manner shell with only against fallen for life

Piercer (Ice variant)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

","rollAction":"Drop","rollDamageType":"cold"} cold damage. Miss: The ice piercer takes half the normal falling damage for the distance fallen. Auril the Frostmaiden has transformed icicles into creatures that

ground below. A piercer is the larval form of a roper, and the two creatures often attack in tandem. A rock-like shell encases a piercer's body, giving it the look and texture of a stalactite. That

Krull

Monsters Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

prepared: Cantrips (at will): chill touch, mending, resistance, sacred flame, spare the dying, thaumaturgy 1st level (4 slots): cure wounds, detect evil and good, false life, inflict wounds, ray of

, vampiric touch 4th level (3 slots): banishment, blight, death ward, divination, locate creature 5th level (2 slots): antilife shell, cloudkill, contagion, greater restoration 6th level (1 slot): create

Snapping Hydra

Monsters Monstrous Compendium Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures

", "rollAction":"Bite"} to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5);{"diceNotation":"2d8+5", "rollType":"damage", "rollAction":"Bite", "rollDamageType":"piercing"} piercing damage. Shell Defense

. The hydra withdraws its limbs and heads into its shell. Until it emerges as a bonus action, it gains a +4 bonus to AC and has advantage on Strength and Constitution saving throws. While in its shell

Foresworn

Monsters Monstrous Compendium Vol. 2: Dragonlance Creatures

weaponry, a foresworn maintains the martial prowess it had in life and can call on magic and its fallen brethren for aid. Like revenant;revenants, foresworn fixate on a singular purpose, and they

Duty-Bound. The foresworn is bound to enacting a singular duty it pledged itself to in life. While this duty is incomplete, whenever the foresworn is destroyed, it re-forms at its previous location

Cadaver Collector

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

great battle—either where one is in progress, where one is imminent, or where one once took place. They encase themselves in the armor and weapons of fallen warriors and impale the corpses of those

warriors on the lances and other weapons embedded in their salvaged armor. Corpses that accumulate on a cadaver collector’s shell aren’t just grisly battle trophies. A cadaver collector

Witherbloom Professor of Decay

Monsters Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

until the start of the professor’s next turn. Essence Pulse (Recharge 5–6);{"diceNotation":"1d6","rollType":"recharge","rollAction":"Essence Pulse"}. The professor creates a life-draining

): At will: druidcraft, spare the dying 1/day each: antilife shell, bane, feign death, speak with deadProfessors of decay wield magic that drains and twists the essence of the professors&rsquo

Vampiric Mist Legacy

Monsters Tales from the Yawning Portal

Life Sense. The mist can sense the location of any creature within 60 feet of it, unless that creature’s type is construct or undead. Forbiddance. The mist can’t enter a residence

":"damage","rollAction":"Life Drain","rollDamageType":"necrotic"} necrotic damage, the mist regains 10 hit points, and the target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic

Jammer Leech

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

":"force"} force damage and be stunned until the end of its next turn.A jammer leech is a barnacle-like creature that begins life as a space-dwelling spore that attaches to the hull of a spelljamming ship

, with the leech inside in larval form. A spore that remains attached to a ship for a few days punctures the hull and begins to develop a hard shell that roughly matches the color of the hull. The

Staff of the Forgotten One

Magic Items Tomb of Annihilation

destroys both the staff and the life force trapped within it. The staff doesn’t explode if destroyed in this manner, but its destruction causes the sphere to be destroyed as well.

, remove curse, or similar spell ends the curse on the target. The Forgotten One. The bodiless life force of a dead archmage empowers the staff and is imprisoned within it. The rune carved into the

Skulk

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

a vague likeness of its master. Cruel and chaotic, skulks carry out their orders in the most violent manner possible. A summoned skulk can’t return to the Shadowfell until it dies, so many

throw themselves into creating bloodshed and mayhem with no regard for their own lives. After killing a person on the Material Plane, some skulks take up a silent imitation of that person’s life

Bone Knight

Monsters Eberron: Rising from the Last War

the Order of the Emerald Claw. Clad in distinctive bonecraft armor — heavy armor adorned with the bones of fallen enemies — these fearsome warriors command squads of undead soldiers as they pursue the

donning it, each bone knight understood that their former life was over. The Fall of the Emerald Claw. During the Last War, many bone knights took service with the Order of the Emerald Claw, helping

