The Answering Bell
Armor Class 13 (hardened brass casing)
Hit Points 11 (2d6+4)
Speed 20 ft. climb 20 ft.
Skills Stealth +4, Deception +3
Damage Resistances psychic
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Common
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Actions
Reactions
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"Don't answer it. It has begun asking questions." — Mara Venn, written beneath a burned doorway
Lore & Description
Appearance
The Answering Bell resembles a small, old-fashioned doorbell made of tarnished brass, its face scratched with hairline cracks that form something almost like a smiling mouth. A black iron clapper hangs inside its open lower rim, though no wind can move it. Faint warmth pulses beneath the casing like a heartbeat, and if watched for too long, the bell seems to have a tiny, wet eye reflected in its polished metal. Its mounting screws are bent outward like little fingers.
Behavior & Origins
The Answering Bell began as an ordinary bell on the door of a condemned house, but years of unanswered knocks, desperate visitors, and one vanished locksmith gave it a hunger. It rings itself for lonely travelers, curious children, and anyone who mistakes its sound for safety. Those who answer are not always killed; sometimes their voices can be heard chiming from inside the casing. The bell knows it is changing, and this awareness torments it: it wants to become a door, a house, or perhaps the person who owns it. A concrete hook is found in the village of Hushwick, where the bell is searching for Mara Venn, the last woman to touch it and the only person whose voice can make it stop ringing.
Running The Answering Bell
Tactics
The Answering Bell hides against a door or gate and begins with It Rings When Unwatched, trying to lure one curious creature within reach. It uses Summoning Ring to draw victims close, then marks a responder with Collected Answer and pulls that creature away from help with Clapper Lash. If reduced below half its hit points, it flees across walls toward a new threshold; if trapped, it bites frantically and rings until destroyed.
DM Tips
- Telegraph danger with rings that continue after the bell is removed, faint voices inside the casing, or footprints ending directly beneath it.
- Give the bell a hesitant, almost apologetic voice through stolen echoes; it might say, "I am sorry. I am learning."
- For a weaker party, remove Answering Chime and lower the saving throw DCs to 10; for a stronger party, let a marked creature hear allies calling from inside the bell.
- The bell works best as a tense encounter in a dark hallway, abandoned manor, or sealed gate rather than as a straightforward combat.
Loot
- Black Clapper — A cold iron clapper that rings only when held near a locked door. It can be used once to cast knock, after which it becomes silent and brittle.
- Mara's Voice — A tiny brass coil inside the bell that repeats one phrase in Mara Venn's voice: "The house is not empty." It points toward the bell's next intended threshold.
