This full creature's stat block is not available (not OGL). My studies and travels have led me to encounter various undead who were not evil monsters, but people, people with full sentience and no desire for evil. Land I know the first impression that comes to most about undead is that they are unholy, evil monsters. Turn Immunity. Paralyzing Touch. Mr. Bodoni does seem to remember who he was before he died, but does not wish to speak of it. Non-evil undead must contend with the presence of evil undead in most settings. When Needed Most. Some credit the existence of baelnorn to the strange ways of the elves and their gods, as it seems nothing else can explain the troublesome contradiction of their existence. Regeneration. 4th level (1 slot): staggering smite. 5e vs 5.5e Fighter/Barbarian: A Damage Comparison r/dndnext Here's a pdf listing the (optional) added spells from the rules expansion set (Xanathar's Guide to Everything & Tasha's Cauldron of Everything) The secrets were believed to have disappeared after the fall of Myth Drannor as no new baelnorns were known to have been created since then (as of the mid-to-late 14th century DR). So here are the Skaven stat blocks I've been working on. The spells have a caveat, that the subject not have died of old age, which brings us to most common reason there are those that seek undeath and that is to live past their natural lifespan. If the ruling is no, let it go. An undead researcher may wish to see a cosmic phenomena that only occurs once every several thousand years, the founder of a movement may wish to become undead to see that her movement does not fall into corruption. The hill giants flesh happily occupied the ghoul all day and night, and by the time the necromancer and his army was slain by heroes, the ghoul was still munching happily. When do you use in the accusative case? A place to discuss the latest version of Dungeons and Dragons, the fifth edition, known during the playtest as D&D Next. When you multiclass into the baelnorn class, you gain the following proficiencies: History, Religion. The creature must make a DC 11 Wisdom saving throw or spell save DC saving throw or become frightened until the end of your next turn. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Lay on Hands. Putting Skaven from Warhammer into D&D 5e v2.0. Said necromancer was surrounded by so many undead minions, the fact that one ghoul was too busy feasting on a nearby dead hill giant was of no concern to him, so the undead army marched on to destroy the city. Even worse, her dwarven family still had at least a whole human lifetime ahead of them. One might be able to use magic to somewhat restore these pleasures however. In most societies, undead who co-exist with the living must hide their undead nature or face terrible consequences. Only a god of righteous giant predatory creatures can appreciate such a thing. Obviously it's up to your GM to accept it.. or not =). A vampire character may one be able to turn into mist once a night, may not have great strength or dexterity, but also be able to have some limited time in the sun. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 15). If Ezzie where human though she would notice a new ability to see in the dark. One could simply re-label all non-evil undead as deathless, yet it risks removing some of the drama and storytelling appeal of undead. Somehow they retained their original soul and eventually broke free. If she instead chooses a space within range that is occupied by a willing Small or Medium creature, they both teleport, swapping places. Damage Types: Acid Bludgeoning Cold Fire Force Lightning Necrotic Piercing Poison Psychic Radiant Slashing Thunder Nonmagical Attacks Non-Silvered Attacks Non-Adamantine . The archlich, as defined as a good-aligned lich appeared in the 2e supplement Lost Ships for the Spelljammer setting. Perhaps her original reason for living forever was eternal love and she realizes it's warped and stupid. Baelnorn that dwell among the living can be found cloistered in libraries, magic academies, or temples to give guidance. For example, a spy for the Order who is also a member of an adventure guild focused on eradicating undead may hear of them attempting to raid and take down the lair of a good lich who has been blamed for certain problems in the area. Incorporeal undead can simply hide from the living and only show themselves to select individuals. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. @thedarkwanderer The UA material leaves that goal open-ended (and up to the DM). Forgotten Realms Wiki is a FANDOM Games Community. Undeath that is more reliable than other means of extension of self can be embraced to carry out long term goals and watch their legacies unfold. More often than not, the inspiration for you homebrew comes from another source. He is only glad that he has a second chance, and somehow is glad that nobody can recognize him anymore. Cantrips (at will): chill touch, mage hand, thaumaturgy, spare the dying* The baelnorn can telepathically communicate a message lasting no longer than 1 minute to a creature it knows is present within 500 feet of it. Statblock5e - GitHub Pages Etherealness. A creature that was poisoned is cured of poison. However, you can probably just use the stats for a lich and make a few changes that you see fitting. Ideal: Purpose. His childrens corpses were of no use to the necromancer, and his wife was likely just another skeleton that was smited in the most recent battle. I added a link to your other question on this same topic. Pin on Tabletop RPG materials - Pinterest She wears make-up, feeds on animal blood, and excuses are made about how she cannot attend anything during the day. Rapier. 