With some tinkering, one can add slight adjustments to a player character to make them undead. The hardest part of such a alliance is of course accepting one another. [6], Most baelnorn were spellcasters, and maintained their mental and magical abilities in their undead state, with some exceptions. So I want to create a stat block for a Baelnorn in 5e. Liches voluntarily destroy their soul in a mad attempt to achieve immediate power and material immortality at the expense of spiritual immortality and long-term gains. 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. Baelnorn do not eat, drink, excrete, or breathe, and nothing preys upon them. Example: Ezzie was killed in an adventure from a green dragon's poisonous breath, but was not eaten. Some party members may be more accepting of undead--perhaps they don't see what is so evil about most undead, maybe they've had experiences with undead that were not hostile. Anyways.. this starting point is allowing all kinds of non evil alignments depending on the details and that's just one idea I had. Some good or neutral gods can be more considerate of undead if they serve them, or even in disagreement with the gods who hate undead. Any creature with hitpoints added this way is also becomes resistant to necrotic, fire, and cold damage and immune to becoming poisoned or poison damage for 1 hour. I have party of 5 players, level 10. This template may also work when creating a zombie-like undead with most of its flesh intact and original soul, but no mental or physical drawbacks or hunger for flesh. Many of the children of the family were wary of their new sibling, except for one, Dradrelyn, the youngest girl in the family who aspired to be a wizard. [2] However, despite all its undead "gifts", a baelnorn considered its greatest resources to be its vast and deep intellect, its supreme mastery of wizardry, and its limitless time to scheme, research, and plan. In the 'Merlin Cycle', he had a character create a kind of sentient computer whose internal logic is handled by arcane constructs. Holy water does harm creatures under this spell. Generating points along line with specifying the origin of point generation in QGIS. Your bite attack targets one creature within a range of 5 feet, and uses your Dexterity modifier to hit. Ideal: Zest. She only reveals herself to the party when she feels she needs to help them. Perhaps as you get to a higher in level you can revisit this idea with the DM. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. The projection cannot attack (but may still cast spells that deal damage) or carry solid objects. Multiattack. The amulet does not negate class features that have no direct effect, such as a ranger's favored enemy feature. In life, Tarian was a lowly, common human peasant of little status. Such beings are often created as grotesque minions by sadistic necromancers who revel in the agony they cause to the dead, therefore this practice is overall shunned by ethical necromancers. If the corpse is reduced to bones, it gains vulnerability to bludgeoning damage but resistance to piercing damage. A party member may detect that all of the inhabitants are undead. Consider nercotic if your undead type does not have it, or probably radiant depending on the flavor and nature of the class feature. Although this guide mainly concerns the undead themselves, it is worth speaking of the type of necromancy that creates many undead in the first place. He can also move through magical difficult terrain that deals necrotic damage with no extra movement costs and advantage on saving throws against damage; he does not get damaged on a success. He was told by a supposed divine emissary to sow the dragon's teeth in the ground to reclaim his lost soldiers. 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. Most baelnorns, however, preferred to avoid combat if possible. Once you are possessed, the possessing creature may as a reflexive action transfer control back to you if it chooses. Thanks to the near limitless time they could devote to studying magic, baelnorns inevitably became extraordinarily powerful spellcasters. [] those that control the power of lichdom always demand fealty and service for their knowledge. A ghoul might attempt to subsist on butcher scraps, animals, or hire adventurers to bring the cadavers of slain goblins or orcs to them. Resilient. Which could add to roleplaying possibilities. A guardian spirit can bind itself to that object and move any movable parts the object has. As a bonus action, the skeleton can turn itself into pure shadow. In more current times another demonic invasion was brewing, and so Nyx crawled back from the netherworld to continue what she could not accomplish. A mummy has been gaurding the tomb of a king for thousands of years. Fifth edition has none of these, but most healing spells have no effect on the undead, and undead can still be targeted or turned. 