#lonely sorrowsworn

[cagemasterfantasy]

DND Monsters: Lonely Sorrowsworn

From: Vecna: Eve of Ruin, Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes and Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Medium Monstrosity, Typically Neutral Evil

AC 16 (natural armor)

HP 112 (15d8 + 45)

Speed 30 ft.

Str 16 +3 Dex 12 +1 Con 17 +3 Int 6 -2 Wis 11 +0 Cha 6 -2

Resistances Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing while in dim light or darkness

Senses Darkvision 60 ft.

Languages Common

CR 9

Traits

Psychic Leech. At the start of each of the sorrowsworn's turns, each creature within 5 feet of it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or take 10 (3d6) psychic damage.

Thrives on Company. The sorrowsworn has advantage on attack rolls while it is within 30 feet of at least two other creatures. It otherwise has disadvantage on attack rolls.

Actions

Multiattack. The sorrowsworn makes one Harpoon Arm attack, and it uses Sorrowful Embrace.

Harpoon Arm. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 60 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (4d8 + 3) piercing damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 15) if it is a Large or smaller creature. The sorrowsworn has two harpoon arms and can grapple up to two creatures at once.

Sorrowful Embrace. Each creature grappled by the sorrowsworn must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw, taking 18 (4d8) psychic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. In either case, the sorrowsworn pulls each of those creatures up to 30 feet straight toward it

[ttrpg-smash-pass-vs]

Yeah I edited out the severed arm on its harpoon hands. I won't do that for EVERY bit of gore (looking at you Cadaver Collector) but I will if it's simple. If not it will be properly tagged to the best of my knowledge. as always, if something makes you uncomfortable, let me know and I'll start tagging it. I promise you it's ignorance, not malice. Anyway, The Lonely Sorrowsworn! Human sized creatures from the shadowfell SO desperate for company they grew harpoon-arms to acquire it. like, "damages your brain from standing close to you" lonely. But if you get past that, it actually starts physically performing a lot better if at least two people are next to it! And it apparently becomes less deadly if you resist the feelings of loneliness emanating off it.

Ok look, the sorrowsworn were demons until 5e, which completely changed everything from looks to monster type to lore. Then replaced all that with 2 sentences. plus a few more describing all sorrowsworn as a concept, half of which was then thrown out a few years later. I don't have much to say on them personality-wise, it's summed up in the name.

[brinefathomcaves]

Aug 27: The Lonely Marshes (14, 2)

This large marshy island is eerie even by the standards of the Sunless Sea. The purple grass grows in grayish hues, light sources flicker and dim, and the shadows seem to move of their own volition, despite the stark lack of small animals. Sometimes the wind sounds like whimpering or crying or screaming. A cluster of stilt houses sit abandoned near the shore. The people who lived there mostly left in a hurry, leaving behind a few pieces of disorderly fishing equipment and a trinket or two. The ones who didn’t get out quickly enough lie moldering on their floors, dead from large puncture wounds or crushing. The only living creature left on the island is a lonely sorrowsworn who killed the other islanders with its need for companionship. It will try to do the same to any other creatures it encounters.

[thecreaturecodex]

Sorrowsworn, the Lonely

Image © Wizards of the Coast, by Cory Trego-Erdner. Accessed at his ArtStation here

[The Lonely sorrowsworn appears a lot like a hybrid of various one off weirdos from D&D editions past. @theravensdesk​ pointed out a similarity with the murdergaunt of d20 Modern, but I also see a family resemblance to the deadly dancers from Tome of Magic.]

Sorrowsworn, the Lonely CR 9 NE Aberration This humanoid creature has doughy flesh and hollow eyes which leak black tears. Its arms and legs end not in hands and feet, but in jagged spikes, but it can still move along nimbly.

The Lonely sorrowsworn represent isolation and toxic codependency. They are miserable when alone, and make others miserable with their company, their speech full of sighs and complaints. They can fire their spiked arms like harpoons, lodging into the flesh of their victims and pulling them close so they can never ever leave. Other sorrowsworn keep the Lonely around for their keen senses. Often, a single other sorrowsworn will keep close to a Lonely while the rest of the gang maintain distance—just enough to keep the Lonely saddened and sickened, and the other bolstered by its harvest of perpetual sorrow.

