mechanics some with often alter from for life

Warrior of Mercy

Classes Player’s Handbook

Manipulate Forces of Life and Death Warriors of Mercy manipulate the life force of others. These Monks are wandering physicians, but they bring a swift end to their enemies. They often wear masks, presenting themselves as faceless bringers of life and death.

Oath of the Ancients

Classes Player’s Handbook

Preserve Life and Light in the World The Oath of the Ancients is as old as the first elves. Paladins who swear this oath cherish the light; they love the beautiful and life-giving things of the

world more than any principles of honor, courage, and justice. They often adorn their armor and clothing with images of growing things—leaves, antlers, or flowers—to reflect their commitment

Death Tyrant

Monsters Monster Manual

all expended uses at the start of each of its turns. Chomp. The death tyrant makes two Bite attacks. Glare. The death tyrant uses Eye Rays.Death Tyrant Lairs Death tyrants often lurk deep in the

Underdark, in the tunnel-mazes they occupied in life or in the lairs of enemy beholders they conquered. These lairs are devoid of life, as death tyrants change their servants into Undead horrors. The

Dwarf

Species Player’s Handbook

stone and metal and for living underground. The god also made them resilient like the mountains, with a life span of about 350 years. Squat and often bearded, the original dwarves carved cities and

subterranean horrors. Inspired by those tales, dwarves of any culture often sing of valorous deeds—especially of the little overcoming the mighty. On some worlds in the multiverse, the first settlements

Druid

Classes Player’s Handbook

. Druids are concerned with the delicate ecological balance that sustains plant and animal life and with the need for people to live in harmony with nature. Druids often guard sacred sites or watch over

Fiendish Icon

Monsters Astarion's Book of Hungers

":"Fiery Eruption", "rollDamageType":"Fire"} Fire damage.Effigy Animated by Hellish Magic Fiendish icons are grotesque, sapient statues depicting fearsome fiends. These creatures gain life as a result

of sinister rituals. Fiendish icons can explode with hellfire to roast their foes, and they often pretend to be ordinary statues until they leap up to ambush invaders. Roll on or choose a result

Sammaster (Dracolich Form)

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Sammaster fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead. Life Suppression. Creatures within 60 feet of Sammaster can’t regain Hit Points. Magic

dedicated to transforming living dragons into undead inheritors of a world blasted of life. Sammaster was slain centuries ago but now exists as a lich with his essence tied to a powerful dracolich form

Sammaster (Lich Form)

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Sammaster fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead. Life Suppression. Creatures within 60 feet of Sammaster can’t regain Hit Points. Magic

transforming living dragons into undead inheritors of a world blasted of life. Sammaster was slain centuries ago but now exists as a lich with his essence tied to a powerful dracolich form. History

Shadowmoor Expert

Backgrounds Lorwyn: First Light

. Regardless of where you tread, you keenly understand that friendship is a rare commodity. You believe that knowing who to trust and who to keep at arm’s length isn’t just practical— it’s often a matter of life or death.

Dhampir

Species Astarion's Book of Hungers

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

. Dhampirs must choose whether to fight to control their hunger or give in to predatory urges. Dhampirs often arise from encounters with vampires; some are the descendants of a powerful vampire, while

Will-o'-Wisp Legacy

Monsters Basic Rules (2014)

Consume Life. As a bonus action, the will-o'-wisp can target one creature it can see within 5 feet of it that has 0 hit points and is still alive. The target must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution

saving throw against this magic or die. If the target dies, the will-o'-wisp regains 10 (3d6);{"diceNotation":"3d6","rollType":"roll","rollAction":"Consume Life"} hit points. Ephemeral. The will-o'-wisp

Minotaur Living Crystal Statue

Monsters Ghosts of Saltmarsh

Immutable Form. The statue is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.Multiattack. The statue makes two attacks: one with its greataxe and one gore attack. Greataxe. Melee Weapon

deals 11 (2d10);{"diceNotation":"2d10","rollType":"damage","rollAction":"Flying Shards","rollDamageType":"piercing"} piercing damage to the attacker.Given life through powerful magic, a large, crudely carved crystal minotaur guards the tunnels in Isle of the Abbey.Lightning, PoisonForce

