 |
| by |
Number Appearing: 1
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Languages: lingua Franca plus Crime-Speak (a secret language known only by criminals)
Treasure: Stolen money, jewelry, tons of knives and other tools for butchering, an enormous amount of (human) meat
Sexual predators in a more literal fashion, these creatures exploit the human desires for sex, power and pleasure to feed on hapless victims.
Appearance:
Empusa are horrible beasts, usually with malformed heads that resemble a fusion between a human and a beast, often a boar or pig. They have many sharp teeth and long, protruding fangs. They also have a limb made of metal that despite being inorganic, they can still control and move like an ordinary limb. Often this limb is a leg, but Empusa with metal arms are not uncommon.
Abilities:
Besides being stronger than most humans and able to manipulate their metal limb(s), Empusa also possess the ability to conjure illusions. They can cloak themselves in illusory guises, make themselves look like anything they wish. They can also wrap other creatures or items in illusions, to make them resemble anything the Empusa wishes.
For example, a band of ruffians can become noble warriors, while a pile of stones becomes a mound of glittering gems. A ruin can become a castle and a damp cave can disguised to look like a pleasure den.
These illusions do not stand up to physical scrutiny and if separated from the Empusa, only last for 24 hours before burning away. They also do not last in sunlight, dissolving in the bright rays of the sun. If an Empusa gives you a magic sword and you use it during the day, you might find yourself holding an entirely ordinary sword or a rusted cast-off.
Behavior:
Empusa are manipulators at their core, using their false appearances and illusions, along with the promise of sex or another reward to lure someone to their death. Once isolated or vulnerable, the Empusa will feast on their victim's flesh and tear him apart. Empusa are hunters and capable of patience and planning, but they are often impatient. A well-fed Empusa can stalk their prey for some time, but a hungry one will usually try to rush the hunt, which can often be suspicious and may lead to the Empusa being exposed.
Empusa are also quite greedy and tend to be controlled by their appetites. They often make mistakes or bite off more than they can chew, so eager are they for a big kill. This is why though they are capable of great deceptions and clever manipulations, they usually go for the quick and easy kill rather than anything more ambitious. When an Empusa gets ambitious, that's usually when she gets herself killed.
Empusa are often mistaken for Hags, but unlike those creatures, Empusa are not nearly as clever or patient. Additionally, while Hags often delight in tormenting creatures for no purpose other than their own black mirth, Empusa are much more base in their appetites. They like to eat and crave man-flesh and hot blood most of all.
Empusa are not proud or arrogant in their demeanor. If caught or faced with something it cannot easily overcome, Empusa will run and hide. They have no honor or pride. If flight is impossible and they do not think that they would win a physical confrontation, they will swiftly revert to begging and pleading.
They will pledge to serve and offer their abilities in exchange for being allowed to live and continue feeding. And this may not even be a trick. Empusa have no problem working for other creatures, as long as they can continue feeding.
Statblock:
Empusa
HD 1d3+1
AR 1d3
Atk Claws or Weapon (1d6+2/1d6+2)
Mor 12
Saves (7+HD) or less
Illusionist: Empusai can create illusions as an action. She can also replace one of her attacks with the creation of an illusion. Her illusions only produce visual stimuli and do not stand up to physical inspection. Her illusions last until the next dawn, unless the Empusa maintains them by focusing on them. They also burn away after 10 minutes in direct sunlight.
Illusory Appearance: An Empusa can cloak herself in an illusion that makes her look like anything she can imagine. She can maintain this illusion easily, even while focusing on other illusions.
Parry: 1/Round, an Empusa can reduce the damage from an incoming attack by 1d6+2, assuming this is the type of attack that could be parried. She could parry a sword, but not a fireball. She does this by using her metal limb as a barrier to stop the attack. If she has multiple metal limbs, she can parry a number of times equal to her metal limbs.
Bloody Cravings: Empusa love warm flesh- it is their favorite food in the world. If given a chance to eat it, they must make a morale check. On a failed check, they rush in to try and grab a bite, no matter the risk. If the risk posed by such an action is obvious and serious, the Empusa has advantage on her morale check.
