Epic Herald

Family: NPC

Medium humanoid (elated aasimar), lawful good paladin (oath of devotion, oath of glory) 23

Armor Class 22 (+2 half-plate, +1 shield)
Hit Points 187 (23d10+46)
Speed 40 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
16 (+3)	14 (+2)	14 (+2)	10 (+0)	10 (+0)	20 (+5)

Saving Throws Str +8, Dex +7, Con +7, Int +5, Wis +12, Cha +17; Proficiency +7
Skills Athletics +10, Perception +7, Persuasion +12, Religion +7
Damage Resistances necrotic, radiant
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 17
Languages Celestial, Common

ACTIONS

• Aura of Speed. When the herald is not incapacitated, any ally that starts its turn within 5 feet of the herald increases their speed by 10 feet until the end of their turn.
• Channel Divinity (2/Short Rest). Choose one of the following effects: Divine Prowess. As a bonus action, the herald receives a divine blessing to be more agile and mightier. For the next 10 minutes the herald doubles their Carrying Capacity and they gain advantage on Strength (Athletics) and Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks.
• Divine Rigor. When the herald uses Divine Smite, they can use a bonus action to create a pool of 32 (2d8+23) temporary hit points, dividing them between any number of creatures within 30 feet (including the herald).
• Sacred Weapon. As an action, the herald imbues one weapon they are holding with positive energy. For 1 minute, they add +5 to attack rolls made with that weapon and it emits bright light in a 20-foot radius (dim light 20 feet beyond that). If the weapon is not already magical, it becomes magical for the duration. The herald can end this effect on their turn as part of any other action. If they are no longer holding or carrying this weapon, or if the herald falls unconscious, this effect ends.
• Turn the Unholy. As an action, the herald presents their holy symbol and speaks a prayer. Each fiend or undead within 30 feet that can see or hear the herald must make a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is turned for 1 minute or until it takes damage. A turned creature must spend its turns trying to move as far away from the herald as it can, and it can’t willingly move to a space within 30 feet of the herald. It also can’t take reactions. For its action, it can use only the Dash action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it from moving. If there’s nowhere to move, the creature can use the Dodge action.
• Cleansing Touch (5/Long Rest). The herald can use their action to end one spell on themself or on one willing creature that they touch.
• Divine Harness. The herald’s +2 half-plate gives them a fly speed of 40 feet and the ability to hover.
• Divine Sense (6/Long Rest). As an action, the herald can open their divine awareness. Until the end of their next turn, the herald knows the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of them that is not behind total cover. They know the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being whose presence they sense, but not its identity. Within the same radius, the herald also detects the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell.
• Divine Smite. When the herald hits a creature with a melee weapon attack, they can expend one spell slot to deal radiant damage to the target, in addition to the weapon’s damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is an undead or a fiend.
• Float. The herald is immune to the prone condition unless grappled, incapacitated, or restrained, and they can use their reaction when they fall to reduce any falling damage they take by 46. The herald is not able to float on any surface that wouldn’t normally support their weight. Creatures following the herald’s tracks do so with disadvantage unless tracking by scent.
• Herald Auras. While the herald is conscious, friendly creatures within 30 feet of the herald can’t be charmed or frightened, and they gain a +5 bonus to saving throws.
• Holy Nimbus (1/Long Rest). As an action, the herald can emanate an aura of sunlight. For 1 minute, bright light shines from them in a 30-foot radius, and dim light shines 30 feet beyond that. Whenever an enemy creature starts its turn in the bright light, the creature takes 10 radiant damage. In addition, for the duration, the herald has advantage on saving throws against spells cast by fiends or undead.
• Lay on Hands (115 Points/Long Rest). As an action, the herald can touch a creature and restore a number of hit points to it, up to the maximum amount remaining in this pool. Alternatively, they can cure the target of diseases or neutralize poisons affecting it (expending 5 hit points separately for each one). This feature has no effect on undead and constructs.
• Prestige. Commoners and other NPCs recognize the herald or at the very least know their name, and they are treated as an equal (or nearly as much) by empresses, monarchs, and other heads of state. Churches everywhere have spoken about the herald-perhaps negatively, perhaps positively-and the people at large know to fear or trust the herald. The herald either has advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks they make against a commoner, or they have advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks they make against a commoner. Which of these checks the herald benefits from is determined for each NPC by the GM.
• Purity of Spirit. The herald is under the constant effects of the protection from evil and good spell.
• Spellcasting. The herald is a 23rd-level spellcaster that uses Charisma as their spellcasting ability (spell save DC 19; +12 to hit with spell attacks). The herald has the following spells prepared:
  • Cantrip: light
  • 1st-level (4 slots): command, cure wounds, detect magic, divine favor, guiding bolt, heroism, protection from evil and good, sanctuary, shield of faith
  • 2nd-level (3 slots): enhance ability, lesser restoration, locate object, magic weapon, zone of truth
  • 3rd-level (3 slots): beacon of hope, daylight, dispel magic, haste, magic circle, protection from energy, revivify
  • 4th-level (3 slots): banishment, death ward, freedom of movement, guardian of faith, locate creature
  • 5th-level (2 slots): commune, dispel evil and good, flame strike, raise dead
  • 6th-level (2 slots): heal, true seeing

ACTIONS

• Extra Attack. The herald attacks twice.
• +3 Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (1d8+8) magical slashing damage plus 7 (2d6) radiant damage.

ABOUT

The epic herald has achieved a great deal on behalf of the forces of good but to what end? The glorification of a god of incredible power that so often sends agents and followers to suffer in their stead. Now that the herald has experienced so much of existence they are driven to closely examine their deific relationship, chafing at the nature of serving a being that could-and perhaps should-do so much more.

New Glories. What the herald knows for certain is that to do good things is a boon to the world and an endeavor they should still pursue regardless of the gods. Indeed, their dissatisfaction with divine beings gives the herald all the more reason to continue to seek out and vanquish evil.

New Realization. With so much of their life dictated by distant deities, after reaching the apex of divine warriorhood the herald is distraught as to what they should pursue next. When they topple a terrible tyrant what’s to stop a replacement from rising to enact new terrors? The herald has to not only defeat evil, they must inspire all to fight against it.

New Responsibilities. The herald’s desire for justice and a better world have grown to beyond the borders of one kingdom or continent-they are now a beacon of hope for all mortals. Whenever a great threat looms it is their name that will be called upon by the bereaved, desperate, and tyrannized.