Month of the Living Dead
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Dry Bones
More intelligent and independent than many lesser undead, dry bones are skeletons animated with potent magical protections. The necrotic magic that causes them to shamble through tombs and graveyards also protects them from fire and gives them the power to reassemble themselves.
Undead Nature. A dry bones don't require air, food, drink, or sleep.
Dry Bones Underling
Dry bones underlings often serve as shock troops for undead armies. Under the leadership of dry bones taskmasters, underlings help break through enemy lines and cause chaos by reassembling after an apparent defeat.
Undead Amalgams. Dry bones are typically created from the bones of multiple creatures. There are no particular requirements for the source of the bones, but there must be a skull.
Uncanny Personalities. Dry bones underlings are unusual among lesser undead due to the presence of a distinct, new personality. An underlings personality may be influenced by the necromancer that summons it or aspects of the creatures it takes its bones from. They have a penchant for gallows humor.
Resourceful Soldiers. Even dry bones underlings may be put in command of other lesser undead thanks to their life-like intellect. Underlings are able to adapt to battlefield conditions and may even have interests beyond their duties.
Dry Bones Underling
Medium undead
- Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 65 (10d8 + 20)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 9 (-1) 13 (+1) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 9 (-1)
- Damage Immunities fire
- Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
- Languages the languages it knew in life
- Challenge 1/2 (100 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Reassembly. When the underling is reduced to 0 hit points, it rises again with 10 hit points at the start of its next turn. It cannot benefit from this feature again until the dawn of the next day.
Actions
Claw. Attack Style: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (2d6 + 1) slashing damage.
Dry Bones Taskmaster
Taskmasters lead teams of dry bones underlings and other lesser undead. They serve as field commanders in battles and garrison fortresses. Some taskmasters even take control of their own undead armies to pursue power.
Draconic Minds. A taskmaster must have the skull of a dragon. This accounts for their greater power and fire-breathing prowess, but it's also believed that the dragon's personality is more likely to imprint upon the taskmaster.
Skeletal Vessels. Necromancers unable or unwilling to complete the rites of lichdom have been known to bind their minds to taskmasters, using them as a means of attaining immortal undeath.
Capacity for Treachery. Dry bones taskmasters are prone to powerful egos and may develop their own goals to pursue. Necromancers that employ taskmasters keep them on short leashes due to a tendency to betray their creators in pursuit of their own ends.
Dry Bones Taskmaster
Large undead
- Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 105 (14d10 + 28)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 9 (-1)
- Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagic weapons
- Damage Immunities fire
- Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
- Languages the languages it knew in life
- Challenge 3 (700 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Reassembly. When the taskmaster is reduced to 0 hit points, it rises again with 10 hit points at the start of its next turn. It cannot benefit from this feature again until the dawn of the next day.
Actions
Multiattack. The taskmaster makes three claw attacks.
Claw. Attack Style: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) slashing damage.
Fire Breath (Recharge 5-6). The taskmaster exhales fire in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, take 14 (4d6) fire damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.
Mummies
Not all mummies are the result of ornate rituals. Some are created by the confluence of natural and arcane powers. These mummies may be the result of ancient sacrifices or punishment for long forgotten crimes. Others are the result of lost travelers succumbing to the elements.
Undead Nature. A mummy doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep.
Bog Mummy
Bog mummies are the preserved remains of those who died in peat bogs. Their haunts are less extreme than those of other mummies, and local legends sometimes grow up around them in farming villages.
Well Preserved. Thanks to the peat bogs that create them, these mummies are unusually well preserved. Their skin is tanned by the bog and their faces may even show the last expression they wore in life. At rest, they may appear to be merely sleeping.
Shambling Horrors. When ancient magics reawaken a bog mummy, the truth revealed is far less peaceful. While the peat preserves skin, hair, and organs, the bones are desolved by their acid environs. Bog mummies shamble over the fields at night, skin and hair alike whipped by the wind, only the magic that animates them keeping them aloft.
Local Guardians. Bog mummies may be intentionally created to protect a treasure, a sacred grove, or even to serve as guardians of the villages they once lived in. Those who dare to bring harm to the person, place, or thing that a bog mummy protects may soon find themselves sinking into the moss and mud.
Frost Mummy
Frost mummies are the corpses of those who died in extreme cold. They dwell along frozen coastlines and roam the tundra. They are the nightmares of northern sailors and nomads alike.
Cold Fury. Frost mummies are filled with a bitter hatred of the living. The cold that killed them has embedded in them a frozen malevolence and they seek the destruction of any living beings that come within their sight.
Cunning Hunters. Frost mummies are more intelligent than most of their mummy ilk. They are quite capable of tracking and trapping their would-be victims. They will also seek to manipulate mortals through fear and mind games. Sailors tell tales of frosty corpses watching them from coastal cliffs as they sought shelter from winter storms.
Unlikely Allies. Frost mummies retain some memory of their life before they died. Bargaining with a frost mummy is no easy task, but their aid (or at least a temporary truce with them) might be earned by settling old debts or punishing the people that left them to die.
Adventurers sometimes seek the aid of frost mummies. Their knowledge of the territory they haunt is unmatched. If you can appease them, they make excellent guides. Others seek their aid in guarding treasures or settling debts of their own.
Mummified Cat
In some cultures, it is considered customary to mummify and entomb cats. Some are beloved pets, others unlucky strays given as sacrifice.
Feline Guardians. Regardless of their origin, mummified cats are believed to serve as guardians. Some are left to guard the dead. Others are enshrined within the walls of a house to bring good fortune to its inhabitants. Others still are believed to watch over young children and family pets for generations.
