Bleeding Edge Villains by Robert J. Schwalb Within each of Green Ronin’s Bleeding Edge Adventures is a compelling adventure designed to take advantage of the robust options and innovative concepts of the . The adventures provide compelling plots and engaging characters, all of which work to provide gaming groups with exciting play experiences that promise to keep them coming back for more. To demonstrate these features, Green Ronin is proud to present a collection of sinister foes for GMs to incorporate into their games. Each character includes a short history, advice for using the character with a Bleeding Edge adventure and a stat-block. Each villain is perfect for expanding play in any of these fantastic offerings. KLAX Skills Balance +15, Climb –1 (+1 ropes), Escape Artist +12 (+14 ropes), Hide +15, Mansion of Shadows Jump +6, Listen +3, Move Silently +12, Open Locks +13, Search +7, Sleight of Hand +15, “Don’t cry little one, candy will make you fat.” Spot +4, Survival +0 (+2 follow tracks), Having slipped through a planar rent that Tumble +15, Use Rope +14 (+16 bindings) connected the Material Plane to the dismal Possessions combat gear plus +1 short sword, layers of Gehenna, Klax has delighted himself masterwork thieves’ tools, sack of 240 gp by thieving anything he can from the Klax stands just over two-feet tall and weighs beleaguered people of Staufendorf. about 25 pounds. Like others of his kind, he is KLAX CR 3 small and frail with spindly arms and legs and Male furtivin* rogue 1 with a series of leathery ridges marching up *Book of Fiends his back. His face is monstrous, ears extending NE Small outsider (daemon, evil, extraplanar) from either side of his triangular head. He has Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +4, little use for clothing and carries only a leather Spot +4 bag, stolen from a local after he stabbed him to Languages Abyssal, Common, Draconic, death with his sword. The delicate fingers of Elven, Halfling; telepathy 100 ft. his slender hands are almost always gooey AC 19, touch 18, flat-footed 12 from stolen sweets he’s come to favor. (+1 size, +7 Dex, +1 natural) Using Klax hp 28 (4 HD); fast healing 1 Immune acid and poison Klax is a daemon of greed and avariciousness Resist cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10, evasion oozes from his person. He steals everything Fort +6, Ref +13, Will +3 and anything he can, regardless of actual Spd 30 ft. (6 squares) value, preferring instead to deprive others of Melee +1 short sword +12 (1d4/19–20) or things, regardless of its value. Taking the Melee slam +11 (1d3–1) crutch from a one-legged man is just as Base Atk +3; Grp –2 attractive as lifting the last pig out of a Atk Options sneak attack +1d6 starving family’s pen. It’s not that he needs Combat Gear 2 tanglefoot bags any of the things he steals, and in fact, he Spell-like Abilities (CL 3rd): leaves his takings in one of the many caves the At will—cause fear (DC 9), invisibility, knock, riddle the mound beneath the Staufen castle, lesser confusion (DC 9) he must rob folks because by doing so, he 1/day—dimension door spreads misery and suffering by making Abilities Str 8, Dex 25, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 11, victims of every person he encounters. Cha 6 The player characters might encounter SQ trapfinding Klax while exploring the Staufendorf, perhaps Feats Deft Hands, Weapon Finesse even becoming one of the daemon’s victims. A

