Queen Elaine of Benoic — Lancelot’s Mother
Queen Elaine of Benoic is the wife of King Ban and the mother of Sir Lancelot. When Ban’s kingdom falls, she loses both her husband and her child. The Lady of the Lake raises Lancelot; Elaine must decide what remains of her responsibilities to Benoic.
At the refuge: Elaine keeps a list of survivors from Benoic. She can identify Ban’s retainers and the households displaced by Claudas. A visitor with news of Lancelot will be heard, but must prove where the message came from.
At a Glance
- Identity
- Widowed queen of Benoic; Lancelot’s mother
- Sister
- Evaine, widow of King Bors
- Foster guardian
- Lady of the Lake raised her missing son
- Threat
- Claudas’s claimants and displaced households
- Present home
- A sacred refuge supported by Benoic’s survivors
- What she wants
- Reliable news of Lancelot and protection for the displaced
- Campaign role
- Noble survivor, witness and potential patron
Game Statistics
These four versions portray Elaine as a capable survivor and courtly leader. The much more magical CR 9 2014-era interpretation remains available below as an optional source variant.
Queen Elaine of Benoic — D&D 2024
Medium Humanoid (Human), Neutral Good; noble survivor
Armor Class 13 (studded leather); Initiative +1 (11); Hit Points 66 (12d8+12); Speed 30 ft.; Challenge 3 (700 XP; PB +2).
Saving Throws Wis +5, Cha +6; Skills History +4, Insight +5, Medicine +5, Persuasion +8; Senses passive Perception 13; Languages Common, Benoic court language.
Traits
The Queen’s Network. Elaine has Advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks when asking surviving Benoic subjects for safe shelter, ordinary supplies or reliable witnesses. It does not compel strangers or enemies to help.
Recognise a Retainer. Elaine can identify the insignia and names of many households that served King Ban, giving her a useful lead when a claimant produces a royal seal.
Actions
Dagger. Melee or Ranged Attack Roll: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4+1) Piercing damage. Elaine uses Dexterity for the finesse weapon.
Call Witnesses (1/Day). Up to three allies that can hear Elaine within 30 feet gain Advantage on their next Wisdom (Insight) or Charisma (Persuasion) check made during the next minute. Elaine must name the person or testimony they are investigating.
Bonus Action
Rally the Refuge (2/Day). Elaine grants 7 temporary Hit Points to up to three allies within 30 feet that can hear her.
Reaction
Take My Place (1/Day). When a creature within 5 feet of Elaine would be hit by an attack, Elaine can grant that ally +2 AC against the attack, possibly making it miss. She must see the attacker.
Running Elaine. She bargains for her people, not a duel. Guards and trusted servants support her; attacks, spells and spells from the older magical variant are not assumed to be present.
Queen Elaine of Benoic — D&D 5e / 2014
Medium humanoid (human), Neutral Good; noble survivor
Armor Class 13 (studded leather); Hit Points 66 (12d8+12); Speed 30 ft.; Challenge 3 (700 XP; PB +2).
Saving Throws Wis +5, Cha +6; Skills History +4, Insight +5, Medicine +5, Persuasion +8; Senses passive Perception 13; Languages Common, Benoic court language.
Traits
The Queen’s Network. Elaine has Advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks when asking surviving Benoic subjects for safe shelter, ordinary supplies or reliable witnesses. It does not compel strangers or enemies to help.
Recognise a Retainer. Elaine can identify the insignia and names of many households that served King Ban, giving her a useful lead when a claimant produces a royal seal.
Actions
Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4+1) Piercing damage. Elaine uses Dexterity for the finesse weapon.
Call Witnesses (1/Day). Up to three allies that can hear Elaine within 30 feet gain Advantage on their next Wisdom (Insight) or Charisma (Persuasion) check made during the next minute. Elaine must name the person or testimony they are investigating.
Bonus Action
Rally the Refuge (2/Day). Elaine grants 7 temporary Hit Points to up to three allies within 30 feet that can hear her.
Reaction
Take My Place (1/Day). When a creature within 5 feet of Elaine would be hit by an attack, Elaine can grant that ally +2 AC against the attack, possibly making it miss. She must see the attacker.