Bog Mummy
Medium undead
- Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 52 (8d8 + 16)
- Speed 20 ft., swim 20 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 15 (+2) 6 (-2) 10 (+0) 12 (+1)
- Saving Throws Wis +3
- Damage Vulnerabilities fire
- Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
- Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
- Languages the languages it knew in life
- Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3
Damage Transfer. While it is grappling a creature, the bog mummy takes only half the damage dealt to it, and the creature grappled by the bog mummy takes the other half.
Unsteady Steps. The ground in a 10-foot cube around the bog mummy becomes difficult terrain. The bog mummy's movement is not impeded by this.
Actions
Multiattack. The bog mummy can make two slam attacks or one slam attack and one embrace attack.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage.
Embrace. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one Medium or smaller creature. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage and 7 (2d6) necrotic damage. The target is grappled (escape DC 16). Until the grapple ends, the target is restrained, the bog mummy can slam only the grappled creature and has advantage on attack rolls to do so, and the bog mummy cannot embrace another creature.
Frost Mummy
Medium undead
- Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 104 (16d8 + 32)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 16 (+3) 15 (+2) 15 (+2) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 12 (+1)
- Saving Throws Wis +5
- Skills Perception +5, Stealth +5, Survival +5
- Damage Vulnerabilities fire
- Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
- Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
- Languages the languages it knew in life
- Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3
Ice Walk. The frost mummy can move across and climb icy surfaces without needing to make an ability check. Additionally, difficult terrain composed of ice or snow doesn't cost it extra movement.
Actions
Multiattack. The frost mummy can make two slam attacks or one attack with its slam and one attack with its freezing glare.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage.
Freezing Glare. The frost mummy targets one creature it can see within 60 feet of it. If the target can see the frost mummy, it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or become paralyzed until the end of the mummy's next turn. If the target fails the saving throw by 5 or more, it also takes 14 (4d6) cold damage. A target that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to the Freezing Glare of all frost mummies for 24 hours
Cold Breath (Recharge 5-6). The frost mummy exhales an icy blast in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 45 (10d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Mummified Cat
Tiny undead
- Armor Class 12
- Hit Points 30 (12d4)
- Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 3 (-4) 15 (+2) 10 (+0) 3 (-4) 12 (+1) 7 (-2)
- Skills Perception +3, Stealth +4
- Damage Vulnerabilities fire
- Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
- Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
- Languages —
- Challenge 1 (200 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Keen Smell. The mummified cat has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Actions
Multiattack. The mummified cat can use its Guardian Hiss and make one attack with its rotting claws.
Rotting Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) slashing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or be cursed with mummy rot. The cursed target can't regain hit points, and its hit point maximum decreases by 7 (2d6) for every 24 hours that elapse. If the curse reduces the target's hit point maximum to 0, the target dies, and its body turns to dust. The curse lasts until removed by the remove curse spell or other magic.
Guardian Hiss. The mummified cat emits a terrifying hiss. Creatures within 60 feet of it that can hear it must succeed on a DC 11 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or become frightened until the end of the cat's next turn. A target that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to the Guardian Hiss of all mummified cats for 24 hours.
Mummy NPCs
Presented below are details for five mummy NPCs to drop into your campaign.
Finn-in-the-Bog
Bog Mummy
There are many stories about Finn-in-the-Bog. Some claim he was a doomed lover who perished in the bog seeking his bride-to-be. Other stories say he was an ancient hero who haunts the land because his tomb was destroyed. There are also those who believe he was a thief drowned in the bog as punishment for his crimes. Little is known about them save for his striking red hair and the fear he inspires in the hearts of locals.
Rumor. Villagers believe that Finn-in-the-Bog will not trouble people who have prayed or are on their way to pray at the village church.
Lair. Finn-in-the-Bog is said to haunt a mile stretch of rural road that passes through an ancient bog.
Loot. Nothing.
The Ice Shadow
Frost Mummy
In life, the Ice Shadow was a skilled hunter and trapper, living alone and surviving off the meager offerings of the frozen climes he called home. He was attacked by unknown culprits who ransacked his cabin and left him to freeze to death. Now, his frozen remains stalk the living in a futile attempt to ease his undying fury.
Rumor. The Ice Shadow is said to have a particular hatred for bandits and others that prey upon the weak.
Lair. The Ice Shadow rarely stays in one place for long. He roams a vast area of alpine woodlands centered on his collapsed cabin.
Loot. An Oathbow.
Rattlebones
Mummified Cat
Once a beloved tavern cat, Rattlebones was mummified long ages ago and placed in the walls of the prosperous tavern she called home. Though rarely seen, even by the tavern's owners, Rattlebones is a beloved local legend. She yowls only when the tavern is in danger or an owner who earned her respect is about to die.
Rumor. Though she has no need for them, locals claim Rattlebones is very fond of milk and fish. Small offerings are left for her by the hearth on festival nights.
Lair. Rattlebones dwells in the walls and roof of the tavern. She can be found in the day via the attic and at night prowling the roof and alleyways around the tavern.
Loot. A leather collar with a silver bell worth 1 sp.
The Singers of Shadow Canyon
Mummy
Ancient and nameless, the Singers of Shadow Canyon are six mummies in carved stone coffins set in alcoves carved into the canyon walls. They sing the praises of a primeval queen at all hours of the day and night.
Rumor. Legends say that when the Singers of Shadow Canyon cease their song, the queen they praise will have returned to the living world alongside her army.
Lair. Each singer is bound inside a stone coffin in its own small alcove. There are three pairs of alcoves, one on either side of the canyon, and they are set 50 feet apart.
