The flip-side to your game's Santa Claus/Winter Demiurge/Hogfather proxy.
If you like this, you may also enjoy A Short Bestiary of "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" by L. Frank Baum.
Make sure to scroll down for 20 minor magical holiday gifts.
Every horrible holiday helper has a switch of twigs and a large vessel on their back.
HD 4 AC as chain Twig Switch 1d6
Move As human Int clever Morale high
Wants gleefully punish the naughty, grudgingly help the good
Naughty or Nice: A helper has advantage on all attacks and checks against evil targets, and disadvantage on all attacks and checks against good targets.
Steal Away: The helper makes an attack with their free hand. The helper can make an attack with their switch and steal away in the same round.
If the helper hits, they deal no damage, but the target is grabbed. If they win a grapple next round, they'll shove anyone grabbed into the vessel.
Anyone in the vessel takes d6 non-lethal damage at the start of their turn. They can attempt a grapple to escape.
General appearance
- Hairy, hoofed, and horned, with a long, lashing tongue. Capers and leaps.
- White-haired old man in musty, dark furs. Not clear if he's smiling or just showing you his teeth.
- Bent but spry old woman with bells or onions tied to her robes. Might have an iron nose.
- Gnarled, furry form with an apish face which possesses unnatural strength for its size. Stares.
- Old clothes stuffed with straw and twigs, and a wooden mask for a face. Mute.
- Hulking young man with stringy hair and an air of troll about him. Might have a tufted swishing tail.
Their switch is
- Full of soot - a struck target must save or be blinded for a round.
- Extremely long - reach as a whip.
- Actually iron chains - d12 damage.
- Able to be ridden like a broomstick - the helper gains a fast fly speed, but it takes them an action to mount or dismount.
- Actually a flogging whip - a struck target must save or be stunned in pain for a round.
- Embellished - There's a magical toy dangling from the grip. The helper might use it, or it might be claimed.
Their vessel is
- A leather sack - There's treats in here? Anyone who escapes does so with a magical gift.
- An iron cage - Add armor as shield to the helper, and attempts to escape have disadvantage.
- A wooden coffin - Add armor as shield to the helper, the inside is dark, and nobody else can see or target them.
- A huge wicker basket - It can hold up to three victims.
- An iron cauldron - stuffed with narcotic herbs and old bones. Non-lethal damage increases to d12 per round.
- A helper's helper - miniature version of the helper riding on their shoulders. Mimics their actions but can't speak. Might hop off to spy or run errands. Stats as a goblin except when maintaining a grapple.
Someone captured in the vessel will be
- Dumped out and scolded when the helper is not under threat.
- Left to wake up in an embarrassing state in a very public place the next morning.
- Carried off to the wilderness but returned unharmed at the start of the next year.
- Carried off to the wilderness and abandoned without their gear.
- Carried off to the wilderness to be eaten sometime in the next week.
- Pulled out and devoured as soon as the helper is not under threat.
Surprise! This helper...
- Can fold and flatten to slip through cracks under doors or down chimneys.
- Can mimic voices and animal sounds - Save to discern the trick.
- Has terrible claws - It deals 1d4 damage when stealing away.
- Is voracious - A missed steal away attack still grabs d4 rations, which are immediately devoured.
- Can roar or shriek - Creatures in a 20' radius must save or be deafened. Might call other helpers.
- Has a sickle - Can eviscerate the unconscious for 3d6 damage.
For the Nice, this helper might
- Throw big handfuls of candy and nuts.
- Clean the house or barn.
- Offer a magical gift.
- Bring good luck for a year.
- Point the way to a lost buried treasure.
- Pay a visit to someone naughty they name.
Bonus: Horrible Holiday Helper's Magical Gifts
- Wooden toy sword. It can turn into a real sword or back with a command.
- Silver star ornament. It can be used once to cast detect evil, turning tarnished and cracked if detected.
- Pine cone tied in ribbons. Or maybe intestines? If planted, it will grow to a 5' wide and 10' tall tree in 1 minute.
- Cuddly stuffed bear. Grants +1 to saving throws made while asleep.
- Brand new pair of socks that stay brand new. An infuriatingly practical gift.
- Evergreen bough brooch. Smells lovely. Re-roll a failed stealth check in the woods once per night.
- Glass globe ornament, full of ever-swirling snow. If shattered it forms an obscuring cloud until it blows away or melts. Quite pretty until then.
- Icicle that doesn't melt. The best drink-stirrer you'll ever own.
- Painted toy soldier. Can be used once to cast disguise self, but only as a soldier or guard.
- Miniature book of yuletide folk songs. Surprisingly saucy. Can cast vicious mockery once per day.
- Spinning hand drum. Can be set on its end to spin by itself indefinitely, providing a steady back-beat, or distraction.
- Tiny tin horn. Shrill and irritating tone will wake deep sleepers, including those under magical sleep as if they were being shaken.
- Mechanical wren. Wind it up and it hops and bobs and pecks about. Can be offered as a sacrificial material component for any spell up to 3rd level.
- Shiny paper cracker. Ask a question and pull it open with a pop. Inside are some candies, a paper hat, and a fortune which answers the question per augury.
- Brass collar bell. Beautifully polished, rings rich and resonant. Gift it to a domestic animal for advantage on animal handling checks with it.
- Wooden toy horse. Gain an extra inventory slot while you carry this in your pocket.
- Porcelain doll. Well crafted but off-putting. Can be used to cast message, but it's passed through the doll, who has very strong opinions on naughty and nice.
- Soft undyed woolen scarf. It can be unraveled (once) into a whole living lamb, which takes 1 minute. Congratulations, you now have a lamb.
- Braid of living mistletoe. Never wilts or drops berries. Suitable as a druidic focus, and also works as a shield when used this way.
- Fragrant candle. Pine and spices. If lit as an additional material component for a protection from evil or similar warding spell up to 3rd level, the spell will last as long as the candle burns (up to an hour).
