Thistle-Tuft — The Umbral Gourmet

Ability Scores

STR

12

+1

DEX

16

+3

CON

14

+2

INT

14

+2

WIS

18

+4

CHA

10

+0

Combat

Armor Class: 15; Studded Leather
Hit Points: 60; Hit Dice: 7d10
Initiative: +3
Speed: 35 ft.
Proficiency: +3
Passive Perception: 17

Attacks

Chef's Clever (Handaxe)+41d6+1 slashing

Longbow of the Harvest+61d8+3 piercing

Primal Julienne (Claws)+41d6+1 slashing

Personality

He speaks in hushed, reverent tones about 'mouthfeel' and 'aromatics' even while tracking a displacer beast. He frequently stops to sniff the moss and has a habit of offering small, dried snacks to enemies before initiative is rolled.

Ideal

Hospitality. No being is truly evil on a full stomach and a warm hearth.

Bond

My 'Compendium of the Night-Kitchen'—this book contains the culinary secrets of three continents and the Underdark.

Flaw

I will literally walk into a dragon's maw if I think there’s a rare spice growing in its nesting gold.

Backstory

Thistle-Tuft was born to the Longtooth tribes of the Whispering Vales, where survival meant blood and bone. While his brothers practiced the 'Primal pounce,' Thistle was caught seasoning a stirge-wing with wild ramps. He was eventually exiled—not for weakness, but for 'distracting the pack with delicious smells during a stealth operation.' He spent the next decade in the Underdark, discovering that the terrifying flora of the abyss possessed profiles that surface-dwellers could only dream of.

His life changed when he encountered a starving Beholder in a fit of rage. Instead of drawing his bow, Thistle whipped up a 'Void-Salt Soufflé' using local spores. The aberration was so stunned by the delicate crumb and earthy finish that it simply drifted away, weeping with joy. Since then, Thistle has roamed the darkest corners of the world, convinced that the 'monsters' everyone fears are simply suffering from low blood sugar and poor seasoning. He carries a tattered, oil-stained journal filled with recipes that could stop a war.

Abilities & Actions

The Primal Julienne (Signature Item)

As a bonus action, Thistle can shift. While shifted, his claws extend and become razor-sharp culinary tools. His unarmed strikes deal 1d6 + STR slashing damage. Additionally, he can use these claws to perfectly prepare a meal during a short rest; anyone consuming this meal gains temporary hit points equal to his Ranger level (7).

Dread Ambusher: Setting the Table

At the start of his first turn of each combat, Thistle's walking speed increases by 10 feet, and if he takes the Attack action, he can make one additional weapon attack. If that attack hits, the target takes an extra 1d8 damage of the weapon's type as he 'carves with intent.'

Moon-Dew Seasoning (3/Day)

Thistle throws a handful of blindingly pungent spices at a creature within 10 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be Blinded until the end of its next turn as it sneezes uncontrollably from the exquisite aroma.

Umbral Sight

Thistle has darkvision out to 90 feet. While in darkness, he is invisible to any creature that relies on darkvision to see him in that darkness—allowing him to harvest mushrooms in total peace.

DM Notes

Thistle-Tuft sounds like a cross between a gruff woodsman and a soft-spoken celebrity chef. He gestures with his tweezers when making a point. If players find him, he won't be hostile; he'll likely ask them to hold a torch so he can see the 'veining on this bioluminescent truffle.' He hates 'over-salted' rations and will judge the party's inventory mercilessly.