1st level (4 slots): detect magic, disguise self, shield They employ spells as they did in life (most were 15th-level wizards), using spellbooks and magical components, but many develop variant spells that dont require material components. Your party has been hired to find the culprit. Such necromancy is often shunned or taboo, and in many settings is considered an act that if done enough times can render a necromancer evil. An archlich's phylactery does not feed off souls, nor does its creation require the sacrifice of a soul. The ruins of places such as abandoned elven cities are where baelnorn are likely to be found. The baelnorn casts misty step without spending a spell slot. A creature can choose to fail their role if it wishes so. She had already mastered a few cantrips and was watching wizards teach their apprentices from afar. Mr. Bodonit's Amulet is a very rare wondrous magical item that requires attunement. Most spartoi are proud to continue serving their lands or lords even in undeath. Let us pull inspiration from some of Roger Zelazny's work. Fey Step (Costs 2 actions). Church grims are usually alone but occasionally in large, older graveyards there may be multiple church grims. Choose an undead creature with a CR that is equal or less than your caster class level within 30 feet that is under the control of another creature. They may be able to recall events that happened many generations ago and teach lost skills to new generations. Almost all of the green elf Audark clan were wiped out fighting Venominhandar in 249DR. After Venom's mate was killed 33 years later, the twelve remaining Audarks, in their grief, appealed to the high mages of Cormanthor to become baelnorns. The reduction lasts until the creature finishes a long rest. Anyone brought to unlife ought to be put down to end their misery. There is an outside force that corrupts any undead in Toril. At 1st level, you have taken an oath to a deity to grant you undeath as you progress. please listen to what I have to say. In more current times another demonic invasion was brewing, and so Nyx crawled back from the netherworld to continue what she could not accomplish. With its phylactery prepared, the future lich drinks a potion of transformation - a vile concoction of poison mixed with the blood of a sentient creature whose soul is sacrificed to the phylactery. The projection has 100 hit points, an AC of 16, and a fly speed of 30 feet. Template - Lich - Realms Helps Some of the oldest baelnorn seemed to have little more than the hint of body, hair, and skin around their skeletons. They also appear in 3rd edition's Monstrous Compendium: Monsters of Faern. The Knights of the Restless are an organization devoted to protecting the rights and personhood of the undead. You and your group are hired to investigate missing undead minions from an evil magical research laboratory. Wizards that seek lichdom must make bargains with fiends, evil gods, or other foul entities. Example: Being more active at night, Ezzie's druidic magic has increased her affinity to creatures like bats, spiders, moths, and cats. Multiattack. The redeemed death knight makes two longsword attacks. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the church grim's Grim Gaze for the next 24 hours. How and why did this happen to your character? Lichdom is a close analog of some science fiction tropes surrounding transhumanism; a person is rendered immortal by detaching their selves from their living bodies into a new, ever-persisting form that is no longer biologically alive. And if they chose it, why did they choose it? Baelnorn have a special power: Thrice per day, up to five turns at a time, and without employing a spell to do it, they can use a project image power to send a wraithlike likeness of themselves, called a sending, up to a mile distant. For more information, please see our Alignment Then lastly there will be some guidelines on adjusting class features to undead characters. Liches are immensely powerful evil creatures only encountered at the end of a long, high level campaign. Holy water does harm creatures under this spell. 2nd level (3 slots): cloud of daggers*, detect thoughts, misty step*, web* and the nobles around have been scrambling to hide her vampirism for the populace knowing that she had become a vampire would make everyone riot to kill her. Bond: Even though a lot of people have been cruel to me, I am very thankful for those who have helped me and I cherish them well. This counts as a fear effect for turning living creatures. The dog may vow to protect its caretaker's remains even long after it expired. Celestials are creatures native to the Upper Planes. Pack Tactics. Instead, the blood slept in her body, even after it was consecrated and preserved through gentle repose, but one day it would break those spells that prevented reanimation. Favored Terrain. The king was frightened and threw a brick amongst them, wherein they began to fight amongst each other. You now take no damage from nonmagical attacks and are immune to the following conditions: charmed, exhaustion, frightened and paralyzed. Example: Ezzie would have been eaten, but instead an evil necromancer took her body and raised her as a wight under their control, she eventually broke free and killed the necromancer. