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The Unnamed Votary - AI-generated fantasy Monster

The Unnamed Votary

The Unnamed Votary is found in Veyr Keep where a prayer was repeated until the supplicant forgot what answer they wanted. It guards no named deity and accepts no title. The shrine's wall-facing statue is said to represent the one who asked for an answer and could not bear to hear it.

Monsters
Medium construct · CR 4 , moderate to hard encounter depending on party level and whether the shrine's terrain favors the votary. · Unique

The Unnamed Votary

A silent shrine guardian formed from abandoned devotion, bound to a candle that burns without wick or wax.
AC15
HP75/75
CR4 , moderate to hard encounter depending on party level and whether the shrine's terrain favors the votary.
Init
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
ConditionsNone

Combat

AC 15 · HP 75 · CR 4 , moderate to hard encounter depending on party level and whether the shrine's terrain favors the votary.

The Unnamed Votary

Medium construct (construct), lawful neutral
Armor Class15 (ceremonial warding)
Hit Points75 (10d8 + 30)
Speed
Walk 30 ft.
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
Saving ThrowsWisdomCharisma
SkillsInsightReligion
Damage Resistances
psychic
Immunities
frightened
Weaknesses
The votary has no ranged attack and can be kited through open space.
If the wall-facing statue is turned toward the room, Shrine-Bound ends until the statue is restored.
A creature that succeeds on a DC 14 Charisma (Religion) check while speaking a sincere apology can make the votary hesitate until the end of that creature's next turn. The votary cannot take reactions during that time.
Senses
Darkvision 60 ft.,
Passive Perception 12
Languages
understands Common and Celestial but cannot speak
Challenge4 , moderate to hard encounter depending on party level and whether the shrine's terrain favors the votary.
Proficiency Bonus+2
Passive Perception12
Spell Save DC14
Unliving Devotion. The votary does not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep.
Shrine-Bound. While within 30 feet of its shrine, the votary has advantage on saving throws against being charmed or moved against its will. This benefit ends if the wall-facing statue is turned toward the room.
Wickless Flame. The votary sheds dim light in a 10-foot radius. This light cannot be extinguished by wind or nonmagical means.

Actions

Censer Mace. Melee Weapon Attack: to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 () bludgeoning damage plus 4 () radiant damage. If the target is Large or smaller, it must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 10 feet.
Wickless Benediction. The votary extinguishes its candle-flame and releases a silent pulse in a 15-foot-radius sphere centered on itself. Each creature of its choice in the area must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 18 () psychic damage and cannot take reactions until the end of its next turn. On a success, it takes half damage and suffers no other effect. The area is dimly lit until the end of the votary's next turn. The votary can use this action once, and regains its use when it finishes a short or long rest.
Unanswered Prayer. The votary fixes its blank face on one creature it can see within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be marked until the end of the votary's next turn. The first time the votary hits the marked target before the mark ends, the target takes an extra 7 () psychic damage.

Reactions

Absorb the Complaint. When a creature the votary can see within 5 feet hits it with a melee attack, the votary reduces the damage by 5 () and the attacker takes 3 () psychic damage. The votary can use this reaction once per round.
Role
Shrine guardian and control-focused solo or elite
Built for
Suitable for a party of four characters around level 4 to 5; dangerous as a solo encounter for a level 3 party.

Gear

  • Wickless Censer (Weapon, 5 gp as an object; its supernatural flame is not transferable)A shallow bronze censer, warm to the touch and full of no visible fuel. It functions as the votary's mace.
  • Votary's Wrap (Clothing, 1 gp)Gray burial cloth stitched with tiny, unreadable prayers.

Notes for the game master

The Unnamed Votary is a custom monster for D&D 5th Edition, calibrated as a challenge rating 4 creature.
It is a medium supernatural guardian, not an official creature type or canonical statblock.
Wickless Benediction recharges after a short or long rest.

Tactics

  1. Opening

    The votary remains motionless until a creature crosses the shrine's threshold or touches the statue or candle. It then turns its blank face toward the nearest intruder and uses Unanswered Prayer.

  2. Mid-fight

    Use Censer Mace to push enemies into the shrine's narrow approaches. Apply Unanswered Prayer to an exposed damage-dealer, then use Wickless Benediction when several enemies are close.

  3. End of the fight

    At low hit points, the votary tries to mark a wounded intruder and drive it toward the archway with Censer Mace. It does not pursue beyond the shrine unless the intruders carry away a sacred object.

  4. Retreat

    The votary does not flee or surrender. If reduced to 15 hit points or fewer, it retreats to stand before the statue with its back to the intruders, fighting only those who approach.