Loot. Each Singer is entombed with 2 art objects worth 25 gp.
Entombed Priestess
Mummy Lord
The Entombed Priestess is a calculating undead ruler. Controlling a small army of undead, none but her know her true name or the god she serves. The living and the dead alike serve the priestess, though her ends are as inscrutable as her origins.
Rumor. Some believe that learning and speaking the priestess's true name will grant them power over her. It may also be key to finding and destroying her heart.
Lair. The Entombed Priestess lives in a temple to her mystery god, buried underground in a tomb complex.
Loot. 10,000 gp in mixed coins and gems and a Staff of the Python.
Poe
Poe are restless spirits found along roads that pass through the wilderness. Their bobbing lanterns lead travelers astray, leaving them vulnerable to the elements and attack from the poes.
Lonely Spirits. Poes are the spirits of people who died alone in remotes places. They haunt dangerous mountain passes, paths through deep woodlands, and roads over vast plains. They tend to target lone travelers or small groups, hoping for company in their lonesome wanderings.
Mirthful Marauders. Travelers in the wild places fear the heartless laughter of poes. When a poe successfully lures a traveler off the road, their high, cold cackling is the first warning of the ensuing attack.
Sold Souls. Strange collectors will buy poes from adventurers capable of capturing them. Some believe these collectors are benign, simply locking away dangerous undead, but the true aims of the collectors are a mystery.
Undead Nature. A poe doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.
Poe Jar
Wondrous item, rare
This simple glass jar has a cork stopper. You can use an action to speak the jar's command word, targeting an incorporeal undead creature that you can see such as a banshee, a ghost, or a poe. The target must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or be trapped in the jar. Once trapped, a creature remains in the jar until released. The jar can hold only one creature at a time.
You can use an action to remove the jars cork and release the creature the jar contains. If the jar is shattered, the creature is released and the jar is destroyed. The jar has 4 charges and expends 1 charge each time it is used to trap a creature. When all charges are expended, the glass jar loses its power once it is empty.
An identify spell reveals that a creature is inside the jar but not what kind.
Poe
Medium undead
- Armor Class 15
- Hit Points 110 (20d8 + 20)
- Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 7 (-2) 20 (+5) 13 (+1) 13 (+1) 15 (+2) 13 (+1)
- Damage Vulnerabilities radiant
- Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks not made with a silvered weapon
- Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
- Condition Immunities exhaustion, grappled paralyzed, poisoned, prone, restrained
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
- Languages the languages it knew in life
- Challenge 3 (700 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Ephemeral Dance. The poe projects a magical illusion that makes it appear to be standing near its actual location, causing attack rolls against it to have disadvantage. If it is hit by an attack, this trait is disrupted until the end of its next turn. This trait is also disrupted while the poe is incapacitated or has a speed of 0.
Illumination. The poe sheds bright light in a 5-foot radius and dim light for 10 feet beyond that.
Incorporeal Movement. The poe 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.
Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the poe has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Actions
Multiattack. The poe makes three attacks, either with its lantern flail or its fire mote.
Lantern Flail. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d8 - 2) bludgeoning damage plus 9 (2d8) fire damage.
Fire Mote. Ranged Spell Attack: +7 to hit, range 30 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (3d6) fire damage.
Invisibility. The poe and its light magically become invisible until it attacks or until its concentration ends (as if concentrating on a spell).
Possession (Recharge 6). One humanoid that the poe can see within 5 feet of it must succeed on a DC 12 Charisma saving throw or be possessed by the poe; the poe then disappears and the target is incapacitated and loses control of its body.
The poe now controls the body but doesn't deprive the target of awareness. The poe can't be targeted by any attack, spell, or other effect, except ones that turn undead, and it retains its alignment, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. It otherwise uses the possessed target's statistics, but doesn't gain access to the target's knowledge, class features, or proficiencies.
The possession lasts until the body drops to 0 hit points, the poe ends it as a bonus action, or the poe is turned or forced out by an effect like the dispel evil and good spell. When the possession ends, the poe reappears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the body. The target is immune to this poe's Possession for 24 hours after succeeding on the saving throw or after the possession ends.
Pyreflies
Pyreflies are motes of energy released when living things die. Individually, they retain fragments of memory, personality, and instinct. Together they can coalesce into powerful forms, shaped by their collective knowledge and attitude.
Shaped by Emotion. When a strong-willed creature dies under the influence of a powerful emotion, they may influence pyreflies to form a new body for them. In this way, pyreflies may take on any number of forms.
Undead Nature. Pyreflies do not require air, food, drink, or sleep.
Pyrefly Haunt
Pyrefly haunts are the most simple and common type of pyrefly formation. They are typically bestial creatures and may have a number of small differences based on why and where they were formed.
Shape of Anger. Haunts are typically formed around an angry soul. Angered by cause of death or an improper burial, the personality by the haunt fades into a maniacal fury. Haunts have no memory of their past lives or selves.
Numerous Forms. Haunts come in a great number of forms. They may be influenced by the land they formed in, the cause of death for the soul they coalesced around, or potent magic.
Most haunts take the shape of a diseased wild dog, but their shapes are as numerous as the souls that manifest them. Some have wings. Others swim in the sea. Some forms are attuned to elements or other magic.
Some haunts resemble other creatures altogether such as imps, sprites, and small beasts.
Customizing Pyrefly Haunts
Pyrefly haunts can take many forms. Consider giving them one of the following additions:
- A fly speed of 10 feet.
- Amphibious. The haunt can breathe air and water.
