Vaettir
Medium Undead, lawful evil
Vættir are ancestral spirits, sometimes protective and helpful but demanding reverence and wrathful when offended.
Servants of the Land. Land vættir dwell in barrows while sea vættir live beneath lakes, rivers, or the sea—both wear ancient mail and carry bronzes axes in withered hands. Servants of the land, they haunt those who disrespect the wild or ancient laws and traditions.Landvættir dwell in barrows while sjövættir reside beneath lakes, rivers, or the sea. Servants of the land, they are favored by the Vanir, who grant them the ability to curse those who disrespect the wild or ancient laws and traditions.
Jealous and Wrathful. A wrathful vættir rises from its mound when its grave goods are stolen (including heirlooms passed on to living descendants) or when they are disrespected (leaving the dragon prow attached to a longship is a common offense, as is failing to make offerings). Vættir jealously guard both honor and treasures, and may be relentless enemies over matters as small as an accidental word or a single coin.
Dangerous Helpers. A vættir’s blue-black skin is stretched taut over its bones and sinews and its lips are drawn back in a cruel grimace. A rarer, bone-white variety exists that cares little for material possessions, instead guarding their honor or a particular patch of land. Both varieties will answer a summons by descendants or nearby villages. The summoned vættir will wander into longhouses or taverns and sit down beside those who call them, ready to serve. However, there’s always a price and a vættir’s help is often more than bargained for.
Undead Nature. A vaettir doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.
Armor Class 15 (chain shirt)
Hit Points 120 (16d8+48)
Speed 30 ft.
- STR
- 20 (+5)
- DEX
- 14 (+2)
- CON
- 16 (+3)
- INT
- 10 (+0)
- WIS
- 12 (+1)
- CHA
- 14 (+2)
Saving Throws Cha +4, Con +5, Dex +4, Wis +3
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, poisoned
Senses truesight 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages the languages it knew in life
Challenge 4
Traits
Covetous Bond. Corpse-black vaettir can see the face of any creature holding or carrying any item the vaettir ever claimed as its own. It also detects the direction and distance to items it ever owned, so long as that item is currently owned by another. If the item changes hands, the new owner becomes the target of the vaettir's hunt. Bone-white vaettir see individuals who have offended them. Neither time nor distance affects these abilities, so long as both parties are on the same plane.
Deathless. The vaettir is destroyed when reduced to 0 hit points, but it returns to unlife where it fell on the next nightfall with full hit points. It can be killed only by removing its head, burning the corpse, and dumping the ashes in the sea, or by returning it to its burial mound, placing an open pair of scissors on its chest, and driving pins through its feet.
Innate Spellcasting. the vaettir's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 12). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: 2/day each: gaseous form, hunter's mark 1/day each: enlarge/reduce, phantom steed 1/week each: bestow curse, geas, remove curse
Sunlight Sensitivity. Vaettir avoid daylight. A vaettir in direct sunlight has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.
Actions
Multiattack. The vaettir makes two greataxe attacks or two longbow attacks.
Greataxe. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (1d12 + 5) slashing damage plus 3 (1d6) necrotic damage.
Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage.
Corpse Breath (Recharge 5-6). The vaettir spews forth a 15.foot cone of putrid gas. Those caught in the area must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1d4 rounds.
Maddening Gaze (1/Day). The vaettir can lock eyes with a creature and drive it mad. Any creature within 30 feet of a vaettir that is the focus of its gaze must make a DC 12 Charisma saving throw or become confused (as the spell) for 1d4 rounds. If the save is successful, the target is immune to the effect for 24 hours.
