#jdnpcs

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homebrewed high-level d&d duel!

last session, the barbarian dueled the leader of her home country for the right to have an audience with them. yes, the first duel i ever designed/ran was for a LEVEL 17 BARBARIAN. please enjoy the homebrewed statblock of said leader (designed on purpose for a duel. if the whole party was fighting this npc, they'd be buffed way more and/or have allies).

duel rules: no magical weapons/weapons with reach. they fought until "first blood" (narratively: first grievous wound; mechanically: until half-health). initiative was re-rolled at the start of every round because initiative matters a LOT in a duel. it was surprisingly well balanced and basically came down to whoever won initiative in the last round won the duel. (barbarian pc won, yay!)

(as usual, the statblock is formatted the way i like to format them, official d&d 5e statblock organization is fucked.)

High Imperator Zulwuf Yaustiin

Medium drow, they/them AC: 20 (plate and shield) HP: 300 Speed: 30 ft. Initiative: +9 (with Alert feat)

Saving Throws: STR +10, DEX +4, CON +10, INT +1, WIS +2, CHA +0 Senses: Blindsight 10ft

ABILITIES

Action Surge (2/Rest). The Imperator takes one additional action on their turn.

Indomitable (3/day). The Imperator can reroll a saving throw that they failed. They must use the new roll.

Improved Critical. The Imperator’s weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 and 20.

Maneuvers. When the Imperator takes the attack action, they can choose up to two weapon attacks that hit to deal an extra 1d10 damage (same damage type as the attack) and cause one of the following effects:

Menacing. The target must succeed on a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of the Imperator until the end of the Imperator’s next turn.

Precision. The Imperator can add 1d10 to an attack roll. They can use this maneuver before or after making the attack roll, but before any effects of the attack are applied.

REACTIONS

Brace. When another creature moves into the Imperator's reach, the Imperator can make one attack against the creature. If the attack hits, add 1d10 to the damage roll.

Parry. When another creature damages the Imperator with a melee attack, the Imperator can use their reaction to reduce the damage by 1d10 + 4.

Riposte. When a creature misses the Imperator with a melee attack, the Imperator can use their reaction to make a melee weapon attack against the creature. On a hit, add 1d10 to the damage.

BONUS ACTION

Second Wind (1/Rest). The Imperator regains 1d10 + 20 hit points.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The Imperator makes three attacks with their war hawk, or one shield bash attack and two war hawk attacks.

War Hawk. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d8 + 5 slashing damage.

Shield Bash. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d4 + 5 bludgeoning damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 19 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

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[image description copied from alt text: a sketch of an npc, Suri, from my d&d game, colored in values of purple. Suri is a lean, muscular black woman with dark natural shoulder-length hair that's streaked with gray. She's smirking slightly, holding a staff over one shoulder, other hand poised with two fingers extended.]

trying to liberate myself via messy, blocky sketches of my d&d characters lmao. this is suri, absconder of the throne and known heretic, and i love her very much.

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thinking about suri and ohestra at 4 am nbd

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[image description: four messy digital sketches with the guidelines still visible of an NPC from my d&d game, Mahety (she/her). Mahety is a fat fire genasi woman with dark red skin, bright orange/red eyes, flame-shaped ears, and long fiery hair that’s shaved on one side. In the top left, she’s shown from the neck up, glancing upwards with a smirk. In the top right, she’s drawn from the shoulders up, wearing a pink off-the-shoulder top and gazing into the distance with a soft smile. In the bottom left, she’s shown from the shoulders up, wearing bright yellow top; her face is turned in profile and she’s pursing her lips slightly. And in the bottom right, she’s shown from the neck up, smiling with her eyes closed. End ID.]

all you need to know about her is that she’s the best. also i would like to formally apologize to my girl for not drawing her digitally until now. getting her design down has been so fun!

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[image description: a digital drawing of an NPC fiend from my d&d game, Levseis (she/her). The coloring is made to look like it’s been done with slightly streaky, bold markers. Levseis is a thin woman with red skin, curly horns, and black eyes with red pupils. Her dark blue hair is shoulder-length and swept to one side in very 1940s starlet waves. She’s wearing black lipstick, a couple gold necklaces and a white furry shawl draped over one shoulder. She’s looking to the side with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, showing pointy teeth. The background is dark red and Levseis is outlined in bright yellow. End ID.]

lady levseis the malignant, ambuscader of the damned. you can find her in hell by following the screams that sound like swarms of insects. she wants your soul. legally, of course.

