better before death calling rites

Wand of Orcus

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide

some fell goal. The wand is topped with a skull that once belonged to a human hero slain by Orcus. The wand can magically change in size to better conform to the grip of its user. All Holy Water

from it (save DC 18). The table indicates how many charges you must expend to cast the spell. Spell Charge Cost Animate Dead 1 Blight 2 Circle of Death 3 Finger of

Book of Vile Darkness

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide

, foul rites that allow one to transform into a death knight or lich, or long-lost spells crafted by beings so evil their names ought never to be spoken aloud. Vile Speech. While the book is on your

attuned to the book, you can cast the following spells (save DC 18) from it: Animate Dead Circle of Death Dominate Monster Finger of Death Once you use the book to cast a spell, you can’t

Orb of Dragonkind

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide

. Their magic has been warped over the centuries. Their primary purpose of calling dragons still functions, but they also allow some measure of control over dragons. Each orb contains the essence of

Cost Cure Wounds (level 9 version) 4 Daylight 1 Death Ward 2 Detect Magic 0 Scrying (save DC 18) 3 Call Dragons. While you control the orb, you can take a Magic

Kraul Death Priest

Monsters Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

, with little grasp of metaphor or nuance. The death priests occupy the highest roles in kraul society. They lead the buzzing chants of the kraul rites. Their inscrutable clicks and buzzing can summon

Feed on Death. When a creature within 30 feet of the kraul drops to 0 hit points, the kraul or another creature of its choice within 30 feet of it gains 5 (1d10);{"diceNotation":"1d10","rollType

Specter of Night

Monsters Monstrous Compendium Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures

, calling to those close to death. Each non-Undead creature within 120 feet of the specter must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature hears the wail and is marked for death

. A creature marked for death can’t regain hit points, has disadvantage on death saving throws, and all attack rolls against it are made with advantage. This effect lasts for 1 minute or until

Wand of Orcus Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

. Made from bones as hard as iron, the wand is topped with a magically enlarged skull that once belonged to a human hero slain by Orcus. The wand can magically change in size to better conform to the

or more of its charges to cast one of the following spells (save DC 18) from it: animate dead (1 charge), blight (2 charges), circle of death (3 charges), finger of death (3 charges), power word kill

Grim Champion of Pestilence

Monsters The Book of Many Things

Spellcasting.Aleron was once a tiefling adventurer, but unlike so many victims of the Deck of Many Things, he never drew the Skull card. Instead, when one of his allies drew the card and faced the avatar of death

, Aleron came to his ally’s aid. A second avatar of death appeared, and Aleron was slain; soon after, his Undead corpse crawled from Withered Vineyard, tainted with plague. Aleron resents his fellow

Omin Dran

Monsters Acquisitions Incorporated

person, magic weapon, silence, spiritual weapon 3rd level (3 slots): beacon of hope, crusader's mantle, dispel magic, mass healing word, spirit guardians 4th level (3 slots): death ward, freedom of

adventure. But adventure of the wrong kind came calling for the trio one day, when an underground ruin they had often explored — actually a creature called the Wandering Crypt — took Auspicia from the

Spawn of Kyuss

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Orcus who plundered corpses from necropolises to create the first spawn of Kyuss. Even centuries after Kyuss’s death, his malign disciples continue performing the horrific rites he perfected

Reborn

Species Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

Death isn’t always the end. The reborn exemplify this, being individuals who have died yet, somehow, still live. Some reborn exhibit the scars of fatal ends, their ashen flesh or bloodless

veins making it clear that they’ve been touched by death. Other reborn are marvels of magic or science, being stitched together from disparate beings or bearing mysterious minds in manufactured

Skabatha Nightshade

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

Hourglass Coven. Better known as Granny Nightshade, she offers her assistance to those who are haunted by regret. Her deals often result in cruel twists; for example, a petitioner who asks to be reunited

. Personality Trait. “When dealing with outsiders, I present myself as a kindly old grandmother.” Ideal. “Children are better off working for me than picking up lots of bad habits

Lady Illmarrow

Monsters Eberron: Rising from the Last War

island domain. Long ago, it was revealed that the elven line of Vol — a house that practiced the art of necromancy and bore the Dragonmark of Death — was engaged in secret blood rites