Carrionette

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

. The swap is also undone if the controlled body takes damage from the carrionette’s Silver Needle.Carrionettes arise from innocent intentions. Heartfelt wishes breathe life into a beloved toy and

porcelain dolls are the most common, all manner of deadly stuffed animals, crawling jack-in-the-boxes, bloodthirsty poppets, murderous jewelry box ballerinas, and so forth might be carrionettes. These

Lichen Lich

Monsters Candlekeep Mysteries

ignites flammable objects in the area that aren’t being worn or carried. If the lich chooses, plant life in the area is unaffected by the spell. Spellcasting. The lich casts one of the

following spells using Wisdom as the spellcasting ability (save DC 19): At will: druidcraft 3/day each: detect magic, fog cloud, pass without trace 1/day each: antilife shell, dispel magic, speak with

Mercion

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

natural leader and a protective caregiver. She has a direct manner that reassures and inspires those around her. Mercion does not worship a deity, but rather an ideal: that truth gives life to artistry

Zodar

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

Disembodied Voice. Up to three times in its life, the zodar can cause a message of up to twenty-five words to issue from the air around it. It speaks only when it has something profoundly important

exist or where they came from, but the most popular hypothesis is that they are the creations of some long-forgotten god. Zodars interact with other sapient creatures in a manner that goes beyond mere

Dullahan

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

search of their severed heads or to quench their thirst for revenge. Wicked knights or commanders in life, dullahans adhere to twisted codes of chivalry or soldiership. These fallen champions consider

campaign against the living. In death, dullahans are often rejoined by those who followed them in life, either in the form of lesser undead, like skeleton;skeletons or wight;wights, or terrifying mounts

Death Giant Shrouded One

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

, Tenser's floating diskA death giant shrouded one has learned the secrets of death magic—some say from the Raven Queen herself. A shrouded one collects the skulls of fallen kin and inscribes

save themselves and their way of life, they collectively made a bet with the Raven Queen, a mysterious god of death and memory who dwells on that plane. Accounts of that bet and its outcome vary

Zuggtmoy Legacy

Monsters Out of the Abyss

humanoid shape, including the skeletal-thin figure depicted in grimoires and ancient art, draped and veiled in mycelium and lichen. Indeed, much of her appearance and manner, and that of her servants

’, is a soulless mockery of mortal life and its many facets. Zuggtmoy’s cultists often follow her unwittingly. Most are fungi-infected to some degree, whether through inhaling her mind

Category 1 Krasis

Monsters Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

method to create novel life forms. They coax new morphologies from existing creatures or combine traits from multiple organisms into one, producing the creatures known as krasis. Some krasis are unique

(1d12);{"diceNotation":"1d12","rollType":"damage","rollAction":"Acidic Skin","damageType":"acid"} acid damage (category 3). 2 Armored Hide. The krasis has better natural armor afforded by a shell or

Ulitharid

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

in this manner. Magic Resistance. The ulitharid has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. Psionic Hub. If an elder brain establishes a psychic link with the ulitharid

staff; when the ulitharid is ready to give up its life, it attaches the staff to the back of its head, and the staff cracks open its skull, enabling its brain to be extracted. The brain and the staff

Category 2 Krasis

Monsters Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

"} slashing damage. In the deep sinkholes that serve as laboratories and guildhalls for the Simic Combine, biomancers employ a combination of magic and scientific method to create novel life

","rollType":"damage","rollAction":"Acidic Skin","damageType":"acid"} acid damage (category 3). 2 Armored Hide. The krasis has better natural armor afforded by a shell or thick scales, increasing

Category 3 Krasis

Monsters Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

method to create novel life forms. They coax new morphologies from existing creatures or combine traits from multiple organisms into one, producing the creatures known as krasis. Some krasis are unique

(1d12);{"diceNotation":"1d12","rollType":"damage","rollAction":"Acidic Skin","damageType":"acid"} acid damage (category 3). 2 Armored Hide. The krasis has better natural armor afforded by a shell

Rahadin

Monsters Curse of Strahd

, found Tatyana. Tatyana was Strahd's type—a woman of exquisite beauty and gentle manner. When Strahd returned to Ravenloft, the young woman instantly caught his eye, and Rahadin had the pleasure of

haunted by them if he could. The only thing he cares about is Strahd von Zarovich, for whom he would gladly give his life. Rahadin's Traits Ideal. “Loyalty is everything.” Bond. “I am a son of King Barov