- An additional 2 (1d4) cold, fire, or lightning damage to their Bite.
Pyrefly haunts might also take on the form of another creature. These forms use the statistics for that creature, but its type is undead, and it has the Pyrefly Burst trait. The haunt can use the following forms:
- Blink Dog
- Cockatrice
- Giant Centipede
- Gray Ooze
- Imp
- Mephit
- Pixie
- Pseudodragon
- Quasit
- Sprite
- Stirge
Pyrefly Revenant
Pyrefly revenants are among the most powerful pyrefly formations. They coalesce around a soul, giving it a copy of its living body.
Single-Minded. Revenants are formed when a soul with a strong will is determined to complete its living business. While the revenant retains its memories and personality from life, its single-minded focus on unfinished business comes to the fore.
Walk among the Living. Revenants can walk among the living unnoticed. To the naked eye, they show none of the traits of the undead. They may even avoid magical detection.
Seeking Respite. Revenants typically have little desire to linger. When a revenant's goals are met, it will dissipate, allowing the soul to pass on.
Swarm of Pyreflies
Medium swarm of Tiny undead (shapechanger)
- Armor Class 20
- Hit Points 9 (2d8)
- Speed 0 ft., fly 50 ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 1 (-5) 30 (+10) 10 (+0) 5 (-3) 14 (+2) 10 (+0)
- Damage Immunities poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned, unconscious
- Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., truesight 60 ft., passive Perception 12
- Languages telepathy 30 ft.
- Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Shapechanger. If the swarm isn't sharing a space with another creature or object, it can use its action to polymorph into a Medium pyrefly haunt.
While in haunt form, the swarm retains its hit points but all other statistics become that of the haunt. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through an oening large enough for a Tiny pyrefly. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
Ephemeral. The pyrefly can't wear or carry anything.
Illumination. The pyrefly sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet.
Incorporeal Movement. The pyrefly can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain.
Pyrefly
Tiny undead
- Armor Class 20
- Hit Points 2 (1d4)
- Speed 0 ft., fly 50 ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 1 (-5) 30 (+10) 10 (+0) 5 (-3) 14 (+2) 10 (+0)
- Damage Immunities poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
- Condition Immunities exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, poisoned, prone, restrained, unconscious
- Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., truesight 60 ft., passive Perception 12
- Languages telepathy 30 ft.
- Challenge 0 (0 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Ephemeral. The pyrefly can't wear or carry anything.
Illumination. The pyrefly sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet.
Incorporeal Movement. The pyrefly can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain.
Pyrefly Haunt
Medium undead
- Armor Class 12
- Hit Points 18 (4d8)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 5 (-3) 14 (+2) 10 (+0)
- Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
- Senses darkvision 30 ft., passive Perception 12
- Languages —
- Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Pyrefly Burst. When the pyrefly haunt is destroyed, it explodes into a cloud of 1d6 pyreflies.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage plus 2 (1d4) necrotic or radiant damage.
Pyrefly Revenant
Medium undead
- Armor Class 18 (plate armor)
- Hit Points 75 (10d8 + 30)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18 (+4) 11 (+0) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 17 (+3) 15 (+2)
- Saving Throws Dex +3, Con +6, Wis +6
- Damage Resistances necrotic, poison
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception
- Languages the languages it knew in life
- Challenge 8 (3,900 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3
Silence of the Grave. The pyrefly revenant has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks and armor does not cause it to have disadvantage on these checks.
Pyrefly Burst. When the pyrefly revenant is destroyed, it explodes into a swarm of pyreflies.
Supernatural Awareness. The pyrefly knows the location of all celestials, fey, fiends, and undead within 120 feet.
Actions
Multiattack. The pyrefly revenant makes two attacks with its greatsword.
Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic or radiant damage.
Teleport. The pyrefly revenant teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Customizing Pyrefly Revenants
Any humanoid could become a pyrefly revenant after death. A pyrefly revenant could use any of the statblocks in Appendix B: Nonplayer Characters in the Monster Manual with the following changes:
- Their creature type is undead.
- They retain the pyrefly revenants Silence of the Grave, Pyrefly Burst, and Supernatural Awareness traits.
- Their melee weapon attacks deal an additional 7 (2d6) necrotic or radiant damage.
- They gain the pyrefly revenant's Teleport action.
Redead
Dry, shambling corpses adorned with simple clay masks, redeads stalk ruins and desecrated tombs. Their shrill cries chill the love of the living, leaving them frozen in fear.
Cursed Masks. The creation of redeads relies on their clay masks. Despite their simple appearance, the masks are created by dark rituals and when placed on a corpse, enact a short-lived false resurrection. The masks have no effect on the living.
False Resurrection. When a redead’s mask is placed on a corpse, it brings the body back to life for 24 hours. Once applied, the mask cannot be removed without the intervention of a remove curse spell or similar magic. The mask has a fiendish spark embedded within it that allows it to access the memories of the corpse and impersonate it for a short time. When the 24 hours ends, the spark is exhausted and the redead becomes a feral beast, lacking any memories of its past life or a glimmer of its intellect.
Necromancer’s Tool. Necromancers sometimes turn their enemies into redeads to mine their memories for useful information before turning them loose as undead attack dogs to guard their lairs. Less powerful necromancers have traveled in the guise of clerics, taking advantage of the grieving for coin. They bring the corpses of the recently departed back to life in exchange for food, shelter, and gold, and leave town in the dead of night before their treachery can be discovered.
