Bag of Tricks. The Antiquer uses the same die when rolling to Recharge its Drone and Vomit abilities, rolling only once.
Head of the Snake. If the Antiquer is destroyed, all creatures summoned by it are also destroyed.
I Have a System. While in its lair, the Antiquer can freely move through Clutter.
I Still Need Those. The Antiquer ignores damage from falling objects, such as Clutter.
Legendary Resistance (1/Day). If the Antiquer fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Special Equipment. The Antiquer carries a Bag of Holding and a Robe of Useful Items.
Multiattack. The Antiquer makes a Cane or It’s in Here Somewhere attack and then uses either its Drone or Vomit, if able.
Cane. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 2) Bludgeoning damage.
Drone (Recharges 1–3). All enemies within 10 feet of the Antiquer must make Charisma saving throw (DC 13) or become Charmed by the Antiquer until the end of its next turn.
It’s in Here Somewhere. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 30/90 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 4) Piercing damage.
Vomit (Recharges 4–6). The Antiquer summons 1d4 Scorpions adjacent to them. They immediately roll Initiative.
The Antiquer can take 2 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. The Antiquer regains spent Legendary Actions at the start of its turn.
Evade. The Antiquer moves up to half its Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks.
Keep It Simple. The Antiquer makes a Cane or It’s in Here Somewhere attack.
Spit Up. The Antiquer spits out one Harlequin Scorpion adjacent to it. The scorpion immediately rolls Initiative.
Stop, Drop, and Roll. All creatures Charmed by the Antiquer are knocked Prone.
Description
The Elderly Antiquer has a hoard whose size would make even the oldest dragon's jealous; however, they tend to prize quantity over quality. They accumulate anything and everything, much of which comes from their prey. To disarm potential prey, they often appear as an innocuous, even frail humanoid. Whether an old man with a stamp collection or a crazy cat lady with a penchant for plushies, they effortlessly blend in with the populace. The only thing that hints at their true nature is a devilish glint in their eyes (and the bodies in their closets).
Despite the slower decomposition of materials in their lair, the Elderly Antiquer's collection still attracts bugs. Scorpions are particularly fond of the Antiquer, hiding within the clutter of their lair. Many even find their way inside the Elderly Antiquer, forming nests in their stomach and transforming into the more powerful Harlequin Scorpions by marinating in the Antiquer's innate fiendish magic.
They rarely leave their lairs or collection and are far weaker outside of them. Typically, they only venture out to find new "treasures" for their collection and lure in unsuspecting prey. While they are out, their lair is nigh-impenetrable with the doors and windows behaving more like hardened steel than glass and wood. Eventually, their predatory nature leaves too many breadcrumbs and causes suspicion in the local populace. When necessary, the Elderly Antiquer can move to a new location. Their lair fades after 1 week, leaving behind an empty lot, and reappears in their new location, adjusted to the local style, with their collection intact. As a result, many Antiquers live for centuries and amass a collection so large that a few powerful magical items are mixed in with the literal tons of garbage.
Gameplay Notes
The Elderly Antiquer's lair and maneuverability present a major challenge to players that requires planning and coordination to overcome. The Antiquer is at their most dangerous when given time to release Harlequin Scorpions and let them evolve. Players must find a delicate balance when managing minions as regular scorpions can be transformed into Giant Scorpions by a Lair Action if left unattended, but their corpses can also feed the Harlequin Scorpions, allowing them to evolve faster.
Lair and Lair Actions
An Elderly Antiquer's Lair
The Elderly Antiquer's lair is typically a house that blends into the local architecture, but may appear rundown. Inside, it is filled with a collection of various "treasures" and boxes that create an unstable labyrinth of clutter. It is typically populated with bugs, particularly scorpions.
When the Elderly Antiquer is first engaged in combat, it and all nearby creatures are transported into a temporary plane of existence that still constitutes its lair. The plane is 50 ft. by 50 ft. surrounded by 20 ft. walls. The walls, floor, and ceiling appear to be rotting wood, but are indestructible. When transported to the plane, the Antiquer can fill it with Clutter—a 5 ft. by 5 ft. and 20 ft. tall opaque object with 10 Armor Class and 1 Hit Point. The Antiquer can create as much Clutter as desired provided that each creature has an unobstructed path to the Antiquer.
An Elderly Antiquer encountered in its lair has a challenge rating of 6 (2,300 XP).
Lair Actions
On Initiative count 20 (losing Initiative ties), the Elderly Antiquer can take one of the following lair actions; it can't take the same lair action two rounds in a row.
Reorganize. The Antiquer can reorganize the Clutter created when transported into the plane. There must be an unobstructed path from each creature to the Antiquer.
Avalanche. The Antiquer choose a 20-foot cube containing at least 1 piece of Clutter. All Clutter in the cube is destroyed and all creatures must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 13), taking 11 (3d6) Bludgeoning damage on a failure and half as much on a success.
Giantize. One Scorpion is transformed into a Giant Scorpion, with Hit Points equal to its Maximum. The scorpion is Medium instead of Large and reverts to a regular Scorpion with 1 Hit Point when the Antiquer takes another Lair Action, if it is still alive.
Regional Effects
The region containing the Elderly Antiquer's lair is warped by its magic, creating one or more of the following effects:
Arrested Decomposition. All matter degrades and decomposes slower within 10 miles of the lair.
Forever Yours. The landscape distorts and shifts within 1 mile of the lair. Creatures cannot go more than 1 mile from the lair unless permitted by the Elderly Antiquer.
Tightly Packed. Within the lair, darkvision is reduced to 30 feet and bright light becomes dim light.
If the Elderly Antiquer is destroyed, these regional effects end within 7 days.
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