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• Dec 16, 2022

  Let's Read Threats to the Nentir Vale: Clan Bloodspear

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

  This is an original entry about a specific group of antagonists.

  The Lore

  Clan Bloodspear is a large clan of orcs who make their home in the Stonemarch, a desolate region to the northwest of the Nentir Vale, separated from it by the Cairngorm Peaks. From what I understand, they’re pretty well adapted to it and don’t really need to raid their neighbors for resources. However, Gruumsh still exerts his divine influence to make sure they form a huge horde and ravage the surrounding lands about once every century.

  The clan was founded by the eponymous King Bloodspear, who in the distant past slew the elder dragon Kulkozsar in single combat and made a throne of his skull. The glory from his deed attracted many followers, and they made the dragon’s former lair into an entire underground city that kept being expanded and improved over time. In our narrative present it includes multiple forges, arenas, and slave pens. Their technology and production base is significantly higher than that of other orc clans, though they still rely on slave labor to power a lot of it.

  The last time the Bloodspear marched forth was ninety years ago, when they attacked Nentir Vale and practically erased the civilizations within it. The land and its inhabitants have yet to fully recover from that attack, and yet it seems they’re getting ready to do it again. Gruumsh has selected a new champion among the Bloodspear, and that champion is hard at work in forging them into an invading army.

  In an uncharacteristic move for the patriarchal Bloodspear, this new champion is a woman: Queen Msuga. She’s an extremely formidable warrior and general, and has defeated enough challengers to her legitimacy that all of them now accept her rule. Msuga is always accompanied by her sister Rohka, who is also known as the Blood Witch. As a high priest of Gruumsh, she commands vast mystical powers despite her withered body. Some rumors say Rohka is the true power behind the throne and Msuga is just a puppet. Whatever the truth is, it’s clear the two sisters are united in purpose.

  And this purpose is an ambitious one: the sisters are preparing not to simply raid the Nentir Vale, but to conquer and annex it as part of their nascent Bloodspear Empire.

  In addition to their powerful leaders and their large numbers of combat-ready orcs, Clan Bloodspear also contains a small but significant percentage of individuals of mixed orc and troll or ogre descent. The book described this as a “breeding program” overseen by Rohka and calls the results “vile half-breeds”, but I don’t like this language at all and would probably explain it as a natural consequence of them sharing space with ogres and trolls over on the Stonemarch.

  The Numbers

  Clan Bloodspear would mostly be made up of orcs fitting the standard profiles listed on the Monster Vault, but they also have some combat traditions that are unique to them. We also get stat blocks for the half-troll and half-ogre (ogrillon) members of the clan. You could conceivably add full-blooded ogres and trolls to their numbers as well.

  As a reminder, orcs are Medium Natural Humanoids with a speed of 6 and Low-light vision. Their signature trait is Savage Demise, which lets them take a standard action for free when they hit 0 HP. Some of the stat blocks here play with that standard template a bit, and I’ll point out when they do so.

  Bloodspear Grenadier

  

  The Bloodspear like their explosives! Grenadiers are Level 4 Artillery with 44 HP. They carry 2 handaxes to fight in melee or to throw, and 4 fire bombs that act as area burst 1 attacks and deal fire damage. Once per encounter when an enemy ends their movement adjacent to the grenadier, they can shift 2 squares and drop a load of caltrops in a close blast 3 pattern. This creates a zone that damages anyone who enters it or ends its turn inside.

  Grenadiers replace Savage Demise with Blazing Fury, which deals 5 fire damage to all adjacent creatures and lets them throw a fire bomb for free.

  I guess if these grenadiers manage to use up all of their ammo, they’ll probably retreat from the fight, since the Bloodspear are supposed to be a well-coordinated and more disciplined force than your standard orc band. You might want to add a feature like a supply cart to the battlefield that would allow them to reload, and would also be very flammable.

  Bloodspear Krull

  

  Krulls are named after a famous 80s fantasy movie that featured a weapon called a Glaive, because they are Bloodspear martial artists who specialize in glaives. That’s it. That’s the joke.