The Lonely          CR 9 XP 6,400 NE Medium aberration (extraplanar, sorrowsworn) Init +8; Senses darkvision 120 ft., Perception +15, see in darkness Aura psychic leech (5 feet, Will DC 21) Defense AC 23, touch 15, flat-footed 18 (+5 Dex, +1 dodge, +8 natural) hp 110 (13d8+52) Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +11 Immune hit point damage from mind-influencing abilities; Resist cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10 Defensive Abilities cushioning shadow, harvester of sorrow Weakness codependent Offense Speed 30 ft. Melee 2 harpoon arms +14 (2d8+4 plus impale) Ranged harpoon arm +14 (2d8+4 plus impale) Special Attacks grip of despair, pull (20 ft.) Statistics Str 18, Dex 18, Con 19, Int 6, Wis 13, Cha 17 Base Atk +9; CMB +13; CMD 30 Feats Ability Focus (psychic leech aura), Alertness, Defensive Combat Training, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Weapon Focus (harpoon arm) Skills Perception +15, Sense Motive +11, Stealth +16 Languages Common, Shadowtongue Environment any land (Plane of Shadow) Organization solitary or pack (2-7 mixed sorrowsworn) Treasure incidental Special Abilities Codependent (Ex) A Lonely sorrowsworn is sickened whenever it is not within 30 feet of at least 2 other creatures. Cushioning Darkness (Su) In areas of dim light or darkness, a Lonely sorrowsworn gains DR 4/- . Grip of Despair (Su) A creature that is impaled by a Lonely sorrowsworn must succeed a DC 19 Will save or be stunned for 1 round. This is a mind-influencing emotion effect, and the save DC is Charisma based. Harvester of Sorrow (Su) A Lonely sorrowsworn heals as a result of the suffering of others. It gains fast healing 13 if at least one creature within 15 feet has one or more of the following conditions: confused, cowering, dying, exhausted, fatigued, frightened, nauseated, panicked, shaken, sickened, staggered, or stunned. Harpoon Arm (Ex) A Lonely sorrowsworn’s harpoon arms are treated as primary natural weapons. Instead of making two attacks in melee with a harpoon arm, it may make a single ranged attack with a harpoon arm and a combat maneuver to pull an impaled opponent as a full attack action. Treat this as a ranged attack with a range of 60 feet and no range increment. Impale (Ex) When a Lonely sorrowsworn hits an opponent with its harpoon arm, it can make a combat maneuver check as an immediate action. If it succeeds, it impales its opponent. Neither the Lonely or its opponent are considered to be grappled, but the opponent cannot move away from the Lonely, and takes 2d8 points of piercing damage every round on the start of its turn. A Lonely can remove one of its harpoons from an impaled opponent as a move action, or move with an impaled opponent with a successful combat maneuver check, as if grappling. An impaled creature can escape with a successful combat maneuver or Escape Artist check against the Lonely’s CMD. Regardless of how the harpoon is removed, the creature impaled takes 2d8 points of bleed damage starting the turn it is removed. Psychic Leech Aura (Su) All creatures within 5 feet of a Lonely sorrowsowrn must succeed a DC 21 Will save or take 2d6 points of damage each turn. This is a mind-influencing effect, and the save DC is Charisma based.

[generalgri3vous]

lets play a game of "out of context dnd doodles" where i post something about todays session, but NONE OF YALL GET THE CONTEXT

*hint* the wizard is the one getting married.

[desertdruidcrafts]

More Shadowfell minis. I love the Sorrowsworn, they were so fun to draw.

[tickatocka]

[slow clap, chanting] SORROWSWORN, SORROWSWORN

[jimdaggerworld]

Sorrowsworn in 5e Dungeons & Dragons - Web DM

Sorrowsworn in 5e Dungeons & Dragons – Web DM

That will devour our souls eventually hungrily. Happily, for this is nothing we start as nothing and we will end as nothing, but for what will some will call a brief shining moment. There is something which is that that points out I, like you, have you okay, prove it we’re just talking about Soros Warren from Morton Condon’s.

Remember! Well, yeah. I mean we’re here at outlaw moon talking about…

[honourablejester]

Ideas for Sorcerers (D&D)

I do love a bit of innate, chaotic magic, the forces of the world writing themselves onto people. Whether said people wanted them to or not. Heh. I will admit I’m a bit more attached to the ‘touched by cosmic forces’ angle for the sorcerer, it’s really great for backstories, but the bloodlines are also fascinating for the ‘family lore’ and ‘really adventurous ancestors’ ideas. So!

