build before dead common rule

Spirit Board

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide

This ornate wooden board has the letters of the Common alphabet printed on one side, alongside the words “Yes” and “No” and symbols representing “Weal” and &ldquo

cast the spell. As you cast the spell, you call on the spirits of the dead to help guide the planchette across the board’s surface, answering your questions by pointing to the letters or words on the board. Spell Charge Cost Augury 1 Commune 3

Hallow

Spells Player’s Handbook

. Magical Darkness created by spells of a level lower than this spell can’t extinguish the light. Peaceful Rest. Dead bodies interred in the area can’t be turned into Undead. Extradimensional

reach into it. Tongues. Creatures of any types you choose can communicate with any other creature in the area even if they don’t share a common language. Vulnerability. Creatures of any types you choose have Vulnerability to one damage type of your choice while in the area.

Wand of Orcus

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide

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

Death 3 Power Word Kill 4 Speak with Dead 1 While attuned to the wand, Orcus or a follower blessed by him can cast each of the wand’s spells using 2 fewer charges (minimum of 0

Book of Vile Darkness

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide

divined. Nature can’t abide the book’s presence. Ordinary plants wither in its presence, common animals are unwilling to approach it, and the book gradually destroys whatever it touches. Even

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

Eye and Hand of Vecna

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide

a lich. A treacherous lieutenant named Kas the Betrayer;Kas brought Vecna’s rule to an end in a terrible battle. Of Vecna, all that remained were one hand and one eye, grisly Artifacts that

minute. To you, solid objects within that radius appear transparent and don’t prevent light from passing through themselves. The vision can penetrate 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, or up to

Scion of the Three

Classes Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn

power manifests as various occult gifts, as well as an uncanny talent for striking and terrifying foes. Scions of the Three are most common in Baldur’s Gate, where the Dead Three lived as

Become a Gruesome Agent of Malice A Scion of the Three draws power from a group of malevolent gods known in Baldur’s Gate as the Dead Three: Bane, a god of tyranny; Bhaal, a god of violence

Genie Touched

Backgrounds Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn

Hammer, Glassblower's Tools, Fine Clothes, Lamp, Oil (3 flasks), Waterskin, 2 GP; or (B) 50 GP Although genies no longer rule Calimshan, genie magic is still common in your homeland. Perhaps you

Crown of Horns

Magic Items Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

Common. Personality. The crown contains the essence of Myrkul and exists to spread that god’s will, which is to slay the living, raise the dead, and sow fear across the Material Plane. The crown

The Crown of Horns contains the essence and intelligence of Myrkul, one of the Dead Three. This ghastly crown is a pale silver circlet with four curved bones set around its rim. On the crown's brow

Sammaster (Lich Form)

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

, Prestidigitation 2/Day Each: Speak with Dead, Wall of Force 1/Day Each: Create Undead (level 8 version), Disintegrate, Power Word KillProtective Magic. Sammaster casts Counterspell or Shield in

as leader of these disparate zealots, whom he named the Cult of the Dragon. He perverted their fascination with his necromantic lore, revealing that dracoliches were destined to rule Faerûn

Sammaster (Dracolich Form)

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

, Speak with Dead 1/Day Each: Create Undead (level 8 version), Power Word KillLegendary Action Uses: 3. Immediately after another creature’s turn, Sammaster can expend a use to take one of the

rule Faerûn. His Cult of the Dragon devotes itself to helping evil dragons become dracoliches to bring this evil new age to fruition. Sammaster was killed in battle, but had prepared contingencies

Valindra Shadowmantle

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

, Prestidigitation 2/Day Each: Animate Dead, Plane Shift 1/Day Each: Cone of Cold (level 8 version), Finger of Death, Power Word Kill, ScryingProtective Magic. Valindra casts Counterspell or Shield in response

pallor common to liches, she prefers to maintain a magical disguise that allows her to appear as the high elf she was in life. Ever the schemer, Valindra doesn’t use this disguise out of nostalgia

