Finally an entry in Mythological Figures for a proper paladin: Huon of Bordeaux!
In a violent act of misunderstanding Huon (scholars think he was really the duke of Aquitaine, Hunald I) the son of Seguin (count of Bordeaux) ambushed and killed Chariot (thought to be Charles the Child, son of Charles the Bald and Ermentrude of Orléans) the son of Emperor Charlemagne. Of course depending on the tale and teller, Huon may instead have killed a count in the emperor’s palace. For the murder he is doomed to hang, but is offered a pardon if he can complete a set of impossible tasks. If he completes them all—including bringing back some of the emir (“prince”) of Babylon’s teeth (four great ones) and hair (specifically a beard), kissing the emir’s daughter three (or four) times, and messing about with giants—Huon will be forgiven and can reclaim his right to become the duke of Bordeaux. On his quest he meets and (against the counsel of others) converses with the Fairy King Oberon who helps him succeed at his tasks. The full details of his story are freely available here, but they are the usual stuff one would expect from a medieval knight finding his way.
Design Notes: For the first time in this long endeavor we have an actual paladin (one of Charlemagne’s top knights), but skimming the 120 pages revealed at least one mention of an Action Surge so we’re getting fighter levels into the mix. As far as enchanted things go Huon’s got a sword that certainly seems magical (it’s mentioned as one of three special swords but didn’t have any other obvious details so we’re going with +1 longsword) and more importantly the white harness, a hauberk that makes a virtuous wearer like him immune to exhaustion, drowning, fire, and the blows of “paynim” (a non-Christian, usually a Muslim). That last part seems a little much so instead we’ll just make it resistance to weapon damage. Let’s do the numbers! The DMG rates Huon halfway past 12 and the Blog of Holding at 13.83, averaging out to a confident CR 13.
Armor Class 19 (chainmail, shield, defensive fighting style)
Hit Points 105 (14d10+28)
Speed 40 ft.
Saving Throws Str +11, Dex +3, Con +10, Int +4, Wis +4, Cha +6; Proficiency +5
Skills Athletics +8, History +6, Insight +6, Persuasion +8; gaming set (dice)
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, slashing
Damage Immunities fire
Condition Immunities frightened
Senses passive Perception 9
Languages Latin, Old French
Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)
Background: Noble. Due to his lordship Huon receives a measure of respect wherever he goes. He is treated as royalty (or as closely as possible) by most peasants and traders, and as an equal when meeting other authority figures (who make time in their schedule to see him if requested to do so).
Action Surge (1/Short Rest). Once on his turn, Huon can take an additional action on top of his regular action and a possible bonus action.
Aura of Courage. Huon and friendly creatures within 10 feet of him can’t be frightened while he is conscious.
Aura of Protection. Whenever Huon or a friendly creature within 10 feet of him must make a saving throw, the creature gains a +3 bonus to the saving throw as long as the Huon is conscious (included in his statistics).
Channel Divinity (1/Short Rest). Huon can channel his divinity through the two following features.
Divine Sense (4/Long Rest). As an action, until the end of his next turn Huon knows the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of him that is not behind total cover. He knows the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being whose presence he senses, but not its identity. Within the same radius, he also detects the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell.
Divine Smite. When Huon hits a creature with a melee weapon attack, he can expend one spell slot to deal radiant damage to the target, in addition to the weapon’s damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is an undead or a fiend.
Feat: Mobility. Huon can Dash through difficult terrain without requiring additional movement. Whenever Huon makes an attack against a creature, he doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks from that creature until the end of his turn.
Helm. While wearing his helm Huon gains advantage on saving throws made to resist being stunned and his passive Perception score is reduced by 2 (included above).
Lay on Hands (55 points). As an action, Huon can touch a creature and restore a number of hit points to it, up to the maximum amount remaining in this pool. Alternatively, he can expend 5 hit points to cure the target of one disease or neutralize one poison affecting it.
Second Wind (1/Short Rest). On his turn, Huon can use a bonus action to regain 7 (1d10+2) hit points.
Spellcasting. Huon is a 7th-level spellcaster that uses Charisma as his spellcasting ability (spell save DC 16; +8 to hit with spell attacks). He has the following spells prepared from the paladin’s spell list:
White Harness. While wearing his magical silver chainmail, Huon is able to breathe water, he is immune to fire damage, and he has resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage (included above).
ACTIONS
Extra Attack. Huon attacks twice whenever he takes the Attack action on his turn.
+1 Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d8+6) magical slashing damage plus 4 (1d8) radiant damage, or 9 (1d10+4) magical slashing damage plus 4 (1d8) radiant damage if wielded in two hands.
Spear. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6+5) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) radiant damage, or 7 (1d8+3) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) radiant damage if wielded in two hands..
Spear. Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6+3) piercing damage.
REACTIONS
Loyalty to the Crown. Huon can use his reaction to take the damage from an attack that would otherwise damage a creature within 5 feet of him. He is unable to reduce or prevent the damage he takes from this attack.
