Description
The front man of Herman’s Vermin is an aging wererat bard whose mind is addled by years of depravity and substance abuse. He still loves to party, but he relies on his manager Lucien for everything from booking shows to cleaning up after the band.
Herman’s raucous band of wererats typically has four or five musicians. Whenever Herman tires of a band member, they are killed and eaten by the rest of the band. A new member is “recruited” by infecting a talented but unknown bard with lycanthropy.
Herman Vile
Medium Humanoid (Human, Wererat), Chaotic Neutral
Armor Class 15 (durasilk shirt)
Hit Points 86 (14d8 + 6)
Ego 16 Cool Points 140
Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
| 10 (+0) | 15 (+2) | 14 (+2) | 8 (-1) | 14 (+2) | 18 (+4) |
Saving Throws Cha+9
Skills Perception +2, Performance +10
Damage Immunities Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks that aren’t Silvered
Condition Immunities charmed
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 12
Languages Common (can’t speak in rat form)
Challenge 10 (5,900 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +4
Actions
Multiattack (Human or Hybrid Form Only). Herman makes two attacks, only one of which can be a bite. He can replace one attack with a use of Spellcasting.
Music Attack (Human or Hybrid Form Only) Ranged Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, Range 60 ft., One Target
Hit: 13 (1d8+9) cool points or psychic damage
Hand Crossbow +1 (Human or Hybrid Form Only). Ranged Weapon Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, Range 5 ft, one target
Hit: 8 (1d6+5) Piercing damage
Bite (Rat or Hybrid Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, One target
Hit: 4 (1d4+2) piercing damage
If the target is a humanoid, it must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be cursed with wererat lycanthropy.
Disgust (3/Day, Any Form). Herman can use his action to commit a vile act that disgusts any creature that can see him. Each creature must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be incapacitated until the end of its next turn while retching.
Shapechanger. Herman can use his action to polymorph into a rat-humanoid hybrid or into a giant rat, or back into his true form, which is humanoid. His statistics, other than his size, are the same in each form. Any equipment he is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. He reverts to his true form if he dies.
Spellcasting. Herman casts one of the following spells, using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks):
• At will: color spray, friends, mage hand, vicious mockery
• 2/day each: bestow curse, counterspell, hypnotic pattern, stinking cloud
• 1/day each: mass suggestion, phantasmal killer, polymorph, prismatic spray
Herman Vile is one of many musician NPCs in BARD HARD, a one-shot Dungeons & Dragons adventure for high level bards.
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