Crypt Fiends
Crypt fiends are undead creations of the drow. The ritual to create a crypt fiend involves assembling parts from whatever corpses the necromancer has available, from dead drow and giant spiders, to ettercaps or driders. The pieces are bound together with linen and sinew in a process similar to mummification, then buried for at least one year. The final completion of the ritual results in the crypt fiend burrowing forth from its grave, ready to serve. Because this final step is comparatively simple, abandoned crypt fiend graves may be awoken by accident if necromancy magic is used nearby.
Reclusive by nature, crypt fiends have little motivation to hunt or wantonly destroy unless ordered to by a powerful leader. They willingly obey other intelligent undead such as liches and death knights. If left to their own devices, crypt fiends will prefer to burrow underground and hibernate, perhaps for centuries, until stirred by some outside force.
Crypt fiends are too clumsy to climb webs, but have adapted to burrowing. A favorite tactic is to hide prone just below the ground surface, using their tremorsense to detect intruders. The undead then burst forth and surprise their enemies in a flurry of deadly blows.
Unusual Nature. Crypt fiends do not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep, and cannot be magically put to sleep.
Crypt Lord
Crypt lords are rare and unique creations augmented with the corpses of draegloths, bebiliths, and umber hulks. A crypt lord has greater cunning and retains its memories from life, and will develop its own schemes and plots to use its unnaturally long existence to its advantage.
Carrion Beetles. Crypt Lords sometimes take control of kruthik hives (Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes) slaying the hive lord and taking its place. The crypt lord uses them as scouts, spies, and minions, much how a dragon employs kobolds.
Art Credits: (c) 2000 Blizzard Entertainment
Crypt Fiend
Large undead, lawful evil
- Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 123 (13d10+52)
- Speed 30 ft., burrow 20 ft., climb 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 18 (+4) 5 (-3) 10 (+0) 8 (-1)
- Skills Perception +3, Stealth +7
- Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
- Damage Immunities poison
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, poisoned
- Senses Darkvision 120 ft., tremorsense 30 ft., passive Perception 13
- Languages Undercommon
- Challenge 6 (2,300 xp)
Spider Climb. The crypt fiend can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the crypt fiend has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.
Actions
Multiattack. The crypt fiend makes three melee attacks, only one of which can be a bite.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 2 (1d4) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) necrotic damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage.
Infestation. The crypt fiend causes a cloud of mites, flies, and other parasites to appear momentarily on one or two creatures it can see within 30 feet. The targets must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) poison damage and move 5 feet in a random direction, if it can move and its speed is at least 5 feet. Roll a d8 for the direction: 1, north; 3, east; 5, south; or 7, west. This movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks, and if the direction rolled is blocked, the target doesn't move.
Web (Recharge 5-6): Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 30/60 ft., one creature. Hit: The target is restrained by webbing. As an action, the restrained target can make a DC 13 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 5; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage).
Crypt Lord
Huge undead, lawful evil
- Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 172 (15d12+75)
- Speed 40 ft, burrow 30 ft., climb 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 20 (+5) 10 (+0) 20 (+5) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 18 (+4)
- Skills Perception +5, Stealth +8
- Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
- Damage Immunities poison
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, poisoned
- Senses Darkvision 120 ft., tremorsense 40 ft., passive Perception 15
- Languages Undercommon
- Challenge 10 (5,900 xp)
Innate Spellcasting. The crypt lord can cast insect plague once per day, requiring no material components (spell save DC 16.)
Spider Climb. The crypt lord can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Spiked Carapace. A creature within 5 feet of the crypt lord that hits it with a melee attack takes 5 (2d4) piercing damage.
Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the crypt lord has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.
Actions
Multiattack. The crypt lord makes three melee attacks, only one of which can be a bite.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (1d10+5) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) necrotic damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) slashing damage.
Impale (Recharge 5-6): The crypt lord slams its claws into the ground, shooting magical spiked tendrils in a 60-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature on the ground in that area must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 35 (10d6) piercing damage and is stunned until the start of the crypt lord's next turn. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and is not stunned.
