Barnaby 'Bubble-Gulp' Boggs — The Shepherd of Stray Souls

Ability Scores

STR

8

-1

DEX

18

+4

CON

14

+2

INT

12

+1

WIS

14

+2

CHA

12

+1

Combat

Armor Class: 15; Leather Armor + Dex
Hit Points: 44; Hit Dice: 5d10
Initiative: +4
Speed: 25 ft., climb 25 ft.
Proficiency: +3
Passive Perception: 15

Attacks

The Last Receipt (Silvered Rapier)+71d8+4 piercing

Poisonous Touch+71d4+4 poison

Personality

He speaks with the breathless enthusiasm of a tour guide, constantly pointing out 'scenic landmarks' in the middle of terrifying graveyards and refusing to acknowledge when the party is walking in circles.

Ideal

Professionalism. A soul delivered is a debt settled; the cosmos must be kept in orderly balance.

Bond

His silvered rapier, 'The Last Receipt', which he treats like a sacred ledger for every spirit he helps move on.

Flaw

Directional Arrogance. He firmly believes that if the map says 'North' and he is walking 'South', then the North Pole has simply moved to accommodate him.

Backstory

Barnaby wasn't always a holy man; he was once the most prolific 'stealth-logistics expert' in the Soggy Bottoms, moving crates of illicit swamp-weed past paladin patrols with effortless grace. His career ended the day he accepted a 'priority shipment' that turned out to be a sealed urn containing a vengeful poltergeist. When the seal broke in the center of his village, the resulting chaos nearly wiped out his entire clutch. Barnaby didn't just feel guilty; he felt deeply unprofessional. He had failed a delivery, and in the world of the Boggs, that is the ultimate sin.

He sought out the Order of the Ghostslayer, not to destroy the undead out of malice, but to 'correct the manifest.' To Barnaby, every ghost is simply a piece of unlabeled cargo that has missed its delivery date to the afterlife. He took the Hunter’s Bane, infusing his own toxic gold blood with the power of the sun, and traded his smuggling routes for the treacherous paths of the spirit world. He carries a tattered map he can barely read and a lantern that flickers with the echoes of those he guides, marching toward the Great Beyond with a smile that never wavers, even when he’s hopelessly lost.

Abilities & Actions

Rite of the Dawn (Bonus Action)

Barnaby coats his silvered rapier in his own radiant-infused blood. Until his next rest, the weapon deals an extra 1d6 radiant damage. This damage increases to 2d6 against undead. While the rite is active, the blade sheds bright light in a 20-foot radius.

The Navigator’s Scenic Route

Barnaby is immune to the frightened condition while holding a map (even upside down). Additionally, as a reaction when an ally within 30 feet fails a Wisdom (Survival) check, Barnaby can offer 'expert advice,' allowing them to reroll the die with a +4 bonus.

Curse of the Unlabeled Cargo

As a bonus action, Barnaby targets a creature within 30 feet. The target has disadvantage on attack rolls against anyone other than Barnaby until the end of his next turn. If the target is undead, it also takes 2d6 radiant damage if it attempts to move away from him.

Poisonous Skin

Any creature that grapples Barnaby or hits him with a melee attack while within 5 feet must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute.

DM Notes

Barnaby should be played with high energy and a thick, croaking accent. He never uses the words 'dead' or 'killed'—he uses 'displaced' and 'delivered.' If the players point out he's lost, he laughs it off as a 'spontaneous scouting expedition.' He constantly wipes his rapier with a silk cloth, treating it with the care of a master craftsman.