Cursed Aura. At the start of the Cursed Painter's turn, any creature within 30 feet that can see the painter must succeed on a DC 22 Wisdom saving throw or become Charmed by the painter. A charmed creature is compelled to approach the painter on its turn. The aura also grants the Cursed Painter a bonus to its AC equal to its Charisma modifier.
Immutable Form. The Cursed Painter is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
Reality Anchor. The Cursed Painter cannot be banished, imprisoned, or affected by reality-altering spells such as wish.
Canvas Strider. The Cursed Painter can use its bonus action to step into any painting or two-dimensional art piece within 120 feet, disappearing from view. It can reappear from any other painting within the same range as a bonus action on a subsequent turn.
Incorporeal Movement. The Cursed Painter can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. If it ends its turn inside an object, it takes 5 (1d10) force damage.
Multiattack. The Cursed Painter makes two brush stroke attacks.
Banishing Brushstroke. The Cursed Painter points its brush at a creature it can see within 60 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 22 Wisdom saving throw or be banished to the painted demiplane. A creature banished in this way can be freed only by the methods described in the Escape from the Canvas regional effect. This action has no effect on constructs or creatures with the Reality Anchor trait.
Psychic Brush Stroke. Melee or Ranged Spell Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft. or range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 25 (4d8 + 7) psychic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 22 Constitution saving throw or have its speed reduced by half until the start of its next turn as a gooey, thick paint appears on its body.
Vibrant Splatter (Recharge 5-6). The Cursed Painter gestures, causing a cascade of vibrant, living paint to burst from its body in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 52 (8d10 + 7) acid damage and is covered in paint. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and is not covered in paint. A creature covered in paint has its speed reduced to 10 feet and has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws until the end of its next turn.
Create Golem. The Cursed Painter uses a bonus action to create a Paint Golem from any surface it has touched with its Vibrant Splatter ability. The golem appears on the next turn in the specified area.
Inky Dash. The Cursed Painter teleports up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. This movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks.
Canvas Hop. The Cursed Painter uses a bonus action to step into any painting or two-dimensional art piece within 120 feet, disappearing from view. It can reappear from any other painting within the same range as a bonus action on a subsequent turn.
Vengeful Stroke. When a creature within 30 feet of the Cursed Painter hits it with an attack, the painter can use its reaction to make a Psychic Brush Stroke attack against that creature.
The Cursed Painter 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 Cursed Painter regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
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Canvas Hop. The Cursed Painter uses its Canvas Strider trait to teleport to a nearby painting.
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Psychic Brush Stroke. The Cursed Painter makes one Psychic Brush Stroke attack.
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Summon Golem (Costs 2 Actions). The Cursed Painter uses its Create Golem action.
Description
The Cursed Painter Lore
In a forgotten age, there lived a master artist known as William Wilds. He was a prodigy of the canvas, whose works were so lifelike they were said to breathe with their own souls. But William was not satisfied. He pursued a singular, obsessive goal: to create a painting so perfect, it would transcend the bounds of art and become reality itself.
His magnum opus was to be a portrait of himself, a self-reflection that would capture not just his likeness, but his very essence—a true, living work of art. As he toiled in his studio, he became increasingly reclusive, his mind consumed by his art. He began to run out of materials, but his madness had already taken hold. Driven by a desperate need to continue, he turned his knife upon himself, mixing his own blood with his paints. He painted day and night, ignoring his pain and the toll it took on his body. He was obsessed, and the painting, with every drop of his blood, became more and more twisted.
When he finally expired from blood loss, his last, anguished breath was a word of frustration. The portrait was not perfect. It was a failure. But in his death, the ritual completed. His boundless frustration and the raw, vital essence of his blood gave the painting a horrifying life of its own. It became a prison for his soul, a cursed anchor for a being that could not bear the thought of its own imperfections. The painter became a creature of pure, creative malice—a Cursed Painter.
Now, the painter's spirit roams his cursed gallery, a spectral figure forever bound to his masterpiece. The painting of himself became the first Cursed Portrait, a nexus of dark energy that siphons the life force of anyone who draws near to it. The more it consumes, the younger and more vital the painter's subject becomes, yet the painter's true form remains a gaunt, twisted reflection of its former self.
The other paintings in the gallery are not merely art; they are extensions of the painter's will. The very pigments on the canvases are infused with his essence, allowing him to pull forth Paint Golems—sentient beings of hardened color and pigment that act as his guardians. These golems hide within the paintings, waiting to ambush any unfortunate soul who enters the gallery. The painter's greatest power, however, lies in its ability to trap people inside the paintings, making them a permanent part of the gallery. For the painter, anyone who enters is simply a new subject, a new brushstroke to be added to the canvas in his eternal quest for perfection. Those trapped within the painted demiplane face a terrifying new reality, where their very existence is nothing more than a fleeting bit of scenery in the painter's endless, tortured masterpiece.
