TEXT: EN World EN5idEr | Villain Spotlight: Ezekial
   
  writing Ambrose Ingram
   color art Ellis Goodson
   
  editing Mike Myler
   
  layout Eric Life-Putnam
  M
  eet Ezekial—a minotaur 
   of uncanny intelligence 
  and surprising sophistication. Be-
  trayed and spurned in his past, he 
  now leads a crew of thieves stealing 
  priceless artifacts and rare tomes, 
  bearing out his grudge against 
  civilization 
  while 
  accumulating 
  knowledge and power. 
  VILLAIN SPOTLIGHT
  EZEKIAL
  
  Villain Spotlight: Ezekial | EN World EN5idEr
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  Background
  Ezekial grew up enslaved to a nobleman who used 
  him as a guard and torturer. With an obviously ab-
  normal intelligence, his master Lord Harev sought 
  to nurture a powerful asset by encouraging Eze-
  kial’s intellectual development. Tutors taught him 
  to read and write, and enough etiquette to navigate 
  high society (albeit not with abundant grace). 
  The minotaur mistook his master’s opportun-
  ism for generosity and asked to be freed, hoping to 
  pursue placement at an academy or cloister—Lord 
  Harev refused and enraged, Ezekial killed and de-
  voured his former master. After covering up the 
  nobleman’s death Ezekial managed his master’s ac-
  counts in secret, liquidating a large portion of the 
  estate before the murder was discovered. 
  Ezekial began searching for an academy that 
  would take him but was repeatedly rejected be-
  cause of his monstrous appearance. Eventually in 
  desperation he broke into a library and stole a large 
  collection of tomes, learning only later that one of 
  the books was the sole copy of that text—by taking 
  that book he had stolen knowledge from those who 
  once tried to keep it from him. With that realization 
  Ezekial found his purpose and his robbery sprees 
  began.
  Description & Personality
  Ezekial is a brown-haired minotaur who typically 
  wears a dressing robe of fine, bright fabric. He has 
  lived comfortably since gaining his freedom and his 
  gut is large (which is all too apparent when he wears 
  his robes open). The minotaur bathes regularly; his 
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  hair has a silky sheen and he uses a perfume with 
  a sweet, floral scent. Ezekial has adorned his horns 
  with passages from his favorite books—dwarvish 
  runes run in a spiral all the way from the base of 
  his skull to their tips and from a distance, they ap-
  pear to have a distinctive texture which can only be 
  identified as writing once within 10 feet.
  Although scholarly Ezekial has never been inter-
  ested in arcana. Instead he has sought insight to 
  how the world works through the study of history 
  and philosophy. When forbidden from studying the 
  minotaur turned to theft to claim the knowledge he 
  craves. He often sells off artwork or magic items to 
  finance further exploits, keeping the rarest maps 
  and books for himself. His successes have attracted 
  a small band of fellow thieves, allowing Ezekial to 
  mastermind ever more complex heists.
  Ezekial is usually talking. He reads aloud, talks 
  to himself when alone, and fills any pause in 
  conversation with a story or fable. In part the mi-
  notaur enjoys hearing his own deep voice but he 
  has also found that most people are distracted by 
  its commanding tones. He often pontificates loudly, 
  appearing quite distracted while carefully, secretly 
  evaluating a location or situation and giving coded 
  commands to his team.
  Ezekial is usually patient and thoughtful but 
  he acutely experiences a burning savagery inside 
  himself. In addition, he carries resentment towards 
  those who have excluded and exploited him in the 
  past. Occasionally his feelings of resentment mani-
  fest and he loses poise, indulging his monstrous 
  side.
  Ezekial’s Traits
  •	Ideal. “I have a surplus of strength and cun-
  ning and I am willing to apply both to further 
  my pursuit of knowledge.”
  •	Flaw. “There is a chained beast in my gut. I 
  cannot always keep it contained.”
  •	Bond. “There are many who have excluded 
  me, robbing me of knowledge…I will take 
  what they tried to keep from me and I will see 
  them suffer…”
  
