Swarm of Heliconias

Medium swarm of Tiny fey (enrooted), unaligned

Armor Class 14
Hit Points 55 (10d8 + 10); Wound Threshold N/A
Speed 5 ft., fly 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
8 (-1)	18 (+4)	12 (+1)	8 (-1)	13 (+1)	14 (+2)

Saving Throws Cha +5
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, slashing
Damage Immunities necrotic
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, prone, restrained, stunned
Senses darkvision 30 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages understands Sylvan but usually doesn’t communicate
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Heliconia’s Dusty Haze. A haze of luminescent dust surrounds the swarm of heliconias within 10 feet of it and moves with it. The haze only affects breathing creatures that are not already under the effect of a Heliconia’s Dusty Haze. When such a creature enters the area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be numbed and poisoned for 1 minute due to the hallucinations. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
• Innate Spellcasting. The swarm of heliconias’ innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). The swarm of heliconias can innately cast the following spells like an 8th-level spellcaster, requiring no material components:
  • At will: chill touch, spare the dying, sudden cramp*
  • 3/day each: blindness/deafness, inflict wounds, ray of enfeeblement
  • 1/day each: bestow curse, revivify, speak with dead**

(**) Any nearby creature can speak with the targeted corpse.

ACTIONS

• Poisonous Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 0 ft., one creature in the swarm’s space. Hit: 30 (12d4) poison damage, or 15 (6d4) poison damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer.

ABOUT

The heliconia is an enrooted fey with the appearance of a butterfly with black, white, and red wings. Its wings are coated with a fearsome poison dust with powerful psychotropic effects that causes paralysis and visions.

The poison of heliconias is famous in the Netherworld, and some underground dwellers capture specimens of this fey to harvest their powdery toxin. It is not uncommon for the relationship between the butterflies and their captor to gradually change, the beauty, intelligence, and personality of the fey filling their “owner”-and sometimes the rest of their household-with growing fascination.

A common myth among Netherworld druids-svirfneblin ones in particular-tells of the fate of certain individuals particularly sensitive to the beauty of the world and in tune with Eana. According to this legend, when they die, instead of transitioning to the Ethereal Plane, their soul scatters in the air and into the rock, forming briefly shimmering particles that can be seen with the naked eye. These soul fragments join the roots of Eana and reincarnate into heliconias.

After a period of time in this form, the soul fragments lose the entirety of their original essence, leaving them immaculate and ready to be reborn into a new form. It is said that sidhes might be born from such heliconias.

An Inspiration for Poets and Necromancers

A tragic drow legend speaks of a butterfly catcher whose name and gender vary depending on the version of the story. Grieving and disconsolate, they fell deep into a strange lunacy, vowing to capture all the heliconias that held a fragment of their beloved in order to bring them back to life. In the eyes of many, it is no more than a romantic tale, but it actually gives a faithful picture of a major component of necromancy in the Netherworld. Heliconias are a central element of it, whether as spell components or as the catalysts of rituals. By using these enrooted fey, it is possible to cast necromancy spells ordinarily tainted by the essence of Canker without risk of corruption. If the leader uses this option, one heliconia is required per spell level.

For example, a spellcaster wishing to cast animate dead (3rd level) without risk of corruption will require three heliconias, which will replace the normal material component.

A heliconia can only be used as a spell component once per day.

Using the same heliconia twice in the same day destroys it.

White, red and black: three primordial colors. Purity, life, death. Asceticism, suffering, sleep.

From certain angles, heliconias show golden reflections.

The Scarlet Shroud teaches us to heed the work of the forgotten, of the unknown, while continuing to fight for the preservation of life. The Red inspires us and opens the way to a different world, one of perpetual wonder.

Some enrooted fairies look like butterflies. Sublime butterflies exist, also.