The Gazeless Wanderer
Adventure Briefing
The Lawmaster has requested help in investigating a sickness afflicting citizens of Rastein. Three people are suffering from unsettling effects after visiting a fortune teller. The Wanderer is using the cursed eye of an occuli to twist the fates of those who seek his visions. It is up to the characters to figure it out. Lawmaster Maldo Dune. (L/G, Male, Malkari Lawmaster)
Maldo’s primary concern is the town’s safety. His militia is short-staffed, and he doesn’t have time to wait for the adventurers guilds to act, so he turns to the characters for help. As a reward he will offer any three items from the store.
Level Range: 3-4
Tags: Fear, Fortunes, Mystery Connections: Maldo Dune, Rastein, Slatetop Mountains
Monsters: Occuli $1 PDF: Ko-fi, DriveThru RPG
Tags: Fear, Fortunes, Mystery Connections: Maldo Dune, Rastein, Slatetop Mountains
Monsters: Occuli $1 PDF: Ko-fi, DriveThru RPG
Occuli
An occuli resembles a translucent manta ray, spawned from the magically sightless. They have unknown hostile intentions. Their pointed tail keeps foes at bay, and their three eyes, afflict conditions. Occuli are more aggressive at night, and even after death, their lingering magic can have lasting effects.
Gazeless Wanderer. (N/E, Male, Human Fortune Teller)
A blind fortune teller who has been corrupted by the power of the Dreaddream Eye. His true self has been eroded by the power of the occuli, and he is now a conduit for its influence. Roleplaying the Gazeless Wanderer
Personality Trait. "I am mysterious and aloof."
Ideal. "The Future. What lies ahead tells us everything."
Bond. "I must share my talents with everyone who can see."
Flaw. "I’m dominated by a monster.”
Victims
The victims are trapped in states of bliss or stupor. They saw their greatest dreams and fears through the crystal ball. When looking at the subject, characters must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be subjected to the listed condition.
- Medicine. Understand symptoms and potential treatments.
- Arcana. Identify the magical nature of the curse.
- History or Nature. Discover signs of contact with occuli.
Allie went to the Wanderer in hopes of solving her relationship issues. She now has three potential suitors who won’t leave. Suitors: Harry, Tito, and Bradwin.
- Fortune. You will find love.
Affliction. Gain the charmed condition when looking at her.
Harrel Deepslate. (L/N, Male, Dwarf Bookseller)
Four years ago Harrel’s business went under due to bad investments. He went to the Wanderer to find new fortunes.
- Fortune. You have an enemy.
Affliction. Gain the frightened condition when looking at him.
Jim Jacobs (N, Male, Human Unemployed)
Jim is a lazy sack of a man. His wife Merril works in the Slatetop Union. She was fed up and sent him to the Wanderer.
- Fortune. Wife claims it was, “You will rest well tomorrow.”
Affliction. Jim is permanently asleep and will not wake.
The Tent
The Wanderer’s tent is just outside the major parts of Rastein to the north, in the shaded foothills of the Slatetop Mountains.
Read Aloud. The interior of the tent is dim, lit by a few guttering candles. At its center sits a crystal ball, swirling with red light. A man sits behind it, blind eyes fixed ahead.
Read Aloud.The Gazeless Wanderer’s hand hovers over the red crystal ball. “Your destiny lies within.”
Mechanics. The Wanderer can cast augury, divination, identify, or legend lore without somatic components during the fortune-telling. Based on the spell, the Wanderer offers an answer tied to the character’s backstory. He is truthful yet cryptic.
- DC 15 Arcana. Identify the spell being cast.
Potential Questions
“What do you seek most in life?”
“Who do you trust?”
“What is your greatest fear?”
“Who do you trust?”
“What is your greatest fear?”
Encounter. The Gazeless Wanderer has 15 hp and 10 AC. If attacked he uses the Dreaddream Eye ability from the occuli. Death. Upon dying, the Wanderer will transform into an occuli. If confronted during the day, it will escape using its Amorphous ability, returning at night to terrorize the cursed.
Dreams & Nightmares
After a reading, a character who participated must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw during their next long rest. The curse remains until the effects of a remove curse, wish, or the occuli’s death. Each night, the cursed character must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or suffer the same effects. Success. The character experiences a vivid, insightful dream, gaining 15 temporary hit points. Failure (Curse). The character has a nightmare where they see the occuli. They take 2d6 psychic damage and suffer 1 level of exhaustion.
Hunting the Occuli
An occuli will attack from a distance, keeping out of sight. Once engaged it will use its fly-by attack after hitting a creature with its ray. During the day it will incapacitate its target, while at night it relies on fear and blinding. Using its jelly-like form, the occuli will hide behind objects, move in and out of buildings, and avoid an enemy’s line of sight as much as possible.
