Irvikuva
Service, Stone, and Slumber
Irvikuva are cursed creatures that are bound into the life of a gargoyle. They are conscripted by magic into service and stone. An irvikuva may have been a beast, humanoid or elemental before the curse took hold. Most such curses compel the target to protect a place, area. An object, while others, especially oathbreakers, are trapped in their petrified state until cryptic or improbable circumstances come to pass. Some irvikuva may go for years, decades, even centuries before the purpose instilled by their curse or other elaborate happenstance releases them from their lengthy slumber.Irvikuva
Ability Score Increase
Size Medium
Speed
Original Form. An irvikuva retains all of the racial traits of its original race or form. They may have originally been almost any type of creature (aberration, beast, celestial, elemental, humanoid, fey, fiend, plant, or undead). Appearance. An irvikuva’s appearance may reminiscent of their original form and stature, monstrous enough to be unrecognizable, or anywhere in between. Age. Irvikuva age slower than their original race, do not age at all while petrified, and they rejuvenate during long periods of petrification. While you remain cursed, your life span is indefinite. Increased Weight. Your weight is doubled. While petrified, your weight is quadrupled. Natural Weapons. You grow natural weapons, which may take the form of claws, hooves, horns, wings, talons, or a long, forked tail with which you can make unarmed strikes can deal bludgeoning, piercing or slashing (depending upon their nature) damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier. Petrification. You can use your action become petrified. While you remain petrified, you are indistinguishable from an inanimate statue. While you are petrified, you resist all damage, and your consciousness moves to the Elemental Plane of Earth. You can end your petrification as a bonus action on your turn. Stone Speech. During your stone slumbers, you subconsciously learn to speak, read and write the Terran language. Elemental Nature. Your creature type is elemental.
The Nature of the Curse
The exact nature of the curse’s magic is up to the DM. Here are a few ideas on the nature of the curse that can help you tell a particular kind of story with an irvikuva:| Irvikuva Story Ideas | |
|---|---|
| d6 | Curse Details |
| 1 | Your curse has caused you to slumber for several centuries until improbable events come to pass. You awaken to an unfamiliar world where everyone you have ever known is long dead. A chance encounter lands you in the lap of a poor street urchin. With your strength with their street smarts, you pledge to take back the street at night, fighting crime and defending the defenseless across the city’s endless slums. |
| 2 | You have been bound to watch over an artifact of great power, which was recently stolen, awakening you. Now you are compelled to hunt the thief to the ends of the earth and return the artifact to its resting place. A group of adventurers who are also tracking the same thief become unlikely allies (or heated rivals). |
| 3 | You are bound into the service of a powerful family who uses your amazing abilities for personal gain until a group of adventurers learns of your enslavement and disrupts your bonds, allowing you some measure of personal freedom: a luxury you haven’t had in centuries. |
| 4 | You are sworn to watch over a sorcerous bloodline, which has lain dormant for seven generations. When the sorcerous blood manifests their power, you are called back into life to protect them from the dark forces that are stir in search of their power. |
| 5 | You are awakened and bound by an evil spellcaster into service. Now you must attempt to thwart your new master’s efforts without directly deviating from any commands they give you. |
| 6 | You serve as one of the guardians of a long bloodline. Whenever the continuation of the bloodline is threatened or its members are in great danger one of your kind awakens to fulfill your duties. Your charge may be an adventurer unaware of you and your fellow guardians or you may have to join a group of capable people to complete your mission. |
Conditions
Irvikuva can be extraordinarily resilient. Challenging them emotionally and exploiting the nature of their curse and leverage the time of day to restrict their time in play. Consider some of the following challenges: Magical artifacts that can control elementals can control the irvikuva, and magic related to their curse might have an easy time controlling or subjecting them to petrification. Magical items or spells might be able to neutralize some of the drawbacks an irvikuva experiences, for example, a potion or talisman might grant them immunity to sunlight petrification.Lifting the Curse
If the curse is lifted, the irvikuva may lose some or all their abilities, effects, benefits or drawbacks.Petrification and Damage
Simple magics like the mending cantrip might be used to reattach a lost limb or appendage while petrified in lieu of the regeneration spell or similar magic. Mason’s tools might serve as proficiency for an Intelligence (Medicine) check for a petrified irvikuva. Severed gargoyle limbs are still under the effects of the curse, so they also petrify when exposed to sunlight, which may slow their rate of decay (if they have one at all! Remember: the rejuvenating magic that the curse provides is up to the Dungeon Master.- See page 291 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide for details on the petrified condition.
- See page 272 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide for details on injuries.
Benefits (Minor)
An irvikuva might display the following additional traits at the Dungeon Master’s discretion (choosing a number equal to your proficiency bonus). Climbing Limbs Your powerful limbs give you a climbing speed equal to your movement speed. Darkvision You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Keen Senses You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on either hearing or smell (your choice). Powerful Build You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift. If your original race already has the Powerful Build feature, you count as one additional size larger. Stone Body You are immune to poison and disease, and you cannot gain levels of exhaustion by magical means. Stone Mind You have advantage on saving throws to avoid being charmed or frightened. If you become petrified, you are not entirely incapacitated: you can use your action to remove the petrified state by making a DC 11 Constitution ability check. Stone Resilience You can focus yourself to occasionally shrug off injury. When you take damage, you can use your reaction reduce the damage by your level + your Constitution Modifier. After you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest. Winged You have wings that grant you a flying speed equal to your movement speed. As an action, you can create a buffet of wind in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in the area must make a saving throw DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier. On a failure, they are pushed 5 feet away from you and knocked prone. Tail You have an especially long, thick tail. When you take the attack action, you can make one attack with your tail with the reach property. If it hits, it deals 1d10 bludgeoning damage.Benefits (Major)
An irvikuva might gain the following additional features at the Dungeon Master’s discretion. They might be granted under the following conditions:- In lieu of an Ability Score Increase or feat
- as a reward for learning more about your curse (treating the benefit as if it were an attuned magical item)
- as a reward for reaching a particular character level or undergoing special training
Drawbacks
In addition to the benefits that come with your curse, there are drawbacks as well. The DM should consider assigning at least one of the following drawbacks in play to counteract an irvikuva’s powerful physical attributes. Curse Compulsion Certain aspects of your curse (such as venturing too far away from your assigned warded area or object or person) might force you to become petrified (requiring a successful Constitution or Charisma saving throw), or compel you to take actions unwillingly (requiring an Intelligence or Wisdom saving throw). These DCs are at the discretion of the Dungeon Master. Light Sensitivity You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight. You have disadvantage on saving throws against blindness that are caused by bright magical light. Sunlight Petrification While in sunlight, you immediately become petrified and unconscious until your body is no longer in sunlight. You can rest in this petrified state (or perform any other functions you would during a completed short or long rest), but cannot perform any other actions. If your surroundings have shifted or you are met with unexpected visitors, you may be surprised when you awaken from your petrified state.While petrified, the irvikuva is helpless against any potential assailants. They must take care to avoid the first rays of the sun and assume their petrified state at a time and place of their choosing or be exposed to great danger. Use the irvikuva’s increased weight trait to calculate the required efforts to move a petrified irvikuva to a new location.Weight of Stone You increased weight and density can be troublesome:
- Swimming is challenging. You tend to sink quickly when submerged, and have disadvantage on ability checks you make to swim.
- Teleporting you is difficult. Whenever another creature teleports you, they must succeed on a DC 10 spellcasting ability check. If they fail, the caster most choose to leave you behind or allow the spell to fail.
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