Dusk in the deep forest. A seasoned hunting party is drawn to the soft mewling of a child. They find her huddled in a clearing, her white dress dirty and torn. She wipes her eyes with one hand while with the other she clutches a small rag doll to her heart.The woodsmen drop their game and approach her. Their inquiries are met by babbling broken only by brief fits of sobbing. The men console her, and with some effort are able to piece together her story. Her name is Amaryllis, and she was playing with friends near the forest's edge when they were abducted by goblins. The men know what they must do. Without hesitation, they set off to the rescue, their new ward in tow.Night falls, and a thin, low fog creeps in, obscuring all signs of their quarry's passage. The woodsmen find their resolve waning as they weary from the long day's hunt. Still they continue, searching the ground desperately for tracks in the dim moonlight.Near midnight, they are set upon by a pack of wolves. The hunters know they should be more than a match for their attackers, yet one of their number is dragged off screaming into the darkness.Demoralized but still determined, the woodsmen do not break to recover their fallen comrade. They press on instead, their only encouragement throughout the night an occasional scrap of gingham on a low hanging branch or a fleeting glimpse of tracks through the mist. Brave Amaryllis follows ever along without a hint of protest.As the sun prepares to rise, they come to the edge of an encampment, quiet in the predawn stillness. On the far end of this camp, past several huts and a clearing, they spot a small wooden cage. Success!They creep stealthily past the dwellings. As they cross the clearing, they trigger the ambush. Their enemy numbers few, but the hunters are weary, their strength sapped by the long night of searching... and by something else. Without a word among them, they all recognize some intangible force hampers their fighting. One by one they succumb.As the last hunter dodges a high blow, he spots Amaryllis in the midst of the fracas, sitting unmolested in the clearing, smiling. The goblins give her a wide berth. Bewildered, he looks to the cage and, for the first time, notices it is empty. With final clarity, he understands.
Many cultures the world over have their own spin on the white bertha legend, though the tale differs slightly from one land to the next.
In the cold Northlands, elders warn foolhardy lads to beware the white ladies. These white-clad spirits of ancient witches guard their secret burial sites and lure those who wander close by to their doom. They appear as beautiful young women near ravines and bridges, where they charm their victims into joining them in a dance — right off the edge.
The people of the civilized West have their own version of the tale. Moldy tomes tell of Berchta the White, a long-forgotten fey goddess of wilderness and savagery. Local legend holds that Berchta, angry with the world of man for abandoning her worship and building cities and walls to keep her influence away, hungers for vengeance. She is said to lure travelers away from roads and paths and into the wilderness, where they lose their way and are set upon by her wild beasts.
Caravan drivers returning from the Far East bring back similar stories. According to these wise and well-traveled merchants, the people of the East fear Onryou, the crazed ghosts of murdered or forsaken women. These restless spirits don't focus their anger on their transgressors; instead they roam the region of their deaths and visit their retribution upon all who cross their paths, regardless of their innocence.
These stories all recount a similar phenomenon: malevolent fey spirits that take the form of young girls and women to prey on innocent passersby in the wilderness. A white bertha appeals to her victim's sympathy and compassion. She appears harmless and trusting, and convinces them to lower their guard for her. And in return, she lures them into dire, often fatal, situations.
White BerthaA white bertha is an undead fey deceiver that uses a facade of helplessness to earn its victims' trust. It weakens them as it feeds on their life essence, and then lures them through lies and illusion into deadly traps and ambushes. A white bertha will often continue the charade long after it has drained its victims of most of their energy, simply because it derives a perverse pleasure from maintaining the ruse.
While in its true form, a white bertha resembles the emaciated ghost of an eladrin child. Dark circles ring white, pupil-less eyes on a gaunt, too-pale face locked in a permanent sneer. Long, dark hair and a ragged, flowing white dress billow as if moved by some unseen, spectral wind. It hovers inches off the ground as it fights.
In its illusory form, it appears as a human or elf child in clothing typical of local custom. The name it gives is invariably floral in origin.
(see first comment for the text of this stat block)
Every white bertha has a guardian it can summon for protection if confronted. Each guardian is different, and takes the form of a small doll when not summoned.
Mister BearMister Bear is a big, stuffed bear. It appears his make-up consists of burlap, buttons, and stuffing, but his claws are long and sharp, and he packs a mean wallop when hard pressed.
(see second comment for the text of this stat block)
The Scarlet KnightThough the scarlet knight is dashing and cavalier in his full plate, on closer inspection it seems his armor is made entirely of red felt. Regardless, he is a staunch bodyguard, capable of defending his charge fiercely.
