Nobles of the Waning Court - The beauty of ripe fruit blended with the dread within autumn’s long shadows, every noble of the waning court is a vision to behold. Black, pupilless eyes dominate their fine-boned faces while sharp teeth lurk behind plush lips. The faeries’ ears are pointed like an elf’s, but slightly shorter. This is due to the antelope-like horns spiraling from their temples, the base of which are riddled with red-stained honeycombs. Waning court nobles wear their hair long, often braided with bones and sticks, and is a color of fall leaves. Their skin tone can best be described as bloodless. Commonly, these fey wear leathers cured of eldritch animals, cloaks made from a nightmare or displacer beast pelts, black iron plates, and amber adornments with petrified insects within. Most find their mien more savage than aristocratic. Stray direflies are their constant companions, always buzzing cryptic prophecies as they crawl about.

Waning stormthrowers are deployed during sieges or against heavily armored units. They carry cursed crossbows carved from rachis lantern bones. These heavy weapons have barbed bayonets attached to the front in the unlikely event a stormthrower is attacked in melee. Animated cloaks reminiscent of dragonfly wings fluttered from their spaulders, different colors and patterns defining their units.

A stormthrower’s crossbow carries a malefic curse. Once a creature is struck by one of the weapon’s bolts it binds to the closest bone and becomes a hunting beacon for the arbalest. In the stormthrowr’s sight a scarlet light outlines the victim guiding its subsequent shots. In addition cursed bolt makes victim more susceptible to the fey’s magical attacks.

Waning Stormthrower

Medium Fey, lawful evil

Armor Class 16 (studded leather armor)

Hit Points 112 (15d8 + 45)

Speed 30ft

Str 14 Dex 18 Con 16 Int 11 Wis 14 Cha 12

Saving Throws Con +6, Wis +5

Skills Preception +5

Damage Resistances lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks not made with silvered weapons

Senses darkvision 120ft, passive Perception 14

Languages common, sylvan.

Challenge 6 (2300 XP)

Magic Resistance:

The fey has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Timeless Archer:

The stormthrower does not suffer disadvantage when firing at a target within 5ft. In addition, the barb ignores half cover and does not suffer disadvantage at long range.

Cursed Shots:

A creature hit by the waning stormthower’s stormthrower crossbow attack suffers the following effects until all bolts from that stormthrower crossbow are removed: the stormthower knows the location of the creature within 1 mile, has disadvantage of all saves against any ability the arbalest uses, and attacks the stormthower makes against that creature have a 19-20 critical range. Removing a bolt takes an action and a successful Wisdom (Medicine) check, DC 10.

Actions

Multiattack

The waning stormthrower makes 2 attacks as one action.

Bayonet:

Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d4+4) piercing damage.

Stormthrower Crossbow:

Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 60/120ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d10+4) piercing damage.

Lightning Bolt (Recharge 6):

Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 60/120ft., one target. Hit: 13 (3d8) lightning damage and the creature must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution save or be blinded until the end of its next turn. Creatures within 5ft of the creature must also make a DC 13 Constitution save or be blinded until the end of its next turn. Lightning Bolt shares the same Recharge with Thunder Bolt.

Thunder Bolt (Recharge 6):

Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 60/120ft., one target. Hit: 13 (3d8) thunder damage and the creature must succeed on a DC 14 Strength save or be knocked prone. Creatures within 5ft of the creature must also make a DC 13 Strength save or be knocked prone. Thunder Bolt shares the same Recharge with Lightning Bolt.

Variant: Element Dedicated Stormthrower

Waning stormthrowers received training in the twin arcana of lightning and thunder and can empower their bolts accordingly and to devastating effect. It is not unheard of for an arbalest to be trained in only one element, which they wield with fanatical zeal. An element dedicated stormthrower loses either Thunder bolt or Lightning bolt but the recharge of the ability which remains becomes 5-6. In addition, the waning stormthrower gains damage immunity for their dedicated element but loses damage resistance for the other.