Bashira the Gate-Knocker — The Courteous Architect

Ability Scores

STR

14

+2

DEX

10

+0

CON

16

+3

INT

18

+4

WIS

14

+2

CHA

20

+5

Combat

Armor Class: 17; Natural Armor
Hit Points: 103; Hit Dice: 12d8
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft.
Proficiency: +4
Passive Perception: 12

Attacks

Threefold Knock (Eldritch Blast)+91d10+5 force

Dao's Measuring Rod (Quarterstaff)+61d6+2 bludgeoning

Personality

Bashira moves with geological slowness and speaks with a soft, resonant voice that carries the weight of a grinding mountain. She never interrupts, always waits for a formal invitation to sit, and uses a ruler to ensure her tea is perfectly centered on the table.

Ideal

Structural Integrity. Whether it is a stone archway or a blood-oath, if the geometry is flawed, the whole thing will eventually collapse.

Bond

I carry the Master Ledger of Istraz. I must record the true dimensions of the world so that the Bureaucracy of Earth may finally file the multiverse away properly.

Flaw

I find it physically distressing to enter a building without the owner's express permission, even if the owner has been dead for a thousand years.

Backstory

Bashira did not choose the life of an adventurer; she chose the life of a guest. While her kin drifted along the coastlines of the Snout of Omgar, Bashira sat for three years staring at a single, stationary whirlpool in the Elemental Plane of Earth. She believed that the cosmos was not a chaotic void, but a magnificently designed mansion, and that most of the world's suffering stemmed from people entering rooms they weren't invited into. Her patience eventually bore fruit when Istraz, a disgruntled Dao Bureaucrat tasked with planar maintenance, manifested to ask why she was loitering. Bashira simply bowed and asked for the structural blueprints of the horizon.

Impressed by her 'geological manners,' Istraz entered into a pact with her. He granted her access to the 'Master Blueprints' of reality in exchange for her services as a neutral arbitrator. Bashira now wanders the multiverse, measuring the tilt of ancient ruins and the integrity of magical seals. She carries a heavy, stone-bound ledger where she records the 'permission level' of every dungeon she encounters. To Bashira, a locked door isn't an obstacle to be smashed; it is a polite request for privacy that must be formally appealed with the correct paperwork and three firm, rhythmic knocks.

Abilities & Actions

The Threefold Knock (Cantrip)

Bashira's Eldritch Blast (3 beams, +9 to hit, 1d10+5 force damage). When she hits a creature, she may move them 10 feet in a straight line toward or away from her. She describes this as 'politely repositioning guests to maintain the room's aesthetic balance.'

Architectural Vulnerability (Bonus Action)

Bashira studies a creature or object within 60 feet. She makes an Intelligence (Investigation) check against the target's AC. On a success, the next time she or an ally hits the target, it takes an extra 3d6 bludgeoning damage as she points out a flaw in its physical or spiritual 'load-bearing' structure.

Geological Diplomacy (3/Day, Reaction)

When a creature Bashira can see makes an attack roll against her or an ally within 30 feet, she may demand a 'Inter-planar Cease and Desist.' The attacker must make a DC 17 Charisma saving throw. On a failure, the attack misses as the ground itself rises slightly to block the strike, and the attacker is charmed by Bashira's overwhelming politeness until the end of its next turn.

Manifest Masterpiece (1/Day)

As an action, Bashira summons a spectral, translucent stone wall (as per the Wall of Stone spell). The wall is etched with complex blueprints. Creatures within 10 feet of the wall gain a +2 bonus to AC as the 'structural logic' of the wall reinforces their own armor.

DM Notes

Bashira is a stabilizer. She works best as a third-party negotiator between the party and a powerful foe. Sample Dialogue: 'Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice your dungeon's vaulted ceiling is sagging by three centimeters. If you intend to execute these travelers, could we perhaps move to the courtyard? I would hate for a structural failure to ruin your dramatic moment.' She always knocks three times on any surface before crossing a threshold. She will not fight unless someone 'vandalizes' the local architecture or breaks a contract.