The Hollow Feast is not a single creature, but a banquet given shape.
It forms in places where a meal was prepared for someone who never arrived—where food rotted under candlelight, where toasts were spoken into emptiness, where chairs sat waiting for guests who never came.
Over time, the longing for company and the absence of it congeal into a sentient hunger, wearing the guise of a host.
The Hollow Feast appears as a gaunt, smiling figure dressed in finery decades out of date, its hands gloved in linen napkins, its mouth never quite closed.
Its body is hollow—inside is not flesh, but a shifting void filled with the scent of roasted meat, spiced wine, and something faintly metallic.
It welcomes intruders to “the table,” and as they speak, it listens closely—not to the words, but to the space between them.
It feeds on what was never said, never shared, never offered.
Traits
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Rarity: Rare
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Threat Level: Moderate
Combat Values
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Stamina: 12
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Attack Dice: 2 (Utensil Slash, Invitation Grip)
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Defense: 4
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Damage Types: Psychic / Corruption / Consumption
Abilities
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Table Binding: Any target seated or forced to remain still suffers –1 to Defense each round as the Feast “serves” them.
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Unspoken Toast: Once per scene, silences all speech in a 15 ft (5 m) radius; abilities requiring vocal components fail for 1 round.
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Hunger’s Reach: Can extend a linen-wrapped arm up to 10 ft (3 m) to grapple; grappled targets must roll to resist losing 1 Stamina per round.
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Second Serving: When reduced below half Stamina, manifests illusory “guests” that harry the party, imposing –1 on all attack rolls for 2 rounds.
Weaknesses / Vulnerabilities
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Shared Meal: If characters willingly share food or drink between themselves during the encounter, the Feast suffers –2 to all rolls for the next round.
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Empty Chair: Removing or destroying one of the seats at its table reduces its Stamina by 2.
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Burnt Offering: Fire applied to any of its illusory food dispels one of its active abilities.
Rewards for Defeating
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Plate of the Unfinished Meal: Once, allows the user to “serve” a memory to another, making them relive a past event in perfect clarity.
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Toast Knife: A silver dining knife that grants +1 to Persuasion or Deception checks when held during conversation.
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Fame +1 if defeated without engaging in direct combat, by breaking the “banquet” entirely.
Narrative Notes
The Hollow Feast haunts abandoned inns, ruined banquet halls, and cursed estates.
Its arrival is heralded by the faint sound of clinking glasses and the smell of freshly cooked food, even where none exists.
Those who leave without resolving the encounter often find themselves waking to set an extra place at their own table, night after night, until they return.
