Stalking Doll
The party stumbles across an odd, broken doll, one eye missing and the mouth broken into a silent scream. Whether they leave the toy or take it with them, it chooses to follow at its own pace.
Insidious Plaything. Every 6 (1d12) hours while within the region the doll will suddenly appear to a randomly determined adventurer, filling their mind with strange whispers and haunting laughter. That adventurer makes a Wisdom saving throw , suffering a level of strife on a failed save. If an adventurer destroys the doll, the doll will appear to them next rather than randomly the next time it appears. The doll will continue appearing until the adventurers leave the region or they achieve a successful solution, even if they previously failed against this exploration challenge.
Destroying the doll only draws the ire of the spirit residing within it, and the doll reforms and persists throughout the entire region. The party must hold a seance or similar ritual to truly free the malicious ghost, which requires a group Arcana or Religion check. Use of spells like hallow or remove curse cast using a 5th-level spell slot trigger an automatic success or a critical success if the party would have otherwise succeeded on the group check.
Alternatively, if the party would gain a discovery within the region, they might stumble upon a young girl’s grave. If the doll is laid to rest within the grave, the soul once trapped within the doll appears briefly to thank them before ascending to the afterlife without further incident. This triggers an automatic success.
Critical Failure. The soul housed within the doll lashes out, filling the adventurer’s minds with an incessant echoing childhood rhyme and each adventurer suffers a level of strife . The spirit also haunts their dreams, preventing them from gaining the benefits of resting for the next 24 hours.
Failure. The attempt seems to empower the doll and copies of it briefly appear everywhere. Each adventurer must save against Insidious Plaything.
Success. The spirit within the doll is exorcized, leaving it no more than a simple child’s plaything without further incident.
Critical Success. The spirit within the doll appears briefly, thanking them for freeing her. Roll on the Boons and Discoveries table.