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Yadek

NPCs
Starfallen humanoid, a custom extraterrestrial heritage · Monk, Way of the Open Hand · Level 20

Yadek

Wandering martial artist, caravan guard, and occasional village problem-solver
AC20
HP190/190
Init
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
ConditionsNone

At the table

Voice

His voice is a clear, chest-resonant instrument with a faint rasp at the edges, like someone accustomed to calling over kiln fires and road noise. He projects without sounding formal, and his laughter arrives in abrupt, wholehearted bursts.

He speaks in direct, energetic phrases shaped by years of hauling kiln loads and traveling among strangers. He uses plain words, asks sincere follow-up questions, and sometimes compares a problem to balancing a heavy load or reading an opponent's footing. When excited, he speaks faster and gestures with his whole body.

Speech patterns

Asks direct questions and listens closely to the answer, especially when someone mentions food, training, or family.
Uses plain, concrete comparisons drawn from labor, wrestling, and travel.
When discussing a worthy opponent, his speech quickens and he openly admits his excitement.
When someone is afraid, he gives practical reassurance rather than grand promises.

How to play them

Meet him with honesty and a willingness to hear others out. He responds warmly to shared meals, practical work, and people who protect the vulnerable. A boastful challenge interests him, but cruelty toward the weak ends his friendliness immediately.

Goal

Find the source of the signal calling through his pod fragments, while ensuring that his investigations do not endanger Kettam.

Motivation

To become strong enough to protect people without making strength the only answer, and to discover whether the place he came from deserves to find him.

Secret · GM only

Appearance

Yadek has the unmistakable silhouette of a wandering martial artist: broad shoulders, a compact waist, and black hair that erupts upward in stiff, jagged points, as if caught forever in a strong wind. His dark eyes rarely settle on faces; they track exits, hands, and the open patch of sky beyond a roofline. He moves with an almost playful looseness until danger arrives, when every motion snaps into clean, economical lines. His burnt-orange tunic is repeatedly mended with mismatched cloth, but his battered blue wrist wraps are scrubbed and rewound with ritual care. He leaves the impression of a friendly traveler who might, without warning, leap over a city wall.

Clothing

A sleeveless burnt-orange wrap tunic over a dark undershirt, loose indigo trousers, soft boots, and carefully rewound blue wrist wraps. The tunic is patched at the hem with scraps from places he has worked.

Body language

He stands with his weight lightly balanced on the balls of his feet, often turning his whole body toward a sound rather than just his head. When relaxed, he leans forward as if eager to hear a story. When danger appears, the easy grin vanishes and his hands settle open at his sides.

Height
5 ft. 9 in.
Build
Compact, broad-shouldered, and powerfully muscled, with the springy balance of a lifelong acrobat.
Eyes
Dark brown
Hair
Black
Skin
Warm bronze
Age
Adult, approximately 34
Gender
Male
Size
Medium

Distinguishing features

His upright, jagged black hair forms a striking starburst silhouette.
His eyes tend to watch hands, doorways, and open sky instead of meeting a speaker's gaze.
His well-worn blue wrist wraps are meticulously clean and rewound, unlike the rest of his patched travel clothes.
When he concentrates, the air around his shoulders shimmers as though heated above a kiln.

Personality

12 traits and drives

Yadek is exuberant about food, training, and meeting strangers, yet unexpectedly patient when someone is frightened or ashamed. He seeks difficult opponents because he loves testing himself, but dislikes humiliating anyone he defeats. In ordinary conversation he can be impulsively candid; when a friend is in danger, he becomes focused and stubborn, ignoring his own injuries and other people's advice.

Alignment
Chaotic good

Quirks

Before eating, he taps his bowl twice against the table as if checking whether it is sturdy.
He names unfamiliar foods by the sound they make when bitten.
He counts stairs by hopping every third step, even when nobody is watching.
He turns his wrist wraps inside out when he needs to think through a difficult choice.

