THE VISION

Grab your dice, scoop up your minis, and plunge head first into this one-stop adventure
shop. This battle book aims to excite and amaze your players with near-death, multi-wave boss
battles, all while keeping the combat easy to follow for you, the GM. Each unique monster—
twists on established tropes and stereotypes—has its own exclusive, hand-drawn lair.
Each combat is balanced for parties at low, medium, and high levels, and uses our Primal
Form mechanic to keep your players engaged and thrilled. Going Primal, a champion evolves
and becomes stronger, employing new tactics, and forcing your players to up their game. Not
just that, each boss’ exclusive battlemap matures throughout the encounter with turmoil and
destruction. Bring your combat to the next level—pre-balanced, ready to roll, plug and play.

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 “LORD OF THE CARCASS”

CALE

Hidden within mossy stone walls lies a forgotten temple,

pristine and overgrown, and blanketed by a cold, tawny ener-
gy. Mist drifts across the cold floor, covering the carcasses of
many creatures within. At the far end, near grand statues de-
picting various animals, stands a figure clad in crimson robes.
In a tongue unknown, words are spoken aloud. The figure’s staff,
topped by the skull of a horned creature, starts emitting a vivid, char-
treuse light that envelops the entire chamber. The lifeless creatures scat-
tered across the room—from critters and wolves, with most their flesh
rotten off their bodies, to large monstrosities—all emitting a green em-
ber from their eyes. Their bodies are forcibly pulled from their lifeless
state and animated by a dark, sinister magic. The undead all gather
around the mysterious figure, their master... Cale, Lord of the Carcass.
His purpose is resurrection and eternal life, but to achieve that, one
must first be dead.
 SETTING & LORE
ORIGIN
The Shamans of the Mystic Grove lived in
the wilderness, far from the cities and towns of
the human races. They erected temples in deep
caves to bury creatures whose lives have reached
their cycle’s end, and as part of nature honored
the life granted to them.
Cale, born to an incorrigable, upright father,
never knew of the warmth given by a parent.
With his mother taken from him at birth, he was
exceptionally critical of their way of life. Why
should he care for others’ burial when his tribe
could not even protect the life of one of their own?
At twelve years old and in utmost secrecy,
Cale dabbled with the corpses of deceased crea-
tures. It was not enough. Before his twenties, he
grew to immoral heights experimenteing with
horrid, dark arts to breathe life into the lifeless.
After hundreds of attempts, an owl with tat-
tered feathers and its rib on display, albeit rigid-
ly... finally animated, and its empty eye-sockets
burned with a green ember. Scared of the re-
purcussions, but proud of his accomplishment,
he lead his father to his secret chambers. With
much enthusiasm he shared his vision; of not
just caring for life, but controlling it. His father,
aghast and disgusted, fell down on his knees. He
couldn’t muster energy nor spirit, and uttered
but one thing: you’re a monster.
About to tell tale to the elders about his son’s
evil deed, to Cale’s surprise, his undead owl
seared towards his father and plunged its talons
into the back of his skull. Instantly, his prideful
father fell to the ground. Instead of sadness, a
certain euphoria swelled up inside him. It was
here that life made sense. If life was eternal...
there would no longer be any deaths.
Through his hand, the tribe fell the next day.
And Cale, Lord of the Carcass, rose.
PERSONALITY
Unpredictable. Because of an emotionally tur-
bulent upbringing, he doesn’t show positive
emotions; comfort, love, or joy, when interact-
ing with others. He avoids gazes and physical
touch, and expresses fear by using anger. This
makes him wildly unpredictable.
Self-righteous. Feels and displays moral supe-
riority derived from a sense that his beliefs, ac-
tions, and affiliations are of greater virtue than
those of the average person.
Obsessive. Obsessed with life or lack thereof.
His interest piques when death is on the board,
and even more with they’re reanimated. Eternal
life is his self-imposed life’s purpose.
Controller. Not a single speck of dust must be
outside the realm of his control. He feels weak
when something’s not within the palm of his
hand. If he can’t control something or someone,
he will break and bend the rules as he sees fit.
LOCATION
The Hidden Crypt is a place of mystique that
used to function as a temple of worship for dru-
ids who have long abandoned their sanctum. This
place, reminiscent to Cale’s birthplace, is picked
as his new place of residence. It is ridden with
animal graves tangled with nature.
Cemetary. Filled with sarcophagi, many skele-
tons lie in eternal rest within their stone caskets.
Nature. Vegetation has taken its natural course
in reclaiming their place.
Vents. In the past, water would flow through
the pipes to level the sanctum floor. They be-
lieved it would keep the space purified.
P L AY S U G G E S T I O N S
S TA N D A R D PRIMAL
MONSTER TURN P L AY E R T U R N MONSTER TURN P L AY E R T U R N