  EN World EN5idEr | Villain Spotlight: Ezekial
  Ezekial’s Crew
  Ezekial’s band is made up of about twenty infiltra-
  tors, of whom most are aspiring thieves that care 
  more about the prestige of the heist than the value 
  of the score (N male and female human or elven 
  spies). These infiltrators value the care Ezekial puts 
  into his plans and appreciates that when things 
  go sour, the minotaur often becomes the focus of 
  attention.
  Orlii Meadowlark
  Ezkial’s second-in-command is an expert thief 
  named Orlii. Orlii first heard of the enlightened 
  minotaur after he broke into the vault of a temple, 
  leaving piles of wealth but taking centuries old texts. 
  Olrii tracked down Ezekial and was surprised (but 
  not put off) when she found him, encouraging him 
  to recruit others and increase the reach and profit-
  ability of his heists. Orlii is a LE female elven spy 
  with the following changes:
  •	Orlii has 54 (12d8) hit points and AC 14 
  (shield).
  •	Orlii attacks with a rapier: 
  Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) piercing damage.
  •	Orlii is an exceptional infiltrator; add Decep-
  tion +7 and Investigation +7 to her skills.
  •	Orlii has a hat of disguise.
  Elvern Taverngrip 
  The young halfing cleric is a recent, eager addition 
  to the enlightened minotaur’s crew. Elvern was 
  tasked by his roguish deity to accompany, aid, and 
  learn from Ezekial. Elvern cares little for what is 
  stolen or how it’s stolen, but cares a great deal about 
  the gold that comes afterwards. Orlii doesn’t care 
  much for him but Ezekial has put Elvern’s divine 
  magic to good use. Elvern is a CN male halfling 
  priest with the following changes:
  •	Elvern has a Dexterity score of 16 (+3).
  •	Elvern has AC 14 (leather armor).
  •	Elvern attacks with a short sword:
  Short Sword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 
  5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.
  •	Elvern’s skills are: Deception +4, Sleight of 
  Hand +5, Stealth +5
  •	Elvern’s Divine Eminence feature deals poison 
  damage.
  •	Elvern has the following cleric spells prepared:
  Cantrips: guidance, light, mending
  1st level (4 slots): charm person, cure wounds, 
  disguise self, sanctuary
  2nd level (3 slots): blindness/deafness, pass without 
  trace
  3rd level (2 slots): bestow curse, dispel magic
  Basil Brickrunner
  Basil is one of Ezekial’s favorite fences (N male 
  dwarf noble). Technically not a part of the crew, the 
  stout folk is a caravan master happy to travel with a 
  minotaur—taking advantage of the protection Eze-
  kial provides while selling stolen goods along the 
  way. Although their partnership is based on mu-
  tual benefits and commerce, Basil and Ezekial have 
  become good friends over the years. The minotaur 
  uses the dwarf as a source of information, a means 
  of entering cities, and as a far-ranging fence who 
  can get his wares out of a city swiftly and quietly.
  Ezekial’s Modus Operandi
  While investigating a potential target Ezekial takes 
  over the home of a noble or wealthy merchant—
  sometimes by murdering the occupant, sometimes 
  by squatting, and occasionally by purchasing the 
  property. Once he finds a comfortable base he 
  corresponds via letters with the city’s elite to get 
  a sense for potential allies or patsies. The enlight-
  ened minotaur mostly keeps to his lush hideout 
  but occasionally wanders through the city at night. 
  He doesn’t mind being cooped up but finds wind-
  ing city streets to be relaxing. Often when Ezekial 
  is setting up a heist, rumors begin to circulate of 
  a monstrous beast roaming the settlement at night.
  When the enlightened minotaur begins an op-
  eration he sets up his infiltrators in useful positions 
  around town. Ezekial tries to get his gang inte-
  grated into the guard, militia, or local bureaucracy, 
  
