Barbovert Green Beard

Medium fey (sorcerer), Neutral Evil

Armor Class 16 (Mystic Wards)

Hit Points 135 (18d8 + 54)

Speed 30 ft., Fly 40 ft. (hover)

STR 10 (+0) · DEX 16 (+3) · CON 16 (+3) · INT 18 (+4) · WIS 14 (+2) · CHA 20 (+5)

Saving Throws Con +7, Cha +9

Skills Arcana +8, Deception +9, Insight +6, Perception +6, Sleight Of Hand +7

Gear Deck of enchanted playing cards, magic shears

Senses Darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 16

Languages Common, Elvish, Primordial, Sylvan

Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)

Traits

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Barbover fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.

Actions

Multiattack. Barbover makes three attacks, using Razor Card or Grasping Thorns in any combination. He can replace one attack with Spellcasting.

Razor Card. Magic Attack: +9 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (2d12 + 5) Slashing damage.

Grasping Thorns. Magic Attack: +9 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) Piercing damage, and the target is pulled up to 15 feet toward Barbover and is automatically Grappled (escape DC 17).

Spellcasting. Barbover casts one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (Spell Save DC 17):

At Will: Detect Magic (PHB, p.262), Minor Illusion (PHB, p.298), Prestidigitation (PHB, p.298)

3/Day each: Dimension Door (PHB, p.262), Dispel Magic (PHB, p. 264), Plant Growth (PHB, p. 305)

1/Day each: Telekinesis (PHB, p. 331), Wall of Thorns (PHB, p. 339)

Bonus Actions

Cheater's Shuffle. Barbover magically teleports up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space he can see.

Reactions

Fold the Hand. When Barbover takes damage, he halves the damage taken and can immediately teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space he can see.

Lore

Prince Charles is a young royal who loses his life in a fateful card game and must survive impossible trials with the help of a magical maiden to escape a wicked wizard in the French fairy tale "Barbovert Green Beard".

Somewhere in medieval France, a young prince named Charles lost his way in the forest while out hunting. The whole thing was absurd— the weather was clear and sunny, and nothing hinted at danger. After wandering for hours and growing weary, he stumbled upon a roadside inn and met a mysterious stranger. Spotting the royal crests on Charles’s fine clothes, the stranger offered him wine, a place to rest, and a friendly game of cards.

Luck, however, was nowhere to be found. Hand after hand went against the prince, each one robbing him of any chance to recover. Whenever victory seemed within reach, it slipped away at the last second. Charles lost all his money, then his horse, and finally, caught up in gambling fever, he wagered his own life—and lost that, too.

From The Fairy Tale Compendium · Fern Flower Press