Appendix a Merchant Guilds & Cults of Mammon
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Appendix A Merchant Guilds & Cults of Mammon The lifeblood of many drow cities is the merchants. “…No drow can serve two masters: for Particularly those who have caravans traveling between either she will hate the one, and love different settlements of the Underdark and sometimes even the other; or else she will hold to the the surface world. Some of these entrepreneurs come together to form merchant guilds and trade companies. one, and despise the other. You cannot Although most drow merchants are usually males, it is serve Lolth and Mammon…” – An excerpt known that in some cities with a strong Lolthite presence, from the trials of heretic merchants of only females are allowed to lead such assemblies. These the drow city Cheth Rrhinn. females are usually upstart and cunning commoners or nobles who, for one reason or the other, weren’t fit for becoming priestesses. Careers of merchant guild leaders in the drow society are perilous, and often short. These individuals need to juggle between different trading parties, dangers of the Underdark, and the inner politics of drow noble houses. Accidently insulting a high-ranking priestess of Lolth or getting into a dispute with even a mediocre noble house could mean disaster for any drow merchant. A guild mistress needs to be resourceful and smart to survive in the Underdark. Mammon the Archduke of Minauros, is a greedy and lustful archdevil whose greed overwhelms everything else in life. Although not a common knowledge among the common people, many drow merchants, especially high-ranking ones such as trade and commerce guild leaders turn to Mammon for power and protection. Stuck in a society with a dominating organized religion and powerful noble houses, the ever-so-greedy merchant leaders ask Mammon for his blessings to navigate the dark waters of drow politics. Some merchant guilds are known to employ devils sent by Mammon as enforcers and caravan guards, and even half- drow tieflings of Mammon’s blood as lieutenants or high- ranking officers in their banking and usury practices. Sample file 16 Drow Guild Mistress Fey Ancestry. The drow has advantage on saving throws Medium humanoid (elf), neutral evil against being charmed, and magic can't put the drow to sleep. Armor Class 16 (scale mail) Hit Points 77 (14d8 + 14) Flourish. The drow adds its Charisma modifier to the Speed 30 ft. damage roll for its rapier attacks (included in the attack). STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Innate Spellcasting. The drow's spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16). She can innately cast the 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 20 (+5) following spells, requiring no material components: At will: dancing lights, friends, mending Saving Throw Wis +5, Cha +8 1/day each: charm person, darkness, faerie fire, glyph Skills Deception +8, Insight +5, Perception +5, of warding, haste, levitate (self only) Persuasion +11, Sleight of Hand +8, Stealth +5 Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 10 Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the drow has Languages Common, Drow, Undercommon disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom Challenge 8 (3,900 XP) (Perception) checks that rely on sight. Actions Multiattack. The drow makes three rapier attacks. Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (1d8 + 7) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) poison damage. Hand Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 hour. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the target is also unconscious while poisoned in this way. The target wakes up if it takes damage or if another creature takes an action to shake it awake. Grasping Hands (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). As a bonus action, the drow makes a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check contested by the Wisdom (Insight) check of a creature it can see within 15 feet of it. If the drow succeeds, one handheld item of its choice that it can see on the target magically teleports to its open hand. The item can't be one that the target is holding, and it must weigh no more than 10 pounds. Incentive Bonus (Recharges after a Short Rest). For 1 minute, whenever a nonhostile creature that the drow can see within 30 feet of it makes an attack roll or a saving throw, the drow makes promises of wealth to make her underlings work harder. Up to 5 allies of the drow can add a d4 to their rolls provided they can hear and understand the drow. This effect ends if the drow is incapacitated. Reactions Bailout. As a reaction when the drow is hit by an attack, it can choose one ally it can see within 5 feSampleet of it and cause that ally to be hit by that attack file instead. 17 Tiefling Usurer Magic Resistance. The usurer has advantage on saving Medium humanoid (tiefling), lawful evil throws against spells and other magical effects. Spellcasting. The usurer is a 5th-level spellcaster. Its Armor Class 16 (natural armor) spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14, +6 to Hit Points 76 (9d8 + 36) hit with spell attacks). It regains its expended spell Speed 30 ft., fly 20 ft. slots when it finishes a short or long rest. It knows the following warlock spells: STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Cantrips (at will): eldritch blast, mage hand 1st-3rd level (2 3rd-level slots): burning hands, dispel 10 (+0) 15 (+2) 18 (+4) 17 (+3) 12 (+1) 16 (+3) magic, hellish rebuke, hold person, invisibility, stinking cloud Saving Throws Con +7, Wis +4, Cha +6 Skills Arcana +6, Insight +4, Deception +9 Persuasion Actions +9 Multiattack. The usurer makes two melee or two ranged Damage Resistances fire, poison attacks. Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 11 Languages Common, Drow, Duergar, Infernal, Sword of Minauros Slough. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to Undercommon hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d8 + 2) piercing Challenge 7 (2,900 XP) damage plus 6 (1d12) acid damage plus 6 (1d12) fire damage. Plague of Minauros Swamps: When a living Battle Command. As a bonus action, the usurer targets creature is hit by the usurer's sword, the creature must one ally he can see within 30 feet of him. If the target succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or can see or hear the usurer, the target can use its become infected with Sewer Plague. If a target's saving reaction to make one melee attack or to take the throw is successful it is immune to the plague for the Dodge or Hide action. next 24 hours. Devil's Sight. Magical darkness doesn't impede the Coin Purse (Recharge 4-6). Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 usurer's darkvision. to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) bludgeoning damage, and the target must make a DC Drow Ancestry. Magic can't put the usurer to sleep. 14 Wisdom saving throw or be stunned until the end Innate Spellcasting. The usurer's innate spellcasting of the usurer's next turn looking at the coins scattered abSampleility is Charisma (spell save DC 14). He can innately on the ground. file cast the following spells, requiring no material components: At will: dancing lights, thaumaturgy 1/day each: charm person, darkness, faerie fire, suggestion 18.