Penthesilea

Medium humanoid (human), neutral ranger (hunter) 4/fighter (brute) 14

Armor Class 19 (studded leather, fighting style, shield)
Hit Points 153 (18d10+54)
Speed 40 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
18 (+4)	18 (+4)	16 (+3)	10 (+0)	12 (+1)	12 (+1)

Saving Throws Str +10, Dex +10
Skills Athletics +10, History +6, Persuasion +7, Stealth +10, Survival +7
Senses passive Perception 11
Languages Greek, Themysceran
Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)

Special Traits

• Action Surge (1/short Rest). Once on her turn, Penthesilea can take an additional action on top of her regular action and a possible bonus action.
• Brutal Toughness. Penthesilea gains a +1d6 bonus to saving throws and death saves (treating final results of 20 or higher on a death saving throw as a natural 20).
• Colossus Slayer (1/turn). When Penthesilea hits a creature with a weapon attack, the creature takes an extra 4 (1d8) damage if it’s below its hit point maximum.
• Favored Enemy: Beasts. Penthesilea has advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track beasts, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them.
• Indomitable (2/long Rest). Penthesilea can reroll a saving throw that she fails but must use the new roll.
• Ranger Features. Penthesilea has the Natural Explorer (forests) and Primeval Awareness ranger class features.
• Second Wind (1/short Rest). On her turn, Penthesilea can use a bonus action to regain 1d10+14 hit points.
• Spellcasting. Penthesilea is a 4th level spellcaster that uses Wisdom as her spellcasting ability. She has the following spells prepared from the ranger’s spell list:
• 1st-level (3 slots): cure wounds, hunter’s mark, longstrider
• Athletic. Penthesilea can stand up from being prone with only 5 feet of her movement, climbing doesn’t cost her extra movement, and she only has to move 5 feet before making a running long jump or running high jump.
• Brawling. Penthesilea is proficient with improvised weapons, and she can use a bonus action to grapple a target she hits with an unarmed strike or improvised weapon on her turn.
• Mobility. Penthesilea can Dash through difficult terrain without requiring additional movement. Whenever she makes an attack against a creature, she doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks from that creature until the end of her turn.
• Soldier Tactics. A creature hit by Penthesilea’s opportunity attack reduces its Speed to 0 until the beginning of the next round and disengaging from her still provokes opportunity attacks. In addition, Penthesilea can use her reaction to make a melee weapon attack against a creature within 5 feet when it makes an attack against a target other than her.

Actions

• Multiattack. Penthesilea attacks three times when she takes the Attack action. When she uses a bonus action to engage in two- weapon fighting using her shield, she adds her Strength modifier to the damage of her fourth attack.
• Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6+6) piercing damage or 12 (1d8+1d6+4) piercing damage if wielded in two hands.
• Shield. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d4+1d6+4) bludgeoning damage.
• Unarmed. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d4+1d6+4) bludgeoning damage.
• Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6+4) piercing damage.

About

Penthesilea was a daughter of Ares, sister of Hippolyta, an Amazonian queen, and a skilled warrior who went toe-to-toe with Achilles in the Trojan War.

Penthesilia came to Troy with Memnon and a dozen of her fellow lady-warriors, looking to die honorably in battle. She spent a day distinguishing herself on the battlefield, cutting down Trojan soldiers before finally meeting her match with Achilles who, upon killing her and removing her helmet, was immediately heartstruck.

Another Greek soldier by the name of Thersites scolded him for having emotions and then proceeded to tear the eyes out of her corpse; unsurprisingly he was summarily slain by Achilles for it.

According to the 1st century BC text Bibliotheca Historica she was the last Amazon to distinguish herself in war, and afterwards her peoples and their accomplishments diminished into legend.

Penthesilea became a popular figure for literature, plays, and other cultural objects as the centuries passed, even re-cast as a medieval warrior queen.

Due to her position as a ruler, Penthesilea is treated with a measure of respect wherever she goes. She is treated as royalty (or as closely as possible) by most peasants and traders, and as an equal when meeting other authority figures (who make time in their schedule to see her if requested to do so).