Running Elaine. She bargains for her people, not a duel. Guards and trusted servants support her; attacks, spells and spells from the older magical variant are not assumed to be present.
Queen Elaine — Pathfinder 1e
Queen Elaine of Benoic CR 6 (NPC Aristocrat 8)
XP 2,400; Female human aristocrat 8
NG Medium humanoid (human); Init +5; Senses Perception +16
Defense
AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+4 armor, +1 Dex, +1 deflection); hp 44 (8d8+8); Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +9.
Offense
Speed 30 ft.; Melee masterwork shortsword +7/+2 (1d6/19–20); Ranged hand crossbow +7/+2 (1d4/19–20); Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Tactics
Before Combat Elaine gathers witnesses and offers safe passage. During Combat she calls her household to protect civilians and withdraws from a hopeless fight. Morale she does not surrender someone under her protection merely to save her own life.
Statistics
Str 10, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 18
Base Atk +6; CMB +6; CMD 18
Feats Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Persuasive, Alertness, Improved Initiative, Combat Expertise (five feats, including the human bonus).
Skills Diplomacy +20, Bluff +17, Sense Motive +16, Knowledge (nobility) +13, Perception +16; Languages Common, Benoic tongue and court dialects.
Gear masterwork chain shirt, ring of protection +1, masterwork shortsword, hand crossbow, royal seal and a list of refugee families.
Special Abilities
Aristocrat. Elaine’s class supplies trained courtly skills and 3/4 base attack, not magic or bard performances. Use the Pathfinder 1e Aristocrat progression. Her household’s influence is a story resource, not an unlisted spell-like ability.
Queen Elaine — D&D 3.5e
Queen Elaine of Benoic CR 7 (campaign estimate)
Female human Aristocrat 8; NG Medium humanoid
Init +5; Senses Listen +3, Spot +3
Defense
AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+4 armor, +1 Dex, +1 deflection); hp 44 (8d8+8); Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +9.
Offense
Speed 30 ft.; Melee masterwork shortsword +7/+2 (1d6/19–20); Ranged hand crossbow +7/+2 (1d4/19–20); Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Tactics
Before Combat Elaine gathers friends from Ban’s old household. During Combat she tries to get noncombatants out rather than defeat the intruders herself. Morale she offers concessions if this will protect the refugees.
Statistics
Str 10, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 18
Base Atk +6; Grapple +6
Feats Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Persuasive, Alertness, Improved Initiative (four feats including the human bonus).
Skills Diplomacy +20, Bluff +17, Sense Motive +16, Knowledge (nobility) +13; Languages Common and the speech of Benoic.
Gear masterwork chain shirt, ring of protection +1, masterwork shortsword, hand crossbow, royal seal.
Special Abilities
Aristocrat Class. The NPC class provides learned skills, arms training and 3/4 attack progression; see the D&D 3.5 Aristocrat rules. There are no automatic Channel Divinity, lair or regional powers in this version.
After the Fall of Benoic
Ban dies after the burning of Benoic. Elaine loses their infant son beside the lake, but later stories reveal that the Lady of the Lake has taken Lancelot into her care. Elaine’s sister Evaine has also lost her husband, King Bors. The sisters share news of the displaced households while seeking sanctuary among people who still honour their family.
Elaine’s name changes between versions of the French romance, and later writers describe her devotion using the sacred customs of their own age. In this campaign she can serve a polytheistic sanctuary without losing her place in the older literary account. Her duty is practical: organise food, identify surviving retainers and work out which messengers carry trustworthy news of her son.
Someone arriving with Lancelot’s ring or a letter from Arthur would have her attention. So would a family looking for the royal seal, a missing survivor or help escaping Claudas’s followers.
Original magical Queen Elaine (legacy 5e CR 9) — divine healing and lair powers
This optional earlier campaign version grants Elaine extraordinary healing and magical protection. It is distinct from the four mortal noble versions above and from the literary story.
