Unfathomable! The Rival Team

 The Apis Irregulars are a band of adventurers seeking employment in and around Fort Enterprise, and have been set up as the rivals to the PC party.

These characters started as B/X pre-gens from Operation Unfathomable, but I gave them significant power boosts so that they might give the PCs a decent challenge (you can read the session report to see how well that went down).

In converting statblocks to 5e, I have relied on three tools:

• Open5e. There's lots of online sources for SRD material, but Open5e copies and pastes especially nicely into Obsidian's Markdown format. And they have open-content material from Advanced 5e.
• Flee, Mortals! The best, most fun monster book I've ever used for 5e. It's a lot of  standard monsters, but they are so well designed to play well at the table. The humans are fun to use!
• Forge of Foes. The book on monster customization.

Auruna of House Apis

The leader of the Apis Irregulars and a minor aristocrat born to a prominent sorcerous family in Mur. Her grandfather lich abides beneath their towering manor, providing counsel and sorcerous assistance to the living matriarch and her ambitious offspring.

Auruna seeks eldritch items to make up for lack of arcane ability. She is terrified of unflattering reports about her getting back to her family.

AC 14    HP 30    Speed 30'

STR +2    DEX +2    CON +1    INT 0    WIS 0    CHA +2

Exploit Opening (3/Day). Gain advantage on an attack roll.

ACTIONS

Longsword. +4 to hit, (1d12 + 2) slashing damage.

Long bow. +4 to hit, range 60 ft.,  (1d12 + 2) piercing damage.

Equipment

backpack, bedroll, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, bejewelled comb/headgear (value 250 gp), travel case of balms, lotions, and perfumes, bear-shaped honey jar, one application royal jelly of healing (restores 1d4 hp), 7 gems (50 gp each)

Magic Items

Cloak of Disguise (Under close inspection: INT 12 Save to see through), Chained sending stone (shaped like a snail's shell), Demonskin leather (+1, resistant to fire, borrowed from family hoard)

"Smash" Hannigan

Somewhat disoriented after being displaced here from his pulp fiction home dimension while defeating the Nefarious League of Dark Physicists. He is eager to get home, but making the best of his time here. 

Remains heroic to the core, the embodiment of cheesy, dashing suavity. Speaks like Adam West trying to be Errol Flynn. Has a Bogart-and-Bacall thing going on with Auruna.

AC 12    HP 20    Speed 30', fly 60'

STR +3    DEX +2    CON +1    INT 0    WIS 0    CHA +2

ACTIONS

Multiattack. 2 attks

Colt 45. +5 to hit, range 30/90, (1d10+2) piercing dmg. 8 shots each.

Grab. +6 to hit, one Medium or smaller creature. (1d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage, Save DC 13 or grappled. 

Haymaker. +5 to hit, (1d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage, or (3d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage against a grappled target.

Throw. Throw grappled (Medium or smaller) creature or object up to 30 feet horizontally. Thrown creature is prone, (1d10) bludge damage for every 10' thrown. A Large or smaller creature hit by thrown target: DEX 13 Save or also prone and takes equal damage. 

Equipment

Flask of cheap scotch, Jet pack (2 charges, as Fly spell, DEX checks for challenging maneuvers), Chained sending stone

Krodok of the Standing Stones

Chews mildly intoxicating pine-tar gum, so he's usually a bit loopy but ferocious when needed. Finds humans endlessly charming and hilarious. Bonded to Shantora Lax, who made the mistake of feigning kindness when they first met.

Speaks like Phil Hartman's Frankenstein but understands the Murian tongue with surprising proficiency.

AC 18    HP 40    Speed 30'

STR +3    DEX +1    CON +1    INT 0    WIS 0    CHA 0

Exploit Opening (3/Day). Gain advantage on an attack roll.

ACTIONS

Blocking Multiattack. Krodok makes two attacks. If Krodok targets the same creature with both attacks, the target has disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures other than Krodok until the start of Krodok’s next turn.

