Mother 'Hoppy' Marrow, a Harengon Warlock — D&D 5e NPC portrait
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Mother 'Hoppy' Marrow

"The Matriarch of the Mournful Meadow"

Harengon Warlock (The Undead) NG Lvl 5 Anthropologist

Female (She/Her) · Middle-aged, 42 years

Ability Scores

STR
8
-1
DEX
14
+2
CON
16
+3
INT
12
+1
WIS
14
+2
CHA
18
+4

Combat

Armor Class
13
Padded Armor & Dex
Hit Points
43
Hit Dice: 5d8
Initiative
+5
Speed
30 ft. (Rabbit Hop: 15 ft.)
Proficiency
+3
Passive Perception
12

Attacks

Firm Finger-Wag (Eldritch Blast)+71d10+4 force
Maternal Rapier+51d8+2 piercing

Personality

Personality

She tut-tuts at every drop of blood spilled, constantly adjusts the collars of her companions, and speaks to terrifying undead with the same patient, firm tone one uses with a headstrong toddler.

Ideal

Nurturing. 'Every soul, whether breathing or buried, deserves a warm hearth and a stern hand to guide them.'

Bond

Barnaby, the glowing skull of a failed necromancer, whom she treats as a slightly dim-witted but beloved nephew.

Flaw

She often forgets that 'civilized' people find her spectral bunny companions and necrotic mist terrifying.

Backstory

Mother Marrow did not seek the dark arts; she simply found the afterlife to be terribly disorganized. While conducting field research on the funerary customs of the Lost Weald, she stumbled upon the 'Bound King of Sighs'—an ancient, weeping entity of pure necrotic despair. Where others saw a world-ending threat, Hoppy saw a child who had missed his nap and desperately needed a clean pair of socks. She didn't sign her pact in blood; she signed it in a firm, cursive hand after making the entity promise to 'stop that dreadful moaning' while she tidied up his tomb.

Her defining moment occurred when she encountered a restless wraith of a long-dead knight. Instead of banishing him, she spent three hours mending his spectral tabard with a silver needle and listening to his woes. She realized then that the dead weren't monsters—they were just 'difficult children' who had been left alone too long in the dark. Now, she wanders the borderlands of life and death, tucked into her hand-knitted shawls, armed with a glowing skull named Barnaby and enough maternal disappointment to make even a Lich reconsider its life choices.

Abilities & Actions

The Stern Face (Form of Dread, 3/Day)

As a bonus action, Mother Marrow assumes a terrifyingly maternal aspect for 1 minute. She gains 1d10 + 5 temporary hit points. Once during each of her turns, when she hits a creature with an attack, she can force it to make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of her until the end of her next turn. While in this form, she is immune to the frightened condition.

Firm Finger-Wag (Eldritch Blast)

Mother Marrow gestures sternly at a 'misbehaving' creature. She makes two ranged spell attacks (+7 to hit, 120ft range). On a hit, the target takes 1d10 + 4 force damage and is pushed 10 feet away as if being ushered to their room (Repelling Blast).

Barnaby’s Grudging Wisdom

While holding her signature item (the glowing skull), Mother Marrow has advantage on checks made to identify undead or historical funerary rites. Additionally, once per long rest, Barnaby can cast 'Gently Used Soul' (Death Ward) on a companion, though he grumbles about it the whole time.

Eat Your Vegetables (Grave Touched)

When Mother Marrow hits a creature with an attack and deals damage, she can change the damage type to necrotic. If she is using her Stern Face, she can roll one additional damage die when determining the necrotic damage the target takes.

DM Notes

Hoppy talks in a soft, warbling voice that carries an unbreakable authority. She treats high-stakes combat like a messy kitchen. Sample dialogue: 'Oh, look at you, dear. Bleeding all over your nice tunic. Stand still while I fix this, and don't you dare touch that sword until you've apologized!' Her signature gesture is peering over her spectacles and sighing with profound maternal disappointment, which is often more effective than a Fireball.