Rakdos Carnival
As lumbering giants put up makeshift stages and cack-
ling devils ignite the footlights, the first performers be-
gin to gather the crowds. Exuberant music with erratic
rhythms draws spectators from the surrounding neigh-
borhood. and cheers of approval greet the more accom-
plished performers- along with gasps a nd shrieks as
the acts get more risky and the firs t blood is drawn. Ac-
robats cavort through the streets while sword swallow-
ers and knife th rowers flash bright steel. The crowd gets
larger and wilder, the shouts and screams get louder, the
fires burn brighter, a nd blood glistens red in the torch-
light. The spectacle is gruesome but captivating; the
crowd hates to watch but can't look away. Soon madness
takes them, and they- devils and ogres, acrobats and
spectators- a re caught up in a fre nzy of violence. Only
when it is over does the horror of the event sink in.
A Rakdos carnival is more than the s um of its per-
formers and its a udience. It is a frenzy that grips those
present, a fiendish madness that comes on suddenly
and departs just as quickly, leaving gore in its wake. The
carnival, in fact, has a life of its own-and when adven-
turers face the Cult of Rakdos in the midst of a revel, the
carnival is one more foe arrayed against them.
When at least six Rakdos performers perform to-
gether in public, they can call on the carnival to aid
them. When determining the difficulty of such an en-
counte r, consider the carnival to be one additional crea-
ture of challenge rating 3.
LAIR ACTIONS
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the car-
nival takes a lair action, causing one of the following
effects; the carnival can't use the same effect two
rounds in a row:
<.II \l'Tr R , I l<l l'Clli l>S ANO I 01 S
Fire erupts from the ground at up to four points of the
DM's choice in the carnival. The fire lasts for 1 minute
or until this action is used again. Each jet of flame is
a 20-foot-tall cylinder with a 5-foot radius. Each crea-
tu re in the cylinder when it first appears must make
a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) fire
damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a
successful one. Any creature that starts its turn in the
flames must also make the saving throw.- Whirling blades, spiked chains. or other implements
of agony appear for a moment to menace ld6 random
creatures in a 20-foot cube. Each target must succeed
on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 9 (2d8)
force damage. - Blood splas hes all creatures in a 20-foot-radius sphere
centered on a point within the carnival. Each creature
in that area becomes the target of a confusion spell
(save DC 15 ).
REGIONAL EFFECTS
The carnival exerts a powerful influence over those who
come close to the festivities:
When a creature that is outside the carnival sees or
hears it. the creature must succeed on a DC 15 Wis-
dom saving throw or use its movement each round
to move toward the carnival. It can repeat the saving
throw at the end of each of its turns. ending the effect
on a success. On a successful save, the creature be-
comes immune to this effect for 24 hours.- If a creature attempts to leave the carnival. the crea-
ture must make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw. On
a failed save, the creature instead moves toward the
center of the carnival. On a successful save, the crea-
ture becomes immune to this effect for 24 hours.
If all the Ra kdos performers in the carnival die or
leave its area, these effects end immediately.