Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Atela: NPC Enemies

In addition to elves, dwarfs and giants, the Last Kingdom is also threatened by more singular menaces.

Bandits
Banditry is becoming something of a problem in Atela. As the winters grow longer, some people grow dissatisfied with their place in society. These malcontents reject the authority of Church and Crown, turn their back on the community of man, and serve only their own interests. Most bandits operate in small groups, waylaying unarmed travelers, but there are larger groups operating from the forests around the Dark Wood. Some bandits ally themselves with heretics and warlocks, but not even bandits will work with elves and giants.

Bandits in Atela are human and are generated as humans.

Heretics
Heretics threaten the authority of the Church by questioning accepted religious doctrine. Most heretics are literate and educated. Many come from within the ranks of the Church itself.  Their actions seem innocent enough, but by questioning doctrine they often undermine the religious bedrock that human faith is built upon. The Church takes a hard line against heretics. They actively ferret them out and, once found guilty in a church court, are condemned to death by burning.
There are two heresies, in particular, that the Church seeks to quash.
The first, known as the Heresy of Questionable Mandate, questions the Kingpriest's divine sanction to rule. Heretics of this stripe believe that the Church should operate independently of the Crown. This would seem like something the Church would embrace, but doing so would open the door to all sorts of thorny religious and secular issues, chief among them the infallability of the Church itself.  This could, in theory, lead to a religious schism in the Church, which could have far-reaching and devestating consequences for Atela and humanity in general.
The second heresy is known as the Heresy of the Avatar. This heresy states that God descended to Earth in mortal flesh and begat a divine child upon a noble bloodline. The Church vehemently opposes this heresy, stating that God has never taken physical form upon Atela and would certainly not engage in coitus with a mere mortal. Followers of this heresy believe that this divine bloodline will emerge soon and sweep away the old and corrupt, ushering in a new era of warmth and growth.

Heretics in Atela are human and are generated as humans.

The Undead
Undead in Atela are predominantly ghosts. Physical undead are rare. Restless spirits rise from unhallowed graves, and attack any living creature that they encounter.  Physical undead, such as skeletons and barrow weights, are usually associated with a specific location, such as a tomb or battlefield. Undead cannot enter hallowed ground and are vulnerable to radiant damage.

Undead should be generated using the descriptors in the 5e Monster Manual. Care should be taken by the DM to ensure that any undead are thematically appropriate for the setting. Ghosts, weights and will-o-wisps are appropriate for Atela. Vampires and liches are not.

Warlocks
Warlocks are humans who have made a bargain with the Devil or one of his minions, gaining occult powers in exchange for service. Most people live in terror of warlocks as they can be anyone: family, friends, neighbors.  All warlocks have a devil's mark somewhere on their body, identifying them as a warlock. They cannot use magic to hide this mark.  Also, warlocks cannot use their powers on hallowed ground. Warlocks discovered by the Church are hung.

Warlocks are humans and are generated as humans. The Devil is the patron of all warlocks in Atela.
Warlocks are proficient with Light armor and Simple weapons. They are proficient with the Deception and Persuasion skill, as well as one other Skill of your choice.
At 1st Level, Warlocks choose the Fiend as their Otherworldly Patron.
At 2nd Level, they choose one Elderitch Invocations.
At 3rd Level, they choose a Pact Boon.
At 5th Level, they choose a second Elderitch Invocation.

Warlocks are Arcane Spellcasters. They know a number of Warlock spells equal to their Character Level + their Charisma Modifier.

Their Spell DC equals their proficiency bonus  + Charisma Modifier +8.

Their Spell Attack Bonus equal their  proficiency bonus + their Charisma Modifier.

The number of spells a Warlock can cast per Character Level is displayed below.
At 1st Level, one 1st Level spell.
At 2nd Level, two 1st Level spells.
At 3rd Level, two 1st Level spells and one  2nd Level spells.
At 4th Level, two 1st Level spells and two  2nd Level spells.
At 5th Level, three 1st Level spells, two  2nd Level spells and one 3rd Level spells.
At 6th Level, three 1st Level spells, three 2nd Level spells and two 3rd Level spells.

Werewolves
Werewolves are victims. Most are created when they are attacked by a werewolf and survive. The next time the full moon rises, the person will transform into a Dire Wolf. In this altered form, the werewolf retains its human Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma, but its physical attributes become those of a Dire Wolf. They also become resistant to all non-magical damage and damage from weapons that are not silver. They are vulnerable to silver. Werewolves attack any living thing they encounter, except other werewolves. If a werewolf is killed they transform back into their human form. At dawn, a werewolf will transform back into its human form with hazy memories of its actions during the night.  Any damage it takes in its wolf form, except from silver weapons, does not carry over to the human form.  Werewolves discovered by the Church are burned at the stake.

Werewolves have two forms.
The human form is generated as a normal human. Their Dire Wolf form has AC 14, a Speed of 50, STR 17, DEX 15 and CON 15.  It has a Bite Attack with +5 to hit, and a 5 ft. reach. It does 2d6 +3 piercing damage and target creatures must succeed on a DC 13 Strength save or be knocked prone.
In both human and Dire Wolf form, the werewolf has advantage on Wisdom(Perception) checks pertaining to smell and hearing.




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