Zuggtmoy

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

-thin figure depicted in grimoires and ancient art, draped and veiled in mycelia and lichen. Indeed, much of her appearance and manner, and that of her servants, is a mockery of mortal life and its many

Keresta Delvingstone

Monsters Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

4th level (3 slots): blight, death ward, divination 5th level (1 slot): antilife shell, destructive waveMultiattack. (Vampire Form Only). Keresta makes two attacks, only one of which can be a bite

stranger to hardship. Hoping to make a better life for herself, she became an adventurer and sought fame and fortune in Undermountain. Keresta met her end in the lair of a vampire and became a vampire spawn

Ancient Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

of the following spells, requiring no spell components and using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 19): 1/day each: antilife shell, bane, control water, create or destroy

Dragon Ideals d6;{"diceNotation":"1d6","rollType":"roll","rollAction":"Ideal"} Ideal 1 Solitude. My own company obviates the need for others in my life, whether they are dragons or

Cadaver Collector Legacy

Monsters Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes

. They encase themselves in the armor and weapons of fallen warriors and impale the corpses of those warriors on the lances and other weapons embedded in their salvaged armor. Conjured Berserkers. Corpses

that accumulate on the construct's shell aren't just grisly battle trophies. A cadaver collector can summon the spirits of these cadavers to join battle with its enemies and to paralyze more

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

emotion and empathy. The same label serves as an apt depiction of lizardfolk. Lacking any internal emotional reactions, lizardfolk behave in a distant manner. They don’t mourn fallen comrades or

lizardfolk doesn’t share those feelings, but instead assesses them in the same clinical manner. Yes, the fallen dwarf might be most useful as a meal, but hacking the body into steaks provokes aggression

Grung

Species One Grung Above

caste for life. On rare occasions, an individual that distinguishes itself with great deeds can earn an invitation to join a higher caste. Through a combination of herbal tonics and ritual magic, an

lookout for creatures they can capture and enslave. Grungs use slaves for all manner of menial tasks, but mostly they just like bossing them around. Slaves are fed mildly poisoned food to keep them

Devourer Legacy

Monsters Volo's Guide to Monsters

is teleported inside the devourer's ribcage and imprisoned there. A creature imprisoned in this manner has disadvantage on death saving throws. If it dies while imprisoned, the devourer regains 25

only one creature at a time. Soul Rend (Recharge 6);{"diceNotation":"1d6","rollType":"recharge","rollAction":"Soul Rend"}. The devourer creates a vortex of life-draining energy in a 20-foot radius

Reborn

Species Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

bodies. Whatever their origins, reborn know a new life and seek experiences and answers all their own. Faded Memories Reborn suffer from some manner of discontinuity, an interruption of their lives or

perfectly preserved remains. Lamordia. You awoke amid the bizarre experiments of an amoral scientist. They consider you their finest creation or have a task for you to fulfill. Mordent. You emerged from the mysterious device known as the Apparatus, your body a lifeless shell and your past a mystery.

Yuan-ti Malison (Type 3) Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

their humanity to become like the serpent gods in form, as well as in thought and emotion. Serpent Kings of Fallen Empires. The yuan-ti view their physical transformation as a transcendent moment for

emotions are foreign to most yuan-ti, which understand sentiment only as an exploitable weakness. A yuan-ti views the world and the events of its own life with such extreme pragmatism that it is nearly

Mark of Shadow Elf

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

The illusions that I weave dazzle and deceive. Sometimes that deception eases your burdens, letting you forget your troubles for a moment. But I can also ease your burdens by ending your life

and established House Phiarlan in Khorvaire. These elves are expert entertainers, giving them access to all manner of places and secrets. Known to few, there has always been an elite force of spies and

Warforged

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

chosen new names as a way to express their path in life. A few take on human names, often the name of a fallen friend or mentor. Warforged Names: Anchor, Banner, Bastion, Blade, Blue, Bow, Cart

their muscles, wrapped around a framework of steel, darkwood, or stone. Armored plates form a protective outer shell and reinforce joints. Warforged share a common facial design, with a hinged jaw

Dhampir

races

Dhampirs are living people who possess vampiric prowess but are cursed with macabre hunger. Most dhampirs thirst for blood, but some gain sustenance from dreams, life energy, or other vital sources

others are partially transformed by a vampire’s bite. All manner of macabre bargains and necromantic influences might also give rise to a dhampir. Regardless of their origins, dhampirs exhibit

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