Caislen Campaign Notes

StingBjorn are broad, muscular humanoids who stand between six and seven feet tall. Their skin ranges from dull olive to ashen gray, and most still bear the heavy jaws and lower tusks of their orcish ancestry, though the tusks are often worn short from use. What sets them apart is the thick, segmented tail that rises from the base of the spine and curves forward over one shoulder, ending in a glossy black stinger. A single, forward-curving horn of dark bone protrudes from the center of the forehead. This horn holds an acid substance and is a projectile weapon. The StingBjorn call this horn a AcidSpire.

At the base of every AcidSpire grows a rough, yellowish gem. The gem is not worn or set. It forms naturally as the StingBjorn reaches adulthood. Tribal shamans claim the AcidSpire “drinks” the rage of battle; warriors who survive many fights often have larger, darker gems. When a StingBjorn dies, the gem can be pried free. A AcidSpire gem is worth 5–25 gp to jewelers or alchemists. Size of gem is determined by maturity of the StingBjorn it was taken off of.

StingBjorn, is simply pronounced as “Sting born”, because the “j” is silent. Medium humanoid, typically chaotic evil but varies.

• Armor Class 13 (hide armor)
• Hit Points 15-30
• Speed 30 ft.

• STR 16 (+3)
• DEX 12 (+1)
• CON 16 (+3)
• INT 7 (-2)
• WIS 11 ( 0)
• CHA 10 ( 0)

• Skills
  • Intimidation +2
  • And any one other random skill per individual.

• Darkvision: 60 ft.
• Passive Perception: 10
• Languages Common, Orc
• CR (Simply suitable as a low level enemy to be used in small groups as determined by the DM.)

• Aggressive Charge: As a bonus action, the StingBjorn can dash toward an opponent (but not away from) without any penalties to normal combat.

• StingBjorn Tail. The StingBjorn has a segmented, wasp-like tail ending in a rigid stinger. It can use this tail to make a melee attack.

• Actions
  • Melee Weapon Attack (whatever they're using): +5 to hit, +3 damage.
  • Range Weapon Attack (whatever they're using): +3 to hit, +1 damage.

• Stinger. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) poison damage. Once a poison attack has successfully happened once, the StingBjorn must take a long rest before the poison recharges. Anyone hit with the poison must make a CON save DC 13. Failing it renders them incapable of having advantage on any attacks or advantage on any kinds of rolls, as well as reducing their movement rate by 10. This effect lasts for 12 hours.

• Acid Horn (Recharge 5–6). Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target or up to a 10 foot diameter shower. Hit: 7 (2d6) acid damage. It is a favorite tactic of StingBjorn to use Acid Horn against ranged opponents who are trying to hide behind their melee counterparts or those who foolishly cluster together.

Centuries ago, ambitious wizards sought to forge the perfect living weapon. They captured orc warriors and subjected them to magical experiments that fused their blood with the essence of giant wasps and corrosive elemental residue. The goal was an obedient soldier that could close distance quickly, inject poison, and deal damage with acid.

The experiments succeeded far too well and then collapsed. The subjects survived, but the magic warped them permanently. Segmented stinger-tails erupted from their spines, acid glands formed in a single horn later named the AcidSpire, that comes out of the forehead. At the base of every acidspire a yellowish gem. The wizards' plan for these was to stabilize their creations. The newly made creatures instead believed the stones drank their rage and also rightly believed that they kept the unstable magic from tearing them apart.

The experiment’s subjects broke free. Those who escaped bred true. Their children were born with the same features. Today the StingBjorn exist as scattered warbands and clans. They remember the wizards only as hated “shapers” and view their mutations as both a curse and the source of their strength. Most still speak a harsh dialect of Orc mixed with Common, and many tribes ritually scar or paint their AcidSpires to mark kills, rank, or lineage. Removing an acidspire gem from a dead StingBjorn is considered an unforgivable desecration and subject to enraging any who see the act of removing it or a loose acidspire gem later independently.