Hobgoblin Iron Shadow

Hobgoblin Iron Shadow

Medium humanoid (goblinoid)
Challenge

STR
2
DEX
3
CON
2
INT
2
WIS
2
CHA
0

32
5d8+10
17
Fort
+3
Ref
+3
Will
+2

Speed 8 m.
Skills Athletics +3 (14), Brawn +3 (14), Nimbleness +4 (15), Occult +3 (14), Stealth +4 (15), Brawn or Nimbleness +3 (14)
Senses darkvision 10 m.
Languages Common, Goblin

Maneuvers. The hobgoblin iron shadow uses maneuvers (maneuver save Difficulty 13). It has 2 stamina dice which are d8s, a dice limit of 1, regains all expended stamina dice when it finishes a long rest, and regains half its total stamina dice when it finishes a short rest. It knows the following maneuvers:

1 stamina die: ambush, feint, grievous wound, nimble, quivering palm, spring attack, stalking shadow, step of the wind

Spellcasting. The hobgoblin iron shadow uses Occult (int) to cast spells (spell save Difficulty 12, +3 to hit with spell attacks). It has 1 mana, a mana limit of 1, regains all expended mana when it finishes a long rest, and regains half its total mana when it finishes a short rest. It knows the following spells:

1 mana: disguise, illusory script, image, shadow anchor, shadow jaunt, shadow veil

Unarmored Defense. While the hobgoblin iron shadow is wearing no armor and wielding no shield, its Defense includes its Wisdom.

Actions (4)

Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage.

Dart. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 3/10 m. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage.

Forest, Grassland, Hillvgtm

Maneuvers

As an action, you can use Stealth without using an action. Additionally, before the end of your next turn, you can add the stamina die to an attack’s damage (add half on a miss by 4 or less) if you have advantage on the attack, or if the creature is within 1 meter of an enemy of the creature that isn’t incapacitated and you don’t have disadvantage on the attack.

Enhance

You can increase the damage for each additional stamina die expended.

As an action, make a melee weapon attack along with a deceptive or pretended blow, thrust, or other movement.

On a hit, add the stamina die to the attack’s damage and make a Deception check opposed by the creature’s passive Insight or the creature is flat-footed to you until the end of its next turn.

On a critical hit, add twice as much damage.

On a miss by 4 or less, add half as much damage.

Enhance

You can increase the damage for each additional stamina die expended.

As an action, make a weapon attack to leave a twisted wound that can’t be healed so easily.

On a hit, add the stamina die to the attack’s damage and the creature must succeed on a Fortitude saving throw or its maximum health is reduced by the stamina die result for 1 hour. Any effect that removes a condition allows a creature’s maximum health to return to normal before that time passes.

On a critical hit, add twice as much damage.

On a miss by 4 or less, add half as much damage.

Enhance

You can increase the damage for each additional stamina die expended.

As a reaction, which you use when an enemy moves within 1 meter of you, you can move up to half your speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

As an action, make a weapon attack with an unarmed strike to cause lethal vibrations in the creature’s body.

On a hit, add the stamina die to the attack’s damage and the creature must succeed on a Fortitude saving throw or it takes necrotic damage equal to the stamina die.

On a critical hit, add twice as much damage.

On a miss by 4 or less, add half as much damage.

Enhance

You can increase the damage for each additional stamina die expended.

As an action, you can use the Dash action. If you move at least 3 meters straight toward a creature, you can make a melee weapon attack against it.

On a hit, add the stamina die to the attack’s damage.

On a critical hit, add twice as much damage.

On a miss by 4 or less, add half as much damage.

Enhance

You can increase the damage for each additional stamina die expended.

As a reaction, which you use when an enemy within 5 meters moves away from you, you can move up to half your speed toward the creature’s position. This movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks.

As an action, you can use the Dash action twice or use the Disengage action and the Dash action. You also have advantage on Athletics checks to jump for the turn.

Spells

1 hour/mana

As an action, you change the appearance of a creature that you can touch or see within 5 meters. You give the creature a new, illusory, appearance. An unwilling creature can make a Will saving throw, and if it succeeds, it is unaffected by this spell.

The spell disguises physical appearance as well as clothing, armor, weapons, and equipment. You can make the creature seem up to 30 centimeters shorter or taller and appear thin, fat, or in between. You can’t change a creature’s body type, so you must choose a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs. Otherwise, the extent of the illusion is up to you. The spell lasts for the duration, unless you dismiss it on your turn (no action required).

The changes wrought by this spell fail to hold up to physical inspection. For example, if you use this spell to add a hat to a creature’s outfit, objects pass through the hat, and anyone who touches it would feel nothing or would feel the creature’s head and hair. If you use this spell to appear thinner than you are, the hand of someone who reaches out to touch you would bump into you while it was seemingly still in midair.

A creature can use an action to inspect a creature, making a skill check using Insight (Intelligence) against your spell save Difficulty. If it succeeds, it becomes aware that the creature is disguised.

Augment

You can target two additional creatures for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

(ritual); 10 days

As you spend 1 minute to cast this spell, you write on parchment, paper, or some other suitable writing material and imbue it with a potent illusion that lasts for the duration.

