We’re back in Ancient Greece for today’s Mythological Figures post with Circe, transmuter of men and one of the truly unique antagonists in The Odyssey.
While ashore on the island of Aeaea some of Odysseus’ sailing crew went inland and found a mansion where a beautiful woman treated them to a fine meal. The feast was drugged however and before they knew it, she’d changed them all into beasts (depending on which translation you look at it’s usually hogs). Odysseus came to look for his sailors but Hermes stops him along the way, giving crucial advice on behalf of Athena that keeps the epic poem’s hero safe from the oceanid nymph’s wiles. All the same he stays with Circe for an entire year before setting off again, given special directions to hasten his journey back to Ithaca (how to navigate either between the monster Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis, or the route he took: through the Wandering Rocks of Planctae) and how he can reach the Underworld.
There’s no proper nymph for 5E (making an oceanid out of the question) so I’m taking a page out of the Epic Monsters playbook: converting the statblock from Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 4 with some extra bells and whistles specifically for Circe (for a standard oceanid nymph, drop the Sleeping Brew and Transformative Wand traits, and reduce Challenge Rating to 6).
Circe
Medium fey, chaotic neutral
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 95 (10d8+50)
Speed 25 ft., swim 60 ft.
Skills Animal Handling +7, Athletics +5, Insight +7, Intimidation +8, Nature +5, Perception +7, Persuasion +8, Stealth +7
Damage Vulnerabilities fire
Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons not made from iron
Damage Immunities acid
Senses darkvision 120 ft., tremorsense 30 ft. (water only), passive Perception 17
Languages Greek, Sylvan
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
Amphibious. Circe can breathe both air and water.
Innate Spellcasting. Circe’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16; spell attack +8). She can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components, as long as she is in the ocean or within 1 mile of the ocean.
Regeneration. Circe regains 10 hit points at the start of her turn if she has at least 1 hit point and is in contact with saltwater.
Sleeping Brew. Circe can spend 1 minute preparing a tasteless liquid able to put those who drink it asleep. Any creature that drinks her concoction makes a DC 16 Constitution saving throw 1 minute afterward. On a failure, the creature falls unconscious for 1d4 hours, until it takes damage, or until someone uses an action to shake or slap the creature awake.
Transforming Wand. Circe possesses a very special wand of polymorph with 13 charges. While holding it, she can use an action to expend 1 of its charges to cast the polymorph spell (DC 16 Wisdom saving throw) from it, transforming one target humanoid into a beast. Unlike normal castings of the spell, the effect lasts for 24 hours, at which point a target can attempt a new save. After two failed saves, a polymorphed target is permanently transformed into its new form. The wand regains 2d6 expended charges daily at dawn. If the wand’s last charge is expended, roll a d20. On a 1, the wand crumbles into ashes and is destroyed. Any creature that has consumed the herb moly is immune to the effects of Circe's Transforming Wand for 24 hours.
Water Telekinesis. While Circe is in contact with a body of water she can manipulate the water around it as if under the effects of the telekinesis spell without the need for concentration. This includes her waterspout attack (and when outside of water she cannot use it).
Waveglide. An oceanid can create waves and currents to double or halve the speed of creatures or objects traveling on the surface of the water, affecting up to 100 contiguous 5-foot squares in a shapeable area (typically enough for one warship or two small sailing ships). This ability has a range of 1,000 feet, requires line of effect to some part of the area, and lasts as long as the oceanid concentrates. An unwilling target can ignore the effect for 1 round by succeeding at a DC 16 Charisma saving throw.
ACTIONS
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) bludgeoning damage.
Waterspout. Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, range 100 ft., one target. Hit: 26 (6d6+5) bludgeoning damage.
While ashore on the island of Aeaea some of Odysseus’ sailing crew went inland and found a mansion where a beautiful woman treated them to a fine meal. The feast was drugged however and before they knew it, she’d changed them all into beasts (depending on which translation you look at it’s usually hogs). Odysseus came to look for his sailors but Hermes stops him along the way, giving crucial advice on behalf of Athena that keeps the epic poem’s hero safe from the oceanid nymph’s wiles. All the same he stays with Circe for an entire year before setting off again, given special directions to hasten his journey back to Ithaca (how to navigate either between the monster Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis, or the route he took: through the Wandering Rocks of Planctae) and how he can reach the Underworld.
There’s no proper nymph for 5E (making an oceanid out of the question) so I’m taking a page out of the Epic Monsters playbook: converting the statblock from Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 4 with some extra bells and whistles specifically for Circe (for a standard oceanid nymph, drop the Sleeping Brew and Transformative Wand traits, and reduce Challenge Rating to 6).
Circe
Medium fey, chaotic neutral
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 95 (10d8+50)
Speed 25 ft., swim 60 ft.
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
14 (+2) | 19 (+4) | 20 (+5) | 14 (+2) | 19 (+4) | 21 (+5) |
Skills Animal Handling +7, Athletics +5, Insight +7, Intimidation +8, Nature +5, Perception +7, Persuasion +8, Stealth +7
Damage Vulnerabilities fire
Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons not made from iron
Damage Immunities acid
Senses darkvision 120 ft., tremorsense 30 ft. (water only), passive Perception 17
Languages Greek, Sylvan
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
Amphibious. Circe can breathe both air and water.
Innate Spellcasting. Circe’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16; spell attack +8). She can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components, as long as she is in the ocean or within 1 mile of the ocean.
Constant: speak with animals (sea creatures only)
At will: create or destroy water, water breathing, control water
3/day: conjure animals (sea creatures only), conjure minor elementals (ice and steam mephits only), gust of wind
1/week: control weather
At will: create or destroy water, water breathing, control water
3/day: conjure animals (sea creatures only), conjure minor elementals (ice and steam mephits only), gust of wind
1/week: control weather
Regeneration. Circe regains 10 hit points at the start of her turn if she has at least 1 hit point and is in contact with saltwater.
Sleeping Brew. Circe can spend 1 minute preparing a tasteless liquid able to put those who drink it asleep. Any creature that drinks her concoction makes a DC 16 Constitution saving throw 1 minute afterward. On a failure, the creature falls unconscious for 1d4 hours, until it takes damage, or until someone uses an action to shake or slap the creature awake.
Transforming Wand. Circe possesses a very special wand of polymorph with 13 charges. While holding it, she can use an action to expend 1 of its charges to cast the polymorph spell (DC 16 Wisdom saving throw) from it, transforming one target humanoid into a beast. Unlike normal castings of the spell, the effect lasts for 24 hours, at which point a target can attempt a new save. After two failed saves, a polymorphed target is permanently transformed into its new form. The wand regains 2d6 expended charges daily at dawn. If the wand’s last charge is expended, roll a d20. On a 1, the wand crumbles into ashes and is destroyed. Any creature that has consumed the herb moly is immune to the effects of Circe's Transforming Wand for 24 hours.
Water Telekinesis. While Circe is in contact with a body of water she can manipulate the water around it as if under the effects of the telekinesis spell without the need for concentration. This includes her waterspout attack (and when outside of water she cannot use it).
Waveglide. An oceanid can create waves and currents to double or halve the speed of creatures or objects traveling on the surface of the water, affecting up to 100 contiguous 5-foot squares in a shapeable area (typically enough for one warship or two small sailing ships). This ability has a range of 1,000 feet, requires line of effect to some part of the area, and lasts as long as the oceanid concentrates. An unwilling target can ignore the effect for 1 round by succeeding at a DC 16 Charisma saving throw.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) bludgeoning damage.
Waterspout. Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, range 100 ft., one target. Hit: 26 (6d6+5) bludgeoning damage.
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