(see third comment for the text of this stat block)The walking rag doll called Wailing Molly weeps for her master, and her cries are potent enough to drive all but the strongest-willed away.
(see fourth comment for the text of this stat block)White Bertha Lore
A character knows the following information about White Bertha with a successful Arcana check
DC 15: White bertha are undead fey deceivers of legend that reportedly use illusion and lies to earn their victims' trust. Very few accounts exist of encounters with a white bertha; survivors are rare.
DC 20: A white bertha appears to its victims as a helpless, lost child, and appeals to their sympathies to convince them let her join them. It weakens them as it feeds on their life essence, and then lures them through into deadly traps and ambushes. With a white bertha in tow, the way becomes unclear and even an experienced traveler's senses cannot be trusted.
DC 25: White bertha are cruel and petty. They are known to continue their charade long after they have finished feeding on their victims, simply because they derive a perverse pleasure from maintaining the ruse. Aside from typical undead immunities and vulnerabilities, it is said they are also resistant to the kinds of attacks they employ themselves.
TacticsA white bertha's
feign helplessness power is active when it first encounters its victims, and it sustains that power as long as possible. It stays close to its victims, to include all of them in its
sap vitality burst. If one strays from the burst radius, it cries out in feigned protest.
The white bertha uses a ready action to delay its attacks until another monster's turn, to disguise the fact that it is working against her victims. It uses
sap vitality as often as possible, and
life siphon when the former is not ready.
When the players finally confront the white bertha, it uses telepathy to call the next encounter. Reinforcements arrive within 5 rounds of the first attack made against the white bertha. When bloodied, it summons its guardian doll to protect it.
Outside of combat, white bertha uses its
distracting priorities aura to lead her victims. A failed skill check gives them false information: an illusory set of tracks heading off in a different direction, a path obscured and diverted, a bad compass bearing.
Encounters and GuidelinesWhen incorporating white bertha into your game, you should keep in mind that her presence can make every encounter the players participate in much harder. Though she'll survive most of these encounters unhurt, she should nonetheless be factored into their difficulty and reward. Generally, plan out encounters one level lower than normal, and then add her XP value into the reward at the end.
Certain monster and encounter types will work better with white bertha than others. Because her effectiveness as a story element depends on a disparity between who players consider an enemy and who actually is one, monsters with area effects should be avoided, as should all undead. Players will notice if white bertha is not hurt by monster attacks that should target her, and having her get caught up in a cleric's
turn undead power would end the charade instantly.
On the other hand, brutes and monsters with bonuses on combat advantage become much deadlier with white bertha around, thanks to her
sap vitality power.
The following sample encounters are designed to work well with white bertha. The XP value in parentheses is adjusted for white bertha's presence.
Level 5 Encounter ♦ XP 1000 (1300)1 blackscale bruiser (level 6 brute) [MM1 179]2 poisonscale myrmidons (level 3 soldier) [MM2 157]2 poisonscale collectors (level 3 lurker) [MM2 156]Level 5 Encounter ♦ XP 1000 (1300)1 ettercap fang guard (level 4 soldier) [MM1 107]1 dire stirge (level 7 lurker) [MM1 248]3 deathjump spiders (level 4 skirmisher) [MM1 246]Level 6 Encounter ♦ XP 1200 (1500)1 hobgoblin commander (level 5 soldier) [MM1 140]2 barghest savagers (level 4 brute) [MM2 20]1 bugbear strangler (level 6 lurker) [MM1 136]2 dire wolves (level 5 skirmisher) [MM1 264]Level 6 Encounter ♦ XP 1200 (1500)1 Fang of Yeenoghu (level 7 skirmisher) [MM2 126]2 deathpledged gnolls (level 5 brute) [MM2 126]2 gnoll claw fighters (level 6 skirmisher) [MM1 132]Level 7 Encounter ♦ XP 1500 (1800)2 longtooth hunters (level 6 soldier) [MM1 233]5 dire wolves (level 5 skirmisher) [MM1 264]Level 7 Encounter ♦ XP 1600 (1900)1 goblin underboss (level 4 controller) [MM1 138]3 goblin skullcleavers (level 3 brute) [MM1 137]1 worg (level 9 brute) [MM1 265]2 dire wolves (level 5 skirmisher) [MM1 264]Level 8 Encounter ♦ XP 1752 (2052)1 eladrin fey knight (level 7 soldier) [MM1 102]1 gnome wolverine (level 9 skirmisher) [MM2 129]1 gnome mistwalker (level 5 lurker) [MM2 128]4 hobgoblin warriors (lvl 8 minion) [MM1 138]1 will-o'-wisp (level 10 lurker) [MM2 209]Level 8 Encounter ♦ XP 1802 (2102)1 dryads (level 9 skirmisher) [MM1 96]4 hobgoblin warriors (level 8 minion) [MM1 138]1 satyr rake (level 8 controllerL) [MM1 228]1 shambling mounds (level 9 brute) [MM1 232]1 greenvise vine (level 7 soldier) [MM2 205]The trick to using white bertha effectively is in convincing the players to let her tag along for a few encounters. She appears to them as a small child, and that small child needs to have a decent reason for being out in the woods, and a compelling reason for the party to help her. Your players are adventurers, so this probably won't be too tough. The hard part is keeping up the charade; ideally your players should not suspect something is wrong before the first encounter, but as they go through one tougher-than-usual encounter to the next, their suspicion should gradually build until by the third or fourth encounter they're fairly certain there's something seriously wrong with the little girl they picked up a few hours ago in the woods.