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[image description: messy colored sketches of six NPCs from my d&d game, from the neck or shoulders up. Each NPC has their name written in a banner beneath them. Lucien is a young human man with pale skin, messy brown hair and glasses, looking forlorn. Lorne is a cambion man with reddish-orange skin, short horns, slicked-back black hair and a short beard made of spines; he’s grinning. Z’ress is a drow with dark purple skin, white hair in braids, and freckles; his chin is tilted down and his eyes are closed. Levseis is a fiend woman with red skin, curved horns and coiffed black hair; she’s looking to the side thoughtfully. Dagon is a young dwarf adult with light skin, many piercings and thick bright orange hair in pigtails; she’s smirking slightly. Vere is a young tiefling woman with red skin covered in lighter splotches, short curly pink hair, and horns that curve back over her head; she’s smiling happily. End ID.]

we’re nearing the end of The Hell Arc(TM), so i wanted to draw the NPCs that have been to the nine hells and lived to tell about it*

*levseis lives in hell and loves it, actually, but i couldn’t just NOT draw her in this set lmao**

**(also technically dagon’s not out of the woods yet. but shhhh, we’re manifesting over here, okay?)

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I'm thinking HARD about all my little npc guys, friends!

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[image description: a drawing of a thin drow, Z’ress (he/they). They are perched atop a simplified rendition of a column, leaning forward on their hands for support, with one leg dangling down. He has dark purplish-gray skin, faint freckles, and white hair in box braids pulled back. He’s wearing a dark gray jacket, black fingerless gloves, black calf-high boots and dark purple pants. Z’ress is looking downwards and to the side with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. The background is grayish with a green circle directly behind their head.]

in celebration of my boi being freed from prison by his friends. let! him! climb!

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Istor: “I told your friends you wouldn't want them to kill me, but honestly, I wasn't sure about that.”

Z’ress: “That's because you're a moron. I'm not here to kill you, Istor.”

Istor: “Why not?”

Z’ress: “Because I'm better than you. Always have been.”

Istor: [chuckles] “Well, I've always known that. So why are you here?”

Z’ress: “To give you my condolences. I'm sorry you lost your brother. It doesn’t feel real right now. Later, for a long time, it’ll feel impossible. You will carry him with you for the rest of your life. One day, you'll realize he's been gone longer than you knew him. It's horrible, terrible, tiring work. It's duty. It's love. None of it will ever be right. [pause] Ildan deserved to die. But nobody deserves what you’re going through. So. My condolences.

Istor: “Th-thank you.”

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there's an npc that's existed in my head for, oh, nearly 2 years at this point, that the party hasn't met and until recently i wasn't sure that they would meet. like, it was mostly a thought exercise as part of a different npc's backstory. now I'm pretty sure that they will meet eventually, soon-ish in fact, and i just changed [redacted]'s name (because nothing is canon until it's canon, baby). anyway. this is why the chaotic unplanned nature of blades in the dark is difficult for me lmao, i just spent two years picking the perfect name for an npc that barely exists yet.

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[image description copied from alt text: A pencil portrait of a fire genasi woman from the neck up. She's smiling at the viewer, resting her fingers of one hand against her cheek. Her hair is long and resembles flame. End ID.]

an npc from my dnd game, mahety my beloved. she's gonna ascend soon to be an elemental protector of her people. i'll let you know how it goes.

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the thing about istor is. the thing about him is. from his pov, z'ress betrayed him.

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doril's name was originally gonna mean something abstract like "plant growth through a crack in the stone" but 'doril' ended up sounding too normal in comparison to other drow names in this setting. so for the record, doril means 'thistle.'

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[image description copied from alt text: A photo of a pencil sketch. The sketch is of a slender drow from the chest up. They have sharp cheekbones, dark eyes and medium toned hair in two braids. They're wearing a jeweled choker with feathers dangling off it, an embroidered kaftan, and feathers adorning their braids. They're holding a lit cigarette and looking at the viewer neutrally. End ID.]

lark·spur. noun. a plant of the delphinium family, which bears spikes of spurred flowers. all members of the genus delphinium are toxic to humans.

this is doril, an npc in my dnd game. they will (honorably and graciously) assassinate you. it's not personal.

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[image description copied from alt text: A photo of two doodles in pencil of mahety, a fat fire genasi woman. in both, she has a septum piercing, several moles on her face and hair made of fire. on the left, her head is shaved on one side and she's smiling. on the right, she's blowing part of her bangs off her forehead, creating sparks. End ID.]

hi im tired and i hate absolutely everything i've been drawing except for these two little doodles of mahety.

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thinking endlessly about compassion that sways you vs duty that compels you. walking away from what your heart wants vs staying put when your heart's unsure. the crown that became joy. understanding vs acceptance. the words that stick with you. the responsibility for the world weighing heavier than the love for one person. the love for one (dead) person weighing heavier than the responsibility for your friends. have i mentioned duty? the casualties of caring about someone. i'm.