A Belgoi atop a rock, ringing its bell. Copyright 2010 Wizards of the Coast.

This post is part of a series! Click here to see the rest.

What do fey look like in a world whose environment as deeply fucked up as Athas’? Let’s check it out.

The Lore

The Belgoi (singular and plural are the same) lived in the Feywild before it was destroyed in ancient Athasian history, and they weren’t the most pleasant of fey back them. They took refuge in the world, but eventually came to hate it and all its residents. Now they live to despoil everything they touch.

Belgoi organize into small nomadic tribes led by the strongest member. They’ll stop at a location and live there for a while, moving on when everything around them is ruined, consumed, or polluted. They often go out hunting, and will eat anything and anyone they can catch. They prefer sapient victims because they think meat tastes better when seasoned with terror, and that eating someone lets them absorb the victim’s power. That’s why they also eat their own dead.

Eladrin are their preferred victims, since the belgoi blame them for the destruction of their homelands.

Belgoi wear leather or hide armor, which I guess is true of most fighters on Athas. They fight with claw or spear, and wield small bells which they use to channel their magic. Ringing the bell allows them to lure targets closer for the kill, isolating them from their peers and breaking their formations.

This makes me think their name is a horrible pun (belgoi == “bell guy”).

Some of them have the ability to drain a victim’s life force through the wounds they inflict. You can see it seeping out and flowing into the creature.

The Numbers

Belgois are Medium Fey Humanoids with Speed 6 and Low-Light Vision. They speak Common, and all of the stat blocks here are Chaotic Evil. Their signature trait is that they’re Hungry For Blood, which makes all their attacks deal extra damage against bloodied targets. All of them also have a bell-related power, which is a little different for each variant.

Belgoi Craven

The weakest and most cowardly of their number, hiding behind more powerful warriors and waiting for the chance to pounce upon weak or isolated enemies.

These are Level 7 Minion Skirmishers, whose Craven Slink gives them a +2 bonus to all defenses when adjacent to an ally (even another craven). Their claw is a standard minion basic attack, and their Compelling Ring (ranged 10 vs. Will, Encounter) can slide the target 5 squares to a square adjacent to the craven or one of their allies. Dangerous when the more powerful variants are around!

Belgoi Stalker

Not every belgoi belongs to a tribe. Stalkers usually travel alone, but can sometimes join up with mixed humanoid bands that have similar inclinations. They will also opportunistically insert themselves into ongoing fights, trying to lure a victim out while they’re busy with other enemies. And you can also just say a given stalker is with a tribe too, of course. They’re Level 7 Lurkers with 63 HP.

Stalkers will star the fight at a distance, and use the Enticing Ring (Ranged 10 vs. Will) of their bells to lure a target. On a hit the target is pulled 5 squares and dazed for a turn. The stalker then moves up and uses its basic Claw attack, which deals light physical damage and ongoing 5 damage (save ends). If the target is dazed, like they would be in this scenario, the ongoing damage is increased to 15 and the Stalker takes a -5 penalty to its defenses until the start of its next turn, giving it an incentive to stay away.

Belgoi Hunter

Hunters are the main frontline units of a Belgoi attack, engaging enemies directly with their spears and trying to make them vulnerable to the attacks of their sneakier fellows. They’re Level 8 Soldiers with 89 HP.

Hunters fight with their spears, but instead of charging into the fray they’ll try to draw enemies to them with the Ringing Attraction of their bells. This minor action power attacks the Will of all enemies in a Close Burst 5. On a hit, the hunter pulls the target 3 squares and marks it.

The hunter can then use its Stakeout attack against an enemy it has marked, which deals the same damage as the basic spear strike and immobilizes the target for a turn.

This set of powers is perfect for a tactic where hunters get the party’s defenders out of position so a large horde of cravens or a stalker can slip through.

Belgoi Caller

Callers usually lead belgoi tribes and hunting bands. They’re visibly more powerful than their followers, and have access to stronger magic and psychic powers that help their allies and hinder their foes. Not every hunting band will have a caller in it, but when they show up they’re bad news. Callers are Level 8 Elite Controllers with the Leader tag and 178 HP.

They can fight with Claws that damage and inflict ongoing 5 damage (save ends), but their actions are better spent on their Ennui Lash power (minor action, melee 3 vs. Will), which does equivalent psychic damage and inflicts a -2 penalty to Will for a turn. That opens the enemy up to their bigger powers, and to the psychic attacks of their buddies.

The first big power is Command of the Bell (Ranged 10 vs. Will, recharge 4+), which deals psychic damage, slides the target 3 squares, and forces them to make an at-will attack against an ally of the caller’s choice. Not a basic attack, an at-will attack.

The other big power is Distant Ringing (area burst 3 within 10 vs. Will, recharge when first bloodied), which deals psychic damage to enemies caught inside and pulls them towards the center of the burst. Allies caught inside can shift 1 square and roll a save.

Encounters and Final Impressions

Encounters with groups of belgoi are pretty similar to the ones described for the lone stalker above. They creep around the party trying to stay undetected until their targets are vulnerable or engaged in another fight, try to lure and kill as many victims as they can.

They’ll use clever ambush tactics and take advantage of terrain as much as possible, but don’t seem to like surrendering or talking. They always begin with the ambush, and run away if things don’t go their way, possibly to return later for revenge.

I like their mechanics, but I’ll admit I can’t get over the pun. Bell guys. Sigh.