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Nerdarchy > Dungeons & Dragons  > Scare the Heck Out of Your 5E D&D Halloween Game with David S. Pumpkins

Scare the Heck Out of Your 5E D&D Halloween Game with David S. Pumpkins

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Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted do their own thang and come up with a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons version of David S. Pumpkins, a bizarre character created for a Halloween sketch on Saturday Night Live in 2016 and revisited for the David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special in 2017. In the video they discuss the powers and abilities of the “Santa Claus for Halloween” in terms of player character options along with creating a character sheet for the absurd character played by Tom Hanks. But David S. Pumpkins is about as far from a 5E D&D character as they come and I’m not so sure he’d even work as a 5E D&D monster or NPC stat block either. The Halloween icon is his own thing after all. So let’s get into it.

David S. Pumpkins is his own thing in 5E D&D

While watching the original SNL sketch and Halloween Special again I came up with several thoughts and ideas to represent David S. Pumpkins into 5E D&D. If you’re curious about the character you can check out the SNL sketch here and the Halloween Special here.

Halloween is just a couple of weeks away and perhaps the adventurers in your world discover a dumpy pumpkin with the mystical power to summon David S. Pumpkins and his associated weirdness into your 5E D&D setting.

David S. Pumpkins

Medium creature (he’s his own thing! But if you want to get all technical about it, aberration), chaotic neutral

Armor Class 17

Hit Points 121 (22d8 +22)

Speed 30 ft.

  • STR: 10 (+0)
  • DEX: 10 (+0)
  • CON: 12 (+1)
  • INT: 8 (-1)
  • WIS: 12 (+1)
  • CHA: 24 (+7)

Saving Throws Wisdom +4, Charisma +10

Skills Arcana +2, Performance +10, Persuasion +10, Sleight of Hand +3, Stealth +6

Damage Immunities Psychic

Condition Immunities Charmed, Frightened, Prone

Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 11

Languages Common

Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). David S. Pumpkins spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). He can innately cast the following spell, requiring no components:

At will: mage hand (the hand is invisible, and there’s two hands, and he can use his action to control both of them simultaneously)

Weird Defense. While David S. Pumpkins is wearing no armor and wielding no shield, his AC includes his Charisma modifier.

Actions

Any Questions? David S. Pumpkins explains something about himself, which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Each creature in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on David S. Pumpkins that can hear him must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. Targets who fail this saving throw can’t take reactions and must roll a d10 at the start of their turn to determine its behavior for that turn. This effect lasts until the end of David S. Pumpkins next turn.

  • 1. The creature uses all its movement to move in a random direction. To determine the direction, roll a d8 and assign a direction to each die face. The creature doesn’t take an action this turn.
  • 2-6. The creature doesn’t move or take actions this turn.
  • 7-8. The creature uses its action to make a melee attack against a randomly determined creature within its reach. If there is no creature within its reach, the creature does nothing this turn.
  • 9-10. The creature can act and move normally.

Scare the Heck Out of You. David S. Pumpkins chooses one creature he can see within 60 ft. of him. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become magically attracted to or repelled by him (his choice) for up to 10 minutes (as if he is concentrating on a spell).

If David S. Pumpkins damages or otherwise harms an affected creature, the affected creature can make a Wisdom saving throw to end the effect. If an affected creature ends its turn while not within 60 feet of David S. Pumpkins or able to see him, the creature makes a Wisdom saving throw. On a successful save, the creature is no longer affected by David S. Pumpkins and recognizes the feeling of repulsion or attraction as magical. In addition, a creature affected by the spell is allowed another Wisdom saving throw at the end of each of their turns while the effect persists.

A creature that successfully saves against this effect is immune to it for 24 hours.

Attraction. The creature feels an intense urge to approach David S. Pumpkins. The creature must use its movement on each of its turns to come within 10 feet of David S. Pumpkins. When the creature has done so, it can’t willingly move away from the target.

Repulsion. The creature feels an intense urge to avoid David S. Pumpkins. The creature becomes frightened and remains frightened while it can see David S. Pumpkins or is within 60 feet of him. While frightened by David S. Pumpkins, the creature must use its movement to move to the nearest safe spot from which it can’t see him. If the creature moves more than 60 feet from him and can’t see him, the creature is no longer frightened, but the creature becomes frightened again if it regains sight of him or moves within 60 feet of it.

Reactions

How’s It Hanging? When a creature David S. Pumpkins can see within 30 feet makes an attack roll against him or targets him with a spell he can use his reaction to teleport up to an unoccupied space he can see within 5 feet of the creature. When he appears the creature must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of David S. Pumpkins until the end of their next turn.

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Doug Vehovec

Nerditor-in-Chief Doug Vehovec is a proud native of Cleveland, Ohio, with D&D in his blood since the early 80s. Fast forward to today and he’s still rolling those polyhedral dice. When he’s not DMing, worldbuilding or working on endeavors for Nerdarchy he enjoys cryptozoology trips and eating awesome food.

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