Vaettr, Fjallvaettir

Family: Vaettir

Tiny fey (shapechanger), lawful neutral

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 14 (4d4 + 4)
Speed 20 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
5 (-3)	20 (+5)	13 (+1)	14 (+2)	12 (+1)	16 (+3)

Skills Arcana +4, Deception +5, Insight +3, Nature +4, Perception +3, Stealth +7, Survival +3
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Common, Sylvan
Challenge 2 (450 XP)

Special Traits

• Ambusher. In the first round of a combat, the fjaellvaettr has advantage on attack rolls against any creature it surprised.
• Amphibious. The fjaellvaettr can breathe air and water.
• Innate Spellcasting. The fjaellvaettr’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 10). It can innately cast a number of spells, requiring no material components:
  • 1/day each: dancing lights, hallucinatory terrain, mage hand, major image, minor illusion, mirror image, polymorph, suggestion
• Magic Resistance. The fjaellvaettr has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
• Shapechanger. The fjaellvaettr can use its action to polymorph into a beast form that resembles a toad (40 ft., swim 40 ft.), or back into its true form. Its statistics are the same in each form, except for the speed changes noted. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
• Speak with Frogs and Toads. The fjaellvaettr can communicate simple concepts to frogs and toads when it speaks in sylvan.
• Swamp Camouflage. The fjaellvaettr has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in swampy terrain.
• Standing Leap. The fjaellvaettr’s long jump is up to 20 feet and its high jump is up to 10 feet, with or without a running start.
• Superior Invisibility. As a bonus action, the fjaellvaettr can magically turn invisible until its concentration ends (as if concentrating on a spell). Any equipment the fjaellvaettr wears or carries is invisible with it.

Actions

• Eye Poke. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 8 (1d6 + 5) piercing damage, and if the creature can see the fjaellvaettr, it must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature loses one eye. If the creature has just one eye remaining, it has disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and ranged attack rolls. If it has no eyes remaining, it is permanently blind. Permanent blindness lasts until the creature’s sight is restored by the lesser restoration spell or other magic. Otherwise, a creature that fails the save begins is temporarily blinded in one eye until the end of its turn. The blinded creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. Unless surprised, a creature can avert its eyes to avoid the saving throw at the start of its turn. If the creature does so, it can’t see the fjaellvaettr until the start of its next turn, when it can avert its eyes again.

About

This mountain fey normally appears as a little wizened old man with a long white beard, but can transform into a toad. They are masters of illusions and are hoarders of gold.

They are also known to poke out the eyes of those who cross them.

Fjallvaettir are people of their word; legend has it that a woman who helped a toad discovered later it was a fjallvaettir and had wealth beyond her wildest dreams … so long as she kept what she saw a secret. The day she slipped up, mentioning her encounter, the fjallvaettir appeared and poked her eyes out as punishment.