Mournful Apparition

Medium undead, any

Armor Class 13
Hit Points 44 (8d8 + 8)
Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
8 (-1)	16 (+3)	13 (+1)	11 (+0)	12 (+1)	18 (+4)

Saving Throws Dex +5, Wis +3
Skills Insight +3, Perception +3, Performance +8, Stealth +5
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
Senses truesight 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages the languages it knew in life, telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Flickering Form. Attack rolls against the apparition are made with disadvantage unless the apparition is incapacitated.
• Incorporeal Movement. The apparition can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
• Magic Resistance. The apparition has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The apparition makes two Lacerating Touch attacks.
• Lacerating Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) necrotic damage. If the target is a creature, the apparition also magically knows its alignment and current emotional state, and the creature must roll a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failure its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken, and the apparition regains the same number of hit points. This 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 by this attack rises 24 hours later as a zombie under the apparition’s control, unless the Humanoid is restored to life or its body is destroyed. The apparition can have no more than thirteen zombies under its control at one time.
• Etherealness. The apparition enters the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa. It is visible on the Material Plane while it is in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet it can’t affect or be affected by anything on the other plane.
• Expression of Mourning (Recharge 6). Each creature within 30 feet of the apparition that can hear or see it must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or take 13 (3d6 + 3) psychic damage and become charmed for 1 minute. At the start of each of its turns, the charmed target must use its action before moving to make an attack roll against a creature of the apparition’s choice other than itself. The target can act normally on its turn if there is no creature within range or the apparition doesn’t choose a creature to attack. At the end of each of its turns, the target can reroll the Wisdom saving throw, ending the effect on a success.

REACTIONS

• Sway Passions (3/Day). When a creature the apparition can see makes an attack roll, a saving throw, or an ability check, the apparition can cause the roll to be made with advantage or disadvantage.

ABOUT

The mournful apparition is a terrifying specter, one that feasts on the deep misery of others. Its flickering form often appears in the peripheral vision of its victims, only to disappear in an instant. Its wailing moans are heard in the distance, only to fade into a howling wind. The specter torments its mourning victims in their darkest moments, waiting for true despair and misery to take hold of them. Only then, in their darkest pit of suffering, does the specter finish the job and devour them.

The mournful apparition is a spirit created from deep sadness of an individual, such as a lover who loses their true love, or the mourning of a mass of people, such as when a kingdom loses a beloved ruler. In either case, the mournful apparition takes the form of the person being mourned. The specter uses this form to attack its mourners, massacring those who are already suffering greatly from their loss and sullying the memory of someone beloved.