Reaper of Reputation
Level 20Attacks
Abilities
A constant spell affects the monster without the monster needing to cast it, and its duration is unlimited. If a constant spell gets counteracted, the monster can reactivate it by spending the normal spellcasting actions the spell requires.
Trigger The Reaper of Reputation hears a creature speak within 30 feet Effect The Reaper of Reputation manipulates those words to damage the speaker's repute by putting treacherous words on another's lips. The Reaper whispers up to 12 words and attempts a deception check against the Perception DC of a creature other than the triggering creature within 30 feet. Critical Success The target hears the Reaper's words as if they were spoken by the triggering creature. This can alter linguistic effects. The Reaper casts subconscious suggestion on the target as part of the reaction. Success As critical success, except the Reaper can't cast subconscious suggestion. Failure The target doesn't hear the Reaper's words, and they have no effect. Critical Failure The target hears the Reaper speak the words.
The Reaper of Reputations can take on the appearance of any Small or Medium humanoid. This doesn't change his Speed or his attack and damage bonuses with his rapier or fist Strikes, but does prevent him from using his antlers Strike. The Reaper can Change Shape to Impersonate specific individuals. The monster changes its shape indefinitely. It can use this action again to return to its natural shape or adopt a new shape. Unless otherwise noted, a monster cannot use Change Shape to appear as a specific individual. Using Change Shape counts as creating a disguise for the Impersonate use of Deception. The monster's transformation automatically defeats Perception DCs to determine whether the creature is a member of the ancestry or creature type into which it transformed, and it gains a +4 status bonus to its Deception DC to prevent others from seeing through its disguise. Change Shape abilities specify what shapes the monster can adopt. The monster doesn't gain any special abilities of the new shape, only its physical form. For example, in each shape, it replaces its normal Speeds and Strikes, and might potentially change its senses or size. Any changes are listed in its stat block.
The Reaper of Reputation makes a compelling and devastating speech in a language of his choice. Any number creatures chosen by the Reaper who are within 30-foot emanation who can understand this speech feel their own reputations twisting as a mix of fear and paranoia take hold. Each creature in the area must attempt a DC 42 will save. The Reaper of Reputation can't Reap Reputation again for 1d4 rounds. Critical Success The creature is unaffected. Success The creature takes 10d6 mental damage. Failure The creature becomes Confused for 1 minute. Once the confusion effect ends, the mental anguish and memories of what they did while they were confused cause them to take 10d6 mental damage. Critical Failure As failure, but 20d6 mental damage and 1d6 persistent mental damage.
The Reaper of Reputation deals 3d6 extra precision damage to creatures who are Off-Guard
Requirements The monster's last action was a successful Strike that lists Grab in its damage entry, or the monster has a creature Grabbed or Restrained Effect If used after a Strike, the monster attempts to Grapple the creature using the body part it attacked with. This attempt neither applies nor counts toward the creature's multiple attack penalty. The monster can instead use Grab and choose one creature it's grabbing or restraining with an appendage that has Grab to automatically extend that condition to the end of the monster's next turn.
Requirements The monster's last action was a successful Strike that lists Knockdown in its damage entry Effect The monster attempts to Trip the creature. This attempt neither applies nor counts toward the monster's multiple attack penalty.
Description
Skelms crave power, and the palace skelms who stalk the halls where such power concentrates are among the most dangerous of their kind. They assume titles that allow them maximum freedom to punish or hurt others with minimal oversight: any vindictive guard captain, tyrannical viceroy, or needlessly cruel magistrate could be or become a palace skelm. They delight in the wealth and status of their positions, garbing themselves in ornate finery that reflects their station.
Palace skelms ingratiate themselves with powerful individuals and gather followers by stoking fears of losing long-held or hard-earned power-especially power gained through illicit means. They undermine their enemies by encouraging competition, jealousy, and outright paranoia by way of magic and false messages. These skelms possess an unnatural ability to twist spoken words and worm their manipulative magic into others' speech, sowing confusion and hatred that might explode into violence.
A political upheaval is a palace skelm's greatest fear and opportunity alike, upsetting the balance of power he has built but providing countless new opportunities to sow hatred and evil. This conflicting goal leads palace skelms to self-sabotage and undermine their own efforts more than any other skelm.
Rage-filled skelms are drawn to any settlement with more than a few hundred souls. Using magical disguises and leveraging societal norms to their benefit, these antlered monsters crave fearful respect and brutally punish any who dare disagree with their lofty opinions, even in the slightest degree. Although quite dangerous on their own, skelms are at their deadliest when leading an angry mob. Their cruel and exploitative nature has made their name synonymous with villainy.
An existing skelm can transform any evil humanoid who's overwhelmed with rage into one of their kind. Skelms heap enraging humiliation on potential new brothers as a form of indoctrination, convincing these recruits that some other person or group is responsible for their misery. This practice ensures skelms begin their new existence with sufficient vitriol to plot their revenge.
Many newly forged skelms carry on their lives in the roles they held as mortals; and in fact, these roles often shape the type of skelm they become. Skelms can arise among members of nearly any ancestry, though they're more common among cultures with deeply entrenched gender roles, unjust hierarchies, and those that don't offer healthy ways to experience and process anger.