world religions, there are plenty of people who grew up in a faith, and follow its tenets (mostly) but aren't devout, or who do the yearly ceremonies because it's expected without attending to daily prayer or weekly masses. In a D&D world, some might even be unwilling servants, sworn to an oath that they had to make out of need, obligation, social pressure or divine mandate, without necessarily agreeing with that god's ethos. So, a (personally) evil servant of a Good deity might try to abuse the system to benefit them and their allies, while being encouraged to be generous and kind, while a personally good servant of an Evil deity might be trying to slip in compassion and kindness between the acts that their patron expects of them, perhaps with some kind of divine 'shock' administered if they don't attain their quota or spread enough misery. I've touched on this before, but my expectation is that alignment isn't just how you act, it's how you feel about those acts afterwards. Like a worker in a strict bureaucracy who has to follow the rules, even if those rules are mean-spirited, this can affect how much information your characters gives, how much assistance they'll offer, and the way they offer those. Perhaps a secretly-good cleric can give away healing cantrips, but their more powerful spells attract a cost or oath somehow. How you can use devotion in your game: - Having a range of alignments within a clergy (and lay worshippers as well) expands your game from moralistic groups arguing with each other to a more realistic worldview. If your players know to avoid Pater Aemon at the Church of the Morninglord because he's that jerk who insists on the full chartered cost for every single healing, and go to Sister Nataliy because she actually cares about people, even if she's a bit busier from healing in the slums every day, then you're doing a great job! - This can be a challenging option for a Player Character, so make sure you discuss it with your GM first. It can be really fun to play a character who's counter to expectations and a little quirky- a strict orthodox servant of Sune the goddess of beauty, who prefers spartan living and aesthetic and is just following the family business; a good-hearted cleric of Bane who desperately wants to help but is shackled by his master; a reformed and redeeming cleric who now serves Ilmater, Father of Suffering who used to be a kneebreaker for the local Thieves' Guild. - Another interesting aspect to consider is how the god feels about their servant. When they're able to make contact and ask questions with spells like augury, commune, and divine intervention, will they be gently chivvying their wayward servant, or looking at their deeds with pity and eyes full of wrath? Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 14 December 2019. Ineffables are chaotic spirits formed at the junctions of the Abyss and the Positive Energy plane. They seethe with purposeless growth and riotous energy. Although they are not malicious, they do not understand mortal life's fragility.
In appearance, Ineffables are constantly growing and shifting, manifesting elements of various creatures and objects they have seen recently. Some Ineffables fixate on specific elements that they have grown fond of- orchids, scissors, spiders, bouncy balls, or other random forms- and attempt to adopt aspect of that thing in all their forms. Some wish to experiment with the mortal realm, some wish only to experience it, some experience an unpleasant buzzing from the light, and just want to go home. Statistics: Ineffables are 18-Hit Die Aberrations. They may use any Sorcerer spell of up to 5th level at will as an action, and trigger a wild magic surge each time they do so (ignoring half the effects, if they wish to). They regenerate 11 (2d10) hit points per round, and their touch imparts 3d10 points of healing and 3d10 points of necrotic damage. Ineffables possess resistance to any bludgeoning, piercing or slashing damage from a nonmagical weapon, and to radiant damage. All Ineffables possess telepathy, with a 60-foot range. They are truly Chaotic Neutral, and any Lawful creature finds them incredibly disturbing just to perceive, let alone interact with. How you can use Ineffables in your game: - An Ineffable comes wandering, meandering through the wilderness. Plants have grown in abundance along its path, but those creatures that have crossed its path are grotesquely dead, swollen with hideous growths and sprouting saplings from their corpses. - An Ineffable inhabits an embassy, representing their kind and trying to understand mortal life. They can be called on but they are utterly unpredictable, and only with the application of the most perfect or imperfect (no-one ever knows which) gifts, whichever items are the required gift of this cycle, will they provide advice (see China Mieville's Perdido Street Station for an example). - A throng of Ineffables in one place are a force of indescribable chaos. Their presence begins to unmake all reality, and powerful forces will quickly intervene in an attempt to cast them back. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 13 December 2019. The Old Gods of the universe are unspeakably ancient, old before the world was born. They embrace primal emotions, more more fundamental than thought or philosophy. Their desires are vaster and wider than morality.