  The “glaive” from the movie was a cool throwing star thing, but the weapon Bloodspear Krulls use is the equally cool real glaive, a polearm with a single-edged sword blade at the end. They’re Level 5 Brutes with 78 HP.

  The glaive can be used to make strong Reach 2 basic attacks, and it can also be used in a Charging Sweep (recharge 6+) maneuver. This is a Close Burst 2 attack that deals the same damage as a basic attack, pushes targets it hits 1 square, and knocks them prone. As the name implies, it can be used as part of a charge.

  When the krull bloodies an enemy, its Frenzied Strike ability allows it to make a free extra attack against that enemy. And when they drop to 0 HP, their Charging Demise ability lets them recharge and immediately use Charging Sweep one last time.

  Bloodspear Ogrillon

  

  Orgillons are half-orc/half-ogres. They’re smaller and smarter than a full ogre, and almost as strong. These are Level 5 Elite Brutes with 156 HP.

  Orgillons fight bare-handed. Their slams do strong physical damage, and do bonus damage against prone targets. On a critical hit, they knock the target prone as well. As elites they can make Double Attacks. They lack a Demise ability, but their Brutish Retaliation allows them to use a slam against an enemy in reach that hits them with a ranged or area attack as a reaction. This sounds a bit redundant when these attacks already provoke opportunity attacks, but it at least lets the ogrillon save their opportunity action to attack someone else. Or to hit the offender again when they try to move away after landing that attack.

  Bloodspear Shiv

  Skilled knife-fighters, shivs are Level 6 Skirmishers with 75 HP. They carry no less than 12 daggers, which can be used in melee or thrown. Their Shifting Shank ability lets them shift their speed and make a dagger attack at any point during the movement. If this attack bloodies the target, they can make a second free attack against that target.

  They have the standard Savage Demise ability as well.

  Bloodspear Half-Troll

  

  Like ogrillons, half-trolls are smaller and smarter than their troll parent, and almost as strong. They also retain the infamous trollish regeneration abilities. They are Level 8 Soldiers with 92 HP.

  Half trolls have Regeneration 5 and Troll Healing, which lets them rise again with 11 HP a turn after they drop. Acid or fire damage can prevent them from healing for a turn, and can prevent them from rising.

  The half-troll’s claws damage and grab on a hit (escape DC 16), and it can grab up to two creatures at once. If a grabbed creature attacks the half-troll or escapes the grab, the half-troll can bite them as a reaction, an attack that deals light physical damage. It also has the standard version of Savage Demise, which could potentially trigger several times during the battle if the PCs are too slow with their acid and fire.

  Bloodspear Savage Throng

  A large unit of orcs with an unfortunate name, for use during the late Heroic tier. It’s a Huge Swarm of Medium Natural Humanoids, and a Level 9 Brute with 117 HP. It follows all the standard swarm rules: half damage from single-target attacks, 10 extra damage from area attacks, can occupy the same space as other characters, and can move through any opening big enough for a single Medium creature.

  The throng’s swarm attack aura (1) is relatively weak, inflicting only 4 damage on anyone caught inside. As it also occupies the swarm’s own spaces, though, it covers plenty of squares. Its basic attack is a Mob of Swinging Axes, and once per encounter it can pull off a Savage Frenzy that attacks every enemy in a Clost Burst 1, doing half damage on a miss. As with the aura, the burst should also catch anyone who is inside the swarm.

  Once at the start and once when first bloodied, the throng can make a Trample maneuver, which works as usual: move their speed and make an attack against any enemy whose space they move through. The attack deals physical damage and knocks prone.

  Queen Msuga

  

  Msuga is a Level 10 Elite Soldier with the Leader keyword and 212 HP. Her usual speed of 6 becomes 8 when she charges. If the PCs fight her, she will surely be alongside her sister Rohka and a sizable honor guard.

  Msuga’s greataxe marks the target for a turn on a hit, and she can perform a Sweeping Blade (recharge 5+) maneuver that attacks every enemy in a Close Burst 1 for more damage than a basic attack, and even more against bloodied enemies. This also marks everyone it hits for a turn.