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. Your claw attack can reach one target within 5 feet and uses your Dexterity modifier to hit. In this case, a country might forbid undead from royal titles or put a limit to the undeads hold on the throne. These represent the basic features all undead share: Condition Immunities. Scan this QR code to download the app now. 3. Non-evil undead must contend with the presence of evil undead in most settings. The term is often confused with "sapient" which refers to a more advanced form of self-awareness that is designated to creatures with an intelligence score of 3 with some exceptions. My undeath is a shield from my past life. Hit Dice: 1d8 per Baelnorn level Magic Resistance. Maybe you were an adventurer who died mid-adventure but want to continue being with your companions and are patient for the day you may be resurrected. 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. There are many easy ways to customize the NPCs. On a failure, you free the creature from the control it is under. 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. A scenario in which evil and non-evil undead must ally with one another is if under threat from forces who enforce the natural order of death, such as from gods of death who adamantly loathe all undead no matter the alignment. The church grim will do its best to scare and fight off intruders such as grave robbers and unscrupoulus necromancers. If it has a phylactery, a destroyed archlich gains a new body in 1d10 days, regaining all its hit points and becoming active again. An undead society may become a potent force in trade. A deeper investigation would reveal their presence in such places as keepers of ancient libraries, guardians of old monasteries that house the remains of legendary heroes, or even as the head of a noble house of elves. Putting Skaven from Warhammer into D&D 5e v2.0. Every time you use your bite attack and drain hit points or hit dice, you may spend 1 minute to drain 1 pint of blood. If a creature attempts to turn the archlich, and the archlich succeeds its saving throw, it can, as a reaction turn the caster and up to six other creatures of its choosing. A common concern is if an undead creature would be vulberable to turning themselves. When you reach 4th level you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. A more unusual possibility is to grant an undead creature the ability, but not need to eat, sleep, or drink. Scan this QR code to download the app now. [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. Before you say, "What? If the null hypothesis is never really true, is there a point to using a statistical test without a priori power analysis? Contradictory Existence. You may change your character to reflect their undead nature. 6th level (2 slots): forbiddance In such a setting your Baelnorn may need to make periodic saves against turning evil and/or be fitted with a self-destruct mechanism in case it turns. You find out that the holy relic was used to slay an evil lich centuries ago; paranoia and panic is starting to spread in the city in fear the lich lord has somehow returned. Water Walk. It's true that it exists, but I wouldn't recommend it as a replacement for a character who wants to play a lich. Hit 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage. Gift of the Phoenix. How does an undead cope with seeing themselves stagnate, yet the world around them, and the social connections constantly change? My duty is to the greater cause of justice is my reason for persisting in this world. Condition Immunities: Blinded Charmed Deafened Exhaustion Frightened Grappled Incapacitated Invisible Paralyzed Petrified Poisoned Prone Restrained Stunned Unconscious. If you are playing in an evil campaign, non-evil undead can be interesting foes. [7], A baelnorn could be of any non-evil nature, mainly lawful good, retaining whatever alignment it had in life. 7th level (2 slots): project image, teleport And once that is done, to keep being one, you have to keep feeding souls to your phylactery. Multiattack. Variations on the lich, like the baelnorn or archlich from previous editions, have not yet arrived in the official canon of D&D 5e monsters. Spellcasting. You give relief to an undead creature that is under constant agony due to its condition such as a spectre. Hit: 10 (3d6) cold damage. Lay on Hands. Some spellcasters have figured out ways to contact the dead from the afterlife, or to communicate with those who still linger close or in the Material Plane. Third is to have divine backing be official, to have a god represent non-evil undead. 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. This may either be a diety adopting one as a porfolio or a new god rising with one. Some of them have magical powers, but most are unintelligent and lack any society or language. The stat block of a Lich for D&D 5e has the following in black and white: Lich Can corresponding author withdraw a paper after it has accepted without permission/acceptance of first author. This may or may not be a nearly impossible feat. 9th level (1 slot): true resurrection Many members of this order pass themselves off as regular hunters of the undead and often do hunt down non-sentient or evil undead. An undead person may look at the mirror and see their body resemble a preserved specimen in a museum; It may give them a sense of being an object or