TEXT: EN World EN5idEr | Faces of the Grotesque
   
  writing Kiel Chenier
   color art Kim van Deun
   
  editing James J. Haeck
   
  layout Eric Life-Putnam
  M
  onsters have con-
  founded and terrorized 
  the free folk of civilized lands 
  for as long as there’ve been 
  lands to “civilize.” Humans 
  and halflings contend with dire 
  wolves around their woods, 
  elves lay traps and wards 
  against the goblins at their king-
  dom’s borders, dwarves rose 
  up against their giant overlords, 
  and dragons are considered a 
  calamity to all. Every fantasy 
  culture has its monstrous boogie 
  men, and all of them have been 
  immortalized in masks.
  We All Wear Masks
  Faces of the Grotesque
  
  Faces of the Grotesque | EN World EN5idEr
  Open Game Content | The game rule information 
  in this article is designated Open Game Content. All other 
  material in this article, including maps and illustrations 
  (including illustrations in the public domain), in-character 
  and out-of-character narrative and descriptive text, 
  character and place names, trade dress, “EN Publishing,” 
  “EN World,” “EN5ider,” EN Publishing product 
  and article titles, and  EN World and EN Publishing 
  logos, are designated Product Identity.
  Masks of monsters serve purposes beyond just 
  scaring small children. To fashion a mask out of a 
  monstrous creature’s visage is to take on its totemic 
  power and symbolism. Some monster masks have 
  become magical over generations of use, imbued 
  with the powers of the monsters they depict. These 
  powers can be a tremendous boon to adventurous 
  sorts, but none should be used lightly, lest the wear-
  er become monstrous themselves.
  This article features five new magic items: five 
  masks inspired by monsters and mythical beasts. 
  These masks are for characters of any level, race, or 
  class. Each mask lets its wearer wield a different 
  monstrous but useful power, perfect for any kind 
  of campaign.
  Each mask features the following rules and 
  worldbuilding details, useful for both players and 
  Game Masters:
  •	The history of the mask.
  •	The mask’s powers and benefits to the wearer.
  •	Places where the mask might be encountered, 
  and NPCs who might be wearing them.
  •	Optional curses or drawbacks for Game Mas-
  ters to use.
  •	The resale value of the mask for games that 
  allow magic items to be sold.
  All of these magic masks are considered very rare 
  wondrous items. Each requires attunement to use. 
  A character cannot be attuned to more than one of 
  these masks at a time. They each take an action to 
  don or wear, as the character putting on the mask 
  adjusts the eyeholes or fit. They can be removed as 
  a swift action.
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  New Magic Items
  Goblin Mask
  Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
  Your vision shifts into a sickly yellow tint. Your 
  muscles tense up and contract inside you, made 
  twitchy as new sensory information floods your 
  brain. You gain the following benefits and powers 
  while wearing the goblin mask:
  •	Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 
  60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in 
  darkness as if it were dim light.
  •	Goblin Tongue. You can speak, read, and 
  write Goblin as a language.
  •	Nimble Escape. This mask has 5 charges. 
  While wearing it, you can use an action to 
  expend 1 of its charges to take the Disen-
  gage or Hide action as a bonus action during 
  your turn. The mask regains 1d4 + 1 charges 
  daily at sunrise. If you expend the mask’s last 
  charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the mask shrivels 
  away and is destroyed.
  Appearance
  The goblin mask looks like a parody of a goblin’s face; 
  made from leather and burlap its ears and nose 
  bulge out comically. While most other creatures 
  can easily tell it’s a mask, goblins seem to have a 
  hard time distinguishing the mask’s wearer from 
  other goblins.
  Background
  The goblin mask was the hasty creation of a wily 
  and charismatic adventurer trapped underground 
  amid a clan of goblins. Her companions were tak-
  en captive by the goblins, and only she remained 
  free. In a brazen gambit, she fashioned the goblin 
  mask out of a backpack and scraps of clothing, and 
  used it as a disguise to sneak into the goblin’s camp 
  and rescue her friends. That the mask worked is a 
  miracle, one that imbued the makeshift disguise 
  with magic.
  The mask is often found in areas where goblins 
  live, in a treasure chest or on the bodies of its pre-
  vious wearer. It is currently in the possession of 
  
