being before death create retain

Dracolich (Gargantuan)

Monsters Monster Manual

it turns to dust if reduced to 0 Hit Points. If the gem is destroyed, the dracolich can create a new one by completing an 8-hour ritual using a gem worth 1,000+ GP and by expending 5,000 GP, which the

version) 1/Day Each: Create Undead (level 8 version), Finger of DeathLegendary Action Uses: 3 (4 in Lair). Immediately after another creature’s turn, the dracolich can expend a use to take one of

Dracolich

Monsters Monster Manual

it turns to dust if reduced to 0 Hit Points. If the gem is destroyed, the dracolich can create a new one by completing an 8-hour ritual using a gem worth 1,000+ GP and by expending 5,000 GP, which the

version) 1/Day Each: Create Undead (level 8 version), Finger of DeathLegendary Action Uses: 3 (4 in Lair). Immediately after another creature’s turn, the dracolich can expend a use to take one of

Deck of Many Things

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide

yourself. The knight has the same alignment as you and serves you loyally until death, believing the two of you have been drawn together by fate. Work with your DM to create a name and backstory for this NPC

combat, you have Advantage on Death Saving Throws for 1 year. If someone else reduces your chosen foe to 0 Hit Points or you don’t choose a foe, this card has no effect. Donjon. You disappear

Dead Three Scion

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

Door, Invisibility, Scrying 1/Day Each: Circle of Death, Create UndeadLegendary Action Uses: 3. Immediately after another creature’s turn, the scion can expend a use to take one of the

on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.Multiattack. The scion makes two attacks, using Death Touch or Mindwrack Bolt in any combination. Death Touch. Melee Attack Roll: +12

Dust Hulk

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

Air Form. The dust hulk can enter a hostile creature’s space and stop there. It can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch without squeezing. Death Burst. When the dust hulk dies, it

, barely maintaining a cohesive form. When a dust hulk dies, it disperses into a cloud of dust. Dust hulks retain their ancestors’ passion for artistry, but instead of carving stone, they view

Cranium Rat

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

+4", "rollType":"to hit", "rollAction":"Bite"} to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage.Mind flayers create cranium rats by bombarding rat;rats with psionic energy. If enough cranium

rats come together to form a swarm, they merge their minds into a single intelligence with the accumulated memories of all the swarm’s constituents. The rats become smarter as a result, and retain

Darkling Elder Legacy

Monsters Volo's Guide to Monsters

Death Burn. When the darkling elder dies, magical light flashes out from it in a 10-foot radius as its body and possessions, other than metal or magic objects, burn to ash. Any creature in that area

must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes 7 (2d6);{"diceNotation":"2d6","rollType":"damage","rollAction":"Death Burn","rollDamageType":"radiant"} radiant damage and

Mist Hulk

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

Air Form. The mist hulk can enter another creature’s space and stop there. It can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch without squeezing. Death Burst. When the mist hulk dies, it bursts in

":"Death Burst", "rollDamageType":"bludgeoning"} bludgeoning damage and has the prone condition. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage only.Multiattack. The mist hulk makes two Slam

Pudding Gremlin

monsters

Death Burst. The pudding gremlin explodes when it dies. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 11, each creature in a 5-foot Emanation originating from the pudding gremlin. Failure: 7 (2d6);{"diceNotation":"2d6

", "rollType":"damage", "rollAction":"Death Burst", "rollDamageType":"Fire"} Fire damage. Success: Half damage. False Appearance. If the pudding gremlin doesn’t move on its turn, it has

Necromancer Wizard

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

", "rollAction":"Grim Harvest"} hit points.Necromancers study the interaction of life, death, and undeath. Some necromancers dig up or purchase corpses to create Undead servitors. A few instead use their

collaborate with colleagues to create new spells.NecroticSummon Undead (1/Day). The necromancer magically summons five skeleton;skeletons or zombie;zombies (both appear in the Monster Manual). The summoned

Cinder Hulk

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

Death Burst. When the cinder hulk dies, it leaves behind a cloud of cinders and smoke that fills a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on its space. The sphere is heavily obscured. Any creature that moves

into the area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6);{"diceNotation":"3d6", "rollType":"damage", "rollAction":"Death

