Adventures are usually about events taking the heroes away from home. But this series explores possibilities when taking a character back home. What troubles lurk in a PC’s hometown? What manner of curse, bogeyman, disease, or nuisance was part of their upbringing? How does it now become part of the party’s greater story?
Each post in Hometown Hazards addresses a different PC heritage from the Tales of the Valiant Player’s Guide, focusing on ready-to-go concepts for what “home sweet home” might have looked like (and what imperils it).
Nomad Heritage: Perils of the Road
Nomad heritage characters are no strangers to the hazards of life on the road. However, these day-to-day perils—random encounters and hazards—are shaped by the surrounding environment. As such, these nomad groups face similar troubles as any local travelers might, albeit as a way of life rather than momentary inconveniences.
But what about a danger specific to nomads? What kind of hazard looms over them no matter where they go? What about a curse, an omen, a folkloric monster—or something that’s like all three—that is, perhaps, the reason they can never stay in one place?
When the wind blows backward and the hunter’s whistle is in the air, it’s time to move.
Harbinger
A tall, lanky drifter keeps an unhurried pace, whistling an eerie tune and holding a dark, shadowy crossbow with a relaxed grip. The figure is hidden under a long coat, cloth mask and a wide-brimmed hat over long, pale hair fluttering in an unnatural, cold breeze.
Harbingers are relentless hunters imbued with power from a mighty Fey patron to fulfill a singular purpose: hunting down every mortal who broke a covenant with the harbinger’s patron and all their descendants, whether the descendants know about their ancestor’s trespass or not.
Dark Drifters. A harbinger’s arrival is preceded by ill omens that dog the steps of its intended quarry. A harbinger is slow and steady as it travels in pursuit of its quarry, inexorable, but not mindless. It ignores distractions, including most mortals, unless they interfere with its business. Harbingers rarely speak except to pronounce judgment. Communication, when absolutely necessary, is done with gestures, grunts, or whistles. Occasionally, though, the harbinger becomes aware of a noteworthy broken oath on its path and takes an interest, to the oath-breaker’s detriment. Minor interruptions aside, a harbinger never lairs anywhere. It’s as nomadic as its prey, which is sometimes the reason its targets are nomadic.
Bloo
Violent
HARBINGER CR 13
Medium Fey
Armor Class 17 (studded leather armor)
Hit Points 212
Speed 30 ft.
Perception 19 Stealth 20
Resistant bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks | frightened | Fey Resilience
Immune exhaustion
Senses darkvision 60 ft.
Languages Common, Sylvan
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
| +3 | +10 | +7 | +0 | +4 | +9 |
Fey Resilience. The harbinger is resistant to the charmed and unconscious conditions.
Omens. Three days before a harbinger arrives at its destination from Relentless Pursuit, the region within 1 mile of the target location manifests the following effects:
- Unnatural cold and unpredictable winds blowing from the harbinger’s direction. Gusts of gale winds occur every 1d4 hours, lasting 3d10 minutes.
- When a sleeping creature awakens from a long rest, it must succeed on a DC 13 WIS save or gain no benefit from the rest due to nightmares of being pursued by a relentless, whistling hunter.
These effects fade within a day after the harbinger passes through or if the harbinger dies.
Relentless Pursuit (1/Week). The harbinger is magically aware of the last location its quarry completed a long rest on the same plane of existence. The harbinger is guided to this location as find the path, and that place becomes the harbinger’s new destination and the target of its Omens.
Returning Nemesis. If it dies, the harbinger returns to its Fey patron, where it is mended and returned to life on the Material Plane near where it died a year and a day later. Only its patron’s death, completion of its mission, or a wish spell prevents this rejuvenation.
Sense Quarry. A harbinger always knows if a creature it can see is related to the oath-breaking lineage it is tasked with hunting, or if such a creature passed through an area within the past 30 days and in which direction it went.
Shadow Weapons. The harbinger’s weapon attacks are magical. When the harbinger hits with any weapon, the weapon deals an extra 2d8 cold damage (included in the attack).
Whistler in the Dark. A creature starting its turn within 120 feet of the harbinger who can hear its eerie whistling must succeed on a DC 17 CHA save or have disadvantage on its next save to avoid becoming frightened. If a creature’s save is successful, the creature is immune to the harbinger’s Whistler in the Dark for the next 24 hours.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The harbinger makes four Shadow Crossbow or Bayonet attacks. It can replace one attack with a use of Spellcasting. If two Shadow Crossbow attacks hit one creature, the target must succeed on a DC 17 WIS save or be frightened until the end of its next turn, or stunned if it is already frightened.
Shadow Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, range 100/400 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d10 + 5) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) cold damage.
Bayonet. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) cold damage.
Spellcasting. The harbinger casts one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using CHA as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 17).
At will: gust of wind
3/day each: wind walk, wind wall
Reap the Whirlwind. The harbinger targets its marked quarry within 30 feet. Its quarry must be frightened and aware of the harbinger. The harbinger pronounces judgment for crimes committed against the harbinger’s patron, conjuring a dark whirlwind around the target. The target must make a DC 17 CHA save. On a failure, the target is immediately slain. Its body dissipates into the shadowy glamour of the whirlwind. On a success, the target takes 36 (8d8) psychic damage.
BONUS ACTIONS
Mark Quarry. If the harbinger identifies a creature it can see within 60 feet as one of its targets with Sense Quarry, it can focus on that creature to mark it. While marked, the harbinger can pinpoint the location of its quarry within 120 feet and sense its general direction at any distance on the same plane of existence, as the locate spell.
Drifter. The harbinger takes the Dash or Disengage action.
REACTIONS
Inevitable. On initiative count 1, after all other creatures have gone, the harbinger can use its reaction to make one Shadow Crossbow or one Bayonet attack against a frightened target the harbinger can see.
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