Padres Nigramontes for Fifth Edition (El Ocho) (Patreon)

This post has been updated: https://www.patreon.com/posts/365-days-of-018-46533268 

The spiritual leaders of La Iglesia de Resurrección (the Church of Resurrection) are powerful Necromancer Priests known as Los Padres Nigramontes. As the heads of an extremist off-shoot of the Faith of Jesucristo, the Padres believe that Jesucristo's true power was found in his resurrection, and not in his martyrdom, and that the God was a spirit of vengeance instead of one of benevolence and forgiveness.

A padre nigramonte is a skeletal figure. They often dress like a central figure of the Catholic church, such as a cardinal or high-ranking priest. Truly wanting to be one with their god, the padres spend their lives working to unlock the secrets to resurrection and undeath. Those with the greatest mental fortitude retain most of their memories and abilities, even as their mortal bodies wither away to nothing. Powered by necrotic energies, the padres are vengeful, evil apparitions, hell-bent on spreading the teachings of Jesús Vengativo.

To retain its dark powers, the padres must regularly feed on the souls of the living, especially the faithless. What few they don't feed upon, they convert into mindless minions. Some of these minions become skeletal or zombified assistants that guard their tombs. Others, whose faith approaches their own, "join" the church, becoming fearsome monjas malvadas (death nuns) or espíritus de venganza (spirits of vengeance).

Padre Nigramonte

Medium undead, any evil alignment

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Armor Class 16 (natural armor)

Hit Points 135 (18d8 + 54)

Speed 30 ft.

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Abilities Str 11 (+0), Dex 15 (+2), Con 16 (+3), Int 15 (+2), Wis 20 (+5), Cha 17 (+3)

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Saving Throws Con +9, Int +8, Wis +11

Skills History +8, Insight +11, Perception +11, Religion +17

Damage Resistances cold, lightning, necrotic

Damage Immunities poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks

Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned

Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 22

Languages Common plus up to two other languages

Challenge 16 (15,000 XP)

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Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the padre fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Rejuvenation. If the padre is destroyed, it returns as a greater spirit of vengeance in 1d10 days. From there, it must seek a new body to inhabit within 1 year, or it is destroyed.

Spellcasting. The padre is an 18th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). The padre has the following cleric spells prepared:

• Cantrips (at will): resistance, sacred flame, thaumaturgy
• 1st Level (4 slots): bane, detect evil and good, inflict wounds, protection from evil and good
• 2nd Level (3 slots): blindness/deafness, silence, spiritual weapon
• 3rd Level (3 slots): animate dead, bestow curse, feign death, protection from energy, speak with dead
• 4th level (3 slots): banishment, death ward, guardian of faith, locate creature
• 5th level (3 slots): dispel evil and good, flame strike, insect plague
• 6th level (1 slot): create undead, harm
• 7th level (1 slot): fire storm
• 8th level (1 slot): antimagic field
• 9th level (1 slot): gate

Turn Resistance. The padre has advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns undead.

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Actions

Rotting Touch. Melee Spell Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (3d6) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be cursed with vengeful rot. The cursed target can't regain hit points, and its hit point maximum decreases by 10 (3d6) for every 24 hours that elapse. If the curse reduces the target's hit point maximum to 0, the target dies, and its body turns to dust. The curse lasts until removed by the remove curse spell or other magic.

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Legendary Actions

The padre can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The padre can regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. 

Cantrip. The padre casts a cantrip.

Rotting Touch (Costs 2 Actions). The padre uses its Rotting Touch.

Word of the Lord (Costs 2 Actions). The padre can innately cast command (spell save DC 18), requiring no material components. Its innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom.

Hand of the Lord (Costs 3 Actions). The padre can innately cast telekinesis (spell save DC 18), requiring no material components. Its innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom.

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A Padre Nigramonte's Lair

Los padres nigramontes frequently take residence in abandoned churches, crypts, overgrown cemetaries, and other places where they can hide themselves and their cults from the prying eyes of the faithless. The padre's lair reflects its undying faith to its lord, Jesús Vengativo.  A padre nigramonte encountered in its lair has a challenge rating of 17 (18,000 XP). 

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the padre can take a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects; the padre can't use the same effect two rounds in a row:

• The padre rolls a d8 and regains a spell slot of that level or lower. If it has no spent spell slots of that level or lower, nothing happens.
• The padre can psychically connect itself to one creature that it can see within 30 feet of it. Whenever the padre takes damage, the target must make a DC 18 Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, the padre takes half the damage (rounded down), and the target takes the remaining damage as psychic damage. The save succeeds automatically if the creature is immune to psychic damage. This connection lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round or until the padre or the target is no longer in the padre's lair.
• The padre calls forth the spirits of creatures that died in its lair. The creatures rise as spirits of vengeance and attack one creature that the padre can see within 60 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw, taking 22 (5d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a success. The spirits then disappear.

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Thanks for reading!

For support monsters for Padre Nigramonte, be sure to check out the listing for las monjas malvadas on the blog (FREE).

See you next time!