"Beware the weeping in the night" (PEACH) [Archive] - Wizards Community

"Beware the weeping in the night" (PEACH) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Talisman
07-31-07, 04:58 PM Llorona
Medium Fey
Hit Dice 8d6+16 (44 hp)
Initiative +4
Speed 30'
AC 19 (+4 Dex, +5 deflection), touch 19, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple +4/+4
Attack/Full Attack Touch +8 melee touch
Damage Touch 1d4 Charisma
Space/Reach 5'/5'
Special Attacks Aura of despair, drain passion, spell-like abilities, weeping
Special Qualities DR 5/cold iron, SR 17, vulnerability to fire
Saves Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +6
Abilities Str 11, Dex 19, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 21
Skills Bluff +19, Concentration +13, Diplomacy +16, Hide +15, Listen +13,
Move Silently +15, Sense Motive +10, Spot +13
Feats Skill Focus (Bluff), Stealthy, Weapon Finesse
Environment Temperate forests, hills and mountains
Organization Solitary
Challenge Rating 5?
Treasure Half standard
Alignment Always neutral evil
Advancement By character class
Level Adjustment --

You hear a mournful weeping sound, as of a woman in the throes of grief. Out of the darkness stumbles a humanoid woman, shoulders shaking as she cries. Her long, black hair hangs over her face; it is tangled and unkempt. A palpable aura of misery seems to surround her.

Known as the weeping woman, a llorona is a type of fey that feeds on the emotions of grief, misery and despair. Appearing identical to a human, elven or half-elven woman, lloronas always appear to be suffering from the ravages of grief; many who see them will assume they have just survived some hideous calamity and seek to comfort them.
Lloronas thrive by draining the emotions of grief from their prey; however, to drain this emotion they must first inspire it. They are drawn to natural grief, such as the aftermath of plague, war, famine or other widespread unhappiness, and are considered ill-omened for reasons beyond their dangerous attacks.
Lloronas are members of the Unseelie Court, but usually operate alone. Selfish creatutres, lloronas dislike associating with others of their kind, but can sometimes be persuaded to work with other types of fey--after being assured that their erstwhile allies have no interest in the llorona's food supply.
Lloronas do not reproduce in the normal manner. On rare occasions (and often as a result of her own predatory actions), a llorona will encounter an abandoned infant of a mortal race and take the child as her own. These unhappy infants, always girls, are magically transformed into new lloronas as they grow up. More rarely, a mortal woman will surrender so completely to her grief that she flees into the domain of the fey, no longer caring whether she lives or dies. Those that do not fall prey to the hazards of the wilderness may find themselves spontaneously transformed into lloronas by a combination of the latent fey energies of the area and the power of their own grief.
Lloronas speak Common, Elven and Sylvan. They are physically similar to human, elven or half-elven women, save for their sharply-pointed ears and a curious deadness in their eyes.

Combat: Lloronas avoid melee combat; they are unsuited for it, and have no interest in such crudities. They prefer to strike more subtly, using their special abilities to slowly consume the emotions of those they meet, leaving them as hollow, mindless husks. If threatened with cold iron, or if exposed as fey parasites, they generally flee.
Aura of Despair (Su): Feelings of sadness and misery surround a llorona like a raincloud, affecting all who draw near her. Any creature within 10' of a llorona must succeed at a DC 19 Will save or be affected as if by a crushing despair spell, taking a -2 penalty on attacks, saves, checks and weapon damage. This is a mind-affecting morale effect; the save DC is Charisma-based.
Drain Passion (Su): The victim of a llorona's touch attack takes 1d4 points of Charisma damage and must make a DC 19 Will save; on a failed save, 1 point of Charisma damage is permanent drain instead. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Spell-like Abilities: At will--sorrow*; 3/day--wave of grief*. Save DC 15 + spell level; the save DCs are Charisma-based.
*Spell from the Book of Vile Darkness.
Weeping (Su): When a llorona weeps, any living, sentient creature within 30' must make a DC 19 Will save or be filled with pity and desire to comfort and protect the unhappy creature; treat this as a combination of charm and suggestion; in addition, such creatures suffer a -5 penalty on Sense Motive checks made against the llorona.
Victims of this ability are allowed a new save whenever the llorona attacks them or an ally, or takes any action that would break a charm person spell. Note that an attack by the llorona does not automatically break the effect. In any event, affected characters are allowed a new save every 10 minutes, as the llorona's endless weeping may raise their suspicions.
Creatures with the Evil subtype are immune to this ability, as are any others who, for whatever reason, are genuinely unable to feel sorrow. A creature that succeeds at its Will save is immune to the weeping of any llorona for 24 hours.
This effects can be dispelled, and can be removed with a break enchantment, calm emotions or remove curse spell. If not countered it lasts 24 hours. This is a mind-affecting morale effect; the save DC is Charisma-based.
ArgulFraster
07-31-07, 07:47 PM Cool, someone statted the Mexican version of Bloody Mary.