Bleeding Edge Villains 1 group of well-armed, potentially rich Skills Hide +11, Listen +7, Move Silently +15, characters is too good of a target for Klax to Spot +7, Survival +7, Swim +8 pass up and so once he spots them, he follows Possessions combat gear plus mithral shirt, them around at a distance, sneaking forward masterwork battle axe, masterwork to snatch an item when he can. This continues composite longbow (Strength +2) with until the PCs finally catch him in the act, at quiver of 20 arrows, backpack, waterskin, which point he flees using dimension door . one day’s trail rations, bedroll, sack, flint Pursuing characters are in for a merry chase and steel, 3 torches, 4 gp through some dangerous territory, possibly Shorgad is a thick-boned hobgoblin, with the leading the PCs into adventures of your own ruddy complexion and patchy tufts of gray fur design. common to most goblinoids of his breed. He SHORGAD THE UNSUBTLE wears a heavy gray cloak overtop of a fine mithral shirt he received as payment a few Beyond the Towers jobs back. He has a slight lisp and when he talks, the right side of his upper lip draws up “Have you seen a man named Frank?” revealing a sharp brown incisor. Squatting on the edge of the Carrion Swamp is Using Shorgad a filthy little outpost called Lonely Shore. This isolated speck of a town caters to trappers, What he lacks in personality, he makes up for rangers, and other men of dubious character. in efficiency. He’s made a name for himself by Shorgad the Unsubtle has come here to find a never double-crossing his employers, a fact man named Frank. He’s going to find him and that keeps him employed. He specializes in when he does, he’s going to kill him because hunting down humans since they’re usually that’s what he’s been paid to do. easy, careless prey prone to making mistakes. When sent out to kill his victims, Shorgad SHORGAD THE UNSEEN CR 3 knows many of his targets surround Male hobgoblin ranger 3 themselves with allies, making a direct LE Medium humanoid (goblinoid) confrontation with his axe difficult. Therefore, Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +7, the hobgoblin can and does stalk his prey for Spot +7 several days, and picking him off with a few Languages Common, Goblin well-placed shots with his bow. AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+3 Dex, +4 armor) When Shorgad arrives in Lonely Shore, he hp 19 (3 HD) asks a few questions about Frank, but since Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +3 most people are close-lipped (to say nothing Spd 30 ft. (6 squares) of their general disdain for goblinoids), he’s Melee mwk battle axe +6 (1d8+2/×2) been forced to skulk about, listening to Ranged mwk composite longbow (Str +2) +7 conversations and looking for clues about just (1d8+2/×3) or who, exactly, Frank is. Frank eventually learns Ranged mwk composite longbow (Str +2) someone’s come for him. If he flees, the killer +5/+5 (1d8+2/×3) with Rapid Shot would suspect him, so Frank approaches Base Atk +3; Grp +5 Shorgad, claiming to be Professor Stewart. He Atk Options Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, claims his employer, the real Professor favored enemy (humans) Stewart, is actually Frank. Shorgad buys the Combat Gear elixir of hiding, elixir of sneaking, 2 story and waits for the chance to kill the old potions of cure light wounds, 2 tanglefoot bags, man, but before he can, the real professor 5 smokesticks heads out into the swamp. Shorgad follows, Abilities Str 14, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 12, waiting for the chance to strike. Cha 8 SQ wild empathy +2 (–2 magical beasts)

Feats Endurance B, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot B, Stealthy, Track B

Bleeding Edge Villains 2 KASTAASS Skills Concentration +7, Hide +9, Jump +8, Knowledge (arcana) +6, Listen +6, Move Dirge of the Damned Silently +10, Search +6, Spellcraft +10, Spot +6, Use Magic Device +4 (+6 scrolls) “You will pay for your trespass!” Possessions combat gear plus masterwork The serpentines are distant cousins of the scimitar, 2 javelins, bracers of armor +1 serpent people that ruled much of the world Spellbook all prepared plus all cantrips; 1st— in ages past. When the great catastrophe befell cause fear, charm person, chill touch, silent their empire, the serpentines and other image ; 2nd—invisibility survivors fled to make new homes where they could. Like the serpent people, the serpentines Poison (Ex) injury, Fortitude DC 15, initial and have begun to stir and now set out to carve secondary damage nauseated for 2d4+2 out a new empire for themselves. minutes.

KASTAASS CR 5 Kastaass wears a heavy green cloak to conceal Male serpentine wizard 1 his features, but those who watch him long CE Medium monstrous humanoid (reptilian) enough cannot help but notice the tip of a Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light reptilian tail peaking out and swishing on the vision, scent; Listen +6, Spot +6 ground. The cloak’s hood conceals his Languages Abyssal, Common, Draconic, grotesque snake-like features. Bright green Giant, Serpentine, Sylvan and yellow scales cover the entirety of his AC 21, touch 15, flat-footed 16 body. (+5 Dex, +1 armor, +5 natural) Using Kastaass hp 37 (4 HD) Fort +4, Ref +8, Will +5 Professor Stewart and the reptilian bandits Spd 40 ft. (8 squares) described in Beyond the Towers weren’t the Melee mwk scimitar +5 (1d6+1/18–20) and only ones interested in the ruin. After the bite –1 (1d3 plus poison) and player characters left the ziggurat, Kastaass claw –1 (1d3) and and a band of other serpentines located the tail slap –1 (1d6) or site and explored the contents. Finding the Melee bite +4 (1d3+1 plus poison) and place plundered, the group was enraged. The claw –1 (1d3) and emerged from the Carrion Swamp and set tail slap –1 (1d6) upon Lonely Shore, killing and torturing the Ranged javelin +8 (1d6+1) folks there until they learned the identities of Base Atk +3; Grp +4 the PCs (who should likely have at least a little Atk Options Combat Expertise, poison something from the ruin). Kastaass and his Combat Gear potion of cure moderate wounds, fellows picked up the party’s trail and are potion of sanctuary, scroll of blink, scroll of about a week’s travel behind the PCs. Along fireball , 2 scrolls of invisibility, wand of magic the way, several of the serpentines fell victim missile (CL 5th, 10 charges) to bandit attacks, monstrous threats, and even Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 4th): disease, until only Kastaass remains. Alone, 2nd—blur, protection from arrows, scorching insane, and craving vengeance, he will hunt ray (ranged touch +8) the player characters until the ends of the 1st—disguise self, expeditious retreat, shield, earth. summon monster I 0—acid splash (ranged touch +8), detect magic, prestidigitation, resistance Abilities Str 12, Dex 20, Con 16, Int 17, Wis 16, Cha 10 SQ familiar (none) Feats Combat Casting, Combat Expertise, Scribe Scroll B

