Nonplayer Characters
Nonplayer Characters
This appendix contains statistics for many of the humanoids who inhabit the game world. These nonplayer characters (NPCs) may act as allies or adversaries during the characters’ adventures. An NPC may be of any humanoid ancestry: for instance, an archmage could be a human , a gnome , an orc , or even a merfolk or gnoll .
You can alter an NPC stat block in order to better represent a specific individual in your campaign. Most such changes do not require a change to the NPC’s Challenge Rating.
Varying Heritage
Heritage describes a creature’s innate, inherited abilities. You can add specificity to an NPC by assigning them signature following abilities and traits related to their heritage. This list is not exhaustive; most humanoid species can use an NPC stat block.
- Dragonborn: A dragonborn gains a breath weapon which they can use once per rest as an action. Each creature within either a 30-foot-long, 5-foot-wide line or a 15-foot cone (determined by draconic lineage) makes a Dexterity saving throw with a DC of 8 + Constitution modifier + proficiency bonus. On a failure, a creature takes acid, cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic, poison, psychic, radiant, or thunder damage (determined by draconic lineage). The damage dealt is 3 (1d6) per point of the dragonborn’s Challenge Rating, with a minimum of 1d6 and a maximum of 6d6.
- Dwarf: A dwarf gains darkvision out to a distance of 60 feet. Their Speed is 25 feet.
- Elf: An elf gains darkvision out to a distance of 60 feet. They can’t be put to sleep by magic.
- Gnome: A gnome gains darkvision out to a distance of 60 feet. They are Small and their Speed is 25 feet. They know the minor illusion cantrip, using their choice of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as their spellcasting ability.
- Halfling: A halfling is Small and their Speed is 25 feet. When they roll a 1 on the d20 for an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, they can reroll the die and must use the new roll.
- Human: A human gains proficiency with one extra skill of their choice.
- Orc: An orc gains darkvision out to a distance of 60 feet. When they score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, they can roll one of the weapon’s damage dice an additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.
- Planetouched: A planetouched creature gains darkvision out to a distance of 60 feet. Once per long rest , when they would be reduced to 0 hit points, they are reduced to 1 hit point instead.
Varying Culture
An NPC’s culture represents the society in which they were raised or trained, and may grant new traits or abilities. This appendix includes NPC variants that add cultural features, producing such variants as orcish wildling minstrels or cosmopolitan alchemists. While many cultures are associated with a particular heritage, any culture may include a person of any ancestry. For instance, a dragonborn may have been raised among shadow elves and have been trained as a shadow elf mage.
Varying Spells and Equipment
You can swap an NPC’s weapons or armor for others with which they are likely to be proficient. For spellcasting NPCs, you can swap out a spell for another spell of the same level on a spell list available to the NPC. If such a change increases a NPC’s Armor Class by 4 or more, or allows them to increase their maximum possible damage on one turn by 20 percent or more, then increase the monster’s Challenge Rating by one step (for instance, from 1/8 to 1/4 or from 5 to 6).
Legends and Lore
With a Culture or History check, characters can learn the following:
DC 10 The heritage and name of the NPC type (e.g. Archmage).
DC 15 The notable special abilities that the NPC type has.
DC 25 The name of this specific NPC.
Behavior
1 Going about their daily business.
2 Seeking somebody to help them with a quest or task.
3 Occupied in thought or concentrating on a solo activity. Will be irritated if disturbed.
4 Angry and looking for a fight.
5 Carousing, singing, or dancing.
6 Guarding something or someone.
7 Injured and nursing a wound.
8 On the run or hiding from somebody or something.
9 Lying in ambush.
10 Fighting a fierce creature.
Signs
1 A campfire or wagon.
2 A dropped trinket or minor piece of jewelry.
3 A trail of blood.
4 The sound of loud talking.
5 The sound of singing or music.
6 Smoke rising from just over a nearby hill or forest.
7 The sound of clashing blades and shouts of anger.
8 A backpack propped up against a tree.
9 A lone horse, saddled, but clearly separated from its rider.
10 The smell of delicious cooking.
Monster Categories
Monster Categories
The following entries from the Monstrous Menagerie are categories which include two or more individual monsters.