Horrid Appetites. The cruel process of false resurrection leaves redeads stripped of all personality and memory save for the faint memory of beating hearts, pumping blood, and gasping breath. This leaves them with a sort of animalistic jealousy toward the living, causing them to attack on sight, wailing in frustration, and attempting to consume living flesh.
Undead Nature. A redead doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.
Redead Knights
A slight variation on the common redead, these undead soldiers attack with weapons rather than feral bites.
These redead retain a greater semblance of their mortal minds, with an Intelligence of 6 (-2). They are more disciplined and patient than the average redead, if only by a slight margin.
Redead knights do not have multiattack. Their bite and squeeze are replaced by a greatsword.
Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage.
Redead
Medium undead, Alignment
- Armor Class 10 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 75 (10d8 + 30)
- Speed 20 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18 (+4) 9 (-1) 16 (+3) 4 (-3) 10 (+0) 5 (-3)
- Damage Vulnerabilities fire, radiant
- Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks not made with a silvered weapon
- Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
- Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
- Languages —
- Challenge 1 (200 XP) Proficieny Bonus +2
Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the redead has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Actions
Multiattack. The redead makes two attacks with its bite.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4 + 4) piercing damage plus 2 (1d4) necrotic damage.
Squeeze. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 16). Until the grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the redead can't bite another target.
Shriek. Each non-undead creature within 30 feet of the redead that can see and hear it must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. A creature that fails this saving throw by 5 or more is paralyzed until the start of the redead's next turn. A frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a target's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to the redead's Shriek for the next 24 hours.
Vampires
Many strains of vampirism exist, legendary curses with sources ancient and obscure. Some forms of vampirism reflect the sins of the vampire in life. Others are born of the vampire's death and burial.
But among vampires, there are a few unique curses brought into the world by the will of powerful deities and archfey. These curses are passed down through the ages and can be traced back to a single ancient vampire. These vampires, whether by angering such creatures or petitioning them for their dark blessing, became the first of their kind.
Undead Nature. A vampire does not require air.
Aberrant Vampire
Beings of abominable power, aberrant vampires can hide in plain sight but hold the power to bend reality around them at a whim.
Eldritch Origins. Aberrant vampires descend from an ancient noble that sought a pact with an elder god for the power to destroy his enemies. The dark powers granted to him allowed him to bend the minds of his enemies and warp the fabric of time and space.
Revealing Images. At rest in its coffin by day, the aberrant vampire appears as a desiccated corpse. Meanwhile, it always has a reflection, but it can choose whether its reflection shows its uncorrupted face or the face of its desiccated corpse. However, the corpse reflection will always appear in running water and blessed mirrors.
An aberrant vampire's shadow may be revealing in a number of ways. The shadow may not move with the light or with the vampire. It may take on strange shapes or seem to act on its own.
Servants of the Unknown. Aberrant vampires are often schemers with their own ends in mind, but their origin binds them to the elder beings that cursed their line. An aberrant vampire may be compelled to serve the eldritch powers, even at the expense of its own goals.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the aberrant vampire can take a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the aberrant vampire can't use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- The aberrant vampire targets one creature it can see within 30 feet of it, causing it to magically swap places with the aberrant vampire.
- The aberrant vampire causes space to expand or contract by 5, 10, or 15 feet, causing everything within 120 feet to be pushed back from the aberrant vampire or drawn closer to it by the amount chosen. This effect lasts until the aberrant vampire is destroyed, is on another plane of existence, or uses a bonus action to end the effect.
- The aberrant vampire distorts the space around it, causing the ground within a 60-foot radius to become difficult terrain.
- The aberrant vampire reverses gravity causing all creatures and objects not anchored to the ground to fall at a speed of 30 feet per round. This effect lasts until the aberrant vampire is destroyed, is on another plane of existence, or uses a bonus action to end the effect.
Aberrant Vampire
Medium undead (shapechanger)
- Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 204 (24d8 + 96)
- Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18 (+4) 18 (+4) 18 (+4) 20 (+5) 16 (+3) 18 (+4)
- Saving Throws Dex +9, Wis +8, Cha +9
- Skills Perception +8, Stealth +9
- Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
- Damage Immunities psychic
- Condition Immunities charmed, frightened
- Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 18
- Languages the languages it knew in life
- Challenge 16 (15,000 XP)
- Proficiency Bonus +5
Shapechanger. If the vampire isn't in sunlight, it can use its action to polymorph into a Tiny moth, a Large constrictor snake, a Medium pool of liquid, or back into its true form. Anything it's wearing transforms with it, but nothing it is carrying does. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
While in moth form, the vampire can't speak, its walking speed is 5 feet and its swim speed is 0 feet. It has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. Its statistics are otherwise unchanged.
While in constrictor snake form, the vampire can't speak and its flying speed is 0 feet. Its statistics are otherwise unchanged.
While in liquid form, the vampire can't take any actions, speak, or manipulate objects. It has a walking speed of 10 feet and a swim speed of 40 feet. It can enter a hostile creature's space and stop there. In addition, if water can pass through a space, the liquid can do so without squeezing. It has advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws, and it is immune to all nonmagical damage, except the damage it takes from sunlight.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the vampire fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Liquid Escape. When it drops to 0 hit points outside its resting place, the vampire transforms into a cloud of mist (as in the shapechanger trait) instead of falling unconscious, provided that it isn't in sunlight. If it can't transform, it is destroyed.
Cont'd on next page.
Aberrant Vampire Cont'd
Medium undead (shapechanger)
- Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 204 (24d8 + 96)
- Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
While it has 0 hit points in liquid form, it can't polymorph into any of its other forms, and it must reach its resting place within 2 hours or be destroyed. Once in its resting place, it reverts to its vampire form. It is then paralyzed until it regains at least 1 hit point. After spending 1 hour in its resting place with 0 hit points, it regains 1 hit point.
