Xvart
Image © Wizards of the Coast.
[Back in the days of AD&D, there was a logical progression to humanoid opponents, based on how tough they were. Kobolds were weakest, followed by goblins, then orcs, then hobgoblins, then gnolls, lizardmen and bugbears in that order. The xvart was created in the Fiend Folio to fill a perceived gap; they’re weaker than goblins and stronger than kobolds. But other than that, they’re just Yet Another Evil Humanoid, and have kind of floated around from edition to edition looking for a niche. Volo’s Guide to Monsters makes them direct creations and pawns of their god Raxivort, instead of Raxivort being an ascended xvart as his original flavor text described. This is, I think, the best decision that’s been made yet about the xvarts, and it makes them stand out more than the novelty of being shanked by a Smurf.
This version is an adaptation of the Volo’s backstory, with a few adjustments for Pathfinder. Graz’zt doesn’t exist in that setting, for example, so the Infinity Spindle needed a new owner. In 5e canon, xvarts are only created by Raxivort directly, which raises the question of where new xvarts come from. Does Raxivort drop them off when he visits his cults? Does a giant bat deliver them in a bundle and drop them down the chimney? So I wanted to make sure that xvarts could reproduce themselves.]
Xvart CR 1/3 CE Outsider (native) This awful little man is about half head, with dark blue skin, orange eyes and a fringe of black hair surrounding a mostly bald scalp.
Xvarts are malicious little humanoids with an inferiority complex, created as decoys by a nascent demon lord. Their progenitor is Raxivort, who gained his title and power by stealing the Infinity Spindle from the treasury of Mammon, an artifact that can bestow immortality through the power of hundreds of stolen souls. Hunted perpetually by Mammon and his allies, as well as other schemers who want the power of the Infinity Spindle for themselves, Raxivort used his newfound power to effectively clone himself, creating a whole species of miniature duplicates. These are the xvarts. Whenever anyone attempts to use divination magic to learn about Raxivort, the spell instead targets the nearest xvart, leaving him pleasantly anonymous.
Xvarts know of their origins, and tend towards two alternating philosophies focusing on Raxivort. Most worship him, praying for his blessings and sacrificing treasure and lives to him in the hopes of being rewarded. A few renegade tribes hate Raxivort for the crime of creating them, and are nihilists who pray that Raxivort is caught and killed. Both philosophies lead themselves towards a sense of bitterness towards other species, and xvarts know that they are considered small, stupid and ugly by others. They are bandits, robbers and thieves, making a living by stealing from their neighbors. Xvarts are capable of eating a wide variety of foods, but prefer to eat meat because killing makes them feel superior. They look down on kobolds, and hate just about anyone larger than themselves.
Xvarts believe in strength in numbers, and are rarely if ever encountered alone. They train with each other in cooperative combat, and most xvarts have at least one teamwork feat. They use whatever techniques they can to weaken and slow down opponents—nets and traps are favored. As a gift from Raxivort, xvarts can speak with bats, rats, and giant versions of the same, and often use dire rats as hunting dogs or dire bats as steeds. Xvarts see no shame in fleeing from a combat, and do so if they cannot press an advantage.
All xvarts look practically the same, as they closely resemble miniatures of Raxivort—all are approximately 3 feet tall, have dark blue skin, orange or yellow eyes, and are perpetually balding. They have no secondary sexual characteristics, and an xvart who genders themselves is seen as strange by most others. Despite rumors to the contrary, they can reproduce—births are almost always twins, and the children are raised communally, if somewhat negligently. Those that survive are considered to be full adults by 7. Xvarts rarely live past the age of 50. Xvarts advance by class level; most leveled xvarts are rogues or rangers, and spellcasters are typically clerics of Raxivort or sorcerers with the Abyssal bloodline.
Raxivort Raxivort the Packmaster appears as an xvart standing nine feet tall, clutching a falchion limned in blue fire. He is a shapeshifter, capable of transforming into a rat, a bat or a monstrous hybrid of the two. Raxivort’s domain is the Black Sewer, the network of catacombs beneath Alushinyrra, the Porphyry City. He is a nascent demon lord with the Chaos, Darkness, Evil and Trickery domains, and the Deception, Demon, Loss and Thievery subdomains.
Xvarts as Characters Xvarts do not have racial Hit Dice and instead advance through class levels. An xvart character has the following characteristics +4 Dex, -2 Int, -2 Wis, -2 Cha Xvarts are very nimble, but have small, stunted minds Native Outsider An xvart is immune to spells and abilities that target humanoids specifically Normal Speed An xvart has a movement speed of 30 ft. Thievery An xvart gains a +2 racial bonus on Sleight of Hand and Stealth checks. Diviner’s Bane An xvart gains a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against divination effects. Raxivort’s Tongue An xvart may communicate with rodents and bats as if under the effects of a speak with animals spell as a supernatural ability Run Away An xvart does not provoke attacks of opportunity the first time it leaves a space within an opponent’s reach in a round. Passing through additional squares in an opponent’s reach provoke attacks of opportunity as normal. Weapon Proficiency An xvart is proficient with nets Languages An xvart begins play speaking Abyssal. Xvarts with an Intelligence bonus may choose from the following bonus languages: Common, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Orc, Undercommon
