Rattlejack (5e Creature)
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This page is incomplete and/or lacking flavor. Reason: Incomplete. Clause table needs some work, trying to make it interesting enough to apply at critical situations, spectral hitchiker is going to be replaced, the shadow one, ramp up the wild magic one. -->
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Rattlejack[edit]
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Medium undead, chaotic neutral Armor Class 15 (Natural Armor)
Saving Throws Dex +6, Con +4, Wis +3 Unnerving Cackle. As a bonus action, Rattlejack can emit a chilling, discordant laugh. Each creature of its choice within 10 feet that can hear it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or have disadvantage on the next attack roll or saving throw it makes before the end of its next turn. Puppet Limbs. Rattlejack can squeeze through spaces as narrow as 4 inches wide. It has advantage on checks and saves made to escape grapples or restraints. Clockwork Evasion. When subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, Rattlejack instead takes no damage on a success, and half damage on a failure. ACTIONSNeedle Fingers. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage. Rattleburst (Recharge 5–6). Rattlejack rattles violently, releasing a pulse of sound and force. Each creature within 15 feet must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 21 (6d6) thunder damage and be pushed 10 feet away. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage and isn’t pushed. REACTIONSTwist and Jerk. When a creature misses Rattlejack with a melee attack, Rattlejack can move up to 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks. |
Personality[edit]
Class Equivalent: Bard (College of Glamour) / Warlock (Fiend Patron) Hybrid
Role: Deal-Maker, Problem-Solver, Chaos Catalyst
Rattlejack thrives on desperation, indecision, and dramatic timing. He usually appears when a character is stuck, overwhelmed, or about to make a reckless choice—offering a way out that’s almost too convenient.
He claims he’s doing you a favor—and sometimes, he actually is. But more often than not, the cost is hidden in the fine print. He doesn’t break the rules; he just knows every single one of them... and how to make them work for him.
He loves loopholes, thrives on technicalities, and treats contracts like performance art.
Catchphrase: “Lookin’ for a loophole? Buddy, I am the loophole.”
DM Note: Rattlejack as a Planar Pivot & Narrative Catalyst, Arrival Triggers[edit]
- Rattlejack is not bound by time or space—he manifests when players face moments of high tension, indecision, or recklessness. The following conditions can trigger his arrival:
- Indecision Trigger: When the party is stuck in a moral dilemma, unable to agree on a plan, or grappling with risky decisions or puzzles. The tension from indecision makes them ripe for Rattlejack's influence.
- Desperation Trigger: When the party is low on resources (HP, spells, time) and is considering extreme or “Hail Mary” actions. A critical hit, a failed death saving throw, or a crucial failure could trigger this moment of desperation.
Planar/Conceptual Travel: Rattlejack can also serve as a narrative tool, guiding the party into dreamscapes, liminal spaces, or "deal zones" outside normal reality. He manifests like a supernatural pop-up ad, ready to offer a deal with his own brand of charisma.
Rattlejack's Boons and Consequences[edit]
Step 1: The offer' The offer may appear as a whisper, a vision, a time-stopping moment, or even a physical manifestation of Rattlejack. The cost may not be clear at first, only that Rattlejack is watching and ready to step in. This moment can be witnessed by the entire party or just one character, depending on the situation.
The player has a choice:
- Reject the deal — Refusing Rattlejack’s offer is an act of will—and defiance. While no boon is granted, the character avoids further entanglement...for now.
- Accept the deal — the DM applies a boon from the appropriate tier and rolls clause dice for consequences.
Note to DM: The player does not choose from these options. You offer them in critical moments when Rattlejack’s influence creeps in. Feel free to expand or customize based on your campaign.
Deal Tiers and Clause Dice[edit]
| Deal Level | Clause Dice |
|---|---|
| Minor | 1d12 |
| Modest | 2d12 |
| Notable | 3d12 |
| Major | 4d12 |
| Forbidden | 5d12 |
Rattlejack's Boons[edit]
| Deal Tier | Boon Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Minor | Loophole Surge | Add 1d12 to a d20 roll after seeing the result. A whisper in your ear says, “Not yet... not yet... NOW.” |
| Minor | Glimpse the Thread | Gain advantage on your next Arcana, Insight, or Perception check. You hear a faint whisper of truth from beyond. |
| Modest | Phantom Step | As a bonus action, take the Dash or Disengage action. You leave behind a flickering afterimage. Until your next turn, you do not provoke opportunity attacks. |
| Modest | Speak with Shadows | Ask one question to the shadows. The answer must contain a truth—though it may be symbolic or cryptic, it cannot be a lie. |
| Notable | Borrowed Time | Take one additional action this turn. Gain one level of exhaustion afterward. The moment echoes. Your bones feel it. |
| Notable | Shadow Reroll | Reroll a failed saving throw or death saving throw. You must take the new result. Rattlejack catches your soul mid-fall—once. |
| Notable | One True Name | Learn a creature’s true name and one hidden flaw, fear, or suppressed memory. Their mask cracks in your mind. |
| Notable | Fated Trade | When you fail a roll, choose a creature (ally or enemy) within 60 ft. They take the failure instead—you reroll with advantage. Fate is flexible... for a price. |
| Forbidden | Deny the Odds | Automatically succeed on a death saving throw, or stabilize with 1 HP. Time bends. Breath returns. |
| Forbidden | Suspended Moment | Time freezes for 6 seconds. You may move, speak, and interact with objects, but cannot attack or cast spells. Only you are aware. |
| Forbidden | Eldritch Glint | On your next hit, deal bonus necrotic damage equal to your proficiency bonus. The target cannot regain HP until the end of your next turn. |
| Forbidden | Favor of the Fae | Choose one: – End a harmful condition (e.g., blinded, charmed, paralyzed) |
Step 2: Enact the Deal Once the deal is made, the DM enacts the terms. Depending on the deal's strength, the character may gain the boons immediately.