Regeneration. The vampire regains 20 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point and isn't in sunlight or running water. If the vampire takes radiant damage or damage from holy water, this trait doesn't function at the start of the vampire's next turn.
Vampire Weaknesses. The vampire has the following flaws:
Forbiddance. The vampire can't enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants.
Stake to the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into the vampire's heart while the vampire is incapacitated in its resting place, the vampire is paralyzed until the stake is removed.
Sunlight Hypersensitivity. The vampire takes 20 radiant damage when it starts its turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, it has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.
Actions
Multiattack (Vampire or Constrictor Snake Form Only). The vampire makes two attacks, only one of which can be a bite attack.
Unarmed Strike (Vampire Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) psychic damage. Instead of dealing damage, the vampire can grapple the target (escape DC 19).
Bite (Vampire or Constrictor Snake Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by the vampire, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage. The target's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and the vampire regains hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. A humanoid slain in this way and then buried in the ground rises the following night as a vampire spawn under the vampire's control.
Constrict (Constrictor Snake Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 19). Until this grapple ends, the creature is restrained, and the vampire can't constrict another target.
Torment Eye. The vampire targets one humanoid it can see within 30 feet of it. The target must make a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target takes 35 (10d6) psychic damage and is paralyzed. On a successful save, the target takes half as much damage and is not paralyzed.
The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. Otherwise, the effect lasts 24 hours or until the vampire is destroyed, is on a different plane of existence than the target, or takes a bonus action to end the effect.
Hypnotic Voice (3/Day, Vampire Form Only). The vampire channels its power through its voice. Non-undead creatures within 60 feet that can hear it must succeed on a DC 19 Charisma saving throw against this magic or be stunned until the start of the vampire's next turn.
Children of the Night (1/Day). The vampire magically calls 2d4 swarms of insects or poisonous snake, provided that the sun isn't up. The called creatures arrive in 1d4 rounds, acting as allies of the vampire and obeying spoken commands. The beasts remain for 1 hour, until the vampire dies, or until the vampire dismisses them as a bonus action.
Reactions
Bare-handed Parry (Vampire Form Only. The vampire adds 4 to its AC against one melee attack that would hit it. To do so, the vampire must see the attacker.
Warp (3/Day) If the vampire would be hit by a melee or ranged attack, it can swap places with a creature it can see within 60 feet, causing that creature to take the damage instead.
Legendary Actions
The vampire can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The vampire regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Move. The vampire moves up to its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Unarmed Strike. The vampire makes one unarmed strike.
Bite (Costs 2 Actions). The vampire makes one bite attack.
Time Drag (Costs 2 Actions). One creature within 30 feet of the vampire that the vampire can see has its speed reduced to 0 until the start of the vampire's next turn.
Shed Skin (1/Day, Costs 3 Actions). The vampire ends any conditions affecting it.
Vampire Daywalker
Daywalkers are vampires cursed by the divine. They are shaped into their vampiric form by angering gods. Less powerful than other vampires, their lot is to suffer.
Retribution of the Divine. The first daywalker is said to have been cursed for profaning the temple of a sun god. Daywalkers now are doomed to live a sleepless, dreamless existence. By day, they walk among mortals unnoticed, by night they must seek to sate their dark cravings. In this way, they are forced to wonder, forever lonely and unresting.
Fury of the Night. By night, daywalkers seek to gorge themselves on blood. They are deadly hunters, tracking and slaughtering prey with fiendish delight. Their bloodlust is unquenchable and indiscriminate.
Judgment of the Dawn. In sunlight, a daywalker's bloodlust is suppressed. While the sun hovers in the sky, a daywalker can hide among the living, but many are overcome with horror and shame at the previous night's activities.
Spies of the Dead. Those daywalkers who take pleasure in their destruction often fall in as servants to other vampires. By day, they serve as spies on the living and guard over the lairs of other vampires. By night, they are vicious attack dogs.
Vampire of the Spider
Unlike other vampires, the vampire of the spider have no interest or kinship with bats and wolves. Instead, they are marked by the abilities of spiders.
Archfey's Amusement. Legend has it that the spider from which all this sort of vampire descend was a weaver on the edge of an ancient wood. The weaver's works were so beautiful that they caught the attention of a powerful archfey of the night. She would visit the weaver often, paying her handsomely for her work.
In time, the weaver grew old, which the archfey found disappointing, and then the weaver died, which the archfey considered unacceptable. The archfey carried the weaver into the woods and into her realm, where she was cocooned in fey silks. The weaver awoke in a week and a day, restored to her youth.
The archfey explained that she was now immortal and eternally young. She was stronger than before and capable of creating the finest silks for weaving, but she could never look upon the sun again. Nor could she leave the archfey's realm, for each night, she must drink a thimble full of the archfey's blood lest she turn to dust.
The Price of Immortality. A vampire of the spider must drink the blood of fey to maintain its youth and immortality. The blood of humanoids and other creatures will sustain it but the facade of youth fades. Each day that a vampire of the spider passes without drinking blood causes it to age by decades, crumbling to dust within a week.
Deathly Distractions. Vampires of the spider can be distracted by simple things, a quirk of their fairy curse. They may be compelled to count grains of rice or untie knots that they pass.
Hatred of Fairies. Vampires of the spider have an inborn hatred of all fey. They will go out of their way to inflict suffering on the creatures. The more calculating vampires of the spider take fey thralls for easy access to their blood, but these servants are subjected to all manner of cruel pranks, belittling remarks, and unreasonable demands.