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Im sorry I have no pun for thisnext topic. Languages Common, Draconic, Infernal. Undead and those who work along with them who seek to aid undead rather than control them have adapted their magic to help. If the creature dies, this spell can still be active upon its soul for the rest of the duration of the spell and gives it immunity to spells that target souls directly such as soul cage unless it chooses to be subject to the spell. There are many easy ways to customize the NPCs. The village oddly does not have any fields or livestock, but is made up of a few dozen houses that incorporate a hodgepodge of materials, as if the materials were salvaged from somewhere else. In ancient Myth Drannor, they stood watch against thieves, protected journeying elves, kept family lore, and tutored young wizards in magic. This spell can also be used to revive undead creatures. A target that succeeds its saving throw becomes immune to this effect for the next 24 hours. Medium Size To qualify for multiclassing into the Baelnorn class, you must meet these prerequisites: 10th level or higher in a full caster class and at least 15 Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma. Nyx has a pool of healing power that she can use to restore a total of 70 hit points. In previous editions there were added complexities that did make undead characters more difficult to handle--they had no constitution score, were healed by necrotic spells that harmed the living, were harmed by healing spells that healing the living, and were destroyed upon loosing hit points. A very good undead can even start siphoning energy from another source such as positive or arcane energy, such a creature's properties would change to reflect that. The archlich rolls a d8 and regains a spell slot of that level or lower. Baelnorns, sometimes called baelnorn liches, were elves who chose a path of Prime-bound duty beyond death which closely resembled lichdom. Legendary Resistance (3/Day). Some spells that center around one's self do not damage the caster such as thunderwave and arms of Hadar, so it would not turn the undead caster, but might risk turning any undead allies. 4th Edition Statistics[1] Rejuvenation. You may choose to reanimate the creature with the necropolitan features listed in page (xx). When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th Level or higher, you can target 1 additional undead for each slot above 4th. Care should be taken to prepare the body for occupancy, such as closing wounds or repairing broken bones. The more general term for 'lich' originated from Clark Ashton Smith's 'Empire of the Necromancers', in which 'lich' meant living corpse. Fifth edition has none of these, but most healing spells have no effect on the undead, and undead can still be targeted or turned. Records of the Ruins. As such, some of their abilities are different, and their existence may be bounded by completion of some task or other limits, but they are not evil creatures. The archlich also can cast spare the dying as a wizard cantrip and also affect undead creatures with it. 9th level (1 slot): time stop. Or maybe she decides to do a trip to the land where she lived hundred of years ago in hope of finding some inner peace or a purpose to fill before passing away. After all, much of life depends on deathliving organisms that cannot produce their own energy and biological material must take it from another organism. If what you want is a nearly-immortal PC that comes back a week or so later when they are killed, consider porting the Ghoran from Pathfinder. Most baelnorns, however, preferred to avoid combat if possible. First off,as others have pointed out, to become a Lich you must undergo an extremely evil process. Lay on Hands. Usually he will make the host doff off the armor. The spartoi has advantage on saving throws against being frightened. Here are some other ideas for undead characters who are not evil: A dedicated warrior to a cause continues past his lifespan by binding his soul to his armor, and becomes haunted armor that can behave like animated armor, but sentient and intelligent. Hit 4 (1d6) bludgeoning damage, or 5 (1d8) bludgeoning damage if used with two hands. Its statistics, other than its size and speed, are unchanged. 9th level (1 slot): true resurrection Such beings are so rare that they are thought to be an inherent oxymoron or mere rumors meant to foul the names of some heroes of the past. What is the symbol (which looks similar to an equals sign) called? At Higher Levels. While in bat form, the vampire can't speak, its walking speed is 5 feet, and it has a flying speed of 30 feet. Over the years, Tarian has turned his skill in hunting into becoming a full-fledged ranger, he stalks the wilds for evil necromancers and other monsters who abduct the minds and souls of other creatures. This difference hints one of the secrets to becoming an archlich: a pinch of the ashes of a phoenix. If the archlich fails a saving throw, it can choose so succeed instead. NPCs - 5th Edition SRD An undead craftsman is the one of only a handful of people who is exceptionally skilled at a very rare trade or skill, and knows that with his own passing it means the extinction of this skill. She reported her findings to scholars on the Material Plane, some stuck to their prejudices, others would be more open-minded. For some reason I was inspired to throw together a #Pinkerton stat block for D&D 5e! Yet, even in our world humanity has feared the living dead rising from the grave since prehistoric times, there are stories about people returning from death not quite right, and a fear that such undead are not the person, but an evil spirit possessing a corpse. A group of vampire hunters has recently arrived at the same city and a few are starting to get suspicious about the princess being undead due to their expertise of finding vampires or any magical abilities to find undead. Other forces such as pure arcane energy, or a magically created substitute for the spark of life, an improper connection between body and soul, or even the sheer will of a soul can create undead. Spellcasting. [2] Elminster once consulted with a number of these baelnorns beneath the ruins of Myth Drannor. a character who wishes to advance their vampiric powers can take a vampire class or prestige class which taps into their innate vampiric abilities much like a sorceror taps into their innate magic. