Death as a Mythic Encounter

Death serves as a potent threat against even high level

characters, but you can increase the challenge by using the
Embodiment of Death trait. When this happens, Death heals
many of her wounds and protects herself further, and then
she can choose one of her mythic actions when she uses a The dragon’s skin cracks, turns into a sinister black, and
legendary action. You might foreshadow Death using her melts! The monster crumbles to dust-but what clatters to the
mythic trait by describing her skin cracking and a darker ground isn't scale and bone, but a black tar. The sound of
shadow seen underneath as she suffers wounds. Read or shattering bones precedes the dragon rising up anew, the last
paraphrase the following text when Death finally uses her of her shed skin dropping away, revealing sullen and
Embodiment of Death trait: untouched scales of shadows.
Fighting Death as a mythic encounter is equivalent to
taking on two challenge rating 20 creatures in one encounter.
Award a party 50,000 XP for defeating Death after she uses
Embodiment of Death.
Death, the Last Dragon of Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Death takes a lair
the Apocalypse action to cause one of the following effects; Death can’t use
the same effect two rounds in a row:
History:
A sinister wind from beyond blows through the air near
Death, the silver dragon, used to be a paragon of good. Death. Each creature within 120 feet of the dragon must
Protecting mortals from undeath, she would fly through the succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or take 5
lands and cleanse it from this curse. She had a partner, (1d10) necrotic damage. Gases and vapors are dispersed
whose name, just like hers, has long been forgotten. One day, by the wind, and unprotected flames are extinguished.
in their fiercest battle yet, fighting off a lich and its legion, the Protected flames, such as lanterns, have a 50 percent
black dragon keeping her company fell to his wounds. Lost in chance of being extinguished.
anger, she ravaged and destroyed the battlefield, but it was Death creates magical darkness as if it had cast the
too late for her companion. darkness spell. The fog lasts until initiative count 20 on
Searching for a solution, she sifted hours through the the next round.
cursed research notes of the lich. What was at first a small
voice in the back of her head, tempting her with unholy gifts, Corpses rise from the earth to aid their Mistress. Death
become louder and louder as days passed, until that fateful summons 1d2 wights in squares adjacent to her. Roll
day. Desperate for a way to bring her companion, the silver initiative for each of them, they obey Death’s command (no
dragon finally succumbed to the temptations of the voice, and action required).
that day, she merged with the phylactery of the lich. Death
was born. Regional Effects
With her newfound powers she brought the black dragon,
but the wounds were too severe, and he never fully recovered, The region containing Death’s lair is warped by the dragon’s
his body constantly breaking apart, and his memory lost. magic, which creates one or more of the following effects.
Seeing what she had done and her failure, Death tried to Once per day, the dragon can extinguish daylight, plunging
reject the gift she had accepted, turn back the flow of time. the area in a 6-mile radius centered on her lair into non-
But it was too late. The corruption that she merged with magical darkness for 24 hours.
slowly driving her sanity away, wiping her thoughts, until one Within 1 mile of the lair, undeath plagues the land. Most
thing was left, the Apocalypse. Fallen creatures rise back as wights, zombies, squeletons
and ghosts.
Behavior: Death calls, all creatures in a 6-mile radius centered seem
Death might have lost her moral compass, but she is still a to die in situations which normally would have never been
cunning enemy that will exploit every tool of her arsenal to fatal. All creatures in that radius roll death saving throws
gain victory. As the herald of the Apocalypse, she brings back with disadvantage.
legions of the dead using the corpses laid before her by the
other members of the Apocalypse. But before making her If the Death dies, there is a 50% chance for all the undead
appearance she summons the other 3 dragons, knowing that to find repose and for the other effects to fade in 1 day. There
her role is vital. She intends on ending all of creation, and she is also a 50% risk for her death to create a hole in the
knows its not a duty that can be done in a day. Some part of Material plane after 1d4 days, which legions of undead pour
her still holds on to the love she shared with Pestilence, out off.
which is why she sends him last. If all the other members are In addition if Death passes away, Pestilence does as well.
defeated, she will cause a permanent night to reap as many
souls as possible, and try to root out the threats.
In Battle:
Death in battle will try to maintain a range with the heroes.
She will try to deal with the ones possessing ranged attacks
first, using her destructive spells, and dropping a power word
kill on the person she judges to be the most powerful threat.
She will also use darkness a lot to blind them, and give
herself advantage on her attacks. If her Mythic form is
triggered, this is when she becomes the most dangerous
(make sure your players are equipped for it). She will
immediately use her call of death ability, and abuse all the
ways with which she can deal necrotic damage.