Ethereal Sight. The corpse candle can see 60 ft. into the Ethereal Plane when it is on the Material Plane, and vice versa.
Incorporeal Movement. The corpse candle 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 corpse candle is invisible.
Magic Resistance. The corpse candle has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Etherealness. The corpse candle enters the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa. It is visible on the Material Plane while it is in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet it can't affect or be affected by anything on the other plane.
Animate Flames. The corpse candle chooses one of the following effects, or rolls randomly on the table below, targeting a source of fire within 60 feet of it.
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1. |
Fire leaps out and lashes the host creature for 2d6 fire damage, or half as much on a successful DC 16 Dexterity Saving Throw. |
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2. |
Flames are drawn to the host creature, igniting them and any flammable equipment they are wearing. The flames will burn causing the creature to take 1d8 fire damage at the start of each of their turns. This lasts until a creature within 5 ft. of the host uses an action to douse the fire. |
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3. |
The fire is extinguished and 1d8 smoke mephits appear in spaces within 10 ft. of the target. The mephits will attack the creature being possessed by the corpse candle and their allies, but will not kill the host. |
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4. |
The corpse candle casts the Heat Metal spell, targeting the host, and the flame goes out. |
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5. |
The flame explodes causing all creatures within 15 feet of it to take 8d6 fire damage, or half as much on a successful DC 15 Dexterity Saving Throw. |
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6. |
The corpse candle summons a fire elemental in a space within 5 feet of the target. The fire elemental will attack the creature being possessed by the corpse candle and their allies, but will not kill the host. |
Energy Syphon. The corpse candle begins to drain energy from its host while they sleep. When the host attempts to take a long rest, they are instead wracked with nightmares and gain a level of exhaustion unless they can succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom Saving Throw.
Will of Vengeance. When a creature looks into the eyes of a body that houses a corpse candle, the corpse candle can try to possess them. The creature must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom Saving Throw or be possessed by the corpse candle; the corpse candle then disappears, and the target is incapacitated until the end of its next turn.
A possessed creature will immediately be shown the face of the corpse’s killer in the reflection of the dead creature’s eyes and then be forced to relive the last few seconds of the corpse’s life in the form of a vision. They will experience everything that led to the death, but cannot affect this traumatic chain of events in any way. When this nightmarish experience has passed, the creature will remember vividly all that occurred.
The corpse candle can't be targeted by any attack, spell, or other effect, except ones that turn undead. While possessed the creature remains in full control of its body, however, the face of the killer will be burned into their mind so that it is visible in any open flame, campfire, torch, or lantern. Even smoke will carry the eerie vision of the murderer.
These haunting images, while clear to the possessed creature, will be seen by no one else. If the creature brings the murderer to justice by either tracking them down and killing them or by seeing them judged for their crime, the corpse candle will be set to rest and the creature will no longer be possessed. If the corpse candle feels that its host is not taking steps to see its killer brought to justice, it will make use of its animate flames ability to spur the creature to action. It may also use its energy syphon ability as a last resort. If at any time a speak with dead spell is used to communicate with a corpse candle, the spirit can only repeat the name of its killer. A creature with truesight sees the ghostly image of the dead person sitting astride the possessed creature’s shoulders.
The possession lasts until the creature dies, the corpse candle ends it as a bonus action, or the corpse candle is turned or forced out permanently. Effects like the dispel evil and good spell will temporarily end the possession, however, once the spell’s duration has ended the corpse candle will return and try to possess the creature again, allowing them to make a new Wisdom Saving Throw. When the possession ends without the killer being brought to justice, the corpse candle returns to its original body and waits for another creature to possess. If the dead body belonging to the corpse candle is buried, cremated, or otherwise put to rest without the killer being brought to justice, the slain creature will rise as a revenant in 1d4 days.
Description
The corpse candle is the undead spirit of a murdered person that coerces the living into bringing its killer to justice. Its name comes from the flame like light that flickers in the eyes of its corpse while the spirit waits for a champion to avenge it.
No Physical Form. When a corpse candle is first encountered, it appears as a ghostly flame flickering in the eyes of a murdered man or woman. Corpse candles are both ethereal and invisible creatures. Those who can see such things describe them as vaporous wisps of mist or fog that take on a vaguely humanoid shape.
Silent As The Grave. The corpse candle cannot speak and can only communicate its desire to have its killer brought to justice by means of a weak mental suggestion that it employs when it selects a creature to act as its champion of vengeance.
Future Revenants. The corpse candle is a creature created by emotion so intense that it defies the laws of the grave. This intense need for justice in the original creature’s killing is the foundation of what a corpse candle is, and if that need is not met, eventually, the spirit of the victim will rise as a revenant. Revenants are much more dangerous and unhinged than the corpse candle’s spirit, and this method of seeking vengeance is meant as a first step on the soul’s path to justice and ultimately, finding peace in death.
Anger Beyond the Grave. Corpse candles are so entirely consumed with the concept of vengeance that it becomes the only thing they can focus on. While they do retain the ability to understand any language they knew while still alive, they are completely unable to speak anything other than the name of their killer if they know it, or a brief description of the creature that took their life.
Undead Nature. The corpse candle doesn’t need to eat, drink, sleep, or breath.
(Credit to Dungeon Dad)
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