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Necrotherian Were-Vultures: The Perfect Storm of Undeath and Predatory Instincts

Alright, adventurers and dungeon masters alike, let’s talk about a creature that’s not only terrifying but also ridiculously thematic: Necrotherian Were-Vultures. Just think about it—vultures are already creatures associated with death and decay, so combining them with the powers of a lycanthrope and the undead? Yeah, that’s the stuff of nightmares, or perfect boss fights. This is just to continue the series as I was super inspired with my last game of D&D in a Castle. These can be associated with the Nex Vita or used without the organization. But if you want to learn more about them there are now several articles about this group and necrotherians to boot. Probably with more to come as well as more content from the castle game.

But what does a Necrotherian Were-Vulture bring to your game? How can you use them to really mess with your players? Let’s dive into their creation, their abilities, and how to make your party feel like they’ve stepped into a twisted, necrotic horror show.

Necrotherian Were-Vulture: Creation Gone Horribly Right (and Wrong)

As with most Necrotherians, creating a were-vulture hybrid isn’t an exact science. You’re fusing two extremely powerful, but conflicting, forces: the natural curse of lycanthropy and the undead’s defiance of life’s natural cycles. With vultures, you’re adding an extra layer of death symbolism—they’re already scavengers of the dead, so binding them with necrotic energy makes them obsessed with death, both in life and undeath.

Of course, not every experiment is a success. Necromancers or twisted druids who try to bind this hybrid form often fail. The result? Something less than a full Necrotherian Were-Vulture, but still dangerous in its own right. On the other hand, if everything goes to plan, you’re looking at a predator unlike any other, a creature that hunts both the living and the dead, capable of draining the life force from its victims and spreading the lycanthropic curse to boot.

Using Necrotherian Were-Vultures in Your Game

So, how do you use these creepy, undead predators in your campaign? There are a lot of angles you can take:

1. The Failed Experiment: The players come across a necromancer’s lab where a series of lycanthropic experiments have gone horribly wrong. The failed were-vultures are still deadly, but they’re mindless, scavenging on anything they can find—whether it’s already dead or not. They’re perfect for a “creepy lab escape” or “something’s gone wrong in the wizard’s tower” encounter.
2. The Perfect Necrotherian: The true Necrotherian Were-Vulture is an apex predator of the undead world, a creature that can fly over your party, pick off members one by one, and then return to feast on the remains. It can serve as an assassin or the final guardian in a necromantic dungeon, especially one that revolves around death magic, undead armies, or cursed lands.
3. A Spreading Plague: These creatures could also be used as the source of a growing lycanthropic plague. Unlike normal were-creatures, they don’t just pass on their curse—they spread death and decay, turning the land itself into a rotting wasteland. Your party might need to hunt down a particularly powerful Necrotherian Were-Vulture to stop the spread of the curse.

Now, let’s get into the good stuff: the stat blocks.

Failed Necrotherian Were-Vulture

Medium undead (shapechanger), chaotic evil

Armor Class: 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 82 (11d8 + 33)
Speed: 30 ft., fly 50 ft.

STR: 16 (+3) | DEX: 14 (+2) | CON: 16 (+3) | INT: 7 (-2) | WIS: 12 (+1) | CHA: 6 (-2)

Saving Throws: Str +5, Con +5
Skills: Perception +3, Stealth +4
Damage Resistances: Necrotic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
Damage Immunities: Poison
Condition Immunities: Charmed, Exhaustion, Poisoned
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 13
Languages: Understands Common but can’t speak

Challenge: 5 (1,800 XP)

Shapechanger: As an action, the Necrotherian Were-Vulture can transform into a giant vulture or back into its humanoid form. Its stats are the same in both forms, except it gains a flying speed of 50 ft. in vulture form.

Undying Hunger: The creature must feed on the corpses of the recently dead or take 5 necrotic damage per hour.

Reckless Attack: The Necrotherian Were-Vulture has disadvantage on Intelligence and Wisdom saves and often enters battle wildly, attacking with abandon. When it attacks recklessly, it gains advantage on melee attacks but grants advantage on attacks against it.

Actions:

• Multiattack: The Necrotherian Were-Vulture makes two attacks: one with its beak and one with its talons.
• Beak (Vulture Form Only): Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) piercing damage.
• Talons (Humanoid or Vulture Form): Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage.

Perfected Necrotherian Were-Vulture

Large undead (shapechanger), lawful evil

Armor Class: 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 165 (22d10 + 44)
Speed: 40 ft., fly 60 ft.

STR: 20 (+5) | DEX: 18 (+4) | CON: 20 (+5) | INT: 12 (+1) | WIS: 16 (+3) | CHA: 10 (+0)

Saving Throws: Str +9, Dex +8, Con +9, Wis +7
Skills: Perception +9, Stealth +8
Damage Resistances: Necrotic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
Damage Immunities: Poison
Condition Immunities: Charmed, Exhaustion, Poisoned
Senses: Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 19
Languages: Common, Abyssal

Challenge: 10 (5,900 XP)

Shapechanger: The Necrotherian Were-Vulture can use its action to transform into a giant vulture or back into its humanoid form. Its statistics are the same in each form, except for its flying speed, which is 60 ft. in vulture form.

Master of Decay: The Necrotherian Were-Vulture’s presence corrupts the land around it. Plants wither, water turns brackish, and corpses rise as undead within a 60-foot radius.

Life Drain: When the Necrotherian Were-Vulture deals necrotic damage, it regains hit points equal to half the damage dealt.

Legendary Resistance (3/Day): If the Necrotherian Were-Vulture fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Actions:

• Multiattack: The Necrotherian Were-Vulture makes three attacks: one with its beak and two with its talons.
• Beak (Vulture Form Only): Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (3d8 + 5) piercing damage.
• Talons (Humanoid or Vulture Form): Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10 + 5) slashing damage.

Legendary Actions:

• Necrotic Talons: The Necrotherian Were-Vulture makes a talon attack, dealing an additional 10 (3d6) necrotic damage.
• Wing Gust (Costs 2 Actions): The Necrotherian Were-Vulture beats its wings. Each creature within 10 feet of it must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or take 14 (3d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone.

So there you have it, two terrifying versions of the Necrotherian Were-Vulture. Whether you’re looking for a failed monstrosity or a perfected predator, these creatures will add a dark, twisted element to your campaign. Watch your players’ faces as they realize the vulture circling above isn’t just interested in the dead—it’s creating more victims. These are some great new D&D monsters to add into your games as a new boss or powerful minions. Imagine if Nex Vita could get there hands on these and begin spreading death across the land like a plague.

Thanks for reading. Until Next Time, Stay Nerdy!