Dismay Encounter

Haphazard, black feathers cover the fey’s scalp and spill down her back. While the dismay doesn’t have proper wings, the mangy plumage rips from the woman’s skin on strands of shadow whenever she takes to the air. Her face would be pretty if not for a blood-red, sharp beak instead of a proper mouth. Her skin is a shade darker than the feathers and is both leathery with age but firm with youth. She clothes herself in gray, backless night gown complete with ruffled sleeves. The dismay’s webbed talons peek out from underneath the fabric.

Dismay

Medium Fey, lawful evil

Armor Class 14

Hit Points 65 (10d8 + 20)

Speed 30ft

Flight 30ft

Str 12 Dex 18 Con 14 Int 10 Wis 14 Cha 16

Saving Throws Cha +5

Skills Insight +4, Perception +4

Damage Resistances lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't silvered

Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion

Senses darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 14

Languages common, sylvan

Challenge 3 (700 XP)

Ennui.

Whenever a creature fails a save against a spell cast by the dismay it takes an additional 2 (1d4) psychic damage.

Funk.

Any creature other than a dismay that starts its turn within 5 feet of the dismay must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be depressed and have disadvantage on Attack Rolls and Ability Checks until the start of the creature's next turn. On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to the funk of all dismays for 1 hour.

Innate Spellcasting.

The dismay's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell DC 13). She can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

At will: Animal Friendship, Thunderclap

1/day each: Dissonate Whispers, Tasha's Hideous Laughter (except the effect is sobbing instead), Thunderwave

Actions

Swan Song

Ranged Spell Attack: +5 to hit, reach 30ft, one target. Hit: 11 (2d8+3) psychic damage.


The Red Pear Tree.

The encounter below is written as the sixth floor of a dungeon within a towering, direfly infested tree bearing vile, red fruit the size of boulders. This is written as a Waning Princes scenario. This is written as a hard to dangerous encounter for level 10-11 player characters.

Encounter

This room is flanked by a pair of wide apertures that lead directly out into the branches of the Red Pear Tree. The clusters of sinister fruit and wide leaves more or less hide these openings from view unless one is up close to the trunk. There are three rope ladders bound to the thicker branches nearby that lead to balconies below. Bushels of red pears are scattered through the room, as are the seven dismays who nest here in small tubs of water. The black swan fey flit out into the nearby branches and pick chunks from the crimson fruit when it ripens. The rest of the time they float in their tubs and cruelly gossip about the fey courts. There is an eighth tub in the room with a mummified hand floating in the water. It bears a golden ring etched with seven skulls. A sweeping starcase of polished wood leads to the next floor. The walls are wooden as well, covered with crimson veins.

Trap:

Storm-Ring Hand.

Removing the hand activates a necromantic trap on it. The hand will float in the same square as the character that removed it who is now cursed. Whenever the cursed creature attacks another creature the hand lashes out at the end of the cursed character's turns. The hand attacks a random creature within 30ft with the Lightning Lure spell. The hand has a +6 to hit with this spell attack and inflicts damage as if it was same character level as the cursed character it is attached to. Once activated the hand can only be destroyed by casting remove curse on the cursed character it is attached to.

Lair Actions.

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the assembled dismay take a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the action taken depends on the number of dismays remaining.

5 to 7 Dismay Remain - Ruffle Feathers.Each Dismay may conjure a swirling cloud of black feathers bound by spectral sinew around a target creature. The creature must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity save or be Restrained until the end of their next turn.

3 to 4 Dismay Remain – Dreadful GazeEach Dismay may instill fear in a creature they can see within 30ft that can see them. The target creature must suceed on a DC 13 Wisdom save or Feared.

1 to 2 Dismay Remain – Bitter TearsEach Dismay may cast Tasha's Hideous Laughter (except the effect is sobbing instead) without expending one of its Inate Spellcasting uses. If the target creature fails the save the Dismay gains 7 (2d6) temporary hit points.

Treasure:

Submerged in one of the dismay nests its a grimy potion of climbing pilfered from a long-dead adventurer. One of the other nests has a water-logged pair of Gloves of Theirvery from another doomed hero.