Redcap
by Jamie BatyDMR2 17, PC1 27
Small Fey (Faerie)
Hit Dice: 2d6 (7 hp)
Initiative: +3 (+3 Dex)
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armour Class: 14 (+1 size, +3 Dex), touch 13, flat-footed 10
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/ -3
Attack: Small longspear +1 melee (1d6 -1) or claw +1 melee (1d2-1)
Full Attack: Small longspear +1 melee (1d6 -1) and bite -4 melee (1d2 -2) or Small dagger +1 melee (1d3 -1) and bite -4 melee (1d2 -2) or 2 claw +1 melee (1d2-1) and bite -4 melee (1d2-2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft. /5 ft.
Special Attacks: -
Special Qualities: Communicate with Animals, Faerie traits, Holy Vulnerability, low-light vision
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +6, Will +3
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 17, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 8
Skills: Craft (trapmaking) +4, Hide +14, Intimidate +8, Listen +3, Move Silently +10, Spot +3, Use Magic Device +8
Feats: Stealthy
Environment: Any forests, hills
Organisation: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 1/2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement: by character class
Level Adjustment: +1
The redcap is an evil sort of brownie; as the brownies are the most helpful of the Faeries to humanity, the redcaps maybe the most harmful. They are exiles from fairy society; typically they once had humans entrusted to their care, but they were maliciously negligent. They hate all mortals- humans, demi-humans, and humanoids alike, and they will even vent their malice on common animals.
Redcaps appear as thickset, gnarled old brownies; as exiles from fairykind, they suffer the cosmetic effects of age, though they otherwise are immortal just as other Faeries. Their teeth are long and protruding, and their scrawny fingers are tipped with long, claw-like nails. Peering out from behind their long, grisly, tangled, grey hair are bloodshot eyes filled with malice, anger and hate. They often wear sturdy, iron boots, carry a longspear, and always have atop their heads with a red cap.
While good brownies are attracted to living households, the redcap haunts ruins, especially castles and sites of former tyranny. There he flings stones at travellers seeking shelter in his haunt; if given the chance, he will murder them outright, and catch their blood in his cap, to maintain its dusky hue.
When killed, the redcap vanishes in a flame. The only trace left behind is a single, large tooth. Peasant lore states that this relic is of value for witchcraft, but most people prudently leave it untouched, unless they have the means to safely hide or destroy it.
Redcaps speak Sylvan, Fairy, Halfling and the predominant local language. They can speak with animals as well. They may also know Common, Elven, Gnomish and other local languages.
Combat
Redcaps are a threat to any creature that ventures to close to its territory. They will preferably attack with traps and ambushes, or attack while their targets are sleeping. They may use any simple weapons (preferably a longspear and dagger), and armour if proficient from class levels. A redcap has two claw attacks and a bite attack. When using a weapon, the redcap can use its bite as a secondary attack.
Communicate with Animals (Ex): A redcap may communicate with animals as if he were permanently under the effect of a speak with animals spell.
Faerie Traits: As a Faerie, redcaps have the following traits:
• Invisibility to Mortals (Sp): All faeries may become invisible to mortals at will as a standard action. This is the same as the invisibility spell except that creatures with second sight can see the subject normally.
• Second Sight (Ex): This is the ability common to all faeries and some mortals to be able to recognise a fey creature's true form even when invisible to mortals, polymorphed or shapechanged.
• Immunity to Normal Disease (Ex): Faeries are immune to all normal diseases but may still be affected by magical diseases such as mummy rot.
• Immortality (Ex): Faeries do not grow old. Death is merely a change in the cycle of their existence in which they become reborn as another faerie (in 0-999 years time).
• Holy Aversion (Ex): Faeries take 1d4 damage from Holy Water (no splash damage) and are made uncomfortable and tend to avoid Holy Symbols, Prayers or the names of the Immortals.
• Faeries cannot normally cast divine magic but, in the unlikely event that they would look for and find an immortal willing to accept them, they could trade all of the above traits for the opportunity to become a follower of that immortal.
Holy Vulnerability (Ex): A redcap suffers an additional 1d4 damage from Holy Water (2d4 total damage).
Skills: Redcaps have a +4 racial bonus to all Intimidate and Use Magic Device checks.
Redcaps as Characters
Redcaps have a favoured class of rogue. Redcaps also do well as fighters, and occasionally bards. A few have even become assassins. They also may pursue the arcane arts as sorcerers and wizards. Redcaps are unable to use divine magic, and are never clerics, druids, paladins or other divine magic-based classes.
Redcap Racial Traits
• -2 Str, +6 Dex, -2 Cha
• Small size. +1 bonus to Armour Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, -4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits 3/4 those of Medium characters.
• Space/Reach: 5'/5'
• Base move 30'.
• Low-light Vision
• Racial Hit Dice: A redcap begins with two levels of fey, which provide 2d6 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +1, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +0, Ref +3, and Will +3.
• Racial Skills: A redcap's fey levels give it skill points equal to 5 × (6 + Int modifier). Its class skills are Craft (trapmaking), Hide, Intimidate, Listen, Move Silently, Spot, and Use magic Device.
• Racial Feats: A redcap's fey levels give it one feat.
• Natural Attacks: 2 Claws (1d2), 1 Bite (1d2)
• Proficient with simple weapons
• Special Qualities (see above): Communicate with animals, Faerie Traits, Holy Vulnerability.
• Redcaps have a +4 racial bonus to all Intimidate and Use Magic Device skill checks.
• Automatic Languages: Fairy, Sylvan, Halfling, local language, communicate with animals. Bonus Languages: Common, Elven, Gnomish, and other local languages.
• Favoured Class: Rogue.
• Level Adjustment: +1.