I’m mostly focused on the classic sorcerers and then the horror-adjacent sorcerers, because I’m me, and we know what I like. Apologies to fans of the Divine, Storm or new Clockwork sorcerers!

Draconic

Because dragons (and dragon ancestors) are the best. There’s a lot of fun and aesthetic with choosing your dragon ancestor too. The little scales you get with draconic resilience just make for some really cool-looking characters.

I love the idea of mixing ancestries with a draconic sorcerer. Compare and contrast. For example, a tiefling draconic sorcerer with gold dragon ancestry! Combining a ‘tainted’ bloodline with a respected one. Maybe the clan lean heavily into the lawful reputation of gold dragons, as well as a sort of internalised racism against their own darker ancestry as well. They view the fact that they were once favoured by a divine dragon as proof that their bloodline can redeem themselves of their demonic pact/ancestry, and they lean towards lawful occupations, city watch, soldiers, clergy, etc. So your sorcerer has a bit of internal conflict going on. (Also, a red tiefling with gold scales is an awesome look – tiefling skin colours with dragon scale colours is a really fun combination)

Other cool-sounding ancestry combinations: high elf & white/silver ancestry, for that ethereal immortal feeling (also fun to add stereotypical dragon traits with the white dragons, in that you’re an ethereal immortal who really holds a grudge and does not do ‘forgive and forget’), half-elf & green ancestry, for a strongly outcast, political bent, halfling/gnome & copper ancestry, because if you’re going to go for a tiny trickster you might as well go all out …

Or we have my old favourite, a tortle sorcerer with (somehow) a dragon turtle ancestor, because great-grandpa Uhok never met an older and (significantly) larger lady he didn’t want to pursue, and great-grandma Korthalok was honestly rather flattered. (Yes, I am aware that dragon turtles are not high dragons, but they are intelligent, and they’re probably innately magical/elemental enough to put a bit of magic in the bloodline)

Shadow Magic

The sorcerer’s gothic option! I do love it. Your magic comes from a strange, grim shadow realm, either because you were touched by said realm, or one of your ancestors was an entity from said realm. You get a demonic shadow hound, teleportation from shadow to shadow, and later an actual shadow form. Lots to work with there.

I feel like there’s a lot of Lovecraftian, Dreamlands, William Hope Hodgson sort of feeling here. The dark touch of a strange realm. Emphasis on isolation, desolation, alienation. Loneliness. This is also the subclass where I really, really like a later-life coming into your powers, a traumatic event causing a normal person to suddenly develop horrifying magic.

So. Any of your gothic/cosmic horror backstories. You were kidnapped and subjected to a horrific ritual. You were created in a horrific ritual (hi Warforged!). You suffered a severe, inexplicable illness as a child, and remained pale, half-dead, and possessed of strange powers for the rest of your life (I love the shadow sorcerer quirks list). An insane ancestor entered the Negative Plane and your line was almost annihilated by the resulting Nightwalker, but you somehow survived. Your parent was an extremely powerful magic user studying the Shadowfell, and you only realised much later on in your life that your childhood ‘imaginary friends’ were actually Sorrowsworn (Lost and Lonely?) that haunted your ancestral home and that your parent was somehow keeping from killing you. You tried to steal from a powerful, vindictive wizard, who flung you into the Shadowfell for your temerity, and you don’t fully remember how you survived. You slept in a barrow as a dare when you were younger, and an allip whispered secrets to you that lead you to dream of a dark realm, dreams that seemed to gradually change you as you ‘recovered’ …

This entire subclass is just very much ‘go nuts on the horror tropes and have fun’. I love it dearly.

Aberrant Mind

A new one from Tasha’s, but the other Lovecraftian/horror themed sorcerer subclass now. Which is perfectly fine, because I can always roll with more Lovecraftian horror! If shadow magic was themed strongly towards undead, Aberrant Mind seems strongly themed towards aberrations. Body horror and psychic powers! Boo yeah!

