Monsters

Saving Throws: Wis +6, Cha +8

Skills: Intimidate +8, Stealth, +7

Damage Resistances: bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing attacks from weapons that are not made of cold iron

Condition Immunities: charmed, frightened

Senses: blindsight 60 ft, passive Perception 12

Languages: Common, Elven, Goblin, Sylvan

Challenge: 10

• Distortion Gaze. Those who meet the gaze of the Fear Smith experience the world seeming to twist at unnatural angles beneath their feet. When a creature that can see the Fear Smith’s eye starts its turn within 30 feet of the Fear Smith, the creature must make a successful DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or become disoriented. While disoriented, the creature falls prone each time it tries to move or take the Dash or Disengage action. To recover from disorientation, a creature must start its turn outside the Fear Smith’s gaze and make a successful DC 16 Wisdom saving throw. To use this ability, the Fear Smith can’t be incapacitated and must see the affected creature. A creature that isn’t surprised can avert its eyes at the start of its turn to avoid the effect. In that case, no saving throw is necessary but the creature treats the Fear Smith as invisible until the start of the creature’s next turn. If during its turn the creature chooses to look at the Fear Smith, it must immediately make the saving throw.

• Fey Step (Recharge 4-6). As a bonus action, The Fear Smith can teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space within the Temple of Fear.

• Innate Spellcasting. The Fear Smith’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16). The Fear Smith can innately cast the following spells, requiring no verbal or material components:

  • At will: detect thoughts, fear

  • 2/day each: charm person, command, confusion

• Magic Resistance. The Fear Smith has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Actions

• Multiattack. The Fear Smith makes three claw attacks.

• Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., 1 creature. Hit: 16 (2d12 + 3) slashing damage. If the target is disoriented by Distortion Gaze, this attack does an additional 13 (3d8) psychic damage and heals the Fear Smith by an equal amount.

• Heartstopping Stare. The Fear Smith terrifies a creature within 30 feet with a look. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be stunned for 1 round and take 13 (3d8) psychic damage and heal the Fear Smith by an equal amount.

Lair Actions

• Ominous fog fills the lair, causing it to be heavily obscured for all creatures except those with Blindsight. The fog dissipates when the Fear Smith uses another lair action.

• The ghost of a dead devotee to the Fear Smith attack a random player, +6 attack, 2d8+4 damage

• Fear-aligned energy pulses out of the temple stones. Everybody in the temple makes a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be stunned for 1 round.

History: The Fear Smith's original name is Myrdral, and he is Loremaster Geldar's son. The Frost Prince banished Myrdral from Taer Syraen early in the Age of Monsters. He eventually found his way to what is now the Ashen Spires, living in solitude until he encountered a clan of globins, who worshipped him as a fear aspect of the Devourer. The Fear Smith lived in the temple in the heart of their fortified city until the city was raised by the daelkyr. Those goblins who survived the daelkyr died out, leaving the Fear Smith behind. As all of his power was tied to the stones of the temple, he could not leave without stripping himself of the majority of his power. Geldar would visit from time to time until he took the mantle of Lorekeeper and was refused any further trips by the Prince of Frost. To help remove the temptation of Geldar's leaving, the Frost Prince occasionally sends mortals to the Temple of Fear to either end Myrdral or ultimately feed him for a while longer.