collective rites god to her return

Book of Vile Darkness

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide

The contents of this foul manuscript are the meat and drink of the wicked. It contains knowledge so horrid that to even glimpse the scrawled pages invites doom. Most believe the lich-god Vecna the

, 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

Deck of Many Things

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide

of your prison. You draw no more cards. Euryale. The card’s medusa-like visage curses you. You take a −2 penalty to saving throws while cursed in this way. Only a god or the magic of the

guard the place. While your soul is trapped in this way, your body is inert, ceases aging, and requires no food, air, or water. A Wish spell can’t return your soul to your body, but the spell reveals the location of the object that holds your soul. You draw no more cards.

Ceremony

Spells Xanathar's Guide to Everything

You perform a special religious ceremony that is infused with magic. When you cast the spell, choose one of the following rites, the target of which must be within 10 feet of you throughout the

your god’s service. For the next 24 hours, whenever the target makes a saving throw, it can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the save. A creature can benefit from this rite only once

Fomorian Noble

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

unopposed. In their arrogance, these fomorian nobles unknowingly escaped the dreadful fate of their kin, and they remain unchanged in their remote enclaves. Occasionally they return to the Material Plane

failed, the fomorians were banished to the Underdark and their god was consigned to a subterranean prison. Subjected to the strange magic of the Underdark, the fomorians’ bodies and souls twisted

Sea Spawn

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

transformations. Folklore warns against falling in love with a sea elf or merfolk, braving storms in hopes of a bounteous catch, and promising your heart to a sea god. Such cautionary tales disguise the

by a kraken (see the Monster Manual) named Slarkrethel. The experience transforms the children into fanatics dedicated to the kraken. They return from the sea as humans, but when they reach old age

Barghest

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

ago, the god Maglubiyet—conqueror and then lord of early goblinoids—bargained with the General of Gehenna for aid. The General provided yugoloths, which then died in service to Maglubiyet

day when it can complete its mission, return to Gehenna, and serve the General directly in his yugoloth legions, but it doesn’t kill goblinoids indiscriminately. By devouring the souls of

Acolyte - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

;performing sacred rites is not the same thing as channeling divine power. Choose a god, a pantheon of gods, or some other quasi-divine being, and work with your DM to detail the nature of your

the sacred rites? Or were you a high priest who suddenly experienced a call to serve your god in a different way? Perhaps you were the leader of a small cult outside of any established temple structure

Crook of Rao

Magic Items Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

Ages ago, the serene god Rao created a tool to shield his fledgling faithful against the evils of the Lower Planes. Yet, as eons passed, mortals developed their own methods of dealing with

within 1 mile of you. Any fiend with a challenge rating of 19 or higher is unaffected. Each banished fiend is sent back to its home plane and can’t return to the plane the Crook of Rao banished it

Alhoon

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

, but it isn’t an interdiction they must often enforce. Illithids brook no masters but members of their own kind, so it isn’t in their nature to bow to any god or otherworldly patron

minds are never accepted as part of the collective. For them, death means oblivion. Lichdom offers salvation and the prospect of being able to pursue knowledge indefinitely. Yet learning the secret of

Eldritch Lich

Monsters Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures

lich against destruction, reviving the lich a few days after death. Canny foes can sabotage an eldritch lich’s revival by slaying the lich in a magic circle, thereby forcing the lich to return in

eldritch lich its parasite. Great Old Ones d6;{"diceNotation":"1d6","rollType":"roll","rollAction":"Great Old Ones"} Form 1 Cthulhu 2 Tharizdun, the Chained God 3 Dendar

Shadar-kai Shadow Dancer

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

, particularly anything colorful and lively to gaze at after they return to the gloom of the Shadowfell. Shadar-kai In the gloom of the Shadowfell live shadar-kai, elves whose ancestors served the Raven Queen

, a god of death and memory. They were brought to that realm in ages past, so long ago that they’re now adapted to its cheerless environment, both physically and mentally. Eons of exposure to

Star Spawn Seer

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

’s goal is to tap into vast energy sources and perform the dire rites that will extend a bridge between the Material Plane and the squirming chaos of an Elder Evil’s realm. An entity that

effect as normal. Cult of Tharizdun, the Chained God Tharizdun’s Spark (Recharge 6);{"diceNotation":"1d6", "rollType":"recharge", "rollAction":"Tharizdun's Spark"}. As a bonus action, the

Fraz-Urb'luu Legacy

Monsters Out of the Abyss

of Fraz-Urb’luu aren’t even aware they serve the Prince of Deception, believing their master is a beneficent being and granter of wishes, some lost god or celestial, or even another fiend

elaborate fantasies that have no bearing on reality. When I return my focus to the world, I have a hard time remembering that it was just a daydream.” 61–80 “I convince myself that

Young Dragon Turtle

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

visitors the vastness of my domain, so they appreciate how insignificant they are. 5 I attack anyone I notice taking from the sea’s bounty without offering something in return. 6 I think

out of their tunnels toward the surface. 8 A sea god has sent a dragon turtle to unleash devastation along a populated coast. Connected Creatures Dragon turtles are stolid and slow to

