“It used to be that Rookery Tom was beloved by everyone in the slums for his quick wit, sly style and mostly his crooning. Beloved by all but one, that is. Seems that the master of the thieves’ guild didn’t take his lady’s affection for the bard too keenly. So he sent some fellas with keen knives to cut the tabaxi’s vocal cords and well, the other bits the lady fancied.

Not sure if’n they intended to kill ol’ Tom or just make an example outta him. Don’t think the guild master cared much either way. He should’ve though. Folks took the bard’s death pretty hard and they knew where the blame lay. Protection payments dried up. Number runners got mugged. Working girls quit in droves. Oh, the thieves’ guild tried to bring it back to heel and weren’t none too pleasant about it. But then a strange thing happened; a dark, terrible thing.

Guild knee-breakers went missing. A few of its cutpurses turned up sliced to ribbons. The guild master’s lady swore she heard Rookery Tom humming outside her window. Slowly but surely she went mad before wandering off one night and offing herself where they found the tabaxi’s corpse weeks before. Other ladies swooned over a black shadow they said visited them in the night, only to end up dead a few days later every time. The thieves got together and deposed their leader with a flurry of blades. They figured it’d lay Rookery Tom to rest.

It didn’t.”

-Fossor Carvilius Graeme

Rookery Tom

Medium undead, neutral evil

Armor Class 13

Hit Points 82 (11d8 + 33)

Speed 0ft

Flight 40ft (hover)

Str 7 Dex 16 Con 16 Int 10 Wis 12 Cha 18

Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained

Damage Immunities Cold, Necrotic, Poison

Damage Resistances Acid, Fire, Lightning, Thunder; Bludgeoning, Piercing, And Slashing From Nonmagical Weapons

Senses darksight 60ft, passive Perception 11

Languages common, elvish, thieves' cant

Challenge 7 (2900 XP)

Dim Silhouette:

In darkness Rookery Tom is considered invisible, even to creatures with dark vision.

Ethereal Sight:

The ghost can see 60 ft. into the Ethereal Plane when it is on the Material Plane, and vice versa.

Incorporeal Movement:

The ghost can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

Pounce:

If Rookery Tom moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the ghost can make one bite attack against it as a bonus action.

Actions

Multiattack:

Rookery Tom makes a claws attack and bite attack as one action.

Claws:

Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6+4) necrotic damage.

Bite:

Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 15 (3d6+4) necrotic damage.

Enthralling Purr.

Creatures that can hear Rookery Tom within 30ft must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw DC 15 or be charmed by the ghost. While charmed in this way, the target idolizes Rookery Tom, and it hinders anyone who opposes the ghost, although it avoids violence unless it was already inclined to fight on the ghost's behalf. This effect ends on a target after 1 hour, if it takes any damage, if the ghost attacks it, or if it witnesses the ghost attacking or damaging any of its allies. If a creature succeeds on this save it is immune to Rookery Tom's enthralling purr for 24 hours.

Etherealness:

The ghost enters the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa. It is visible on the Material Plane while it is in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet it can't affect or be affected by anything on the other plane.

Reactions

Black Cat's Curse.

When a creature that Rookery Tom can see within 60 feet of it makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a damage roll, it can use its reaction to roll 1d8 and subtract that number rolled from the creature’s roll. The ghost can choose to use this feature after the creature makes its roll.