The midnight forest surrounded Claudia and Asteros like an endless sea of dark and terror, their only respite a small campfire eagerly devouring whatever branches Claudia could scrounge. She looked over to Asteros, unconscious but wincing with every breath, and cursed the wolves who ambushed them not hours before. It was a routine delivery; how could things have gone so poorly this time?
“That looks rather dire; I daresay he won’t last the night without proper treatment. And with you both so far from home, that doesn’t seem likely, now does it?”
Whipping around with dagger drawn, Claudia scanned the surrounding woods for the owner of the strange voice.
“Down here, my dear.”
The fire crackled, almost like a laugh, and Claudia began to question whether or not she had suffered a serious wound herself. Within the flames of the campfire, a singular catlike eye stared back at her.
“Tell me, Claudia, what would you give to save your dear Asteros?”
Why a Campfire?
As part of Creatober 2020, a month-long event where every day of October has a creative prompt associated with it. For a group of Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition creators, our prompt on October 3rd was Campfire. Cita A F, a talented artist I’ve gotten to know through my latest publishing efforts, created the artwork first. Inspired, I asked for permission to write a monster stat block based on her work. She agreed, and thus my interpretation of the Sly Campfire was born!
When we think of Devils, the silver-tongued dealer with an offer too good to refuse immediately springs to mind. While we do see that proclivity for bargains in D&D with the Dark Dealers and Soul Mongers section of their lore on page 66 of the fifth edition Monster Manual. Their biggest hurdle to entering contracts with PCs, however, is that they all look like horrible monsters; a Player’s guard is immediately raised the moment one comes onto the picture. And between the Monster Manual and Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, only the CR 15 Green Abishai (Devil Lords notwithstanding) has the Alter Self spell. But why is this important?
As I mentioned before, only the most confident (or foolish) of PCs will make a bargain with a Devil from the first appearance because the creature making this offer is made of bones, an icy bug monster, or stabs people with a tentacle beard. And because PCs are typically good or heroic in some measure, they often won’t go about summoning a Devil when they need extra-dimensional assistance (with the effort required, why not simply go to a temple and beseech a benevolent god for aid?). Story-rich pacts come from moments of desperation, betrayal from a friendly face, or a mixture of both. This is where the Sly Campfire comes into play.
Roleplaying the Sly Campfire
A warm campfire is one of the most assumed parts of establishing a long-rest base out in the wilderness, and Devils know wandering adventurers and travelers alike often find themselves in desperate situations. While their true forms are unknown (perhaps an extension of a Pit Fiend’s fiery will), Sly Campfires eek their way onto the Material Plane through bonfires, campfires, and fireplaces. When formed, their primary goal is espionage; they use their appearance and natural heat to pose as a source of comfort while they learn the flaws and wants of their target. Using this information, they offer assistance by way of their vast repertoire of knowledge as a false extension of good will. They then vanish, returning to the Nine Hells and wait for the target to call upon them of their own volition. And so the first stone on the road to damnation is paved.
Of course, desperate situations may call for an expedited approach. A Sly Campfire may approach with the offer of mending wounds when resources are scarce, or protection from threats while adventurers tend to their wounds. These services rarely come free; the Campfire will ask for minor favors, nothing extreme enough to reveal their true intentions, to forward other ambitions or fulfill the requests of targets unknown to the target. If the request is for the revival of a fallen companion, the Sly Campfire may then demand one soul be traded for another.
Using the Sly Campfire in Combat
Due to their solitary hunting nature and slow movement, combat is a Sly Campfire’s last resort. However, this does not mean they are to be taken lightly. Their super-heated bodies harm anything that comes within direct contact, serving as a natural defense against melee combatants. To handle ranged threats, Sly Campfires can lob their own fiery essence with frightening accuracy. Finally, a vanquished Sly Campfire explodes in a violent firestorm in a final effort to take its foes down with it.
While the Sly Campfire has some heavy-damaging abilities and a large pool of hit points, it can only attack once per turn and is rarely accompanied by another Sly Campfire. In addition, spells and effects dealing Cold damage (Ray of Frost, Ice Knife, etc.) will quickly whittle down this Devil.
Conclusion
What are your initial thoughts on the Sly Campfire? Would you use this in your games as an introduction to the persuasive machinations of other Devils? What would you do to improve upon its design?
Until next time,
Matthew Wulf
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