Amphibious. The corpse tearer can breathe air and water.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the corpse tearer fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Energy Drain. Any living creature hit by the corpse tearer's claws are inflicted with a terrible curse which gnaws at their spirit and take necrotic damage equal to their the maximum value of their hit die. For example, a barbarian struck by energy drain would 12 points of necrotic damage. Damage taken by this effect reduces the total maximum hit points of the target by the amount dealt and cannot be regained until the effect is removed (with a spell such as restoration) or if a DC 22 Fortitude save is passed after 24 hours.
Spellcasting. The corpse tearer is an 18th level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 22, +14 to hit with spell attacks). The corpse tearer has the following spells prepared.
Cantrips (at will): chill touch, toll the dead, spare the dying
1st level (4 slots): charm person, detect magic, ray of sickness, shield
2nd level (3 slots): blindness/deafness, detect thoughts, ray of enfeeblement
3rd level (3 slots): animate dead, counterspell, detect magic
4th level (3 slots): blight, confusion
5th level (3 slots): cloudkill, dominate person
6th level (1 slot): circle of death, create undead, disintegrate
7th level (1 slot): finger of death, reverse gravity
8th level (1 slot): dominate monster, feeblemind, mind blank
9th level (1 slot): power word kill, weird
Multiattack. The corpse tearer can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +19 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 25 (4d6 + 13) piercing damage and inflict the energy drain effect.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +19 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 6) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +19 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 27 (2d8 + 19) bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the corpse tearer's choice that is within 120 feet of the corpse tearer and aware of it must succeed on a DC 22 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the corpse tearer's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Noxious Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales noxious fumes either in a 60-foot cone or a 120-foot line. The fumes can take on the properties of either disease or paralysis. Each creature in that cone or line must make a DC 27 Constitution saving throw, being paralyzed for 1d6 + 12 rounds (for paralysis) or contract linnorm fever (for disease) on a failed save. Linnorm fever has an incubation period of 12 hours, and the disease deals 1d6 points of Strength damage and 1d4 points of Constitution damage until cured.
The corpse tearer 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 dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The corpse tearer makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Tail Attack. The corpse tearer makes a tail attack.
Shattering Slam (Costs 2 Actions). The corpse tearer slams the ground with immense force. Each creature within 10 feet of the corpse tearer must succeed on a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw or take 14 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The corpse tearer can then destroy any terrain using this feature, as well as allowing it to move double its burrowing speed at the start of its turn.
Description
Unfathomably Ancient. A corpse tearer is a Linnorm, a primeval creature thought to be an offshoot of current-day dragons. However, only few have ever been sighted, and no young ones have been accounted for, leading to the belief that these ancient creatures are dying off. Some ancient, long dead civilizations have described these long, slender, wingless dragons as harbingers and even gods. Despite this, much of their history has been lost.
Cruel Manipulators. No good or lawful corpse tearers are known to exist as these creatures are hateful and cruel. While they do enjoy making bargains to those who stray too far into their territory, they are hardly ever kept. Due to its age, corpse tearers have experience much of the worlds magics and often tempt wizards into service through the promise of knowledge. Seldom a story has been told where those who encounter a corpse tearer escape without appeasing the ancient behemoths.
Necrotic Narcissists. A corpse tearer enjoys procuring undead minions to protect its hoard and defend its lair. A corpse tearer's magics curse the land in which it calls home, and all who perish rise again under its control. This method is also used as an additional defense against those trying to locate a corpse tearer's lair.
Reluctant Magics. The corpse tearer's immensity and narcissism affects how it acts with mortals. When in combat, the corpse tearer refuses to use it spells as it considers to use them in this manner as wasteful. Spells are cast typically outside of combat, either to prevent an encounter or to perform a task such as raising the dead as servants. As a last resort, the corpse tearer will begin to draw terrible magics out against its enemies.
Lair and Lair Actions
Corpse Tearers dwell in ancient swamps and within the ruins of desecrated civilizations. A corpse tearer’s lair is a wretched cave or ruin that is often excavated into ancient burial grounds or cemeteries, providing corpses to be used lair guardians and agents. When not protecting their lair, these undead are sent out to collect more treasure for the corpse tearer's hoard. The moss- and lichen-covered lair is littered with undead raised as the corpse tearer's servants, as well as impossibly dark pits which seem to delve into the heart of the world itself.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the corpse tearer takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the tearer can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Mossy covered arms of the corpse tearer's minions emerge in a 20-foot radius centered on a point on the ground that the corpse tearer can see within 120 feet of it. That area becomes difficult terrain, and each creature there must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be restrained by the grasping arms. A creature can be freed if it or another creature takes an action to make a DC 15 Strength check and succeeds. The arms crumble away when the corpse tearer uses this lair action again or when the corpse tearer dies.
- The corpse tearer rouses the spirits of creatures that died in its lair. These apparitions materialize and attack one creature that the corpse tearer can see within 60 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw, taking 52 (15d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a success. The spirits then disappear
- Magical darkness spreads from a point the corpse tearer chooses within 60 feet of it, filling a 15-foot-radius sphere until the corpse tearer dismisses it as an action, uses this lair action again, or dies. The darkness spreads around corners. A creature with darkvision can’t see through this darkness, and nonmagical light can’t illuminate it. If any of the effect’s area overlaps with an area of light created by a spell of 2nd level or lower, the spell that created the light is dispelled.
Regional Effects
The region containing a corpse tearer's lair is warped by its magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- The land within 6 miles of the lair takes twice as long as normal to traverse, since the plants that grow here are twisted and overgrown, corrupted by ancient magics.
- Creatures slain within 6 miles of the lair return as undead after 24 hours. Undead created in this manner are under the control of the corpse tearer. Undead destroyed cannot return through this effect.
- Fog lightly obscures the land within 6 miles of the lair.
If the corpse tearer dies, vegetation remains as it has grown, but other effects fade over 1d10 days.
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