The knight of smoke (Session 24)

Stub-class article · First seen: s24 · Last seen: s24
The knight of smoke (Session 24)
Portrait of The knight of smoke (Session 24).
Character
StatusAlive
First seens24
Last seens24

The knight of smoke is a figure of smoke “in the form of a knight” that came out of a knight statue in a five-sided chamber of the ridge temple when Terry pushed the statue over in session 24 [1][19]. It fights with a sword and a shield, dropped Terry with its first turn and Father Thomas with a natural 20, and the DM gives it no name, creature type or hit points [9][26]. Asked whether he abandoned Bahamut for Vecna, Caelumn’s player answered that Caelumn was “starting to see Vecna’s ways”, and the knight turned its gaze from him to his allies [35][36][31]. It was still fighting when the DM stopped the session [18].

Overview

The knight of smoke is the figure that rose in session 24 when Terry pushed over a knight statue in a five-sided chamber of the ridge temple: “you see smoke emit from it that forms in the form of a knight” [19]. The DM gives it no name, creature type or hit points and does not say whom it serves; “the knight of smoke” is this wiki’s phrase, and his own are “a knight” and “the Knight” [19][13].

The statue stood over “a circular seam” in the floor; as with the mummy lord’s statue that released two Flameskulls in session 22, the DM guessed it sat “kind of like a cork inside the floor” [1][20]. The hollow beneath held no orb, only “a pink unicorn resting on top of a couple of gold coins”, the plush Caelumn took [14][21].

Appearance and demeanour

Smoke “in the form of a knight” is all the DM says of its make [19]. It carries a sword and a shield that turns a spell aside [22][23]. “It’s in heavy armor” is Terry’s reading of how it looks [24]. The players said it appeared in the middle of the room and behind Terry, not at the statue, and the DM did not explain [8]. It never speaks.

Abilities as played

What it did in play, with no published stat block.

  • Two sword attacks a turn. Its first turn missed Terry on a 14 and hit on a 20 for 11 slashing and 9 force damage, which dropped him. Aimed at Father Thomas, a 13 and a 16 did no damage, but a natural 20 on its third turn dropped him too [9][25][26].
  • Hard to hit. Hugo’s thrown hand axe on a 20 “is a miss”, Kole’s Eldritch Blast was “deflected with its shield”, and Caelumn reckoned its armour class at 21 or more, the table’s figure and not the DM’s. It made a Dexterity 17 against Create Bonfire and an Intelligence 18 against Phantasmal Force, and failed a Wisdom 13 against Toll the Dead, which Father Thomas called “very little” damage [27][10][28][29][23][30].
  • It listens for Vecna. It turned its gaze from Caelumn to his allies after his profession, and turned on the one who said fuck Vecna [31][32][33].

Relationships

  • Caelumn and Vecna: Caelumn knelt to it and called it “great knight of Vecna”, his own phrase (the DM does not say the knight is Vecna’s), saying the party had “been tasked with completing the ritual”, an improvised cover story [34]. Asked whether he would abandon Bahamut for Vecna, his player answered “Caelumn is starting to see Vecna’s ways.”; the knight’s gaze turned to his allies, and when he asked whether his plea for them counted, the DM said “No.” [35][36][31][12]. It later let him take what lay under the statue [37][21].
  • Father Thomas: spat on it and said fuck Vecna, and was struck on its next turn, though Terry had thought its attention fully on him; Hugo carried him clear and Caelumn fed him a healing potion [38][32][39][40][41].
  • The rest of the party: Terry pushed the statue over and was its first victim [42][43]. Hugo’s pitch about “there’s a necromancer deeper into this temple” was his character’s bluff and drew “It seems relatively unaffected.”; Kole’s appeal and Phantasmal Force did nothing [44][28][45][46].

Disposition towards the party

Hostile and selective. It “comes to attack” the moment it forms [47], but it left Caelumn alone after his hedged profession: asked whether it was aggressive to him, he was told “not at the current moment no” [37]. Words about Vecna moved it; an appeal, a bluff and a spell did not [48][49].

Notable quotes

“you see smoke emit from it that forms in the form of a knight” — Nick (DM), [19]

“Do you abandon Bahamut and everything else in your former faith and accept Vecna as your one true god?” — Nick (DM), [35]

“You notice that the knight seems to turn its gaze away from you and towards your allies.” — Nick (DM), [31]

“Because you just said fuck Vecna.” — Nick (DM), [32]

“It seems relatively unaffected.” — Nick (DM), [49]

History in the campaign

Session 24: The Knight of Smoke

Main article: Session 24

Nothing the party tried on the knight statue worked: Guidance, Word of Radiance, a bow, a salute and a holy symbol brought “Nothing happens.” or silence, and Suggestion found no mind to attach to [50][51][52]. The DM twice drew their eyes to the seam in the floor, and Terry wedged a sword in and pushed; smoke “forms in the form of a knight” and “comes to attack” [53][6][54][19][47]. It dropped Terry, turned from Caelumn to his allies when he said he was “starting to see Vecna’s ways”, and dropped Father Thomas on a natural 20 after he cursed Vecna [43][36][31][26]. The DM stopped the session with it up [18].