- Angels
- Animated Objects
- Ankhegs
- Azers
- Boggards
- Bugbears
- Clockworks
- Demons
- Devils
- Dinosaurs
- Dragons
- Faeries
- Genies
- Ghouls
- Giants
- Gnolls
- Goblins
- Gricks
- Guardians
- Hags
- Half-Dragons
- Hobgoblins
- Khalkoi
- Lizardfolk
- Lycanthropes
- Mephits
- Merfolk
- Minotaurs
- Mummies
- Nagas
- Ogres
- Oozes
- Remorphazes
- Salamanders
- Scarecrows
- Scorpionfolk
- Skeletons
- Titans
- Vampires
- Wraiths
- Zombies
- Beasts and Creatures
- Nonplayer Characters
Adventures
Adventures
The free adventures below can be run directly from this rules site.
Memories of Holdenshire (1st-3rd level)
When the adventurers awake in the catacombs below Northminster, they must unravel a mystery and escape the law! After frantic wagon chases, a wilderness journey, friendly hags, and a village fair, can they recover their memories of Holdenshire?
A starter adventure for 1st-level characters, this book gently introduces some of Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition's new rules. By Andrew Engelbrite, Sen. H.H.S, and Savannah Broadway.
MAMA BEAR'S REVENGE (1st level)
After the accidental death of a bear cub, Fanghort the Druid went into the forest to make amends. Now, the foresters are under organized attack from woodland creatures— and all of them talk. By Jeff Gomez.
The Business of Emotion (2nd-3rd level)
This is an adventure for 3-5 characters of levels 2-3. The village of Lanidor is suffering from an enchanted "summer of love". Can the PCs figure out what's going on? By Paul Oklesh.
The Haunting of Calrow Ruins (3rd level)
Gibberlings infest Calrow Ruins. When the mists blow in off the shores of Lach Gwyren, snaking through crumbling arches and shattered barbicans, the gibberlings’ terrible wailing can be heard for miles. These leering, furry abominations are spawned from captives by an ancient brood mother lurking beneath the ruins. Once imprisoned in a magic tapestry deep within the keep, the brood mother is close to finally escaping thanks to the meddling of a vengeful lady-inwaiting. Amidst a noble feud to reclaim the ruins, the characters are faced with solving the mystery of the gibberlings. By Aaron Infante-Levy.
Presents for Goblins (3rd-5th level)
In this festive adventure the PCs must recover Revelleschafter's seasonal gifts from the goblins who raided the town on the eve of All's Giving Day. Fun as a one-shot or as part of an ongoing camapign, the module includes four new goblin types (a nilbog , a yobbo , and the goblin king ) and a random table for goblin poison effects. By Kiel Chenier.
Yobbo
Yobbo
Nilbog
Nilbog
Presents for Goblins: The Abandoned Mine
Presents for Goblins: The Abandoned Mine
Nearby townspeople abandoned this salt mine decades ago, believing that it was haunted. The miremurk goblins were quick to move in once the humans left, burrowing and building down into the rock and salt of the earth.
Dungeon Features
- Ceilings. 8 feet high, made of roughly carved stone.
- Doors. Rooms are separated by tattered hanging curtains, offering little privacy.
- Light. None, as all goblins have darkvision. Light within the mine is a dead giveaway that intruders are near, and goblins that see a light source coming down a tunnel instantly prepare an ambush.
- Terrain. The interior of the cave is rough terrain , as the ground is made of broken stone and salt deposits.
Whenever the PCs move through a hallway between rooms, roll on the Random Mine Encounters table.