TA R G E T P R I O R I T I E S P L AY E R M O V E M E N T TA R G E T P R I O R I T I E S P L AY E R M O V E M E N T
1 . D r u ids If e ne my mov e s w it hin 10 f e e t of C a le 1. D r uids If enemy moves within 10 feet of Cale
2 . C ler ic s T r a i t s : Ne c r o t i c S p o r e s 2. C ler ics T r a i t s : Ne c r o t i c S p o r e s
3 . L ast e ne my to att ac k C ale 3. L ast enemy to attack C ale

MOVEMENT P L AY E R A C T I O N MOVEMENT P L AY E R A C T I O N
Mov e tow ards pr ior it y t arge t If an enemy casts a harmful spell: Counterspell Mov e tow ards pr ior it y targe t If an enemy casts a harmful spell: Counterspell
Pos ition for Spore Spray If C a le t a k e s da mage : Grasping Vine Position for Wither If Cale loses 15+ hit points on a single hit: Lifelink
If C a le f a i ls a debi l it at ing s av ing t hrow : If Cale takes damage: Grasping Vine
Legendary Resistance If C ale fai ls a debi l itating s av ing th row :
Legendary Resistance

ACTION END OF TURN ACTION END OF TURN

If 2 + e ne mie s are w it h i n a 20-fo o t c one If a n e ne my is p ois one d If >2+ enemies are within 10 feet and Wither If there’s a cor ps e or zombie w ith in 1 0
S p o r e S p ray for range L e g e n d a r y A c t i o n : D a r k V i si o n is charged fe e t of C ale
O ther w is e : E nte r Pr i ma l For m if a ny is tr ig ge re d: Wither L e g e n d a r y A c t i o n + : C or pse E x plosion
S p el l c a st i ng A l l e ne mie s suf f e r f rom p ois on If >2+ enemies are in range for Spore Spray If an enemy is p ois one d
The Phy lac te r y is t hre ate ne d Spore Spray L e g e n d a r y A c t i o n + : D a r k V i si o n s
C a le’s hit p oint s a re 0 Otherwise: O ther w is e :
Necrotic Blast L e g e n d a r y A c t i o n + : Mag e

