Garzuul is a gargoyle who lives in a large city. He's been there a long time. He lairs high up a tower at the Wizards' Academy, but he spends a lot of time hanging around the tops of tall buildings -- especially the bell-tower of the Cathedral of Pharasma. He's a well known character in the city; almost everyone has heard the famous Singing Gargoyle, and most people consider him a harmless oddity. He only sings on special occasions, town festivals, and the like, but when he does, his deep, booming song is like the voice of stone itself. The wizards are very pleased to have him, and think of him as part of the school's endowment.
Most gargoyles are malicious, cruel, very patient, and rather stupid. Garzuul breaks the pattern in one respect: he's not stupid. He's brilliant for a gargoyle, and his malice takes a much more sophisticated turn. Garzuul likes talking people into killing themselves.
The bell tower of the Cathedral has a spectacular view of the city, and is visited by dozens of people per day. It's also a popular site for suicides -- there are two or three every year. The clergy mildly regret this, but they're not going to stop anyone who is obviously determined to throw themselves into the Goddess' arms. What they don't realize is that the tradition of using the tower for self-destruction was created by the gargoyle, decades ago, and that he's still encouraging it today.
Garzuul moves stealthily around the city by night, landing on roofs and ledges, patiently watching and listening and occasionally using Detect Thoughts. When he finds someone who seems emotionally vulnerable -- a merchant with money problems, an unhappy lover, an angry teenager, whatever -- he'll stalk them until he gets a chance to use Suggestion on them. (His save DCs are low, but he's willing to try multiple times. And while a failed save means the victim knows something's going on, most people don't think to look up.) The simple, reasonable suggestion he implants is to take a trip up the bell tower, to take in the view and clear one's head...
Once a potential victim is up the tower, Garzuul moves to introduce himself. He'll use Aspect of a Nightingale to make himself more attractive, then Diplomacy to make the target friendly. If needed, he'll use Charm Person to start him or her talking. (Note that his Cunning Caster feat means that the average victim will never realize that Garzuul is casting. Even so, he'll often cast from out of sight -- on a ledge, up a roof -- just to be safe.)
Garzuul is nothing if not patient. He considers each victim as a game, and he's willing to take weeks or months to play to victory. He'll draw them out slowly, over time, gaining their trust, learning their history, and using a combination of diplomacy and Suggestion spells to gradually implant the idea of suicide. If the victim has problems with drink or drugs, Garzuul may offer a sample, possibly using Beguiling Gift to make it irresistable. If the victim has problems with relationships, careful use of Suggestion will help make sure that this just gets worse and worse. Simply driving the victim to suicide is good, but a truly great game involves driving them to complete and utter despair first.
Garzuul feels no need to rob or devour his victims: he's perfectly happy living off stray cats and pigeons. The satisfaction of concluding a successful game is usually more than enough. If the game or the victim were particularly memorable, he may occasionally take a small item back to his lair as a souvenir.
Garzuul's Hat of Disguise is used to occasionally look like a different gargoyle, to give the idea that there's more than one around. In fact Garzuul is a violently territorial creature who brooks no rivals.
Garzuul, the Singing Gargoyle:
CE Medium monstrous humanoid (earth)
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +13
DEFENSE
AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+3 Dex, +4 natural)
hp 100 (5d10+5d8+50)
Fort +6, Ref +11, Will +10 (+4 vs. bardic performance, language-dependent, and sonic)
DR 10/magic
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft. (average)
Melee 2 claws +12 (1d6+3), bite +11 (1d4+2), gore +11 (1d4+2)
Combat Gear: potions of cure light wounds (2), body wrap of mighty strikes +1; Other Gear: Hat of Disguise (usually looks like a stone crown), masterwork dagger (trophy, in lair), gold chain worth 200 gp and 320 gp in mixed coins (in lair), miscellaneous small items such as a diary, a locket, etc., of little cash value (trophies, in lair).
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Freeze (Ex)
A gargoyle can hold itself so still it appears to be a statue. A gargoyle that uses freeze can take 20 on its Stealth check to hide in plain sight as a stone statue.
Garzuul can be used as a bit of local color long before the PCs ever have to interact with him. He'll be aware of any adventurers pretty quickly, and may pass a friendly nod, or drop out of the sky to exchange the time of day. But you can mention him occasionally flapping by, or perched on a ledge. Ordinary gargoyles hide by blending in as part of the scenery. Garzuul has taken this to the next level by hiding in plain sight. "Sure, that's the Singing Gargoyle. Everybody knows about him."