Tactics:
- Hide under illusions
- Use deceit to manipulate potential prey
- Only attack if a target is vulnerable
- Flee if faced with serious resistance
 |
| by SergoZ |
Potential Allies of the Empusai:
- Bandits, Brigands and Ruffians: The Empusa may work in town and direct travelers down routes that the bandits frequent, or it may accompany them in-battle, crafting illusions or disguises for the bandits.
- Criminal Syndicates: An Empusa may serve a crime-boss as an assassin or a torturer, intimidating enemies into revealing their secrets or killing enemies and disposing of the evidence in her stomach. She will likely be disguised as his moll or favorite girl, disguised as a beautiful young thing dangling off his arm.
- Hags: Hags often employ Empusa, who can help them with their less subtle schemes and make convenient fall-guys for when the villagers start to suspect that something weird is going on.
- Ghouls: You love eating people, I love eating people, it's like we're two peas in a pod. The only thing that can break up this relationship is a lack of food. And while Ghouls prefer humans, they will eat an Empusa if they get a bit peckish.
- Ogres: Empusa and Ogres often get along, with the Empusa's greater intellect enabling it to guide the Ogre to make better decisions. That being said, they make poor parental surrogates, as Empusai are often just as controlled by their desires as Ogres, who are known for their near-total lack of impulse control.
Variants:
Full-Metal: Some Empusa have more than one metal limb. This gives them an increase to their toughness and enables them to fight much better than an ordinary member of their race.
Dream-Weaver: Dream-Weaver Empusa have the ability to make much stronger illusions than normal. Their illusions are not merely visual, but can provide another type of sensory input as well. Rotten meat cloaked in an illusion by them tastes like a high-class dinner, while an illusory fire provides the sensation of heat as well as dancing convincingly.
Mistress of Metal: These Empusa have the ability to command metal, molding it and shaping it at their command. Metal weapons are largely useless against them and they can manipulate their metal limb into a variety of shapes, morphing it into any sort of tool composed of one solid object, such as a sword, hammer or saw.
Plot Hooks:
1d6
1- Someone very smart, such as a Hag or a Succubus has some elaborate scheme that they are working on in the area. And this absolute moron of an Empusa is running around, eating people and leaving behind evidence of some kind of monster activity. While the party is hired to investigate this cannibal murderer, the other monster needs to find a way to cover up their own crimes and evade the adventurers before they blunder into the monster's much better hidden scheme.
2- An Empusa has convinced a bunch of bandits to help her rob a Noble's estate, so she can take the place of their young daughter and use that as a feeding ground. Their scheme is slapdash and unlikely to work, as the bandits aren't super competent and the Empusa mostly just wants to eat one of the indolent noblewomen to see if they taste better but they're going to give it their all, dang it!
3- The guard were investigating a series of murders they believed to be connected when the evidence of the later crimes started disappearing. Bodies are gone, blood is missing, etc. They suspect that the murderer has gained the help of one of the city's magi. Help them investigate and find out who is helping the killer. In reality, the serial killer just found an Empusa and they are having a beautiful, and horrific, whirlwind romance as they carve their way across the city.
4- An Empusa come to the party and tries to convince them that they are actually a Master Wizard who was cursed, which greatly reduced their powers. They need the party to hunt down the people responsible for the curse and kill them to break it. In reality, the Empusa just wants to tag along and eat these people, but it will do it's best to conceal this fact from them.
5- The prostitutes down at the Docks and the local crime syndicate are having a spat, as the prostitutes are trying to break away from the syndicate, while the syndicate wants them to keep paying for "protection". An Empusa in the city finds out about this and decides to start a gang war, mostly so she can more easily pick off victims in the chaos.
6- A cult has formed in the underbelly of the city, claiming to possess the "true scriptures" while the mainstream preachers of the law gods are secret demon-worshipers or otherwise in error. This cult promises true knowledge and power to the one who accepts their teachings and increasing demands. In reality, the cult is based around an Empusa and a few charismatic humans who are quickly becoming Ghouls. The humans are using the cult as a means of gaining power and wealth, while the Empusa helps to get rid of inconvenient people, while also providing the true source of the leader's "miracles".
No comments:
Post a Comment