To you and any creatures you designate when you cast the spell, the writing appears normal, written in your hand, and conveys whatever meaning you intended when you wrote the text. To all others, the writing appears as if it were written in an unknown or magical script that is unintelligible. Alternatively, you can cause the writing to appear to be an entirely different message, written in a different hand and language, though the language must be one you know.

Should the spell be dispelled, the original script and the illusion both disappear.

A creature with truesight can read the hidden message.

concentration, 5 minutes/mana

As an action, you create the image of an object, a creature, or some other visible phenomenon that is no larger than a sphere. The image appears at a spot within 20 meters and lasts for the duration. The image is purely visual; it isn’t accompanied by sound, smell, or other sensory effects.

As long as you are within 20 meters of the illusion, you can use an action to cause the image to move up to 5 meters to a space you can see, but the illusion must remain within 20 meters of you. As the image changes location, you can alter its appearance so that its movements appear natural for the image. For example, if you create an image of a creature and move it, you can alter the image so that it appears to be walking.

For the duration, you can cast spells as though you were in the illusion’s space, but you must use your own senses.

Physical interaction with the image reveals it to be an illusion, because things can pass through it. A creature can use an action to examine the image, making a skill check using Insight (Intelligence) against your spell save Difficulty. If it succeeds, it becomes aware that it is an illusion. If a creature discerns the illusion for what it is, the creature can see through the image, and any other sensory qualities of the image become faint to the creature.

Augment
You can augment this spell with the following options, expending mana for each option.
  • Major Image. You can expend 1 additional mana so the image seems completely real, including sounds, smells, and temperature appropriate to the thing depicted. You can’t create sufficient heat or cold to cause damage, a sound loud enough to deal concussion damage or deafen a creature, or a smell that might sicken a creature (like a troglodyte’s stench). Additionally, when you move the illusion you can cause it to make different sounds at different times, even making it carry on a conversation, for example.

  • Indefinite. You can expend 1 additional mana so the spell lasts until dispelled, without requiring your concentration.

  • Programmed Image. You can expend 2 additional mana so the illusion activates when a specific condition occurs. The illusion is imperceptible until then. It must be no larger than a 5-meter cube, and you decide when you cast the spell how the illusion behaves and what sounds it makes. This scripted performance can last up to 5 minutes.

    When the condition you specify occurs, the illusion springs into existence and performs in the manner you described. Once the illusion finishes performing, it disappears and remains dormant for 10 minutes. After this time, the illusion can be activated again.

    The triggering condition can be as general or as detailed as you like, though it must be based on visual or audible conditions that occur within 5 meters of the area. For example, you could create an illusion of yourself to appear and warn off others who attempt to open a trapped door, or you could set the illusion to trigger only when a creature says the correct word or phrase.

concentration, 1 minute/mana

As an action, you anchor the shadow of a creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters to its current location. The creature must make a Reflex saving throw.

On a failure, it moves at half speed and takes 2d4 slashing damage for every meter it travels as it tears itself free of its shadow.

A creature anchored by its shadow can use an action to make a Brawn or Nimbleness check (its choice) against your spell save Difficulty.

On a success, the creature is freed.

When you cast the spell—and once on on each of your turns thereafter as an action—you can cause the shadow to pull an anchored creature, tearing its flesh. The creature must make a Reflex saving throw.

On a failure, it takes 1d6 slashing damage and if it is Medium or smaller it is pulled up to 2 meters toward the shadow.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

Augment
You can augment this spell with the following options, expending mana for each option.
  • You can increase the damage from moving by 1d4, the damage from being pulled by 4d6, and affect a creature of a larger size for each additional mana expended.

  • You can target one additional creature for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

As an action, when you are in dim light or darkness, you can step from one shadow into another. You teleport up to 20 meters to an unoccupied space you can see that is also in dim light or darkness.

You can bring along objects you are touching that aren’t worn or carried by another creature as long as their weight doesn’t exceed what you can carry.

If you teleport 5 meters or less, you can use Stealth without using an action or make a weapon attack.

On a hit, add 1d8 + your spellcasting ability to the attack’s damage roll.

On a critical hit, add twice as much damage.

On a miss by 4 or less, add half as much damage.

Augment
You can augment this spell with the following options, expending mana for each option.
  • You can teleport an additional 100 meters for each additional mana expended.

  • You can increase the damage by 3d8 for each additional mana expended.

  • There and Back Again. You can expend 1 additional mana at the end of your turn to teleport back to the spot you occupied before teleporting, unless it is now occupied or on a different plane of existence.

  • Continuous Shadow Jaunt. You can expend 2 additional mana to change the duration to 1 minute/mana and on each of your turns before the spell ends, you can use an action to teleport in this way again.

As a reaction, which you use when a creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters of you attacks you or another creature, you can cause shadows to mask the attacked figure. You impose disadvantage on the roll. An attacker that can’t be blinded is immune to this feature.

Augment

You can expend 1 additional mana so attacks rolls against the target creature have disadvantage until the start of its next turn.