Copyright 2009 Wizards of the Coast

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I think it’s fair to say that eladrins can be overachievers. Their societies produce a lot of gallant knights and powerful spellcasters, who go on to accumulate glory and renown to their name. They’ll be the first to say the world is a better place due to their efforts.

Sometimes, though, things go wrong. A knight perishes with a quest unfulfilled, or a mage dies just before making that one crucial breakthrough that would get him tenure at Lórien Polytechnic. Whether from violence, accident or natural causes, such deaths are incredibly frustrating for the eladrin in question, so they simply refuse to go. The entity that results from this is known as a Fey Lingerer.

Fey lingerers resemble the people they were in life, but the book describes then as “withdrawn from elven grace”. In other words, they look clearly dead, their formerly shiny countenances now decomposed or dessicated. They’re also quite cruel and anti-social, their personalities now dominated by the frustration and anger that kept them from passing on.

Lingerers generally try to accomplish whatever it is they were trying to do when they died, and can linger on even after that, looking for ways to gain the glory and fame they feel were due to them while they lived. They might employ other undead in this, and sometimes they also gather living eladrin followers who are willing to help their fallen heroes.

When a fey lingerer is destroyed in combat, its spirit emerges angrier than ever. This vestige knows it can never complete its objectives now that its body has been destroyed, and becomes obsessed with taking revenge on those responsible.

The Numbers

Fey lingerers are corporeal undead, and since they used to be overachieving eladrin luminaries, they’re usually mid-to-late Paragon-tier. As is standard for undead, they have Darkvision plus some level of Necrotic resistance and Radiant Vulnerability.

Lingerers retain the eladrin Fey Step power, and add an aura of Spiraling Despair (radius 3) which inflicts a -2 penalty to attacks and saves to enemies caught inside. They also have an extra bonus on saves against charm effects.

They’re Elite monsters, but this is implemented in a novel and very interesting way. Normally an Elite would have double HP, but Fey Lingerers have the normal amount. However, when they hit 0 HP they become Vestiges, incorporeal undead with their own stat blocks. They start in the same position as the original lingerer, and act on the same initiative order, but are otherwise treated as if they had just entered the fight: full HP, all abilities unused.

Vestiges aren’t worth any additional XP when fought as part of a lingerer fight since the lingerer’s XP total accounts for them. You can design encounters with vestiges directly, though, and in that case they’re worth XP as normal for a regular monster of their level.

Lingerer Knight

These knights usually died when trying to fulfill an important mission or quest, and are driven to complete it. They might have been honorable sorts before their deaths, but now they’re just desperate. Bearing the same weapons they did in life, they can infuse their strikes with necrotic energy and force enemies to experience their rather unhealthy mental state.

Lingerer Knights are Level 16 Elite Soldiers with 152 HP. They have all standard lingerer traits and a speed of 6. Their necrotic resistance is 10, and their radiant vulnerability 5. The one in the book fights with a Longsword that also inflicts ongoing necrotic damage (save ends). Double Attack allows it to perform two sword attacks in a single action.

They can also perform a spell called Spirit Sword Circle (recharge 5+), a Close Burst 1 vs. Reflex that does slightly less damage than a double attack and also inflicts ongoing necrotic damage (save ends).

That unhealthy mental state manifests as two different powers: Desperate Challenge (Ranged 10; Encounter) allows the knight to mark a target until the end of the fight or until the knight discorporates, whichever comes first. Marked targets take some automatic necrotic damage when they make an attack that doesn’t target the knight. Spiritual Despondence triggers when the knight is first bloodied and deals automatic necrotic damage in a Close Burst 3.

Fey-Knight Vestige

A destroyed lingerer knight becomes one of these. It’s a Level 16 Lurker with 75 HP. It has all standard lingerer traits, a ground speed of 6, and a fly speed of 6. Its resistances and vulnerabilities increase by 5 each, and it’s also insubstantial.

The vestige fights with a Ghostsword that targets Fortitude instead of AC, does necrotic damage, and makes the target grant combat advantage to the vestige (save ends). This means it can do its “Lurker thing” while staying in the front lines, which is a bit unusual but matches the “knight” flavor. Desperate Dash (move; recharge 5+) allows it to shift 6 squares and possibly escape being surrounded.

Lingerer Fell Incanter

Fell Incanters hang around for more open-ended reasons than knights, and are usually obsessed with obtaining more arcane knowledge and power in order to Show Them All. Their magic is tinted with their hatred, so all of it does necrotic damage. So they’re kind of Lich-Lite.

Fell Incanters are Level 18 Elite Artillery with 130 HP and all standard lingerer traits. They’re armed with a quarterstaff that also inflicts ongoing necrotic damage (save ends).

At range they can fire Soul Bolts (ranged 10 vs. Fortitude) that deal necrotic damage and immobilize (save ends). Double Attack allows them to shoot two of these in one action. After they’re bloodied, they can also use a Soul Blast (close blast 3 vs. Fortitude; recharge 5+) that does necrotic damage and weakens until the end of the incanter’s next turn.

Fey-Incanter Vestige

When a fell incanter is destroyed, it becomes one of these. It’s a Level 18 Lurker with 91 HP. Its resistances and vulnerabilities are increased by 5 each, it gains a fly speed, and becomes insubstantial.

Incanter vestiges have no melee attacks. Their basic attack is a Ray of Humility (Ranged 5 vs. Will) doing both immediate and ongoing necrotic damage. It also inflicts 5e disadvantage (roll 2d20 and take the lowest die) on the victim’s saves, with a successful save ending both this and the ongoing damage.

There’s also Ray of Spring’s Rejection (ranged 5 vs. Will; recharge 5+), which does more damage and makes the target grant combat advantage to the vestige (save ends). And, like the knight vestige, this one deals increased damage to people granting CA to it.

This results in an enemy that’s a bit similar to the knight vestige but with a ranged focus. It’s also a lot harder to save against its CA-granting effect.

Sample Encounters and Final Impressions

The sample encounter is Level 18: two lingerer knights, 1 fell incanter, and a living bralani of autumn winds who is probably one of the incanter’s fan-elves.

I think fey lingerers are really interesting! Though I described them as “Lich Lite”, I actually think they’re a bit more flavorful than standard liches, what with the whole “become a vengeful ghost” mechanic. I always felt D&D 4 could have done a lot more with such multi-stage enemies.