Random Mine Encounters (1d12)
1–5. No encounter.
6. Three goblins stumble through the hallway drunk on stolen holiday wine (they have the poisoned condition). They don’t view the PC’s as a threat at first, instead trying to get them to solve an argument about human holiday carols.
7. 1d4 goblins and one yobbo march through the halls angrily, ready to fight.
8. Two goblins carry a live boar hogtied on a pole. The pig is loyal to the PCs if it is saved.
9. Three goblin concubines sashay through the halls trying to attract the attention of suitors. They see the PCs as possible suitors and try to seduce them.
10. A ghost of a salt miner stalks the hall. It attacks unless its desire for one last meal, willingly cooked and given, is satisfied. Satisfying the ghost instead of destroying it rewards double experience points.
11. A giant boar , dressed to be eaten, rampages through the halls. It attacks others on sight.
12. The goblin king and his retinue of 2d6 goblins and 2 nilbogs march through the halls. The goblin king orders the death of those unknown to him.
1. Mine Entrance
The ground is covered in dirty and yellowed snow. Rusted mining tools are buried in the snow, along with one rusted upturned mine cart. The entrances are held up by large weather worn wooden posts and arches.
A DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals the paths around the mine entrances are muddied with small goblin footprints. Dozens, if not hundreds, of goblins have passed through here recently.
Characters who make a DC 17 Wisdom (Perception) check notice murder holes drilled into the stone walls between the two entrances. The 3 goblins in the Murder Hole Room (Area 4) are standing watch. Any creature who approaches the mine without succeeding on a DC 15 Dexterity (Stealth) check is shot at by the goblins with blowgun darts (see Area 4).
2. East Hallway
The walls are festooned with holiday wreaths and garlands. Looking closely at them reveals some have dead rats and squashed bugs tucked into them.
Pit Traps. At two points in this hallway there are 10 foot deep pit traps with spikes at the bottom. They require a DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check to notice. A creature that falls into one takes 3d6 piercing damage from the spikes, and must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw . Failure causes them to contract a random effect from the Goblin Poison table.
At the very end of the hall is a statue of a recognizable human deity (ideally, one that a party member worships). This statue is indestructible, but has been vandalized by the goblins with lewd graffiti. Any PC that takes the time to clean it up and restore its original appearance gains inspiration.
3. Grub Pits
The room has several maggot-infested pits. Everything in the room smells awful.
A DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals something gleaming inside one of the pits: a magical sword of life stealing . Pulling this sword out is difficult because its blade is lodged in the head of a dead otyugh buried in the maggots. Pulling the sword out of its head sends a jolt of magic into the corpse, reanimating it for 1 minute. Now alive, the otyugh attacks until the magic fades.
Any combat in this room draws a random encounter from the hallway (roll twice, take the higher result).
4. Murder Hole Room
This stone room has holes carved in the walls, reaching outside. Three goblins stand guard here, ready to shoot trespassers outside with blowguns and darts coated with Goblin Poison.
5. West Hallway
The walls are festooned with holiday wreaths and garlands. Looking closely at them reveals some have dead rats and squashed bugs tucked into them.
Bell Alarm. A tripwire has been set up along the floor at the entrance of this hall (DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check to notice). Tripping it causes the attached holiday bells to ring, alerting the goblins in the Armory (Area 6), who come out and investigate.
6. Goblin Armory
Racks and shelves of absurd goblin weapons and torture devices. Most are unrecognizable and unusable as weapons for Medium-size creatures.
Five goblins busy themselves tossing weapons onto the shelves. If attacked, two of them run away to the Feasting Room (Area 8) for reinforcements.
7. Prison
Five large cages made from reeds and thorns take up most of the room. Two of those cages are occupied. The cages can be easily broken apart with weapons, or their locks can be picked with a DC 10 Dexterity (thieves’ tools) check. However, the cages themselves are slathered in Goblin Poison. Any nongoblinoid creature that touches or interacts with them must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw . On a failure, that creature suffers a random effect from the Goblin Poison Effects table.