Greater Death Dragon

Monsters Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

", "rollType":"damage", "rollAction":"Cataclysmic Rush", "rollDamageType":"necrotic"} necrotic damage. A creature can take this damage only once per turn.Some death dragons manage to retain almost all

of their former selves, albeit twisted by their state of being. These greater death dragons scheme to achieve their ends, all the while amassing and jealously guarding treasure hoards as they did in

Darkling Legacy

Monsters Volo's Guide to Monsters

Death Flash. When the darkling dies, nonmagical light flashes out from it in a 10-foot radius as its body and possessions, other than metal or magic objects, burn to ash. Any creature in that area

absorbs over the course of its lifetime explodes outward when the darkling dies, incinerating the creature and much of its possessions. Love of Art. Despite their curse, darklings retain a fondness

False Lich

Monsters Vecna: Eve of Ruin

unoccupied space it can see within 60 feet of itself. It then makes one Death Rend attack if possible. Cast a Spell (Costs 2 Actions). The false lich uses Spellcasting.Occasionally, liches create

effects.Multiattack. The false lich makes two Death Rend attacks and uses Bloodcurdling Lament if available. Death Rend. Melee Spell Attack: +14;{"diceNotation":"1d20+14", "rollType":"to hit

Fensir Devourer

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

Death Curse. When the fensir starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn’t regenerate, it releases a curse on those around it. Each creature within 30 feet of the fensir when it dies must

, the creature must succeed on a DC 13 Charisma saving throw or take 11 (2d10);{"diceNotation":"2d10", "rollType":"damage", "rollAction":"Death Curse", "rollDamageType":"psychic"} psychic damage

Swarm of Cranium Rats

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

, comprehend languages, detect thoughts 1/day each: confusion, dominate monsterMind flayers create cranium rat;cranium rats by bombarding rat;rats with psionic energy. Cranium rats are somewhat smarter than

constituents. The rats become smarter as a result, and retain their heightened intelligence for as long as the swarm persists. The swarm also awakens latent psionic abilities implanted within each cranium

Fensir Skirmisher

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

for 24 hours. Spellcasting. The fensir casts one of the following spells, using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability: 1/day each: create or destroy water, detect magic, pass without traceFensir

. They retain prominent noses and a hint of green in their skin but otherwise resemble relatively small frost or stone giants. They use armor and weapons similar to what other combatants on Ysgard use

Witherbloom Professor of Decay

Monsters Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

): At will: druidcraft, spare the dying 1/day each: antilife shell, bane, feign death, speak with deadProfessors of decay wield magic that drains and twists the essence of the professors&rsquo

their foes. In battle, they steal the essence of their enemies to heal their own wounds and create spears of sickly green life-draining energy. Witherbloom teachers who espouse the decaying side of the

Death Giant Shrouded One

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

the death rune on a prized skull from this grisly collection. Abandoning armor in favor of gloomy robes, the shrouded one uses rune magic to create a shadowy scythe blade at the end of a staff and to

Death Rune. The giant has a death rune inscribed on a giant’s skull in its possession. While holding or wearing the skull bearing the rune, the giant can use its Reaping Scythe action and

Orcus Legacy

Monsters Out of the Abyss

with dead. Alternatively, he can expend 1 or more of the wand’s charges to cast one of the following spells from it: circle of death (1 charge), finger of death (1 charge), or power word kill (2

spells, requiring no material components: At will: chill touch (17th level), detect magic 3/day each: create undead, dispel magic 1/day: time stop Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Orcus fails a

Devourer

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

creature is restrained and has disadvantage on death saving throws. If the creature dies while imprisoned, the devourer regains 25 hit points and immediately recharges Soul Rend. Additionally, at the

replacing all life with everlasting death. A lesser demon that proves itself to Orcus might be granted the privilege of becoming a devourer. The Prince of Undeath transforms such a demon into an 8-foot

Orcus

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

. Master of Undeath. Orcus can cast animate dead (at will) and create undead (3/day). He chooses the level at which the spells are cast, and the creatures created by them remain under his control

indefinitely. Additionally, he can cast create undead even when it isn’t night. Special Equipment. Orcus wields the Wand of Orcus.Multiattack. Orcus makes three Wand of Orcus, Tail, or Necrotic Bolt

