| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| STR | 2 | −4 | −4 |
| DEX | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| CON | 10 | +0 | +0 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| INT | 5 | −3 | −3 |
| WIS | 13 | +1 | +1 |
| CHA | 6 | −2 | −2 |
Mimicry. The raven can mimic simple sounds it has heard, such as a whisper or chitter. A hearer can discern the sounds are imitations with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Insight) check.
Whispered Warning
Passive Aura (30 ft from the chosen)
Enemies within 30 ft of the chosen cannot gain advantage on attack rolls from being unseen or hidden.
Vaelor constantly murmurs from the edges of reality, exposing killers in the dark:
“Behind you. Always behind you.”
Soul-Tether Glide
The chosen servant takes no damage from falling if Vaelor is within 10 ft.
When they fall, the raven becomes a spiraling column of feathers that slows the descent like ghostly wings catching the wind.
Beak. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 1 Piercing damage.
Omen of the Inevitable
Bonus Action, 1/turn
Vaelor marks a creature within 60 ft that the chosen can see.
Until the start of the chosen’s next turn:
• The chosen’s next hit against that creature deals an extra 1d6 necrotic damage.
• If the creature is below half HP, the extra damage becomes 2d6.
Flavor: the raven circles the target once, and a faint black halo appears above their head.
Veil of Black Feathers
Reaction, PB times per long rest
When the chosen servant is hit by an attack, Vaelor explodes into a cloud of spectral feathers around them.
• Impose disadvantage on the triggering attack roll.
• If the attack still hits, reduce the damage by 1d8 + proficiency bonus.
Visually, the blow passes through a storm of shadowy wings, as if death itself hesitated.
Description
One of The Raven Queen's oldest birds, one of the seven who are called Vael-Thren Kai'eth, a raven that isn't quite solid because of her long existence. It's more shadow than physical which confuses the eyes. When it moves her feathers drift like smoke in slow motion, edges trailing into mist as if reality can't fully hold it. When it lands, it's talons never quite touch the ground; frost forms in the shape of claws beneath it instead.
It has... personality
The bird is obsessed with last words
It constantly collects the final spoken phrases of the dying and treats them like treasured poetry. It will randomly whisper them at odd times:
-In the middle of combat: "tell my wife I tried."
-While scouting ahead: "This one tasted of regret. very bitter."
It isn't malicious; it genuinely believes these words are sacred offerings to its mistress. It gets offended if people talk over its recitations, and may sulk (refusing to scout for a round or two) if ignored repeatedly.
It also has a strange superstition: it refuses to let its chosen servant speak the phrase "goodbye or farewell" if they try, it caws loudly or flutters into their face to interrupt, convinced that saying goodbye invites death.
Personality
- Morbid but protective
- Dry, deadpan sense of humor
- Fiercely possessive of its chosen
- Dislikes overly cheerful people ("they sound unfinished.")
Roleplay Hooks
• Vaelor occasionally asks strangers, very politely:
“When your end comes, what should I remember for you?”
• It may hoard small trinkets from fallen enemies (buttons, rings, teeth) as “anchors for their last words.”
• If the chosen ever truly dies, Vaelor will attempt to deliver their final words to every important person in their life before fading away.
This spirit raven isn’t just a scout or a familiar. It’s a living echo of mortality, circling your hero not to hasten their end, but to make sure that when that day finally comes… it will mean something.
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