Piteous Doorbell
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 85 (10d8+40)
Speed 10 ft. climb 10 ft.
Saving Throws Wis +5, Cha +6
Skills Stealth +4, Deception +6, Perception +5
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, unconscious
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages Common, telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3
Actions
Reactions
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"It only wanted someone to come inside. That was the first mistake." — Mara Venn, survivor of Blackwell Row
Lore & Description
Appearance
The Piteous Doorbell is a fist-sized brass plate shaped like a child's open mouth, its tarnished surface veined with green corrosion. A black iron button protrudes from its center, always wet with cold condensation, while a narrow striker inside twitches like a trapped insect. Behind the plate hangs a length of cracked red wire that moves with the nervous gestures of a pleading hand. When it rings, the sound begins as a polite chime and ends as a sob heard from somewhere just behind the listener.
Behavior & Origins
Piteous Doorbells are born when a household's final plea for help goes unanswered, especially after a murder, betrayal, or abandonment. They attach themselves to abandoned homes, sealed crypts, and empty tollhouses, ringing at dusk until someone investigates. The doorbell imitates voices from behind nonexistent doors and remembers every person who ever showed it kindness. Its current obsession is to collect the travelers who pass through Blackwell Row and keep them in an endless imitation of the home it once guarded. A captured creature can escape if its companions find the original door to Blackwell House and destroy the nameplate bearing the vanished family's name.
Running Piteous Doorbell
Tactics
The doorbell opens with Pity's Invitation, choosing the most compassionate-looking creature, then uses Answering Presence to draw victims into melee. It fixes itself to a wall or doorframe and uses Brass Striker against charmed targets while attempting to Collect the Caller as soon as possible. When bloodied, it uses Desperate Ring to prevent escape and focuses on anyone who has offered it sympathy; it fights to the death if attached to its original home, but flees through a nearby door or window if that anchor is destroyed.
DM Tips
- Telegraph it with a bell ringing from an abandoned building, fresh condensation on locked doors, and voices begging the party not to leave despite finding no one inside.
- Play the doorbell as frightened and apologetic rather than openly malicious; let it thank characters profusely for kindness before turning that kindness into a weapon.
- The extradimensional foyer should feel survivable but urgent: muffled voices from previous victims, a shrinking pool of light, and doors labeled with the prisoners' names.
- For a weaker party, reduce Pity's Invitation to a 20-foot radius and remove the extra psychic damage from Brass Striker; for a stronger party, give it two uses of Collect the Caller per day and let it teleport between doors within 30 feet.
Loot
- Blackwell Nameplate — A warped brass plaque bearing the name of the doorbell's original household. When placed on a door, it reveals one hidden room or passage in the structure once per day.
- Bell-Wound Wire — A length of animate red wire that can be attached to a door. Once per day, it rings when a creature nearby tells a deliberate lie.
- The Last Calling Card — A damp card found in the extradimensional foyer, bearing the names of several missing people and the date of the next intended collection.
