It’s once again Monster Monday, and today we’ve got some monsters of the human variety for you. Between other parties of adventurers, as well as bandits and other riff-raff, early encounters in Tanalor may well be fellow humans; certainly in situations focusing on the internal politics of Torengar or the Neveri wars, they will be.

Duellist

The duelist will fight for money as an enforcer or even a gladiator, but is most often found as a paid judicial champion, or the Torengarian equivalent of a lawsuit artist, pressing false injury claims and proving himself the injured party by defeating his opponent in a judicial duel (the berjast).

Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment

Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX		CON	INT	WIS	CHA
18	15		16	10	12	15
+4	+2		+3	0	+1	+2
Defenses			Wound Thresholds
Threat DC	16*		Morale	Injury	KO	Death
Hit DC	27		0-5	6-10	11-20	21+
DR	2*		Control Thresholds
Vigor	112		Grab	Grapple	Restr.	Incap.
Vigor Dice	15d8+45		0-5	6-10	11-20	21+

*studded leather, medium shield

Proficiency +3

Saving Throws. Str +7, Dex +5, Con +6

Skills. Athletics +10, Intimidation +5

Senses. passive Perception 11

Languages. any one language (usually Common)

Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Brave. The duellist has advantage on saving throws against being frightened.

Brute. A melee weapon deals one extra die of its damage when the duellist hits with it (included in the attack).

Actions

Multiattack. The duellist makes three melee attacks or two ranged attacks.

Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft. and range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 2d6+4 piercing damage, or 2d8+4 piercing damage if used with two hands to make a melee attack.

Shield Bash. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 2d4+4 bludgeoning damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Grapple. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d10+4 control damage.

Reactions

Parry. The duellist adds 3 to its Threat DC against one melee attack that would hit it. To do so, the duellist must see the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon.

Shield Defense. The duellist takes a blow or deflects a missile weapon with his shield. The shield has DR5, and can absorb three “hits” before it is broken. Shields have resistance to piercing damage from ammunition or light thrown weapons. The shield takes 1 hit if the damage (after resistance) is 6-10 points, 2 hits if it is 11-15 points, and is instantly destroyed if it takes 16+.

Guard

Guards include members of a city watch, sentries in a citadel or fortified town, and the bodyguards of merchants and nobles. They are slightly more skilled and trained than citizen militia, and are typically provided with a chain shirt and at least a spear and dagger.

Guards typically operate in groups of at least two, and will typically gang up on targets—one will thrust a spear to eat up a target’s reaction, especially if the target has a shield, while the second will either attempt to knock the target down or attempt to strike through the target’s defenses. Guards may or may not attempt to bring miscreants in alive, depending on the policy set by the local jarl and magistrate.

Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment

Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX		CON	INT	WIS	CHA
13	12		12	10	11	10
+1	+1		+1	0	0	0
Defenses			Wound Thresholds
Threat DC	15		Morale	Injury	KO	Death
Hit DC	25		0-3	4-6	7-13	14+
DR	3		Control Thresholds
Vigor	11		Grab	Grapple	Restr.	Incap.
Vigor Dice	2d8+2		0-3	4-7	8-14	15+

*chain shirt

Proficiency +2

Skills. Perception +2

Senses. passive Perception 12

Languages. any one language (usually Common)

Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)

Actions

Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6+1 piercing damage. Has the finesse, light, and thrown properties.

Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6+1 piercing damage, or 1d8+1 piercing damage if used with two hands to make a melee attack.

Grapple. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d8+1 control damage.

Thug

Chosen for their brawn and might, thugs are found in every corner of the world. They make their way by the strength of their arm, for money and with few scruples. If they were unselfish, they’d not be known as “thugs.” Thugs are ruthless enforcers skilled at intimidation and violence. They can be skilled fighters but are poor warriors, relying on brutality, ferocity, and intimidation rather than tactics and skill.

The real problem with thugs? There’s never just one of them. They tend to travel in groups, at the behest of a bandit leader or other powerful person that sees a club to the knee as a viable persuasion tactic.

Medium humanoid (any race), any non-good alignment

Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX		CON	INT	WIS	CHA
15	11		14	10	10	11
+2	0		+2	0	0	0
Defenses			Wound Thresholds
Threat DC	10		Morale	Injury	KO	Death
Hit DC	20		0-4	5-8	9-16	17+
DR	1		Control Thresholds
Vigor	32		Grab	Grapple	Restr.	Incap.
Vigor Dice	5d8+10		0-3	4-7	8-15	16+

*leather armor

Proficiency +2

Skills. Intimidation +2

Senses. passive Perception 10

Languages. any one language (usually Common)

Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)

Pack Tactics. The thug has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the thugs allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isnt incapacitated.

Actions

Multiattack. The thug makes two melee attacks.

Mace. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 1d6+2 bludgeoning damage.

Heavy Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, range 100/400 ft., one target. Hit: 1d10 piercing damage.

Grapple. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d10+2 control damage.

Neveri Clan Warrior

The Neveri clansmen are canny, hard fighters, and nearly every one of them is expected and able to fight when called. The rank-and-file clan warrior is an expert horseman and may even be a skilled charioteer.

When reaching the ranks of adulthood, the Neveri clan member is usually gifted with a horsebow (a powerful bow that functions as a longbow), a spear, and leather armor. They also carry javelins.

The typical clansman is a raider and filled with bravado; encounters with them frequently teeter on the brink of violence, or simply leap right off that cliff and get right to fighting.

Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment

Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX		CON	INT	WIS	CHA
14	12		14	10	12	14
+2	+1		+2	+0	+1	+2
Defenses			Wound Thresholds
Threat DC	10		Morale	Injury	KO	Death
Hit DC	20		0-4	5-8	9-16	17+
DR	1		Control Thresholds
Vigor	11		Grab	Grapple	Restr.	Incap.
Vigor Dice	2d8+2		0-3	4-7	8-15	16+

*leather armor

Proficiency +2

Senses. passive Perception 10

Languages. Neveri, maybe any one other language

Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)

Uncouth. The customs of the Neveri clans are quite different than those that evolved under the influence of the dwarves of Barakthel. When making Charisma checks to fit in or otherwise engage in expected “civilized” cultural behavior in the lands of Torengar, Barakthel, Storean, and Brousha, the Neveri clan warrior has disadvantage. This does not apply to morale checks.

Actions

Horsebow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 1d8+1 piercing damage.

Javelin. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6+2 piercing damage.

Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6+2 piercing damage, or 1d8+2 piercing damage if used with two hands to make a melee attack.

Grapple. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d8+2 control damage.