  As a minor action, she can use Furious Onslaught to order an ally within 10 squares to charge or make a basic attack as a free action. If a marked enemy within 5 squares makes an attack that doesn’t target her, she can shift 5 squares to make a greataxe attack aggainst the offender as a reaction.

  When Msuga drops to 0 HP, Queen’s Demise allows her or an ally within 10 squares to use a standard action for free.

  Rohka the Blood Witch

  

  As mentioned above, Rohka is most likely to be found alongside her sister Msuga, and accompanied by a sizable honor guard besides. She is a Level 10 Elite Controller with 216 HP. She has the usual ground speed of 6 and an effective teleport speed of 10.

  Rohka fights in melee with her claws, but she prefers to stay at range and fling spells. Her go-to is Chaos Displacement, an area burst attack that targets Fortitude, deals psychic damage, and slides targets 3 squares. Every so often she can use the Baleful Eye of Gruumsh (recharge 5+), which targets 1 or 2 creatures and attacks Will. A hit deals psychic damage and slows (save ends). After the first failed save this worsens to immobilization, and after the second failure the target is dominated instead.

  If someone hits Rohka with a melee or ranged attack and an ally is nearby, she can use I Need a Volunteer (encounter) to teleport and swap places with the ally as an interrupt, making the attack target the ally instead of her. This does mean the attack could miss the ally if their defenses are higher. She also has the standard version of Savage Demise.

  Final Impressions

  Overall I like this portrayal of Clan Bloodspear. They make a solid choice for opposition because they’re ambitious and highly militarized imperialists with a penchant for enslaving others. In fact, they make me think of Rome’s mythical founding, since they’re led by two divinely-chosen siblings who are setting out to build an empire where before there was “nothing” (i.e, a bunch of civilizations who were minding their own business and were made targets for invasion).

  Combining the stat blocks from this entry with the standard orc stats in the MV gives you enough opposition to last you the whole Heroic tier. The book still uses the word “savage” a little too often for my tastes, and there’s the “vile half-breeds” thing, but I intend to change this if I ever use them in a game.

• Dec 13, 2022

  Let's Read Threats to the Nentir Vale: Calastryx

  

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

  When someone in the Nentir Vale points behind you and shouts “Look out, a three-headed dragon!” you should always look.

  The Lore

  I mentioned in earlier posts that the Vale was first settled by people from Nerath about three hundred years ago, and that the first area they settled is now known as the Old Hills.

  What we hadn’t learned yet was that this settlement process was far from peaceful. Back then, the Dawnforge mountains that make up the Vale’s eastern border were home to a small community of chromatic dragons who considered all they saw to be their domain. The first few attempts by human settlers to build villages in the Old Hills were thwarted by dragon attacks, with great loss of life and material.

  It was only when the settlers asked the dwarves for help that they succeeded in establishing a foothold. The next wave came accompanied by a sizable dwarven military force, which was quick to build the fortress of Hammerfast and use it as a base to fight off the dragons. It didn’t take long for them to meet the creature that was ultimately behind these attacks: Calastryx, the three-headed red dragon.

  Calastryx was too powerful for even the dwarven army to defeat, but they gave the wizard Starris enough time to cast a curse upon the dragon, placing her in a slumber that was supposed to be eternal. This allowed Nerath to finally settle the Vale, and Hammerfast to eventually grow into one of its major cities. To this day, no one knows the dragon’s history or why she has three heads. Does she suffer from a genetic or magical mutation? Is she the creation of a cruel god or of some other entity? Answers are thin on the ground, but your PCs just might get the chance to ask her.

  You see, that curse held strong for three centuries but it’s starting to weaken. It’s possible Calastryx will awaken in the near future. The region of the Dawnforge mountains where her lair used to be is currently inhabited by the Emberdark kobold tribe, who have their own share of historical beefs with the Hammerfast dwarves. Their priests have begun receiving visions from Kurtulmak, one of Tiamat’s Exarchs, speaking of Calastryx’s imminent awakening. The kobolds have starting raiding nearby travelers and settlements with the aim of gathering a treasure trove they’ll use to bribe their future mistress into accepting their loyalty. You can already see some of their warriors wearing shoulder pads that mimic extra heads, in honor of Calastryx.