How it fights

Stand between intruders and the shrine rather than charging into the party.
Use the archway to limit how many opponents can engage it in melee.
Save Wickless Benediction until at least two enemies are within its radius, unless a dangerous spellcaster is marked and exposed.
Push marked targets away from support and toward hazards or the shrine threshold.

Who it attacks first

A creature that touches or attempts to turn the wall-facing statue.
A marked creature that is isolated from its allies.
A spellcaster or ranged attacker within reach of the shrine.

Works well with

A narrow archway or cramped shrine makes its pushing attack more dangerous and restricts the party's ability to surround it.
Allies that can impose difficult terrain or restrain intruders can keep targets within the reach of its Censer Mace.

How to beat it

Ranged attackers can stay beyond its reach and force it to spend movement crossing the shrine.
A successful DC 14 Wisdom saving throw resists Unanswered Prayer and the worst effects of Wickless Benediction.
The votary has no special defense against being grappled, restrained, or forced away from the shrine.

Ways to avoid a fight

A character who bows at the archway and leaves a sincere offering can attempt a DC 14 Religion or Persuasion check. On a success, the votary allows the group to pass without attacking, provided they do not touch the shrine.
A character can study the votary's posture and statue with a DC 13 Religion check to realize that turning the statue is the clearest provocation.
The votary can be distracted by a spoken prayer or confession. A character who sincerely shares a regret gains advantage on one ability check made to negotiate safe passage.

Ecology

A compact figure wrapped in gray votive cloth, its round head carved with a smooth, featureless face. It carries a shallow bronze censer that burns with a steady flame despite containing no fuel. Its shadow kneels even when the votary stands.

Behavior

The Unnamed Votary watches without blinking and never speaks first. It treats trespass as a broken vow, but allows a respectful visitor to leave if they bow, keep their hands away from the shrine, and do not turn the wall-facing statue around.

How it lives

The Unnamed Votary is not born or fed in the ordinary sense. It gathers where a promise was made in a place of worship and then abandoned. It can remain motionless for years, sustained by the ritual significance of the shrine and the attention of anyone who enters.

Lair

A tiny, round shrine beyond an open archway in Veyr Keep. One statue faces the wall, and one candle burns without wax or wick. The votary usually stands between the shrine and its entrance.

Habitat
Dungeon

Signs that it is near

A candle flame that casts no moving shadow and consumes no wax.
A faint smell of cold incense, though no censer fuel can be found.
Small offerings arranged in a circle, all facing the wall.
A patch of floor polished by years of unseen kneeling.

Tags

custom monster,
construct,
shrine guardian,
psychic,
dungeon

Lore

The Unnamed Votary is found in Veyr Keep where a prayer was repeated until the supplicant forgot what answer they wanted. It guards no named deity and accepts no title. The shrine's wall-facing statue is said to represent the one who asked for an answer and could not bear to hear it.

What drives it

Preserve the shrine's silence and prevent the wall-facing statue from being turned toward the room.

After the fight

When destroyed, the votary collapses into dry ash and a small stone face turned toward the floor. The wickless candle goes dark. Any creature marked by Unanswered Prayer feels briefly certain that someone is listening, though no voice answers.

“The shrine's wall-facing statue is said to represent the one who asked for an answer and could not bear to hear it.”
From its lore

Variants

A Veyr Keep penitent bears the residue of a summer storm: its candle spits rainwater, and its Unanswered Prayer marks targets with the smell of wet stone.
An older votary is remembered through the first survivor of its shrine. It carries that survivor's name as a private epithet and has 90 hit points, but remains CR 4 only if encountered without additional allies.

Hooks

Plot hooks

A missing Veyr Keep historian left a private confession at the shrine, and the party has been sent to retrieve it without turning the statue.
The wickless candle has begun burning brighter whenever a nearby noble lies. The votary may be guarding evidence of an old betrayal.
Someone has turned the statue away from the wall in a surviving map of Veyr Keep. The party must discover who did so and why before entering the shrine.

How to use it

Place it beyond the open archway of Veyr Keep, beside the tiny round shrine. The statue's face is turned toward the wall, and one candle burns without wax or wick.
Let the party notice that the votary's shadow is already kneeling before the characters see the creature itself.
Present a chance to avoid combat: visitors who bow, leave offerings, and do not touch the statue can pass without provoking it.

Treasure

A small bronze offering bowl worth 25 gp, hidden beneath the shrine's stone lip.
Three silver prayer tokens worth 5 gp each, left by past visitors.
A sealed confession written on silk, valuable as evidence in a Veyr Keep intrigue.

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