Selvaard

A "selvaard" is a trapped unresting soul. They are unresting, and unable to satiate their endless hunger for which they leave a path of corpses in their wake. In Frostborn myth, a selvaard is what becomes of a soul unable to find rest in death, and that soul finds itself bound to a beast, or in some cases it posses a human corpse manifesting itself into a troll. A Blue Flame Mage will be summoned when a suspected selvaard is plaguing a town or region, and the mage's duty is to subdue the selvaard and help guide it to the afterlife in peace. Other times, clerics, paladins, or priests are asked to destroy the selvaard, deemed as a wicked spirit. The Iron Prophets of Ferrovictus are also those who hunt these spirits, and they often banish them from the mortal world or smite them with their might.

### Selvaard Beasts

A selvaard spirit might possess a beast, causing the beast to go mad and attack violently and devour endlessly. The selvaard spirit recalls vague locations from its life, usually returning to its home village to devour and grow stronger. To use a Selvaard beast as a monster, take the stats of any beast with the following changes:

* The beast's Hit Dice and Challenge Rating increase by 2
* Their type becomes undead and their alignment becomes chaotic evil
* Damage Resistances: acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
* Damage Immunities: necrotic, poison
* Damage Vulnerabilities: radiant
* Condition Immunities: charmed, exhaustion, frightened, unconscious
* ***Rejuvenation***. When the selvaard's body is destroyed, its soul lingers. After 24 hours, the soul inhabits and animates another humanoid or beast corpse that hasn't been burned or buried on the same plane of existence, and regains all its host's hit points plus the added Hit Dice. The selvaard cannot rejuvenate if it's last body was cut into six pieces and burned within an hour of it being dropped to 0 HP or its spectral form is destroyed.
* ***Spectral Form.*** When a selvaard beast is dropped to 0 hit points the spirit manifests into a specter until it can assume a new form. The specter will try to evade any threats it can perceive. If the specter is destroyed points the selvaard cannot assume a new body and the soul is wiped from existence.
* ***Turn Immunity***. The selvaard is immune to effects that turn undead while possessing a host's body.
* ***Life Drain (Bite).*** Melee Spell Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5ft., one creature. Hit 12 (3d6+2) necrotic damage. The target's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and the selvaard regains hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if its hit point maximum is reduced to 0.

## Selvaard Troll

When a selvaard possesses a humanoid corpse that has died in 48 hours, it becomes a selvaard troll. The troll can remember vague locations of the corpse's life, often returning to their village to devour and grow stronger.

## Selvaard Troll

### CHA

18 (+4)
13 (+1)
20 (+5)
7 (-2)
9 (-1)
7 (-2)

### Skills

Initiative +7, Athletics +6, Perception +1, History +6, Intimidation +3

### Damage Resistances

acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren't silvered

### Condition Immunities

charmed, exhaustion, frightened, unconscious

### Challenge

7 (2,900)

*large giant, undead, chaotic evil*

***Keen Smell*.** The troll has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.

***Rengeration.*** The troll regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn. If the troll takes radiant damage, this trait doesn't function at the start of the troll's next turn. The troll dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn't regenerate.

***Loathsome Limbs (Variant).*** Whenever the troll takes at least 15 slashing damage at one time, roll a d20 to determine what else happens to it.

* 1-10: Nothing else happens
* 11-14: One leg is severed from the troll if it has any legs left.
* 15-18: One arm is severed from the troll if it has any arms left.
* 19-20: The troll is decapitated, but the troll dies only if it can't regenerate. If it dies, so does the severed head.

If the troll finishes a short or long rest without reattaching a severed limb or head, the part regrows. At that point, the severed part dies. Until then, a severed part acts on the troll's initiative and has its own action and movement. A severed part has AC 13, 10 hit points, and the troll's Regeneration trait.

A severed leg is unable to attack and has a speed of 5 feet.

A severed arm has a speed of 5 ft. and can make one claw attack on its turn, with disadvantage on the attakc roll unless the troll can see the arm and its target. Each time the troll loses and arm, it loses a claw attack.

 File:Undead troll.jpg
If the head is severed, the troll loses its bite attack and its body is blinded unless the head can see it. The severed head has a speed of 0 feet and the troll's Keen Smell trait. It can make a Life Drain (Bite) attack but only against a target in its space.

The troll's speed is halved if it's missing a leg. If it loses both legs, it falls prone. If it has both arms, it can crawl. With only one arm, it can still crawl, but its speed is halved. With no arms or legs, its speed is 0, and it can't benefit from bonuses to speed.

***Spectral Form.*** When a selvaard troll is dropped to 0 hit points the spirit manifests into a specter until it can assume a new body. The specter will evade any threats it can perceive. If the specter is destroyed the selvaard cannot assume a new body and the soul is wiped from existence.

***Rejuvination.*** When the selvaard's body is destroyed, its soul lingers. After 24 hours, the soul inhabits and animates another humanoid or beast corpse that hasn't been burned or buried on the same plane of existence and regains all its hit points plus the added Hit Dice. The selvaard cannot rejuvinate if its last body was cut into six pieces and burned within an hour of its last body being destroyed, or its spectral form is destroyed.

***Turn Immunity*.** The selvaard is immune to effects that turn undead.

### Actions

***Multiattack.*** The troll makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.

***Claw.** Melee Weapon Attack:* +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6+4) slashing damage.

''***Life Drain (Bite).*** Melee Spell Attack: *+9 to hit, reach 5ft., one creature. Hit 12 (3d6+2) necrotic damage. The target's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and the selvaard regains hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if its hit point maximum is reduced to 0.*