Zombie, Lord

Family: Zombies

The cold white gleam in the glassy eyes of the noble in faded finery burns with evil, and its skin has the ashen pallor of the undead.

Medium undead, neutral evil

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 82 (11d8 + 33)
Speed 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
16 (+3) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 13 (+1) 15 (+2)

Saving Throws Constitution +6, Wisdom +4
Skills Perception +4
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks not made with silver
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages the languages it knew in life
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Special Traits

  • Legendary Resistance (3/day). If the lord fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
  • Stench. Any non-undead creature that starts its turn within 30 feet of the lord must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of the creature’s next turn. On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to the lord’s Stench for 24 hours.
  • Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces the lord to 0 hp, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, the lord drops to 1 hp instead.
  • Undead Nature. The lord zombie doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Actions

  • Multiattack. The lord zombie makes two slam attacks. It can use its Life Drain in place of one slam attack.
  • Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
  • Life Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or its hp maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hp maximum to 0. A humanoid slain by this attack rises 24 hours later as a zombie under the lord’s control, unless the humanoid is restored to life or its body is destroyed. The lord can have no more than twenty zombies under its control at one time.

Legendary Actions

The zombie lord 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. It regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

  • Shambling Hordes. The lord telepathically commands all zombies it controls within 1 mile to immediately move up to half their speed. A zombie that moves out of an enemy’s reach because of this movement doesn’t provoke an opportunity attack.
  • Life Drain (Costs 2 Actions). The lord makes a life drain attack.
  • Arise (Costs 3 Actions). The lord targets a humanoid corpse within 30 feet, which rises as a zombie under the lord’s control.

About

Unlike shuffling, mindless specimens of zombie, lord zombies retain their personality and memories. The lord’s mind is twisted with jealousy and obsession for the things it left unfinished in life.

Corrupted Death. A figure of strong will who dies in a place infused with necrotic energy can draw the corruption into itself and rise as a terrifying lord zombie. More tragically, sometimes resurrection magic goes awry, and the victim returns as a nexus of undeath.

Spreading Corruption. Lord zombies spread a constant wave of necrosis into the world around them. Even long-dead corpses quicken to the lord’s call. The creatures are regularly accompanied by legions of zombies and often lair in cemeteries.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Creature Codex. © 2018 Open Design LLC; Authors Wolfgang Baur, Dan Dillon, Richard Green, James Haeck, Chris Harris, Jeremy Hochhalter, James Introcaso, Chris Lockey, Shawn Merwin, and Jon Sawatsky.

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