, polymorph 5th level (3 slots): cloudkill, cone of cold, hold monster, scrying 6th level (2 slot): chain lightning, circle of death, create undead 7th level (2 slot): finger of death, forcecage

Orb of Dragonkind Legacy

Magic Items Basic Rules (2014)

magic has been warped and twisted over the centuries, so although their primary purpose of calling dragons still functions, they also allow some measure of control over dragons. Each orb contains the

one of the following spells (save DC 18) from it: cure wounds (5th-level version, 3 charges), daylight (1 charge), death ward (2 charges), or scrying (3 charges). You can also use an action to cast

Orcus Legacy

Monsters Out of the Abyss

tampering with the dead in my search to better understand death.” 61–80 “I want to achieve the everlasting existence of undeath.” 81–00 “I am awash in

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

Mark of Shadow Elf

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

Thuranni, Regalport (Lhazaar Principalities) Elves have carried the Mark of Shadow for thousands of years. The mark’s bearers left Aerenal after the conflict that wiped out the Mark of Death

espionage in the lands west of the Mournland, while Thuranni operates in the eastern lands. As a rule, Phiarlan elves are the better spies and Thuranni agents are superior assassins. Thuranni and Phiarlan

Leucrotta

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

cover up the stink of death. The first leucrottas came into being alongside some gnolls during the rampages of Yeenoghu on the Material Plane. While many of the hyenas that ate Yeenoghu’s

like doing their own killing, since leucrottas are meticulous in their cruelty and able to draw out kills for better and longer sport. And when there are no victims to be had, a leucrotta can mimic the

Golgari Agent

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

You are a member of a teeming horde — one small part of a sprawling organism. Just as you are part of the swarm, the swarm is part of a larger ecosystem, a never-ending cycle of life, death

Golgari, no fear of death or taboo about the dead, just a fierce affirmation of the cycle. Skill Proficiencies: Nature, Survival Tool Proficiencies: Poisoner’s kit Languages

Cleric Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

to those chosen to fulfill a high calling. Harnessing divine magic doesn’t rely on study or training. A cleric might learn formulaic prayers and ancient rites, but the ability to cast cleric

his axe in wide swaths to cut through the ranks of orcs arrayed against him, shouting praise to the gods with every foe’s fall. Calling down a curse upon the forces of undeath, a human lifts

Folk Hero Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

you. Suggested Characteristics A folk hero is one of the common people, for better or for worse. Most folk heroes look on their humble origins as a virtue, not a shortcoming, and their

no one can steer me away from my higher calling. (Any) d6 Bond 1 I have a family, but I have no idea where they are. One day, I hope to see them again. 2 I worked the land

Urchin Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

securely for at least ten days. How did you come by that money? What allowed you to break free of your desperate circumstances and embark on a better life? Skill Proficiencies: Sleight of

shaped by lives of desperate poverty, for good and for ill. They tend to be driven either by a commitment to the people with whom they shared life on the street or by a burning desire to find a better

Urchin - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

circumstances and embark on a better life? Skill Proficiencies: Sleight of Hand, StealthTool Proficiencies: Disguise kit, thieves’ toolsEquipment: A small knife, a map of the city you grew up

of desperate poverty, for good and for ill. They tend to be driven either by a commitment to the people with whom they shared life on the street or by a burning desire to find a better life &mdash

Archaeologist

Backgrounds Tomb of Annihilation

the treasures and relics of wizards, warlords, or royalty. Some archaeologists plunder for wealth or fame, while others consider it their calling to illuminate the past or keep the world’s

Preservation. That artifact belongs in a museum. (Good) 2 Greed. I won’t risk my life for nothing. I expect some kind of payment. (Any) 3 Death Wish. Nothing is more

Sword of Zariel

Magic Items Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

conduct myself determines my reward in the afterlife. (Lawful) 6 Redemption. All creatures are capable of change for the better. (Good) Bonds D6 BOND 1 I have a

! 5 I allow nothing to stand in the way of my crusade to eradicate evil from the multiverse. 6 I ignore those who do not support my plans, for my calling is higher than all others

