TEXT: Intriguing Organizations: The Graven Sculptors | EN World EN5idEr
   
  WRITING Andrew Engelbrite
   
  COLOR ART Rachel Maduro
   
  EDITING Mike Myler
   
  LAYOUT Frank Michienzi
  The Graven
  Sculptors
  A 
  hooded traveler 
  arrives with an enticing offer 
  and a cart laden with clay. Though 
  his words are simple and brief his 
  promises speak volumes: for a mere 
  drop of blood and a few meager coins 
  he claims that his magical servants 
  will do the labors of many. One man 
  bravely steps forward and slams 
  down his gold, fully confident he’s 
  about to unmask a charlatan. With 
  a sickening quickness the traveler’s
  
  Intriguing Organizations: The Graven Sculptors | EN World EN5idEr
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  needle finds purchase and extracts its price. The 
  hooded man retreats into his cart and the towns-
  folk watch with great interest as flashes of arcane 
  light escape alongside the odor of baked clay. What 
  emerges is a winged creature, small in stature but 
  with knowing, intelligent eyes. It bows before that 
  first courageous fellow, standing at attention as a 
  perfect little servant. It doesn’t take long for the 
  traveler to unburden his cart of clay and leave the 
  settlement aflutter with the sound of tiny wings—
  marvelous things these little servants are but only 
  the gods know why the mysterious man was so 
  eager to part with them.
  History
  Famed alchemist Marius Villman was baffled when 
  he discovered that his mild-mannered employee 
  Endring Ni was a doppelganger. Marius enslaved 
  the ‘monster’ and for several years conducted 
  numerous painful experiments upon Endring, 
  assisted by his bemused homunculus Gniffel. 
  Eventually the shapeshifter finds an opportunity 
  while the aging alchemist is distracted, killing him 
  and taking his place to pose as Marius Villman for 
  decades to come. 
  To keep up appearances they continued Villman’s 
  alchemical research and when they attempted 
  to recreate a replacement for Villman’s homun-
  culus they made a discovery. As a doppelganger 
  Endring’s oddly mutable soul allowed them to 
  sculpt as many homunculi into whatever shape or 
  size they desired, using another’s blood but linking 
  its senses to their own. Endring found that these 
  ‘masterpiece homunculi’ acted as the perfect spies, 
  servants who would dutifully do as commanded 
  by their master and mentally transmit their secrets 
  directly to him.
  Endring amassed a horde of wealth and knowl-
  edge by stealing countless alchemical secrets from 
  Villman’s colleagues through his homunculi spies 
  before the wary eye of suspicion turned their way. 
  The impersonating alchemist went silent, regarded 
  as a hermit and reclusive genius by peers as Endring 
  began seeking out other shapeshifters to extend his 
  reach. The Graven Sculptors began as ‘Villman’ 
  discovered more of their kind and tutored new 
  recruits in their honed techniques. Their students 
  now proliferate outward, creating thousands of 
  hard-working and diligent spies, every sight and 
  sound telepathically reported back to be collected 
  by the Graven Sculptors.
  Activities
  The Graven Sculptor arrives riding a cart pulled 
  by lumbering gray homunculi and offers an odd 
  service: in exchange for only a few paltry coins and 
  a drop of blood they’ll sculpt anyone a homunculus 
  all their own. They usually charge whatever price 
  seems low enough to risk—but not so cheap as to 
  arouse suspicion. The organization rarely stays 
  long, leaving newly-fashioned homunculi servants 
  behind them. Once safely outside of a settlement 
  they stash their cart, adopting a new face and 
  quietly traveling back to begin absorbing all the 
  citizenry’s most valuable secrets.
  For small towns the Graven Sculptors usually 
  exploit the most tantalizing secrets and move on 
  but in some larger cities the temptation to stay is 
  too great, and many graven sculptors blackmail or 
  steal themselves into positions of office and wealth. 
  Thief kings, information brokers, and politicians 
  are counted among the organizations’ numbers, all 
  of them still savoring the tantalizing secrets of their 
  innumerable winged spies.
  
