Guide to Non-Evil Undead | GM Binder Flaw: I refused to be resurrected by the clerics who offered it to me. Most would think undeath to be a state of eternal torment and unrest, but what if its done right its not like that at all? Ideal: Purpose. Add your undead type's disadvantages and additional traits. In some settings, there may be good-aligned divinely created undead that occur. Pin on Tabletop RPG materials - Pinterest A place to discuss the latest version of Dungeons and Dragons, the fifth edition, known during the playtest as D&D Next. Ecology: Baelnorn do not have phylacteries, but many have specialized clones that are activated if they are destroyed. [4], A baelnorn retained all memories, personality traits, and abilities from life, but had a virtual eternity to hone and develop its skills further. They are foe to both the do-gooders who seek to vanquish all undead with extreme prejudice and those who seek to use undeath to enslave others and bring ruin to the world. Basilisk - Monsters - D&D Beyond "Guardnorns" or "Wardnorns" were powerful guardians of crypts and other secret places, or served as the protector of powerful items. They are lifelike creatures that appear as tall, impressive-looking elves with shriveled skin and glowing white eyes. 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. The Ruins of Myth Drannor Ghost Guides. The arcane secret to this type of phylactery is even more guarded than the type of phylactery that does. The archlich has advantage on Charisma checks on undead creatures with a CR of 5 or lower. If the spartoi is not killed in this state, it rises up with 10 hit points after 1 minute or if animate dead is cast on it. Damage Types: Acid Bludgeoning Cold Fire Force Lightning Necrotic Piercing Poison Psychic Radiant Slashing Thunder Nonmagical Attacks Non-Silvered Attacks Non-Adamantine . 3rd level (3 slots): aura of vitality When Torrendra is reduced to 0 hit points, but not killed outright, she can drop to 1 hit point instead. After many years of research and travel, I have become an adept necromancer studying the ways of life, death, and undeath. There, they continue vigilantly taking care of ancient objects and knowledge. Beasts are nonhumanoid creatures that are a natural part of the fantasy ecology. Although you do not require food or drink the way a mortal creature does, you do require the blood of a living creature. If the creature's soul is willing and able to return to its body, it rises with 1 hp and is undead and has the basic traits of an undead creature. Monsters | D&D 5th Edition on Roll20 Compendium Although vampires are commonly assumed to be weak to sunlight, it isn't always the case in folklore. Tarian has advantage in Wisdom checks related to forests. Can I be a follower of an evil god and not be evil? Applying undead traits has become simpler in 5th edition than in previous editions. Nyx has a pool of healing power that she can use to restore a total of 70 hit points. Organizations and settlements have to be vigilant about the possibility of spies in their midst who may heed to such powers, even those who are fully sapient for there are foul undead who serve tyranny at their own will. They are trying to find out what to do next with their unlives and figured that dwelling in a place that appears to be for the living could hide them from the necromancer. It may also be that the existence of a few undead do very little to the entropy of the cosmos, rather its their larger collective existence that may accelerate the destruction of the Material Plane. 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. Paralyzing Touch (Costs 2 actions). The Knights of the Restless are an organization devoted to protecting the rights and personhood of the undead. Scan this QR code to download the app now. On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the baelnorn can take a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects; the baelnorn can't use the same effect two rounds in a row: The baelnorn rolls a d8 and regains a spell slot of that level or lower. The soul may be reluctant to return if too much of its body is missing. A guardian spirit of a deceased person may have already dwelt in the afterlife or at least be touched by the inner or outer planes after inhabiting them for awhile before allowing itself to come back. While in sunlight, you have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight. You gain a claw attack that counts as an unarmed melee weapon attack in which you have proficiency with. Others suspect the common assumptions of undeath being "wrong" might not be as accurate as many believe. I was wanting to make a lich character, but my DM doesn't allow evil characters. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. A planetouched spirit may count as a celestial, elemental, fey, or fiend for the purposes of spells and other magic. 