Brownie
Passive
Active
- Hex +6
- Dagger +7 : 3 (Piercing)
- Maleficence +6 : 1d6 (Chaos)
- Short Bow +7 : 4 (Precise)
Phases
- Shapeshift (Type) +6 (Enraged):
The monster shapeshifts into a specific monster or type of monster, as outlined in its description. The monster's ability to shapeshift is mundane (unless its description says otherwise) and not considered a falsehood or illusion.
Lore
The hearth fire burns low, but the floor is swept, the tools polished, and bread left to rise as though unseen hands tend to this place. In the shadows, you glimpse a figure no taller than a child, its skin ruddy and ears sharp, its eyes glowing faintly like embers under a kettle.
Brownies are household fey, nature spirits incarnated into service by oath, debt, or devotion to the memory of a space. They are industrious and clever, vanishing into invisibility as they work, and quick to defend their adopted halls with vexing magic or swift malice, if cornered. Brownies are easy to insult—to them, unnecessary thanks or petty gratuity are terrible insults—and when betrayed or shamed in such a way, they run the risk of transforming into a Boggart, a wrathful poltergeist that creates chaos until the space it was bidden to protect is destroyed. In Boggart form, a Brownie retains its vulnerabilities, but its abilities are substituted for that of a poltergeist. Boggarts cannot be appeased and must be exorcised from the home, which kills the Brownie while expelling its corrupted spirit.
Brownies make excellent roleplay encounters and potential allies who guard sacred or forgotten places, but their volatility means they can swiftly turn into adversaries if slighted. They are known in fey realms for being helpful guides, but are fiercely protective of the home they service and whatever secret treasures it contains, as well as their true name, which if spoken grants the utterer advantage in all actions against the Brownie. In combat, they are evasive tricksters: vanishing at will, casting debilitating spells to outmaneuver foes, and striking with sound and chaos maleficences. Like other fey, they are vulnerable to iron and cold. A Brownie become Boggart changes the tone of an encounter entirely: what was once a reluctant friend transforms into an unappeasable curse. The Brownie retains all its vulnerabilities, but you may use the stats of the Poltergeist, to simulate this transformation. Use Brownies to test your players’ tact and respect for sacred places.