The Necromancer’s Wrath: Unveiling The Dark Sovereign in Dungeons & Dragons

A sinister figure emerges from the shadowed corners of GameScribe’s Dungeons & Dragons universe, where the air is thick with ancient magic. The Dark Sovereign, a necromancer of terrible power, is a villain that can bring terror and despair to any campaign. Born from a tale of tragedy and vengeance, this character is a perfect antagonist for a dark fantasy adventure.

🌑 The Dark Sovereign: A Nightmare Reborn

The Dark Sovereign was once a mere whisper in the wind, a shadow in the night. It was the wrath that consumed Kael Shadowalker’s village. This darkness extinguished the laughter and joy of a once-thriving community. The Dark Sovereign sought an ancient artifact believed to be hidden within the village, and in his relentless pursuit he unleashed an army of undead. To learn more about Kael Shadowalker and his tragic past, see our previous articles: Embracing Shadow and Delving Deeper into Shadows.

📜 Stat Block

Use the Dark Sovereign in Your Campaign

The Dark Sovereign

Medium humanoid (any race), any evil alignment

• Armor Class: 13 (16 with mage armor)
• Hit Points: 130 (20d8 + 40)
• Speed: 30 ft.

• STR: 10 (+0)
• DEX: 14(+2)
• CON: 14 (+2)
• INT: 20 (+5)
• WIS: 12 (+1)
• CHA: 18 (+4)

• Saving Throws: INT +10, WIS +6
• Skills: Arcana +10, History +10
• Damage Resistances: Necrotic, Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
• Condition Immunities: Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened
• Senses: Darkvision 60, Passive Perception 11
• Languages: Common plus any four languages
• Challenge: 13 (10,000 XP)

Spellcasting

The Dark Sovereign is a 20th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). The Dark Sovereign has the following wizard spells prepared:

• Cantrips (at will): chill touch, mage hand, prestidigitation, ray of frost
• 1st level (4 slots): mage armor, magic missile, ray of sickness, shield
• 2nd level (3 slots): blindness/deafness, misty step, ray of enfeeblement
• 3rd level (3 slots): animate dead, counterspell, vampiric touch
• 4th level (3 slots): blight, dimension door
• 5th level (3 slots): cloudkill, raise dead
• 6th level (2 slots): circle of death, disintegrate
• 7th level (2 slots): finger of death, teleport
• 8th level (1 slot): power word stun
• 9th level (1 slot): power word kill

Legendary Resistance (3/Day)

If the Dark Sovereign fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Undead Thralls

When the Dark Sovereign casts animate dead, it can target one additional corpse or pile of bones, creating another zombie or skeleton, as appropriate. Whenever it creates an undead using a necromancy spell, it has additional benefits: the creature’s hit point maximum is increased by an amount equal to the Dark Sovereign’s wizard level, and it adds the Dark Sovereign’s proficiency bonus to its weapon damage rolls.

Actions

Multiattack. The Dark Sovereign makes two Staff of Shadows attacks.

Staff of Shadows: Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage.

Command Undead (Recharge 5-6):

Legendary Actions

The Dark Sovereign can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Dark Sovereign regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

• Cantrip. The Dark Sovereign casts a cantrip.
• Command Minion (Costs 2 Actions). The Dark Sovereign targets one undead creature it controls and commands it to take an attack action.
• Dark Escape (Costs 3 Actions). The Dark Sovereign becomes intangible and moves up to its speed without provoking opportunity attacks. It can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain.

🌑 Visual Description (For Players)

The Dark Sovereign stands tall, draped in tattered robes that seem to absorb light. His skeletal fingers clutch a staff of twisted, dark wood adorned with skulls. A hood obscures his face, but two piercing red eyes glow from within the shadows. The air around him is cold, and the ground seems to wither beneath his feet. Shadow Stalkers, ethereal creatures of darkness, flit around him like shadows clinging to a flickering flame.

🌑 The Dark Sovereign’s Goals (For DMs)

His ultimate goal is to become an immortal ruler, with an army of undead and Shadow Stalkers at his command. Discover more about these nightmarish entities in our detailed post on the Shadow Stalker. He is relentless and will stop at nothing to obtain ancient artifacts and knowledge that can further his dark powers.

Random Table for Customizing Goals (1d6)

1. The Dark Sovereign seeks to resurrect an ancient, powerful lich to serve him, with Shadow Stalkers as his guardians.
2. He aims to plunge the world into eternal darkness, where his power and the power of the Shadow Stalkers will be supreme.
3. He seeks to construct a phylactery, beginning his transformation into a lich, using Shadow Stalkers to gather the necessary materials.
4. The Dark Sovereign is collecting souls to bargain with a dark god, using Shadow Stalkers to harvest them.
5. He is trying to eradicate all other forms of magic, leaving necromancy as the supreme arcane power and using Shadow Stalkers as his enforcers.
6. The Dark Sovereign seeks revenge against those who wronged him in his mortal life, sending Shadow Stalkers to terrorize them.

Random Table for Backstory/Origin Prompts (1d6)

1. The Dark Sovereign was once a noble king who turned to necromancy to save his dying kingdom, and the Shadow Stalkers were his loyal knights.
2. He was a scholar obsessed with the secrets of life and death, eventually succumbing to dark magic and binding the Shadow Stalkers to his will.
3. The Dark Sovereign was cursed by a witch, causing him to seek dark powers to break the curse, and the Shadow Stalkers are manifestations of his torment.
4. He was a priest who lost faith in his god and turned to necromancy to create his own form of order, with Shadow Stalkers as his dark angels.
5. The Dark Sovereign was a mortal who made a pact with a dark deity for eternal life, and the Shadow Stalkers are the shadows of those he sacrificed.
6. He was a victim of a plague. He sought to conquer death itself through necromancy, with the Shadow Stalkers born from the plague’s shadows.

🎉 Epilogue: The Shadows Await

The Dark Sovereign is a formidable and terrifying adversary that can bring a chilling darkness to your D&D campaign. His presence is a reminder of the thin line between ambition and madness and the depths to which one can fall when consumed by power. The Shadow Stalkers, his dark minions, add an extra layer of terror and challenge. As a Dungeon Master, you can weave a tale of tragedy, darkness, and perhaps redemption as the players face this formidable foe. As players, facing the Dark Sovereign and his Shadow Stalkers is a test of courage, wit, and determination. Will your heroes be able to stand against the tide of shadows, or will they be consumed by the darkness? The shadows await your next move.

May your rolls be ever in your favor.

🚀🐲

This article is part of a series on creating engaging characters and villains in Dungeons & Dragons. Stay tuned for more articles and insights into creating memorable adventures. The Dark Sovereign and his Shadow Stalkers can be woven into a larger narrative, where heroes like Kael Shadowalker, who have faced the Shadow Stalkers, may find themselves confronting the sinister power behind them.