Obsidian Axe. +5 to hit, 6 (1d8+3) slashing damage

REACTIONS

Not Shantora! When an enemy within 5 feet of Krodok targets another creature with an attack, the attacker must target Krodok instead.

Equipment

Water bladder, stone knife, 2 weeks mammoth jerky, Chained sending stone

Tactics

Find Shantora Lax and protect her. Go after anyone who hurts her.

Shantora Lax

Comes from a long line of Chaos-fighters. Thirsty for victory, glory, mastery. Serious-minded student of ancient martial art that forbids the use of ranged weapons. Finds the  hound-like devotion of Krodok useful if unseemly.

AC 16    HP 25    Speed 30'

STR 0    DEX +3    CON +1    INT +1    WIS +2    CHA 0

Skills: Athletics +2, Intimidation +4, Perception +3  

Martial Advantage: Once per turn, Shantora can deal an extra (2d6) damage to a creature she hits with a melee attack if that creature is within 5 feet of an ally that isn’t incapacitated.  

Evasion. If Shantora is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, she instead takes no damage if she succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if she fails.

ACTIONS

Longsword: +5 to hit, (1d8+3) piercing damage; +2D6 w/ Martial Advantage

Snapping Adder Strike. 3 doses of poison in her sword. Addt'l CON 15 Save or 2d6 Poison damage (Save halves)

Equipment

Chain shirt, backpack, bedroll, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 2 flasks oil, Chained sending stone, 29 GP

Tactic

Call Krodok to her side, strike from behind him w/ Martial Advantage.

Kuwain Trylos

From ancient civilization far away across the Sea of Calamities, Kuwain feels sorry for the shattered culture of the northerners and its pathetic remnants. Hopes to gain fuller appreciation of the arcane arts through immersion in extinct beetle culture, which she admires passionately.

Speaks the Murian tongue with Black Forest accent, like Jürgen from The Great British Bake-Off.

Devoted to Auruna. Visits the wizard Yithreela for enchanted hair treatments.

AC 14    HP 15    Speed 30'

STR -1    DEX +2    CON 0    INT +2    WIS 0    CHA 0

Skills: Arcana +5

Exploit Opening (3/Day). Gain advantage on an attack roll.

ACTIONS

Blitzschlag! Lightning Strike. +5 to hit, range 120 ft., one creature. Hit: (1d6) lightning damage, maintain contact unless concentration is broken.

Donnerwind! Thunder Crack. Melee Spell Attack: +5 to hit, (1d10) thunder damage,  target can’t make opportunity attacks until the start of their next turn.

Streichhölzer! 3 Enchanted matches. +5 to hit, 10' range, lasts 3 turns, (1d4) fire damage per hit

Equipment

 6 torches, box containing 3 enchanted matches, backpack, bedroll, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 50’ rope, spellbook (charm person, detect magic, sleep, magic missile), Chained sending stone, 24 GP

And here's an after-the-fact write-up for a magic item I came up with on the fly:

Chained Sending Stones

Wondrous item, rare

A set of small, magical devices shaped like snail shells, often attached to a leather thong. 

A chained sending stone can be activated to broadcast a short, 25-word message to all other stones in the chain. The message will be heard by whatever creatures are in possession of the linked stones at the time of broadcast. The recipients hear the message in their minds, and recognize you as the sender if they know you.

Creatures with Intelligence scores of at least 1 to understand the meaning of your message.

You can send the message across any distance and even to other planes of existence, but if the target is on a different plane than you, there is a 5% chance that the message doesn’t arrive.

Unlike traditional paired sending stones, chained sending stones do not automatically allow a recipient to respond as part of the initial communication.

Once a chained sending stones has broadcast a message, it can't be used again until the next dawn.

(What's fun about this is the PCs have no idea how many sending stones might be in the chain, and who else might be listening in.)