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Evil undead represent everything others fear about the undead and undeath itself; evil necromancers and intelligent undead are threats to good-aligned undead. If you were already undead, you simply regain control of your body. There is a possibility that reanimation may bring the soul back, but some other part of the soul that is cast off during death or life force is missing; such a lack of this ephemeral part results in agony. Vampire Weaknesses. Death knights were often once paladins that turned to evil, and after death were either raised into an agonizing undeath or to continue service in undeath to an evil overlord. You sever the forces that bind an undead creature under control. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. 1st level (4 slots): detect magic, guiding bolt, shield of faith Thanks to the near limitless time they could devote to studying magic, baelnorns inevitably became extraordinarily powerful spellcasters. If the gemstone is ever 100 feet or more away from you, it shatters and the creature is freed and the spell cannot be activated. If your undead type comes with new attacks or abilities, remove your characters racial spellcasting and/or additional attacks that are magical (such as Draconic Breath but not Sharp Claws.) A church grim will also aid lost souls to the afterlife, the church grim itself is strongly bound to its graveyard so even venturing close to the afterlife does not give it rest. A Breath Weapon that deals 2d6 damage of the same type of the resistance above, and this damge increases to 3d6 for a Dragonborn of CR 6, 4d6 to CR 11, and 5d6 to CR 16 or higher . Good-aligned undead may be more mindful of these signs in themselves and others, but some neutral-aligned undead may not show as much of a difference if they turn evil- that is until they cross over the thresholds of morality. Alternatively, Nyx can expend 5 hit points from the pool to cure a target of one disease or neutralize one poison affecting it. A lich must periodically feed souls to its phylactery to sustain the magic preserving its body and consciousness. Unlike liches, this was the extent of their degeneration, and they did not fall into loose piles of bones. Spellcasting. For a player character, that goal could be something campaign-capping rather than a stepping-stone quest. No rules for baelnorn in 5e yet. Torrendra was very reluctant about this option at first, she felt it would dissapoint everyone who believed her to be not evil. [5], The method of becoming a baelnorn was a High Magic or divine ritual[7] or a state bestowed by a member of the Seldarine. Hand Crossbow. In the 'Merlin Cycle', he had a character create a kind of sentient computer whose internal logic is handled by arcane constructs. Turned creatures must spend their turn trying to move away as far as possible from the archlich and cannot willing move to closer to it. The Srinshee, a noted baelnorn who was later restored to life by Mystra for saving Elminster and was instrumental in preventing the evil lich Larloch from becoming a god. As a Baelnorn you gain the following class features. After all, they are often against the status quo of the world and oppose the will of gods from multiple sides. Many baelnorn have no interest in combat, but they are both fearless and brilliant and will always do whatever best serves their task. While the true reasons why Eberron: Rising from the Last War has this approach to monster's stat blocks is something only the design team involved can truly answer (and I couldn't find it online), this approach was firstly featured in Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus (the Skull Lasher of Myrkul being an example).. My best guess is that presenting such spells in . Baelnorn that dwell in ancient ruins continue to gaurd the sacred and valuable treasures of the elves. 6th level (2 slots): forbiddance Good or neutral characters tend to answer this question also being about power, but moreso a sign of dedication to a greater cause than any sort of megalomaniac goals. Perhaps negative energy flowing to the Material Plane is not just natural, but necessary. Are positive and negative energy from their respective planes inherently good and evil? The paladin is a 3rd-level spellcaster. A sending can push against or move small things, so it may push its finger through sand or ashes to write a message, or turn a page of an open book, but it has insufficient mass to carry things. This guide begins with a few undead NPCs meant to illustrate different motivations and origins for non-evil undead characters. Further investigation reveals something troubling: a letter written by the keeper of the treasure post-mortem! The controlling creature must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC or be willing to release control over it. Or are you