  EN World EN5idEr | Faces of the Grotesque
  Deelia Kinsberg, a half-elf anthropologist and re-
  searcher for a museum. She is out on assignment, 
  studying goblin clans in the wild.
  Optional Drawback
  The mask holds within it the essence of goblinkind, 
  and it seeks to make its wearer more goblin-like, 
  starting with their height. The mask has a cumula-
  tive effect upon a Medium or larger creature who 
  wears it: the wearer shrinks in height by 1d4 inches 
  each time the mask is worn, until the wearer is 
  Small in size (around 3 feet tall). Small creatures 
  are not affected by this drawback.
  Dire Bear Mask
  Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
  While wearing this mask your sense of hearing 
  and smell heighten, and you are filled with the pri-
  mal urge to hunt. You have advantage on Wisdom 
  (Perception) checks that rely on hearing and scent, 
  and unarmed attacks with your hands and teeth 
  deal 1d10 bludgeoning or piercing damage plus 
  your Strength modifier. You also gain the ability to 
  speak with beasts as if the speak with animals spell 
  has been cast on you.
  Appearance
  This half-mask is fashioned from wood, carved to 
  like the face of a monstrous, overgrown bear, held 
  around the face by a bear fur strap. It covers the face 
  and eyes of the wearer, leaving the mouth exposed 
  to bite and roar. Red flecks of dried blood stain the 
  wood around its mouth opening.
  Background
  Long ago, the mask was created by a tribe of druids 
  devoted to the bear. The bear was a powerful totem 
  for them in their worship and their daily lives. The 
  druids’ imbued the mask with their devotion and 
  their reverence for the bear, and over decades that 
  devotion manifested itself as magical power within 
  the mask. How the mask fell out of the druids’ pos-
  session is unknown.
  This mask has been traded amongst or passed 
  down by hunters, druids, and rangers of woodland 
  areas. It is often found in woodland cairns or 
  among ordinary goods in borderland trading posts. 
  Currently it is in the possession of Micah, a mad 
  druid who dresses up as a bear and hunts humans 
  and elves who hunt and forage in his forest.
  Optional Drawback
  The mask contains the primal spirit of a vicious dire 
  bear, and it concerns itself with animalistic violence 
  and the hunt. Language and higher thought are not 
  priorities for the mask, so it secretly seeks to shed 
  them from its wearer. Every time the mask is worn, 
  you must roll a d20. On a roll of 1, you lose the abil-
  ity to speak, read, and write in one of your known 
  languages (randomly determined). This effect can 
  be removed with a greater restoration spell.
  Mask of the Dragon
  Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
  While wearing this ornamental paper mask you 
  are imbued with the knowledge, greed, and fiery 
  wrath of the red dragon. You can now speak, read, 
  and write in Draconic. While wearing the mask you 
  can breathe fire as action to create a 60-foot cone 
  of flames. All creatures within the area must make 
  a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 12d6 fire 
  damage on a failed save or half as much on a suc-
  cessful one. Once you have used this feature, you 
  cannot use it again until the next time you complete 
  a long rest.
  Appearance
  The mask is made from lacquered red crate paper, 
  folded and cut into the shape of a dragon’s face and 
  snout. Gold leaf has been delicately applied to the 
  paper, creating layers of streaks that give the mask 
  the appearance that it has scales. It smells strongly 
  of burning wood.
  Background
  The mask was made by a trio of warlocks devoted 
  to elder dragons, seeking to capture some of their 
  raw draconic power into a physical item. The end 
  result is the mask of the dragon. Unfortunately, the 
  covetous nature of dragons was captured as well, 
  
