Zhuang Zhou

Medium humanoid (human), chaotic good geomancer (architect) 7

Armor Class 16 (breastplate)
Hit Points 38 (7d8+7)
Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
9 (–1)	14 (+2)	12 (+1)	14 (+2)	16 (+3)	16 (+3)

Saving Throws Int +5, Wis +6
Skills Insight +6, Medicine +6, Nature +5, Religion +5; cartographer’s tools +5, herbalism kit +6
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages Chinese
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Special Traits

• Elemental Magic (Recharges on short Rest). Zhuang Zhou is a 7th-level spellcaster that uses Wisdom as his spellcasting ability (spell save DC 14; spell attack +6). To cast a geomancer spell, he must spend an elemental spell slot of that level or higher, and he must meet that spell’s environmental availability requirement. He can cast the following spells from the geomancer’s spell list as 4th-level spells (2 slots):
  • Cantrips: mending, produce flame, resistance
• • Earth―Zhuang Zhou always has access to these spells from The Ground of Being: protection from energy, shatter, shield, stoneskin, stone shape
  • Fire―There must be a Medium-sized or larger flame within 30 feet of Zhuang Zhou: burning hands, fireball, flame blade, heat metal, lightning bolt, wall of fire
  • Metal―There must be a Medium-sized or larger metallic object within 30 feet of Zhuang Zhou: banishment, dispel magic, hold person, magic circle, magic weapon, shield of faith
  • Water―There must be a Medium-sized or larger body of water within 30 feet of Zhuang Zhou: control water, create or destroy water, fog cloud, invisibility, sleet storm, water walk
  • Wood―There must be a Medium-sized or larger plant or wooden object within 30 feet of Zhuang Zhou: barkskin, blight, entangle, plant growth, spike growth
• Impenetrable Hermitage. Zhuang Zhou knows the spell tiny hut. He can cast it as a ritual or by using Elemental Magic spell slots.
• Mystic Masonry. Whenever Zhuang Zhou casts tiny hut, he can instead use the spell to produce a stonework house. To do so, he must have adequate materials present. Available stone, clay, and other materials in a 20-foot cube are reshaped instantaneously into an earthen abode 20 feet on each side and one story tall. The floorplan is Zhuang Zhou’s choice (average contains 4 rooms).
• Numinous Acquaintance. Zhuang Zhou can cast detect evil and good at will, without expending a spell slot.
• Stone’s Blessing (3/long Rest). If he is holding his sacred stone or if it is on his person, Zhuang ZHou can use a bonus action to grant 10 temporary hit points to himself and each friendly creature he can see within 30 feet.
• The Ground of Being. Zhuang Zhou always has access to Earth element spells.
• Written in Stone. Zhuang Zhou can cast augury with Elemental Magic or as a ritual. His sacred stone suffices for the material components. If a divination spell he casts requires a focus or material components which are not consumed, his sacred stone counts as a substitute material worth 175 gp.

Actions

• Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) piercing damage.
• Light Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) piercing damage.

Reactions

• Arrange Fates. Zhuang Zhou can use his reaction to apply a +5 bonus or –5 penalty to any one attack roll, ability check, or saving throw made by a creature he can see within 30 feet. He can wait until after it rolls the d20 before deciding to use this feature, but he must decide before the GM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. Zhuang Zhou begins with 1 use of this feature, and gains 1 more use each time he uses Stone’s Blessing (maximum 4 uses). His number of uses resets to 1 whenever he finishes a long rest.

About

Zhuang Zhou was a very influential philosopher and scholar in 400 BC, penning the obviously named Zhuangzi, one of the most critical texts to the philosophical tradition of Taoism. It’s written elsewhere that he also penned a lot of scathing satire as well as a few melodies, and he had some forerunner beliefs on evolution.

Considering that we’re coming up on two-and-a-half millennia between his time and ours, it shouldn’t surprise us that there’s not much material about him. Zhuang Zhou rejected proffered work in the court of Chu and had little care for material comforts, his clothing said to be patched and resewn in many places, and when others spoke of his funeral he insisted instead that nature would suffice as his coffin.

As a close understudy of Lao-Tzu, Zhuang Zhou has always had a preternaturally unnerving and mystical understanding of the universe.