  Intriguing Organizations: The Graven Sculptors | EN World EN5idEr
  Motivations
  Endring’s stolen research and later discoveries 
  provide doppelgangers with unparalleled nefarious 
  opportunities and it is rare for anyone to turn down 
  their training. Either by scamming, blackmailing, or 
  otherwise utilizing their stolen information, towns 
  visited by a graven sculptor are often quite poorer 
  not long after. Each graven sculptor may have their 
  own particularities when it comes to taste, but riches 
  and power ultimately drive them all.
  However, their desire for wealth and luxury 
  comes second to their fear of discovery. Each 
  graven sculptor mercilessly eliminates anyone 
  that discovers or even suspects their true nature 
  as the indiscretion of even one of their kind can 
  threaten them all—and Endring means to keep 
  what they’ve built. Every member has been told 
  exactly what Endring will do if they’re discovered, 
  and they know Villman’s old torture machines are 
  still running perfectly.
  Endring’s motivations are his own, shrouded in 
  endless layers of lies and misdirection, but when 
  the deceptions are peeled back they want to matter, 
  to feel themselves at the vital core of events they are 
  able to influence or control. They have worn many 
  faces of power and prestige yet their own face has 
  only adorned that of a slave and specimen. Endring 
  has toiled for countless hours, experimenting and 
  studying their vast collection of stolen secrets 
  and it’s only a matter of time before their coveted 
  breakthrough is made. None of the doppelgang-
  er’s operatives know what their master is really 
  working on, but it’s been hinted that it is something 
  that will change the nature of all their species for 
  the rest of time.   
  Modus Operandi
  A graven sculptor selects a town—usually one 
  without too much of an arcane intellectual presence 
  or any strict regulators that may start asking too 
  many questions—then purchases a cart’s worth of 
  cheap clay from somewhere nearby, riding in anony-
  mously to make their miraculous offer. Typically they 
  charge 15 gp which is enough to cover their material 
  components. They often charge more if the chosen 
  town is opulent or less if the price is too prohibitive, 
  but in the end they’re not really trying to make a 
  profit on the actual creation of the homunculi.
  If threatened or suspected a graven sculptor 
  attempts to melt into a crowd by quickly adopting 
  a new face and then rapidly extracting them-
  selves from any risky locations. Inherently these 
  shapechangers are cowardly, cutting and running 
  rather than facing confrontation (after all there are 
  plenty of other towns). 
  Each graven sculptor operates independently 
  from one another but regularly reports back to 
  Endring with the information they obtain through 
  their homunculi although most of them utilize 
  their stolen information towards their own ends. 
  Each has their favorite secrets to abuse (such as 
  blackmailing unfaithful lovers or stealing hidden 
  treasures) but ultimately the graven sculptors are 
  opportunists abusing whatever way seems the 
  most profitable.
  For their part the homunculi function for their 
  false masters exactly the way they are expected 
  to—with silent and diligent obedience. Each 
  homunculus is intelligent but their personality and 
  attitudes are a blank slate often filled in by their 
  false master. Many homunculi begin to seem like 
  extensions of their masters after a time, extensions 
  of themselves that are simply useful tools that are 
  available in even the most delicate of situations.
  LESSER AGENTS
  Graven sculptors in training (doppelgangers) making 
  simpler homunculi may be more appropriate for 
  introducing this Intriguing Organization to lower 
  level parties.
  