Bleeding Edge Villains 3 BUTCHER Abilities Str 18, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 18 A Dreadful Dawn SQ strong aura of evil Feats Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved “Drink deep the pain, for it feeds my power.” Initiative, Power Attack B The cult of the slaughter god hatches sinister Skills Bluff +9, Concentration +6, Diplomacy conspiracies in the tiny village of Erburg. +12, Disguise +4 (+6 acting), Handle Animal Driven by their perverse will to kill and ruin +8, Intimidate +11, Knowledge (religion) +5, the townsfolk and the noble that governs Knowledge (the planes) +5, Listen +5, Ride them, they’ve set their sights on a small inn +10, Sense Motive +6, Spot +5, Survival +1 with the intent of creating an undead (+3 on other planes) abomination to drive the locals mad with fear. Possessions combat gear plus +1 full plate As the cult makes ready its preparations, they with armor spikes , heavy steel shield, +1 have invited a paragon of their filthy religion heavy pick, heavy warhorse, bit and bridle, to bless their handiwork. Named Butcher, this military saddle, backpack, waterskin, one paladin of slaughter has come a great distance, day’s trail rations, bedroll, sack, silver crossing the Towers to take part in the unholy symbol of the slaughter god unfolding horror of his fellows’ wicked plot. Debilitating Aura (Su) All opponents within BUTCHER CR 6 10 feet take a –1 penalty to Armor Class. Male cambion human paladin of slaughter 4 Deadly Touch (Su) As the paladin’s lay on CE Medium outsider (native) hands ability, except Butcher deals damage Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +5, instead of curing it. Targets may attempt DC Spot +5 16 Will saves for half damage. He may use Aura debilitating (10 ft.) deadly touch to cure damage to undead Languages Abyssal, Common creatures as inflict spells do. AC 23, touch 11, flat-footed 22 (+1 Dex, +9 armor, +3 shield) The blood of demons flows hotly through hp 43 (6 HD); DR 5/magic Butcher’s veins, imbuing him with incredible Immune disease, poison power. Such is his might that he drew the Resist acid 10, cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10; baleful attention of the slaughter god, who SR 15 raised him up to be his dreadful servant and Fort +10, Ref +8, Will +5 one day to be his hand in the world. Butcher Spd 20 ft. in full plate (4 squares), base speed wears dull black full plate armor decorated 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (average) with six-inch spikes on which he impales bits Melee +1 heavy pick +11/+6 (1d6+5/×4) and of flesh he harvests from his victim. Emerging bite +5 (1d6+2) or through the specially crafted plate protects his Melee 2 claws +10 (1d4+4) and back are two great leathery crimson wings, bite +5 (1d6+2) torn from his many conflicts. He wears a Base Atk +6; Grp +10 heavy iron helm wrought to resemble a Atk Options smite good 2/day (+5 damage) frightened child’s face to inspire dread in all Special Actions deadly touch 16 points/day his foes. (melee touch +10, DC 16 Will half), rebuke Using Butcher undead 7/day (+6, 2d6+5, 1st) Combat Gear 2 potions of cure light wounds, Butcher is an approaching storm, a violent potion of sanctuary force drawing inexorably closer to the Spells Prepared (CL 2nd): oblivious town of Erburg. He is ruthless and 1st—protection from good brutal, killing anyone and anything in his Spell-like Abilities (CL 4th): path. His arrival should occur after the attack At will—detect good on the Laughing Badger, but before the 3/day—darkness characters go to confront the cult in their lair. 1/day—desecrate, unholy blight (DC 18)

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Bleeding Edge Villains 5