  The Numbers

  The star of the show here is clearly Calastryx, but we also get a stat block for an Emberdark-specific kobold that you can mix in with the standard kobold stat blocks.

  Emberdark Kobold Pillager

  Apparently the Emberdark are pretty fond of fire, because this kobold here is something of a fire-themed paladin of Tiamat. It’s a Level 4 Soldier with 55 HP which, given the usual kobold level range, makes it one of their most powerful champions. It has Speed 6 and Darkvision.

  The pillager fights with a Flamebiter Spear that deals fire damage, marks for a turn, and makes it so targets that ignore the mark take 5 fire damage. They can also cast Fire Dart spells that do fire damage and mark for a turn, though they don’t have a “punisher” rider attached to them.

  When the pillager hits 0 HP, it goes out in a Blaze of Glory, making one final spear attack as a free action.

  I would probably turn the “take fire damage if you ignore the mark” rider from the spear into a trait that applies to both attacks, because things can get fiddly if you have to remember if a mark from the pillager has it or not.

  Calastryx

  Our star is a Huge Natural Magical Beast (Dragon) and a Level 14 Solo Brute with 684 HP. Level-wise she’s an adult red, but her actual stats differ quite heavily from the standard dragon template.

  She still has the standard draconic Action Recovery trait that ends any dazing, stunning or dominating effect on her at the end of her turn. The new bit here is that her Multiple Heads give her three turns per round, at fixed initiative counts of 30, 20, and 10. The only limitation here is that she cannot delay or ready actions (something monsters rarely do in my experience) and she only has one set of immediate actions between these turns.

  Her Reach 3 bites damage and slide 3 squares. Her Breath Weapon (recharge 6+) does light fire damage, half on a miss, and creates a damaging fire zone for a turn. She can also fire single-target Inferno Shots at will to deal heavy fire damage. Finally, Rip and Tear is an encounter power that allows her to bite up to three targets for slightly less damage than the basic bite.

  These actions seem a little weak, and they indeed are, fit more for a regular monster than a solo. But remember that Calastryx get three full turns per round to use them in. Each of her heads has a fully independent mind and they’re in perfect coordination. The Power of Three means each of them tracks their Breath Weapon and Rip and Tear powers separately. So she actually gets three uses of Rip and Tear per encounter, and three independently recharging uses of her breath weapon.

  Once she is first bloodied, Calastryx immediately grows a fourth head, which from then on acts on initiative 40 with its own independently tracked breath weapon and encounter power.

  Calastryx might be much more wrathful than your typical red dragon, but she’s still very smart. She will fight the PCs in places where she can herd them into tight spaces to ensure they’re all hit by her breath weapons and bites.

  Final Impressions

  Calastryx shows us how far we can stretch the mechanics and still end up with something that feels like a dragon, and I love her for it. Story-wise she’s pretty much your standard slumbering kaiju. She could be an awesome final boss for a campaign that ends at level 10, or a memorable “welcoming gift” for PCs who just made it to paragon tier.

  A lengthier campaign focusing on Calastryx could present the threat of her awakening early, and have its early conflicts be against the Emberdark kobolds. It might even be possible to reach a diplomatic resolution with them and get them onboard as allies against Calastryx when she finally awakens. I mean, your typical dragon already doesn’t have a great track record of treating its kobold lackeys very well, and Calastryx is even less inclined to do so no matter the size of the tribute they present her with.

• Dec 11, 2022

  Let's Read Threats to the Nentir Vale: Cadaver Collector

  

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

  I’m pretty sure I saw these in a 3e supplement somewhere, but there’s a nifty bonus stat block here that ties them to the Nentir Vale.

  The Lore

  Cadaver Collectors are specialized constructs first built by ancient necromancers to provide them with a supply of corpses. Their metal-plated bodies are covered in long spikes that they use to impale collected corpses for transport and delivery. They were commonly sent to “clear” battlefields after a battle had ended.

  Like many other constructs they’re pretty good at performing the job they were designed for and at following instructions related to it, but they can’t do anything else well. This is why no one sent them to fight in those battles. They only follow the orders of their current master, or those of a person who also serves that master.

