Trompe L’oeil

Medium construct, neutral evil

Armor Class 16 (breastplate)
Hit Points 93 (17d8 + 17)
Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
13 (+1)	16 (+3)	13 (+1)	17 (+3)	9 (-1)	13 (+1)

Saving Throws Con +4
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Skills Athletics +4, Deception +4, Perception +5, Performance +7, Stealth +8
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages Abyssal, Deep Speech, Common, Elven, Infernal
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Gallery of Dread. As an action, a trompe l’oeil can enter a painting it touches. When it does so, its physical body disappears, and its image appears in the painting. The trompe l’oeil can use its normal senses and attempt Perception checks to notice anything occurring near the painting. While within a painting, the trompe l’oeil can talk and move anywhere within the picture or even temporarily alter it (such as by picking a flower in the painting). It cannot use any spells or other abilities while within an image. In addition, the trompe l’oeil has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in such a painting. The trompe l’oeil can use its bonus action to leave the painting. Once it leaves the painting, the image immediately reverts to the appearance it had before the trompe l’oeil entered. If someone destroys or damages the painting, the trompe l’oeil is unharmed, but exits the image in the nearest unoccupied space. The trompe l’oeil can enter paintings within the the same building. As an action, the trompe l’oeil can move from a painting it has entered to appear in any other mostly intact painting in the house. Finally, when it a tromp l’oeil is destroyed, it immediately reforms with half of its hit point maximum on one of the eligible paintings in the house. The only way to permanently destroy the trompe l’oeil is to destroy all the eligible paintings before destroying the creature.
• Hellish Drippings (1/Day). The trompe l’oeil can cause paint to melt out of up to four paintings, forming into an amorphous, vaguely humanoid creature identical to a lemure devil. These creatures attack as he directs them for up to 1 minute or until destroyed. The sympathetic connection between the trompe l’oeil and the lemures grants each of them a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls against any target is threatened by any of the other lemures or the trompe l’oeil.
• Immediate Rejuvenation (Recharge on Long Rest). The power of the haunted spirit within it allows the trompe l’oeil to return from death while in its home building. When it is destroyed, it reforms 1d4 rounds later in its painting (or, in the case of very powerful hauntings, in one of several eligible paintings in the same building). The only way to permanently destroy the trompe l’oeil is to destroy its painting (or all eligible paintings) before the creature reforms (or before destroying the creature in the first place).
• Instant Portrait (2/Day). The trompe l’oeil can use its action to create a life-sized portrait of itself on any flat surface. The portrait can be destroyed by dealing at least one point of slashing damage, or two points of bludgeoning or piercing damage. The portrait is an eligible target for its Gallery of Dread ability.

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The trompe l’oeil makes three melee attacks or two ranged weapon attacks.
• Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage and 3 (1d6) poison damage.
• Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage and 2 (1d4) poison damage.

ABOUT

Trompe l’oeil creatures are life-sized portraits animated by powerful magic or occult phenomena.

Able to move and talk, these constructs can also step out of their frames to become three-dimensional beings. Born from artistic masterpieces, trompe l’oeils can easily pass for their original models, though close examination reveals that they are not flesh and blood, but only layers of paint. Trompe l’oeils can be created to act as guardians and spies, or on occasion, a painting will animate spontaneously.

Rarely, a portrait is so lifelike, a nascent spirit is able to inhabit it. Believing itself to be as good as or better than the original, such a trompe l’oeil seeks to eliminate and replace the painting’s subject.