birth before death combat rites

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

Deck of Many Things

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide

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

effect. Comet. The next time you enter combat against one or more Hostile creatures, you can select one of them as your foe when you roll Initiative. If you reduce your foe to 0 Hit Points during that

Fighter

Classes Player’s Handbook

mercenaries—as Fighters, they all share an unparalleled prowess with weapons and armor. And they are well acquainted with death, both meting it out and defying it. Fighters master various

weapon techniques, and a well-equipped Fighter always has the right tool at hand for any combat situation. Likewise, a Fighter is adept with every form of armor. Beyond that basic degree of familiarity

Summon Fiend

Spells Player’s Handbook

an ally to you and your allies. In combat, the creature shares your Initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It obeys your verbal commands (no action required by you). If you

None (XP 0; PB equals your Proficiency Bonus) Traits Death Throes (Demon Only). When the spirit drops to 0 Hit Points or the spell ends, the spirit explodes. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC equals your

Druid

Classes Player’s Handbook

, individual Druids gain their magic from nature, a nature deity, or both, and they typically unite with other Druids to perform rites that mark the passage of the seasons and other natural cycles

regions of unspoiled nature, but when a significant danger arises, Druids take a more active role as adventurers who combat the threat. Becoming a Druid... As a Level 1 Character Gain all the

Manshoon

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

, Wall of Force 1/Day Each: Befuddlement, Clone, Finger of Death, Mind Blank (cast before combat), SimulacrumProtective Magic. Manshoon casts Counterspell or Shield in response to the spell’s

Warrior of Madarua

Monsters Quests from the Infinite Staircase

of the Warriors of Madarua wear bronze masks that depict the determined the face of Madarua, an ancient Cynidicean god of birth, death, and the seasons. Each member bears a small tattoo of a sickle on

the inside of their left wrist. Warriors of Madarua recognize and respect the ever-changing complexity of life. In combat, they strive to be as fierce and unpredictable as nature itself.

Champion of Madarua

Monsters Quests from the Infinite Staircase

, death, and the seasons. Each member bears a small tattoo of a sickle on the inside of their left wrist. Warriors of Madarua recognize and respect the ever-changing complexity of life. In combat

fellow warriors to strike with decisive fury. Warriors of Madarua Members of the Warriors of Madarua wear bronze masks that depict the determined the face of Madarua, an ancient Cynidicean god of birth

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

Dracophage Subject

Monsters Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

Death Throes. When the draconian is reduced to 0 hit points, it dissolves into acid that splashes on those around it. Each creature within 5 feet of the draconian must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity

saving throw or be covered in acid for 1 minute. A creature covered in the acid takes 7 (2d6);{"diceNotation":"2d6", "rollType":"damage", "rollAction":"Death Throes", "rollDamageType":"acid"} acid

Death Kiss

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

tentacles retracted when on the hunt, then lashes out with them to catch opponents off guard. A death kiss lacks the combat finesse and intelligence of a true beholder. In most cases, it simply latches on

Lightning Blood. A creature within 5 feet of the death kiss takes 5 (1d10);{"diceNotation":"1d10", "rollType":"damage", "rollAction":"Lightning Blood", "rollDamageType":"lightning"} lightning damage

Giff Shock Trooper

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

their martial training and love of explosives and are typically armed with gleaming firearms. Every aspect of these spacefaring giff’s society is organized along military lines. From birth until

death, each has a military rank. Promotions don’t depend on time in service but are granted by superiors as rewards for valor. Muskets and grenades are the specialties of many giff regiments

Night Blade

Monsters Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

rank are the death’s heads, who can take on the skull-faced guise of their deity to terrify their prey. In combat, they intimidate foes by shrugging off the deadliest attacks with ease, showing that resisting Bhaal’s schemes is futile.

charming and disarming when they wish, but in combat their true, bloodthirsty nature comes to the fore. Bloodletters. All cultists of Bhaal learn to call upon their god’s power to leave their

Giff

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

armed with gleaming pistols and muskets. The stat block here represents one of those mercenaries. Every aspect of these spacefaring giff’s society is organized along military lines. From birth

until death, each has a military rank. Promotions don’t depend on age but are granted by a superior as a reward for valor. Muskets and grenades are the specialties of many giff regiments. The

Syndra Silvane

Monsters Tomb of Annihilation

spells on herself before combat. Death Curse. Syndra’s hit point maximum has been reduced to 79 by the Soulmonger’s death curse, and it decreases by 1 every midnight. If her hit point

maximum drops to 0, Syndra dies and can’t be brought back from the dead until the death curse has ended (and if her soul hasn’t been devoured). Destroying the Soulmonger is the only way to halt

Giff Warlord

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

spacefaring giff’s society is organized along military lines. From birth until death, each has a military rank. Promotions don’t depend on time in service but are granted by superiors as