Possible plot seeds:
-- The PCs need information, and Garzuul has it. The gargoyle's knowledge of local gossip is encyclopedic, thanks to his constant eavesdropping, and he's tolerably well versed in local history too. He'll be happy to help them, and his prices will be very reasonable. However, this means that they will attract the monster's attention. While PCs are not likely to be good targets, Garzuul may go after colleagues, cohorts, or friendly NPCs. Or he may simply spy on them and then sell the information to another party. Or his payment may simply consist of asking the PCs to bring a particular NPC to the bell tower for a conversation. A particular NPC who, some time later, will turn up very dead...
-- A paladin knows perfectly well that Garzuul is evil, and is morally certain that it's a deceitful menace. She doesn't know how, though, and she can't take the monster down without some evidence. She wants to recruit the PCs to capture the gargoyle for interrogation. (Note that Garzuul's Innocence spell could make it quite difficult to prove anything. And if the gargoyle is harmed, the wizards will be quite annoyed.)
-- One of Garzuul's recent victims was mentally disturbed. This made him easy prey... but meant that he rose from the dead as an allip. Garzuul would just set the priests of Pharasma on the creature, but to his alarm, its ravings include odd phrases and half-lucid sentences that implicate the gargoyle. Better to use some stranger who won't have any context for the spirit's mad babblings...
(This was inspired in part by an episode in Michael Swanwick's fine book _The Iron Dragon's Daughter_. If you like gritty urban fantasy, go check it out.)
Hmmm... great character, and massively satisfying degree of backstory and plot seeds.
I might make suggestions for what to do if you need more than one creature in the encounters (cause 1 big bad encounters are usually 'meh' if its CR isn't WAY too high for the party): Garzuul goes about manipulating various people throughout the city. Use that when you need to buff up a fight.
He needs to get intimately familiar with victims, and he often forms a close relationship with them so he can use diplomacy, bluff, and spells to push them along. Since these are people that will (eventually) be at the brink of suicide, they will be emotionally unstable. Perhaps emotionally dependent on their 'one true friend'. And Garzuul shouldn't shy away from taking advantage of such resources when he needs to.
So don't be scared to have a few unhinged NPCs as backup during a direct fight. Garzuul can easily just say "Oh, things haven't been going so well for me recently either- this strange group of drifters have been following me all week. I think they have bad intentions".
Could be interesting in a fight- maybe allow the party to make diplomacy checks (or heck, bluff checks) to make them question Garzuul's 'advice', potentially turning Othello against 'dear faithful Iago'.
Awesome plot hook! Might want to put "Gargoyle Bard 5" in the description -- otherwise you have to scroll down to figure it out from "Bard Spells Known".
For boss fights, steal the "Legendary Actions" ability from 5th Edition D&D.
Basically, the BBEG gets 3 "Legendary Actions" per turn. He can use them after ANOTHER creature's turn, similar to immediate actions--but without using up the BBEG's immediate action.
Examples of Legendary Actions:
1. Cast a cantrip
2. Make a melee attack
3. Cast a spell (counts as 2 Legendary Actions)
4. Moves half his speed, but does not provoke an attack of opportunity
5. Use Bardic Performance (might count as 2 Legendary Actions?)
Usually, BBEG only have 3 options for their Legendary Actions.
In addition, 5E also has Lair Actions. These are special environmental effects that occur in the BBEG's lair (your gargoyle's aerie where he keeps his mementos and trophies) that typically occur on their own initiative (or initiative 20, losing ties, in 5E).
Depending on the details of the lair, they might include:
1. Ghostly images from the trophies distract the PCs (Will save or be fascinated? Or frightened for 1 round? Or howl and do sonic damage?)
2. Echoes of violence: PCs make Fort save or take claw damage? Or masterwork dagger animates and attacks a PC?
3. Harmonics: The floor shakes like an earthquake, Reflex save or become prone? Rubbles falls and creates difficult terrain?
Normally, you can't use the same Lair Action 2 rounds in a row.
Basically, Lair Actions and Legendary Actions help equalize the action economy disparity between a single BBEG and a party of adventures with cohorts and henchmen and pets and summoned beasties, etc.
Hmmm... great character, and massively satisfying degree of backstory and plot seeds.
Thank you!