  Villain Spotlight: Ezekial | EN World EN5idEr
  and those that can’t in league with hawkers, traders, 
  or merchants instead. If he can arrange to set up 
  a local noble or scholar to take the blame for the 
  crime, Ezekial goes out of his way to do so. The en-
  lightened minotaur is patient and knows what he is 
  trying to steal long before he begins an operation.
  Ezekial, Enlightened Minotaur
  Large monstrosity, neutral evil
  Armor Class 14
  Hit Points 102 (12d10+36)
  Speed 40 ft. 
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   18 (+4) 
  11 (+0) 
  16 (+3) 
  18 (+4) 
  15 (+2) 
  11 (+0)
  Skills Athletics +8, History +8, Insight +6, Perception +6, 
  Religion +8
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16
  Languages Common, Dwarvish, Elvish, Draconic, 
  Thieves’ Cant
  Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
  Charge. If Ezekial moves at least 10 feet straight toward 
  a target and then hits it with a gore attack on the same 
  turn, the target takes an extra 9 (2d8) piercing damage. 
  If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 14 
  Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 10 feet away 
  and knocked prone.
  Chatty. Creatures within 60 feet of Ezekial who can hear 
  him cannot take reactions and have disadvantage on 
  concentration saving throws unless Ezekial used Reck-
  less on his last turn.
  Labyrinthine Recall. Ezekial can perfectly recall any 
  path he has traveled.
  Reckless. At the start of his turn, Ezekial can gain 
  advantage on all melee weapon attack rolls he makes 
  during that turn, but attack rolls against him have 
  advantage until the start of his next turn.
  ACTIONS
  Multiattack. Ezekial makes two fist attacks and one 
  gore attack. If both fist attacks hit a Large or smaller 
  target, the target is grappled or knocked prone.
  Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 6 (1d4+4) bludgeoning damage.
  Gore. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 13 (2d8+4) piercing damage.
  REACTIONS
  Cunning Redirection. When Ezekial is hit by an attack, 
  he can increase his AC by 4 and push the attacker 5 
  feet. If this causes the attack to miss, the attacker must 
  succeed a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. 
  Ezekial cannot use Cunning Redirection if he used 
  Reckless on his last turn.
  TACTICS
  The enlightened minotaur combines his physical 
  strength with his tactical mind to set his team up for 
  success, prefering to fight with his allies on his terms 
  and leveraging his own physicality to disrupt foes. 
  When supported by his crew Ezekial uses Charge, 
  Cunning Redirection, and the grapple or prone effects 
  from his Multiattack to set up one or more of his spy al-
  lies for sneak attack. When encountered alone he relies 
  on his Chatty feature to avoid opportunity attacks 
  while battering spellcasters and rogues with Charges, 
  utilizing Cunning Redirection to stay away from heavy 
  hitters.
   Ezekial rarely uses his Reckless feature, choosing 
  instead to remain in control, combining his strength 
  with sound tactics. However adventurers can banter 
  with the enlightened minotaur, making a DC 14 Cha-
  risma (Deception or Persuasion) check to taunt him. 
  On a success he unleashes his wild side. With multiple 
  attacks and using Reckless, Ezekial can be just as 
  dangerous this way but he should also quickly fall to a 
  focused assault.
  
  EN World EN5idEr | Villain Spotlight: Ezekial
  Plot Hooks
  •	 A merchant selling rare tomes—including a first 
  edition copy of the history book Everwhen—is 
  nervous that she has become one of the enlight-
  ened minotaur’s marks…and she’s right! Ezekial is 
  setting up his crew to hit the merchant’s vault and 
  it is up the adventurers to stop him.
  •	 A mage is looking for the rare The Vortex’s Sobriquet 
  and learns that Ezekial’s crew stole the tome. 
  Unfortunately Ezekial already read the book and 
  sold it to a foreign merchant. The adventurers are 
  petitioned by the mage to track down the unique 
  text or get the information he needs from Ezekial.
  •	 The party ends up in possession of a tome of under-
  standing which Ezekial desperately wants to read. 
  The enlightened minotaur’s crew begins tailing 
  the PCs and eventually attempts to steal the book. 
  Once Ezekial has it he and his team flee, knowing 
  that adventurers are bad for business. 
  •	 Ezekial hunts down a monk who wrote his favorite 
  lyricized history, A Journey for Monarchs. The 
  enlightened minotaur kidnaps the author, forcing 
  the monk to instruct him in rhetoric and verse. 
  However, the monk herself has ulterior motives 
  and convinces Ezekial to help her assassinate the 
  mentor of one of the adventurers. The PC might 
  have a vision of Ezekial and the monk plotting, 
  or might have no warning—able only to seek 
  vengeance. 
  •	 A brutal murder takes place at an art gallery. An 
  inquisitor believes Ezekial is the culprit and asks 
  the adventurers to investigate. They are surprised 
  when the enlightened minotaur finds them first 
  and proclaims his innocence, instead giving them 
  a clue towards the true killer. Meanwhile, Ezekial 
  robs the art gallery while everyone else is preoc-
  cupied with the murder. e
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/EN World EN5ider/EN5ider 205 - Villain Ezekial.pdf