In a violent act of misunderstanding Huon (scholars think he was really the duke of Aquitaine, Hunald I) the son of Seguin (count of Bordeaux) ambushed and killed Chariot (thought to be Charles the Child, son of Charles the Bald and Ermentrude of Orléans) the son of Emperor Charlemagne. Of course depending on the tale and teller, Huon may instead have killed a count in the emperor’s palace. For the murder he is doomed to hang, but is offered a pardon if he can complete a set of impossible tasks. If he completes them all—including bringing back some of the emir (“prince”) of Babylon’s teeth (four great ones) and hair (specifically a beard), kissing the emir’s daughter three (or four) times, and messing about with giants—Huon will be forgiven and can reclaim his right to become the duke of Bordeaux. On his quest he meets and (against the counsel of others) converses with the Fairy King Oberon who helps him succeed at his tasks. The full details of his story are freely available here, but they are the usual stuff one would expect from a medieval knight finding his way.
Design Notes: For the first time in this long endeavor we have an actual paladin (one of Charlemagne’s top knights), but skimming the 120 pages revealed at least one mention of an Action Surge so we’re getting fighter levels into the mix. As far as enchanted things go Huon’s got a sword that certainly seems magical (it’s mentioned as one of three special swords but didn’t have any other obvious details so we’re going with +1 longsword) and more importantly the white harness, a hauberk that makes a virtuous wearer like him immune to exhaustion, drowning, fire, and the blows of “paynim” (a non-Christian, usually a Muslim). That last part seems a little much so instead we’ll just make it resistance to weapon damage. Let’s do the numbers! The DMG rates Huon halfway past 12 and the Blog of Holding at 13.83, averaging out to a confident CR 13.
Huon
Medium humanoid (human), lawful good fighter 2/paladin (oath of the crown) 11Armor Class 19 (chainmail, shield, defensive fighting style)
Hit Points 105 (14d10+28)
Speed 40 ft.
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
16 (+3) | 10 (+0) | 14 (+2) | 13 (+1) | 12 (+1) | 16 (+3) |
Skills Athletics +8, History +6, Insight +6, Persuasion +8; gaming set (dice)
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, slashing
Damage Immunities fire
Condition Immunities frightened
Senses passive Perception 9
Languages Latin, Old French
Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)
Background: Noble. Due to his lordship Huon receives a measure of respect wherever he goes. He is treated as royalty (or as closely as possible) by most peasants and traders, and as an equal when meeting other authority figures (who make time in their schedule to see him if requested to do so).
Action Surge (1/Short Rest). Once on his turn, Huon can take an additional action on top of his regular action and a possible bonus action.
Aura of Courage. Huon and friendly creatures within 10 feet of him can’t be frightened while he is conscious.
Aura of Protection. Whenever Huon or a friendly creature within 10 feet of him must make a saving throw, the creature gains a +3 bonus to the saving throw as long as the Huon is conscious (included in his statistics).
Channel Divinity (1/Short Rest). Huon can channel his divinity through the two following features.
Royal Challenge. Huon calls out a provocation to creatures he selects that are able to see him and within 30 feet. A challenged creature makes a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or can’t choose to move further than 30 feet away from Huon until he dies, is incapacitated, or a creature is moved more than 30 feet away from him by another effect.
Warrior Rally. Huon can use a bonus action to call out a rallying cry to creatures he selects that are able to see him and within 30 feet. If a selected creature has no more than half of its hit points, it regains 1d6+3 hit points.
Divine Sense (4/Long Rest). As an action, until the end of his next turn Huon knows the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of him that is not behind total cover. He knows the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being whose presence he senses, but not its identity. Within the same radius, he also detects the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell.
Divine Smite. When Huon hits a creature with a melee weapon attack, he can expend one spell slot to deal radiant damage to the target, in addition to the weapon’s damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is an undead or a fiend.
Feat: Mobility. Huon can Dash through difficult terrain without requiring additional movement. Whenever Huon makes an attack against a creature, he doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks from that creature until the end of his turn.
Helm. While wearing his helm Huon gains advantage on saving throws made to resist being stunned and his passive Perception score is reduced by 2 (included above).
Lay on Hands (55 points). As an action, Huon can touch a creature and restore a number of hit points to it, up to the maximum amount remaining in this pool. Alternatively, he can expend 5 hit points to cure the target of one disease or neutralize one poison affecting it.
Second Wind (1/Short Rest). On his turn, Huon can use a bonus action to regain 7 (1d10+2) hit points.
Spellcasting. Huon is a 7th-level spellcaster that uses Charisma as his spellcasting ability (spell save DC 16; +8 to hit with spell attacks). He has the following spells prepared from the paladin’s spell list:
1st-level (4 slots): bless, command, cure wounds, divine favor, shield of faith
2nd-level (3 slots): aid, find steed, locate object, zone of truth
3rd-level (3 slots): banishment, death ward, guardian of faith
White Harness. While wearing his magical silver chainmail, Huon is able to breathe water, he is immune to fire damage, and he has resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage (included above).
ACTIONS
Extra Attack. Huon attacks twice whenever he takes the Attack action on his turn.
+1 Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d8+6) magical slashing damage plus 4 (1d8) radiant damage, or 9 (1d10+4) magical slashing damage plus 4 (1d8) radiant damage if wielded in two hands.
Spear. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6+5) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) radiant damage, or 7 (1d8+3) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) radiant damage if wielded in two hands..
Spear. Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6+3) piercing damage.
REACTIONS
Loyalty to the Crown. Huon can use his reaction to take the damage from an attack that would otherwise damage a creature within 5 feet of him. He is unable to reduce or prevent the damage he takes from this attack.
