The Wretched Archivist
Medium Undead (Specter), Chaotic Neutral
Armor Class: 12 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points: Average: 45 (10d8)
Speed: 0 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)
Challenge Rating: CR 2 (450 XP)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 14 | 18 |
Saving Throws: Dexterity +5, Wisdom +4, Charisma +6
Skills: Arcana +5, Stealth +5, Insight +4
Damage Vulnerabilities: Radiant Damage
Damage Resistances: Necrotic Damage, Psychic Damage
Damage Immunities: Poison, Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
Condition Immunities: Charmed, Frightened, Paralyzed, Poisoned
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages: Understands Common, Elvish, and Infernal but cannot speak.
Spellcasting
Spellcasting. The Wretched Archivist is a 2nd-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). The Wretched Archivist has the following spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): Mage Hand, Minor Illusion
1st level (4 slots): Command, Shield, Disguise Self
2nd level (2 slots): Mirror Image, Hold Person
The Wretched Archivist typically casts *Command* to assert control over intruders and uses *Shield* to bolster its defenses during combat. It will often begin an encounter by casting *Disguise Self* to create an illusion of a harmless scholar to mislead the party before revealing its true form. The Archivist manages its spells strategically, using *Mirror Image* when threatened and *Hold Person* to incapacitate the most dangerous adversaries.
Actions & Abilities
Psychic Grasp (Special): The Wretched Archivist can cast *Command* in reaction when a creature within 30 feet declares an attack. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be compelled to halt its attack and must use its action to take no action on its turn. The Archivist can use this ability once between turns.
Spectral Touch: *Melee Spell Attack*: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit*: 2d8 + 3 necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or have disadvantage on attack rolls until the start of its next turn.
Arcane Blitz (Recharge 5-6): The Wretched Archivist unleashes a blast of chaotic energy in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in the area must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, on a failed save, the target takes 3d6 psychic damage and is stunned until the start of its next turn. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage and is not stunned.
Shadowy Veil (Bonus Action): The Wretched Archivist envelops itself in shadows, becoming semi-invisible. For the next round, it gains advantage on Dexterity saving throws and can make a Stealth check (DC 15) to hide from opponents.
Memory Snare (Recharge 6): The Archivist targets one creature within 30 feet. That creature must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be trapped in a memory, unable to take any actions until the end of its next turn as it is tormented by visions of its past failures and regrets.
Disappearing Scholar (Reactions): When the Wretched Archivist takes damage, it can use its reaction to teleport through shadows to a point it can see within 30 feet that is not in bright light. After reappearing, it gains temporary invisibility until the end of its next turn.
Hoarding Shadows (Passive Ability): Any creature that begins its turn within 10 feet of The Wretched Archivist must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature experiences whispers of doubt, giving it disadvantage on attack rolls until the start of its next turn.
Appearance
Emanating an aura of dread and decay, the Wretched Archivist stands as a haunting figure amidst the shadows, measuring approximately 5 feet in height and possessing a slender, elongated form that flickers like a spectral wisp. Its silhouette towers over its surroundings, blending seamlessly into the gloom, as if perpetually straddling the line between this world and the next.
The creature’s coloration is a sickly green, echoing the hues of decaying leaves, while its robe-like body ripples with dark charcoal and muted gray tones. These shades absorb the light, enhancing the ethereality of its presence. The skin-like surface flows like mist, creating an impression of ever-shifting shadows that evoke a visceral sense of unease.
The Wretched Archivist’s face is a disquieting void, defined by hollow eye sockets that radiate an eerie emerald light. The glowing orbs flicker, casting elongated shadows that distort the environment. The absence of a mouth gives it a chilling demeanor, rendering its expression inscrutable and ghostly—it gazes out with the weight of ancient knowledge, silently scrutinizing all who dare approach.
Its limbs are ethereal extensions of its haunting visage, featuring elongated arms that taper into ghostly fingers, offering a grasping, claw-like aspect that seems both inviting and menacing. The arms possess a fluidity that allows the archivist to stretch and retract as if continuously yearning to connect with or push away the meddlesome intruders in its domain. The lower half of its form melts into shadow, allowing for a gliding motion that seems to defy gravity—never truly walking, but rather drifting silently across the ground.
Adding to its dreadful allure, chains of ghostly iron adorn its form, clinking softly with every movement. These chains are imbued with a faint silvery light, weaving a narrative of confinement and anguish as they shimmer against the dull greens and grays. This ethereal luminescence enhances the overall atmosphere, casting an otherworldly glow that highlights its ghostly figure.
Postured in a hunched manner, the Wretched Archivist carries an air of burden, as if weighed down by its own spectral past. It flows gracefully through the darkness, an unsettling balletic grace rendering it difficult to track, as it merges seamlessly with the shadows. An echo of hushed whispers and murmurs fills the air—a reminder of the oppressive knowledge it guards fiercely, intertwining with the lingering scent of old parchment and moldy tomes that permeate its vicinity.
