“This tragedy starts as they usually do, with greed and tyranny. There once was a dwarf king, don’t recall his name, don’t matter. What matters was the fella held a cold, cruel heart beneath a bearded braided with gems and golden torques. He had a hole in his soul he tried to fill with treasure and never could. One day, he got it in his mind that he needed a weapon grander than any other. So, this foolish king went and had the greatest dwarf smith of the era trussed up and brought to his castle. The king demanded this fellow make a hammer that could strike open the very earth so he could prove he as more powerful than the stout folks’ very gods.

Course, the smith refused. The king brought in the man’s family, bound in chains, and laid his demand again. When the smith still refused he had the man’s youngest child tossed into the forge and made his ‘request’ again. This time the smith relented and the tyrant locked him in a great forge room with the decree that if the smith tried to exit the room, or even sleep before the hammer was done that the next child would burn. What could the smith do but his best to save his kin? Any of us would do the same.

They say the weapon smith labored for nine days straight. Given the grit of dwarven folk, I ain’t surprised. Still, the hammer weren’t done when the poor bastard died of exhaustion right there on his anvil. Enraged the king had the rest of the family killed, piled them next to their ‘failure’ of a father, and ordered them all burned. They say the mad king’s cackle echoed through the mountain halls as he watched them reduced to cinder. That was, until, the smith rose from the ashes with the hammer in hand.

But, the ghost didn’t ever slay his ruler. Instead, he crushed every guard, smashed every treasure, tarnished every coin, and shattered every statue. By the time the dead smith was done the mountain was deserted, save the tyrant-made-pauper who howled in lonely anguish amid his kingdom of ruins. Justice was done.

The ashen haunt was not. He be still out there, though, looking for more loot to destroy and nobles to lay low.”

-Fossor Carvilius Graeme

The Ashen Haunt

Medium undead, chaotic evil

Armor Class 12

Hit Points 97 (13d8 + 39)

Speed 0ft

Flight 40ft (hover)

Str 7 Dex 14 Con 16 Int 10 Wis 12 Cha 18

Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained

Damage Immunities Fire, Necrotic, Poison

Damage Resistances Acid, Cold, Lightning, Thunder; Bludgeoning, Piercing, And Slashing From Nonmagical Weapons

Senses darksight 60ft, passive Perception 11

Languages common, dwarven

Challenge 7 (2900 XP)

Ethereal Sight:

The ghost can see 60 ft. into the Ethereal Plane when it is on the Material Plane, and vice versa.

Incorporeal Movement:

The ghost can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

Rust:

Any nonmagical weapon made of metal that hits the ashen haunt corrodes. After dealing damage, the weapon takes a permanent and cumulative -1 penalty to damage rolls. If its penalty drops to -5, the weapon is destroyed. Nonmagical ammunition made of metal that hits the ashen haunt is destroyed after dealing damage.

Actions

Hammer:

Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6+2) necrotic damage and 14 (4d6) fire damage.

Entropic Word.

The ashen haunt corrodes a nonmagical ferrous metal object it can see within 30 feet of it. If the object isn't being worn or carried, the touch destroys a 1-foot cube of it. If the object is being worn or carried by a creature, the creature can make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw to avoid the ashen haunt 's gaze. If the object touched is either metal armor or a metal shield being worn or carried, it takes a permanent and cumulative -1 penalty to the AC it offers. Armor reduced to an AC of 10 or a shield that drops to a +0 bonus is destroyed. If the object touched is a held metal weapon, it rusts as described in the Rust trait.

Etherealness:

The ghost enters the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa. It is visible on the Material Plane while it is in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet it can't affect or be affected by anything on the other plane.

Withering Word (1/day).

The ashen haunt utters a curse against magic targeting a specific magic item causing it to lose its magic properties and become a mundane item for 1 minute. If the item is worn or carried by a creature the creature can make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw to ignore the effect.