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Aitvaras: The Shadowflame Trickster

Aitvaras
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The Aitvaras is a tiny, malevolent creature with a striking and bizarre appearance, blending features of a cat, rooster, and small dragon. Its sleek black fur covers a body adorned with black feathers and shimmering black scales, giving it a shadowy, almost spectral presence. A rooster’s bright crest sits atop its head, while its green eyes gleam with mischievous intelligence. Its ears and tail resemble those of a cat, long and twitching, and its feathered wings, although small, enable it to glide with surprising agility.

Behaviorally, the Aitvaras is cunning and opportunistic, displaying a trickster’s personality. It often seeks out human companions, forming a bond with a master to whom it becomes fiercely loyal. However, this loyalty comes with a price: the Aitvaras has an insatiable desire to steal. It pilfers whatever it can, bringing the stolen items back to its master in exchange for food and shelter. Although it can be commanded to kill, the Aitvaras is a weak combatant and prefers to outwit or escape from danger rather than face it head-on. It can teleport short distances, using this ability to evade threats or quickly escape with its loot.

Its found in a wide range of environments, from dark forests to hidden caves, where it can easily hide in the shadows. It is equally at home in urban settings, sneaking into homes or temples, making it a common familiar for evil spellcasters or those who wish to have a creature capable of both mischief and stealth.

The Aitvaras operates primarily for its own benefit, but its motivation lies in its need to be fed and sheltered. It seeks out masters who can provide these things, in return for the treasures it steals. However, it does so with little regard for the moral alignment of its owner—anyone who can keep it satisfied becomes its temporary ally. Driven by its cunning nature and thirst for wealth, the Aitvaras is never truly satisfied, always seeking the next thing to steal, the next opportunity to deceive, and the next advantage it can use to secure its position in the world.


  • Aitvaras 5e
  • Aitvaras 3.5
Aitvaras
Create

Tiny fey, chaotic neutral


Armor Class 16 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points 45 (10d4 + 10)
Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft. (hover), climb 20 ft.


STRDEXCONINTWISCHA
6 (-2)18 (+4)14 (+2)14 (+2)12 (+1)16 (+3)

Saving Throws Dex +6, Wis +3
Skills Acrobatics +6, Sleight of Hand +8, Stealth +8, Perception +5, Persuasion +5
Damage Resistances Fire, Poison
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 15
Languages Common, Sylvan, telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge 2 (450 XP)


TRAITS

  • Mischievous Stealth. The Aitvaras can use the Hide action as a bonus action on each of its turns.
  • Evasion. If the Aitvaras 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.
  • Sneak Thief. Once per day, the Aitvaras can make a successful Sleight of Hand check against a creature it can see within 30 feet to steal a small object (such as a coin, ring, or key) without being noticed. The DC for this check is 15.
  • Spellcasting. The Aitvaras is a 4th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). The Aitvaras has the following spells prepared:
    • Cantrips (at will): Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Minor Illusion
    • 1st level (4 slots): Disguise Self, Sleep, Charm Person, Mage Armor
    • 2nd level (3 slots): Misty Step, Mirror Image
    • 3rd level (2 slots): Counterspell, Fly

ACTIONS

  • Multiattack. The Aitvaras makes two attacks: one with its claws and one with its bite.
  • Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) slashing damage.
  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.
  • Breath of Mischief (Recharge 5–6). The Aitvaras exhales a cone of magical energy that causes confusion and disorientation. Each creature in a 15-foot cone must make a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed for 1 minute. While charmed in this way, the target believes the Aitvaras is a friend and will follow its commands, though it cannot take damaging actions. The charm ends if the creature is harmed or the Aitvaras takes a hostile action against it.
  • Teleport (Recharge 5–6). The Aitvaras can teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see as a bonus action. This ability does not provoke opportunity attacks.

REACTIONS

  • Disengage (Recharge 5–6). When the Aitvaras is hit by an attack, it can use its reaction to teleport 30 feet away from the attacker and gain the benefit of the Dodge action until the start of its next turn.

