The Undying (revamped)
Death holds no sway over your patron, who has unlocked the secrets of everlasting life, although such a prize—like all power—comes at a price. Once mortal, the Undying has seen mortal lifetimes pass like the seasons, like the flicker of endless days and nights. It has the secrets of the ages to share, secrets of life and death. Beings of this sort include liches such as Vecna, Lord of the Hand and the Eye; the dread Iuz; the lich-queen Vol; the Undying Court of Aerenal; Vlaakith, lich-queen of the githyanki; and the deathless wizard Fistandantalus.
In the Realms, Undying patrons include Larloch the Shadow King, legendary master of Warlock’s Crypt, and Gilgeam, the God-King of Unther.
Other warlocks may find patronage from nameless, incomprehensible beings from the Far Realm. Making contact with such beings (purposefully or accidentally) contaminates the warlock's physical body, interrupting the body's natural processes. For these warlocks, Undying is not a goal but rather a consequence of their exposure to knowledge that was never meant to be comprehended by mortal minds.
Expanded Spell List
The Undying lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.
Undying Expanded Spells
| Warlock Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | False Life, Ray of Sickness |
| 3rd | Blindness/Deafness, Silence |
| 5th | Feign Death, Speak with Dead |
| 7th | Aura of Life, Death Ward |
| 9th | Antilife Shell, Raise Dead |
Among the Dead
Starting at 1st level, you learn the spare the dying cantrip, which counts as a warlock cantrip for you, you can cast it as a bonus action on your turn, and it's range is extended to 30 ft. You also have advantage on saving throws against any disease.
Additionally, undead have difficulty harming you. If an undead targets you directly with an attack or a harmful spell, that creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC (an undead needn’t make the save when it includes you in an area effect, such as the explosion of fireball). On a failed save, the creature must choose a new target or forfeit targeting someone instead of you, potentially wasting the attack or spell. On a successful save, the creature is immune to this effect for 24 hours. An undead is also immune to this effect for 24 hours if you target it with an attack or a harmful spell.
Defy Death
Starting at 6th level, you no longer require air, food, water, or sleep, although you still require rest to reduce exhaustion and still benefit from finishing short and long rests. You become resistant to poison damage and have advantage on saving throws against poison.
You can also grant yourself vitality when you cheat death or when you help someone else cheat it. You can regain hit points equal to 1d8 + your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 hit point) when you succeed on a death saving throw or when you stabilize a creature with spare the dying. Any hit points restored in excess of your maximum are converted into temporary hit points. Once you use this ability, you cannot do so again until after completing a short rest.
Undying Nature
Beginning at 10th level, your aging slows significantly. For every 10 years that pass, your body ages only 1 year, and you are immune to being magically aged. You also gain resistance to necrotic damage.
On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d8 + your warlock level. Additionally, if you put a severed body part of yours back in place when you use this feature, the part reattaches.
Once you use this bonus action, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Indestructible Life
When you reach 14th level, your body becomes incredibly difficult to kill. You can survive any grievous injuries and no longer require any limbs or organs other than your head and brain to continue living. Dropping to 0 hit points no longer causes you to lose consciousness, however you still suffer from all of the other negative effects of the unconscious condition. You gain advantage on your death saving throws, and any time you roll an 18 or higher on a death saving throw you immediately regain 1 hit point. If you fail all three death saves you still die, however your soul cannot leave your body and you retain consciousness, perception, and the ability to speak as long as your head remains intact.
If your head is destroyed, you instead remain present as a ghost with the special Ghost statblock included below. You have no actions but gain the ability to cast invisibility on yourself at-will. You remain as a ghost in whatever plane on which your head was last present until your body is resurrected or otherwise restored, or your ghost form is somehow destroyed. If your ghost form is destroyed, your soul is finally released and you experience true death as normal.
Additionally, while you are dead and your head remains intact, you may cast the raise dead spell on yourself without requiring any components. This spell is modified to work even if you have missing body parts or organs, however you cannot begin resting to remove the negative penalty from this spell until all of your body parts are restored or returned to you.
Once you raise yourself from the dead, you cannot do so for another 14 days.
Ghost (The Undying)
original living size, original living alignment
- Armor Class 10 + (DEX mod when alive)
- Hit Points 45 (10d8)
- Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)
Same attributes as when alive
- Saving Throws same as when alive
- Skills same as when alive
- Damage Resistances Acid, Fire, Lightning, Thunder; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
- Damage Immunities Cold, Necrotic, Poison
- Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained
- Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception (same as when alive)
- Languages same as when alive
Traits
Ethereal Sight. The ghost can see 60 feet into the Ethereal Plane when it is on the Material Plane, and vice versa.
Incorporeal Movement. The ghost can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Invisibility. The ghost can cast invisibility on itself at-will as a Free action.