Medium humanoid (elf), neutral
Armor Class 15 (studded leather)
Hit Points 123 (19d8 + 38)
Speed 30 ft.
Proficiency Bonus +4
Proficiency Bonus +8 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 (-1) | 17 (+3) | 14 (+2) | 19 (+4) | 15 (+2) | 13 (+1) |
Saving Throws Dex +7, Wis +7, Cha +5
Skills Perception +7
Damage Immunities necrotic, psychic
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 17
Languages Common, Elvish
Challenge 11 (7200 XP)
Fey Ancestry. The soul monger has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put it to sleep.
Innate Spellcasting. The soul monger’s innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
- At will: chill touch (3d8 damage), poison spray (3d12 damage)
- 1/day each: bestow curse, chain lightning, finger of death, gaseous
form, phantasmal killer, seeming
Magic Resistance. The soul monger has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Soul Thirst. When the soul monger reduces a creature to 0 hit points, the soul monger can gain temporary hit points equal to half the creature’s hit point maximum. While the soul monger has temporary hit points from this ability, it has advantage on attack rolls.
Weight of Ages. Any beast or humanoid, other than a shadar-kai, that starts its turn within 5 feet of the soul monger has its speed reduced by 20 feet until the start of that creature’s next turn.
ACTIONS
- Multiattack. The soul monger makes two phantasmal dagger attacks.
- Phantasmal Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (4d4 + 3) piercing damage plus 19 (3d12) necrotic damage, and the target has disadvantage on saving throws until the start of the soul monger’s next turn.
- Wave of Weariness (Recharge 4-6). The soul monger emits weariness in a 60-foot cube. Each creature in that area must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a fa iled save, a creature takes 45 (10d8) psychic damage and suffers 1 level of exhaustion. On a successful save, it takes 22 (5d8) psychic damage.
5th Edition Advanced Mode
Limiting the power of a character and making the overall difficulty of the game harder, does not reduce the creativity, indeed it does quite the opposite.
The Game Master has the option to use any and all of the instances proposed in this guide, or just some of them according to their preference.
It is the lack of something that move and motivate characters, not the abundance of it
DESCRIPTION
Soul mongers are shadar-kai, a subrace of elves that live in the Shadowfell, a gloomy plane of death and decay. They are pale-skinned and dark-haired, with tattoos and piercings that reflect their grim aesthetic. They wear studded leather armor and wield shadow daggers, weapons infused with necrotic energy. Soul mongers are wracked with despair over the loss of memories of a brighter time, and they crave the vitality of others. The aching void within them radiates outward, manifesting as an unbearable weight that drains the vigor of anyone unfortunate enough to be in their presence. Those who have escaped the onslaught of a soul monger can hardly shake the memory of the sound they make—the moan of a tortured soul, lost in a bottomless well of tragedy.
COMBAT
Soul mongers are cunning and ruthless fighters, who use their magic and shadow daggers to inflict pain and suffering on their foes. They can cast spells such as bestow curse, finger of death, gaseous form, and seeming, using their intelligence as their spellcasting ability. They can also emit a wave of weariness that affects a large area, causing psychic damage and exhaustion to those who fail to resist it. Soul mongers have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects, as well as against being charmed or put to sleep by magic. They also have immunity to necrotic and psychic damage, and to the charmed, exhausted, and frightened conditions. When they reduce a creature to 0 hit points, they can gain temporary hit points equal to half the creature’s hit point maximum, and they have advantage on attack rolls while they have these temporary hit points. Any beast or humanoid (except an elf) that starts its turn within 5 feet of a soul monger has its speed reduced by 20 feet until the start of its next turn.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
Soul mongers dwell in the Shadowfell, a plane of darkness and despair that mirrors the Material Plane. They often inhabit ruined cities or ancient tombs, where they scavenge for relics and secrets of the past. They are loyal to the Raven Queen, a god of death and memory who brought their ancestors to the Shadowfell long ago. They serve her as agents and spies, carrying out her mysterious will across the planes. Soul mongers are usually solitary or work in small groups, but they occasionally gather in larger numbers for rituals or missions. They have little regard for other races, seeing them as sources of vitality or obstacles to their goals. They are especially hostile to elves, who remind them of what they have lost.
ECOLOGY
Soul mongers are not natural creatures, but rather the result of eons of exposure to the influence of the Shadowfell. They have adapted to its cheerless environment, both physically and mentally. They have lost much of their elven heritage, including their connection to nature and their longevity. They age faster than other elves, and often die before reaching 200 years old. They also suffer from a condition known as shadow curse, which causes them to fade away into nothingness unless they experience strong emotions or sensations. To stave off this fate, they seek out thrill and danger, often at the expense of others. They also feed on the life force of other creatures, using their shadow daggers or spells to drain their vitality. This sustains them for a while, but also deepens their despair and emptiness.