Puck

Small fey (shapechanger), Chaotic Neutral

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)

Hit Points 82 (11d6 + 44)

Speed 40 ft.

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

Saving Throws Dex +6, Cha +6

Skills Deception +6, Perception +5, Stealth +6

Gear Worn wooden broom, small pouch of herbs and trinkets

Senses Darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 15

Languages Common, Sylvan

Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Traits

Cold Iron and Silver Aversion. Puck’s resistances to Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage are bypassed by weapons made of cold iron or silver. Additionally, whenever Puck is hit by such a weapon, he takes an extra 5 damage.

Inside-Out Ward. Puck is deeply confused when he sees clothing worn inside out. If a creature Puck can see wears a prominent piece of its clothing (like a coat or shirt) inside out, Puck has Disadvantage on attack rolls against that creature, and the creature has Advantage on saving throws against Puck’s spells and abilities.

Primeval Mimicry. Puck can perfectly mimic animal sounds and humanoid voices. A creature that hears the sounds can tell they are imitations with a successful DC 14 Wisdom (Insight) check.

Actions

Multiattack. Puck makes two Trickster's Strike or two Will-o’-Wisp Bolt attacks. He can replace one of these attacks with a use of Spellcasting.

Trickster's Strike. Melee Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. (reach 10 ft. if in horse form), one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage, and the target is knocked Prone. (Puck strikes with his broom, iron chains, or hooves depending on his form).

Will-o’-Wisp Bolt. Magic Attack: +6 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) radiant damage. The target becomes wreathed in ghostly faerie light, shedding dim light in a 10-foot radius and preventing it from benefiting from the Invisible condition until the end of its next turn.

Spellcasting. Puck casts one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (Spell Save DC 14):

At Will: Minor Illusion (PHB, p. 298), Prestidigitation (PHB, p. 307)

2/Day Each: Phantasmal Force (PHB, p. 304), Sleep (cast at 3rd level; PHB, p. 304)

1/Day Each: Polymorph (Anatomical Transmutation: The target must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be transformed into a harmless goat or hare. This effect requires no Concentration, and to reflect his chaotic but fleeting magic, lasts only until the end of the target's next turn; PHB, p. 307).

Bonus Actions

Shapechange. Puck magically polymorphs into a Large black horse, a Medium black dog, a Tiny raven, an inanimate Small or Tiny everyday object (like a bucket or stool), or back into his true Small humanoid form. His statistics are the same in each form, except for his speed:

Black Horse: Speed becomes 60 ft.

Raven: Gains a Fly speed of 50 ft.

Inanimate Object: Speed becomes 0 ft., and he is indistinguishable from a normal item until he moves, speaks, or takes an action or reaction.

Lore

A complex, shape-shifting trickster spirit from European mythology, using reality-bending magic and various animal forms.

Puck (sometimes rendered in older sources as Peck) is among the most intricate figures in European mythology. Both historically and linguistically, the character took shape at the crossroads of Celtic and Germanic cultures during the Early Middle Ages, evolving over centuries from a chthonic terror-spirit into a household helper and, eventually, a literary trickster. His very name comes from the Old English word puca, which in Old and Middle English simply meant “demon” or “evil spirit.”

In the Middle Ages, speaking a demon’s true name was thought to be dangerously provocative, so a whole system of euphemisms grew up around Puck. In England he was commonly called Robin Goodfellow. “Robin” was a medieval nickname for the Devil, while the flattering tag “Goodfellow” was meant to placate the sprite. In everyday speech he was also known as Hob or Hobgoblin.

From The Fairy Tale Compendium · Fern Flower Press