The Old Gods were cast out in the Dawn War, when their children were born. Stars aged and died in the Old Gods' banishment. But they have patience, and cunning, and billions of years to plan, in addition to powers that snuffed out suns and gods alike. Their weapons included the Nightserpent, a beast that hides in the dark between the stars, and even stranger things. But perhaps they are not prepared for how the world has moved on without them, and what forces might be arrayed against them. How you can use the Old Gods in your game: - Much like the Reapers of Mass Effect, one of the Old Gods returning can bring whole kingdoms to dust. Worlds will tremble as they begin their awakening, and no force can stand against them. Only a few plucky heroes in the right place can unbalance the magics that will return them, and surely no-one is dumb enough to sign up for that much of a suicide mission? - Perhaps the awakening of the Old Gods brings their minions, ur-demons from the deepest depths of the Abyss, realms of pure insanity and unreasoning hatred. Like Dragon Age's Blight, this can wreak havoc across the world and allow lower-level adventurers to fight their way to positions as experienced combatants. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 12 December 2019. 'Ossuary' means 'place of bones'. To most D&D players, they'll be creepy and full of skeletons. But you can mess with their expectations there.
Historically, an ossuary was where you moved bones after a certain number of years in a cemetery, in order to make space for more newly-dead customers. So logically, if the bones were going to rise, they would do so many years before they were interred in an ossuary. However, hatred runs much deeper than flesh- a corpse laid to rest here might arise as a wraith or some other kind of spirit undead, and might even have some kind of power to awaken others. How you can use an Ossuary in your game: - Your Player Characters learn that a single skeleton interred in the city's ossuary has coded messages carved into the bones, some kind of secret that their enemies are also searching for. They will need to infiltrate the quietened halls of the ossuary to find the bones they need, passing silent groups of mourners honouring their ancestors' bones, and evading a smash-and-grab operation by their enemies' forces. - One of your PCs might discover while taking their annual pilgrimage to visit their ancestors that one of the hollows is empty, and no-one seems to know what happened. The evidence has scratches and traces of blood there, and everything seems to indicate that the body walked out all on its own... where has the newly-resurrected gone, and who are they? - A Necromancer has been quietly visiting the Ossuary as a supplicant for years, preparing each interred skeleton with her own blend of magical energy, waiting the day when all their spirits are forced back from the Halls of the Dead. On that day, the spirits rise up to form an Inciter, a monstrous dark being of pure undeath. Unless your PCs are able to intervene, their city is doomed. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 11 December 2019. Stonetoads are a curious holdover from some past magical dynasty- a race of creatures bred for a specific and useful purpose- to form roads and paths. They appear as paving stones with a large toad growing from the bottom, and feed on lichen, weeds, and slow-moving insects which crawl across them.
When one dies, its "stone" crumbles slowly over the next few weeks, resuming an organic nature. Stonetoads gather in large numbers and seem to enjoy forming patterns. Occasionally, the patterns change, apparently on the whim of the stonetoad colony. If damaged (by a fireball or similar incident), stonetoad colonies tend to 'ripple' which may betray their nature. Statistics: These creatures are barely a pest, serving a useful function and in the very rare situation that one has been angered enough to endanger a humanoid, it poses more threat being dropped onto them than by having any weapons. They have resistance to all types of damage, and immunity to nonmagical slashing, piercing and bludgeoning attacks while surrounded by other stonetoads. A stonetoad weighs about 4 pounds, which is surprisingly dense for such a small creature. They have animal level intelligence, and no special powers. How you can use Stonetoads in your game: - A path through a mage's garden may be made up of a colony of stonetoads for aesthetic. The mage who lives nearby enjoys their quiet creaking noises at night. - An ancient highway which has existed for centuries appears in nearly-new condition, and the local ruler asks adventurers to investigate if the stones can be relocated. Surprisingly, they can, but the colony may resist such efforts, hopping away at night-times if unattended. - Stories tell that a specialized breed of stonetoads exists, with decorative markings on their backs rather than plain stone. Finding and breeding such creatures could make an enterprising adventurer a lot of money! Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 7 December 2019. This spell undoes a target's bodily permanence, temporarily transforming them into an uncontrollable and horrifying state.