In the leftmost cage is a pair of raccoons (use cat statistics). They are starving and annoyed, and attack the nearest creature if freed. Giving them food calms them down and makes them stop attacking. If they are spoken to with magic, they will tell the PCs about the goblins , their goblin king , and the captured princess imprisoned with them.
When free, they want to escape back to the forest, but they can be convinced to follow the PCs.
In the rightmost cage is a teenage princess. She has dark skin, frizzy black hair, and is dressed in a stained, torn, yet somehow still voluminous green ball gown. She cries and wails, calling out for help. Her name is Princess Rentilda Ramanoska. She does not remember anything prior to this evening, other than that she’s a beloved princess from a land far away, and she has a torn up piece of wrapping paper and ribbons with her.
She woke up hours ago and was tossed into this prison by the goblins . In truth, Princess Rentilda was a princess doll carved by a local toymaker, which was stolen by the goblins. When all the presents were tossed about the mine, the princess doll bumped up against an old fey bauble, which caused it to be made bigger and brought to life as a human teenage girl. If freed, Princess Rentilda will happily accompany the PCs, attaching herself to the kindest member of the party. She is statistically identical to a noble , but with a Dexterity of 14 (+2), an AC of 12 (unarmored), and no weapons.
8. Feasting Room
Twenty goblins and 1 nilbog sit at a long wooden table loaded up with all the town’s stolen holiday foods. Shouting and cheering, the goblins feast on roast beef and turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, pies, and more. They make a tremendous amount of noise. There are 2 boars with the goblins , leashed with chains. The boars gnaw on turkey bones and whine for scraps.
The goblins can easily be snuck past, but these unusual goblin-bred boars have a passive Perception of 14 and advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that are based on smell. If they smell a non-goblinoid creature, they squeal to their masters to alert them to danger. If the goblins see the PCs, they release the boars, who charge forward and attack.
The stolen foods are not salvageable except for one pristine pumpkin pie with whipped cream. This pie is enough for eight humans, and anyone who eats from it gains inspiration. Inspiration cannot be gained in this way more than once in 24 hours. The rest of the food is half-eaten, soiled, or pulled apart into bits.
9. Garbage Hole
In the center of this room is a 50-foot-deep hole. It was originally dug as a mine shaft to a lower level, but the goblins now use it to throw their trash and waste into. It smells awful.
There is a single scrawny goblin guarding the garbage hole. She looks particularly small and sad, sniffling pitifully. If she spots the PCs coming from the southern hallway, she shakily demands they surrender. If the PCs start a fight in the Feasting Room (Area 8), or come from the hallway to the north, she is surprised and drops her weapon into the hole accidentally.
The goblin’s name is Wabs. She is a small but clever goblin whom the rest of the goblins pick on and force terrible jobs on. She is cowardly and will surrender to the PC’s if hurt or threatened, promising that she can make herself useful. Wabs has no love for the rest of her kin, and aids the PCs if they promise to take her with them. She knows the layout of the mine, and can lead the PCs to where the stolen presents are being kept.
10. Smoking Room
This room is upside down. There are comfy armchairs, lamps, rugs, and end tables strung up to the ceiling. It looks like a fancy sitting room hanging upside down from the ceiling, suspended by wire and spikes.
Two yobbos sit in the chairs, upside down, smoking cigars and engaging in pleasant and intelligent conversation. If they notice the PC’s they chastise them for rudely interrupting them. They won’t attack unless attacked first. Instead, they’ll question the PCs about two of the subjects on the Inverted Yobbo Philosophy table (roll 1d4 for each column).
If asked about their seemingly high intelligence, the yobbos reply that being upside down does wonders for their intellect. That or it’s the effects of the cigars. They are uncertain.
