Hi everyone! Sorry for the recent silence, but these last couple of weeks have been pretty brutal. Hopefully things will get back on track this week. However, I’d be remiss to leave you all without my planned Halloween treat, two new monsters that can also serve as Familiars. But enough of my jabbering, here’s the monsters:
Hag-Flame:
The Hag-Flame appears as a small, hovering mote of green flame, with the tendrils of fire seeming to “drip” and flow upwards from its round spectral core. While knowledge on exactly how these beings are created is limited, it is widely agreed upon that these are artificial beings, with some scholars positing that they’re crafted from shattered fragments of a Hag’s soul. In the wild, these flames tend to gather in small swarms, behaving similarly to Will-o’-Wisps, butt usually beholden to the whims some more powerful master (Typically a Hag). Some Hag-Flames exhibit cruel and cunning behavior reminiscent of a Hag.
Tactics: The Hag-Flame has rather simple tactics, typically engaging any potential enemies that come within range of it, opening with a Disconcerting Motion attack and then focusing the nearest opponent with its Caustic Touch. Sometimes a Hag-Flame or several will be sent to scout out an area, or hunt down a PC that has slighted their master.
Variant: Hag-Flame Familiar
Spellcasters who are interested in an exotic familiar will often find the Hag-Flame to be fairly pliable and loyal familiars. The Hag-Flame still carries aspects of its former life as a Hag, and so enjoys the company of those who are driven by cruelty, curiosity, or trickery. A Hag-Flame serving another creature as a familiar has the following trait:
Familiar: A Hag-Flame can serve another creature as a familiar, forming a telepathic bond with its willing master, provided that the master is at least a 3rd-level spellcaster. While the two are bonded, the master can sense what the Hag-Flame senses as long as they are within 1 mile of each other. The process of turning the Hag-Flame into a familiar requires that the cost of the Find Familiar spell be paid, and a 2 hour ritual be performed. Alternatively, the Hag-Flame can be summoned via a Warlock’s Pact of the Chain feature. While a Hag-Flame serves as a familiar, its master and their allies are immune to the penalties from its Wretched Light effect.
Devil-Flame:
The Devil-Flame is a construct closely related in its creation to the Hag-Flame. However, its flames come to jagged points, and it is a distinct, dark crimson red in color. Much like the Hag-Flame, it is widely believed that the Devil-Flame is forged from the shattered fragments of the souls of powerful Devils, twisted and worked into these new, more compliant shapes. While the Devil-Flame is primarily solitary in combat, small groups of them do sometimes form, often posing a lethal threat because of their brutality. Many Devil-Flames exhibit the violent, devious, and malevolent nature of a Devil.
Tactics: The Devil-Flame will typically open an engagement with a direct Wrath Bolt attack, only resorting to using it’s Infernal Rage if surrounded or if the battle doesn’t seem to be going its way. Devil-Flames can often be found guarding or patrolling the territories of their masters, seeking to destroy those that might threaten them.
Variant: Devil-Flame Familiar
Spellcasters who have an interest in having a dangerous or macabre companion need look no further than the Devil-Flame. The Devil-Flame still retains much of its former life as a Devil, and so enjoys the company of Individuals that seem powerful, or are fairly malicious, capricious, or are steadfast in their commitments. A Devil-Flame serving another creature as a familiar has the following trait:
Familiar: A Devil-Flame can serve another creature as a familiar, forming a telepathic bond with its willing master, provided that the master is at least a 3rd-level spellcaster. While the two are bonded, the master can sense what the Devil-Flame senses as long as they are within 1 mile of each other. The process of turning the Devil-Flame into a familiar requires that the cost of the Find Familiar spell be paid, and an extensive and binding contract be created. Alternatively, the Devil-Flame can be summoned via a Warlock’s Pact of the Chain feature. While a Devil-Flame serves as a familiar, its master and their allies are immune to the penalties from its Fiendish Whispers effect.
Ending Note:
And with that our Halloween special comes to a close. Once again I apologize for the silence for the last couple weeks, things have been rough on my end, and the new subclass is proving pretty rough to design on top of that. With any luck I’ll have it up later in the week. That said, I may be moving my posts to new days. I’ll have the update on that when I make my next post.
The Wyrm Scribe 