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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Faolyn" data-source="post: 8722919" data-attributes="member: 6915329">What’s not to love about the lillendi (singular: lillend)? They’re basically snaky bard-angels (don’t tell Snarf), but without the baggage of being servitors to the gods. And they’re not self-righteous.[ATTACH=full]256973[/ATTACH]Artist: Roger RauppLillendCreature Catalog II, Dragon Magazine #94Created by Stephen InnisLIllendi have resemble attractive, feather-winged humans from the waist up and have the lower body of a very large snake. Their wings and scales are brightly colored and strikingly patterned and each lillendi; they are very proud of their own coloration patterning but also rejoice in the appearance of their lillendi siblings as well. They wear no clothing, although they often wear jewelry, and no matter the jewelry’s appearance, it always seems to go tastefully with their markings. They also always carry weapons with them—curved blades that seem to be made of solid moonlight.Angelic Bards. Lillendi are celestials of song, storytelling, and history, and they act as muses to artists of all type. They are also celestials of the wilderness and the moon and prefer to spend their time on the less “civilized” parts of each plane, bringing joy to those who seek peace with nature and opposing those who attempt to harm it. They aren’t beholden to any deities, but will frequently align themselves with the gods of joy, music, art, the moon, and sylvan woodlands.Masked. Each lillend has a mask that they wear or carry. This mask depicts their social status, level of knowledge, art style, totems, and familial associations. The shape and style of the masks is very subtle, and most non-lillendi can’t tell what the designs actually mean.The Silent Hour. It is rumored that each lillendi can choose the hour of their death. This time is called the Silent Hour, and it comes when the lillend has grown weary of life. Their life force mingles with the plain they are on, and new life is created from their death. Many lillendi choose to go down fighting against the forces of evil, while others throw lavish parties and simply will themselves to die. Those lillendi who die outside of the Silent Hour do so with expressions of despair on their face.It is rumored that the Silent Hour is either a gift from a god of the moon, as a reward for their good service. It is also rumored that it is a curse from the powers of Law, as lillendi are said to have once served them before turning to Chaos.Legends and LoreWith an Arcana or Religion check, the characters can learn the following:DC 15. Lillendi are peaceful muses who delight in beautiful nature, song, and story.DC 20. Each lillend carries a mask that is unique to them and depicts their status among other lillendi. A lillend whose mask is stolen will stop at nothing to retrieve it, and one whose mask is destroyed will seek vengeance upon the desecrator.Lillend EncountersTerrain: Astral plane, Feywild, forest, hills, mountainCR 5-10 lillend; lillend and minstrel; lillend and 1d4+2 pixies, sprites, or lomundur (q.v.)Treasure: a dozen gold bangles (25 gp each), 3 moonstones (50 gp each), masterwork lute, enchanted music sheet, instrument of irresistible symphoniesCR 11-16 2 lillendi; lillend and 1-2 fey knights.Treasure: four silver charm bracelets loaded with silver, gold, and electrum charms (worth 250 gp each), A faerie-crafted harp with mithril strings that never needs to be tuned (worth 750 gp), ioun stones of protection and insightCR 17-22 3-4 lillendi; 2 lillend and 2 fey knights.Treasure: platinum lariat necklace with a large black opal drop (worth 2,500 gp), pair of jade earrings (250 gp), amulet of proof against detection and location, oathbow, ten +1 arrowsSigns1. The sound of inhumanly beautiful song from nearby,2. Fey creatures and animals seem to all be traveling to a specific point.3. Flowers bloom right before people’s eyes, and fireflies dancing in the evening sky, even out of season.4. At nighttime, the moonlight seems surprisingly bright, causing areas to be dimly lit instead of dark.Behavior1. Telling a story with several other creatures, round-robin style.2. Playing music to an audience of elves.3. On a mission for a deity of the moon to safely escort one of its star-children to an important location (the child has the attributes of a unicorn but is humanoid in form, has a speed of 30 ft., fly 40 ft., has no horn attack, changes its hoof attack to a punch, and can use a bonus action to shed bright light to 20 feet and dim light for an additional 20 feet).4. Guarding a spot sacred to an archfey.5. Wounded, wings broken; looking for help against enemy forces.6. Trying to organize a sensational event to mark its Silent Hour; may attempt to recruit the party to help in some manner—perhaps by sending them to