Status

As of session 24. Alive and fighting. The DM stopped the session in initiative with the knight up and, so far as the record shows, hurt only by a cantrip’s “very little” [38][18]. Not stated: what it is, whom it serves, its hit points and armour class, whether it is bound to the statue or the seam, and what Caelumn’s answer to the DM’s question means for him.

See also

References

  1. ^ Session 24, line 1003: The knight chamber: "a short tunnel that opens into a five-sided chamber", a statue "resembling a knight" and "a circular seam" in the floor beneath it.
  2. ^ Session 24, line 1576-1584: Of the statue: "It just looks like a suit of armor."; Guidance, Word of Radiance, a bow and a salute change nothing.
  3. ^ Session 24, line 1599-1600: A holy symbol draped round its neck: "Nothing happens.".
  4. ^ Session 24, line 1611-1614: The DM draws their eyes to the seam; if it is like the mummy lord's statue, it is "kind of like a cork inside the floor".
  5. ^ Session 24, line 1639-1640: Kole's Suggestion on the statue: it cannot "find any mind that it can attach to".
  6. ^ Session 24, line 1648: The DM again fixes their eyes "on the seam in the floor".
  7. ^ Session 24, line 1651-1665: Terry pushes the statue over; "you see smoke emit from it that forms in the form of a knight", "that comes to attack".
  8. ^ Session 24, line 1684-1688: The players say it appeared "in the middle of the room" and behind Terry, not at the statue.
  9. ^ Session 24, line 1713-1722: Its first turn: a 14 misses, a 20 hits Terry for 11 slashing and 9 force damage, and he is down.
  10. ^ Session 24, line 1733: Hugo's thrown hand axe on a 20 "is a miss".
  11. ^ Session 24, line 1787-1806: Caelumn kneels and calls it "great knight of Vecna"; the DM asks if he will abandon Bahamut for Vecna; "the knight seems to turn its gaze away from you and towards your allies".
  12. ^ Session 24, line 1818-1819: Asked whether his plea for his allies counts for anything, the DM answers "No.".
  13. ^ Session 24, line 1856: To Terry: "You have the full attention of the Knight".
  14. ^ Session 24, line 1879: Under the statue: "a pink unicorn resting on top of a couple of gold coins".
  15. ^ Session 24, line 1901-1903: Kole's Eldritch Blast is "deflected with its shield"; Caelumn asks if it is aggressive to him: "not at the current moment no".
  16. ^ Session 24, line 1919-1934: Father Thomas's Toll the Dead fails against a 13; he says fuck Vecna; "Because you just said fuck Vecna."; a natural 20 drops him.
  17. ^ Session 24, line 1943-1953: Hugo's pitch about a necromancer in Vecna's temple: "It seems relatively unaffected.".
  18. ^ Session 24, line 2003: The DM stops the session in initiative with the knight still up.
  19. ^ Session 24, line 1663: Inline citation.
  20. ^ Session 24, line 1614: Inline citation.
  21. ^ Session 24, line 1916: Inline citation.
  22. ^ Session 24, line 1713: Inline citation.
  23. ^ Session 24, line 1901: Inline citation.
  24. ^ Session 24, line 1701: Inline citation.
  25. ^ Session 24, line 1832-1836: Inline citation.
  26. ^ Session 24, line 1928-1934: Inline citation.
  27. ^ Session 24, line 1700: Inline citation.
  28. ^ Session 24, line 1751: Inline citation.
  29. ^ Session 24, line 1777: Inline citation.
  30. ^ Session 24, line 1920-1921: Inline citation.
  31. ^ Session 24, line 1806: Inline citation.
  32. ^ Session 24, line 1924: Inline citation.
  33. ^ Session 24, line 1931: Inline citation.
  34. ^ Session 24, line 1787: Inline citation.
  35. ^ Session 24, line 1791: Inline citation.
  36. ^ Session 24, line 1805: Inline citation.
  37. ^ Session 24, line 1903: Inline citation.
  38. ^ Session 24, line 1921: Inline citation.
  39. ^ Session 24, line 1930-1931: Inline citation.
  40. ^ Session 24, line 1962: Inline citation.
  41. ^ Session 24, line 1990: Inline citation.
  42. ^ Session 24, line 1651: Inline citation.
  43. ^ Session 24, line 1722: Inline citation.
  44. ^ Session 24, line 1738: Inline citation.
  45. ^ Session 24, line 1943: Inline citation.
  46. ^ Session 24, line 1952-1953: Inline citation.
  47. ^ Session 24, line 1665: Inline citation.
  48. ^ Session 24, line 1738-1759: Inline citation.
  49. ^ Session 24, line 1953: Inline citation.
  50. ^ Session 24, line 1577-1584: Inline citation.
  51. ^ Session 24, line 1600: Inline citation.
  52. ^ Session 24, line 1640: Inline citation.
  53. ^ Session 24, line 1611: Inline citation.
  54. ^ Session 24, line 1656: Inline citation.
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