Home-brew, The Ninth World
Lady Maline aka The Crow CR: 15 (13,000 XP)
Medium medium undead (human, mythic), lawful evil
Armor Class: 16 (The Ravens Queen's sorrow)
Hit Points: 204 (17d8 + 68)
Speed:
40 ft
Saving Throws: DEX 1d20+9 , WIS 1d20+7 , CHA 1d20+9
Skills: Perception 1d20+7 , Stealth 1d20+9
Damage Resistances: necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Senses: darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 17
Languages: Celestial, Common, Elvish, Primordial
Challenge Rating: 15 (13,000 XP)
Shapechanger. If the vampire isn’t in sunlight or running water, it can use its action to polymorph into a Tiny bat or a Medium cloud of mist, or back into its true form. While in bat form, the vampire can’t speak, its walking speed is 5 feet, and it has a flying speed of 30 feet. Its statistics, other than its size and speed, are unchanged. Anything it is wearing transforms with it, but nothing it is carrying does. It reverts to its true form if it dies. While in mist form, the vampire can’t take any actions, speak, or manipulate objects. It is weightless, has a flying speed of 20 feet, can hover, and can enter a hostile creature’s space and stop there. In addition, if air can pass through a space, the mist can do so without squeezing, and it can’t pass through water. It has advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws, and it is immune to all nonmagical damage, except the damage it takes from sunlight.
Evasion. If Mahlyn is subjected to an effect that allows her to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, she instead takes no damage if she succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if she fails.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Mahlyn fails a saving throw, she can choose to succeed instead.
Misty Escape. When Mahlyn drops to 0 hit points outside her resting place, she transforms into a cloud of mist instead of falling unconscious, provided that she isn’t in sunlight or running water. If she can’t transform, she is destroyed. While she has 0 hit points in mist form, she can’t revert to her vampire form, and she must reach her resting place within 2 hours or be destroyed. Once in her resting place, she reverts to her vampire form. She is then paralyzed until she regains at least 1 hit point. After spending 1 hour in her resting place with 0 hit points, she regains 1 hit point. She may use a bonus action to voluntarily use this trait and revert back so long as she has more than 1 hit point.
Reactive. Mahlyn can take one reaction on every turn in a combat.
Regeneration. Mahlyn regains 20 hit points at the start of her turn if she has at least 1 hit point and isn’t in sunlight or running water. If she takes radiant damage or damage from holy water, this trait doesn’t function at the start of her next turn.
Spider Climb. Mahlyn can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Sneak Attack. Once per turn, Mahlyn deals an extra 14 (4d6) damage when she 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 her that isn’t incapacitated and she doesn’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.
Tiffany. Anyone attempting any mind-affecting magic on Mahlyn of any kind will affect only the mind of the doll. If they try to read her mind, they will read the mind of a woman trapped in a dark leather chamber, bouncing around on the body of a giant. If they try to charm her they will successfully charm the doll. She invented this device herself.
Vampire Weaknesses. Mahlyn has the following flaws:
- Knock Knock. She can’t enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants.
- Harmed by Running Water. She takes 20 acid damage if it ends its turn in running water.
- Stake to the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into her heart while she is incapacitated in her resting place, Mahlyn is paralyzed until the stake is removed.
- Sunlight Hypersensitivity. Mahlyn takes 20 radiant damage when she starts her turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, she has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.
Actions
Slashing Roll. Mahlyn makes two bloodletter attacks and can move up to her speed without provoking attacks of opportunity. Once Mahlyn enters combat her features become feral.
Bloodletter (Unarmed Strike). Melee Weapon Attack: 1d20+9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 8 ( 1d8+4 ) slashing damage and ongoing 10 necrotic damage (CON save ends). Instead of dealing damage, Mahlyn can grapple the target (escape DC 18). The target also must make a CON save or suffer the effects of energy drain and lose experience 1 level.
The Nameless Bow of Mahlyn il Xafra. Ranged Weapon Attack: 1d20+9 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 7 ( 1d6+4 ) piercing damage, and the target must make a CON saving throw, taking 24 ( 7d6 ) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The target is also affected by faerie fire (single target, no save). Mahlyn may choose a secondary effect:
- Corpse offal and Carrion meat. Infection kills you slow and doesn’t go away. If not healed by magic within one hour, CON save. Fail and the infection sets in. Infection grows to infect one HD each day and subtracts one hp for each die affected each night. So if a player had eight hit dice and goes untreated for eight days, they will lose 8 hit points each night. It takes one heal spell per HD affected to cure the disease. The same player would require eight Cure Light Wounds spells in one 24 hour period to be safe. If they only get seven, the infection is still there and will re-grow as before.
- Mushrooms in Jellyfish Bile. This causes hallucinations and fear. The DM can describe an encounter to the affected player once per hour. The player must treat this as real, or run away. Only they can see it. The player must roll a fear test at the start of any combat or flee. It lasts for 3d6 hours minus your CON bonus.
- Eel Cyst. This microscopic Eel migrates into your bloodstream. After 3 days it gets into your stomach and scoots up your mouth to eat your food before you do. You begin to starve. In the intervening time you feel it writhing around under your skin. To cut it out you must win initiative and hit an AC of 19. You take damage either way.
- Liquid Dyslexia. Lasts for d4 weeks. Can’t be healed as not a disease. Can’t be lifted as not a curse. Used on wizards.
- Thaumo-Conductor. Barbed bolt with metre-long hair-thin copper wire attached. 1 hp damage on hit, 2d6 to pull out. Wire does not impede movement but grounds all offensive magic within ten metres in your flesh, regardless of who casts it.