Blood Witch

Monsters Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

following spells, requiring no material components: At will: alter self, detect magic, eldritch blast (at 11th level), false life, levitate (self only), mage armor (self only) 1/day each: circle of

Snow Golem

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

any spell or effect that would alter its form. Melt. While in an area of extreme heat, the golem loses 1d6;{"diceNotation":"1d6","rollType":"roll","rollAction":"Melt"} hit points at the start of each

brought to life through magic. Nonmagical weapons pass through its snowy form without dealing any appreciable damage to it, though heat is its doom.Cold, Poison; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical AttacksFire

Bandit Legacy

Monsters Basic Rules (2014)

sometimes led by thugs, veterans, or spellcasters. Not all bandits are evil. Oppression, drought, disease, or famine can often drive otherwise honest folk to a life of banditry. Pirates are bandits of the

Sunfly

Monsters Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse

stingers that they use to inject natural toxins into other creatures. Planar magic can alter a sunfly’s toxin so that its effect is different depending on which Outer Plane the sunfly is on. Many

inhabitants of the planes have strong feelings about sunflies, viewing them as loathsome pests or adorable pets. Sunflies in Sigil are often the pets of doting, highly protective owners.Illumination. The

Warlock of the Fiend Legacy

Monsters Volo's Guide to Monsters

Innate Spellcasting. The warlock's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma. It can innately cast the following spells (spell save DC 15), requiring no material components: At will: alter self, false

life, levitate (self only), mage armor (self only), silent image 1/day each: feeblemind, finger of death, plane shift Spellcasting. The warlock is a 17th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is

Will-o'-Wisp (Variant)

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

Consume Life. As a bonus action, the will-o’-wisp can target one creature it can see within 5 feet of it that has 0 hit points and is still alive. The target must succeed on a DC 10

Constitution saving throw against this magic or die. If the target dies, the will-o’-wisp regains 10 (3d6);{"diceNotation":"3d6","rollType":"heal","rollAction":"Consume Life"} hit points. Ephemeral. The

Biomancer

Monsters Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

Bolstering Presence. The biomancer magically emanates life-giving energy within 30 feet of itself. Any ally of the biomancer that starts its turn there regains 5 (1d10);{"diceNotation":"1d10

): alter self, darkvision, enlarge/reduce, hold person 3rd level (3 slots): counterspell, dispel magic, haste, protection from energy 4th level (3 slots): confusion, conjure minor elementals

Barrowghast

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

the barrowghast a noxious stench. Barrowghasts no longer hunger for physical food and instead crave life energy drained from living creatures. They often target former family members and allies, but

attacks. It can replace one Slam attack with a Life Drain attack. Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8;{"diceNotation":"1d20+8", "rollType":"to hit", "rollAction":"Slam"} to hit, reach 10 ft., one target

Megapede

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

Multiattack. The megapede makes one Bite attack and uses either Life Drain or Psychic Bomb. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10;{"diceNotation":"1d20+10","rollType":"to hit","rollAction":"Bite"} to hit

":"damage","rollAction":"Bite (poison)","rollDamageType":"poison"} poison damage. Life Drain. The megapede magically drains life energy from other creatures nearby. Each creature within 15 feet of

Feral Ashenwight

Monsters Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

creature, it has disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes before the end of its next turn.Feral ashenwights retain a fragment of the spark they had in life. However, they are devoid of memories

creature sometimes rises as an ashenwight. The skin of these Undead horrors is desiccated, and their eyes often glow with otherworldly power.Necrotic, Poison

Metallic Peacekeeper

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

Immutable Form. The peacekeeper is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form. Telepathic Bond. While the peacekeeper is on the same plane of existence as its master, it can magically

speed of 0.When a metallic dragon grows attached to a settlement of smaller folk—often after dwelling there for a time in Humanoid form—the dragon might decide to create a metallic

Fractal Mascot

Monsters Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

facets of hard light. But arithmancers know that these fractals are actually living equations: artificial life forms created by extrapolating magic from the mathematical patterns in nature. Because of

their arithmetic basis, fractal mascots can alter both their size and density. Quandrix College has adopted the fractal as its mascot, and many a Quandrix student can be found playing fetch with a