Factol Skall

Monsters Adventure Atlas: The Mortuary

eternal nature has eroded any memory of mortal life. As a result of his decay, Skall’s power has waned considerably, but challenging him in combat is as much a death sentence as ever. Factol Skall

Aura of Death. Creatures within 30 feet of Skall have disadvantage on death saving throws. Cosmic Annihilation. A creature killed by Skall can be restored to life only by means of a true

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

Giff (Gunpowder Keg Variant)

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

armed with gleaming pistols and muskets. The stat block here represents one of those mercenaries. Every aspect of these spacefaring giff’s society is organized along military lines. From birth

until death, each has a military rank. Promotions don’t depend on age but are granted by a superior as a reward for valor. Muskets and grenades are the specialties of many giff regiments. 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

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

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

House Vadalis Heir

backgrounds Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

of ambition and status that others play. You know the beauty and power inherent in life, the mysteries of birth and death, and the miracles that happen in between. Your insights into the natural world

Baba Lysaga

Monsters Curse of Strahd

black tentacles, polymorph 5th level (2 slots): cloudkill, geas, scrying 6th level (1 slot): programmed illusion, true seeing 7th level (1 slot): finger of death, mirage arcane 8th level (1 slot

death upon her. Lysaga eventually got her wish, and after Strahd settled in the valley of Barovia, Lysaga moved as close to him as she dared to. In the filth-ridden depths of her heart, Lysaga knows

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

scythe. Only a skilled and determined hero can hope to survive single combat with an orc. Savage and fearless, orc tribes are ever in search of elves, dwarves, and humans to destroy. Motivated by their

gather and celebrate, dwell the followers of Yurtrus, the god of disease and death, and Shargaas, the god of darkness and the unknown. Orcs too weak for battle (because of bodily weakness, malformation

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

away in the night to seek the cold will of fate. In some ways, the goliath drive to outdo themselves feeds into the grim inevitability of their decline and death. A goliath would much rather die in

wisdom in their leadership, for they can rarely count on a wisdom grown with age. Goliath Names Every goliath has three names: a birth name assigned by the newborn’s mother and father, a nickname

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

Zargash

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

folly, but Zargash is twisted beyond any hope of redemption. His hobbies include slaying the living and animating the dead. Alignment. Chaotic evil. Personality Trait. “I do not fear death

; Bond. “Praise Orcus! May he give me the power to spread death, decay, and undeath in his name!” Flaw. “I see living people as the corpses they are doomed to become and t reat them

Tree Blight

Monsters Curse of Strahd

False Appearance. If the blight is motionless at the start of combat, it has advantage on its initiative roll. Moreover, if a creature hasn’t observed the blight move or act, that creature must

with its heavy branches and crushes prey to death with its roots. It can open its gaping, tooth-filled mouth and bite a creature caught in its roots. The roots of a tree blight can be severed, though

Kobold Dragonshield

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

eggs, but once every few years a kobold hatches with an innate version of the dragonshield’s abilities. In either case, a dragonshield is skilled at hand-to-hand combat and bears a shield made

unworthy of their status and are desperate to prove themselves deserving of it. But they also have the ability to rally in the face of certain death, inspiring others to follow them into battle.

Path of the Zealot Legacy

Classes Xanathar's Guide to Everything

gods who inspire zealots are deities of combat, destruction, and violence. Not all are evil, but few are good. Path of the Zealot Features Barbarian Level Feature 3rd Divine Fury

, Warrior of the Gods 6th Fanatical Focus 10th Zealous Presence 14th Rage beyond Death

Fighter Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

mastery with weapons and armor, and a thorough knowledge of the skills of combat. And they are well acquainted with death, both meting it out and staring it defiantly in the face. Well-Rounded

Specialists Fighters learn the basics of all combat styles. Every fighter can swing an axe, fence with a rapier, wield a longsword or a greatsword, use a bow, and even trap foes in a net with some degree of

Giff Legacy

Monsters Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes

of giff society is organized along military lines. From birth until death, every giff has a military rank. It must follow orders from those of superior rank, and it can give orders to those of lower

Sword of Kas Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

your person, you add a d10 to your initiative at the start of every combat. In addition, when you use an action to attack with the sword, you can transfer some or all of its attack bonus to your Armor

) from it: call lightning, divine word, or finger of death. Once you use the sword to cast a spell, you can’t cast that spell again from it until the next dawn. Sentience. The Sword of Kas is a

Undercity Medusa

Monsters Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

: expeditious retreat, fog cloud, misty step Magic Resistance. The medusa has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. Surprise Attack. During the first round of combat, the

undercity like hungry predators. LUDMILLA, THE TUNNEL VIPER Ludmilla is the last surviving member of the Sisters of Stone Death, the trio of power-hungry medusas who slew Svogthir, the original

D&D Beyond

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