Yeenoghu's Chosen

"These pitiful humans think they can repel our might! We have been blessed by the lord himself! Look upon our chief and see how he has ascended! We have been showered in gifts and we must use them to the best of our abilities! To the endless hunger! To Yeenoghu!" - Shamaness Shiva

A Champion Born. When a tribe of gnolls are particularly well off in food, Flinds, leaders of their war bands begin to sacrifice live and dead flesh to their blackened altars for their god in the ravenous abyss: Yeenoghu, who upon seeing such wealth will choose to bestow upon their acolytes a withered, black heart. When a Flind consumes this heart, they undergo a painful transformation. Many do not survive the undertaking, but those who do become a Champion of Yeenoghu. Blessed by the flesh of their god and gifted a fragment of his power.

Bane to the Living. When a Champion is born, many gnolls may leave their current tribe and flock to the birth of a new idol. In these cases, a gnoll war band may grow to the hundreds. Humans refer to this phenomenon as "The Umbra Exodus", for it ushers in a grand omen of famine and war. Kingdoms may take up arms to slay a Champion, but it is usually deferred to adventuring parties on the premise that there may be great spoils to recover, in addition to being paid by the guild, or kingdom for their services.

The Ravenous Portal. When a Champion's war band grows great enough, Yeenoghu showers them in gifts. Be it in loyal demons, divine power, or terrifying armaments. However, when such a connection is born, most Champions work their band of gnolls in creating permanent portals to the layer of the Abyss in which Yeenoghu resides. These Champions hope to usher in a new age for the grand lord himself. With such gifts, it is only a matter of time before a Champion has the strength to topple a kingdom. They wish to bring death, famine and disease to their enemies and such a self-fulfilling prophecy may come about; should adventurers shirk such innocuous quests when they hear word of a few wandering gnolls attacking the countryside.

The Endless Hunger. It is spoken, that a day will come when darkness reigns over the lands; when famine is so common, that man will have to take to consuming his own to survive. When civilization has crumbled and history of man's forefathers are but a whisper on the wind. Such prophecy comes when the six maws of Yeenoghu are born, children to the Beast of Butchery, they will herald an entrance to the material plane for their grand lord. They will become generals in his army, carving grevious wounds into the world of man and other races alike until there is nothing left. The cult of the Endless Hunger seeks to enact this vision, but perhaps outside forces may thwart it yet. All it takes is a roll of the dice of fate.

Yeenoghu's Champion

Large Fiend (Demon), Chaotic Evil

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• Armor Class 18 (plate mail)
• Hit Points 200 (19d10 + 95)
• Speed 40 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
22 (+6)	14 (+2)	20 (+5)	16 (+3)	14 (+2)	16 (+3)

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• Saving Throws Dex +6, Con +9, Wis +6
• Skills Athletics +10, Intimidation +7, Perception +6
• Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning
• Damage Immunities poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
• Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, poisoned
• Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 16
• Languages Abyssal, Gnoll
• Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)

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Legendary Resistance (2/Day). If Yeenoghu's Champion fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Magic Resistance. Yeenoghu's Champion has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Innate Spellcasting. Yeenoghu's Champion's spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

At will: thaumaturgy, detect magic

3/day each: dispel magic, fear, shadow of moil

1/day: control weather, true seeing, finger of death

Aura of Ravenous Hunger. Any creature within 20 feet of the Champion has disadvantage on its death saving throws. In addition, any creature with the Rampage trait can make a bite attack as a bonus action while within the radius of the Champion's Aura.

Actions

Multiattack. Yeenoghu's Champion makes three attacks with its blade of woe or three attacks with its warbow. If a melee attack hits, the champion can cause it to create an additional effect of its choice or at random (each effect can be used only once per Multiattack):

1-Decaying Strike. The attack deals an extra 11 (2d10) necrotic damage.

2-Paralyzing Cleave. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed until the start of the Champion's next turn.

3-Crippling Swipe. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or have its movement speed halved until the end of its next turn.

Blade of Woe. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d12 + 6) Slashing damage.

Warbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 6) Piercing damage.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) Piercing damage.

Reactions

Parry. The champion adds 4 to its AC against one melee attack that would hit it. To do so, the champion must see the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon.

Legendary Actions

Yeenoghu's Champion can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Yeenoghu's Champion regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Charge and Consume. The champion moves up to its speed without provoking attacks of opportunity and makes a bite attack. If the attack hits, the champion regains hit points equal to the damage dealt.

Kneel Before Me. The champion makes a blade of Woe attack. If the attack hits, the target must succeed on a DC 18 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the target is considered incapacitated as well until the end of its next turn.

Cast a spell (Costs 2 Actions). The champion casts a spell.

The Champion's Lair

Like all gnolls, A champion of Yeenoghu usually places their war bands in mountainous, or plains-like environments. Of course, that's just the surrounding terrain, as the gnolls usually like to burrow into the earth, or take up already naturally developed caves and caverns. But, when a champion arises, they turn a war band's cave into a fortress. Defending the outer portions of the cave tunnels with fortifications of the stone and bone varieties.

An adventurer will know they've stumbled upon a champion's territory by the lack of resources surrounding the lair. Not to mention, the numerous bone spires that ascend five or so feet - usually accentuated by a long dead corpse impaled upon its length. These are dotted around the landscape as a show of intimidation. And if that isn't terrifying enough, the Shoosuva may be.

Lair Actions

On Initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Yeenoghu's Champion can take a lair action to cause one of the following effects: it can't use the same effect two rounds in a row:

• Each gnoll, demon, undead or hyena that the Champion can see can use its reaction to move up to its speed.

• Until the next initiative count 20, all gnolls, demons, undead and hyenas within the lair are enraged, causing them to have advantage on melee weapon attack rolls and causing attack rolls to have advantage against them.

• The Champion causes a maw of Yeenoghu to burst forth from a portal at a point it can see within 50 feet of them. Any creature in the space where the maw emerges must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 18 (4d8) piercing damage and is restrained by being latched onto by the maw. A creature can use an action to remove itself (or a creature it can reach) from the maw, ending the restrained condition.

Regional Effects

The region containing the Champion's lair is warped by Yeenoghu's magic, creating one or more of the following effects:

• Within 1 mile of the lair, large bone spikes grow out of the ground and stone surfaces. Gnolls impale the bodies of the slain on these spikes.

Blade of Woe

Any Bladed Weapon, Legendary (Requires Attunement)

Stripped from the hands of a Champion of Yeenoghu, this massive, sinister looking blade still retains the blessings of the Beast of Butchery himself. Perhaps you will make better use of it than its predecessor. Be careful of its invasive whispers, however.

Magical. This weapon has a +2 to its attack and damage rolls.

Champion's Might. This weapon deals an extra die of damage.

Yeenoghu's Blessings. Upon hitting a creature with this weapon, you can choose to apply an additional effect to the creature. Each effect can only be used once per multiattack:

• Decaying Strike. The attack deals an extra 7 (2d6) necrotic damage.

• Paralyzing Cleave. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed until the start of your next turn.

• Crippling Swipe. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or have its movement speed halved until the end of its next turn.

Cursed. This weapon is cursed, and becoming attuned to it extends the curse to you. As long as you remain cursed, you are unwilling to part with the weapon, keeping track of it at all times. While cursed, you begin to develop gnoll-like tedencies: Such as uncontrollable laughter, unwillingness to bathe, consumption of raw, or decaying flesh and heightened aggressiveness. In addition, you begin to feel an onset of hunger that becomes increasingly difficult to satiate until you cannibalize your own kind. Each week without cannibalizing your species forces you to make a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw, or gain a madness effect from the Madness of Yeenoghu table. Should you gain all the flaws on that table, you become a Champion of Yeenoghu on the next full moon. You become an NPC under the control of the DM until such time as a creature touches you with a Greater Restoration spell cast at 7th level or higher.

Credits

• Made using GM Binder.
  
• Page stains by /u/flamableconcrete
• Created and edited by u/Macekill.