Shellycoat

A shellycoat wears a coat of river shells that clatters before it appears. It calls from fords in the voice of a drowning traveler, then laughs when rescuers step into the deepest channel. The trick aims for boots full of water, lost dignity, and a story retold badly at the inn; death is rarely its purpose. When the river is truly flooding, the same clattering may be the only warning anyone receives.

Drowning Call: one creature within 40 ft makes a Mind save; on a failed save it moves toward the deepest visible water on its next turn. Shell Fist: bludgeoning, melee 5 ft, +2 to hit, 1d8+1.

The Coat Announces It: the shellycoat cannot approach within 20 ft without its shells being heard. A creature that answers the false cry by throwing a rope rather than entering the water automatically recognizes the trick. Offering a new shell earns one truthful warning about the river.