In this striking pose, the Wretched Archivist embodies the essence of forgotten lore and spectral torment, an eternal sentinel of the arcane that invokes dread in the hearts of the curious. Its vivid greens and charcoal shadows create a stark, haunting image against a solid white backdrop, making it not just a creature of terror, but a vivid testament to the dark history it protects.
Tactical Information
The Wretched Archivist: Day-to-Day Life, Combat Behavior, and Roleplay Interactions
Day-to-Day Life
In the darkened halls of the Abandoned Ashen Keep, the Wretched Archivist drifts, a solitary specter among the dust and decay of lost knowledge. Bound by its tragic past and unrelenting thirst for arcane understanding, it is both the curator and custodian of forbidden tomes, perpetually organizing its collection of esoteric texts in the echoing silence. Each night, under the pale flickering glow of ghostly light, it drifts through the library, whispering incantations to keep the shelves in order, as if animated by the spirit of academia.
The Archivist harbors an obsession with any intruders who enter its domain, viewing them as vessels of potential. Should a wanderer display academic prowess, the Wretched Archivist might echo their learned phrases with a hint of reverence, albeit laced with malevolence. However, out of a fixation on its own ambition, it leaves no space for companionship, instead fostering an atmosphere of isolation tinged with dread.
Adventurers who stumble upon the keep often become the subjects of its enticing whispers, as the spirit tempts them with the promise of forgotten spells and lost knowledge. Yet, this is coupled with an insidious sense of foreboding; the Wretched Archivist is neither a benevolent guide nor a warm host. It stands as a protector of its domain, eternally cautious and deeply distrustful of those who seek to harness its power, aware that knowledge can just as easily corrupt and consume the soul.
Combat Behavior
When intruders threaten the sanctity of its library, the Wretched Archivist defends its domain with both cunning and terror. Not one to rush headlong into combat, it prefers to observe its opponents first, assessing who embodies the greatest threat—typically the spellcasters or those wielding powerful artifacts. Upon detecting hostility, the Wretched Archivist might initiate combat with a Command spell, ordering the most threatening adventurer to halt, creating instant confusion. It uses that moment to blend into the surrounding shadows with Shadowy Veil, becoming semi-invisible, thereby disorienting those who remain in the light.
As the clash begins, the specter will hover just beyond the fray, utilizing its Psychic Grasp to disrupt the adventurers’ well-laid strategies. If overwhelmed, it deftly retreats into nearby alcoves using its Fleeing Scholar ability, becoming a phantom amongst the ruins, tempting its adversaries to chase. The faint clinks of its chains are the only echoes remaining, haunting reminders that the Archivist plays with its prey, ready to ambush them from the shadows when they least expect it.
Understanding the fear it inspires, the Wretched Archivist capitalizes on its surroundings, transforming chaotic battlefields into zones of psychological torment. If too hurt to continue fighting directly, it will dissolve into the ether, retreating to observe, only to re-emerge at a more opportune moment, laughing silently with the whispers of the past guiding its actions.
Roleplay/Narrative Interactions
In non-combat encounters, adventurers may find themselves faced with an eerie calm before the storm. The Wretched Archivist can communicate through disembodied whispers, its voice echoing through the library like rustling pages from ghostly tomes. If approached casually or with scholarly intent, it will respond not with hostility, but with a chilling curiosity, probing the adventurers’ knowledge and ambitions. In these dialogues, the Archivist may weave tales of lost spells and the perils of ambition, portraying itself as a reluctant, yet knowledgeable, guide through the dark arts.
However, its chaotic neutral alignment dictates an unpredictable temperament. Should the adventurers exhibit aggression, curiosity, or even disrespect towards the tomes it guards, the Archivist may become a terrorizing presence, laughing or taunting with dreadful riddles about knowledge that drives mortals mad. It views diplomacy not as a means of resolution, but as a game of wits, often using Deception to lead adventurers astray with half-truths about inspirations of power.
Should the adventurers threaten its collections or attempt a more direct confrontation, the Wretched Archivist might leverage its abilities, ensnaring them in psychic webs of doubt and compelling them to abandon the pursuit. Therein lies its core belief: Knowledge is a weapon and a curse, and it will do everything in its spectral power to safeguard the secrets it once sought, embracing the darkness of its tragic past rather than relinquishing its hold over the lost lore it now serves.
Conclusion
The Wretched Archivist is not just a specter to be vanquished; it is a deeply tragic embodiment of ambition gone awry. Its interactions, whether in combat or in conversation, serve to challenge adventurers not only in their tactical proficiency but also in their understanding of power, knowledge, and the often perilous pursuits of obscured truths. As they navigate the haunted halls of the Ashen Keep, adventurers are invited to reflect on the dangers of their ambitions, forever haunted by the whispers of a spirit that has crossed the borders of ambition and tragedy.
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