Professor Skant

Magic Items Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

The professor orb owned by Vellynne Harpell and stolen by Nass Lantomir calls itself Professor Skant. It is lawful good, and it has a Wisdom of 11 and a Charisma of 9. It speaks and reads Common

, Draconic, Elvish, and Loross (the dead language of the Empire of Netheril). Professor Skant is a chatterbox and assumes all humanoids are dunderheads. When elaborating on its areas of expertise, it

Orlekto

Monsters Storm King's Thunder

breathing Roleplaying Information Orlekto is in love with Princess Mirran and wants to see her become Queen of the Wyrmskull Throne. (If Mirran is dead, Orlekto aims to avenge her.) If the opportunity

to eliminate Hekaton or Serissa presents itself, Orlekto seizes it. Until then, he conceals his treacherous nature. Ideal: “Storm giants should rule the world. Weak leaders have let dragons and

Spirit Statue Mascot

Monsters Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

call upon the spirits of dead creatures. Mages seeking longer-term assistance from ancient spirits have learned to house these spirits in statues, giving them a more permanent residence from which to

tacticians. Regardless, their appearance is so common around the Lorehold campus that they have become the college’s mascots.

Blood-Toll Harpy

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

"} slashing damage.Murderous gangs of harpies collect in grim places across Theros, preying on any who pass by. Many merchants face regular losses at the harpies' claws, common casualties often referred

to as a “blood toll.” Cruel, corpse-eating creatures, harpies endlessly seek their next meal, careless of whether it comes from the living or the dead. With equal zeal, these vicious scavengers set

Syndra Silvane

Monsters Tomb of Annihilation

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

) spellcasters dedicated to the study of the arcane arts. Benevolent ones counsel kings and queens, while evil ones rule as tyrants and pursue lichdom. Those who are neither good nor evil sequester

Owlin

Species Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The “Quick Build” section for your

character might be nocturnal. Or perhaps your character is simply prone to rise later, embodying the common nickname of night owl. Creating Your Character If you create an owlin character, follow these

Barovian Witch

Monsters Curse of Strahd

obsessive collectors, each believing that almost anything found—a piece of broken bone, a dead rodent, a handful of dust, or some other worthless item or substance—could be valuable or useful as a

spell component, a ritual object, or a potion ingredient. Barovian witches use the find familiar spell to call forth familiars. They are particularly fond of cats, though snakes and toads are also common. These animals lurk amid the clutter of the witches' lairs, seldom wandering far from their vile masters.

Returned Kakomantis

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

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

’t build meaningful relationships or establish new lives. Instead, most experience fleeting emotions and follow hollow routines, their existences reduced to shadow plays without weight or substance

Needle Lord

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

implacable foe. Driven only by a desire to conquer and rule, it wages endless war with its army of mobile dead against all creatures it views as a threat to its domination. It might even forge treaties with

Yuan-ti Malison (Type 3) Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

their race, allowing them to shed their frail humanity like dead skin. Those that did not transform eventually became slaves or food for the blessed of the serpent gods. The yuan-ti empires withered

impossible to manipulate, influence, or control by nonmagical means, even as it seeks to control other creatures through terror, pleasure, and awe. Yuan-ti know that the world they hope to rule can

Hallow Legacy

Spells Basic Rules (2014)

. Affected creatures in the area have vulnerability to one damage type of your choice, except for bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing. Everlasting Rest. Dead bodies interred in the area can't be turned

the area. Silence. No sound can emanate from within the area, and no sound can reach into it. Tongues. Affected creatures can communicate with any other creature in the area, even if they don't share a common language.

Sage Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

master in your fields of study. Skill Proficiencies: Arcana, History Languages: Two of your choice Equipment: A bottle of black ink, a quill, a small knife, a letter from a dead

colleague posing a question you have not yet been able to answer, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp Specialty To determine the nature of your scholarly training, roll a d8 or

Sword of Kas Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

power grew, so did his hubris. His sword urged him to supplant Vecna, so that they could rule the lich’s empire in Vecna’s stead. Legend says Vecna’s destruction came at Kas’s

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

Harengon