I'm a new DM looking to create a mini campaign for my group to run and the BBEG at the end is supposed to be something that's been draining the life/soul from this entire city and leaving statues or rasin-like husks behind - sort of like a vampire mixed with a basalisk. Does anyone know if anything like that already exists in 5e? Or has someone created a homebrew monster?
I mean, even the relatively low challenge Wight has life drain as a feature. I think you're looking too hard for the description of the life-drain end state. That can be whatever you want. The books are going to focus on how a particular explanation of "life drain" works mechanically in combat since the "raisin husk" state is a literal after action effect.
I'd look closely at Wights and undead who use them as minions (I could see them serving a Mummy who was a warlord prior to Mummificaiton, and the Wights were its vassals, but I think Wight = vassal because I have a recurring progressive nemesis of one of my parties who's a Wight and also a Vassal of Orcus). Anyway, a Wight's victim if dead by life drain rises as a zombie 24 hours after the drain. I could see you varying this by the life drain pertifying the victim and then after 24 hours, the statue victim is basically "on call" to serve it's Wight master as a stony zombie. Note Wights can only maintain 12 of these victims at a time, so there's your low level war bands, 1 wight and their 1d12 stone zombies serving your mummy or whatever.
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Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
It's a CR20 but the Nightwalker would probably fit the bill, have one restrained under a city as part of some nefarious ritual. It's Annihilating Aura and Life Eater abilitiies are being used to siphon off the life forces of the city and slowly to power the BBEG's grand mcguffin, the party won't need to fight the Nightwalker just disrupt the ritual/kill the BBEG to send the NIghtwalker back to the Negative Plane.
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Hi everyone,
I'm a new DM looking to create a mini campaign for my group to run and the BBEG at the end is supposed to be something that's been draining the life/soul from this entire city and leaving statues or rasin-like husks behind - sort of like a vampire mixed with a basalisk. Does anyone know if anything like that already exists in 5e? Or has someone created a homebrew monster?
Thanks!
Look for creatures with the life drain ability, eg the Snow Maiden or Shadow has strength drain and finally the Mummy has Rotting Fist.
I'd probably take a normal vampire and then swap in Life Drain, Strength Drain, Rotting Fist or a combination instead of their regular bite effect.
Or I'd reskin the mummy and maybe add in the Strength Drain as a secondary effect.
I don't think there is anything that is going to be a perfect fit.
I mean, even the relatively low challenge Wight has life drain as a feature. I think you're looking too hard for the description of the life-drain end state. That can be whatever you want. The books are going to focus on how a particular explanation of "life drain" works mechanically in combat since the "raisin husk" state is a literal after action effect.
I'd look closely at Wights and undead who use them as minions (I could see them serving a Mummy who was a warlord prior to Mummificaiton, and the Wights were its vassals, but I think Wight = vassal because I have a recurring progressive nemesis of one of my parties who's a Wight and also a Vassal of Orcus). Anyway, a Wight's victim if dead by life drain rises as a zombie 24 hours after the drain. I could see you varying this by the life drain pertifying the victim and then after 24 hours, the statue victim is basically "on call" to serve it's Wight master as a stony zombie. Note Wights can only maintain 12 of these victims at a time, so there's your low level war bands, 1 wight and their 1d12 stone zombies serving your mummy or whatever.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
It's a CR20 but the Nightwalker would probably fit the bill, have one restrained under a city as part of some nefarious ritual. It's Annihilating Aura and Life Eater abilitiies are being used to siphon off the life forces of the city and slowly to power the BBEG's grand mcguffin, the party won't need to fight the Nightwalker just disrupt the ritual/kill the BBEG to send the NIghtwalker back to the Negative Plane.