something doomed to never grow or changebut does it have to be? Undead creatures under this effect may also be healed using magic that heals the living, and spells such as sleep can also work on the affected undead. Think about the character first as they were alive, build them like any sort of player character provided the race or class chosen is not already undead. A planetouched spirit may count as a celestial, elemental, fey, or fiend for the purposes of spells and other magic. The process of becoming a lich is unspeakably evil and can be undertaken only by a willing character. You can always go with the "Dexter" type character. Your character died for some reason. [8] They dedicated themselves completely to whatever task or duty had compelled them to seek unlife in the first place. If Ezzie where human though she would notice a new ability to see in the dark. 3rd level (3 slots): clairvoyance, fireball, stinking cloud* Baelnorn appeared largely as they did in life, though an immediate clue to a baelnorn's nature was the existence of shriveled and wrinkled skin turning slightly translucent over time. Reminder: comments are for clarifying content. The candidate for archlichdom, like those aspiring to be evil liches knows they are giving up the sensory pleasures of life such as food, but the archlich also begins much weaker than an evil lich, and looses a lot of magical power in the process of lichdom that only until much later do they regain. Perhaps if done right undeath actually can feel good; no aches or pains, no indigestion or sniffles. If the ruling is no, let it go. The reasons can vary beyond these. If your undead type has ability score bonuses and penalties if there are any, remove the subrace bonuses if your character has any, and replace them with those of the undead type. utterly.. (MM 203). ', (That's essentially the whole point of why the Archlich was invented. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw, unless it is immune to being frightened. While frightened, the creature's speed is 0, and it can't benefit from any bonus to its speed. The new body appears within 5 feet of the phylactery if it has one. Many ancient baelnorn are also guardians and advisors to elven families who have chosen to remain in the world of the living to guide their descendants. I was wanting to make a lich character, but my DM doesn't allow evil characters. This perspective of undeath may even biased or flawed if undead have a tendency to spontaneously rise, or rise when a creature feels their death is unjust or that their time in the Material Plane ought to be extended in the case of revenants and ghosts. This figure was our ancestora baelnorn. 2nd level (2 slots): calm emotions, hold person, lesser restoration. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 20, + 12 to hit with spell attacks). You are resistant to poison damage. Undead who feel they can cast off the worries of things like mortality may begin to embrace life in a new way, they may become fearless and possibly even hedonistic, they may not mourn the pleasures of a living body, but instead relish the experiences their undead bodies offer to them. The party may accept the undead companion, except for one or two due to their devotion to a god who absolutely detests undead such as Kelemvor or the Raven Queen. Unlikely Ally. A heavy club can shatter a regular skeletal minion to finish it, but if the same is done to a spartoi, it will re-assemble soon. Its statistics, other than its size and speed, are unchanged. The gaurdian spirit can remain inside an object no larger than a 5 by 5 foot cube without taking force damage. Instead of rats, cockroaches, and bedbugs being common household pets, common household pests might include carrion beetles, maggots, or even vulturesbut it is a problem can be solved with smart application of poison or necrotic energy. Dreadful Glare. They often did so to serve or safeguard their families, communities, or important places,[4][5] and acted as keepers and protectors of elven clans and holdings far beyond the lifespan of a living elf. However you are slightly closer to life than most other undead creatures; such spells do not directly heal you but may stimulate your body to heal itself. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Baelnorn that dwell among the living can be found cloistered in libraries, magic academies, or temples to give guidance. The reanimated creature regains its maximum hitpoints after finishing a long rest. This counts as a fear effect for turning living creatures. Multiattack. This recharges after you finish a long rest. 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. Challenge rating Darkvision The same power that put their bones back together from the dragon's gut and resolve to fight on continues to protect them. It remains for 10 minutes, until it or its summoner dies, or until its summoner dismisses it as an action. 