Mythic Queen Elaine — Original Magic Variant
Medium humanoid (human), lawful good
Armor Class 16 (chain mail) Hit Points 110 (17d8 + 34) Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 (+1) | 14 (+2) | 14 (+2) | 16 (+3) | 18 (+4) | 20 (+5) |
Saving Throws Wisdom +8, Charisma +9 Skills Insight +8, Religion +8 Senses Passive Perception 14 Languages Common, the Benoic court tongue Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)
Background: Queen Elaine of Benoic, once a proud monarch, now seeks solace and purpose within the walls of a secluded convent after the loss of her beloved husband, King Ban, and the mysterious taking of her son, Lancelot, by the Lady of the Lake.
Divine Channel. Queen Elaine can use her channel divinity to heal and inspire her allies. As an action, she can present her holy symbol and invoke divine power, allowing any creatures of her choice within 30 feet to regain 32 (5d10 + 5) hit points.
Spellcasting. Queen Elaine is a 9th-level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). She has the following cleric spells prepared:
- Cantrips (at will): Guidance, Sacred Flame, Thaumaturgy
- 1st level (4 slots): Cure Wounds, Detect Evil and Good, Shield of Faith
- 2nd level (3 slots): Lesser Restoration, Zone of Truth
- 3rd level (3 slots): Beacon of Hope, Dispel Magic
- 4th level (3 slots): Freedom of Movement, Guardian of Faith
- 5th level (2 slots): Commune, Raise Dead
Actions Spiritual Mace. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage plus 5 (2d4) radiant damage.
Healing Touch (Recharge 5-6). As a bonus action, Queen Elaine can lay her hands on a creature she can touch. The target regains 18 (4d8) hit points and is freed from any diseases or poisons.
Channel Divinity (1/Short Rest). Queen Elaine can use her Channel Divinity to turn undead and bolster her allies with divine power.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Queen Elaine fails a saving throw, she can choose to succeed instead.
Lair Actions On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Queen Elaine can take a lair action to heal herself and her allies or create an aura of protection:
- Queen’s Blessing. Queen Elaine and any friendly creatures within 60 feet regain 14 (4d6) hit points.
- Aura of Protection. Queen Elaine creates an aura of protection in a 30-foot radius around her. Friendly creatures within the aura have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
Reactions Divine Shield. When a creature within 30 feet of Queen Elaine is targeted by a harmful spell or attack, she can use her reaction to grant the creature a +5 bonus to AC until the end of the turn.
Legendary Actions (3/Day) Queen Elaine can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time, and only at the end of another creature’s turn. She regains spent legendary actions at the start of her turn.
- Healing Word. Queen Elaine casts Healing Word on a friendly creature she can see within 60 feet, restoring 1d4 + 5 hit points to the target.
- Guiding Light. Queen Elaine points to a target she can see within 60 feet, granting advantage on the next attack roll made against that creature before the start of her next turn.
- Divine Inspiration (Costs 2 Actions). Queen Elaine inspires an ally within 60 feet, allowing them to roll a d8 and add the result to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw.
Equipment: Chain mail, spiritual mace, holy symbol, enchanted circlet (adds +2 to Charisma checks and saving throws), and a tunic embroidered with the symbol of her sacred order.
What Is Elaine Doing Now?
Elaine is helping to organise a refuge for families driven out of Benoic. Its storehouse is short of grain, and a messenger claims to have seen Lancelot riding with Arthur’s knights. She wants proof before spreading the news. Her sister Evaine is checking the names of the missing, while some of Ban’s former men argue about who should command them.
News of a Son
A rider arrives carrying a ribbon that belonged to young Lancelot. Elaine remembers it, but the man refuses to say where he found it until someone pays him. The characters can pay, question his story or follow him to the next village. He may be telling the truth—or trying to exploit a mother’s hope.
The Refuge’s Winter Stores
Claudas’s collectors demand half the refuge’s food as a tax on the old Benoic estates. Elaine has witnesses to a prior exemption, but the document is missing. The characters can find the family that holds it, negotiate with the collectors or help move the stores before the soldiers return.
Two Sisters, Two Witnesses
Evaine remembers a knight whom Ban sent out on the night the castle burned. Elaine remembers a different man. Both testimonies may be true, but the claimants to Benoic are using the disagreement to divide its people. The characters can trace which gate each witness guarded and work out who carried Ban’s final message.
Source and campaign: The early French Lancelot account of Ban, Elaine and the Lady of the Lake informs this family history. The scenes above are original encounters, not quotations from the romance.
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