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Showing posts from June, 2020

Ranger Conclave: The Gravepact

Some rangers are attracted to the death and decay within the natural world, as much as others are loathed to admit it even exists. They tap into the necromantic energies produced by decomposition and use it to animate a loyal, undead companion. Through further rituals, these rangers invest themselves with the often misunderstood and misused powers. Barrow Born At 3rd level you gain an undead companion, a barrow born. With 8 hours of work, the expenditure of 50gp worth of gems and incense, as well as a fresh humanoid corpse, you summon forth an undead creature as a faithful companion. At the end of 8 hours, your barrow born rises and gains all the benefits of your gravepact ability. You can only have one barrow born active at a time. If your barrow born is ever slain, the magical bond you share allows you to return it to life. With 8 hours of work and the expenditure of 25 gp worth of gems and incense, you can reconstruct the undead companion's body and reanimate it. You can r

Unitrifle Devil

An unholy amalgamation of fiend and machine the unitrifle is a pale-scaled devil from the waist up and a single black-iron wheel below. Like the rest of the King of Fool's Cavalcade the infernal swaths itself in ostentatious finery. This is often a heavily-brocaded black doublet with ruby sequins and a pointed hat with a red puff at the top. Its face is painted to be almost clownish, but the angles of its makeup are acute enough to be unsettling. The unitrifle carries a vicious whip crafted from demon-skin. Hell on Wheels. The cavalcade's unitrifles fulfill many roles within the infernal cirque. When the malefic motley is on the move they serve as outriders. When the King of Fools has set up shop in a favored tyrant's territory the unitrifles function as scouts or calvary if matters get bloody. Matters often do. When performing for the masses unitrifles delight the unwitting crowd with all manners of acrobatics and other tricks in tandem with their fellow devils.

Strawman Devil

The actual force behind the strawman is a devilish spirit without substance or threat until it inhabits a vessel of straw. Generally these vessels are medium, humanoid shapes of blight and offal infested straw covered by a gawdy, patchwork costume of garish colors. The devil's face floats just in front of the vessel's blank visage, continuously twisting to resemble who each onlooker hates the most. Inhuman Shields. The strawmen devils delight in fomenting hatred in mortal hearts and in turn using it to lure them to their demise. The King of Fools Cavalcade usually deploys a few of them amid its other devils when engaging hostiles. The strawmen divert attacks that would be better aimed at true threats and usually fell a few 'troublemakers' when they finally go down. Occasionally, though, the King of Fools will set loose a handful of the infernals among the camps and enclaves of a tyrant's enemies so they end up burning out from within. The stat block below re

Vein Juggler

The devil's chalky, distended face is flanked by oversized ears and a mop of unruly, red hair. Its face is frozen in a grin with a vibrant, long tongue lolling from a perpetually open mouth. Make no mistake, though, beneath the vein juggler's ludicrous countenance lays a bloodthirsty beast. The acrobat wears a ruffled color of white top its bodysuit of a red and black checkerboard pattern. A ring of rusty spikes pierces the fiend's wrists. This leaves its hands slick with toxic blood that the vein juggler coalesces into balls for both combat and entertainment. Shock and Awe Troops. Vein Jugglers, as absurd as they are, make up the elite troops and everyday performers of the King of Fools Cavalcade. Their cartoonish mannerisms distract the masses who often assume them to be grotesque clowns. Disturbing or not, the vein jugglers further pacify the audience by tossing out bread and sweets. Their supernatural physique allows them to perform the most amazing stunts. At the sa

Dandy Lion

Clad in only the most cutting-edge courtly fashions, the dandy lion prances in its perfectly-tailored wares. The clothing, no matter how ornate and garish, never hampers the creature. The fiend has a head of a red-furred lion, with claws to match. Strangely, though, the dandy lion's tail is scaled and tipped with a spade-shape. The dandy lion always has a twinkle in its eyes and blood on its lips. Social Predator. The King of Fools knows for the social order to topple some level of the political elite must sanction the proceedings. The dandy lions of the cavalcade vigilantly scour the peerage for any hint of rebellious tendencies. With honeyed words and cruel barbs, they rip the possible offender's reputation to ribbons. They can even literally turn their opponents' attire against them. If that does not work the fiends demand the satisfaction only a duel can bring and let their tooth and claw do the work for them. Dandy Lion mediul devil, lawful evil

Blush Swine

The devil's curvaceous body all but spills out of a clingy dress with a black and red diamond pattern complete with ridiculous ruffles and glittering sequins. Behind a brocaded fan lays the bloated head of an infernal pig complete with gleaming tusks. The swine's face seems caked with white power, its cheeks rosy and beauty mark perfectly placed on the jowls. Blonde ringlets spill from its crown. Painted hooves and a ring-adorned, spiraling tail complete the creature's look. Weaponized Gossip. Blush swine know that something doesn't need to be true to be inciting. These boorish, pun intended, members of the King of Fools cavalcade spread disinformation and breed envy among the mortals they encounter. They take the guise of alluring courtesans to provoke nobles against commoners, or alluring circus floozies to provoke commoners against nobles. When the social classes clash the pigs whip up raw emotions until no one can tell friends from foe. Protective Mother. Nea

Bauta Devil

The bauta's eyeless and mouthless skull is polished to the point of gleaming like a porcelain mask. In fact, it is not uncommon for the infernal visage to be mistaken as such. Clad in a great coat of inky-black fabric the devil carries a truncheon of hell-forged iron and a shield emblazoned with the King of Fool's judging gaze. Tyrant's Bloody Hand. Bauta devils are attracted to any despot struggling to enforce their dictates be they devil or mortal; monarch or theocrat. Compelled to enforce the law in the move violent way possible the skull-faced fiends manifest out of the ethereal plane and beat the surprised troublemakers until they surrender or perish all while spouting orders in infernal. Then the devils disappear back into the ethereal plane and let local authorities clean up the mess. Bauta mediul devil, lawful evil Armor Class 15 (natural armor) Hit Points 45 (7d8+14) Speed 30ft

Scenario: Esker Keep

It was one of those rare times that Sickle Smile wished, well, that he could stop smiling. It wasn't the ravaged corpses strew about the courtyard that spoiled his mood, or the mishmash of bones and brier gnawing at spilled insides. The greasy smoke stinking of roasting, mortal flesh rising from the keep-side inn didn't sour the grinning herald's attitude, nor did the struggling cries of a trio of jugglers slowly being crushed and digested by the enchanted ivy on the rampart. Indeed, these were a few of his favorite things. Sickle Smile sighed heavily and sank to sit on the keep's front step. It was the fact he was stuck here because that arrogant waning noble that he'd worked so hard to release pulled rank. Of all the gall! Of course, he bowed and scrapped to Lord Leafripper and spun flowery bullshit about how it was just an honor to serve. The grinning herald grunted. His spindly fingers tapped on the direfly-in-amber top of his cane. With any luck the monstrous