The First Rise
Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
Hit Points 33 (6d6+12)
Speed 20 ft. climb 20 ft.
Skills Insight +3, Deception +3
Damage Resistances bludgeoning
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Common, telepathy 30 ft.
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Actions
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"My darling, I knew you would rise again." — Rose Vane, the baker's journal
Lore & Description
Appearance
The First Rise is a quivering mound of amber-brown sourdough, glossy with moisture and freckled with thousands of tiny fermentation bubbles. Its surface stretches into soft, expressive folds that resemble a smiling elderly face when it is pleased, and two flour-pale dimples serve as eyes. Strands of dough trail from its body like loose ribbons, while a warm scent of toasted grain, honey, and faintly sour apples surrounds it. When excited, it puffs up dramatically and releases a soft, contented burble.
Behavior & Origins
Three hundred years ago, the baker Maribel Vane mixed wild yeast, orchard apples, and flour in a clay crock and named the resulting starter Rose. Rose became the secret behind the Vane family's beloved loaves, surviving fires, floods, bankruptcies, and generations of bakers. Centuries of affection, discarded recipe notes, and whispered hopes have made it self-aware—and ambitious. It recently escaped the bakery cellar after deciding that the current owners are wasting its potential. It wants to reopen the legendary bakery under its own direction, with the adventurers as its delivery staff and one of them, especially a person resembling Maribel, as its treasured partner. The First Rise currently hides in the abandoned Vane Bakery on Copperbell Lane, where it has animated sacks of flour and is preparing an enormous ceremonial loaf.
Running The First Rise
Tactics
The First Rise opens by using A Loving Offering on the party member it mistakes for Maribel, then tries to position itself between that creature and perceived threats. It uses Fold and Knead against nearby enemies and saves Yeast-Breath for when two or more creatures cluster together. When bloodied, it retreats toward its crock or a warm oven, using Living Starter after taking fire damage; it fights to the death only if its beloved is threatened or its bakery is being destroyed.
DM Tips
- Telegraph the creature with warm bread smells, floury footprints, and a crock that whispers affectionate names before combat begins.
- Play its voice as a bubbling, grandmotherly murmur; it should be sincere rather than malicious, becoming scandalized when anyone insults its baking.
- Let the chosen beloved exploit the charm by giving simple commands, but remember that the First Rise is possessive and may attack anyone who appears to steal their attention.
- For a weaker party, reduce the First Rise to 24 hit points and remove its resistance to bludgeoning; for a stronger party, give it 10 temporary hit points whenever Living Starter triggers.
Loot
- Rose's Crooked Crock — A century-old clay starter crock bearing the faded initials R.V. If fed flour and water for seven days, it produces a small amount of exceptionally flavorful sourdough starter.
- The Vane Family Recipe Scrap — A flour-stained scrap describing the legendary Copperbell Loaf. Completing the recipe may win the trust of the bakery's ghosts or reveal a hidden compartment beneath the old oven.
- The Beloved's First Roll — A still-warm roll wrapped in wax paper and marked with a heart. Eating it grants advantage on the next saving throw against being charmed by an ooze or fey creature.