Druid Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

. Whether calling on the elemental forces of nature or emulating the creatures of the animal world, druids are an embodiment of nature’s resilience, cunning, and fury. They claim no mastery over

becoming a druid was part of your character’s destiny. Have you always been an adventurer as part of your druidic calling, or did you first spend time as a caretaker of a sacred grove or spring

Folk Hero - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

; Suggested Characteristics A folk hero is one of the common people, for better or for worse. Most folk heroes look on their humble origins as a virtue, not a shortcoming, and their home communities

me away from my higher calling. (Any) d6 Bond 1 I have a family, but I have no idea where they are. One day, I hope to see them again. 2 I worked the land, I love the land

Paladin Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

of the world, but even fewer people can claim the true calling of a paladin. When they do receive the call, these warriors turn from their former occupations and take up arms to fight evil. Sometimes

angel of death by the gods or driven by your need for revenge? The Gods of the Multiverse section lists many deities worshiped by paladins throughout the multiverse, such as Torm, Tyr, Heironeous

Inheritor

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

. (Neutral) 6 Destiny. Nothing and no one can steer me away from my higher calling. (Any) d6 Bond 1 I have a family, but I have no idea where they are. One day, I hope to see

city, especially hard drink. 5 Secretly, I believe that things would be better if I were a tyrant lording over the land. 6 I have trouble trusting in my allies.

Loose Pantheons

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

hunting. Some individuals feel a calling to a particular deity’s service and claim that god as a patron. Particularly devoted individuals become priests by setting up a shrine or helping to staff a holy

site. Much more rarely, those who feel such a calling become clerics or paladins invested with the responsibility of true divine power. Shrines and temples serve as community gathering points for

Journey into Death

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros

Journey into Death Those who are prepared for death, or who receive funeral rites, typically have or are given a coin (or similar token of value) interred with their corpse. When these individuals

given funeral rites have no means to pay Athreos’s toll and thus have no way of reaching their place of rest. These lost souls primarily collect along the Tartyx’s shores where they languish or beg

Keresta Delvingstone

Monsters Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

4th level (3 slots): blight, death ward, divination 5th level (1 slot): antilife shell, destructive waveMultiattack. (Vampire Form Only). Keresta makes two attacks, only one of which can be a bite

stranger to hardship. Hoping to make a better life for herself, she became an adventurer and sought fame and fortune in Undermountain. Keresta met her end in the lair of a vampire and became a vampire spawn

Auril (Second Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

her to explode and die. A mephit that dies in this way does not use its Death Burst. Instead, each creature within 10 feet of the exploding mephit must succeed on a DC 21 Dexterity saving throw, taking

that can harm her. Auril’s worshipers know better than to disturb her self-imposed isolation. Terrible blizzards have cut off Icewind Dale from the rest of the world, and a shroud of mist

Rakdos Cultist

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

law-abiding citizens of Ravnica. Personality Traits d8 Personality Trait 1 I revel in mayhem, the more destructive the better. 2 When violence breaks out, I lose myself in

guild is all that really matters. (Any) 2 Hedonism. Death comes for everyone, so take as much pleasure as you can from every moment of life. (Neutral) 3 Creativity. I strive to

Mayastan Sadaar

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries

Mayastan Sadaar Word of Mayastan Sadaar’s death hits the scholars of Candlekeep hard. At your discretion, the characters can return the scholar’s body to Candlekeep so that she can be returned to

life (perhaps with the characters performing the rites). Alternatively, you might decide that the nature of Valin’s ritual prevents Mayastan from being restored to life even with a resurrection spell

Kelemvor

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

Kelemvor The Lord of the Dead, the Judge of the Damned Kelemvor is seen as a just, fair, and comforting god of death. Death comes to all, and when it occurs Kelemvor is there to take each soul by

the hand and lead it to the proper afterlife. Kelemvor’s priests teach that those who revere the gods according to the rites of their religion have done their proper service and will be offered the

Healers and Warriors

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)

gods don’t grant this power to everyone who seeks it, but only to those chosen to fulfill a high calling. Harnessing divine magic doesn’t rely on study or training. A cleric might learn formulaic prayers

and ancient rites, but the ability to cast cleric spells relies on devotion and an intuitive sense of a deity’s wishes. Clerics combine the helpful magic of healing and inspiring their allies with

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