Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the blight lord fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Rejuvenation. If it has a phylactery, a destroyed blight lord gains a new body in 1d10 days, regaining all its hit points and becoming active again. The new body appears within 5 feet of the phylactery.
Spellcasting. The blight lord is a 11th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). The blight lord has the following druid spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): chill touch, poison spray, thorn whip
1st level (4 slots): charm person, entangle, thunderwave
2nd level (3 slots): gentle repose, heat metal, ray of enfeeblement
3rd level (3 slots): animate dead, gaseous form, sleet storm
4th level (3 slots): blight, confusion, dominate beast
5th level (2 slots): cloudkill, contagion, antilife shell
6th level (1 slot): wall of thorns
Turn Resistance. The blight has advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns undead.
Blighting Touch. Melee Spell Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., 1 target. Hit: 18 (4d8) necrotic damage. Any hit against a plant or plant creature is a critical hit.
Wildshape. The blight lord magically assumes the shape of a beast with a Challenge Rating of 1 or less. Its game statistics, other than its Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores; its skill and saving throw proficiencies; and its damage resistances and immunities, are replaced by that of the beast. If the blight lord is reduced to 0 hit points while in such a form, it reverts to its normal form at the same number of hit points it had before using this feature, and any remaining damage is applied to the blight lord.
The blight lord 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 blight lord regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Cantrip. The blight lord casts a cantrip.
Blighting Touch. The blight lord uses its Blighting Touch.
Disrupt Life (Costs 3 Actions). Each living creature within 20 feet of the blight lord must make a DC 16 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
Believed by some to be precursors to liches, and by others to be pale imitations thereof, blight lords were powerful druids in life whose knowledge of nature allowed them to achieve the unnatural: an escape from death by becoming undead. Like liches, they have discovered a way to hide their souls outside of their bodies within objects called phylacteries. A blight lord's phylactery is typically a small natural object, like a fruit or a flower, magically protected and preserved, although some blight lords have been known to use living animals as their phylacteries, with the process also rendering the animal in question undead and immortal.
Lair and Lair Actions
Blight lords make their lairs deep within ancient forest or misty swamps. They are often guarded by undead versions of the beasts that naturally live in the area, as well as twig blights, needle blights, and vine blights.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the blight lord takes a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects; the blight lord can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- The blight lord causes thorny plants to grow from the ground in a 20-foot square originating within 30 feet of it. The area becomes difficult terrain and any creature starting its turn in it must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 18 (5d6) piercing damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.
- The blight lord sends bestial spirits to attack a single creature it can see within 30 feet of it. The target must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 36 (8d8) necrotic damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.
- The blight lord rolls a d4 and regains a spell slot of that level or lower. If it has no spent spell slots of that level or lower, nothing happens.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary blight lord’s lair is drained of life by the blight lord's presence, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Beasts who come within 1 mile of the lair become frightened and refuse to come closer.
- Plants within 1 mile of the lair take on a blackened and withered appearance.
- The smell of rot and decay pervades the air within 1 mile of the air, becoming stronger when closer to it.
If the blight lord dies, these effects fade over the course of 1d10 days.
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Posted Feb 22, 2019Very cool. I've been wanting to use a druidic lich for my upcoming campaign.
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Posted May 1, 2019Thank you for the inspiration!
I'm using this guy soon. Currently, my players are making their way through underground tunnels that are filled with rats, insects and other disgusting creatures. Yesterday they ran from a room with a shallow pool of water filled with writhing worms and wandering infected corpses using Spawn of Kyuss as a template. They were so freaked out they didn't even want to engage and left the tunnels. The story will require they return though and eventually face the Blight Lord. I can't wait!
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Posted Mar 18, 2020Happy to see this guy here! in my 3.5edition campaign, my players fought the rotting man and his Blight Lord minions. :)
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Posted Feb 2, 2024Super cool, perfect addition to my Strahd Campaign, fits with several areas and adds a needed challenge to my players.
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Posted Jun 8, 2024Compared to a regular lich this is weaker but I’d say the lair actions are cooler and I like the idea of a lich turning into a zombie/skeleton wild shape.