mordenkainens tome of foes

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128

DEATHLOCK

The forging of a pact between a warlock and a patron

is no minor occasion-at least not for the warlock. The

consequences of breaking that pact can b e dire and, in

s ome cases, lethal. A warlock who fails to live up to a

ba rgain with an evil patron runs the risk of rising from

the dead as a deathlock, a foul undead driven to serve its

otherworldly patron from b eyond the grave.

An extraordinarily powe rful necromancer might

also discover the dark methods of creating a deathlock

and then bind it t o service, acting in this respect as the

deathlock's patron.

Obedient and Obsessed. An overpowering urge to

serve consume s the m ind of a newly awakened death-

lock. All goals and ambitions it had in life that don' t

please its patron fall away as its master's desires be-

come the purpose that drives the deathlock. T h e crea-

ture immediately resumes work on its patron's behalf.

Accomplishing a difficult goal might mean the deathlock

is forced to s erve another powerful creature or might

entail in gathering servants of its own.

Whatever the goa l, i t always reflects the patron's in-

terests, ranging from small-scale concerns to matters of

cosmic scope. A deathlock in the thrall of a fiend might

work to destroy a specific temple dedicated to a good

god, while one that s erve s a Great Old One cou ld be

charged with hunting for the mater ia ls needed to call

forth a horrifying entity into the world.

Undead Nature. A deathlock doesn't r equire air, food,

drink, or sleep.

PATRON- S PECIFIC SPELLS

You can customize a deathlock by replacing some or all of

the spells in its Spellcast ing trait with spells specific to its

patron. Here a re examples.

Death lock

Archfey patron: blink, faerie fire, hunger of Hadar, hypnotic

pattern, phantasmal force, sleep

Fiend patron: blindness/deafness, burning hands, command,

fireball, hellish rebuke, scorching ray

Great O ld One patron: armor of Agathys, detect thoughts,

dissonant whispers, hunger of Hadar, Tasha's hideous laugh-

ter, phantasmal force

Deathlock Mastermind

Archfey patron: blink, dominate beast, dominate person,

faerie fire, greater invisibility, hunger of Hadar, hypnotic

pattern, phantasmal force, seeming, sleep

Fiend patron: blindness/deafness, burning hands, command,

fire shield, fireball, flame strike, hellish rebuke, scorching

ray, stinking cloud, wall of fire

G reat Old One patron: clairvoyance, detect thoughts, disso-

nant whispers, dominate person, Evard's black tentacles,

hunger of Hadar, phantasmal force, sending, Tasha's hid-

eous laughter, telekinesis

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CHAPTER 6 I BESTIARY

DEATHLOCK

Medium undead, neutral evil

Armor Class 12 (f S with mage armor)

Hit Points 36 (8d8)

Speed 30 ft.

STR

11 (+O)

DEX

15 (+2)

CON

10 (+0)

Saving T hrows Int +4, Cha +5

Skills Arcana +4, History +4

INT

14 (+2)

WIS

12 (+1)

C HA

16 (+3)

Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and

slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't si lvered

Damage Immunities poison

Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11

Languages the languages it knew in life

Challenge 4 (1, 100 XP)

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Innate Spellcasting. The deathlock's innate spellcasting ability

is Charisma (spell save DC 13). It can innately cast the follow-

ing spells, requiring no material components:

At will: detect magic, disguise self, mage armor

Spel/casting. The deathlock is a 5th-level spellcaster. Its spell-

casting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13 , + 5 to hit with spell

attacks). It regains its expended spell slots when it finishes a

short or long rest. It knows the following warlock spells:

Cantrips (at will): chill touch, eldritch blast, mage hand

1 st- 3rd level (2 3rd-level slots): arms of Hadar, dispel magic,

hold person, hunger of Hadar, invisibility, spider climb

Turn Resistance. The deathlock has advantage on saving throws

against any effect that turns undead.

ACTIONS

Deathly Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one

target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) necrotic damage.