both before death carries read

Lorwyn-Shadowmoor Elf

Species Lorwyn: First Light

’s death knell, its people’s self-importance and unwillingness to collaborate with other species had already led to the empire’s decline. In Shadowmoor Shadowmoor elves’ horns

heroism and self-sacrifice the highest forms of beauty. Bloomseekers are Shadowmoor elves who study and explore Lorwyn. Each one carries a Reliquary of Twilight (see Lorwyn: First Light). Alongside

Death Dog Legacy

Monsters Basic Rules (2014)

. Hate burns in a death dog's heart, and a taste for humanoid flesh drives it to attack travelers and explorers. Death dog saliva carries a foul disease that causes a victim's flesh to slowly rot off the bone.

failure. This reduction lasts until the disease is cured. The creature dies if the disease reduces its hit point maximum to 0.A death dog is an ugly two-headed hound that roams plains, and deserts

Bheur Hag

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

bluish hue of a person who has frozen to death. The hag’s hair is white, and the hag is emaciated, with pale eyes surrounded by bruise-colored flesh. A bheur hag carries a twisted gray wooden

Control Weather (1/Day). The hag can cast the control weather spell, requiring no material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability. Graystaff Magic. The hag carries a graystaff, a

Bheur Hag Legacy

Monsters Volo's Guide to Monsters

Graystaff Magic. The hag carries a graystaff, a length of gray wood that is a focus for her inner power. She can ride the staff as if it were a broom of flying. While holding the staff, she can cast

read, and speaks only in gibberish; the DM controls the creature’s movement, which is erratic. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on

Khargra

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

tasty, refined metal their victim carries, they quickly flee—and will flee before that rather than risk death. Stealthy Couriers. A number of clans among the dwarves, duergar, and azers have trained

, digesting the dust but leaving the message lodged in its digestive tract. Trained over long years and with plentiful treats to learn the direction to different underground strongholds and outposts, the khargra carries its burden to its destination, then coughs up the message on command.

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

Occultant Abacus

Magic Items Acquisitions Incorporated

Head office grants you the use of a unique item known as an occultant abacus (sometimes just referred to as an occultant), whose beads resemble tiny skulls. Read the Kill Also at rank 1, your

finish a long rest. Ways to Read the Kill d6 Reading 1 Using a tiny bellows to pump one last breath into a corpse. 2 Reading the entrails with special reading-the-entrails

Ghost Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

immune to this ghost dragon’s Terrifying Breath for the next 24 hours.A dragon’s attachment to a hoard can be strong enough to bind the dragon’s spirit to existence after death. Such

incorporeal version of the original dragon. Though its breath weapon resembles ghostly flames, lightning, or acid, it carries an otherworldly curse. The breath’s shadowy mist can induce waking nightmares.Acid, Cold, Necrotic, PoisonBludgeoning, Piercing, Slashing

Black Rose Bearer

Monsters Vecna: Eve of Ruin

as a guardian. Its name derives from the preserved black rose the bearer carries inside a delicate bell jar. The slightest jostle can cause the bearer to lose its grasp on the bell jar, destroying

black rose bearer bursts into furious violence, attacking indiscriminately. A bearer’s black rose is an homage to the tyrannical Lord Soth, the most powerful death knight on Krynn, who was once a Solamnic Knight of the Order of the Rose.Poison

Frostmourn

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

keep them roaming the wilds for years after their murderers are slain. A frostmourn looks like a desiccated corpse mummified by exposure to bitter cold. It carries the marks of its death on its body: a

Ziraj the Hunter

Monsters Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

hulking shadow that glares from its perch, rains down death in the form of long black arrows, and slinks off without so much as a whisper. Where he comes from — if he even has a home — remains a mystery, as

does the question of where he might show up next. Treasure. Ziraj wears leather,+2;+2 leather armor and carries an oversized longbow. This unique weapon can be used only by a Medium or larger

Wave Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

, and a Charisma of 18. It has hearing and darkvision out to a range of 120 feet. The weapon communicates telepathically with its wielder and can speak, read, and understand Aquan. It can also speak

from sea chanteys to sacred hymns of the sea gods. Wave zealously desires to convert mortals to the worship of one or more sea gods, or else to consign the faithless to death. Conflict arises if the