I do like the suggested origins. Particularly the parasitic twin and the imaginary friend ones. I think there’s a lot of fun to be had with those. Aberrant mind does feel more … on the science fiction end of horror, more than the fantasy? There’s a different flavour compared to shadow magic. We’re talking alien abduction and Carrie-esque childhood trauma here. Particularly when you get to the higher level actual physical transformation elements. Bit of Akira in there, bit of Innsmouth. So.

I’m liking characters who are a bit ‘aberrant’ on their own merits, even before their powers kick in as well. The outcasts from the get-go. The albino half-orc abandoned by the tribe as a child and befriended/kept safe by their possibly-imaginary flumph friend. The fallen aasimar whose blessings allowed them to survive where their stillborn twin did not, but who still feels the touch of a ghostly hand in theirs (I’m not sure how well it fully gels, but I feel like an Atropal is a very interesting concept to lay alongside this – stillborn gods and blessed, aberrant champions – celestial guides and the whisperings of parasitic twins … not sure how well it fits, but there’s a lot of crunchy concepts there)

Also, there’s your chance to have some fun with the Underdark races. Duergar, Deep Gnomes and Drow. Or sea races, when we have fun with Aboleths. Or non-sea races who still had a bit of fun with Aboleths, if we want to fully embrace the Innsmouth vibes and have normal land-based elves/humans/halflings who come over all Deep-One in the end. You come from a quaint little village on the coast, where the coming-of-age ceremony involved something of an opening of the mind. Nothing to worry about, everyone does it where you come from. Yes indeed! Heh.

And then, to bring us back to the less-horrifying end of sorcerers, and to revisit my childhood in a big way, we have:

Wild Magic

Schmendrick the Magician! Sorry, I grew up on The Last Unicorn, you’ll have to forgive me this. (Is Schmendrick actually part of the inspiration here, I’m wondering?)

But honestly, wild magic really lends itself to down-on-their-luck characters, running ahead of their own chaos, or striving to learn to control their powers. Or, on the flipside, incredibly laissez-faire types who decided to just roll with and eventually enjoy or perpetuate a little chaos. So. Tricksters, shysters and earnest young things trying to do their best.

So. You could do a straight Schmendrick. A down-on-their-luck kid who really, really wants to be a real wizard, a great magician, but their magic just will not cooperate. It has a mind of its own, and their struggle is learning to either minimise or lean into the chaos and power of it. (I like a background as a tailor/seamstress for this, partly because of animated Schmendrick’s memorable patchwork robes, but also as a little practical detail in that, if you can’t trust your magical mending not to do a ‘Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ on it every damn time, you probably would learn to darn your socks the old fashioned way)

For a variation, you could do a bit of a snake-oil salesperson sort of deal. A down-on-their-luck sorcerer turned shyster/criminal to make ends meet. Wild magic works very well as a sort of bloodline curse, bad luck and chaos following a family. A woman of the Witchbottle clan pissed off an archfey way back when, and so every girl born to the line since has struggled with wild magic. So the clan tends to move around a lot, both individually and as a whole, and individual members of it tend to work around their inevitable getting run out of town for magical mishaps in their own ways. The clan has a lot of travelling entertainers, salespeople, criminals, etc, and tend to be very loyal to each other, even if they don’t see each other all that often (concentrations of wild magic in a single area tend to be bad for said area, so family gatherings are discouraged near civilisation).

And then there are your straight trickster characters. Ones with a more philosophical approach to chaos, a belief that you should be able to deal with the unexpected, and that maybe other people should be helped along in experiencing and dealing with it too. I like bards for tricksters, but wild magic sorcerers work very well too. Heh.

I know Wild Magic might not be the most functional of the subclasses, but it’s got a direct line to my childhood, and I feel like it’s still a really fun idea.

In summary? I like the squishy spindly magic people. They’re fun.

[eponymous-rose]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E71 (SDCC Edition!)

Tonight’s guests? EVERYONE. This is a recording of the SDCC panel from this past weekend!

There’s a table read of the first three pages of Vox Machina: Origins Volume 2, to be released August 14!

Ashley gets asked about the fate of an NPC from the first campaign. Ashley: “Uh. They all died.” Matt: “That’s your fault now.”

Lessons learned through the journey of CR? Liam: “It’s all about the people you travel with.” Matt: “If you can stick to making friendship a priority in your life, good things will come.” Their friendship has been the most important thing to maintain and check in with. Sam highlights how amazing it’s been to watch the community grow year after year.