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. rev2023.5.1.43405. [2][5], The means for creating a baelnorn were truly ancient, even by elven standards. He does need to rest for some time everyday, and when he does he appears like a regular suit of armor. You must drink a total of 7 pints (3.3 liters) of blood per week from a living creature that is the same size and the same creature type you were before becoming a vampire. Hit 8 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage. Setting is important though. Any An adventurer who allies with a baelnorn can find them a very valuable "living" record of history and vast knowledge who can provide stunning first-hand accounts of events in very ancient times. d20 Modern Conversion: Vehicles | GM Binder [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. Claws. The baelnorn can see, hear, speak, see into the Ethereal Plane, and cast spells through its projection. This object can either be an open recepticle (such as a jar), a miniature house, a magical object, a trinket of sentimental value, a figure or doll of a humanoid, or a gemstone. The gaurdian spirit can see 60 feet into the Ethereal Plane when it is on the Material Plane and vice versa. You may change your character to reflect their undead nature. The baelnorn can project a wraith-like image of itself up to one mile away. Create custom stat blocks for monsters and save them for use in your campaigns. Depending on what you mean by 'lich' you might be able to use another, non-evil, monster and get things to work. 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. On a hit, your bite deals 2d6 piercing damage + your Dexterity or Strength modifier. Your reasons vary, from needing more time to accomplish something, dedicating yourself to a cause, or simply the fear of the fate of your soul in the afterlife. Vampire Weaknesses. 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. 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. The redeemed death knight makes two longsword attacks. She ventured to the city and took a look. The minds of most animals are fixated on survival, an undead animal has no need or often, no desire for functions that support survival and thus may live a bored and empty existence. Necropolitans are undead creatures that debuted in 3.5 editions Libris Mortis. The archlich also can cast spare the dying as a wizard cantrip and also affect undead creatures with it. The baelnorn magically summons two werewolves with the following changes: the werewolves' alignment is chaotic good, the werewolves have the fey ancestry trait, and cannot transmit werewolf lycanthropy. If all negative energy were wiped out, biological processes would accelerate to the point were complex life could not exist. Magic Resistance. Upon possession, your body gains 1 hit point and your Charisma, Intelligence, and Wisdom scores are replaced by the creature's for as long as the creature inhabits your body. The effect of the phoenix ashes imbues the archlich with some of its firey power, allowing the archlich to even use its own reanimating force as a weapon. 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. However, Ezzie has resistance to poison damage, resistance to necrotic damage, and is immune to being exhausted or poisoned. Evil undead represent everything others fear about the undead and undeath itself; evil necromancers and intelligent undead are threats to good-aligned undead. Longsword. This sours my attitude when interacting with an individual of one of those races for the first time, except for my dwarven family. Basilisk. 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. It soon learns to discern potential threats and eavsdrop on the conversations of visitors. 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. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object. The reasons vary from individual to individual, and I'd like you to meet some friends I've made. and our Mr. Bodonit's Amulet is a very rare wondrous magical item that requires attunement. The teeth traded places with the skeletal remains of the soldiers who then sprang up, re-animated as undead. 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 . 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. The stat block of a Lich for D&D 5e has the following in black and white: Lich Defend. 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. [5] Those baelnorn who remained in the ruins were largely involved in protecting the treasures and spellbooks of their clans. week drinking 21 pints (9.9 liters) of blood to recover from exhaustion, if you fail to recover from exhaustion but still meet your regular blood requirement, you remain at that level of exhaustion. [4] By this time, few elves considered the decision to become a baelnorn as a worthy one. In shortLiches bargain with immensely evil creatures for knowledge that allows them devour the souls of sentient life forms in order to continue existing as undead. Members are recruited, one does not come up to them, they come to you. A church grim can only be permanently removed using a wish spell or if all the bodies in the graveyard are removed or are completely decomposed, in which it will depart for the afterlife. There are many easy ways to customize the NPCs. Their skin turned into petrified wood, their hair to moss and their eyes to amber. Replace them with the undead type's resistances and immunities in addition to the basic undead immunity to poison condition and poison damage. A Baelnorn is a Lich that was created by