Resentful Ladder
Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 6 (1d8+2)
Speed 10 ft. climb 20 ft.
Damage Resistances piercing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses blindsight 10 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages understands Common but can't speak
Challenge 1/8 (25 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Actions
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"You climbed me once. You will climb me again." — scratched into the banister of the Bellwether Inn
Lore & Description
Appearance
This ten-foot wooden ladder is made from dark, knotty oak polished smooth by countless hands. Its rungs are unevenly spaced like clenched teeth, its iron braces twitch when anyone approaches, and two brass nails near the top resemble narrowed, watchful eyes. When angered, it folds and unfolds with the sharp crack of breaking bones, then scuttles up walls and across ceilings on its own side rails.
Behavior & Origins
Resentful ladders are born when a carpenter dies before finishing a beloved staircase, or when a household repeatedly abandons one behind during renovations. They do not hate people so much as they hate being used and then discarded. The most infamous is the Widow's Stair in the abandoned Bellwether Inn, where rooms rearrange themselves each night so the ladder can follow trespassers and ensure nobody reaches the exit without climbing it one last time. The ladder wants to be carried to the inn's vanished upper floor, where it believes its maker is still waiting.
Running Resentful Ladder
Tactics
The ladder waits disguised among ordinary furnishings until someone climbs it, then uses Every Step an Insult to topple the climber before striking with a resentful rung. It uses Climb Back to retreat up walls, drag a fallen victim along, and force pursuers into cramped spaces. If reduced to 2 hit points or fewer, it flees toward the nearest doorway or vertical surface, but fights to the finish if cornered in its lair.
DM Tips
- Telegraph its presence with fresh splinters, scuff marks high on walls, and a ladder that is always found one room closer than it was before.
- Play its movements as offended body language: it leans away from approaching hands, rattles its rungs, and folds itself shut like crossed arms.
- For a weaker party, remove Every Step an Insult's fall damage and lower its attack bonus to +3; for a stronger party, give it two Resentful Rung attacks per round.
- Let the lair rearrange harmlessly between scenes—doors opening onto different corridors, stairs leading to closets, and furniture blocking the safest exit—to make the creature feel impossible to say goodbye to.
Loot
- Bellwether Brass Nail — A warm brass nail pried from the ladder's top rail. When hammered into a doorway, it points toward the nearest unfinished route or hidden exit for one day.
- Splinter of the First Stair — A black oak splinter carved with half a maker's name. It is a clue leading to the vanished upper floor of the Bellwether Inn.