Dragon Turtle Wyrmling

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

insignificant they are. 5 I attack anyone I notice taking from the sea’s bounty without offering something in return. 6 I think of sailors’ songs as their “water speech&rdquo

creatures up out of their tunnels toward the surface. 8 A sea god has sent a dragon turtle to unleash devastation along a populated coast. Connected Creatures Dragon turtles are stolid

Star Spawn Larva Mage

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Return to Worms. When the mage is reduced to 0 hit points, it breaks apart into a swarm of insects (see the Monster Manual) in the same space. Unless the swarm is destroyed, the mage reforms from it

effect while it’s in the slug-like form, but it is subject to areas of effect as normal. Cult of Tharizdun, the Chained God Tharizdun’s Spark (Recharge 6);{"diceNotation":"1d6

Ancient Dragon Turtle

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

notice taking from the sea’s bounty without offering something in return. 6 I think of sailors’ songs as their “water speech” and try to converse with them by humming

their tunnels toward the surface. 8 A sea god has sent a dragon turtle to unleash devastation along a populated coast. Connected Creatures Dragon turtles are stolid and slow to anger

Acolyte Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

You have spent your life in the service of a temple to a specific god or pantheon of gods. You act as an intermediary between the realm of the holy and the mortal world, performing sacred rites and

offering sacrifices in order to conduct worshipers into the presence of the divine. You are not necessarily a cleric—performing sacred rites is not the same thing as channeling divine power

Gnoph-Keh

monsters

even the slightest defiance and making the most obsequious its priests. The gnoph-keh demands sacrifices, preferably living humanoids for it to devour. In return, it uses its magic to protect its

its followers to conduct bizarre rites and bloody sacrifices, usually in honor of Mythos deities such as Ithaqua. The gnoph-keh acts as a herald, in its own inscrutable way, for these greater powers

Nature Domain Legacy

Classes Player’s Handbook (2014)

particular springs and groves (such as Eldath). Druids revere nature as a whole and might serve one of these deities, practicing mysterious rites and reciting all-but-forgotten prayers in their own secret

tongue. But many of these gods have clerics as well, champions who take a more active role in advancing the interests of a particular nature god. These clerics might hunt the evil monstrosities that

Greater Crawling One

monsters

shape of a human body. The collective mass of wriggling creatures possesses the mind of a dead spellcaster, long since devoured by the maggoty horde. The ingested “will” of the mage

vermin devour the body, the spellcaster’s evil presence spreads throughout the devourers. They become a collective entity that allows the cultist to arise once more. Relentless Malevolence. A

Lesser Crawling One

monsters

individually alive and constantly squirms, though, together, they generally hold the shape of a human body. The collective mass of wriggling creatures possesses the mind of a dead spellcaster, long

collective entity that allows the cultist to arise once more. Relentless Malevolence. A crawling one’s true threat lies in its ability to live on despite horrid wounds. If a small mass of the worms and

Empty Death Bodak

monsters

investigated Belcorra’s fascination with the Outer God Nhimbaloth, also known as the Empty Death. An errant glimpse at Nhimbaloth’s form blasted their essence and identity away, transforming

, undead. With Belcorra’s return, the Ghost Queen has commanded the Children of Belcorra to muster the monsters that have overtaken the eighth level of the Abomination Vaults, the Farm level, to

Nature Domain (PHB)

Classes Player’s Handbook (2014)

particular springs and groves (such as Eldath). Druids revere nature as a whole and might serve one of these deities, practicing mysterious rites and reciting all-but-forgotten prayers in their own secret

tongue. But many of these gods have clerics as well, champions who take a more active role in advancing the interests of a particular nature god. These clerics might hunt the evil monstrosities that

Acolyte

backgrounds Player’s Handbook

grove. There you performed rites in honor of a god or pantheon. You served under a priest and studied religion. Thanks to your priest’s instruction and your own devotion, you also learned how to channel a modicum of divine power in service to your place of worship and the people who prayed there.

Cleric Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

to those chosen to fulfill a high calling. Harnessing divine magic doesn’t rely on study or training. A cleric might learn formulaic prayers and ancient rites, but the ability to cast cleric

as a stepping stone to higher positions of authority and involving no communion with a god at all. True clerics are rare in most hierarchies. When a cleric takes up an adventuring life, it is usually

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

a perfect world, the creatures would be left alone to dig their tunnels and raise the next generation of kobolds, all the while seeking the magic that will free their imprisoned god (see the &ldquo

;Kurtulmak: God of Kobolds” sidebar). In the world they occupy, kobolds are often bullied and enslaved by larger creatures — or, when they live on their own, they are constantly fearful of

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

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

serve as a battering ram if a settlement dares to close its gates, blocking the way to the treasures and tasty food that lie within. A heavily laden wagon that requires the strongest orcs to return it to

Tabaxi Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

stories, artifacts, and lore. Those who survive this period of wanderlust return home in their elder years to share news of the outside world. In this manner, the tabaxi remain isolated but never ignorant

result every few days that pass in the campaign to reflect your ever-changing curiosity. Tabaxi Obsessions d8 My curiosity is currently fixed on … 1 A god or planar entity

Dreams of Divinity