Hinderling

Small fey, chaotic neutral

Armor Class 13
Hit Points 13 (3d6 + 3)
Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
11 (+0)	17 (+3)	13 (+1)	9 (–1)	15 (+2)	13 (+1)

Saving Throws Wis +4, Cha +3
Skills Perception +4, Sleight of Hand +5, Stealth +7
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Common, Sylvan
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Aura of Misfortune. Each creature within 15 feet of the hinderling treats any roll of a 20 on an attack roll as a 19 and can’t gain the benefit of advantage on ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws.
• Rejuvenation. While the hinderling curse remains on a victim, a slain hinderling returns to life in 1 day, regaining all its hp and becoming active again. The hinderling appears within 100 feet of the victim.

ACTIONS

• Stolen Belonging. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
• Hurl Stolen Belonging. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
• Mad Dash. The hinderling moves up to twice its speed and can move through the space of any creature that is Medium or larger. When the hinderling moves through a creature’s space, the creature must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. This movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks.

BONUS ACTIONS

• Nimble Escape. The hinderling takes the Disengage or Hide action.

REACTIONS

• Run and Hide. When a creature the hinderling can see targets it with a weapon attack, the hinderling chooses another creature within 5 feet it to become the target of the attack, then it moves up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

ABOUT

A stooped and paunchy old man in shabby clothing scowls, eyes blazing with spite. Pilfered household objects dangle from his overstuffed pockets, and he interrupts nearby conversations with prodigious bouts of roaring flatulence.

A hinderling is a miserable fey brought into the world by a hag’s curse to sow frustration and spite in a victim’s life.

Gradual Misfortunes. A hinderling’s harrying starts with stealing small objects, then it sets up “accidental” traps in the victim’s home and ends with stealing vital tools and supplies while taunting its victim with bad luck. Hinderlings add insult to injury by periodically screaming obscenities or making obnoxious bodily noises, drawing unwanted attention to the victim, interrupting their rest, or causing an embarrassing social faux pas.

Fickle Fey. Though called by a hag’s curse, a hinderling is not beholden to the hag that summoned it, and the hinderling torments its victim only as long as it finds the victim’s misery entertaining. A hinderling’s victim can also bribe the fey with a pint of ale, some copper pieces, and a humiliating apology. The victim can forgo the apology if they give the hinderling the name of someone the victim truly despises, providing the fey with a new target for their antics.

Hinderling Curse

Any hag can curse a creature with a hinderling, and such curses are typically reserved for those who slighted the hag enough to annoy her but not enough to drive her to violence. The cursed creature can bribe the hinderling to leave it alone, though no hinderling accepts a bribe within the first 24 hours of being set on a victim. A remove curse spell cast on the victim prevents the hinderling from appearing for one day, but only an acceptable bribe or a wish spell permanently removes the hinderling and its associated curse. While the curse is active, the hinderling knows the exact location of its victim. The hag placing the curse determines its duration, though a hinderling curse always ends when the hag who placed it dies.