  The original recipe for cadaver collectors was repeatedly lost and rediscovered over the ages. No one in the Nentir Vale knows how to build one in our narrative present, but there are several old ones still around in the wild. Many of them are located somewhere within the Witchlight Fens, a swampy region in the south-central Vale.

  When a collector’s master dies it will usually fulfill the last order it was given and then stand by waiting for more. If someone happens to die in their assigned area in the meantime, they will dutifully go out to collect the bodies. If someone manages to convince the collector they work for the collector’s master, the creature will obey their orders.

  After enough time waiting for orders that never come, their programming might mutate a bit, giving them a bit more initiative. Some collectors decide to go looking for a new master to serve. Others decide to broaden their mission parameters and consider living creatures valid targets for collection.

  There’s a hobgoblin necromancer named Gokof living in the Witchlight Fens who is unusually skilled at convincing ancient cadaver collectors to work for him. He’s nominally a member of the Daggerburg goblin tribe but spends most of his time away from them and in the company of his collectors and undead servants. He rarely has more than two collectors working for him at any one time, but never seems to have trouble finding more to replace them.

  The Numbers

  We get two stat blocks here, one for a cadaver collector and one for Gokof.

  Cadaver Collector

  These constructs are Large Natural Animates and Level 9 Elite Soldiers with 200 HP and a speed of 8. They’re immune to charm, disease, and poison, and have Resist Lightning 10. They are somewhat weak to thunder damage: whenever they take thunder damage, they become slowed (save ends).

  Collectors attack with Slams that deal physical damage and grab on a hit (escape DC 20). They can grab one Large creature or up to four Small creatures at once. As an elite it can perform Double Slams.

  The collector can also spend its action to Impale a grabbed creature. This deals massive damage, pulls them into the collector’s space, restrains them, and inflicts 10 ongoing damage (save ends all). When the collector moves, the creature is pulled along, and when the effect ends, the creature reappears in an adjacent space.

  You might have noticed that there’s a limit to how many creatures a collector can grab, but not to how many it can impale. It’s not going to matter much in practice, because it’s highly unlikely a collector will impale the whole party at once. However, if it ever becomes relevant I’m inclined to say their impaling limit is the same as the one for grabs. A fully loaded collector would have four Medium cadavers impaled and another four grabbed. And would probably have more than the two arms depicted in the illustration.

  Finally, the collector can Trample once per encounter like the big chungus it is. The rules are as usual: it moves its speed and can cross enemy spaces while doing so, making an attack that deals heavy physical damage and knocks prone against every enemy whose space they cross.

  Collectors fight by pretty much applying their programming to the PCs. Grab impale, repeat. When fully loaded, trample to retreat.

  Gokof, Hobgoblin Necromancer

  Gokof is a Level 9 Controller (Leader). He has speed 6 and low-light vision from being a hobgoblin. He wields a Staff as both weapon and implement, and has an array of necromantic spells at his disposal.

  His basic ranged attack is a Necrotic Ray that deals necrotic damage on a hit and slows for a turn as an effect. Anything that happens “as an effect” always happens, regardless of whether the attack hits or not! Less often (recharge 5+) he can cast Sapping Tendrils as a ranged area attack. This is not selective, and on a hit it deals necrotic damage, immobilizes, and inflicts ongoing necrotic damage (save ends).

  Instead of casting a spell, Gokof can use Command Animate to order an animate ally to make a melee basic attack as a free action. Cadaver collectors are animates, of course, and so are a lot of undead.

  Once per encounter, when an enemy within 5 squares of Gokof regains HP, the necromancer can use Dark Healing to automatically deal them a chunk of necrotic damage and recover 24 HP himself.

  Final Impressions

  If you think about it, the existence of cadaver collectors shows that necromancy in D&D requires an ideological commitment to the spread of undeath. These constructs are more powerful and have a less ethically questionable nature than most “servant” undead. They also take more skill to build, but their original builders clearly had that skill. And yet chose to task their constructs with collecting corpses for turning into zombies.

