Blessing of the Keeper of Secrets. If the countess drops to 0 hit points, roll on the Boons of Undeath table for the boon the countess receives. The countess dies if she receives a boon she already has. If she receives a new boon, she revives at the start of her next turn with half her hit points restored, and her creature type is now Undead.
Change Appearance. The countess can use her action to polymorph into a Medium humanoid she has seen, or back into her true form. Her statistics, other than her size, are the same in each form. Any equipment she is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. She reverts to her true form if she dies.
Multiattack. The countess attacks twice. She can replace one attack with a use of Spellcasting or Dark Speech (if available).
Soul Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) piercing damage, and if the target is a creature, it is paralyzed until the start of the countess’ next turn. If this damage reduces a Medium or smaller creature to 0 hit points, the creature dies, and its soul is trapped in the countess’ body, manifesting as a shadowy Soul Tattoo on the countess. The soul is freed if the countess dies.
Necrotic Bolt. Ranged Spell Attack: +7 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (3d8 + 4) necrotic damage, and the target can’t regain hit points until the start of the countess’ next turn.
Dark Speech (1/Day). The countess utters a phrase in a forbidden language. Each creature within 15 ft. of the duchess must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or take 11 (2d10) psychic damage and be frightened of the countess for 1 minute. A target can repeat the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Spellcasting. The countess casts one of the following spells, using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 15):
At will: friends, mage hand, message
1/day each: charm person, mage armor, hold person, invisibility, suggestion, tongues
Soul Tattoo (Recharge 5–6). The countess touches one of the Soul Tattoos on her body. The tattoo vanishes as the trapped soul manifests as a shadowy creature that appears in an unoccupied space the countess can see within 30 feet of her. The creature has the size and silhouette of its original body, but it otherwise uses the stat block of a shadow. The shadow obeys the countess’ mental commands (no action required) and takes its turn immediately after the duchess.
Description
Chantal ir’Valindra, Countess of Larunor and Enchanter of the Third Circle, is a woman of many secrets. Firstly, she is a high-ranking member of the cult of Sul Khatesh, where she is known as the Duchess of the Shredded Veil. Secondly, she isn’t even the original Countess ir’Valindra. The original was killed by a changeling, Ot, from the city of Lost in Droaam, who subsequently took her place as both noble and cultist.
Boons of Undeath
| d6 | Boon |
|---|---|
| 1 | Dread. Eerie whispers can now be heard around the countess. Any non-Undead creature that starts its turn within 30 feet of the countess must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of the countess until the start of the creature’s next turn. |
| Ectoplasmic. An otherworldly slime drips off the countess and fades away moments later, leaving a greenish stain. When any creature starts its turn within 10 feet of the countess, the countess can reduce that creature’s speed by 10 feet until the start of the creature’s next turn, until which the creature is covered by ectoplasm. | |
| 3 | Vampiric. When the countess deals necrotic damage to any creature, the countess gains a number of temporary hit points equal to half that necrotic damage. The countess’ speed also increases by 10 feet. |
| 4 | Blazing. The countess sloughs off her flesh, and her skeleton crumbles away, leaving only her skull. Her stat block is replaced by that of a flameskull, but she retains her Blessing of the Keeper of Secrets trait, and all fire damage she deals becomes necrotic damage. |
| 5 | Spectral. The countess now appears wraithlike, and her challenge rating increases by 1. She gains resistance to all damage but force, radiant, and psychic, and she is vulnerable to radiant damage. She can also move through creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain, but she takes 5 (1d10) force damage if she ends her turn inside a creature or an object. |
| 6 | Deathly. The countess’ visage becomes bone white, and her challenge rating increases by 1. She can cast animate dead and create undead once per day each, using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability, and she gains the following action:
Circle of Death (Spell; Recharge 5–6). Each creature in a 60-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the countess can see within 150 feet of her must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 28 (8d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. |
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