inform certain people of the event, perhaps by asking them to remove some potentially dangerous creatures to a place where they won’t harm anyone.NamesAmaris, Celimine, Esmeray, Jerah, Luan, Melete, NeomaLillendLarge celestialChallenge 7 (2,900 XP)AC 17 (natural armor)HP 119 (14d10+42; bloodied 60)Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft., swim 30 ft.STR 17 (+3) DEX 21 (+5) CON 16 (+3)INT 16 (+3) WIS 16 (+3) CHA 22 (+5)Proficiency +3Maneuver DC 16Saving Throws Str +6, Wis +6, Cha +8Skills Arcana +6, Insight +6, Nature (+d4, +d6 astronomy) Perception +6, Perform +8 (+1d8), Persuasion +8Damage Resistances fire, necrotic, radiant, damage from nonmagical weaponsDamage Immunities poisonCondition Immunities charmed, frightened, poisonedSenses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 16Languages all, telepathy 120 ft.Chaotic Good. A lillend radiates an aura of Chaos and Good.Immortal Nature. A lillend doesn’t require air or sleep and gains sustenance by listening to or playing music or storytelling, basking in the moonlight, and breathing in fresh breezes while in the wilderness.Magic Resistance. The lillend has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. It is also immune to any spell from the sound college of magic and to magical effects that contain music or song (such as a harpy’s Luring Song or a satyr’s Dance Tune)/Spellcasting. The lillend’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 17). It can innately cast the following spells, as if with a 5th-level spell slot, requiring no material components:     1/Day Each: charm person, charm monster, darkness, hallucinatory terrain, hold person, irresistible dance, legend lore, moonbeam, prayer of healingSpeak with Nature. The lillend can communicate with beasts and plants.Tree Stride. Once per turn, the lillend can use 10 feet of movement to enter a living tree and emerge from another living tree within 100 feet. Both trees must be at least Huge.ActionsMultiattack. The lillend constricts and then attacks twice with its moon-bladed scimitars.Moon-Bladed Scimitars. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d6+6) slashing damage plus 10 (3d6) radiant damage.Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6+3) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 16). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, the lillend can’t constrict another target, and the lillend has advantage on attack rolls made against the grappled target when using its scimitars.Change Form. The lillend magically transforms into a Small or Medium humanoid or back into its true form. It retains its lillend statistics, except that it loses its fly speed unless it is in a form with wings. It reverts to its true form if it dies.Hold Person (2nd-Level, cast as if with a 5th-Level slot; V; Concentration). Four humanoids the lillend can see within 60 feet must make a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, a target is paralyzed for 1 minute. It may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.Moonbeam (2nd-Level, cast as if with a 5th-Level slot; V, S; Concentration). A 5-foot-radius cylinder that is 40 feet high and which is within 120 feet of the lillend is filled with moonlight. When a creature enters the area for the first time on its turn or begins its turn in the area, it must make a DC 17 Concentration saving throw, taking 28 (5d10) radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful on. Shapechanges have disadvantage on their save and on a failure, must take its true form. The lillend can use an action to move the beam up to 60 feet.Bonus ActionsMuse (Recharge 5-6). The lillend can give a creature that is within 60 feet of it that can hear or see the lillend a burst of creativity. Once within the next 10 minutes, that creature can roll a d12 and add the number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw it makes. It can add this die before or after the d20 is rolled but before the Narrator says if the roll succeeded or failed. A creature can only be affected in this manner by one lillend at a time.Summon Instrument. The lillend pulls their mask or one musical instrument out of thin air. The musical instrument must be one the lillend can carry in one or two hands.CombatAgainst a single target, or multiple targets who lack ranged weapons, the lillend will try to grapple an opponent with their tail, fly straight up, possibly for several rounds if it can, and then drop the target in order. It will then close to melee range. They rarely retreat, although they will accept surrender and show mercy to badly injured foes.Variant: Lillend HymnalsAt the Narrator’s discretion, a lillend may know one or more Bardic Hymns. While the Hymn is active, the lillend can’t use its Muse ability, and it should roll a d12 as its Bardic Inspiration die.</blockquote>

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