Ye Olde Shoppe of Magicks – Just a Gazebo

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Many older players are probably familiar with the Tale of Eric and the Dread Gazebo. For those of my readers who are not, here is the Reader’s Digest version…

The tale features a player who misunderstands the gamemaster’s description of a gazebo on a small hill, mistakenly assuming it to be some kind of monster in the game. After asking the gamemaster its color, size and distance from the group, the player attempts to call out to the gazebo. When it fails to respond, he looses an arrow at it, to little effect. (“There is now a gazebo with an arrow sticking out of it.”) By the end of the encounter the player, lacking the means to harm the gazebo, opts to flee in desperation. The frustrated game master retaliates by humouring the player’s misconception and announcing that the gazebo has awakened to capture and consume the player.

Nevets is proud to bring you, A Gazebo

A Gazebo

Large object (technically structure), unaligned

Armor Class 10 (sturdy wood)
Hit Points 50 (10d10)
Speed 0 ft. (It’s a structure)

STR 16 (+3) | DEX 0 (–5) | CON 14 (+2)
INT 0 (–5) | WIS 0 (–5) | CHA 0 (–5)

Saving Throws None
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks (because it’s just wood, really)
Damage Vulnerabilities fire, termites
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, prone, poisoned, grappled, restrained, confused by players
Senses none
Languages It speaks for the Trees… (of course not, it’s a structure)
Challenge 0 (10 XP, if you insist)
Proficiency Bonus +2

Traits

  • Immobile Structure. The gazebo cannot move, think, or act. It can, however, provide partial cover and an excellent place to hold a picnic.
  • Stillness of the Ages. The gazebo is immune to all spells that require a creature to make a saving throw, because it is not a creature. It also cannot be charmed, turned, or polymorphed, though a sufficiently delusional wizard might try.
  • Immunity to Common Sense. Any adventurer who mistakes the gazebo for a living threat must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be subject to public ridicule for 1d4 years (or until a new player does something dumber).
  • Peaceful Presence. Creatures that take a short rest within the gazebo recover an additional 1d4 hit points, provided they do not insult it, attack it, or confuse it for a mimic.

Actions

  • None. The gazebo is a gazebo

Description
A gazebo is a charming open structure often found in gardens, courtyards, and parks. Built of wood or wrought iron, it provides shade, shelter, and — in certain rare circumstances — mortal terror to adventurers who have never heard the word before.

Variant: Haunted Gazebo
Sometimes, the gazebo’s spirit lingers long after it’s been attacked. Such a gazebo sheds a dim, judgmental light in a 20-foot radius. Any creature that damaged it in life must succeed on a DC 13 Charisma saving throw or be haunted by the whisper, “It was just architecture…”

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Gazebo base images were built using ChatGPT using prompts by Alien Graphics ©2025 Alien Graphics

All verbiage is ©2025 Alien Graphics and all imagery is ©2025 Alien Graphics and shared under the CC BY-NC-SA

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