- Eye Bolt. Tiny silver dart tip breaks off in your skin when you pull out the bolt. One eyeball develops an eightball hemmorage which does not impede vision much. Mahlyn has a coin-sized mirror that lets him see whatever you do from that eye.
Blood Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: 1d20+9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by the Mahlyn, she has advantage on, incapacitated, or restrained. This attack can be used as a free action if an adjacent target (5 feet) is bloodied.
Hit: 7 (
1d6+4 ) piercing damage plus 10 (
3d6 ) necrotic damage. The target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and Mahlyn regains hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. A humanoid slain in this way and then buried in the ground rises the following night as a vampire spawn under the vampire’s control. The target is also weakened (deals half damage on any attack that requires an attack roll) (CON save ends). The target also must make a CON save or suffer the effects of energy drain and lose experience 1 level.
Eviscerate (Recharge 5-6). Melee Weapon Attack: 1d20+9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one or two creatures. Automatically recharges if the attack misses.
Hit: 28 (
7d6+4 ) necrotic damage and the target is dazed (grants advantage to attackers, can take only 1 action, no reactions, can’t flank) (CON save ends). The target also must make a CON save or suffer the effects of energy drain and lose experience 1 level.
Betraying Gaze (Recharges on a 1). Mahlyn targets all humanoids she can see within 30 feet of her. If the target can see her, the target must succeed on a WIS saving throw (males have disadvantage) against this magic or attack a target of Mahlyn’s choice and is then immobilized – it may move unto its speed and take the Cast a Spell action if not already used this turn. An immobilized target can repeat the saving throw at the end of its turn, ending the effect on itself on a success. Otherwise, the effect lasts for 1 minute or until Mhalyn is destroyed, is on a different plane of existence than the target or takes a bonus action to end the effect.
I Am Legion (Timer of 1d4). Mahlyn magically calls 4 zombies (treat as a swarm creature that uses the base statistics of an
ogre zombie) and 18 skeletons (treat as a swarm creature that uses the base statistics of a
giant skeleton), provided the area has corpses to raise (such as an ancient battleground or graveyard) The called creatures rise immediately and act on their own turn, acting as allies of her and obeying her spoken commands. The undead remain for 1 hour, until Mahlyn dies, or until the she dismisses them as a bonus action.
BONUS ACTIONS
Mist Step. As a bonus action, Mahlyn teleports up to 30 feet and becomes insubstantial until the end of her next turn. While insubstantial she gains the following additional resistances and immunities:
- Damage Resistances: acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder
- Damage Immunities: necrotic, poison
- Condition Immunities: charmed, exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
Reactions
Till The Blood Runs Clear. When a creature not immune to necrotic damage is bloodied Mahlyn may use her reaction to make a Blood Drain attack up to a range of 60 feet.
Corpse Lance. As a reaction when a creature is dead or unconscious Mahlyn can select any number of corpses or unconscious creatures she can see and magically rips three bones from the bodies. These magical missiles are wrapped in necrotic energy. Each bone dart hits a creature of her choice that she can see within 120 feet. A bone dart deals 3 ( 1d4+1 ) necrotic damage to its target. The bone shards all strike simultaneously, and Mahlyn can direct them to hit one creature or several. For each size category above Medium the corpse provides an additional missile. If the target creature is a character that is unconscious instead of dead, it must make a CON save or automatically gain 1 failed Death saving throw at their next check. A corpse can only be used once as the fuel for corpse lance. Finally, Mahlyn may spend her hit point pool to fuel the lethality of the darts by spending 10 hit points for another bone shard. No matter how many corpses or hit points spent the maximum number of bony darts she may summon is 11.
Legendary Actions
Mahlyn can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. She regains spent legendary actions at the start of her turn.
- Move. Mahlyn moves up to her speed without provoking opportunity attacks or uses mist step. She may also shapeshifter as part of this action.
- Ambidextrous. Mahlyn uses an available action.
- Pumpkin-Bomb. Mahlyn throws an orange grenade at point she can see up to 60 feet away. As soon as the bomb lands it summons a great pumpkin (use a Shambling Mound as the base creature and then outrageously embellish). The great pumpkin sheds dim light as a candle from its carved head. There is a 50% chance that the great pumpkin will drop a hallow craver.
HALLOW CARVER
rare dagger (requires attainment)
GP/XP: 4,800/480
A small filleting knife with a soon on the white wooden handle for scooping out pumpkin seeds. There is an orange gem embedded into the handle that, upon closer examination, reveals a tiny white flame in the centre of the gem. It functions as a +1 magical dagger. Whenever you deal damage to a creature or otherwise slice/carve into the surface of an object, the wound/scar you create is treated as if the spell light is cast upon it for the next 24 hours.
A former adventurer and cleric of the Raven Queen. Mahlyn died in the Tomb of the Nine Gods and was brought back by Acerack to be his agent. She resents it, but for now, must obey.
TACTICS
Mahlyn (skirmisher): Mahlyn summons a legion of skeletons and zombies and then uses betraying gaze in the first round if possible. Note that this is likely to result in a friendly fire incident. Then she uses slashing rollto lure the PCs into the maze of shanties in the western part of the map. With elite hit points, regeneration, and an attack that deals ongoing damage, she can afford to be patient. As soon as she’s down 100 hit points, she’ll use eviscerate, then blood drain to heal herself and weaken a PC. Thereafter, she’ll useeviscerate whenever it’s recharged, because she deals more damage when attacking a dazed enemy.
The disfigured and callophage fight until slain, but Mahlyn will flee (probably via mist step) if reduced below 50 hit points. If she escapes, she returns to Accerak’s nearby lair, where she remains until the end of the adventure (unless returning her to the fray at some point would be suitably dramatic).
Suggested Environments
Any