Boneless

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

them to death in their full-body grip. Boneless arise in a variety of forms. While the animate skins of specific creatures are the most common, foul spellcasters might create these horrors from the

. Whether through accident or depraved genius, some villains use one corpse to create two separate undead. Boneless might adorn the frames of other undead, like skeletons or zombies. The sight of a

Ettin Ceremorph

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

with the implantation of an illithid tadpole in the brain of a Humanoid host. Mind flayers have subjected giants to this process in an effort to create larger, stronger mind flayers, but those

ceremorphs serve mind flayer colonies, protecting the elder brain;elder brains that rule the communities and guarding their treasures. They retain no memory of their previous existence as ettins.Psychic

Devkarin Lich

Monsters Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

, Evard's black tentacles 5th level (2 slots): cloudkill, insect plague 6th level (1 slot): circle of death, create undead 7th level (1 slot): finger of death Turn Resistance. The lich has advantage on

Art Elemental Mascot

Monsters Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

Death Burst. When the elemental dies, it explodes in a burst of colored light. Each creature within 5 feet of the elemental must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or be blinded for 1

to as a “living expression,” an art elemental is an aspect of creativity and emotion given physical form—making it the perfect mascot for Prismari College. To create an art

Humanoid Mutate

Monsters Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

as smooth as a salamander’s. Some intelligent Humanoid mutates retain their personalities from before they were exposed to the Far Realm. Some, driven by the allure of otherworldly powers, seek

have tried to create armies of mutates to sweep through the Underdark. However, their efforts always proved fruitless, and eventually the mind flayers gave up their schemes. Several common types of

Krull

Monsters Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

, vampiric touch 4th level (3 slots): banishment, blight, death ward, divination, locate creature 5th level (2 slots): antilife shell, cloudkill, contagion, greater restoration 6th level (1 slot): create

Priest of Osybus (Deathly)

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

Deathly Boon. It can cast animate dead and create undead once per day each, using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability. Tattoo of Osybus. If the priest drops to 0 hit points, roll on the Boons

priest’s next turn. Circle of Death (Spell; Recharge 5–6;{"diceNotation":"1d6","rollType":"recharge","rollAction":"Circle of Death"}). Each creature in a 60-foot-radius sphere centered on a point

Jarad Vod Savo

Monsters Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

(3 slots): blight, giant insect, grasping vine 5th level (2 slots): cloudkill, insect plague 6th level (1 slot): circle of death, create undead 7th level (1 slot): finger of death, forcecage Spore

Draconian Mastermind

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

Death Throes. When the draconian is reduced to 0 hit points, its magical essence lashes out as a ball of lightning at the closest creature within 30 feet of it before arcing out to up to two other

":"Death Throes", "rollDamageType":"lightning"} lightning damage and is stunned until the end of its next turn. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and isn’t

Cairnwight

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

instead of the restrained condition.Stone giants believe the god Skoraeus Stonebones inspires artists to create their finest stone carvings. Sometimes a giant pursues this divine inspiration to the

exclusion of all other tasks, retreating into a spacious cavern and blocking out all distractions. Creating a masterwork can become such a driving obsession that death can’t stop it: a giant who dies

Muiral

Monsters Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

invisibility, polymorph 5th level (2 slots): animate objects, wall of force 6th level (1 slot): create undead, flesh to stone 7th level (1 slot): finger of death Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Muiral fails

Gloamwing

Monsters Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

Death Link. If its specter rider is reduced to 0 hit points, the gloamwing is destroyed. Flyby. The gloamwing doesn't provoke an opportunity attack when it flies out of an enemy's reach. Sunlight

responsible. If the specter survives, it can create a new gloamwing over the course of a month, during which time the specter is incapacitated. A gloamwing's head is almost ratlike, with prominent teeth

Prismari Professor of Expression

Monsters Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

teachers channel the elements of wind, flame, and lightning to accompany them. Their magic is fast and beautiful, which becomes swift death in battle, mesmerizing in its energetic flow. Devastating

create a spectacle that an audience will never forget or to strike down their foes in a flash, these teachers impress upon their students the beauty of creation. Prismari Scholars The scholars of

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