Fleeting Anger. If another creature deals damage to the Returned, the Returned makes attack rolls with advantage until the end of its next turn.
Turn Resistance. The Returned has advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns undead.
Magic Resistance. The archmage has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Unreadable Face. The Returned is immune to any effect that would sense its emotions or read its thoughts. Wisdom (Insight) checks to ascertain the Returned’s intentions or sincerity are made with disadvantage.
Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) poison damage.
Underworld Bolt. Ranged Spell Attack: +9 to hit, range 120 ft., one creature. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 2) necrotic damage, and the target can’t regain hit points until the start of the Returned’s next turn. If the target is missing any of its hit points, it instead takes 17 (2d12 + 2) necrotic damage.
Spellcasting: The Aphonai is an 18th-level Spellcaster. Its Spellcasting Ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks). The archmage can cast Disguise Self and Invisibility at will and has the following Wizard Spells prepared:
• Cantrips (at will): light, Mage Hand, Shocking Grasp
• 1st level (4 slots): Detect Magic, mage armor*, Magic Missile
• 2nd Level (3 slots): Detect Thoughts, Mirror Image, Misty Step
• 3rd Level (3 slots): Counterspell, fly, Lightning Bolt
• 4th Level (3 slots): Banishment, Fire Shield, stoneskin*
• 5th Level (3 slots): Cone of Cold, Scrying, Wall of Force
• 6th level (1 slot): Circle of Death
• 7th level (1 slot): Teleport
• 8th level (1 slot): mind blank*
• 9th level (1 slot): Weird
* The archmage casts these Spells on itself before Combat.
The Aphonai 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 Aphonai regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Cantrip. The Aphonai casts a cantrip.
Cast a Spell (Costs 1–3 Actions). The Aphonai expends a spell slot to cast a 1st-, 2nd-, or 3rd-level spell that she has prepared. Doing so costs 1 legendary action per level of the spell.
Disrupt Life (Costs 3 Actions). Each non-undead creature within 20 feet of the Aphonai must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw against this magic, taking 21(6d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Description
Although the dead typically recall little of their lives, some have an obsession with magic and power that survives both death and rebirth as a Returned. These Returned, called kakomanteis, use their magical prowess to control the energy that suffuses the Underworld. The most powerful of kakomanteis rule over Asphodel as the Aphonai.
Aphonai have advanced magical abilities that make them extremely deadly foes.
Returned Masks. Adventurers who defeat Returned foes might marvel at their fortune in claiming such rich spoils after a battle. The mask of a Returned is worth approximately 100 gp, based on its composition and craftsmanship. However, selling a Returned mask isn’t a simple matter of cashing it in for coin. Most people on Theros know the tales of the Returned and want nothing to do with such cursed relics or with those who try to traffic in them. Finding an unscrupulous merchant willing to trade for Returned masks is rare, as the items are effectively another sapient being’s face. Convincing a merchant to buy a Returned mask, or dealing with the ramifications of such a sale, might prove to be an adventure in itself.
Returned Nature. The Returned are undead. They need water and air but not food or sleep. They think and speak and even feel emotions based on their new experiences, but given their circumstances, those emotions tend to be muted.
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