Puppet Manipulation. The crazed puppet master can control up to three puppets at once, each within 30 feet of it. These puppets can take one action or bonus action during the puppet master's turn, as long as the puppet master has line of sight to them. Puppets are considered objects with an AC of 10 and 5 hit points. If a puppet is destroyed, the crazed puppet master can regenerate the puppet in 1d4+2 turns.
Tactics. The crazed puppet master prefers to stay at a distance and control its puppets to attack its enemies. It uses its spells for crowd control and evasion, while its puppets make physical attacks. If cornered or in danger, the puppet master uses Hypnotic Strings to disable a threatening opponent.
Spellcasting. The crazed puppet master is a 5th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). The crazed puppet master has the following spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Minor Illusion
1st level (4 slots): Charm Person, Disguise Self, Mage Armor, Magic Missile
2nd level (3 slots): Invisibility, Mirror Image
3rd level (2 slots): Hypnotic Pattern, Counterspell
Slash. Melee Claw Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., 1 target. Hit: 6 (2d4 + 2) Slashing damage.
Hypnotic Strings. The crazed puppet master targets one creature it can see within 60 feet of it. The target must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or become charmed for 1 minute. While charmed, the target is incapacitated and has a speed of 0. The charmed creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. If the target takes damage or another creature uses an action to shake it free, the effect ends.
Counterspell. The crazed puppet master can use its reaction to attempt to counter a spell of 3rd level or lower that it can see being cast, as with the Counterspell spell.
Description
The Crazed Puppet Master, a sinister embodiment of twisted artistry and malevolence, is a unique creation among the shadow fiends, originating from the darkest corners of the Shadowfell. This aberrant creature combines the malevolent essence of the Shadowfell with an insidious mastery of puppetry, crafting a truly unsettling and unpredictable adversary.
The Crazed Puppet Master stands at a seemingly ordinary height, its form obscured in an ominous, shadowy shroud. Its visage is hidden beneath a sinister mask, adorned with grotesque, elongated features that lend it an unsettling resemblance to a marionette. Strings, seemingly crafted from inky tendrils, dangle from its gnarled fingertips, connecting to an array of lifeless, but ominously detailed, puppets in the creature's eerie grasp.
The shadow fiend's presence exudes an aura of impending malevolence, and its every movement is as fluid as a well-practiced puppeteer's. Its voice, when heard, is an eerie and distorted whisper, filled with promises of deception and chaos.
The puppets it wields are no ordinary playthings. Each one bears a sinister likeness to various humanoid figures, and their eerie expressions seem to shift with a malevolent life of their own. As the Crazed Puppet Master unleashes its abilities, these nightmarish marionettes come to life, their every motion echoing the creature's dark intentions.
In combat, the Crazed Puppet Master is a master of manipulation, using its dark magic and puppetry to sow chaos and confusion among its adversaries. Its strings, though invisible to the naked eye, can entangle the minds of those it targets, rendering them helpless marionettes at its beck and call.
Encountering a Crazed Puppet Master is a nightmare for any adventurer, as they must face not only a shadowy fiend but also the nightmarish dance of its cursed puppets. This creature embodies the essence of the Shadowfell's malevolence, weaving darkness and deceit into every twisted movement and unsettling word. Facing it is to face a living nightmare, where reality and illusion blur, and survival hangs in the balance between the strings of fate.
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