break before death carries rules

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

Mister Witch

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

Fey Ancestry. Witch has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put him to sleep. Special Equipment. Witch carries and is attuned to the Witchlight watch.Multiattack

later swept floors until an old clock tower keeper took him on as a helper. The tower’s clock was in such poor condition that it would break down often. Naeryx helped with the repairs and found

Cultist (Knights of the Black Sword)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

Levistus, the archdevil who rules Stygia, the sixth layer of the Nine Hells, from the confines of an ice prison from which he cannot escape. Most of the cultists are Icewind Dale natives who would

have perished in the wilderness had Levistus not intervened on their behalf. The cultists’ stories are all the same: the archdevil reached out to them in their minds as they were freezing to death

Cult Fanatic (Knights of the Black Sword)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

","rollDamageType":"piercing"} piercing damage.The Knights of the Black Sword are a secret society of cultists devoted to Levistus, the archdevil who rules Stygia, the sixth layer of the Nine Hells, from the

’ stories are all the same: the archdevil reached out to them in their minds as they were freezing to death, offering a second chance at life in exchange for their absolute devotion. After they

Wereraven

Monsters Curse of Strahd

, modestly give money to charity. They take steps to keep magic items out of evil hands by stashing them in secret hiding places. Characters as Wereravens. The Monster Manual has rules for characters

piercing damage (no ability modifier applies to this damage) and carries the curse of lycanthropy; see the “Player Characters as Lycanthropes” sidebar in the lycanthropes entry in the Monster Manual for details.

Shapechange Legacy

Spells Basic Rules (2014)

had before you transformed. If you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form. As long as the excess damage doesn't reduce your normal form to 0

rules for the original form, with one exception: if your new form has more hit points than your current one, your hit points remain at their current value.

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

Amble

Monsters Locathah Rising

dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over their normal form. Amble can't cast spells, and their ability to speak or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of

their beast form. Transforming doesn't break Amble's concentration on a spell they've already cast however, or prevent them from taking actions that are part of a spell. Claws. Melee Weapon Attack

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

Orcus

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

will: animate dead (as an action), blight, speak with dead 1 charge each: circle of death, finger of death 2 charges: power word killOrcus can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options

Tail or Necrotic Bolt attack. Creeping Death (Costs 2 Actions). Orcus chooses a point on the ground that he can see within 100 feet of him. A cylinder of swirling necrotic energy 60 feet tall and

Tlincalli

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

eggs are protected by hard shells coated in paralytic poison similar to that produced by their stingers. This poison leaves most would-be predators that dare to break an egg defenseless when the

powerful hunter, such as a blue dragon, they carefully weigh whether to serve the superior hunter, move on, or fight to the death to remove it as competition. Tlincallis rarely build cities, make

Oinoloth

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

invulnerability Teleport. The oinoloth teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.Grim specters of death, oinoloths bring pestilence

wherever they go. When armies recognize their awful forms, their mere appearance causes soldiers to break ranks and flee, lest they succumb to one of the awful plagues that oinoloths let loose

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

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

. A Taste of Undeath. Orcus casts chill touch (17th level). Creeping Death (Costs 2 Actions). Orcus chooses a point on the ground that he can see within 100 feet of him. A cylinder of swirling

Splugoth the Returned

Monsters Acquisitions Incorporated

trust Omin Dran. Wait, that’s two pieces of advice. You owe me. Sometimes a goblin can’t catch a break. First, you fall in with a cult that works for the release of a death god. Then

Armor Class Legacy

Rules

modifier. Not all characters wear armor or carry shields, however. Without armor or a shield, your character's AC equals 10 + his or her Dexterity modifier. If your character wears armor, carries a shield

, or both, calculate your AC using the rules in the Equipment section. Record your AC on your character sheet.

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

race, follow these additional rules during character creation. Ability Score Increases When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score

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

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

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

. (Lawful) 3 Change. The low are lifted up, and the high and mighty are brought down. Change is the nature of things. (Chaotic) 4 Retribution. The rich need to be shown what life and death

Urchin - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

. You begin your adventuring career with enough money to live modestly but securely for at least ten days. How did you come by that money? What allowed you to break free of your desperate

) 3 Change. The low are lifted up, and the high and mighty are brought down. Change is the nature of things. (Chaotic) 4 Retribution. The rich need to be shown what life and death are like in

Baphomet Legacy

Monsters Out of the Abyss

, the Horned King and the Prince of Beasts. He rules over minotaur;minotaurs and others with savage hearts. He is worshiped by those who want to break the confines of civility and unleash their bestial

Sul Khatesh

Monsters Eberron: Rising from the Last War

children of Khyber rose from the darkness to reign over Eberron. The greatest among them were the overlords, who held dominion over a world of fear, war, and death until the children of Eberron and Siberys

silver flame that bound the overlords in Khyber once more. These bonds have held for countless generations, but the overlords still yearn to break free and reclaim the world above. As long as the

Rak Tulkhesh

Monsters Eberron: Rising from the Last War

death until the children of Eberron and Siberys rose up against them. Armies of dragons fought against the fiends of Khyber. And though the overlords couldn't be destroyed, the couatl sacrificed

their lives to build a prison of celestial light: a silver flame that bound the overlords in Khyber once more. These bonds have held for countless generations, but the overlords still yearn to break free

Loup Garou

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

aggressively spread the plague of lycanthropy. Only through the death of a loup garou might those afflicted by it escape their curse. Loup Garou Lycanthropy A Humanoid who succumbs to a loup garou

broken, and the target returns to its normal form and gains 3 levels of exhaustion. On a failure, the curse remains, and the target automatically fails any saving throw made to break this curse for 1

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

. Others strike out on their own in search of the secrets of flight, to master magic, or to uncover the secret of their curse and find a method to break it. Kenku adventurers, despite their relative

Staff of the Forgotten One

Magic Items Tomb of Annihilation

known on many worlds as a sign of death. Beneficial Properties. While the staff is on your person, you gain the following benefits: Your proficiency bonus to Intelligence (Arcana) and Intelligence

. Destroying the Staff. A creature in possession of the staff can use an action to break it over one knee or a solid surface. The staff is destroyed and releases its remaining magic in an explosion that

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

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