Deep in the starry expanse of the Astral Plane, necromancers can find a pure, untapped necromantic source: the Dead Mists. This inky astral fog is an embodiment of unlife in the multiverse, perhaps a negative balance to the overwhelming majority of living creatures. However, the Dead Mists is a living and corruptive entity that drains the life essence from anything it touches.
Necromancers that survive their first experimentations in the Dead Mists might become its acolytes and spend their waking hours unraveling its astral secrets. Perhaps they will learn to coax life essence back out of the necromantic cloud, or perhaps they will learn to summon aspects of the mists to plague their foes. Regardless, they will pay the price for their ambitions as the mists slowly drain them of mortality.
Dead Mist Spells
When you choose this ambition at 3rd level, you learn additional spells as noted in the table below. Each of these spells counts as a necromancer spell for you, but doesn’t count against the number of necromancer spells you know. New spells are marked with an asterisk.
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | Dead Mist Lash, Fog Cloud |
| 2nd | Levitate, Misty Step |
| 3rd | Dead Fog, Gaseous Form |
| 4th | Banishment, Death Ward |
| 5th | Antilife Shell, Cloudkill |
Charnel Consumption
Also at 3rd level, you can draw the withering Dead Mists into your soul at the cost of your own life essence. When you expend 5 or more points when making a Charnel Touch attack, you can instead choose to lose an equal number of hit points instead of expending Charnel Touch points.
Because of the soul-draining nature of the Dead Mists, you can’t regain hit points from any spell you cast.
Mistborne Regeneration
At 6th level, you can restore your life essence by feeding upon the Dead Mists. As an action on your turn, you can expend 5 or more Charnel Touch points. You regain 1d8 hit points for every 5 Charnel Touch points expended.
Duskfog
Beginning at 10th level, you can call upon a vile shadow from the Dead Mists to serve as your thrall. When you perform your Animate Thralls ritual, you can summon one or more duskfogs to serve as your thralls. When a duskfog is reduced to 0 hit points or released by you, it disperses into the air.
Lichdom: Dead Mist Lord
At 20th level, you have reached the pinnacle of necromancy and transformed yourself into a lich. However, your lichdom has become corrupted by the allconsuming Dead Mists, leaving you a gaseous, incorporeal wraith. You gain the following features in addition to the Lichdom feature:
Damage Resistance. You gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks.
Gaseous Body. Your lich form is gaseous and indistinct. You can enter and occupy the spaces of other creatures. Additionally, you can pass through small holes, narrow openings, and even mere cracks, though you treat liquids as though they were solid surfaces.
Additionally, you gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed. You can’t fall and remain hovering in the air even when stunned or otherwise incapacitated.
Master of the Mists. Once on each of your turns when you deal necrotic damage to a hostile creature with your Charnel Touch or a necromancer spell, you drain some of the target’s life essence with the Dead Mists. You regain hit points equal to 2d6 + your Intelligence modifier, up to a maximum of the damage dealt.
Duskfog Statblock
- Medium Undead, Typically Chaotic Evil
- Armor Class: 13
- Hit Points: 26 (4d8 + 8)
- Speed: 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 (–3) | 17 (+3) | 14 (+2) | 3 (–4) | 10 (+0) | 8 (–1) |
- Damage Resistances: acid, cold, fire, lightning, necrotic, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
- Damage Immunities: poison, necrotic
- Condition Immunities: exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
- Senses: darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 10
- Languages: understands all the languages of its creator, but can’t speak
- Challenge: 1 (200 XP)
- Proficiency Bonus: +2
Misty Form. The duskfog can occupy another creature’s space and vice versa. In addition, if air can pass through a space, the duskfog can pass through it without squeezing. Each foot of movement in water costs it 2 extra feet, rather than 1 extra foot. The duskfog can’t manipulate objects in any way that requires fingers or manual dexterity.
Actions
Misty Embrace. Melee Spell Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 13 (3d6 + 3) necrotic damage and the duskfog regains hit points equal to half of the necrotic damage dealt.