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Harald Hardrada

Challenge
Tags
str
18
dex
14
con
14
int
12
wis
12
cha
14

AC 19 (half plate, shield)
HP 136 (21d8+42; bloodied 68)
Speed 40 ft.


Proficiency +4; Maneuver DC 16
Saving Throws Dex +6, Int +5
Skills Athletics +8 (1d8), Deception +6, History +5, Insight +5, Intimidation +6, Persuasion +6 (1d8); thieves’ tools
Senses passive Perception 11
Languages Arabic, Dutch, Norwegian, Olde English, Thieves’ Cant


Action Surge (1/ short rest ). On his turn, Harald can take an additional action on top of his regular action and a possible bonus action.

Danger Sense. Harald has advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that he can see, such as traps and spells. To gain this benefit, he can’t be blinded , deafened , or incapacitated .

Indomitable (1/ long rest ). Harald can reroll a saving throw that he fails.If he does so, he must use the new roll.

Maneuver Master (5d10 maneuver dice/ short rest ). Harald can expend a maneuver dice to perform a single maneuver with an attack.
Command. Harald uses his bonus action to forgo one of his attacks and direct a friendly creature who can see or hear him. The creature uses its reaction and makes a weapon attack, dealing 1d10 additional weapon damage on a successful hit.
Disarm. A creature Harald has hit with an attack takes 1d8 additional damage and makes a DC 16 Strength saving throw or drops one held item of his choice.
Feint. Harald can use his bonus action to feint against one creature within 5 feet. He has advantage on his next attack roll against that creature as long as it before the end of his turn. On a hit he deals 1d10 additional damage.
Menace. On a successful hit with a melee weapon, Harald deals 1d10 additional damage and the target makes a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or is frightened of him until the end of Harald’s next turn.
Sweep. Harald chooses a creature adjacent to him target and within his reach and on a hit, the adjacent creature takes 1d10 damage (of the same type as the weapon attack).
Trip. Harald deals 1d10 additional damage and if the target is a creature of Large size or smaller, it makes a DC 16 Strength saving throw or is knocked prone .

Rage (3/ long rest ). On his turn, Harald can enter a rage as a bonus action. His rage lasts for 1 minute, ending early if he is knocked unconscious or if his turn ends and he hasn’t either attacked a hostile creature since his last turn or taken damage since then. Harald can also end his rage on his turn as a bonus action. While raging, he gains the following benefits:
◆ Harald has advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws .
◆ When Harald makes a melee weapon attack using Strength, he deals 2 extra damage.
◆ Harald has resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
◆ While conscious, he cannot be knocked prone .
◆ Once per turn, the target of a successful melee attack from Haralda makes a DC 16 Strength saving throw or is pushed 5 feet away from him. Haralda can immediately move into the square previously occupied by the target of his attack.

Reckless Attack. When Harald makes his first attack on his turn, he can decide to attack recklessly. Doing so gives him advantage on melee weapon attack rolls using Strength during this turn, but attack rolls against him have advantage until his next turn.

Sneak Attack (1d6/turn). Harald deals an extra 3 (1d6) damage when he hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of Harald that isn’t incapacitated and Harald doesn’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.

Tactician’s Insight. After Harald has observed or interacted with a creature for 1 minute, he learns whether or not it has higher or lower Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma scores than him. In addition, he learns if the target has more or fewer class levels than him. Harald also knows when he and the target have equal scores in one of these categories.


SPECIAL TRAITS

Athletic. Harald can stand up from being prone with only 5 feet of his movement, climbing doesn’t cost him extra movement, and he only has to move 5 feet before making a running long jump or running high jump.

Mobility. Harald can Dash through difficult terrain without requiring additional movement. Whenever he makes an attack against a creature, he doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks from that creature until the end of his turn.

Soldier Tactics. A creature hit by Harald's opportunity attack reduces its Speed to 0 until the beginning of the next round and disengaging from Harald still provokes opportunity attacks.


ACTIONS

Extra Attack. Harald attacks three times when he takes the Attack action.

Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8+6) slashing damage.

Handaxe (6). Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6+4) slashing damage.

Heavy Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 100/400 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10+2) piercing damage.


BONUS ACTIONS

Cunning Action (1/turn). Harald can use a bonus action to take the Dash, Disengage, Hide action.

Second Wind (1/ short rest ). On his turn, Harald can use a bonus action to regain 1d10+12 hit points.


REACTIONS

Make Opportunity. Harald can use his reaction to make a melee weapon attack against a creature within 5 feet when it makes an attack against a target other than Harald.