  Intriguing Organizations: The Graven Sculptors | EN World EN5idEr
  GRAVEN SCULPTOR
  MEDIUM MONSTROSITY (SHAPECHANGER), 
  CHAOTIC NEUTRAL
  Armor Class 15 (leather armor)
  Hit Points 58 (9d8+18)
  Speed 30 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   11 (+0) 
  18 (+4) 
  15 (+2) 
  12 (+1) 
  12 (+1) 
  15 (+2)
  Skills Arcana +3, Deception +6, Insight +3,  
  Intimidation +6, Medicine +3, Persuasion +6,  
  Sleight of Hand +6, Stealth +6
  Condition Immunities charmed
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
  Languages Common, Thieves’ Cant
  Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
  Ambusher. The graven sculptor has advantage on 
  attack rolls against any creature it has surprised.
  Multifarious Telepathic Bond. The graven sculptor’s 
  doppelganger nature allows it to act as the master for 
  an unlimited number of masterpiece homunculi. It can 
  use an action to focus and absorb the information from 
  a masterpiece homunculus but only one at a time.
  Sculpt Homunculus. The graven sculptor can perform 
  an arcane procedure that sculpts a masterpiece 
  homunculus. This sculpting requires a drop of the 
  graven sculptor’s blood, a drop of the false master’s 
  blood, and 15 gp worth of ashes, mandrake root, and 
  purified clay. The sculpting process takes 10 minutes 
  of uninterrupted work and results in a masterpiece 
  homunculus with a masterwork trait of the sculptor’s 
  choice. No more than 1 masterpiece homunculus can 
  be created for each false master.     
  Shapechanger. The graven sculptor can use its action 
  to polymorph into a Small or Medium humanoid it has 
  seen, or back into its true form. Its statistics, other 
  than its size, are the same in each form. Any equipment 
  it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. It reverts to 
  its true form if it dies.
  Surprise Attack. If the doppelganger surprises a crea-
  ture and hits it with an attack during the first round 
  of combat, the target takes an extra 10 (3d6) damage 
  from the attack.
  ACTIONS
  Multiattack. The graven sculptor makes two melee 
  attacks.
  Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 7 (1d6+4) bludgeoning damage.
  Read Thoughts. The graven sculptor magically reads 
  the surface thoughts of one creature within 60 feet of 
  it. The effect can penetrate barriers, but 3 feet of wood 
  or dirt, 2 feet of stone, 2 inches of metal, or a thin sheet 
  of lead blocks it. While the target is in range, the graven 
  sculptor can continue reading its thoughts, as long as 
  the graven sculptor’s concentration isn’t broken (as if 
  concentrating on a spell). While reading the target’s 
  mind, the graven sculptor has advantage on Wisdom 
  (Insight) and Charisma (Deception, Intimidation, and 
  Persuasion) checks against the target.
  MASTERPIECE HOMUNCULUS
  TINY CONSTRUCT, NEUTRAL
  Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 21 (6d4+6)
  Speed 20 ft., fly 40 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   6 (-2) 
  15 (+2) 
  13 (+1) 
  10 (+0) 
  10 (+0) 
  7 (-2)
  Damage Immunities poison
  Condition Immunities charmed, poisoned
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
  Languages understands the languages of its creator 
  and its false master but can’t speak.
  Challenge 1 (200 XP)
  False Master. The homunculus serves its creator but is 
  also linked to another creature whose blood was added 
  in its creation called a false master. The homunculus 
  will obey the orders of its creator over those of its false 
  master and will ignore any orders its false master gives 
  if they contradict orders given by its creator.
  Masterwork Trait. The graven sculptors have mastered 
  the art of homunculus crafting and know the tricks and 
  intricacies needed to create a wide variety of homun-
  culi. Masterpiece Homunculi have one of the following 
  traits, chosen by their creator during their sculpting.
  Bright & Studious. The homunculus possesses an 
  intellect that can rival its master’s. The homunculus’ 
  Intelligence changes to 12 and it gains advantage 
  on any Intelligence checks made to read or research 
  information.
  Bulky & Broad. The homunculus has a build akin to 
  a pack animal, larger and heftier than their kin. The 
  
  Intriguing Organizations: The Graven Sculptors | EN World EN5idEr
  homunculus’ Strength changes to 10, and it counts as 
  one size larger when determining its carrying capacity 
  and the weight it can push, drag, or lift.
  Elegant & Filigreed. The homunculus is an eloquent 
  speaker and a gorgeous work of art. The homunculus’ 
  Charisma changes to 12 and it can speak one language 
  that the creator or false master knows (chosen by its 
  creator).   
  Fanged & Toxic. The homunculus’ jaws are filled with 
  grizzly fangs and its inherent poisons are far more 
  potent. The damage inflicted by the homunculus’ bite 
  increases to 3d4 piercing damage and the DC of the 
  bite’s Constitution saving throw is increased to 12.
  Gilled & Finned. The homunculus has long tapering fins 
  and gill slits around its neck. The homunculus gains a 
  swim speed of 30 feet and can breathe underwater.
  Lithe & Sly. The homunculus is thin and lanky, moving 
  quickly and quietly. It gains a +3 bonus on Stealth 
  (Dexterity) and Sleight of Hand (Dexterity) checks. In 
  addition, when it is subjected to an effect that allows 
  it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half 
  damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on 
  the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails.
  Telepathic Bond. While the homunculus is on the same 
  plane of existence as its creator or its false master, it 
  can magically convey what it senses to either master, 
  and the two can communicate telepathically.
  ACTIONS
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one crea-
  ture. Hit: (1d4) piercing damage. The target must succeed 
  on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 
  1 minute. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the target 
  is instead poisoned for 5 (1d10) minutes and unconscious 
  while poisoned in this way. e
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/EN World EN5ider/EN5ider 291 - IO The Graven Sculptors.pdf