Vampire Daywalker
Medium undead
- Armor Class 15 (Natural Armor)
- Hit Points 45 (6d8 + 18)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 11 (+0) 10 (+0) 12 (+1)
- Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
- Languages the languages it knew in life
- Challenge 3 (700 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Night Fury. At night, the vampire has advantage on attack rolls at night, and attack rolls against it have advantage. Additionally, it deals an extra 7 (2d6) damage to any target it hits with a melee attack.
Regeneration. The vampire regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point and isn't in running water. If the vampire takes radiant damage or damage from holy water, this trait doesn't function at the start of the vampire's next turn.
Spider Climb. The campire can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Vampire Weaknesses. The vampire has the following flaws:
- Forbiddance. The vampire can't enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants.
- Harmed by Running Water. The vampire takes 20 acid damage when it ends its turn in running water.
- Stake to the Heart. The vampire is destroyed if a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into its heart while it is incapacitated.
Actions
Multiattack. The vampire makes two attacks, only one of which can be a bite attack.
Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage. Instead of dealing damage, the vampire can grapple the target (escape DC 13).
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by the vampire, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage. The target's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and the vampire regains hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
Vampire of the Spider
Medium undead
- Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 85 (10d8 + 40)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 16 (+3) 20 (+5) 18 (+4) 12 (+1) 15 (+2) 20 (+5)
- Saving Throws Dex +9, Wis +7
- Skills Perception +6, Stealth +9
- Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
- Condition Immunities charmed
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., truesight 60 ft., passive Perception
- Languages the languages it knew in life
- Challenge 10 (5,900 XP) Proficiency Bonus +4
Blood Reliance. The vampire must drink blood everyday. If the vampire goes 24 hours without consuming blood, it gains 1 level of exhaustion. It gains another level of exhaustion for every subsequent 24 hours it goes without consuming blood. The exhaustion ends 1 hour after the vampire consumes blood.
Regeneration. The vampire regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn, if it has at least 1 hit point and isns't in sunlight or running water. If the vampire takes radiant damage or damage from holy water, this trait doesn't funciton at the start of the vampire's next turn.
Spider Climb. The vampire can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Vampire Weaknesses. The vampire has the following flaws:
- Forbiddance. The vampire can't enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants.
- Harmed by Running Water. The vampire takes 20 acid damage if it ends its turn in running water.
- Stake in the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of cold iron is driven into the vampire's heart while the vampire is incapacitated in its resting place, the vampire is paralyzed until the stake is removed.
- Sunlight Hypersensitivity. The vampire takes 20 radiant damage when it starts its turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, it has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.
Web Sense. While in contact with a web, the vampire knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.Web Walker. The vampire ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.
Actions
Multiattack. The vampire makes three attacks, only one of which can be a bite attack.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing damage. Instead of dealing damage, the vampire can grapple the target (escape DC 13).
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by the vampire, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage. The target's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and the vampire regains hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. A humanoid slain in this way and then encased in silk rsies the following night as a vampire spawn under the vampire's control.
Web (Recharge 4-6). Ranged Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, range 30/60 ft., one creature. Hit: The target is restrained by the webbing. As an action, the restrained target can make a DC 15 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 15; vulnerability to fire damage; resistant to piercing and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage).
Bonus Actions
Drawn In. The vampire chooses one target restrained by the vampire's web. The target must make a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be pulled 10 feet closer to the vampire.
Vampire NPCs
Presented below are details three vampire NPCs to drop into your campaign.
Count Magnus
Aberrant Vampire
The ancient Count Magnus was once a powerful noble and shrewd military commander. The count was promised elevation to a higher station, but his betters passed him over time and time again. Tired of being slighted, the count made a pact with an elder god, becoming the first aberrant vampire.
Rumor. A prophecy claims that Count Magnus will bring about the end of his ancient monarch's line as final vengeance for his embarrassment.
Lair. The count dwells within his ancestral tomb, still manipulating his family by way of a cult-like group of servants that carry out his will.
Loot. 30,000 gp, 10 gems each worth 1,000 gp, and a sword of answering.
Abbess Gertrude
Vampire Daywalker
The abbess profaned her god's shrine by killing her lover in a fit of rage. Struck down by the very god she had dedicated her life to, Abbess Gertrude has traveled the world. Sometimes she seeks redemption, while at other times she wallows in the violence and debauchery innate to her cursed form.
Rumor. The abbess's former lover pursues her as another kind of undead.
Lair. The abbess prefers to hide in churches, temples, and cathedrals.
Loot. 175 gp, 5 art objects each worth 25 gp, and a necklace of prayer beads.
The Spider
Vampire of the Spider
The talented weaver described in the origin of the vampires of the spider, the Spider is a manipulator and schemer. The Spider has long forgotten much of her mortal life, but her woven works are as sought after as she is feared.
Rumor. She may have a coven of hags under her control.
Lair. The Spider's web is hidden in a cave deep beneath a wild forest.
Loot. 3,000 gp, 5 art objects each worth 25 gp, and a robe of scintillating colors.
Wraiths
Incarnations of cruelty and malice, wraiths are potent undead. Life abhors their presence, and the wraith returns that enmity. Wraiths are the doomed remnants of mortals that wallowed in profound evil. Their personal histories are fading shadows to them.
Undead Nature. A wraith doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep.
Diminished Wraith
Even undeath is a temporary matter. For some wraiths, the end comes at the hands of adventurers, but others erode, evaporate. Slowly but surely, the power of the wraith is broken, and its negative energy dissipates.