Searching the room reveals 1d4 + 1 wrinkled green cigars. Smoking one grants a creature keen insight, giving them advantage on all Intelligence based ability checks and saving throws for the next hour.
11. Harem
Six goblin concubines rest here, cackling to themselves as they preen and pose in front of mirrors on the walls. A pile of unwrapped presents litter the ground. The goblin concubines squirt themselves with stolen perfume and cake their faces in stolen makeup. A large feather bed fills the corner of the room, well made and decorated with weeds and dried flower petals.
The goblin concubines will demand some kind of gift. Gold is fine, but gifts of food, clothing, or sundries are preferred. Jewelry is prized above all. Once the trade has been made, the goblin concubines shoo the PCs out, giggling to themselves. If the PCs refuse to give the gift, the goblins attack them and yell for reinforcements.
12. Alchemy Lab
Tables piled high with strange tools and what looks like laboratory equipment line the walls of this room. In the center of the room is a large fire pit with hot embers burning away. A lone nilbog named Spunch works in this room. This lab is where the Goblin Poison is made.
In the room there are five corked vials of Goblin Poison left. Spunch knows how it’s made, and has all the ingredients to make more. He doesn’t have an antidote, but if threatened he is willing to try and make one. Crafting and distilling one dose of antidote takes 1 hour. Spunch only has enough ingredients to make four doses.
If the PC’s stop paying attention to Spunch at any time, he will try to escape to the Throne Room (Area 15) to warn the goblin king .
13. Kitchen
Big cauldrons and pots bubble over fires. Metal racks with spikes adorn the walls with animals and monster parts skewered on their points. Dead chickens and giant rats are strung up from hooks on the ceiling.
Three drunk goblins argue among themselves, fighting over stolen bottles of mulled wine and barrels of holiday mead. If the goblins are killed, or the room is abandoned, there are three bottles of wine, and two barrels of mead remaining.
14. Bedroom
Hammocks and cots fill the room. Five goblins and 1 goblin concubine are drunkenly snoozing here, stuffed from feasting and tired from a night of thieving.
Tossing the room reveals the following treasures: 52 gold pieces, 2 pewter figurines with gems for eyes (200 gp each), 4 daggers, 3 unopened presents, and a magic golden rod with sigils carved into it. The rod is a spent rod of animate object, and is the same magic item that brought the princess doll in Room 7 to life. The rod is otherwise devoid of magical potential.
15. Throne Room
All the stolen presents from the town of Revelleschafte are stacked in an enormous pile in the center of the room, a mountain of colorfully wrapped boxes and parcels nearly 5 feet high and 10 feet across. 12 goblins occupy the room, half of them jump around the presents, counting them all. The other half guard the entrances to the room.
At the back of the room is the goblin king . He sits on a carved wooden throne, covered in wax and mouse skulls. He is impeccably dressed, lounging on the throne. He waits for his goblin minions to finish their celebrating and counting.
The goblin king welcomes the PCs into the throne room if they are spotted or enter the room. He orders his guards to lower their weapons, and then orders the PCs to do likewise. He is intent on speaking with them and talking out the situation rather than fight them head on. In truth, he’s waiting for work on the pig balloon in Area 16 to be finished.
If (or when) the PC’s decide to attack the goblin king , there is a cry of “It’s ready!” from beyond the secret doors in the back of the room. Hearing this, the goblin king shouts to his fellow goblins . At this point, all remaining goblins in the mine (except for Wabs) rush to their king’s aid. Most of them will rush to pick up all the stolen presents and carry them through the secret doors to the Pig Balloon Room (Area 16). Up to 10 of them, if there are that many remaining, stay behind to fight the PCs and prevent them from following. The goblin king runs through the secret doors to his escape once the PCs are distracted and being fended off.