  I like the addition of Gokof to this entry. It helps establish a concrete situation where cadaver collectors appear in the Nentir Vale. It’s also an example of how a less “ideological” necromancer would come to control these creatures. This is more than even most other setting-specific monster books do. Those usually just say “these monsters exist in this setting”.

• Dec 9, 2022

  Let's Read Threats to the Nentir Vale: Boggle

  

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

  Boggles have been in the game since 1st Edition, when they appeared on the Monster Manual II. This is their 4e debut.

  The Lore

  Boggles are mischievous humanoid fey. They’ve been around a very long time, and are actually the common ancestors to both banderhobbs and mundane goblins! They love playing cruel pranks on others, and move from the Feywild to the world every time they find a fey crossing. The world’s mortals are so much more easily fooled than the jaded fey of their home plane!

  These creatures are naturally sneaky and have some capacity to bend space. It’s common for a child to complain to their parents about a “bogeyman” who keeps lurking just out of sight and disappears when looked at. Parents dismiss that as a childhood fantasy right up until the boggle strikes. Common pranks include spoiling milk, tying shoelaces together, setting clothes on fire, and all the stuff you might have read in old real-world myths about the Fair Folk. At the most cruel end that does include switching infants for swaddled animals or just plain snatching children away. There are also some adventurer-specific pranks like disassembling armor and hiding the pieces, or swapping brand new or magic weapons for old and rusty replacements.

  For all their cruelty, boggles are cowards, preferring to do their spying and sabotage through those mini-portals they can create. They get nervous and anxious when near other people, and this causes them to sweat profusely. Boggle sweat is a very distinctive substance, viscous and slippery like grease. It’s resistant to fire, though. Traces of it are often confirmation that boggles are acting in a location.

  Sometimes, stronger or smarter creatures manage to coerce boggles into working for them. Left to their own devices, they associate only with each other.

  The Numbers

  Boggles are an early-Heroic threat suitable for introducing PCs to the more fairy-tale side of fey opposition. They’re Small Fey Humanoids with ground and climb speeds of 6, and darkvision. They also have Fire Resistance 5 from their weird sweat.

  Their signature traits are Dimensional Window, which allows them to make “remote” Thievery checks against creatures up to 10 squares away; and Dimension Hop, a move action that lets them teleport up to 3 squares. Even tough they’re small, boggles have a long melee reach, because they hit you through a tiny portal. All of their individual powers are also based around this ability to create small dimensional windows.

  Boggle Sight Stealer

  This is a Level 3 Lurker with 37 HP. Its basic attack is a Reach 2 claw, and its favorite move is the Peek-a-Boo Trick a Range 10 attack that targets Reflex. It does no damage, but it lets the boggle pull the target to a space within 2 squares of it and to grab them. The target is blinded until the grab ends, either by the target beating its escape DC of 13, or by the boggle being more than 2 squares away from the target.

  While the boggle is grabbing a victim, it can use a Neck Bite on them. This attacks Reflex and deals heavy physical damage, half on a miss. If the victim escapes the grab, the boggle can attack it with Face Rip as a reaction, automatically dealing a bit of physical damage and allowing the boggle to teleport 3 squares.

  Sight Stealers work very well against controllers and ranged strikers, particularly if they have buddies that can keep the other PCs away from them.

  Boggle Blink Trickster

  Blink Tricksters are Level 4 Artillery with 43 HP. They’re the only artillery monster I’ve seen that lacks a ranged attack! Instead, their basic claw has a, well, boggling Reach of 10, and enjoys the increased accuracy usually given to ranged attacks from artillery monsters. This is an interesting implementation because it means they’re not actually weak in melee and need not fear opportunity attacks as much.

  In addition to the standard traits discussed above, blink tricksters can use a Double Diversion Trick to attack twice in one action. This recharges when they’re first bloodied. And if they’re damaged by a melee attack, they can dimension hop as a reaction once per encounter.

  Boggle Chase Trickster

  Chase tricksters are Level 4 Skirmishers with 53 HP. Their claws have a more typical reach of 2, and they have a couple of interesting movement powers.

  Foot-Snare Trick is a minor action that can target an enemy flanked by the boggle. It has an automatic effect: if the target moves more than 3 squares on their next turn, they end that movement prone. This won’t do much good against defenders, but it can ruin the plans of mobile strikers.