You should have fun keeping this charade up. Use
distracting priorities to get the player's characters seriously lost. Throw out hints that something is wrong, but don't overdo it.
If the players aren't catching on to the ruse fast enough, play up white bertha's powers by using
life siphon occasionally outside of combat. The players won't know what hit them, but they'll be more alert and suspicious. When sap vitality is used, feel free to describe the sudden, inexplicable weakness the players are feeling.
On the other hand, if the players are catching on too quickly, tone down white bertha's attacks. Make liberal use of ready actions to make it seem as though the attacks are happening on other monsters' turns, and make it a point to describe how white bertha cowers and acts like a typical scared child in the midst of the dangerous combat.
Remember that it is assumed the players know who their enemies are. If the players don't consider white bertha an enemy, she can't be targeted automatically by burst or blast powers that specifically target enemies. On the other hand, since she considers the player characters
her enemies, her powers can and will target them with impunity. For the purposes of most encounters, other monsters will be considered her allies; she can use her telepathy to communicate with most of them before the combat begins. Knowing what she is, most monsters would not want to cross her.
Design Notes and Advanced DM TipsFrom the start, I wanted White Bertha to be more than a monster. I saw in her potential for roleplaying, narrative tension, moral dilemma, and a challenge to players' perceptions and assumptions about the game world. No, she's not just a monster, she's a walking side trek.
Before revealing herself to the players, she assumes several other roles first. If she is run successfully, players will get to see her first through the filter of the damsel in distress trope, then later as a typical NPC quest giver, and finally, when the players suspect her but aren't quite sure, they will be faced with the prospect of confronting an enemy that looks and acts like a helpless child.
Understandably, that last part is going to leave a bad taste in some players' and DMs' mouths. The ethical challenges that White Bertha presents aren't meant to be comfortable ones, and I know they'll fall far afoul of what some people are willing to accept from a roleplaying game. To work around that potential snafu, I designed White Bertha with a lot of flexibility so that running her doesn't necessarily have to push any group past their limit, if they don't want to go there. That was my biggest challenge with White Bertha, but I'm confident I succeeded.
For those wanting to run White Bertha to her most insidious and unnerving potential, my advice is to play up the innocence and helplessness as much as possible. Your players should place her far above suspicion initially, and when they begin to wonder about her they should feel guilty for suspecting her. And ultimately - when they have concluded that she is working against them - it should be as uncomfortable as possible for them to confront her. She drops her illusion only when she becomes bloodied, and until then she acts as a small child would in her situation. This will leave each of your players with a nasty pit in their stomach; every blow they level against her until she drops the charade will make them wonder if they're doing the right thing. When this is over they shouldn't want to cheer at their triumph. Instead the mood should be somber and grim. And the next time they encounter a damsel in distress or an NPC quest giver deep in the woods, they won't be nearly as quick to trust.
For those Dungeon Masters looking for an experience without the unpleasant ethical challenge, they are free to have White Bertha drop her illusion whenever they feel it appropriate; I recommend doing so when she is first confronted with the players' suspicions. In addition, more obvious clues should be dropped throughout the entire experience, so that the players will begin to wonder about her far earlier than they would otherwise. Players might overhear a shrill, malevolent chuckle when another monster makes a particularly brutal attack. White Bertha might encourage the players as they fight off attackers, and her encouragements can become more and more bloodthirsty with each encounter. Her cries of protests when a player leaves the radius of her
sap vitality power can sound less like "why are you abandoning me?" and more like "you're supposed to stay close!" It's a finer line to walk, because the DM has to play the same '
is she or isn't she' game, but when the players reach their conclusion it has to be more certain.
However you choose to use White Bertha in your game, I'm confident it will provide your players with a deeper, more challenging experience than a typical dungeon crawl or fetch quest. Good luck!
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