16. Pig Balloon Room
Within this room is a huge dirigible: a 20-foot-long, 10-foot-wide craft cobbled together from disused wood and metal, being lifted off the ground by a tremendous balloon made of stitched together pig and cow skins. It is monstrous to behold. The goblins toss the presents aboard, and the goblin king climbs onto it along with as many goblins can follow (up to 12, all awkwardly clinging to the craft for dear life).
The pig balloon is filled with a flammable, lighter-than-air gas. It rises to the ceiling, where the stone is thin and fractured just for this moment. Once the goblin king , the presents, and his surviving subjects climb aboard the pig balloon is cut free. It lifts off the ground at a rate of 30 feet every round. It smashes through the ceiling of the mine after one round.
The pig balloon has an AC of 15. It takes 40 points of damage to sever the balloon from the ship. If the balloon itself is hit with a fire spell or other source of flame, it explodes in a violent fireball, dealing the same amount of damage as a fireball spell to everyone aboard. Once airborne, it has a flying speed of 40 feet per round. There are shortbows, arrows, and weighted metal spike balls (+6 to hit, one target directly below the attacker, 2d6 piercing damage) aboard that the goblins use to defend themselves.
<= Presents for Goblins | Conclusion =>
Presents for Goblins: Conclusion
Presents for Goblins: Conclusion
If the Goblin King Is Killed
Any remaining goblins suddenly get very nervous, wondering who of any of them should take their place. If the party has spared and befriended Wabs, she asks the PCs if they think she should take the job. If they think so, she pipes up and volunteers. This immediately starts the change, causing her to immediately transform into a gorgeous, androgynous goblin queen . Once Wabs gets over the shock, she grins and begins ordering the smaller goblins about. If she and the PCs are on good terms, she declares them Grand Royal Advisors and Very Smart People, and inquires as to what her first act as queen should be.
If the Goblin King Escapes
He sails away with the presents and his remaining goblin retinue. The goblins left behind continue fighting until he is out of view, then they turn tail and run away as fast as they can. The PCs are welcome to chase after the pig balloon, but if this is being run as a one-shot and you are running out of time, you can end the adventure with him escaping the PCs grasp. He laughs into the sky while goblins croak out holiday carols. The townspeople in Revelleschafte are distraught over the loss of their belongings and food. They won’t pay the PCs any more for their time and losses, but the innkeeper offers them rooms for the night if needed. If the PCs are able and willing, the innkeeper encourages them to say something to the people in town; to lead them in a carol or a prayer, reminding them about the reason for celebrating this holiday in the first place. No matter what the PCs do, they can be sure the goblins are having the best holiday of their lives.
If the Pig Balloon Explodes with the Presents Aboard
The presents are burnt to a crisp and destroyed unless the PCs can intervene and do something to save them. If this happens, combine the previous two results together, as this is a win/lose scenario.
If the Presents Are Returned
The townspeople rejoice and welcome the PCs back as heroes. The mayor pays the PCs the agreed upon amount, and they are welcome to carouse and live the high life in Revelleschafte for as long as they like (or until the townsfolk begin to tire of their antics, whichever comes first).
<= Presents for Goblins
Presents for Goblins: The Town of Revelleschafte
Presents for Goblins: The Town of Revelleschafte
Revellschafte is a small town on the Polyne-Trom River, in Allesund.
Population: 348 (80% Humans, 10% Halflings, 5% Half-elves, 5% Other).
Mayor: Ilsa Revelleschafte. Human noble , wire thin, regally dressed, high-pitched voice. She has a human commoner aide named Maria, whom she gives edicts to write down all the time.
Innkeeper: Gaven Hidesbarrow. Halfling commoner , fat, well-dressed, big poofy hair. He gets into the spirit of the holiday by making sure his inn, “The Fattened Calf,” is as festive as possible.
Religion: Church of the Harvest. Run by Matron Doursbea. Human priest , tall, modestly dressed, warm smile, overly welcoming and friendly. She offers shelter to those in need, and healing magic to those who can provide a donation.
