Character Sheet

As a commission for a distant relation of the Thrune royal family, toy maker Gettorio Galla crafted a child-sized hellhound out of leather, densely packing it with thick cotton. The original buyer deemed the final creation “too cute” and refused to honor the contract, so the Hellpup (as Gettorio called it) was remaindered to a shelf within the Egorian toyshop. However, it soon became a focus of interest for many of The Terrific Toybox’s customers.

One little girl grew fascinated with Hellpup, asking her mother over and over again to purchase the oversized toy. Unfortunately, her parents held a grudge against the devil-worshipping government of Cheliax and didn’t want their daughter to play with such a symbol of their allegiances. That didn’t stop the girl from loving the cute stuffed hellhound from afar so much that her wishes reverberated with the magic of the toyshop to bring Hellpup to life.

That night, though, misfortune befell the poppet. The girl’s father, tired of visiting the toy on a near-daily basis, called upon the skills he learned in hixs own youth within Egorian’s underworld. He broke into The Terrific Toybox and stole Hellpup away (along with a small handful of other valuables to mask the true nature of the crime). Before the poppet could fully come to sentience, they were roughly tossed into a random gutter on the other side of town.

Hellpup’s first few days alive were spent in squalor and misery as rain soaked their leather and rats attempted to eat their stuffing. They cowered behind discarded crates and in empty doorways, unsure of how the city’s residents would react to them. When Hellpup got caught on a jagged part of a wrought-iron fence and tore off a piece of their hide, they almost gave into despair. But that little girl’s love came flooding back into their mind, relighting an ember of optimism. That torn scrap of leather became filled with a life of its own, taking on a bat-like shape, and the two instantly bonded. Hellpup sensed that they could now draw magic from their familiar, whom they named Flappy.

Hellpup survived on the city streets for a few days, trying to remain out of sight and away from stray animals and vermin. On one fateful day, however, they were cornered in an alley by a small pack of wild dogs looking to use Hellpup as a chew toy. Before that could happen, Cutie Killstuff appeared and quickly chased off the canines. The stuffed barbarian was upset that they let someone steal a toy from the shop and had been tracking Hellpup since that time. Though Hellpup was initially wary of the sword-wielding toy, Cutie’s friendly demeanor won them over. The two returned to The Terrific Toybox and have been fast friends ever since.

Playing Hellpup

Hellpup has the Dubious Knowledge skill feat. This means that while they know quite a bit, their facts are mixed up with legends and folklore that bears only a passing resemblance to the truth. Even when you aren’t directly rolling Recall Knowledge checks to determine what Hellpup remembers, feel free to add tidbits of questionable information to their speech and beliefs.

• After being wished to life, Hellpup was alone for a bit before returning to The Terrific Toybox. Because of that, they’re socially awkward, occasionally launching into excited speeches between bouts of quiet.
• The wish that brought Hellpup to life still echoes through their spirit. They can be filled with hope in even the direst of circumstances.
• Flappy, Hellpup’s bat familiar, isn’t a combatant and is unable to deliver spells. Hellpup keeps the little leather-winged creature close by during a fight, but its ability to fly often proves useful in other situations.

Combat: Hellpup functions as support in a fight, using hexes like blood ward and stoke the heart to aid their allies’ defense and offense, respectively. However, the target of either of these effects becomes temporarily immune to them for 10 minutes afterward, so Hellpup can grant the benefit of each only once per person. That being said, both hexes can be sustained for up to 1 minute, which can end up monopolizing many of Hellpup’s actions. When Hellpup doesn’t want to commit that many resources, they can instead fall back on guidance for a helpful +1 status bonus to an attack roll or saving throw. Alternatively, a well-timed command could help turn the tide of battle.

If Hellpup is certain of a target’s morality, they will fire off a divine lance or two. They might follow this up with casting shield to protect themself from any retaliation. When push comes to shove, Hellpup falls back on using their physical weapons.

Exploration Mode: The wary Hellpup Investigates the group’s surroundings, looking for anything unusual that might be explained by their skill at Nature, Occultism, or Religion. Flappy tends to rest on its master’s haunches during exploration.

In addition, Hellpup should cast mystic armor to gain a +1 item bonus to their Armor Class at the start of the adventure. This bonus isn’t figured into their statistics, but the effect will last for the remainder of the day.

Healing: If Hellpup or their friends get hurt, they can cast heal to treat the injuries. They prefer to use the two-action version to do so at a distance. If another poppet is knocked unconscious, Hellpup will use stabilize to ensure they survive. They also have some minor healing potions as a last resort.

Other Characters

Cutie Killstuff: Cutie is comfortable with who they are and isn’t afraid to be themself. It’s an admirable attitude. You are forever grateful for how they rescued you and count them as one of your most trusted friends.

Marcella the Marionette: You sense the metaphorical fire that lights up within Marcella when she embarks on a new plan. It’s both amazing and a little bit frightening. Would you have been friends had you known each other when she was alive?

The Tin Wizard: The stuffy clockwork poppet could stand to let loose every once in a while and not be so careful and logically dry. That said, you wouldn’t want to be in the way of all that magical power if it were unleashed.

Wishborn Poppet

You were wished to life, either by a powerful spellcaster or by the earnest desire of an innocent person who loved you very much. You’re living proof that a hopeful spirit can overcome any obstacle. If you roll a success on a saving throw against an emotion or fear effect, you get a critical success instead.

Quadruped

You were crafted in a form with four legs rather than two. Your Speed is 30 feet.