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Warden Vane

Warden Vane was once a high-ranking judicial official before his fascination with 'the moment of death' turned into an obsession with the soul itself. He was given Blackwall to manage because no one else could keep the prisoners silent. To the crown, he is efficient; to the inmates, he is a living nightmare.

Monsters
Medium humanoid · CR 6 · Unique

Warden Vane

A sadistic necromancer warden who views prisoners as psychological and biological specimens for his experiments.
AC16
HP91/91
CR6
Init
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
ConditionsNone

Combat

AC 16 · HP 91 · CR 6

Warden Vane

Medium humanoid (human), lawful evil
Armor Class16 (Reinforced Robes and Iron Mask)
Hit Points91 (14d8 + 28)
Speed
30 ft walking
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
Saving ThrowsConstitutionIntelligenceWisdom
SkillsArcanaMedicineInsightIntimidation
Damage Resistances
Necrotic
Immunities
Charmed
Weaknesses
Radiant damage ignores mask-based AC bonuses for 1 round
Senses
Darkvision 60 ft,
Passive Perception 12
Languages
Common,
Abyssal,
Infernal
Challenge6
Proficiency Bonus+3
Grim Harvest. Once per turn when Vane kills a creature with a spell of 1st level or higher, he regains hit points equal to twice the spell's level.
Mask of the Inquisitor. While wearing his iron mask, Vane has advantage on saving throws against being blinded or deafened.

Spells

Chill Touch (cantrip, necromancy). 120ft range, necrotic damage, target cannot regain hit points.
Mage Hand (cantrip, conjuration). The hand appears skeletal and invisible.
Ray of Sickness (level 1, necromancy). Range 60ft, poison damage and poisoned status on failed Con save.
Hold Person (level 2, enchantment). Paralyzes a humanoid on a failed Wisdom save.
Blindness/Deafness (level 2, necromancy). Blinds or deafens a target on a failed Con save.
Animate Dead (level 3, necromancy). Creates undead servants from corpses.
Vampiric Touch (level 3, necromancy). Melee spell attack, necrotic damage, Vane heals half.

Actions

Multiattack. Vane makes two attacks with his Soul-Leash.
Soul-Leash. Melee Weapon Attack: to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 4 () slashing damage plus 10 () necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be spectraly tethered to Vane. While tethered, the target cannot move further than 15 feet from Vane and takes 3 () necrotic damage at the start of each of its turns. The tether lasts for 1 minute or until Vane uses the leash on a different target.
Memory Siphon. Vane targets one creature he can see within 30 feet that is restrained or tethered. The target must make a Intelligence saving throw. On a failure, the target takes 21 () psychic damage and Vane learns one piece of information from the target's past. On a success, the target takes half damage and Vane learns nothing.

Reactions

Cruel Interruption. When a creature Vane can see within 60 feet attempts to cast a spell, he can force them to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature is overwhelmed by a horrific vision of their own death, and the spell fails.

Legendary Actions

Move. Vane moves up to his speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Lash. Vane makes one Soul-Leash attack.
Raise Experiment (costs 2 actions). Vane snaps his fingers, and one medium pile of bones or a corpse within 30 feet rises as a Skeleton or Zombie under his control.
Role
Controller/Boss
Built for
4 to 5

Gear

  • Soul-Leash (Magic Weapon, 2500 gp)A whip made of braided silver wire and human hair that channels necrotic energy.
  • Iron Warden Mask (Armor, 500 gp)Provides protection and filters out toxins.
  • The Master Key (Utility, Unique)Opens every non-magical lock in the Blackwall Penitentiary.

Feats

War Caster
Observant

Augmentations

None

Notes for the game master

Vane has advantage on Concentration checks due to War Caster.
Soul-Leash tethers are a key mechanic to keep players from kiting.

Tactics

  1. Opening

    Vane begins by using Hold Person or Blindness/Deafness on the party's strongest martial fighter to exert immediate control.

  2. Mid-fight

    He uses Soul-Leash to pull high-threat casters into melee range where his Vampiric Touch or Memory Siphon can do the most damage.

  3. End of the fight

    If reduced below 30 HP, he uses Raise Experiment to put blockers between himself and the party while casting Chill Touch to prevent their healing.

  4. Retreat

    Vane is arrogant and rarely retreats. If forced, he will lock a heavy iron gate behind him and release his 'experiments' (Ghasts) to cover his exit.

How it fights

Focuses on the PC with the lowest Intelligence save first.
Uses the environment of the prison cells to corner targets.
Always keeps at least one zombie between himself and the party.

Who it attacks first

Wizards/Casters (for their memories)
Clerics (as a threat to his undead)
Fighters (as nuisances to be restrained)

Works well with

Skeletons (archers)
Zombies (flesh shields)
Iron Golem (if he has a higher budget laboratory)

How to beat it

Radiant Damage
Dispel Magic (on the Soul-Leash tethers)
Silence (stops his spellcasting)

Ways to avoid a fight

He can be bribed with rare occult knowledge or 'forbidden memories'.
He may allow the party to leave if they agree to serve as spies in the outside world, effectively 'paroling' them.

Ecology

A tall, gaunt man standing nearly seven feet high. He is clad in heavy, midnight-black robes reinforced with strips of dark leather. His most striking feature is a polished iron executioner's mask that covers his entire head, leaving only two narrow slits for his cold, analytical eyes. He moves with a precise, clinical grace, the heavy brass keys at his hip jingling softly.

Behavior

Vane is terrifyingly calm. He does not shout; he speaks in a low, measured tone as if narrating a surgical procedure. He is obsessed with the memories of his victims, believing that a person's history is the only fuel worth using for his necromantic rituals.

How it lives

Vane is a product of high-society corruption, a man who traded his status for the dark secrets of the soul. He sustains himself through minor life-leeching rituals, extending his lifespan through the suffering of his wards.

Lair

The Blackwall Penitentiary Torture Suites. The area is filled with iron bars, manacles that drain magic, and the lingering moans of the 'unfinished' experiments.

Habitat
Prisons, dungeons, dark laboratories, execution yards.

Signs that it is near

The smell of ozone and formaldehyde
A distinct lack of screaming (the victims are often magically silenced)
Polished iron surfaces reflecting the moonlight
Scraps of parchment containing detailed anatomical sketches of the party members

Tags

Necromancer,
Prison Warden,
Boss

Lore

Warden Vane was once a high-ranking judicial official before his fascination with 'the moment of death' turned into an obsession with the soul itself. He was given Blackwall to manage because no one else could keep the prisoners silent. To the crown, he is efficient; to the inmates, he is a living nightmare.

What drives it

To extract every memory from the characters' minds before raising their bodies as mindless, highly efficient skeletal guards.

After the fight

Once Vane is defeated, the prisoners of Blackwall go into a frenzy of liberation or terror. The players must navigate the chaos of a collapsing prison system and find their confiscated gear in his private vault.

“He was given Blackwall to manage because no one else could keep the prisoners silent.”
From its lore

Variants

The Lich-Ward (A higher CR version where Vane has begun his transformation into a Lich)

Hooks

Plot hooks

The characters wake up in Blackwall and see Vane looming over a fellow prisoner with his Soul-Leash.
Vane is hunting for a specific memory the characters don't even know they possess.
Local villagers hire the party to rescue a loved one from Vane's 'mercy treatment'.

How to use it

Final boss of a prison break arc.
A recurring villain who 'captures' the party rather than killing them.

Treasure

The Soul-Leash
A logbook of prisoner psychological profiles
A pouch of 300 gp and several black onyx gems (worth 50gp each)

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