Shopping: There are several shops available selling common items at a 50% markup. The major shops in town are the Good Market, A.C. Copper, and Northenstorm.
<= Presents for Goblins | The Abandoned Mine =>
Presents for Goblins: The Miremuck Goblins
Presents for Goblins: The Miremuck Goblins
There is a clan of strange goblins known as the miremurk goblins. Very little is known about them, even among goblinkind. They are said to move from place to place in a great big band, filled with strange goblins, reverse goblins, mutated goblins, and attractively fetching goblins. These miremurk goblins are led by the strangest creature of them all: a goblin king !
The goblin king is not what he sounds like, for he is scarcely a goblin at all. Tall, angular, and androgynous, he is more like a fey monarch than a squat monster. He is perceptive, charming, and well and truly devious. He tempts humans and elves alike with his wiles, and intuitively understands what torments the hearts of men and women alike. He is every bit the sovereign that his title would suggest, and the goblins are his subjects.
This winter, what the goblins desire is a special kind of devastation upon the town of Revelleschafte. Not the kind of devastation that leaves homes in ruins or people dead, but the kind that leaves a soul devastated and hopeless. Their goblin king has come upon an idea as winter has settled over the land: they will steal all the holiday presents and food prepared by the humans while they sleep. Without the precious items and foodstuffs that make up All’s Giving Day, the townspeople will be utterly broken!
On Different Goblins
Presents for Goblins introduces new types of goblinoids, including yobbos , nilbogs , and the Miremuck goblin king .
Goblin Poison
Goblins are hated not because they’re especially dangerous or threatening; fantasy worlds have orcs and dragons and zombies for that. No, ordinary folk revile goblins because they introduce chaos and mischief into an otherwise peaceful world. They are the flies in the ointment of civilized folk. Nothing represents this better than Goblin Poison; a strange and magical mixture known for unravelling the lives of adventurous people.
Every time a creature is hit by a weapon coated with Goblin Poison (or otherwise exposed to it through ingestion or similar means), they must roll on the Goblin Poison Effects table. Victims add their Constitution modifier to this roll (negative modifiers are ignored). The effects last until the creature takes a long rest. The apothecary in Revelleschafte has one dose of the antidote (which ends the effects immediately) and sells it for 200 gp. More antidotes cannot be brewed until the requisite herbs bloom in the springtime.
Goblins are immune to Goblin Poison.
Goblin Poison Effects (1d20 + Constitution modifier)
1 Goblin Blind. You cannot see goblinoid creatures. You have disadvantage on all checks made to interact with them.
2 Two Heads. You grow a second, smaller head from your neck. This head is your opposite self. Once per day, on an action of the Game Master’s choosing, the smaller head takes control of your body and does the opposite of what you say you do instead of your action.
3 Rotting Aura. All foodstuffs within 10 feet of you immediately spoil.
4 Wild Water. All liquids you drink are intoxicating.
5 Uncontrollable Hiccoughs. You can’t stop hiccoughing. Whenever you roll initiative or when you attempt any strenuous physical activity you must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw . On a failure, you suffer disadvantage on all Strength and Dexterity checks and saving throws during the combat, or disadvantage on rolls made to succeed at the physical activity you are attempting.
6 Hallucinations. You see strange monsters that aren’t there. You have disadvantage on Wisdom checks and saving throws .
7 Fish Face. Your skin becomes wet and scaly, and gills appear on your neck. You can now breathe underwater, but you can no longer breathe air. Consult the core rules on suffocation for how long you can breathe out of water.
8 Reddish Pallor. Your skin turns completely red, like a tomato. This is very distracting to other creatures around you. A person who sees you in this state suffers disadvantage on all ability checks for the hour after they first saw you. After that hour passes, they can no longer be distracted by your unusual appearance.
9 Truth Toxin. You cannot tell lies in any way. You cannot shape or bend the truth, and feel compelled to share secret information if asked, even casually.