(I always thought she'd be a modded allip/banshee cross, myself...)
JellyPooga
07-31-07, 08:01 PM This sounds more like an Undead creature than a Fey one, IMO...both flavour and mechanically
Talisman
08-02-07, 03:18 PM So, you guys think undead, huh? No fey of sorrow?
Hmm...
ArgulFraster
09-18-07, 12:18 AM All the stories of the Llorona and its other culture equivalents suggest Undead to me.
Rechan
09-18-07, 11:13 PM This sounds similar to a White Lady.

However, I do think it makes a good fey. If Nymphs can be personifications of beauty, then this should be the personification of sorrow and grief.
Rechan
10-05-07, 06:56 PM Is there a way to handle the Charisma drain without making it permanent? I am really, really leery of draining PCs abilities.

What do folk think of the CR? Is it roughly fair? I'm thinking about throwing this at my party (Really appropriate for where they are). Her skills are HUGE for a 5th level challenge.

Also, how exactly do you go about convincing a party she's not a threat? Yes, her abilities do that for the characters, but how does a DM looka t the PCs and go 'Yeah, make a will save. Okay you think she's not a threat' is going to make them start wanting to fight it even if their characters wouldn't.
Talisman
10-07-07, 11:26 AM Is there a way to handle the Charisma drain without making it permanent? I am really, really leery of draining PCs abilities.

Well, you could just scrap that aspect of drain passion, leaving it as Charisma damage.

Her skills are HUGE for a 5th level challenge.

True enough, but her combat abilities are weak for an 8-HD creature. She's convicning to talk to, and she'll hide from you and see you coming...but aside from that, what is there?

Also, how exactly do you go about convincing a party she's not a threat? Yes, her abilities do that for the characters, but how does a DM looka t the PCs and go 'Yeah, make a will save. Okay you think she's not a threat' is going to make them start wanting to fight it even if their characters wouldn't.

(1) "Roll a d20 and let me see your character sheet...Okay, thanks."
(2) Roll the Will saves yourself.
(3) (best solution) Have mature players who don't react to all Will saves by starting a fight.My take on this would be similar to a high Bluff roll...tell the player that she seems really sincere. They can be paranoid, of course (PCs often are), but I would disallow things like arbitrarily slaying her, tying her up, or holding a drawn blade to her neck on the grounds of metagaming and rampant paranoia.

Keep in mind that this critter only has 44 hp and vulnerability to fire, and her attacks aren't that impressive...a couple of good fire attacks fireball, scorching ray could make her go poof.
Rechan
10-10-07, 12:58 AM True enough, but her combat abilities are weak for an 8-HD creature. She's convicning to talk to, and she'll hide from you and see you coming...but aside from that, what is there?
Well, the concern is that she's got a +19 to Bluff, and characters who fail the Weeping save get -5 to Sense Motive. It's going to be hard to accept that she's actually hurting anyone.

Keep in mind that this critter only has 44 hp and vulnerability to fire, and her attacks aren't that impressive...a couple of good fire attacks fireball, scorching ray could make her go poof.

I understand she's not a combatant.

My concern comes from one thing: that DC 19 against everyone, and anyone who fails is effectively charmed and suggested. If everyone fails, she could suck everyone to very little cha and no one would have defenses against it, really. Unless she just kills one of them while draining (possibly allowing another save), she could cripple the whole party if everyone fails that initial will save.

Otherwise, I love her, and I want to use her for an encounter.
Talisman
10-10-07, 09:07 AM True enough. Maybe CR 6 or 7, then? Or should I tone down her abilities somehow? I hesitate to do so, as a 21 Cha isn't really all that high, and she's not getting any strange bonuses.