Plasmoid Explorer

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

oozes that can alter their shape at will. Their amorphous bodies have a soft, malleable texture, and plasmoids can extrude up to five pseudopods, each one up to 5 feet long. They use their pseudopods

they absorb oxygen. Up to four times in its life, a plasmoid can reproduce by joining with another member of its species. After this merging, the two plasmoids separate, and one of them (determined

Arcturia

Monsters Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

lich often haunts the abode it favored in life, such as a lonely tower, a haunted ruin, or an academy of black magic. Alternatively, some liches construct secret tombs filled with powerful guardians

the following wizard spells prepared: She can cast the alter self spell at will. Cantrips (at will): mage hand, prestidigitation, ray of frost 1st level (4 slots): detect magic, magic missile

Skeletal Knight

Monsters Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

damage.Skeletal knights are powerful Undead that arise to serve even more wicked beings—often death knight;death knights. Those who become skeletal knights were typically virtuous in life but betrayed

blades deal lingering wounds that sap their victims’ life force and leave blackened scars even after magical healing.Poison

Aurumvorax

Monsters Journeys through the Radiant Citadel

halved.Early in life, aurumvoraxes cooperate with siblings and their den leader parents, digging tunnels in search of metal and other burrowing prey. As they grow to adulthood, aurumvoraxes hunt on their

. Alone or in small groups, aurumvoraxes dig deep in search of precious metals. Such exploration often leads them into conflict with subterranean settlements. As defenders of such communities often

Podling

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

Semblance of Life. The podling is a physical copy of a creature digested by a bodytaker plant. The podling has the digested creature’s memories and behaves like that creature, but with

replaced by a podling can often tell something’s amiss. Roll on the Podling Behavior table to see what unusual habits a podling might demonstrate. Podling Behavior d6 Behavior 1

Dohwar

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

the dohwar's life, often in response to the dohwar experiencing an overwhelming emotion. Instead of wings, it has arms and tiny hands. Dohwars prefer to communicate through a form of telepathy they

Plasmoid Warrior

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

alter their shape at will. Their amorphous bodies have a soft, malleable texture, and plasmoids can extrude up to five pseudopods, each one up to 5 feet long. They use their pseudopods for locomotion as

. Up to four times in its life, a plasmoid can reproduce by joining with another member of its species. After this merging, the two plasmoids separate, and one of them (determined randomly) divides in

Warforged Soldier

Monsters Eberron: Rising from the Last War

steel, then magically imbued with life and sentience. The warforged were created to fight in the Last War, and in the aftermath of that conflict, they struggle to understand their place in the world. Most

warforged soldiers still serve their former masters, often guarding dragonmarked houses or merchant caravans. Many warforged find it difficult to separate themselves from the soldiers they were made

Psionic Ashenwight

Monsters Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

ashenwight was in life. Some psionic ashenwights dedicate their existence to piecing together their previous life, while others strive to enlighten other ashenwights to this new psionic power. Ashenwights

When a Humanoid consumed by cruelty and rage dies in an area corrupted by the Far Realm, the creature sometimes rises as an ashenwight. The skin of these Undead horrors is desiccated, and their eyes often glow with otherworldly power.Necrotic, Poison, Psychic

Plasmoid Boss

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

and wit, in addition to their strength and size, to stay in power for long. Plasmoids Plasmoids are intelligent oozes that can alter their shape at will. Their amorphous bodies have a soft

nerves for a brain. Plasmoids don’t have internal organs as humans know them, but they have pores through which they absorb oxygen. Up to four times in its life, a plasmoid can reproduce by joining

Cuprilach Rilmani

Monsters Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse

Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 15): At will: detect magic, disguise self 1/day each: alter self, fog cloud, silenceUncanny Dodge. The cuprilach halves the damage it takes

in appearance from cold iron to brilliant gold. Most have smooth faces with few features, and their extraordinary anatomies often act in defiance of natural forces.PsychicAssassin’s Agility. The cuprilach takes the Dash or Disengage action, or it makes one Burnished Blade attack.

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