Breeka Stone-Soot, a Svirfneblin Gnome Ranger — D&D 5e NPC portrait
#0323

Breeka Stone-Soot

"Conductor of the Deep-Light"

Female (she/her) · Middle-aged for a gnome, 112 years

Ability Scores

STR
10
+0
DEX
16
+3
CON
14
+2
INT
12
+1
WIS
16
+3
CHA
14
+2

Combat

Armor Class
15
Beetle-wing Studded Leather
Hit Points
44
Hit Dice: 5d10
Initiative
+3
Speed
25 ft.
Proficiency
+3
Passive Perception
16

Attacks

Shortsword (Vibration-Honed)+61d6 + 3 piercing
Longbow (Deep-Wood)+61d8 + 3 piercing

Personality

Personality

Breeka talks to her wasps as if they are naughty children, often whispering 'not now, Barnaby' to a stray insect. She hums constantly and moves with a bouncy, rhythmic step.

Ideal

Luminescence. No corner of the world is too deep for a bit of warmth and a friendly face.

Bond

The Glimmer-Hive. If her queen wasp were to perish, a piece of Breeka's soul would darken forever.

Flaw

She is dangerously over-optimistic, often trying to 'befriend' ravenous monstrosities because she believes they're just cranky from the dark.

Backstory

In the silent, suffocating gloom of the Upper Reaches, most Svirfneblin learn to move like ghosts and fear the light. Breeka was different. While her kin built thicker walls to keep the terrors out, she ventured into the 'Spore-Choked Canyons' following a faint, rhythmic humming. There, she discovered the Glimmer-Wasps—amber-hued insects that thrive on the toxic fungal blooms that kill larger creatures. Instead of fleeing, Breeka sat and hummed back. She realized the wasps didn't just sting; they pulsed in a complex, bioluminescent language. By carving a tuning fork from resonant cavern-quartz, she learned to 'conduct' them, turning a deadly swarm into a swirling gala of golden light.

Now, Breeka patrols the Vein-Paths, the treacherous shortcuts between drow outposts and duergar mines. She has become a legend among weary travelers—a tiny, grey-skinned figure who appears out of the darkness not with a blade, but with a symphony of buzzing stars. She once spent three days guiding a lost surface-elf party through the Labyrinth of Whispers, feeding them 'honey-spore' paste and keeping their spirits high with tales of the 'Sunshine Lands' she has only seen in dreams. To Breeka, the Underdark isn't a tomb; it's a concert hall waiting for a spark.

Abilities & Actions

Gathering Swarm: The Glimmer-Wasps

Once on each of Breeka's turns, when she hits a creature with an attack, she can call on her wasps to assist. The target takes an extra 1d6 piercing damage, or must succeed on a DC 14 Strength save or be moved 15 feet, or Breeka is moved 5 feet by the swarm without provoking opportunity attacks.

The Quartz Conductor (Signature Item)

As a bonus action, Breeka strikes her crystalline tuning fork. The Glimmer-Wasps emit a blinding flash. Each creature of Breeka's choice within 10 feet must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be Blinded until the end of her next turn. She can use this a number of times equal to her Wisdom modifier (3) per long rest.

Wrath of the Hive (1/Day)

Breeka releases the full chorus. For 1 minute, her wasps fill a 15-foot sphere centered on her. The area is heavily obscured for others but she can see through it. Any enemy starting its turn there takes 2d6 poison damage and has its speed halved as the wasps clog their senses.

Deep-Light Beacon

Breeka can cast the Light cantrip at will, centered on her tuning fork. The light is a warm, honey-amber color and provides she and her allies within the light a +2 bonus to saving throws against being Frightened.

DM Notes

Breeka should be played with the energy of a cheerful conductor. She gestures wildly with her tuning fork as if leading an orchestra. Dialogue: 'Oh, don't mind Barnaby, dearie, he only stings if you have bad rhythm!' She will never initiate combat against a non-hostile creature and will try to 'shoo' monsters away with light before resorting to violence. If the party is gloomy, she will insist on a 'marching song.'