10 Terrible Swells. Your body bloats with lighter-than-air gas, and you begin to float upward until you reach a height of 500 feet, or hit the ceiling. You can be weighted down to the ground only if you are laden with weight equal to your maximum carrying capacity (a number of pounds equal to your Strength score multiplied by 15).
11 Bioluminescence. You emit a soft glow, illuminating everything around you for 20 feet with dim light . You have disadvantage on all Stealth checks.
12 Choking Foam. Foam rises in your throat every time you speak, threatening to suffocate you. You, the player, can no longer speak aloud in character.
13 Boiling Pustules. Your body erupts in pustules, which cover you. You immediately take 1d4 points of poison damage as the first few pop. Your Charisma score is also reduced by 4 points.
14 Glass Limbs. Your arms and legs turn to glass. They function normally but are incredibly brittle. Whenever you are reduced to 0 hit points, one of your limbs shatters.
15 Awful Smell. You reek of fish and garbage. Nongoblinoid creatures must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw whenever they get within 10 feet of you. On a failure, they are poisoned for 1 minute while they retch and vomit.
16 Enormous Tongue. Your tongue grows in your mouth until it is 1d4 feet long. You have disadvantage on rolls to speak eloquently.
17 Terrifying Hunger. You are compelled to eat your weight in food every day. Failure to do so confers disadvantage on all Constitution checks and saving throws until you sate your hunger.
18 Mucus Overload. Thick mucus flows incessantly out of your nose and mouth. You take a –2 penalty to all rolls until you can staunch the flow.
19 Gooble Gobble. You transform into a goblin yourself. Your stats, abilities, and attacks remain the same, but your small body means your armor and weapons may no longer fit you.
20+ Feeling Fine. The poison runs its course through your system and you are unaffected.
<= Presents for Goblins | The Town of Revelleschafte =>
Presents for Goblins: Beginning the Adventure
Presents for Goblins: Beginning the Adventure
The adventure begins as the player characters first arrive in town, either on the eve of the holiday or the holiday morning.
If they arrive in Revelleschafte on the holiday’s eve, the PCs have the chance to enjoy the festivities, learn about the town and its people, and spend the night in the inn—and it is filled with happy travelers and good cheer. The next morning, however, they awake to the news that the town has been pillaged by goblins , and (if willing), they can answer the call to adventure and trek down to the Abandoned Mine. PCs that insist on staying up at night may have the chance to encounter a small goblin raiding party amidst the night’s chaos, or may be so drunk on mead and spiked eggnog that they sleep through the whole attack anyway.
If they arrive on the morning of the holiday, they enter Revelleschafte only to find a despondent scene, bereft of holiday cheer. The town has just been pillaged by goblins on the eve of All’s Giving Day, and people are struggling to find the holiday cheer without their food, drink, and presents. As soon as the PCs make their presence known, some townsfolk grow eager to retaliate. “Our stuff!” they cry, “Please save our stuff!”
The mayor of the town will offer a reward of 150 gp per PC if they return with most of their belongings and proof the goblins have been killed. The mayor will offer half as much if the PCs only return with one or the other.
All's Giving Day
The adventure is based around the winter solstice, recognized in the Allesund town of Revelleschafte as All’s Giving Day. This is an Allesund holiday where on the eve families gather together to drink, be merry, and sing carols and hymns about the importance of togetherness during the long winter. All’s Giving Day can, of course, be easily replaced by another setting-appropriate winter holiday.
The following morning, families and friends exchange wrapped gifts with each other in the spirit of altruistic giving. These gifts are often toys and chocolates for children, clothes and jewelry for adults, and sundries shared between couples. That evening, families share in a large feast of roasted poultry with a variety of vegetables and side dishes.
All’s Giving Day is a holiday that many townspeople prepare for months in advance, making sure their gifts are bought or made, and that enough food is readied for the feast.