The Cursed Painter, trapped in his own artistic hell, seeks to capture the life and beauty he could never perfectly render, adding it to his collection one victim at a time. He is a truly pitiable and horrific figure, a reminder of the dangers of ambition unchecked by sanity.
Lair and Lair Actions
The Painter's Lair
The Cursed Painter's lair is a gallery or studio filled with its cursed artwork. It is a place where the barrier between reality and art is thin, and the painter's influence warps the very fabric of existence.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Cursed Painter can take one of the following lair actions. It can't take the same lair action two rounds in a row.
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Living Canvas. A painted landscape on the walls comes to life. A 20-foot cube of painted terrain, such as a swamp, forest, or rocky outcrop, appears within 120 feet of the painter. This terrain functions as difficult terrain and lasts until the painter uses this lair action again.
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Haunting Figure. The face of a Cursed Portrait (that looks identical to the painter's statblock) emerges from a painting on the wall. The face targets one creature within 60 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 22 Wisdom saving throw or become Frightened of the Cursed Painter for 1 minute.
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Summon Golem. The Cursed Painter creates a Paint Golem from a surface it has touched with its Vibrant Splatter ability. The golem appears on the next turn within a 5-foot space of that area. The Cursed Painter can only have up to two golems active at a time.
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Palette Swap. The Cursed Painter teleports to a different painting or art piece within its lair. All active Paint Golems also teleport with it to occupy a space within 30 feet of the Cursed Painter's new location.
Regional Effects
The region containing the Cursed Painter’s lair is warped by its cursed influence, which creates one or more of the following effects:
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The Living Gallery. When a living creature enters the region, they feel an unnatural pull towards the painter's lair. Any creature that takes a long rest in this region has a 50% chance of being transported to a demiplane of painted landscapes. They must find their way back to the main lair to escape.
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Trapped Souls. The souls of those who have died or were trapped in the painter's lair can be seen as faint, silent figures in the corners of paintings or as shadowy streaks of color on surfaces. These souls are permanently bound to the demiplane.
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Distorted Reality. The area around the lair (within 1 mile) is magically cloaked in an invisible, distorting fog. Spells and abilities that require a clear line of sight have their range halved.
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Escape from the Canvas. Victims trapped inside the demiplane of painted landscapes can only be freed in one of three ways:
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A creature from outside casts a level 5 or higher remove curse spell on the painting.
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A creature trapped inside finds the magical paintbrush held by one of the ten Paint Golems within the demiplane. The paintbrush can then be used to paint an exit.
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The Cursed Painter dies, and all trapped souls and victims escape as the regional effect fades over 1d10 days.
The Cursed Portrait
Huge Aberration, Neutral Evil
Armor Class 15 (natural armor) Hit Points 100 Speed 0 ft.
Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities necrotic, poison, psychic Condition Immunities all conditions Senses passive Perception 15 Languages understands Common but cannot speak
Trapping Canvas. When a creature is reduced to 0 hit points within 30 feet of the Cursed Portrait, their soul is sucked into the canvas. The creature is Incapacitated and trapped inside a demiplane of painted scenery. The victim can be freed in one of three ways:
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A creature from outside casts a level 5 or higher remove curse spell on the painting.
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A creature trapped inside finds the magical paintbrush held by one of ten Paint Golems within the demiplane. The paintbrush can then be used to paint an exit.
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The Cursed Painter dies, and all trapped souls and victims escape as the regional effect fades over 1d10 days.
If a creature dies while inside the painting, its soul becomes a permanent part of the canvas and it cannot be resurrected by any means short of a wish spell.
Actions
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Life Siphon. The Cursed Portrait targets one creature it can see within 30 feet. The target must make a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target takes 20 (4d8) necrotic damage, and the portrait’s subject appears visibly younger. A creature that succeeds on this save is immune to this effect for 24 hours.
Banishing Canvas. The Cursed Portrait targets a creature it can see within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or be banished to the painted demiplane. A creature banished in this way can be freed only by the methods described in the Escape from the Canvas regional effect. This action has no effect on constructs or creatures with the Reality Anchor trait.
Bonus Actions
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Create Golem. The Cursed Portrait can use a bonus action to create a Paint Golem from its surface. The golem appears on the next turn in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the painting. The Cursed Portrait can only have up to three golems active at a time.
Paint Golem
This creature is a construct and a minion of the Cursed Painter. It can hide in paintings and is made of living pigment.
Medium Construct, Unaligned
Armor Class 14 (natural armor) Hit Points 75 (10d8 + 30) Speed 30 ft.
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities poison, psychic Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned Senses blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 10 Languages understands the Cursed Painter's commands but cannot speak
Amorphous. The Paint Golem can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
Paint Cloak. As a bonus action, the Paint Golem can flatten itself against a painted surface to become Invisible until it moves or takes an action. It can only do this on surfaces covered in pigment.
Actions
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Multiattack. The Paint Golem makes two slam attacks.
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Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be grappled (escape DC 13). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the golem can't make slam attacks against other targets.
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