  Chase Trick is a reaction that triggers when the boggle is missed by a melee attack. It can shift up to 3 squares and pull the attacker along with it. This represents the creature tricking the attacker into chasing them, so the pull does provoke opportunity attacks! If the attacker ends this movement without taking damage, they can make a free attack against the boggle. The power recharges when the boggle is first bloodied. It’s only worth using if the boggle has plenty of other buddles hanging out nearby.

  Boggle Body Snatcher

  This is a Level 5 Controller with 61 HP. It has all standard boggle traits including a Reach 2 claw attack. Its special move is Body Snatch (recharge 4+). It’s a non-damaging attacks that dominates on a hit (save ends)! Until the target saves against this, the boggle is removed from play, and the target gains a +2 bonus to hit and damage. When the effect ends the boggle returns to play within 5 squares of the target.

  In other words, this thing works exactly like a Jockey from Left 4 Dead 2, riding the victim and directing their movement. It’s also extra-sweaty: once per round as a minor action it can leave a Boggle Sweat Stain on the ground. Each stain occupies a square and lasts until the end of the encounter. Whenever a non-boggle enters a sweat-stained square, they automatically fall prone.

  Final Impressions

  

  I like these creatures! Their lore gives them a proper fairy-tale monster feel, and their mechanics are flavorful and interesting. My favorite is the Reach 10 melee attack from the blink trickster, with the body snatcher’s sweat stains a close second.

• Dec 5, 2022

  Let's Read Threats to the Nentir Vale: Bloodfire Ooze

  

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

  I’m not sure if these are from a specific adventure or if they’re original. This is the first time I saw them. They are mostly generic monsters, but there’s a couple of Vale-specific hooks here.

  The Lore

  Bloodfire oozes are created by evil rituals which mix the blood of sacrificial victims with the blood of demons. The resulting creatures emit dangerous levels of heat and like most oozes are always on the hunt for more organic material to digest. They are able to recognize and avoid attacking their creator, and if fed regularly are tame enough to be used as guards. They’re usually placed near stone and metal traps or paired with other creatures that have a high resistance to fire.

  Bloodfire uses are rumored to prowl the Temple of the Yellow Skull in the Ogrefist Hills area, and some of them were also found by dwarven miners under Nenlast in the Old Hills. The latter were stored inside a giant iron statue of a demon, and spilled out when the miners began dismantling it.

  The Numbers

  Bloodfire Oozes are Large Elemental Beasts with the Ooze keyword, and level 7 elite brutes with 196 HP. They project a Bloodfire Aura (2) that deals 10 fire damage to any creature caught inside, and their Demonic Fire fire makes all of their fire damage ignore the first 10 points of fire resistance possessed by the target. As oozes, they suffer none of the usual penalties for squeezing through tiny spaces. They are immune to fire and vulnerable 10 to cold.

  The oozes attacks are the traditional slam (this time dealing fire damage) and a Fiery Eruption (recharge 5+) that attacks all creatures in a Close Blast 3 to deal light fire damage and ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends).

  The ooze can also form faces on its surface, usually the faces of the victims sacrificed to make it. These spew a Sulphuric Breath as a minor action once per round, attacking all creatures in a Close Blast 3 and dealing poison damage.

  When the ooze is first bloodied, it immediately recharges Fiery Eruption and uses it as a reaction.

  Many of the monsters we saw through our readings have selective auras and area attacks. The bloodfire ooze does not, which limits the selection of allied monsters. Unless you want lots of, er, friendly fire to happen in your encounter you need something with more than 10 fire resistance, and immunity is preferred. As mentioned above, the most likely encounter is a pair of oozes plus a hazard or two in the battlefield.

  Final Impression

  One more ooze type. They’re thematic for infernal or abyssal cults, and might be a nice surprise to spring on players who load up on acid resistance when they hear the word “ooze”.

  For added fun, you should run with the demon statue idea and stick a pair of these things inside that one statue from the 1e PHB cover, making them jump out as soon as the PCs pry out its gemstone yes.

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