Fleeting Servants. Though the wraith might once have commanded legions, its hold over the undead is waning. Even the specters it torments into being are fewer and doomed to die alongside the diminished wraith.
Wraith Lord
Most of those condemned to haunt the land as wraiths have little memory or concern for their past lives, but this is not true for wraith lords.
Foul Personalities. Wraith lords are the remnants of the wicked and strong-willed. They retain much of the personality and memory of their living selves alongside some of their abilities. A wraith lord need not have been a fearsome warrior or potent mage. Even the lowliest murderer can descend into undeath as a wraith lord if their will is strong enough.
Deathly Determination. Wraith lords may linger near their homes, pursuing the same goals they did in life. The wraith of a miser might dwell over her fortune, protecting it from thieves and heirs alike.
Nocturnal Illusion. By night, wraith lords can take on the guise of their living forms. Though the illusion is imperfect, it is enough to deceive the unwary. However, the light of the sun is enough to burn away the facade, revealing the horrible truth.
Wraith Lord
Medium undead
- Armor Class 15
- Hit Points 204 (24d8 + 96)
- Speed 0 ft., fly 60 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 6 (-2) 20 (+5) 19 (+4) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 16 (+3)
- Saving Throws Dex +9, Wis +7
- Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks not made with silvered weapons
- Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
- Languages the languages it knew in life
- Challenge 10 (5,900 XP) Proficiency Bonus +4
Deathly Command. Unless the wraith is incapacitated, it and undead creatures of its choice within 30 feet of it have advantage on saving throws against features that turn undead.
Incorporeal Movement. The wraith 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.
Nocturnal Facade. At night or in the dark the wraith appears as a pale imitation of its living self. A successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check will reveal it to be semi-translucent. The light of the sun reveals its true form.
Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the wraith has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Actions
Multiattack. The wraith makes one attack with its life drain and two attacks with its rapier.
Life Drain. The wraith targets one creature it can see within 15 feet of it. The target must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target takes 27 (6d8) necrotic damage and its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) piercing damage, plus 9 (2d8) necrotic damage.
Create Specter. The wraith targets a humanoid within 10 feet of it that has been dead for no longer than 1 minute and died violently. The target's spirit rises as a specter in the space of its corpse or in the nearest unoccupied space. The specter is under the wraith's control. The wraith can have no more than seven specters under its control at one time.
Control Undead (Recharge 4-6). The wraith targets one undead it can see within 30 feet of it that has a Challenge Rating of 5 or lower. The target must make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw. If the target fails, the target obeys the wraiths commands. If the target has an Intelligence of 8 or higher, it has advantage on the saving throw. This effect ends after one hour. The wraith can control up to three undead with this feature at a time.
Diminished Wraith
Medium undead
- Armor Class 11
- Hit Points 78 (12d8 + 24)
- Speed 0 ft., fly 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 3 (-4) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 10 (+0)
- Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks not made with silvered weapons
- Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception ##
- Languages the languages it knew in life
- Challenge 2 (450 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Incorporeal Movement. The wraith 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.
Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the wraith has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Actions
Life Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d8 + 1) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
Create Specter. The wraith targets a humanoid within 10 feet of it that has been dead for no longer than 1 minute and died violently. The target's spirit rises as a specter in the space of its corpse or in the nearest unoccupied space. The specter is under the wraith's control. The wraith can have no more than two specters under its control at one time.
Additionally, a specter created in this way has only 10 hit points and will disappear after 1 hour. Any remaining specters will die when the wraith that created them reaches 0 hit points.
Wraith NPCs
Presented below are details for three wraith NPCs to drop into your campaign.
Spiculus
Wraith Lord
In life, Spiculus was a bloodthirsty gladiator, assassinated in his sleep at the peak of his fame and wealth. In death, he is a general in service to a lich. His undead army captures would be heroes and pits them against unbeatable odds for the entertainment of the gladiator.
Rumor. Some believe that Spiculus is still bound by honor and pride to accept any one-on-one challenge.
Lair. Spiculus dwells in the ruins of a grandiose gladiatorial arena. Among the undead that serve him are the remains of many of his former opponents.
Loot. 7,000 gp in coins, 8 art objects worth 250 gp each, and a set of dragon scale mail.
Queen Marl
Wraith
Queen Marl was a cruel and miserly monarch, and the children she doted on followed readily in her footsteps. When old age and disease finally brought her reign to an end, her wraith rose to haunt the halls of her castle. Eventually, she was driven off by the work of clerics, and now she plots revenge against her own descendants, barely remembering the ties that bind them but certain the castle should be hers.
Rumor. Queen Marl is said to have shown a soft spot for children, and she seems to avoid harming small children or expecting mothers.
Lair. Queen Marl has taken up residence in her family's ancestral crypt. Several of her descendants now serve her as specters.
Loot. 3,800 gp in coins, 5 art objects worth 25 gp each, an alchemy jug, and a set of mithral armor.
The Emperor of Ash
Diminished Wraith
The Emperor of Ash is so ancient that their mortal past is totally forgotten. Indeed, tales of the Emperor are as old as the kingdoms around their territory. Old legends describe a fearsome general of the undead, but more modern stories make them out to be little more than a traveler's boogeyman.
Rumor. Travelers that pass through the Emperor's lands say that leaving a small offering of food or coin at an old standing stone is enough to appease the spirit.
Lair. The Emperor haunts a densely wooded valley from a den beneath a hill.
Loot. 175 gp in coins, 7 gems worth 10 gp each, a driftglobe, and two potions of healing.