Ravic

Small beast, lawful good

Armor Class 13
Hit Points 15 (4d6)
Speed: 10 ft., fly 50 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
12 (+2)	16 (+3)	11 (+0)	15 (+2)	17 (+3)	12 (+1)

Skills: Insight +5, Intimidation +3, Perception +5
Senses: truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 15
Condition Immunities: charmed
Languages: Common, Elvish, Sylvan
Challenge: 1/2 (100 XP)

Special Traits

• Keen Hearing and Sight. The ravic has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or sight.
• Mimicry. The ravic can mimic any sounds it has heard, including voices. A creature that hears the sounds can tell they are imitations with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check.
• Pack Tactics. The ravic has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the ravic’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.

Actions

• Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.

About

Ravics are intelligent, eagle-sized birds that resemble blue feathered ravens with white talons, white beak and milky eyes.

These birds do not caw; instead, they mimic any conversation that they have heard. Known for their honesty, ravics actively seek out falsehoods. Focusing on liars and thieves, ravics circle above these miscreants declaring their transgressions word for word in the villain’s voice. They cannot be bribed or magically charmed so the only ways to end their display are for the target to confess their crimes, or the bird to be chased away or killed, though murdering a ravic is rarely the best course of action.

Pickpockets and scoundrels attract ravics like flies to dead bodies. However, even assassins who fear having their crimes pronounced avoid killing ravics. Murdering a ravic can result in a flock of the birds, known as a jury, gathering to pass judgment on the murderer. The punishment varies based on the laws of the land.

Incapable of lying, their storied honesty is so respected that some rural settlements present grievances before them and abide by the bird’s ruling. In legend, ravics were known as divine truth given wing and were empowered to act as the ultimate judge of all, even kings.

Yet, ravics do not have a mystic command of the truth. They assess the situation using their owl-like hearing combined with their insight into humanoids to discern the truth of most statements.

Able to detect illusions of all types, they are compelled to repeat what the object’s true form is or what an illusion hides.

Unsubstantiated tales suggest that ravics were created as inquisitors of an ancient elvish state but left because the elves were so honest that they lacked cause to render any judgments.

Rogues and Ravics: When rogues receive mystical companions, the gods of good sometimes send a ravic as divine intervention. The ravic will announce to the reprobate that they are a conscience not a companion. If they witness misdeeds, the ravic will call them out, going so far as to recruit the local authorities to thwart their charge’s actions. If possible, the bird will prod the rogue down a righteous path and, if they commit no crimes, the ravic will offer them magical insight into the world around them.

Clerics, Paladins & Ravics: The good gods of justice and truth send messages through ravics to their followers. Due to their unwavering honesty, a ravic claiming to have a divine message can be taken as the voice of that deity. Clerics and paladins often find their guidance and integrity helpful in holy quests.

Certain mages and alchemists will buy ravic feathers. The feathers are useful in the creation of zone of truth potions.

Each ravic feather used reduces the cost of the potion’s creation by 25 gp up to half of the total.