Copyright 2008 Wizards of the Coast

This article is part of a series! Click here to see the other entries.

I think rot harbingers first appeared in 3e as Angels of Decay, in one of its undead-focused supplements. Here, they are only on the Monster Manual.

The Lore

In 4e, rot harbingers are still sometimes called angels of decay, though that’s the less common name for them. Though they resemble angels, the two are not directly related.

Rot harbingers are one a type of undead that were never alive in the first place. Once upon a time Orcus decided to travel outside the Abyss for reasons that have been lost to time. The gods took this opportunity to try and kill him, and sent a host of angels to do the deed. The angels failed, and all of them perished at the claws of the demon lord. When Orcus returned to the Abyss, he made the first rot harbingers from nothing as a kind of “fuck you” to the gods that tried to kill him.

Most such monsters still serve Orcus, but some have managed to escape his control and find new employment with other masters. All of them are quite unpleasant, with their lust for inflicting agony and death being literally the thing that keeps them animate.

The Numbers

Rot harbingers are Medium Elemental Humanoids with the Undead keyword. They’re immune to disease and poison, have 10 necrotic resistance, and aren’t specially vulnerable to radiant energy. They run at speed 6 and fly at speed 8 (clumsy). We get two stat blocks here, and they’re simple enough that I’m not going to give them their own sub-sections.

The standard Rot Harbinger is a level 20 soldier with 193 HP. It fights with its claws, which mark for a turn and do ongoing necrotic damage (save ends) in addition to their standard physical damage. That’s their only attack.

There’s also the Rot Slinger, which is level 22 Artillery and has 165 HP. Its claws also do ongoing necrotic damage, and it fights at range by shooting Orbs of Decay (Ranged 10 vs. Fortitude) which do necrotic damage, weaken, and inflict a -2 penalty to saves (save ends both).

They’re best used in groups, with standard harbingers providing a serviceable front line and the slingers hanging back. They pair well with monsters that inflict (save ends) effects, due to the penalty they inflict.

Sample Encounters and Final Impressions

We have two:

  • Level 21: 1 deathpriest hierophant, 3 slaughter wights, and 2 rot harbingers.

  • Level 22: 2 harbingers, 2 slingers, and a voidsoul specter.

In other words, Thanatos is probably crawling with these things, and they make perfect servants to high level necromancer types even if those necromancers aren’t part of the Orcus franchise. They’re good candidates for the “regular foot-soldier” monster in an all-undead epic adventure.