Returned Kakomantis

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

throws against any effect that turns undead. Unreadable Face. The Returned is immune to any effect that would sense its emotions or read its thoughts. Wisdom (Insight) checks to ascertain the

Bolt","rollDamageType":"necrotic"} necrotic damage.Although the dead typically recall little of their lives, some have an obsession with magic that survives both death and rebirth as a Returned. These

Whelm Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

. It has hearing and darkvision out to a range of 120 feet. The weapon communicates telepathically with its wielder and can speak, read, and understand Dwarvish, Giant, and Goblin. It shouts battle

would do anything to protect those dwarves from harm. The hammer also carries a secret shame. Centuries ago, a dwarf named Ctenmiir wielded it valiantly for a time. But Ctenmiir was turned into a

Nightmare Shepherd

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

destroyed. They disappear when the shepherd dies.A nightmare shepherd is a gaunt, ashen fiend with leathery wings. It carries a shepherd’s crook, which it uses to direct a flock of wandering

miserable lives they had. Having been despicable in life, these spirits fester in death. The worst of these hateful dead, through ages of bitterness, gradually transform into fiends, the tormentors of

Wand of Orcus Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

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

to a range of 120 feet. The wand communicates telepathically with its wielder and can speak, read, and understand Abyssal and Common. Personality. The wand’s purpose is to help satisfy Orcus

Returned Palamnite

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

throws against any effect that turns undead. Unreadable Face. The Returned is immune to any effect that would sense its emotions or read its thoughts. Wisdom (Insight) checks to ascertain the

(3d6);{"diceNotation":"3d6","rollType":"damage","rollAction":"Shortsword","rollDamageType":"poison"} poison damage.Even death and the loss of their identities can’t erase the rage that inspires

Symbol Legacy

Spells Basic Rules (2014)

sphere for the first time on a turn or ends its turn there. Death. Each target must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 10d10 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a

Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, the target is driven insane for 1 minute. An insane creature can't take actions, can't understand what other creatures say, can't read, and speaks only in

Smiler the Defiler

Monsters Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. Equipment. Smiler wears leather, +2;+2 leather armor. He carries seven soul coin;soul coins in a bag and a shortsword, +1;+1

shocking recklessness. Smiler thinks he can accomplish anything with a positive attitude and some death-defying stunt. Although he admits others might end up getting killed by his actions, he believes he

Sword of Kas Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

) 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

its wielder and can speak, read, and understand Common. Personality. The sword’s purpose is to bring ruin to Vecna. Killing Vecna’s worshipers, destroying the lich’s works, and

Ulitharid

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

the colony. This process doesn’t work on the brain of an ulitharid that dies a natural death, as such brains are too decrepit to be used. Instead, each ulitharid carries a psionically enhanced

, taking a group of mind flayers with it, and moves to another location to form a new colony. After the death of the ulitharid’s body, a special process transforms its brain into a new elder brain for

Acererak

Monsters Tomb of Annihilation

Special Equipment. Acererak carries the Staff of the Forgotten One. He wears a talisman of the sphere and has a sphere of annihilation under his control. Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Acererak

, hold monster, wall of force 6th level (3 slots): chain lightning, circle of death, disintegrate 7th level (3 slots): finger of death, plane shift, teleport 8th level (2 slots): maze, mind blank 9th

Ruinblade

Magic Items Infernal Machine Rebuild

Ruinblade is a unique weapon possessed by Moghadam, the architect of the Tomb of Horrors. A symbol of his authority, Moghadam carries the weapon during the time frame of the adventure to intimidate

darkvision out to a range of 120 feet. The weapon can speak, read, and understand Common, and can communicate with its wielder telepathically. Its voice is a rough, ruined echo. While you are attuned

Shadar-kai

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Material Plane to forge their own destinies. Once shadar-kai were Fey like the rest of their elven kin; now they exist in a state between life and death, thanks to being transformed by the Shadowfell

character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player’s Handbook offers a list of languages to choose from. The DM is