Splinch 3rd-level Transmutation (Sorcerer/Wizard spell) Casting time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S, M Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes This spell transforms the target's body into an uncontrollable form, long and springlike, seemingly without bones. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw to avoid the effect. The spell has no effect on shapechangers or creatures with 0 hit points. The transformation lasts for the duration, or until the target drops to 0 hit points or dies. The target takes 5d8 bludgeoning damage and becomes Stunned for the spell's duration. At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 2d8 for each slot level above 3rd. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 6 December 2019. Highspire Keep is an ancient fortress built by Dwarves, jutting from the side of a mountain pass days from civilization. It looms above the narrow pass like a malevolent hand, oddly abandoned. Tales tell that the keep is cursed, and although it has been inhabited many times over the ages, those who inhabit it seem to have come to bad ends. Strangely, the keep has never fallen to invasion, only to internal conflict, disease, or other misfortune.
The stones of the keep are hardy, and its construction sound. Although some small sections may have crumbled slightly, it is in excellent condition. The keep is only accessible through a wide (perhaps fifteen feet) staircase and series of landings, winding around the bend in the pass, and leading upwards to a courtyard a hundred feet above the floor of the pass. The main tower stretches up another four floors inside the surface of the mountain, with smaller towers connected by flying buttresses. The inside of the keep has soaring ceilings and sturdy furnishings, and although it is a little drafty when the wind howls, the keep itself is quite a prize as a highly secure base controlling a pass which can be used for trade. Highspire Keep can be run on a staff of perhaps twenty staff, and requires another twenty or so guards to hold it for any time, but can hold up to two thousand inhabitants and soldiers at peak capacity. It would make an ideal keep for a small army or large organization to inhabit. How you can use Highspire Keep in your game: - If your Player Characters feel the need to build a home, happening upon the abandoned Highspire Keep might give them the ability to nest and build up a base. They can start to populate rooms, decorate, train up some soldiers to inhabit it, and start to clear out areas nearby which might be infested with monsters. This means they might discover small hidden areas like the library, a tiny almost-spherical room beneath the basement, with one desk and hundreds of valuable tomes; the sally-port, a very narrow tunnel leading away through the bones of the mountain to a narrow ledge on the other side of the mountain so that inhabitants can escape; and the observatory, a platform atop the tallest tower with a mosaic beneath years of built-up snow, depicting the stages of the sun, moon, and stars at different times of the year. - A villain might inhabit Highspire Keep, holing up in a nearly-impregnable location to defy those who would attack them directly. The location makes them hard to reach, but canny adventurers might be able to fly over the mountains, scale the walls, or sneak their way in. - Highspire Keep could be an interesting location to seek sanctuary if player characters are out on the road and being hunted, whether by a powerful dragon or a tribe or Ice Barbarians. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 5 December 2019. Those who swear the Oath of Perfection are part of a highly exclusive Order, admitting only those truly worthy to be called 'excellent'. They are as renowned for their prowess as their pride (or arrogance), and although the sight of just one of these paragons has been enough to halt a war, the presence of a number almost invites an escalation of force. For this reason, and that of their respective egos, they generally travel alone. The Oath is one of truly giving their finest at all things.