Quote:
I might make suggestions for what to do if you need more than one creature in the encounters (cause 1 big bad encounters are usually 'meh' if its CR isn't WAY too high for the party)
I thought about that. I considered giving him Summon Monster II or Summon Swarm. I liked the visual on that last one -- a gargoyle surrounded by a swarm of bats -- and he could Inspire Courage to make both of them tougher. Also considered giving him a Robe of Bones or something similar. But ultimately I didn't, because he's not really a combat monster. Oh, he could get in an interesting tussle with a low-level party. But fighting isn't really his thing. (This is the same reason I didn't give him a missile weapon even though, as a bard, he could totally have one.)
No, if seriously threatened, he's going to run straight to the wizards. And the wizards won't like to see a bunch of scruffy adventurers beating up their mascot...
-- So Garzuul isn't really an opponent you have a boss fight with. Either you find some way to expose him, or you just deal with him as a continuing nuisance until you're finally high enough level to simply blast him out of the sky. That said, if you do want to set him up as a combat opponent, your idea below is an excellent one:
Quote:
He needs to get intimately familiar with victims, and he often forms a close relationship with them so he can use diplomacy, bluff, and spells to push them along. Since these are people that will (eventually) be at the brink of suicide, they will be emotionally unstable. Perhaps emotionally dependent on their 'one true friend'. And Garzuul shouldn't shy away from taking advantage of such resources when he needs to.
So don't be scared to have a few unhinged NPCs as backup during a direct fight. Garzuul can easily just say "Oh, things haven't been going so well for me recently either- this strange group of drifters have been following me all week. I think they have bad intentions".
Could be interesting in a fight- maybe allow the party to make diplomacy checks (or heck, bluff checks) to make them question Garzuul's 'advice', potentially turning Othello against 'dear faithful Iago'.
Bingo. Now, since most people aren't adventurers, a typical victim is going to be a relatively low level commoner or expert. That said, (1) a wealthy merchant or lawyer or other respected citizen can make all sorts of trouble for the PCs even if they don't have class levels; and (2) Garzuul likes a challenging game, so there'll be occasional dangerous adventurer-types. Especially from classes with low Will saves. Also, Garzuul's uncanny ability to know what's going on in the city may have earned him some allies that he doesn't need to charm; the local Thieves Guild, or simply a gang of drug runners or smugglers, may have some sort of arrangement with him.
I would give him some missile weapons, even if it's a brace of daggers.
I once ran an encounter with all sorts of goblinoids, lead by a barghest, and in the end, that massive epic battle ended with the barghest levitating over the party, throwing thunderstones down at them, to really, really pitiful effect. It kind of ruined a really cool encounter since the boss was rather pathetic. He had buffed some bugbear barbarians with mass enlarge and bull strength, so they were tough, but then the actual BBEG was more like a Small, Less-than-Average, Evil Guy.
-- A couple of cultists of Sifkesh, demon of suicide, have seen Garzuul in a vision. They've come to make contact with him and recruit him into their cult. Garzuul has zero interest in this, and is frankly alarmed that the cultists have found him. He may seek to recruit the PCs to deal with the "demonic infestation" that is threatening their fair city. Of course, he'll want to tag along quietly to make sure the cultists don't say anything incriminating before the PCs cut them down...
-- Garzuul has a special relationship with Jitters, a halfling. Jitters is a charming little creature with adorably curly hair, big brown eyes, and a sweet, gentle smile. He's also a murderer, a thief, a drug addict, a habitual liar, and an utterly self-centered Chaotic Evil little sociopath. Garzuul is reversing his usual tactics here: he's keeping Jitters relatively sane and preventing him from destroying himself. That's partly because the halfling is a good source of information, but it's mostly because Jitters is more fun alive than dead. He's leaving a trail of robberies, murders, broken hearts, betrayed trusts, drug deals gone bad, and generally horrific chaos behind him. The bell tower is the only place Jitters feels safe, and the gargoyle is almost the only friend he hasn't betrayed yet.
Garzuul knows that one day he'll have to nudge the halfling over the drop. He's actually a little sad about that! He'll miss Jitters. Meanwhile, he's taking notes...
PCs may encounter Jitters as anything from a con artist to an assassin. A chase scene may end up in the bell tower, leaving Garzuul with a painful decision. (Painful, but not difficult. He'll sacrifice the halfling in an instant if he thinks his own position might be threatened.)