Maybe I should cut her back to 6 HD?
Rechan
10-10-07, 12:06 PM Actually, my instinct says something like 'another saving throw after x rounds' or something.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Talisman 07-31-07, 04:58 PM	Llorona Medium Fey Hit Dice 8d6+16 (44 hp) Initiative +4 Speed 30' AC 19 (+4 Dex, +5 deflection), touch 19, flat-footed 15 Base Attack/Grapple +4/+4 Attack/Full Attack Touch +8 melee touch Damage Touch 1d4 Charisma Space/Reach 5'/5' Special Attacks Aura of despair, drain passion, spell-like abilities, weeping Special Qualities DR 5/cold iron, SR 17, vulnerability to fire Saves Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +6 Abilities Str 11, Dex 19, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 21 Skills Bluff +19, Concentration +13, Diplomacy +16, Hide +15, Listen +13, Move Silently +15, Sense Motive +10, Spot +13 Feats Skill Focus (Bluff), Stealthy, Weapon Finesse Environment Temperate forests, hills and mountains Organization Solitary Challenge Rating 5? Treasure Half standard Alignment Always neutral evil Advancement By character class Level Adjustment -- You hear a mournful weeping sound, as of a woman in the throes of grief. Out of the darkness stumbles a humanoid woman, shoulders shaking as she cries. Her long, black hair hangs over her face; it is tangled and unkempt. A palpable aura of misery seems to surround her. Known as the weeping woman, a llorona is a type of fey that feeds on the emotions of grief, misery and despair. Appearing identical to a human, elven or half-elven woman, lloronas always appear to be suffering from the ravages of grief; many who see them will assume they have just survived some hideous calamity and seek to comfort them. Lloronas thrive by draining the emotions of grief from their prey; however, to drain this emotion they must first inspire it. They are drawn to natural grief, such as the aftermath of plague, war, famine or other widespread unhappiness, and are considered ill-omened for reasons beyond their dangerous attacks. Lloronas are members of the Unseelie Court, but usually operate alone. Selfish creatutres, lloronas dislike associating with others of their kind, but can sometimes be persuaded to work with other types of fey--after being assured that their erstwhile allies have no interest in the llorona's food supply. Lloronas do not reproduce in the normal manner. On rare occasions (and often as a result of her own predatory actions), a llorona will encounter an abandoned infant of a mortal race and take the child as her own. These unhappy infants, always girls, are magically transformed into new lloronas as they grow up. More rarely, a mortal woman will surrender so completely to her grief that she flees into the domain of the fey, no longer caring whether she lives or dies. Those that do not fall prey to the hazards of the wilderness may find themselves spontaneously transformed into lloronas by a combination of the latent fey energies of the area and the power of their own grief. Lloronas speak Common, Elven and Sylvan. They are physically similar to human, elven or half-elven women, save for their sharply-pointed ears and a curious deadness in their eyes. Combat: Lloronas avoid melee combat; they are unsuited for it, and have no interest in such crudities. They prefer to strike more subtly, using their special abilities to slowly consume the emotions of those they meet, leaving them as hollow, mindless husks. If threatened with cold iron, or if exposed as fey parasites, they generally flee. Aura of Despair (Su): Feelings of sadness and misery surround a llorona like a raincloud, affecting all who draw near her. Any creature within 10' of a llorona must succeed at a DC 19 Will save or be affected as if by a crushing despair spell, taking a -2 penalty on attacks, saves, checks and weapon damage. This is a mind-affecting morale effect; the save DC is Charisma-based. Drain Passion (Su): The victim of a llorona's touch attack takes 1d4 points of Charisma damage and must make a DC 19 Will save; on a failed save, 1 point of Charisma damage is permanent drain instead. The save DC is Charisma-based. Spell-like Abilities: At will--sorrow; 3/day--wave of grief. Save DC 15 + spell level; the save DCs are Charisma-based. *Spell from the Book of Vile Darkness. Weeping (Su): When a llorona weeps, any living, sentient creature within 30' must make a DC 19 Will save or be filled with pity and desire to comfort and protect the unhappy creature; treat this as a combination of charm and suggestion; in addition, such creatures suffer a -5 penalty on Sense Motive checks made against the llorona. Victims of this ability are allowed a new save whenever the llorona attacks them or an ally, or takes any action that would break a charm person spell. Note that an attack by the llorona does not automatically break the effect. In any event, affected characters are allowed a new save every 10 minutes, as the llorona's endless weeping may raise their suspicions. Creatures with the Evil subtype are immune to this ability, as are any others who, for whatever reason, are genuinely unable to feel sorrow. A creature that succeeds at its Will save is immune to the weeping of any llorona for 24 hours. This effects can be dispelled, and can be removed with a break enchantment, calm emotions or remove curse spell. If not countered it lasts 24 hours. This is a mind-affecting morale effect; the save DC is Charisma-based.