Favorite RP moment that didn’t involve their own characters? Sam: “Well, that takes me out.” Travis: “I was such a fan of Vex popping out of the water in the bathtub.” Sam: “Anything Matt Mercer does is a pretty fantastic roleplaying moment.” Liam: “I think a certain pirate woman reaching the end of her line.” Laura: “I think Scanlan’s whole... (gestures) as much as I hated it personally.” Marisha: “There were some Percy-Vax standoffs that were pretty great.” Matt: “Percival and Grog having the fight underneath the Keep shortly after the Chroma fall.” Liam: “I really liked Percy and Vex in Syngorn.” Taliesin to Marisha: “I liked you at the Pirate King, busting out all that Cobalt Soul stuff. I wasn’t prepared.” Marisha: “Neither was I!”

Matt talks about how adapting the show to the animated series involves some creative truncation, but also involves holding his ground about what’s too important to change even if it doesn’t tie a perfect narrative bow. “This isn’t mainstream media, this is Critical Role! Some things should be messy. Some things are their own threads.” He’s enjoyed watching new people come up with new takes, and he’s excited to cast some of the NPCs.

The idea is floated of a full-day Sam Riegel DnD Beyond telethon. Sam: “Marisha, can we--” Marisha, glaring: “Uh-huh.”

What has Marisha taken away from Keyleth’s and Beau’s different experiences with leadership, in her leadership role IRL in the company? "I feel like Beau helps me be more assertive in my opinions.” Travis: “We don’t argue with Marisha very much, because she punches people in the face more now.”

Liam’s spell choices are a balancing act between trying to accomplish his own goals and trying to optimize the group’s performance. He’s taken Seeming for the party, but the opportunity to use it hasn’t arisen yet.

Taliesin gets asked “Is there X number of character deaths that would keep you from playing in this campaign?” Taliesin: “There’s really only one way to find out.” Matt: “Is it double digits?” Taliesin: “I at least have two more undeveloped ideas that hopefully will be used in the next campaign.” Liam: “Let’s get to that fourth character!” Taliesin: “I hate you all.”

Missed opportunities and plot threads? Matt can’t go much into it, because for both campaigns 1 and 2, there’s a chance they’ll wind up going back there. There’s a facet of campaign one’s story they got to continue with a one-shot that will be airing soon. He’d hoped there would be more delving into Thordak’s history, and there is another Horn of Orcus out there. Also the Clasp’s relationship with Emon. Ashley is still haunted by “that gosh-dang box”. Matt: “I answered that already.” Ashley: “I DON’T BELIEVE YOU. I DON’T BELIEVE YOUR ANSWER.”

Was Nott seriously considering leaving with her family? Sam, as Laura slowly reaches for his throat: “Yes, absolutely.” He’d been going back and forth with that for a while now. “Nott loves traveling with this gang, but she really wants to be home.” He called Matt about it to warn him that Nott might not be in the campaign anymore. “But I think what happened on Thursday was right for the moment, and we’ll see how it plays out.”

Matt gets asked about how to avoid min-maxing as an experienced DM when he gets the chance to play in someone else’s game. Matt notes that there’s nothing wrong with min-maxing if everyone’s on board with it, but that, the more that you play, the more you might enjoy trying something off-the-wall. There’s also the importance of respect when playing at the tables of less-experienced DMs, where you remind yourself that it is their table. Taliesin: “Part of the fun of the meta-game of D&D is that it’s changing all the time.” He points out that the Magnificent Mansion used to be considered a dump spell until Sam really showed what it could do. Taliesin highlights the challenge of experimenting in these less explored areas.

Sam gave Nott a kid in her backstory because he loves his own kids so much and wanted some of that feeling in the game.

Matt’s favorite Sorrowsworn? The Lonely, which is why he wanted to use them in the game the first chance he got.

Taliesin and Matt are asked if they might release Molly’s whole backstory at the end of the campaign. Matt: “When this campaign’s over, we’ll definitely do that.”

Caduceus is hoping some of his family’s at the Kiln, and potentially some of the other families. “He’s built of expectations. We’ll see how it plays out if those expectations aren’t met.”

