both before death carries reason

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

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

metal with ease, organic matter and gems are repugnant to them. If a khargra eats such morsels for whatever reason, they remain lodged in its gullet for a few days of indigestion before the offending

Quasit (familiar variant) Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

shares the quasit’s Magic Resistance trait. At any time and for any reason, the quasit can end its service as a familiar, ending the telepathic bond.Claws (Bite in Beast Form). Melee Weapon Attack

(as if concentrating on a spell). Any equipment the quasit wears or carries is invisible with it.PoisonCold, Fire, Lightning; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

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

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

, and doing so wizens the creature, much like the effect of rapid aging. For this reason, darklings cover every part of their body with clothing when exposure to light is a risk. The light a darkling

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

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

Eye and Hand of Vecna Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

power, Vecna couldn’t escape his own mortality. He began to fear death and take steps to prevent his end from ever coming about. Orcus, the demon prince of undeath, taught Vecna a ritual that

would allow him to live on as a lich. Beyond death, he became the greatest of all liches. Even though his body gradually withered and decayed, Vecna continued to expand his evil dominion. So formidable

Caradoc

Monsters Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

’s swiftly pulled back if caught beyond its walls without a host. Personality Trait. “I might be dead, but there’s no reason I can’t live it up a little.” Ideal. &ldquo

;The safest place to be is behind the toughest warrior in the room.” Bond. “In life and in death, I’m the only one who matters.” Flaw. “Who can resist a little drama

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

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

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

Hutijin

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

figure, known only to the most learned infernal scholars. He has no cults of his own, and his servants are few in number. The reason is simple: Hutijin hates mortals. When summoned from the Hells, he

repays the instigator with a long and agonizing death. Mephistopheles forbids Hutijin from making too many forays into the Material Plane, since the duke’s absence leaves him vulnerable to his

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

Kasimir Velikov

Monsters Curse of Strahd

, Kasimir and his fellow dusk elves stoned Patrina to death. As punishment for depriving him of his bride, Strahd butchered all the women in the dusk elf tribe, and Kasimir's ears were cut off to punish him

led her down a path of evil and deceit. For that reason, Kasimir wants to see the vampire destroyed so that his sister can be rescued from her eternal damnation. Secrets of the Amber Temple. Patrina

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

brighter the flash, and the thicker the smoke it produces, the more giff love a weapon. Their skill with gunpowder is another reason for their popularity as mercenaries. Giff revel in the challenge of

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

Noble - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

authority that title carries. A noble title doesn’t stand on its own—it’s connected to an entire family, and whatever title you hold, you will pass it down to your own children. Not only do

visit prosperous Bloomridge to try a fashionable restaurant or boutique, or watch a spectacle at the Oasis Theater, the patriars have little reason to venture into the dirtier, more dangerous parts of the

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

dominated by his emotions—intelligent, but not wise. Arrogant and prone to gloating, he carries grudges, has a huge chip on his shoulder, and spends a lot of time fashioning elaborate revenge scenarios

undetected and don’t give their targets reason to harm them. For example, a group of city kobolds might sneak into a cobbler’s house at night to loot it of knives, leather bits, nails, and

Tortle Legacy

Species The Tortle Package

test, and make new acquaintances. Life of a Tortle A tortle hatches from a thick-shelled egg and spends the first few weeks of its life crawling on all fours. Its parents, old and near death, spend

prefer simple, non-gender-specific names that are usually no more than two syllables. If a tortle doesn’t like its name for whatever reason, it can change it. A tortle might change its name a dozen

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

might prove helpful: So long as she has mortal worshipers, Auril can’t truly die (although the characters can rid the world of her for a time). Thus, she has no reason to capitulate to mortals

Kenku Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

the area patrolled by the guard did she explain that the noises indicated that the wingless folk had claimed that area, and that to trespass would be to court death. — Gimble, Notes from a

. The kenku lack the talent to improvise or alter a plan, but a wise Master sets multiple plans in motion at once, confident that underlings can follow orders to the letter. For this reason, many

Death Tyrant

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual

be perfect beings. No matter how death tyrants come into being, bizarre impulses drive their deathless existences. Their motivations tend to be extreme or beyond the reason of living creatures.

Death Tyrant Beholder beyond Death Habitat: Underdark; Treasure: Any Simon Dominic A death tyrant is a beholder that pursues aberrant goals beyond its death. Ten magical singularities—all that

Dwarves and Dragonmarks

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

Dwarves and Dragonmarks House Kundarak carries the Mark of Warding. In addition to providing all manner of security, House Kundarak dominates the banking industry. Mror Past 1d6 Reason for Leaving

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.

Khargra

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

only when driven by hunger and a lack of safer options. After securing a meal of whatever tasty, refined metal their victim carries, they quickly flee—and will flee before that rather than risk death

reason, they remain lodged in its gullet for a few days of indigestion before the offending material is coughed up. Reluctant Predators. Khargras find living flesh disgusting, and they attack creatures

Rules of the Trial

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

. Later that day, at dusk, Chakuna pursues the contenders with hunting partners of her choice, attempting to slay anyone she encounters outside a shrine. Contenders may kill one another for any reason

—particularly to take a shrine. The trial does not stop for any reason until Chakuna arrives at both shrines and acknowledges the winners there. Winners are escorted to Shuaran, and from there, out of

Escape from Barovia

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

Escape from Barovia Strahd’s death grants Barovia a reprieve. The fog that surrounds the land thins, and it no longer harms those who pass through it. The dark clouds that have loomed over the valley

, most Barovians realize that they have nowhere to go and no reason to leave. A few depart, fearing the return of the darkness or longing to see their ancestral homelands. Those who have souls can leave

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