Ossuary Custodian

Large construct (guardian), lawful neutral · CR 8

by Codex

Ossuary Custodian
Armor Class
17
natural armor
Hit Points
133
14d10 + 56
Speed
30 ft.
  • STR +5
  • DEX 0
  • CON +4
  • INT -1
  • WIS +2
  • CHA -2
Saving Throws
Con +7, Wis +5
Damage Immunities
Poison
Condition Immunities
Charmed, Frightened, Poisoned, Exhaustion
Senses
darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Challenge 8 3,900 XP

Traits

  • Immutable Form. The creature is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
  • Tomb-Bound Vigil. The custodian cannot willingly move more than 120 feet from the reliquary it was bound to guard. While within 30 feet of that reliquary, it has advantage on saving throws and regains 10 hit points at the start of each of its turns if it has at least 1 hit point. If destroyed, it reassembles over 24 hours so long as the reliquary remains intact.

Actions

  • Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10 + 5) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. The custodian has advantage on this save's DC against creatures that have disturbed the tomb it guards.

Origin Story

When a dwarven death-priesthood feared grave-robbers more than they revered rest, they bound the ash of a hundred honored dead into bronze and bone and woke it with a single, unbending instruction: let none disturb the vault. The Ossuary Custodian remembers no name and wants nothing but the quiet of its charge. It is not cruel, only absolute, and it has kept its silence through the fall of the kingdom that made it.

Habitat and Ecosystem

Custodians stand in deep catacombs, sealed reliquaries, and the burial vaults of forgotten orders. Dust never quite settles where one waits; the air smells of cold bronze and old incense. They do not patrol so much as endure, motionless for years until something living crosses the threshold they were made to hold.

Behavior Patterns

Anglerhounds hunt in silent pairs or trios. One drifts in open water with its lure aglow while the others lie buried in silt along the victim’s likely path. They are ruthless but not stupid: a pack that loses a member to a well-armed party will abandon the lure entirely and stalk from below, snapping at stragglers who linger near the water’s edge. They never stray far from water and will break off a chase the moment prey reaches dry, open ground.

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