“I feel that Yasha is obviously in the best hands with Matt. I, personally, I love the storyline. It’s so much to play with, and it goes with a lot of the backstory that I wrote, and a lot of what Matt prepared, and stuff that I don’t even know, and stuff I do know. I love it! I feel really good about it, but I can’t wait to come home and see what’s going to happen if Yasha comes back.” Matt: “Depending on when you come back, there’s a good chance you’ll have to make a new character.” (The general tone here is that it would be an in-the-meantime thing.)

Matt gets asked how he makes sure everyone in the party gets their time in the spotlight. “It doesn’t always work out, but trying to consider what aspects of the story can play to their individual strengths. You can offer opportunities for each of them to shine, hopefully.” He also highlights that a lot of it is the players respecting each other at the table and being comfortable with the expectation of equal time to shine. “Communication is the key to a good, healthy game group.” Laura also highlights that you as a player can engage other players’ characters if you notice they’re fading into the background a bit.

There’s a brief foray into Evanescence. As you do.

What advice would Matt give himself if he could go back to the first campaign? “Don’t stress so much about what people on the internet think about you. Guard this wonderful little lightning-in-a-bottle family and you’ll be fine.”

If Beau were a druid, what would her go-to wildshape be? Marisha: “I shouldn’t curse. A DAMN OWL. Take that, Thaddeus.”

Marisha: “I feel like the Mighty Nein has turned into fighting for the everyman.” Laura: “I feel like Vox Machina, though, we felt we knew who the good guys were. As the Mighty Nein, I feel like everything’s so gray, and it’s harder to make that choice, and therefore what steps up is everything around us and needing to protect the people who are victims of the bigger picture.”

Matt gets asked how to manage his DM-life balance in terms of parceling out prep time. “It can vary. Whenever I’m driving somewhere, if I have more than 20 minutes of a drive, that’s usually my brainstorming period.” He also tries to keep weekends free with no prep and instead reserves a couple evenings a week to prep, although it sometimes bleeds through to early Thursday morning. “I prepare more than I used to,” largely because of the Internet’s watchful eye in terms of continuity.

[occidentalavian]

Oh shit is it another sorrowsworn? A Lonely?

[nebulaahh]

Someone in discord pointed out that Caduceus was looking real sad, and then this creature (a sorrowsworn, either the lost or the lonely) popped up and

Anyways this could be bad. The abilities are pretty scary. This is a Bad Place

[ttrpg-smash-pass-vs]

On the left, the Spirit Troll! 9 ft (2.7 m) regenerating giants. No predators or society, they just wander around eating and doing whatever they please. Their regeneration is responsive to everything from thier diet to the source of the wounds. One ripped apart with psychic power might have thier body regenerate as an incorporeal being! Note, this is NOT undead, they are still alive. They're just also incorporeal, existing as pure regenerating energy. They often don't even notice what's happened.

On the right, The Lonely Sorrowsworn! Human sized creatures from the shadowfell SO desperate for company they grew harpoon-arms to acquire it. like, "damages your brain from standing close to you" lonely. But if you get past that, it actually starts physically performing a lot better if at least two people are next to it! And it apparently becomes less deadly if you resist the feelings of loneliness emanating off it. So have a threesome and you're fine :D

[kitasuproductions]

Day 9 - The Lonely

Oh Lonely, oh Lonely why are you so sad. If it wasn’t obvious the Lonely is a very tragic creature. As one of the Sorrowsworn, the lonely is made when an unlucky creature is left in isolation within the Shadowfell. Forever yearning for the need for companionship these creatures tend to take it a little too far as their most common reaction when finding another creature in its sights usually involves impaling them with their harpoon arm and dragging their traumatized victim towards them.

[thecreaturecodex]

Sorrowsworn, the Lost

Image by Cory Trego-Erdner, © Wizards of the Coast. Accessed at the artist’s ArtStation gallery here

[I feel like there’s more thematic overlap between the Lonely and the Lost than there is between the other sorrowsworn. It’s worth noting that this is the sorrowsworn that has the most artistic representation online, in the form of fanart for Critical Role. It’s still somewhat remarkable to me how much of D&D’s public face comes from Critical Role.]

Sorrowsworn, the Lost CR 7 NE Aberration This creature appears like a gaunt humanoid, its face twisted into a wide eyed expression of shock and worry. Its torso is lumpy and asymmetrical, and it has five arms, each ending in a long blade.