Aftermath
Destroying the occuli lifts the curse from any afflicted characters and victims, freeing them from the recurring attacks. If the occuli is not stopped, it will continue to terrorize the cursed individuals every night, worsening their condition.
Reference Page
Rewards
Crystal ball. Casts augury and identify once per day. Ores Crest (the local store). Choice of 3 items: Contains basic equipment, excluding armor and weapons. The store carries one each: floating shelf, force baton, renewing wrap, and searchlight
GM Advice
Encourage the players to have their fortunes read. The event is central to the tone and help anchor the group as things unravel.
Searchlight
Wondrous, common The searchlight is a foot long iron tube with a small metal switch. Upon flipping the switch, bright light is shed in a 20-foot line and dim light for an additional 20 feet. Completely covering the front with something opaque blocks the light. The searchlight may be activated as a bonus action.
Floating Shelf
Wondrous, common A small disk made of metal or wood that may be set in a space up to 3 feet off the ground and left there, floating on nothing. The shelf may hold up to 50 pounds. If the user moves more than 100 feet from the floating shelf it drops to the ground.
Force Baton
Rod, uncommon This rod is employed by law enforcement officers and designed to incapacitate targets with a burst of force energy. As an action, you can make a ranged attack against a creature within 30 feet. You are proficient with this attack, and it uses your Dexterity modifier for the attack roll. On a hit, the target takes 1d10 force damage. The damage from a force baton is always non-lethal. If the target is a Medium or Smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. The range of this attack is 30 feet, with a long range of 90 feet.
Renewing Wrap
Wondrous, common Sectioned off into small sections, and wrapped around a spool, renewing wrap can be stuck to a broken object. This cloth wrap repairs an object as if the mending spell had been cast on it. As long as the break or tear is no larger than 1 foot in any dimension, it mends over the course of 1 minute, leaving no trace of the former damage. Renewing wrap can physically repair a magic item or construct, but it can’t restore magic to such an object. Designed for easy repairs for anyone to use, each wrap has 10 charges.
Occuli Roll Initiative
Medium Monstrosity, Neutral Evil
Armor Class 16 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points 144 (17d8 + 68)
Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft.
Saving Throws CON +6, CHA +5
Skills Perception +2, Stealth +4
Damage Resistances Necrotic, Radiant
Condition Immunities Blinded, Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Prone
Senses Blindsight 30 ft., Passive Perception 10
Languages Doesn't speak, but understands the languages of whoever spawned it
Proficiency Bonus +2
Amorphous. The occuli can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. Flyby. The occuli doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy's reach.
Actions
Multiattack. The occuli makes two attacks, one with its blissbound eye or dreaddream eye, and one with its tail.
Medium Monstrosity, Neutral Evil
Armor Class 16 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points 144 (17d8 + 68)
Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 (+2) |
14 (+2) |
18 (+4) |
4 (-3) |
10 (-) |
17 (+3) |
Skills Perception +2, Stealth +4
Damage Resistances Necrotic, Radiant
Condition Immunities Blinded, Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Prone
Senses Blindsight 30 ft., Passive Perception 10
Languages Doesn't speak, but understands the languages of whoever spawned it
Proficiency Bonus +2
Amorphous. The occuli can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. Flyby. The occuli doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy's reach.
Actions
Multiattack. The occuli makes two attacks, one with its blissbound eye or dreaddream eye, and one with its tail.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 ( 1d8+2 ) slashing damage. Blissbound Eye. Ranged Attack: +5 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 11 ( 2d8+3 ) psychic damage. On a hit, the occuli gains 10 temporary hit points and has resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage until the start of its next turn. If this attack reduces a creature to 0 hit points, it must immediately roll death saving throws until it dies or stabilizes. If the creature dies in this manner, its body becomes a withered husk. Dreaddream Eye. The dreaddream eye functions differently depending on the time of day. Daytime. Ranged Attack: +5 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. On a hit, the target falls into a dreamlike stupor and becomes incapacitated for 1 minute. At the end of each of its turns, the target can make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw. On a success, the effect ends. Once a creature makes a successful saving throw against the dreaddream eye, it is immune to the effect for 24 hours. Nighttime. Ranged Attack: +5 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 14 ( 3d8 ). On a successful hit the target is both frightened and blinded for 1 minute. At the end of each of its turns, the target can make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw. On a success, the target removes one condition (frightened or blinded). The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each turn to remove the remaining condition. Once both conditions are removed, the creature is immune to the dreaddream eye for 24 hours.
Maps
Day Map
Night Map
