Innate Spellcasting. Captain Aesop’s innate spellcasting ability is Constitution (save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks). Captain Aesop can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: produce flame (11th level), fire bolt (11th level), burning hands
2/day each: scorching ray
1/day each: fireball, fire shield
Magic Resistance. Captain Aesop has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Sea Legs. Captain Aesop has advantage on ability checks and saving throws to resist being knocked prone.
Multiattack. Captain Aesop makes three attacks with his rapier, or he makes one attack with his hand crossbow and casts fire bolt.
Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) piercing damage and 11 (3d6) fire damage.
Hand Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6 + 5) piercing damage and 11 (3d6) fire damage.
Rush. Captain Aesop moves up to 15 feet towards a creature he can see within range, then makes one rapier attack against it. On a hit, that creature takes an additional 3d8 piercing damage and must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.
Shape Up, Ye Dog. Whenever a friendly creature within 30 feet of Captain Aesop that can hear him misses with an attack, he can yell perilous threats to allow that creature to reroll the attack roll.
Parry. Captain Aesop adds 6 to his AC against one attack that would hit him. To do so, Captain Aesop must see the attacker and must be wielding a weapon.
Captain Aesop can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. Captain Aesop regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.
Rapier. Captain Aesop makes one rapier attack.
Rush (Costs 2 Actions). Captain Aesop uses his Rush attack.
Cast Spell (Costs 2 Actions). Captain Aesop casts a spell.
Description
Captain Aesop is a large human-looking man with a thick beard and coarse black hair. However, despite his appearance, he is in fact not human at all, but a fire genasi. When the sun shines through his hair, it glows red like volcanic rock.
Aesop is the tough-but-fair captain of the Silent Siren, a famous Hadrannic warship that he hijacked decades ago. Aesop is an avid treasure-hunter, preferring to search the Atlasian Ocean's deserted islands and leper colonies for lost relics. In particular, he believes that one of the volcanic islands on the border of the Shrouded Sea hides the greatest treasure of all: The Igneous Heart, a mythical object rumored to be the source of all fire magic in the world.
Aesop values few things more than his ship or his crew, but beneath his charismatic exterior, he hides a deep obsession with finding the Igneous Heart and will stop at nothing to obtain it.
Lair and Lair Actions
Captain Aesop’s Lair
Every captain is proud of nothing more than his own ship - and pirates are no exception. Silent Siren is Captain Aesop's pride and joy, and he is never far from her. Silent Siren serves as Captain Aesop's lair; it is a large, re-purposed Hadrannic Ship of the Line with rows of ballistae and a crew of pirate mages who specialize in ship-to-ship combat.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Captain Aesop can take a lair action to cause one of the following effects; he can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Captain Aesop calls on the strength of the crew of the Silent Siren. They launch a barrage of flaming bolts from the shipboard ballistae. Creatures in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point within 120 feet of Captain Aesop must succeed on a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw or take 14 (4d6) bludgeoning damage and 14 (4d6) fire damage, or half as much on a successful save. This lair action can only target creatures that are not on Silent Siren's deck but are within visual range of her.
- Captain Aesop calls for help from his crewmen, summoning 1d4 - 1 (minimum of 1) bandits to aid him. They move towards creatures hostile to Captain Aesop starting from the deck of Silent Siren, and will take the Dash action to reach them as quickly as possible.
- Captain Aesop senses which way the wind is blowing, then releases a plume of smoke using his natural affinity for fire. He casts the spell fog cloud, which ends automatically when the next lair action is taken. Captain Aesop does not need to concentrate on this spell while it is active.
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