non-evil means from a willing, non-evil creature. For more information, please see our Undeath may be seen as a more of an ideal option in a setting that has little or no reliable ways to extend lifespan or even resurrect the dead. If she expends a spell slot of 2nd or higher, the extra damage increases by 1d8 for each level above 2nd. Is a downhill scooter lighter than a downhill MTB with same performance? Provide an 'everliving spellcaster' that wasn't evil.). Most baelnorns, however, preferred to avoid combat if possible. Hi @LeRoiduSilence, and welcome to the site! Perhaps as you get to a higher in level you can revisit this idea with the DM. Need to come up with a compelling story/character development based reason for this in-character goal. Due to no alignment restriction and little adjustments, they are and still remain the most recommended way to play an undead character. As an action she can touch a creature and draw power from the pool to restore a number of hit points up to the maximum remaining in her pool. If it has a phylactery or clone, a destroyed baelnorn gains a new body in 1d10 days, regaining all its hit points and becoming active again. For example, it could put mortals in a paralyzed state of hibernation with a touch, making them seem dead to others, and could, through their typically powerful magical spells, summon other lesser undead as well as turn undead. The paladin is a 3rd-level spellcaster. Fortunately they had heard his intentions and sorrow already, so he was able to reveal his state to them, and they in turn agreed he could be an asset to them. If a church grim is killed, it will re-form above where its remains lay (even if they aren't there anymore) within 24 hours at night. The archlich can telepathically communicate a message lasting no longer than 1 minute to a creature it knows is present within 500 feet of it. This fits with the kinds of rituals that are generally given as requirements for becoming one. 5th level (2 slots): dispel evil and good. Undead miners can work in conditions that would kill living miners. These represent the basic features all undead share: Condition Immunities. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw, unless it is immune to being frightened. Hit 7 (2d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage. Torrendra was very reluctant about this option at first, she felt it would dissapoint everyone who believed her to be not evil. Tarian would conceal his undeath underneath clothes and herbs to move into the city that slaughtered the necromancer to find more answers. Your Intelligence and Constitution scores recover after you have eaten your fill. I know the first impression that comes to most about undead is that they are unholy, evil monsters. So, they'd be willing to shed their mortal ties for the opportunity to seek out new magics, new ideas, and to continue onwards forwards through time to see the ages come and pass, to eventually transcend even the network into ever more mysterious, ever deeper layers of reality. Lady Saharel, Netherese archlich, ally of the Harpers and once a lover of Elminster. Deathless appear corpse-like, but are created through divine power, often by a cleric or deity. A way both living and undead slayers of the undead may start to work together is meeting together in the midst of battle; a cleric swings their sword into several zombies, but suddenly arrows take down several more that where behind them at once, and the cleric is astonished to turn around and see the arrows come from a well-armed ghoul on a ledge. For a number of times a day equal to your Charisma modifier, you may choose a creature within 60 ft. of you that can see you. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 5th level (2 slots): cloudkill*, conjure elemental* In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns undead. She has no knowledge of the outside world except that she notices the change in attire and speaking of the intruders that come into the tomb. If your undead type is immune to being charmed or made to fall asleep, it will be redundant with racial traits like Fey Ancestry. A non-evil necromancer knows the better way is to bargain and negotiate with them. When do you use in the accusative case? Rapier. Thanks to the near limitless time they could devote to studying magic, baelnorns inevitably became extraordinarily powerful spellcasters. The Feywild and Prime Material Plane A baelnorn who served as a guardian might spend centuries laying and checking traps, always ready for a fight. Privacy Policy. It would take awhile for Torrendra to teach herself and find a circle of friends who would accept her. Cunning Action. Lawful good Also, my basic concept is that the Baelnorn is corrupted in an otherwordly manner. The ritual uses similar procedures and components as create undead, but has the added requirement of using the teeth of a freshly slain dragon with humanoid remains in its gut. The church grim enters the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa. However, despite all his undead "gifts", a baelnorn (like a lich) counts his vast intellect, his supreme mastery of wizardry and limitless time to research and plan, as his greatest resources.