Runecarved sentinels are stone constructs designed to guard vaults and sacred sites. Their bodies are etched with runes and laced with precious metals, granting them both resilience and a semblance of life through runic magic. When a runecarved sentinel detects the presence of a nearby creature, its runes begin to glow as it assesses whether the creature is permitted to enter. If not, the sentinel must determine whether to deny entry through force or discourse.
These runes provide the sentinel with its ability to detect and combat intruders. Most sentinels can be bypassed using a secret passphrase known only to their creator and authorized individuals. However, if the passphrase is forgotten, the sentinel resorts to a series of questions to verify the visitor’s permissibility. If the creator was responsible, these questions will be challenging and known only to a specific group or individual. Each correct answer temporarily deactivates one of the sentinel’s runes, but a single wrong answer ends the process. A runecarved sentinel will issue a warning to intruders to leave before resorting to violence.
Runecarved Sentinel
Huge Construct, Unaligned
Armor Class 19 (natural armor)
Hit Points 207 (18d10 + 108)
Speed 40 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 (+7) | 8 (-1) | 23 (+6) | 4 (-3) | 11 (+0) | 1 (-5) |
Saving Throws Str +12, Con +11, Wis +5
Skills Arcana +7, History +7, Insight +10
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Dwarvish, Giant, Gnomish
Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +5
Immutable Form. The sentinel is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
Magic Resistance. The sentinel has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack. The sentinel makes two Slam attacks and uses one Runeword.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 29 (4d10 + 7) bludgeoning damage.
Runeword: Bind (1/Day). Fiery chains wrap around a creature the sentinel can see within 120 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Strength saving throw or have the restrained condition. While restrained in this way, the target takes 14 (4d6) fire damage at the start of each of its turns. It can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Runeword: Teleport (1/Day). The sentinel teleports up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Runeword: Restore (1/Day). The sentinel touches a creature. The target magically regains 27 (6d8) hit points.
Runeword: Reveal (1/Day). The sentinel sprays metallic dust in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in the area must succeed on DC 18 Dexterity saving throw or be covered in metallic dust for 1 minute. A creature covered in the dust can’t benefit from the invisible condition and attack rolls against it have advantage.
Reactions
Recharge.If the sentinel succeeds on a saving throw against a spell or other magical effect, it recharges one of it’s expended Runewords (chosen at random).
Downloads
Further Reading
A vault guarded by a runecarved sentinel could have all manner of items, such as a Wand of Wonder (Walls), a Vest of Quick-quaffing, or a spellbook like the Caustic Compendium.
Imagery created with Midjourney.