Rictavio

Monsters Curse of Strahd

Special Equipment. In addition to his sword cane, Rictavio wears a hat of disguise and a ring of mind shielding, and he carries a spell scroll of raise dead. Spellcasting. Rictavio is a 9th-level

): augury, lesser restoration, protection from poison 3rd level (3 slots): magic circle, remove curse, speak with dead 4th level (3 slots): death ward, freedom of movement 5th level (1 slot): dispel

Bak Mei

Monsters Candlekeep Mysteries

Legendary Resistance (2/Day). If Bak Mei fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead. Special Equipment. Bak Mei carries a staff of striking with 10 charges. Unarmored Defense. While Bak

death, Bak Mei became obsessed with living an unending life. He began collecting texts on the subject, consulting with practitioners of the necromantic arts, and seeking audiences with dark forces. The

Human Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

sang from every page. Long into the night Liriel read, lighting candle after precious candle. She’d never given much thought to humans, but these stories fascinated her. In these yellowed

(except for those few who seek undeath or divine ascension to escape death’s clutches) they achieve it by ensuring that they will be remembered when they are gone. Although some humans can be

Z3. Wolf Den

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd

, read: The old man cackles. “When Kiril returns,” he says to you with his last breath, “he’ll skin you alive.” Treasure Skennis’s electrum flute is nonmagical and worth 250 gp. Skennis also carries a pouch containing four 50 gp gemstones.

), though not very well. The wolves are huddled behind him and go where he goes. Though well past his prime, he fights to the death to defend the den, and he takes umbrage at anyone who kills any of his

Communication

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

languages. 91–00 The item can speak, read, and understand one or more languages. In addition, the item can communicate telepathically with any character that carries or wields it.

on the following table. d100 Communication 01–60 The item communicates by transmitting emotion to the creature carrying or wielding it. 61–90 The item can speak, read, and understand one or more

Death Dog

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)

explorers. Death dog saliva carries a foul disease that causes a victim’s flesh to slowly rot off the bone. Death Dog Medium monstrosity, neutral evil Armor Class 12 Hit Points 39 (6d8 + 12

Death Dog A death dog is an ugly two-headed hound that roams plains, deserts, and the Underdark. Hate burns in a death dog’s heart, and a taste for humanoid flesh drives it to attack travelers and

Keening

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

. This is no accident, for the locals purposefully deafen themselves so they won’t hear the shrieking of the banshee Tristessa, a mournful spirit who roams Mount Lament and whose wail carries through

the night. In life, Tristessa dwelled under Mount Arak in Tepest (detailed earlier in this chapter), but she was exiled for crimes against her people. In death, she endlessly seeks to be reunited with the family slain by her misdeeds.

Appendix B: Friends and Foes

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

Appendix B: Friends and Foes This appendix describes creatures that appear in the adventure, presenting them in alphabetical order. The introduction of the Monster Manual explains how to read a

Sivak draconian Undead Anhkolox Caradoc Greater death dragon Lesser death dragon Lord Soth Skeletal knight Wersten Kern

Strahd's Presence

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin

Strahd’s Presence Strahd has finally deemed Death House worthy of attention. Once the party retrieves the rod piece in the ritual chamber, read the following to describe Strahd’s arrival at Death

House. The characters won’t yet see Strahd, but they’ll feel his presence. A gust of wind blasts through the halls of Death House, and the temperature drops precipitously. Candles and lamps snuff out and

X14. North Staircase

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd

X14. North Staircase When the characters open the secret door at the top of the stairs, read: A dusty corridor heads north, then bends to the east, descending a dark staircase. The air is thin, but

heavy with the stench of death. Three 10-foot-long staircases with landings between them descend a total of 30 feet to area X14a. The stench grows stronger down the stairs.

Bheur Hag

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monsters of the Multiverse

bheur hag’s skin has the bluish hue of a person who has frozen to death. The hag’s hair is white, and the hag is emaciated, with pale eyes surrounded by bruise-colored flesh. A bheur hag carries a

using Charisma as the spellcasting ability. Graystaff Magic. The hag carries a graystaff, a magic staff. The hag can use its flying speed only while astride the staff. If the staff is lost or

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