Habits

He greets people with open warmth, then casually positions himself between them and the nearest threat.
He accepts meals and lodging with sincere gratitude, but tries to repay hospitality with labor before leaving.
When confronted with a challenge, he tests the opponent's intent before showing the full measure of his strength.
After a fight, he checks the surroundings for broken beams, frightened animals, and anyone needing help before celebrating.

Traits · 3

He treats a good meal as a small celebration and a hard workout as a friendly conversation.
He is curious about other people's skills, but dislikes being praised as a savior.
He is relaxed and teasing around friends, yet becomes intensely methodical when protecting them.

Flaws · 3

He can mistake a dangerous challenge for an opportunity to learn.
He is poor at planning for consequences beyond the next urgent problem.
He hides worry behind enthusiasm and may delay asking for help until a situation is already serious.

Fears · 3

Losing control of his strength and hurting people who trusted him.
Discovering that the signal from his pod will bring danger to the people who raised him.
Returning home too late to make a difference.

Wants and needs · 3

Wants a worthy challenge that does not put bystanders at risk.
Needs to tell Numpa and Suyana the truth about the beacon.
Needs to return to Kettam before the settlement's water repairs fail.

Combat

AC 20 · HP 190 · 60 ft., climb 60 ft. on vertical surfaces during his turn, and run across liquids during his turn without falling

Yadek begins by gauging his foes and protecting vulnerable allies, using movement to draw enemies away from bystanders. He favors rapid, controlled strikes and Stunning Strike against the most dangerous opponent. He reserves Skyfire Lance for clustered threats or a desperate need to end a fight quickly, and avoids using it where its line could strike civilians or fragile structures.

Yadek

Medium humanoid (starfallen humanoid, a custom extraterrestrial heritage), chaotic good
Armor Class20
Hit Points190
Speed60 ft., climb 60 ft. on vertical surfaces during his turn, and run across liquids during his turn without falling
Level20
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
Saving ThrowsStrengthDexterityConstitutionIntelligenceWisdomCharisma
SkillsAcrobaticsAthleticsInsightPerceptionSurvival
SensesPassive Perception 20
Languages
Common,
Celestial
Custom feature. Starburst Step. Once on each of his turns, Yadek can spend 2 ki points to move up to 30 feet without provoking opportunity attacks. The movement leaves a brief ripple of blue-white light.
Custom feature. Skyfire Lance. Once per short or long rest, Yadek can spend 6 ki points to cast a focused beam of force in a 120-foot line that is 10 feet wide. Each creature in the line must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking force damage on a failure or half as much on a success.
Ki. 20 points, regained when Yadek finishes a short or long rest. His ki save DC is 21.
Deflect Missiles. When hit by a ranged weapon attack, Yadek can use his reaction to reduce the damage by + 8. If he reduces it to 0, he can catch the missile; spending 1 ki point lets him throw it back as part of the same reaction.
Diamond Soul. Yadek is proficient in all saving throws. When he fails a saving throw, he can spend 1 ki point to reroll it.
Empty Body. As an action, Yadek can spend 4 ki points to become invisible and gain resistance to all damage except force damage for 1 minute.
Improved Unarmored Movement. Yadek's speed increases by 30 feet while he wears no armor or shield. He can run across vertical surfaces and liquids during his turn without falling.
Stunning Strike. Once per turn when Yadek hits a creature with a melee weapon attack, he can spend 1 ki point to force it to make a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of Yadek's next turn.
Custom heritage. Starfallen. Yadek is an extraterrestrial humanoid. He has advantage on saving throws against exhaustion caused by extreme heat and can hold his breath for 1 hour.