Viking Treasure Hoard

Viking Treasure Hoard

1

Total character level × 600 gp worth of platinum and gold coins, plus average party level × 200 gp in miscellaneous loot, a randomly determined rare magic item, and two randomly determined uncommon magic items

2

Total character level × 500 gp worth of platinum and gold coins, plus average party level × 150 gp in miscellaneous loot, and two randomly determined uncommon magic items

3

Total character level × 400 gp worth of platinum and gold coins, plus average party level × 125 gp in miscellaneous loot, a randomly determined uncommon magic item, and a 1 weapon

4

Total character level × 300 gp worth of platinum and gold coins, plus average party level × 100 gp in miscellaneous loot, and a randomly determined uncommon magic item

5

Total character level × 200 gp worth of platinum, gold, and silver coins, plus average party level × 75 gp in miscellaneous loot, and a suit of 1 medium armor or 1 shield

6

Total character level × 150 gp worth of gold and silver coins, plus average party level × 50 gp in miscellaneous loot, and a 1 weapon

7

Total character level × 125 gp worth of gold and silver coins, plus average party level × 25 gp in miscellaneous loot, and a suit of 1 light armor or 1 shield

8

Total character level × 100 gp in miscellaneous loot, and a suit of 1 light armor or 1 shield

9

Total character level × 50 gp worth of gold, silver, and copper coins

10

50 gp worth of gold, silver, copper coins, and 50 gp in miscellaneous loot

11

Total character level × 25 gp of coins in gold, silver, and copper

12

Total character level × 10 gp in miscellaneous loot

13

Total character level × 100 gp of coins in gold, silver, and copper, a 1 weapon (any sword), and a 1 shield

14

Total character level × 125 gp of coins in miscellaneous loot, plus average party level × 25 gp worth of gold, silver, and copper coins, and a suit of 1 light armor or 1 shield

15

Total character level × 150 gp of miscellaneous loot, plus average party level × 50 gp worth of gold and silver coins, and a 1 weapon

16

Total character level × 200 gp in miscellaneous loot, plus average party level × 75 gp worth of gold and silver coins, and a suit of 1 medium armor or 1 shield

17

Total character level × 300 gp in miscellaneous loot, plus average party level × 100 gp worth of platinum and gold coins, and a randomly determined uncommon magic item

18

Total character level × 400 gp in miscellaneous loot, plus average party level × 125 gp worth of platinum and gold coins, a randomly determined uncommon magic item, and a 1 weapon

19

Total character level × 500 gp in miscellaneous loot, plus average party level × 150 gp worth of platinum and gold coins, and two randomly determined uncommon magic items

20

Total character level × 600 gp in miscellaneous loot, plus average party level × 200 gp worth of platinum and gold coins, a randomly determined rare magic item, and two randomly determined uncommon magic items

Note: Miscellaneous loot is bulkier and often heavier than coins. As a general rule, Narrators can treat miscellaneous loot as weighing 1/5th or more of its gold value in pounds.

Description

We’re going big and bold with this mythological figure, tackling the man whose life and death mark the very end of the Viking Age: Harald Hardrada, the last Viking!

Harald Sigurdsson lived from 1015 to 1066 AD and was King of Norway from 1046 to 1066. In the years before that, however, he was exiled, traveling across the world as a mercenary and military commander in the Byzantine Empire.

After defeat trying to help his half-brother Olaf Haraldsson (later Saint Olaf) reclaim the Norwegian throne from King Cnut the Great in
the Battle of Stiklestad, Harald was exiled and joined the army of Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise until he left for Constantinople in 1034. There he became very rich as the commander of the Byzantine Varangian Guard. He started planning on retaking the throne of Norway, now restored to Magnus the Good, a bastard child of his brother.

Four years later Harald fought alongside Sweyn II, the pretender of Denmark, but Magnus would not fight him, and instead agreed to rule together in exchange for some of Harald’s wealth. A year later Magnus died and Harald became the only king of Norway, instituting a coin economy, encouraging trade beyond their borders, and snuffing out anyone that might oppose him. Afterwards, Harald raided the coast of Denmark for years in an unsuccessful attempt to conquer it

The ex-Earl of Northumbria, Tostig Godwinson, brother of the short-reigned King Harold Godwinson of England (the last crowned Anglo-Saxon king of England who ruled for less than a year before his death in the Battle of Hastings), convinced Harald to make a grab for the throne of England. So our viking hero took 10,000 soldiers and 300 longships to raid the English coast in 1066, claiming victory in Northumbria and Mercia. Despite these initial triumphs Harald was killed when Harold Godwinson’s forces nearly annihilated his forces in the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Modern historians mark his death and the end of the campaign as the end of the Viking Age.

Monster Type Description

Humanoids include a number of different intelligent, language-using bipeds of Small or Medium size. Humans and elves are humanoids, and so are orcs and goblins. Humanoids may employ magic but are not fundamentally magical—a characteristic that distinguishes them from bipedal, language-using fey, fiends, and other monsters. Humanoids have no inherent alignment, meaning that no humanoid ancestry is naturally good or evil, lawful or chaotic.