ArgulFraster 07-31-07, 07:47 PM	Cool, someone statted the Mexican version of Bloody Mary. (I always thought she'd be a modded allip/banshee cross, myself...)
JellyPooga 07-31-07, 08:01 PM	This sounds more like an Undead creature than a Fey one, IMO...both flavour and mechanically
Talisman 08-02-07, 03:18 PM	So, you guys think undead, huh? No fey of sorrow? Hmm...
ArgulFraster 09-18-07, 12:18 AM	All the stories of the Llorona and its other culture equivalents suggest Undead to me.
Rechan 09-18-07, 11:13 PM	This sounds similar to a White Lady. However, I do think it makes a good fey. If Nymphs can be personifications of beauty, then this should be the personification of sorrow and grief.
Rechan 10-05-07, 06:56 PM	Is there a way to handle the Charisma drain without making it permanent? I am really, really leery of draining PCs abilities. What do folk think of the CR? Is it roughly fair? I'm thinking about throwing this at my party (Really appropriate for where they are). Her skills are HUGE for a 5th level challenge. Also, how exactly do you go about convincing a party she's not a threat? Yes, her abilities do that for the characters, but how does a DM looka t the PCs and go 'Yeah, make a will save. Okay you think she's not a threat' is going to make them start wanting to fight it even if their characters wouldn't.
Talisman 10-07-07, 11:26 AM	Is there a way to handle the Charisma drain without making it permanent? I am really, really leery of draining PCs abilities. Well, you could just scrap that aspect of drain passion, leaving it as Charisma damage. Her skills are HUGE for a 5th level challenge. True enough, but her combat abilities are weak for an 8-HD creature. She's convicning to talk to, and she'll hide from you and see you coming...but aside from that, what is there? Also, how exactly do you go about convincing a party she's not a threat? Yes, her abilities do that for the characters, but how does a DM looka t the PCs and go 'Yeah, make a will save. Okay you think she's not a threat' is going to make them start wanting to fight it even if their characters wouldn't. (1) "Roll a d20 and let me see your character sheet...Okay, thanks." (2) Roll the Will saves yourself. (3) (best solution) Have mature players who don't react to all Will saves by starting a fight.My take on this would be similar to a high Bluff roll...tell the player that she seems really sincere. They can be paranoid, of course (PCs often are), but I would disallow things like arbitrarily slaying her, tying her up, or holding a drawn blade to her neck on the grounds of metagaming and rampant paranoia. Keep in mind that this critter only has 44 hp and vulnerability to fire, and her attacks aren't that impressive...a couple of good fire attacks fireball, scorching ray could make her go poof.
Rechan 10-10-07, 12:58 AM	True enough, but her combat abilities are weak for an 8-HD creature. She's convicning to talk to, and she'll hide from you and see you coming...but aside from that, what is there? Well, the concern is that she's got a +19 to Bluff, and characters who fail the Weeping save get -5 to Sense Motive. It's going to be hard to accept that she's actually hurting anyone. Keep in mind that this critter only has 44 hp and vulnerability to fire, and her attacks aren't that impressive...a couple of good fire attacks fireball, scorching ray could make her go poof. I understand she's not a combatant. My concern comes from one thing: that DC 19 against everyone, and anyone who fails is effectively charmed and suggested. If everyone fails, she could suck everyone to very little cha and no one would have defenses against it, really. Unless she just kills one of them while draining (possibly allowing another save), she could cripple the whole party if everyone fails that initial will save. Otherwise, I love her, and I want to use her for an encounter.
Talisman 10-10-07, 09:07 AM	True enough. Maybe CR 6 or 7, then? Or should I tone down her abilities somehow? I hesitate to do so, as a 21 Cha isn't really all that high, and she's not getting any strange bonuses. Maybe I should cut her back to 6 HD?
Rechan 10-10-07, 12:06 PM	Actually, my instinct says something like 'another saving throw after x rounds' or something.