The Lost sorrowsworn are anxiety embodied. They jump at shadows, overreact to loud noises, and respond to any stimulus from a stranger with lethal violence. Their mantis like claws grasp and clutch at enemies, and anyone held in their embrace has the Lost’s mental state of perpetual fear imposed on it. Worse yet, if the Lost is injured while it holds its prey, the damage is transmitted psychically to the grappled creature as well. In mixed groups, Lost sorrowsworn are near the bottom of the pecking order, easily bullied by their peers. Lost and Lonely sorrowsworn feed off of each other’s negative emotional states, driving each other to frenzies of panic and despair.

The Lost               CR 7 XP 3,200 NE Medium aberration (extraplanar. sorrowsworn) Init +2; Senses darkvision 120 ft., Perception +9, see in darkness Defense AC 20, touch 13, flat-footed 17 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +7 natural) hp 78 (12d8+24) Fort +6, Ref +8, Will +8 Immune hit point damage from mind-influencing abilities; Resist cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10 Defensive Abilities cushioning shadow, harvester of sorrow Weakness lingering dread Offense Speed 30 ft. Melee 5 claws +12 (1d6+3 plus grab) Special Attacks clutching fear, psychic embrace Statistics Str 17, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 12 Base Atk +9; CMB +12 (+16 grapple); CMD 26 Feats Defensive Combat Training, Dodge, Improved Critical (claw), Lightning Reflexes, Lunge, Power Attack Skills Climb +12, Perception +9, Stealth +11, Swim +12 Languages Common, Shadowtongue Ecology Environment any land or underground (Plane of Shadow) Organization solitary or gang (2-7 mixed sorrowsworn) Treasure incidental Special Abilities Clutching Fear (Su) A creature grappled by a Lost sorrowsworn must succeed a DC 17 Will save or be frightened for as long as it is grappled and for 1d4 rounds thereafter. A creature that passes its save is immune to the clutching fear of that Lost for the next 24 hours. This is a mind influencing fear effect, and the save DC is Charisma based. Cushioning Darkness (Su) In areas of dim light or darkness, a Lost sorrowsworn gains DR 3/- . Harvester of Sorrow (Su) A Lost sorrowsworn heals as a result of the suffering of others. It gains fast healing 12 if at least one creature within 15 feet has one or more of the following conditions: confused, cowering, dying, exhausted, fatigued, frightened, nauseated, panicked, shaken, sickened, staggered, or stunned. Lingering Dread (Ex) Any fear effect that a Lost sorrowsworn suffers from has double its normal duration. Psychic Embrace (Su) Whenever a Lost sorrowsworn takes damage while grappling an opponent, the opponent must succeed a DC 17 Will save or take the same amount of damage. This is a mind influencing effect, and the save DC is Charisma based.

[crystal-jack-asripines]

Now that I’ve seen descriptions on the Sorrowsworn monsters, I’m so much more terrified for the M9. Idk how the monsters work, but what if the feelings the party gives off conjure more of them?

Correct me if I’m wrong, but The Lost focused their attacks on the party members that notably have doubted their actions and the path they’re walking. Caleb obviously regrets his past actions and was willing to leave the party at the drop of a hat, and currently is worried about the handling of the Empire/Dynasty war and worries for Luc Brenatto and Marion. Fjord lost his mentor and father-figure, and recently had his powers taken from him by the diety he’s been following for so long because Fjord put his quest to free Uk’otoa on hold. Even ignoring these attacks and their implications, Matt himself said that these entities seemed to have appeared/woken up due to the M9’s presence.

That worries me because what if their emotions determine which monster they interact? After Jester’s chat with her mom she’s definitely worried for her safety, sad to have scared her, and maybe even lonely because she can’t be there with her mom. What if those feelings and her past isolation conjure The Lonely? Matt also mentioned multiple times how expensive it is to feed the Moorbounders and that in order to feed the entire party through Caduceus’ spell, only 1.5/3 get to have a proper meal. Can the Moorbounders conjure The Hungry?

I worry for the M9 and their future interactions in this hell forest.... but I’m also kinda excited to see if this happens. To see if Matt incorporates these enemies’ origins into the story and ties it into the emotional wellbeing’s of the PC’s. And mostly excited to see if they figure out that their own feelings conjure these beasts, which could HOPEFULLY lead to talking about their feelings with the group to find closure and peace.