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. An archlich encountered in its lair has a challenge rating of 22 (41,000 XP). What is the symbol (which looks similar to an equals sign) called? The idea of transcending mortality for some can be very compelling and even spiritual. Bloodlust. The archlich can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Aside from these adjustments, there can also be rules and regulations on necromancers and other creatures who can tamper with the undead: A necromancer may only attempt to control undead who are already under control of another creature, and seek to release control of that undead after it is no longer nessiscary. This can encourage more socialization among the immortal or just exceedingly very long lived; which can provide constant companionship but also still suffers from being in a circle of old ideas. Hit 8 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage. In some settings, undead are counterbalanced by a visually similar but intrinsically different type of creature: the deathless. On a critical hit, if the damage dealt is greater than half of your hit points, it breaks. Depending on your setting you might potentially ask if you could play as a Baelnorn. Such spirits can vary in their origin from the Feywild, the Shadowfell, or the Outer Planes. You now have truesight out to 120 feet. Personality Traits: I feel more comfortable in this land of undead misfits than I ever had in the Material Plane. The church grim has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell. A church grim appears as9 it did in life but often black or a translucent gray as well as glowing eyes. A baelnorn who served as a guardian might spend centuries laying and checking traps, always ready for a fight. Undead Not Mere Minions. Personality Traits: I will be a walking warning to those who raise the dead to be their minions. The baelnorn is capable of sustaining tremendous physical damage, and is immune to disease, poison, fatigue and other effects that affect only the living. Languages Common, Draconic, Infernal. They can only be truly destroyed by evil powers that directly harm souls. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. As a bonus action, Torrendra teleports up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space that she can see. Renounced Life. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 15). If they guard a place or an item of power, they typically spend centuries laying traps, placing items at the ready, setting spell triggers, creating or summoning guardian monsters, and formulating defensive strategies. Is a downhill scooter lighter than a downhill MTB with same performance? You are immune to being exhausted and immune to being poisoned. The Order thus has established many ways of secret communication by means of magic or coded language similar to Thieves Cant. A legendary sword has been destroyed in a great cathedral dedicated to a lawful good god who is a common patron of paladins. Positive energy can overwhelm and burn biological systems or even cause horrid growths and proliferate vermin and diseases. Her spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks). These undead see undeath as something closer to life than to death, an undead creature is not a walking corpse, but a body refusing to die. Mr. Bodoni deals an extra 7 (2d6) damage when he hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of Mr. Bodoni that isn't incapacitated and he doesn't have disadvantage on the attack roll. A lich must periodically feed souls to its phylactery to sustain the magic preserving its body and consciousness. Sometimes a church grim may result from a dog who lays near the grave of its dead caretaker. The DM make take your character for the time of the possession. Multiattack. [13] However, by the late 15th century DR their stance had hardened, and they sought to eradicate the baelnorn as they did all undead. You have advantage on saving throws against attempts to turn you using Turn Undead, as well as any spells or abilities that can specifically ward or trap undead such as magic circle. If this sounds ghoulish, well maybe it isnt so different from a ghoul after all? [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. 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. A 'Dixie Flatline' was presented as a possible non-canon solution to this. Projection (3/Day). You must convince a creature that is capable of possession or has Incorporeal Movement as a trait to be carried in a gemstone and take over your body if you become unconscious or die before you cast this spell. Perhaps the keeper of the treasure has a very good reason to protect the treasure, or rather to protect anyone from the treasure. Example: Ezzie would have lost her natural forest gnome dexterity, but as a wight it has only enhanced it, so her forest gnome bonus of +1 Dexterity has become a higher +2 bonus to Dexterity as a wight. [some comments removed] Extended discussion is still expected to be taken to chat. Depending on the setting, some good-aligned gods have occasionally had good-aligned undead servants, namely baelnorns and archliches. Evil undead represent everything others fear about the undead and undeath itself; evil necromancers and intelligent undead are threats to good-aligned undead. It may be the denial of growthan important aspect of life, but also the denial of cessation. Hopefully this will pave the way for other countries to do the same. It might not be too far-fetched an idea that in a setting with gods, demons, astral-travel, many different planes, etc, for a concept of a kind of 'computer' to be created by a brilliant wizard. Some members will infiltrate groups that oppose them to gain information on the acts and whereabouts of their enemies. 