just assuming he'd say no. Resilient. Darkvision [4] Abilities A baelnorn retained all memories, personality traits, and abilities from life, but had a virtual eternity to hone and develop its skills further. [4], Baelornswith few exceptionshad willingly entered into undeath, and although they were considered the elf equivalent of liches, elven society did not perceive them as being as disturbing or unnatural as true liches[7] and in some cases considered them to be sacred. D&D 5e Statblock Generator - Tetracube If that isn't innately evil, it's close enough not to make a difference. Various practices from around the world have different protocols such as providing miniature houses or some type of food as offering. She brought me to see an ancient, withered figure, clad in the finest of robes and ornamentation that rivaled nobles. Dead Whisperer. Undeath can be more than just embracing death, in fact it could be the oppositewhich is the part that annoys the death gods of repose. A question that is worth exploring is why a character may choose to become or remain undead even if there may be ways to return to full life. Torpor. Deathless are powered by positive energy in the same way that in some settings undead are powered by negative energy. You can frighten other creatures to paralysis with your glare. Multiattack. Such a person likely has some allies who know of their undeath and are willing to do things on their behalf that are difficult to do without revealing their undeathor in the case of vampires, also during the daytimes. The ritual to become an archlich is long and painful, and one has to go through periods of time depriving one's self of certain pleasures. Etherealness You can spend an action to enter the Material Plane, the Ethereal Plane, or the Border Ethereal. The process by which elves become baelnorn is old, secret, and complicated. Remove racial traits that give an edge in combat such as a Halflings Lucky and and Dwarven Toughness. [2][11] While many of these stayed out of the public eye, others took active roles in training their families' young wizards or protecting travelers. In 4e, the archlich is re-introduced as an epic destiny available to level 21 arcane classes. Ethical necromancers have found ways to circumvent this by either bringing back the rest of the soul parts or substituting it. achieve at the very end of the campaign, either for a big final epic 2e My undeath is a shield from my past life. It depends on how creative your DM wants your canon to be. Each creature in that area must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 16 (4d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. Undeath stunts the growth of children in mind and soul, and can damage the soul after a long period of time even if said child is fully sentient with free will. Although you do not require food or drink the way a mortal creature does, you do require the blood of a living creature. Freshly risen spartoi behave much like regular mindless skeletal minions, and will attack at a slight provocation. An undead creature powered through raw arcane power might gain levels in sorcerer but can suffer ill effects if using too much magic. The arcane secret to this type of phylactery is even more guarded than the type of phylactery that does. On a hit, your claw attack deals 2d4 slashing damage + your Strength or Dexterity modifier.If the target is a creature other than an elf or undead, it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The guardian spirit can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. For more information, please see our The OP wanted a solution for how to create a good lich. Customizing NPCs. Is Casting Darkness/Shadow Spells Considered Evil? In life, Tarian was a lowly, common human peasant of little status. dnd 5e - Why do some statblocks in Eberron: Rising from the Last War Many did not choose undeath, but were fortunate to break free from the servitude they were most often brought into it for. You can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. He had a wife and children who loved him. Any undead creature who consumes the berry is restored 1 hitpoint. Damage Resistances. The Order also does not have any official ranks, renown within the organizaiton is more about trust and reputation than authority or rank. Either way you were carefully embalmed and preserved after death, and magic bound your soul to your corpse wherein you awaken when the living dare disturb the domain you protect. I use 'her' for the Lich as it feels more natural to me (it's feminine in french) there is no other reason. Mr. Bodoni can disattach a limb he is not using at the moment such as a leg, arm, or even just a hand, and wield it as a melee weapon that causes bludgeoning damage. Death knights who seek the path to redemption find their abilities may change to reflect their path. The answers makes the point that Liches are evil, but it doesn't add anything to other answers that already say that. Type You're going to have to do some rather significant moral gymnastics to justify swearing fealty to a dark god, then routinely murdering sentient creatures and eating their souls and not call yourself (or have your DM call you) 'Evil. After many centuries of agony, a spectre witnesses an act of pure compassion that moves her to rekindle her lost hope and dampens her desire to kill the living. The first is to establish undead as free citizens in at least one country that is not heavily allied with evil. Benign Transportation (Recharges after Torrendra Casts a Conjuration Spell of 1st Level or Higher).