When things seem chaotic and without control- this is when Oaths of Perfection are sworn, when champions of all things fine and beautiful emerge to drive back the ravening hordes. To these paladins, maintaining their own purity is the most important factor of all. These Laurel Knights, as they call themselves, are venerated champions and highly feted wherever they pass. They maintain their gear to absolute perfection, and are shamed to be seen wearing anything less than the finest. Tenets of Perfection The tenets of the Oath of Perfection vary by paladin, but all the tenets revolve around being a flawless inspiration. Paladins who uphold these tenets swear never to compromise in the face of mediocrity, so they are often lawful in alignment. The core principles of their tenets can be complex to follow. - Be the champion. Faced with a choice between inferiority and glory, I will always choose glory. I, and I alone, define my victory. I will not allow lessers to speak for me, nor to define how I win. - Never compromise. Even in the face of armageddon, I will not allow my own purity to be sullied. I regard failure as a personal failing, and will resolve to be better. - In all things, I will accomplish greatness. I will never give less than my utmost. - Be seen to do great things. I will ensure not only that I accomplish greatness, but also that others will see and be inspired by my deeds. Oath Spells Level: 3rd - Spells: Charm Person, True Strike Level: 5th - Spells: Aid, Enthrall Level: 9th - Spells: Beacon of Hope, Spirit Guardians Level: 13th - Spells: Dominate Beast, Stoneskin Level: 17th - Spells: Dominate Person, Seeming Channel Divinity When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the folowing two Channel Divinity options. Abjure Enemy: As an Oath of Vengeance paladin. Divine Skill. As an action, you can imbue yourself with positive energy. For 1 minute, your proficiency bonus is doubled for ability checks you make that use for one ability that you choose at the time that you use this feature. If you fall unconscious, the effect ends. Aura of the Unsullied By 7th level, your own confidence in your ability and purity helps you shrug off imperfections imposed upon you by others. You and other friendly creatures within 10 feet of you gain advantage on any effect that would change their mind or their form (such as charm, polymorph or petrification, but not damage). At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet. Immaculate Starting at 15th level, when you are at maximum hit points, you have resistance to all damage types. Paragon Starting at 20th level, as an action, you transform for 1 minute into the most blindingly perfect version of yourself that you imagine. You have advantage on all die rolls, and have immunity to all conditions. In addition, at the start of each of your turns you regain 10 hit points. Once you use this ability, you can't use it again until you've finished a long rest. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 4 December 2019. Content warning: Some body horror.
In life, the Lady of Unquiet Flesh was an exceedingly beautiful mortal, given to finesse and talent in all their pursuits. It is rumoured that she was even one of the fabled Laurel Knights, such was her ability and unmarred beauty. However, her pursuit of bodily perfection went too far, and she was driven to madness, mutilating and sculpting the forms of her own servants to better gaze upon a semblance of her own sublime flesh. When she died, she was claimed by the Hells, and made one of the Ten Thousand Kings of Hell. Now, swathed in ever-shedding rolls of dermis, the Lady of Unquiet Flesh rules a court made up of grotesque ghouls, each a deliberately imperfect and horrific replica of her own appearance. Her own body rebels against her, peeling and shuddering apart to be fallen upon and consumed by her hungry courtiers. Each is an affront to her senses and sight, and she cannot avoid them. Her court is a lavish affair, constantly in a mess due to the state of her courtiers, who have no sensibilities or refinement. Those who serve the Lady of Unquiet Flesh often bear a lesion on their skin which cannot heal, and have a habit of picking at it when they aren't concentrating. They have powers of uncanny luck and prowess, often accomplishing deeds which seem impossible. They thrive on glory, and often work to ruin the good name of others, cutting down "tall poppies" and building their own renown. Statistics: The Lady of Unquiet Flesh is a 24-Hit Die Erinyes Devil. Instead of wings and a longbow, she has the ability to conjure up to six swords out of fiendish essence, and hurl each at a target within 100 feet as a ranged attack, causing longsword damage plus 3d8 necrotic damage, and the target must make a Constitution save or become poisoned. The poison lasts until it is removed by the lesser restoration spell or similar magic. How you can use the Lady of Unquiet Flesh in your game: - It is said that all ghouls serve the Lady, and occasionally a horrific shrine can be located in one of their nests, depicting her as an idealized and beautiful woman, often sculpted from discarded body parts which they have gnawed from corpses and patched together. - A Warlock serving the Lady might be tasked with destroying the reputation and beauty of a nobleman in town, scarring his face with acid or just marking his cheek in a duel. If an NPC discovers that they have become such a target, any wise person would seek assistance from local adventurers. - A PC servant of the Lady might have been damaged by a similar attack themselves, causing them to seek aid from her. She has a soft spot for those who seek to be perfect, knowing that they are not, and may even command them to take pity on one of her victims. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 4 December 2019. |
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