I N I T I AT I V E C O U N T 2 0
L a i r A c t i o n : Haunted Grounds
 CALE
LORD OF THE CARCASS
Medium undead, neutral evil
Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 75 (10d8 + 30)
Speed 0 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 20 (+5) 14 (+2) 14 (+2)
Saving Throws CON +7, INT +9, WIS +7
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and
slashing from magic weapons
Damage Immunities poison; bludgeoning, pierc-
ing, and slashing from non-magical weapons
Condition Immunities exhaustion, frightened, poi-
soned
Senses truesight 120ft., passive Perception 16
Languages Any four languages, telepathic
Challenge 11 ( 7,200 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +4
TRAITS
Legendary Resistance (2/Day). If Cale fails a
saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Rejuvenation. If Cale is destroyed and has a phylac-
tery, in 1d10 days, phylactery becomes Cale’s new body
and returns it to life with all its hit points.
Turn Immunity. Cale is immune to effects that turn
undead.
Dark Green Fingers. Cale imbues plants within 30
feet of it with limited sentience and animation, giving
them the ability to communicate with Cale and follow
Cale’s simple commands.
Necrotic Spores. Cale is surrounded by a cloud of
spores. When a creature approaches Cale within 10 feet,
the creature must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution sav-
ing throw or take 9 (2d8) necrotic damage and become
poisoned for one minute.
› Standard is indicated in orange.
› Primal is indicated in blue.
› In Primal Form it can use Standard and Primal options.
ACTIONS
Spore Spray. Cale releases its spores outward. Each
creature in a 20-foot cone must succeed on a DC 17
Constitution saving throw or take 27 (6d8) necrot-
ic damage. and become poisoned for one minute. On
a successful save, the target takes half the damage and
isn’t poisoned.
Spellcasting. Cale is a 8th-level spellcaster. Its spell-
casting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit
with spell attacks). Cale has the following wizard spells
prepared.
Cantrips (at will): mage hand, ray of frost
1st level (4 slots): detect magic, magic missile, shield
2nd level (3 slots): invisibility, spike growth, wither and
bloom
3rd level (3 slots): animate death, counterspell, dispel magic
4th level (2 slots): blight, dimension door
REACTIONS
Grasping Vine. When Cale takes damage it conjures
a rotting vine that bursts from the ground in an unoc-
cupied space it can see within 30 feet for 1d6 turns. The
vine immediately lashes out at a creature within 30 feet
of it that Cale can see. The target must succeed on a DC
17 Dexterity saving throw or be pulled 20 feet directly
toward the vine. As long as the vine remains, Cale can
direct the vine to lash out as a bonus action on each of
its turns.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Cale can take 2 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. Cale regains spent legendary actions at the start
of its turn.
Flight. Cale moves up to half its speed without pro-
voking opportunity attacks.
Dark Visions. Cale targets a creature it can see with-
in 30 feet of it that is poisoned. The target must suc-
ceed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or suffer from
dark visions taking 27 (6d8) psychic damage. The target
must repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its
own turns. On a failure the target takes 18 (4d8) psychic
damage. On a success the effect ends and the target is
immune to Dark Visions for the next 24 hours.
ACTIONS+
Necrotic Blast. Ranged spell attack: +9 to hit, range
60/120 ft., one target. Hit: 27 (6d8) necrotic damage.
Wither (Recharge 5-6). Each non-undead creature
within 10 feet of Cale must make a DC 17 Constitution
saving throw or take 36 (8d8) necrotic damage and half
that much on a successful save. Cale gains temporary
hit points equal to the total damage dealt to all targets.
REACTIONS+
Lifelink. Whenever Cale takes damage, it can choose
one creature it has summoned within 30 feet. Cale only
takes half of the damage, the summoned creature takes
the other half.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS+
Cale can take 3 legendary actions per round.
Mage. Cale casts a spell it has prepared.
Corpse Explosion. Cale may choose one corpse or
zombie within 60 feet that it can see to explode in a 15-
foot square centered on the target. Any creatures in the
area must succeed on a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw
or take 27 (6d8) bludgeoning damage or half that much
on a successful save. The targeted corpse or zombie is
obliterated and this effect cannot be repeated on the
same target.
PRIMAL FORM
Trigger Conditions.
If Cale would be reduced to 0 hit points, its current hit
point total instead resets to 75 hit points. It ends any
conditions or other effects. It restores its Legendary re-
sistances and spellcasting slots. Additionally, Cale can
now use the options in the Primal Form section for 1
hour.
If any of the following conditions are met, Cale immedi-
ately activates its Primal Form.
› The Phylactery is threatened
› All players suffer from poison
“Cale falls down on its knees. Its shoulders sunken and
its eyes pointed to the floor. It places his hands on the
ground and a mystical force from the surrounding; any-
thing with life—from every blade of grass to the scurry-
ing rats in dark corners—is forcibly drained of their life-
force. Strings of a horrid energy gravitates towards Cale
and covers it with a sinister, thin veil of emerald energy.
Cale’s eye-sockets now blaze with a green ember.”
LAIR ACTIONS
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Cale takes
this lair action.
Haunted Grounds. 2d4 medium undead beasts rise
up from the ground within 60 feet of Cale, this effect
continues on each of Cale’s turns. The creatures die and
turn to ashes if they move outside of the 60 foot range of
Cale or if Cale dies.
“Cale raises its staff and mystical, emerald strings of en-
ergy, eminating from the staff ’s head, fly and creep into
the lifeless creatures in its vicinity. The bodies or what
little is left of them start to animate... rigidly... crawling
and groveling, resolutely gathering around their master,
Lord of the Carcass.”