Consequences of the Pact[edit]
The DM may either select a fitting consequence that matches the narrative moment, choosing up to the number of clause dice associated with the deal's tier (1d12 for Minor, 2d12 for Modest, etc.), or roll 1d12 for each clause die associated with the deal to determine the consequences. These consequences may manifest at any time—unpredictable and often when least expected, and you are not limited to these clauses.
| d12 | Clause (Consequence) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Voice of Obligation: You cannot speak the word “no” or any variation of it for 24 hours. |
| 2 | Identity Slip: For the next 24 hours, any NPC you speak to sees you as someone else. |
| 3 | Spectral Hitchhiker: An invisible minor spirit follows the character for 24 hours, whispering false advice (DC 15 Insight to ignore). |
| 4 | Language Twist: The character can only speak in rhyme, metaphor, or legalese until the next long rest. |
| 5 | Disruptive Truth: For 1d4 days, you physically "glitch" whenever you act in direct opposition to someone else's best wishes in favor of your own desires. This includes lying, manipulating, or otherwise acting selfishly at the expense of others. |
| 6 | Temporal Sliver: The next short rest doesn’t remove exhaustion or restore hit dice. |
| 7 | Marked by Rattlejack: Clerics, paladins, fiends, fey and lawyers sense something wrong about you or see a ghostly brand on you. (disadvantage on Persuasion checks vs. divine-aligned creatures for 24 hrs). |
| 8 | Currency Reversal: Gold in your possession turns into copper (same total weight). Lasts until next dawn. |
| 9 | Unstable Magic: The next spell the character casts triggers a random Wild Magic Surge. |
| 10 | Vocal Substitution: The character’s voice sounds like Rattlejack’s for 1d4 days. Disadvantage on Stealth and Charisma checks. |
| 11 | Shadow Clause: For 24 hours, the character’s shadow acts independently when unobserved (harmless but unnerving). |
| 12 | Double Jeopardy: One clause or its duration is duplicated (roll an additional consequence, but apply the weaker of the two). |
Appearance[edit]
Rattlejack's incorporeal body flickers like a bad transmission—stitched together, and old traveling cloak with assortments hanging off, and shadowy static. His spectral tail coils like a corkscrewed spine made of mist and bone, keeping him upright in a way that feels more posed than levitating.
His face never settles: too-wide grin, eyes that blink out of sync, and brows locked in a perpetual sales pitch. A glowing tooth catches the light when he smiles—usually when you’re making a mistake.
He’s never without something in his hands: phantom playing cards, flickering coins, glowing contracts—all conjured with a magician’s flourish and a huckster’s charm.
He speaks like a carnival barker on his fifth cup of coffee: fast, flashy, and a little unhinged. Beneath the bravado, though, there’s the sharp edge of someone who knows eternity is a scam—and plans to win anyway.
Abilities & Features[edit]
Phantom Pitchman: He can teleport short distances in a puff of smoke with a snap. Once per day, he can turn fully invisible for 1 minute—unless he speaks, interacts, or is exposed to radiant light.
Ghostly Dealbreaker: He offers binding contracts. Shake his hand and you get something now—advantage, a clue, an item—but owe him something later. The terms are magically sealed with glamor magic and infernal influence.
Illusions on Autopilot: Social scenes around him warp subtly—phantom hands pass him ghost cigars, illusory doors open into voids, text rearranges itself on paper when he reads it.
Undead Nature: He’s resistant to nonmagical damage, immune to poison, fear, and charm. He can possess objects or ride a willing creature like a creepy backpack shadow.
|npc=yes |misc= |arctic=yes |coastal=yes |desert=yes |forest=yes |grassland=yes |hill=yes |mountain=yes |swamp=yes |underdark=yes |underwater=yes |urban=yes }}
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