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. This applies moreso to undead who do not have many boons; liches who spent much on their undeath may find some of the upper class favor them for their wealth and power, and possibly declare lichdom as a more acceptable form of undeath. Some undead creatures abhor other undead creatures, so any class features such as paladin class features that give bonuses to targeting undead may not break the theme of the character. Or she wanted enough time to plot a revenge and the object of her vengeance died on its own, etc.. You may target up to four undead creatures within a range of 60 feet that are of Large or smaller size. They also do not count as undead for any spell that can be made to target undead such as magic circle. Most archliches are prepared to face such prejudices and make it a habit to prepare spells to stop righteous adventures from hurting them before they can explain themselves. He managed to pass himself off as a living person interested in dispatching evil necromancers, but the clerics were able to detect his undeath. Invisibility. Torrendra was abandoned as a baby near a dwarven city where she was spotted by a group of dwarves who took her in. Most undead people do understand that undeath does not guarantee an eternal existence. Maybe even those who did not choose to be undead eventually find a strange sort of gnosis or peace in being undead and so do not wish to be resurrected for real. 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. If an elf wished to become a baelnorn, it had to be for their clan's benefit, and the Coronal, the High Mages, and the elders of the clan had to agree. If damage reduces the restless champion to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5+ the damage taken, unless the damage is cold or from a critical hit. After a few remained he realized they were not a threat and were in his service as they were in life. The creature may choose to fail its roll. She could also decide to only use the souls of sinners for soul food (though I dislike that idea personally), she could be so determined to fill her purpose that she will not hesitate to fill her phylactery with souls of random passerbys if it means she can achieve it, (making a tragic Neutral character, not necessarily evil - accepting her own damnation) or her sanity could be damaged so much that she is convinced that feeding on some people is ok as long as it's meeting some weird requirements, I don't know. D&D 5e Character Sheet (2023-04-22) NPC Generator (2023-04-22) Session Start Generator (2023-04-20) Basic undeath traits alone may not be an issue, but adding templates for specific types of undead come with additional traits. All pictures and the GM Binder theme are by CorbeauCat, When you're ready to share with the community, don't forget to mark your document as public so people can find it in the GM Binder Search. rev2023.5.1.43405. Is Casting Darkness/Shadow Spells Considered Evil? Bone Attack. You can see 60 feet into the Ethereal Plane when you are on the Material Plane and vice versa. Consider if negative energy and positive energy are completely neutral, they are part of the fabric of the cosmos the way the elements are, and some wizards hypothesize that they are just another element to draw power from and control. He does need to rest for some time everyday, and when he does he appears like a regular suit of armor. They will not seek to kill all of the vampire thralls of a vampire lord, they would rather incapacitate them and aim to destroy the vampire lord to free them first. There are some caveats though: she may die again if healed by magic but can regenerate on her own, she needs magical maintence on her body or she will decay, and strangest of all, she has begun to fall in love with the necromancer who raised her, but if he touches her, she starts to rapidly decay. In addition, you have resistance to cold, lightning and necrotic damage; immunity to poison damage; and immunity to the poisoned condition. These considerations can be issues the characters must deal with, adding conflicts between good characters and between different points of view about what constitutes natural and unnatural or even what good is or should be about. When a creature attacks a target Nyx can see within 5 feet of her excluding herself, she can impose disadvantage on the attack roll as long as she has a shield equipped. Becoming an archlich is not just an act of gaining power, but an act of devotion and sacrifice for a greater purpose. 6th level (2 slots): contingency, globe of invulnerability, investitude of flame The projection is capable of passing through magic barriers such as from spells such as forcecage and magic circle.

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