  Faces of the Grotesque | EN World EN5idEr
  and the more the warlocks used the mask, the more 
  they quarreled with each other for its possession. It 
  was ultimately their undoing.
  This mask is currently in the possession of a tribe 
  of kobolds, worn by their shaman during rites of 
  passage or during times of trouble. The kobolds 
  won’t part with the mask willingly.
  Optional Drawback
  The mask takes its appearance and powers from 
  red dragons, but with that power comes the avarice 
  of a red dragon. Using the mask’s fire breath power 
  more than once gives you Dragon’s Greed, a form 
  of long-term madness: whenever you are presented 
  with gold of any kind, you are compelled to claim it 
  for yourself and must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom 
  check to resist doing so. Curing this madness ends 
  the wearer’s attunement to the mask.
  Hill Giant Mask
  Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
  While wearing this mask you are imbued with 
  the height and strength of a hill giant. While wear-
  ing this mask you can speak, read, and write in 
  Giant. This mask has 3 charges. While wearing it 
  you can use an action to expend 1 of its charges to 
  gain the following benefits for 10 minutes: your size 
  becomes Huge and your Strength score becomes 22. 
  The mask regains 1 expended charge daily at sun-
  rise. If you expend the mask’s last charge, roll a d20. 
  On a 1, the mask crumbles to dust.
  Appearance
  This mask is a small sheet of slate with the visage 
  of a hill giant drawn onto the front of it with chalk. 
  It is meant to be held against the face, causing it to 
  meld onto the wearer’s face and disappearing from 
  sight. It can be removed from the face as an action. 
  The more the mask is worn, the more the chalk vis-
  age of the hill giant resembles the face of the wearer 
  (if they were a hill giant).
  Background
  This mask was created by dwarves during a period 
  of ancient history when they were the slaves of gi-
  ants. It was used as a means of revolt; granting a 
  dwarf the strength and size to battle a giant head-
  on in direct combat.
  This mask is often found in dwarven halls and 
  mountain treasure holds, or amongst the hordes of 
  monsters who prey on dwarves, like dragons and 
  drow. It is currently in the possession of a drunken, 
  sullen milkmaid named Sue who lives in the coun-
  try. She found it in the bottom of a trunk in the 
  cellar of an abandoned cottage, and has been using 
  it to wreak havoc in her community. When Sue gets 
  drunk, she dons the mask and stomps around her 
  farming town, smashing the belongings of people 
  who she thinks have wronged her.
  Optional Drawback
  The mask grants the strength and size of a giant, but 
  also a hill giant’s meager intelligence. Every time 
  the mask is worn, you must make a DC 12 Intel-
  ligence saving throw. On a failure, your Intelligence 
  score is decreased by 1. This effect is cumulative. 
  This Intelligence loss can be recovered with a great-
  er restoration spell or a similar cure.
  
  EN World EN5idEr | Faces of the Grotesque
  Octopoid Mask
  Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
  While wearing this mask you are imbued with 
  the great and terrible knowledge and powers of an 
  aquatic aberration. This mask has 3 charges. While 
  wearing it you can use an action to expend 1 of its 
  charges to use any one of the following powers:
  •	Telepathy. You can read the thoughts of other 
  humanoid creatures within 20 feet of you. 
  Non-humanoid creatures are unaffected. Fey, 
  fiends, and aberrations can tell their minds are 
  being read. This effect lasts 1 minute.
  •	Telekinesis. You can move objects and crea-
  tures around with the power of your mind, as 
  if you had cast telekinesis upon yourself, except 
  its duration is 1d4 rounds with concentration.
  The mask regains 1 expended charge daily at 
  sunrise. If you expend the mask’s last charge, roll 
  a d20. On a 1, the mask disappears in a cloud of 
  purple smoke, gone forever.
  Appearance
  This mask is a mass of octopus tentacles and bulg-
  ing eyeballs, covering the entire head. It has been 
  fashioned out of a strange rubbery material unlike 
  anything else. Wearing the octopoid mask is a hot 
  and stuffy experience, as its eye and nose holes are 
  very small.
  Background
  This mask was created by aberrant creatures from 
  another plane of existence. It was made as part 
  of an experiment to imbue an object with their 
  powers over the physical and mental worlds that 
  could be shared with lesser beings. This was less a 
  benevolent gesture and more of an experiment to 
  see how such beings would react to being granted 
  such power. Whatever the experiment’s purpose, 
  this mask was lost on the material plane, and has 
  been passed around by merchants and adventur-
  ers ever since.
  This mask currently rests in a treasure chest hid-
  den inside of a secret waterfall cave, just waiting to 
  be uncovered.
  Optional Drawback
  The mask’s original creators are still psychically 
  linked to the mask. Any information learned while 
  wearing the mask is learned by its aberrant creators 
  as well. If enough specific geographical informa-
  tion is learned, these monstrous aberrations slip 
  into the Material Plane to recover their mask—and 
  abduct the creature wearing it! e
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/EN World EN5ider/EN5ider 180 - Masks of The Grotesque.pdf