Muma 'Hops' Iron-Hoof — Matriarch of the Labyrinth’s Rest

Ability Scores

STR

16

+3

DEX

12

+1

CON

16

+3

INT

19

+4

WIS

10

+0

CHA

14

+2

Combat

Armor Class: 16; Scale Mail +1 Infusion
Hit Points: 75; Hit Dice: 9d8+27
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft.
Proficiency: +4
Passive Perception: 14

Attacks

Wrench-Mace (Battle Ready)+81d8+5 bludgeoning

Horns+71d6+3 piercing

Personality

She speaks in a booming, gravelly baritone that vibrates the glasses on her shelves, often punctuated by a belly-deep laugh. She constantly fusses over her patrons' well-being, physically lifting them into chairs if they look tired.

Ideal

Sanctuary. Everyone, no matter their bloodline, deserves a warm hearth and a full belly.

Bond

The 'Labyrinth’s Rest' and the motley crew of orphans who call it home are my only true kin.

Flaw

I have zero respect for 'proper' authority and will escalate a minor legal dispute into a siege if I feel my family is threatened.

Backstory

Muma Hops was once the 'Cull-Master' of the Iron-Hoof clan, a role that demanded the elimination of the weak to ensure the herd's dominance. Everything changed the morning she found a sobbing goblin infant in the wreckage of a raid. Instead of the cold steel her tribe expected, Hops felt a rush of protective heat that no forge could replicate. She tucked the child into her pauldron and walked away from her kin, trading her greataxe for a copper kettle and a life on the run. To Hops, the fermentation of yeast and the calibration of a pressure valve are sacred acts of creation that defy the mindless destruction of her past.

She eventually built 'The Labyrinth's Rest,' a colossal, steam-powered tavern-fortress that crawls through the borderlands on six iron legs. It serves as a mobile sanctuary for 'the runts'—orphans of all races who have nowhere else to go. While she is famous for her 'Soot-Screamer IPA,' she is feared by local despots for her 'Spiteful Cask-Breaker,' a massive brass cannon she engineered to liberate any of her adopted children from the clutches of those who would harm them. She doesn't see herself as a rebel; she’s just a mother who happens to have a very high-pressure boiler.

Abilities & Actions

The 'Hoppy' Brew-Bot (3/Day)

Hops activates her signature item: a medium-sized mechanical keg with copper crab legs. This 'Steel Defender' (AC 15, 50 HP) can pour a 'Flash-Chilled Lager' as a bonus action, granting a creature within 5ft 1d8+4 temporary hit points. If Hops is attacked, the Brew-Bot uses its reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack.

Pressure-Vented Charge

When Hops uses her Goring Rush, she releases a burst of high-pressure steam from her apron’s valves. On a hit, the target takes an extra 2d6 fire damage and must succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be pushed 15 feet away and knocked prone.

Spiteful Cask-Breaker (1/Short Rest)

Hops deploys a barrel-sized brass cannon. She makes a ranged spell attack (+8 to hit) against a target within 60 feet. On a hit, the target takes 4d10 force damage and is deafened until the end of its next turn. This attack deals double damage to objects and structures, reflecting her history of jailbreaking her 'kiddies'.

Maternal Overwatch

As long as an ally Hops considers one of her 'kiddies' is within 10 feet of her, they gain a +2 bonus to AC and she can use her reaction to take half the damage from any attack directed at them.

DM Notes

Hops should be played with 'Aggressive Compassion.' She will shove a bowl of stew into a player's hand and demand they eat it 'before their ribs meet their spine.' She smells of hops, woodsmoke, and machine oil. If a player mentions being an orphan or an exile, her attitude shifts from 'Tavern Keeper' to 'Fierce Guardian' instantly. Signature gesture: Wiping a glass with a rag while staring down a threat with a toothy, terrifyingly confident grin.