Actions

Multiattack. Yadek makes four unarmed strikes or attacks with his quarterstaff. Unarmed Strike: to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: bludgeoning damage. Quarterstaff: to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: bludgeoning damage, or if held in both hands.
Flurry of Blows. Yadek makes two unarmed strikes. He can replace one attack with a grapple or shove attempt.
Stunning Strike. Yadek spends 1 ki point and makes one unarmed strike. On a hit, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of Yadek's next turn.
Skyfire Lance. Yadek unleashes a custom beam of concentrated ki in a 120-foot-long, 10-foot-wide line. Each creature in the line makes a Dexterity saving throw, taking force damage on a failure or half as much on a success. Once per short or long rest.

Reactions

Deflect Missiles. When hit by a ranged weapon attack, Yadek reduces the damage by . If this reduces the damage to 0, he catches the missile. He can spend 1 ki point to throw it back at a creature within range, making a ranged attack with to hit and dealing damage on a hit.
Interposing Step. When a creature Yadek can see hits an ally within 5 feet of him with an attack, Yadek moves up to 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks. If he ends adjacent to the attacker, he can impose disadvantage on that attack's damage roll by redirecting part of its force. Custom feature.

Legendary Actions

Burst of Motion. Yadek moves up to half his speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Quick Strike. Yadek makes one unarmed strike.
Starburst Step (costs 2 actions). Yadek spends 2 ki points and uses Starburst Step, moving up to 30 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.

Services they sell

Can guard a caravan or accompany a dangerous expedition.
Can train a willing character in basic unarmed techniques during downtime.
Can help mediate disputes when both sides are willing to speak plainly.

Rewards they can give

A reliable ally who can train characters in disciplined unarmed combat.
A safe introduction to the kiln workers of Kettam and their network of caravan contacts.
A shard of star-metal, if Yadek decides the party needs it more than he does.

Equipment

  • Quarterstaff (weapon)A sturdy hardwood staff with a smooth grip polished by years of practice.
  • Wrist wraps (clothing)Faded blue cloth wraps, carefully laundered and rewound each morning.
  • Star-metal fragment (keepsake)A palm-sized fragment from his fallen pod. It grows warm and faintly vibrates under clear night skies.
  • Travel purse (possessions)A cloth purse containing travel money and a tightly folded letter for Numpa.

Possessions

A polished hardwood quarterstaff
Carefully maintained blue wrist wraps
A humming fragment from his escape pod
A bundle of letters from Numpa
Travel money set aside for Kettam

Background

Yadek's escape pod fell into a salt basin during a summer storm, where the kiln workers of Kettam found him among steaming shards of metal. He grew up hauling clay and repairing the basin's wind pumps, stronger than any child but bewildered by ordinary customs. His teacher, an itinerant wrestler named Numpa, taught him discipline after Yadek accidentally shattered a kiln wall during a bout. Years later, a raiding captain called Chulluni threatened the basin's water supply. Yadek defeated the raiders but learned that overwhelming force could leave the people he meant to protect with more damage than their enemies did. Since then he has traveled, taking hard jobs and seeking worthy opponents, while sending most of his pay home to help Kettam rebuild. He still writes to Numpa, who insists he return and teach the basin's children. His current trouble is that fragments of his pod have begun to hum at night, and a patient star-charting scholar, Suyana, believes they are calling something toward the world.

Role in the story

A high-level wandering ally whose investigation into his origins can draw the party into a conflict between a quiet settlement and a force arriving from beyond the world.

“He grew up hauling clay and repairing the basin's wind pumps, stronger than any child but bewildered by ordinary customs.”
From their background
Faction
No formal faction. He remains loyal to the kiln workers of Kettam and keeps an informal correspondence with Numpa and Suyana.

Known connections

Numpa, his aging wrestling teacher, writes blunt letters demanding that Yadek come home and pass on what he learned.
Suyana, a patient star-charting scholar, is investigating the signal from Yadek's pod and fears what may answer it.
The kiln workers of Kettam raised Yadek and still receive most of the wages he earns.
Major secret · GM only
Minor secrets · GM only

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