Chthonian Chains [CARD] (Patreon)

Armor (half plate or plate), legendary (requires attunement)

This ever-burning plate armor depicts three canine heads with serpentine chains draping from their maws covering the wearer’s arms. While wearing this armor you gain a +3 bonus to your AC and you have resistance to fire damage. This armor can hold up to 6 charges, regaining 1d6 + 1 charges daily at dusk.

Fangs of Tartarus. You can make a melee weapon attack with the chains that decorate this armor against a target within 10 feet of you. You are considered proficient with the chain and this attack gains a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls for each charge this armor has (maximum of +3). On a hit, the target takes an amount of piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, and you can attempt to grapple the creature with the chain. A creature grappled in this way takes 2d8 fire damage at the start of each of its turns.

Whenever a creature CR 3 or higher dies from the damage of the chain or while grappled by the chain, this armor consumes the creature's soul and gains a charge. That creature can only be restored to life by a Wish spell.

Putrefying Breath. As an action you can spend any number of charges to exhale a 60-foot cone of sickening flame. Each creature in the area must succeed on a Constitution saving throw and the save DC is equal to 17 + the number of charges spent. On a failed save the creature takes 2d8 necrotic damage per charge spent, has disadvantage on all melee attacks and cannot regain hit points for 1 minute. On a successful save the creature takes half as much damage, but suffers no other effect.

A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Hypogean Guard. As an action you can spend any number of charges to cast Spirit Guardians without expending a spell slot. For each charge beyond the first, the spell is cast at one level higher, and the save DC is equal to 17 + the number of charges spent. The guardians appear as three burning canine heads floating around you. When cast the spell this way, the spell deals your choice of fire or necrotic damage rather than its normal damage.

He was not the strangest creature I had laid eyes on, nor did he appear more frightening or threatening at first glance compared to some other monstrous beings I had encountered in my days on this land. Yet something about this beast sent shivers up my spine, and as my palms turned clammy and my hair stood on end I understood why this three-headed dog had been entrusted with so grave a task. No soul would ever leave or enter the underworld with such a fearsome guard at its gate.