TACTICS

  • Hit and Run. The Aitvaras prefers to engage its opponents from a distance, using its Breath of Mischief to disorient its enemies before darting away. Its high Dexterity and access to Teleport make it difficult to catch, and it frequently uses this ability to get out of melee range or to reposition itself in a more favorable spot.
  • Stealth and Steal. The Aitvaras loves to cause mischief, and when not fighting, it will often attempt to steal items from its enemies or cause chaos using its Mischievous Stealth and Sneak Thief traits. It will make use of Minor Illusion to create distractions and sneak away with small valuables.
  • Defensive Spells. The Aitvaras will use its Mirror Image to create illusions of itself and gain advantage on saving throws, making it harder for enemies to land a hit. If pressed, it will cast Misty Step to teleport out of range or Counterspell to thwart spellcasters.
  • Surprise and Disruption. When entering combat, the Aitvaras will often try to surprise its enemies, starting with a Breath of Mischief followed by Teleport to maintain confusion and keep its enemies off-balance. If it can catch an enemy spellcaster off guard, it may use Counterspell to shut down their magic.

LORE

The Aitvaras is a fey creature known for its cunning nature and mischievous tendencies. Often mistaken for an imp or a small dragon, it prefers to work behind the scenes, causing confusion and chaos rather than engaging in direct combat. They are particularly fond of treasure and rare items, often sneaking into treasure hoards or magical sanctuaries to steal precious artifacts.

In combat, Aitvaras rely on speed, stealth, and misdirection. They can be found in dark forests, hidden caves, or urban environments, always looking for opportunities to play tricks on adventurers or steal items for their own amusement. Though they are small and relatively weak, their intelligence and magical prowess make them formidable foes when their tricks and traps come into play.

Aitvaras
Create

This creature appears as a mix of cat, rooster and small dragon, having black fur, black feathers and black scales. It looks at you with a friendly expression in its little evil green eyes.

Monster Encyclopaedia II: The Dark Bestiary
Author J. C. Alvarez
Series Monster Encyclopaedia
Publisher Mongoose Publishing
Publish date 2005

An aitvaras is a strange monster with a mischievous nature and the custom of seeking human allies. Once the creature finds a human master or partner to attach itself to, it serves as a pet, guardian and thief, all rolled into one. Whatever the aitvaras steals it gives to its master, in exchange for food and shelter. It can also be commanded to kill, although its combat abilities are not much to speak of. The aitvaras appears as a Tiny black dragon with feathered wings, a rooster’s crest, and the eyes, ears and tail of a cat. It of course makes an excellent familiar for evil spellcasters.


Aitvaras
Tiny magical beast
Hit Dice2d10+2 (13 hp)
Initiative+4
Speed30 ft. (6 squares), Climb 20 ft., fly 60 ft. (average)
AC20 (+2 size, +4 Dexterity, +4 natural), touch 16, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple+2/-9
AttackBite +8 melee (1d3-3) or claw +8 melee (1d2-3)
Full Attack2 claws +8 melee (1d2-3) and bite +3 melee (1d3-3)
Space/Reach2½ ft. /0 ft.
Special AttacksBreath weapon
Special QualitiesDarkvision 60 ft., dimension door, Low-Light Vision, telepathy 60 ft.
SavesFort +4, Ref +7, Will +1
AbilitiesStrength 5, Dexterity 19, Constitution 12, Intelligence 13, Wisdom 12, Charisma 12
SkillsBalance +13, Climb +12, Hide +18, Jump +13, Listen +6, Move Silently +10, Search +3, Sleight of Hand +17, Spot +6
FeatsWeapon Finesse
EnvironmentAny
OrganisationSolitary
Challenge Rating1
TreasureStandard
AlignmentAlways neutral evil
Advancement3 HD (Tiny), 4-6 HD (Small)
Level Adjustment+3 (Improved Familiar)

Combat

An aitvaras is a weak combatant, preferring a quick retreat with its opponent’s belongings rather than a face-to-face confrontation.

Breath Weapon (Ex): Once every 1d4 rounds, an aitvaras can breathe a cone of fire 5 feet long and 2½ feet wide at the end. Any creatures caught within this cone suffer 2d4 points of fire damage, with a Reflex save (DC 12, Constitution based) allowed for half damage. An aitvaras cannot use its breath weapon more than three times per day.

Dimension door (Su): An aitvaras can use dimension door on itself at will, as the spell of the same name at caster level 7th. An aitvaras cannot carry more than 5 pounds while using this ability and cannot use it on a target other than itself.

Telepathy (Su): Aitvaras can communicate telepathically with any intelligent creature within 60 feet.

Skills: An aitvaras gains a +8 racial bonus on Balance, Climb and Jump checks. It gains a +4 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, Move Silently and Spot checks. An aitvaras gains a +8 racial bonus on Sleight of Hand checks. It can always take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. An aitvaras uses its Dexterity modifier instead of its Strength modifier for Climb and Jump checks.

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