Ye Olde Shoppe of Magicks – The Warforged Monstrosities of Dai’Lekh

The Warforged Monstrosities of Dai’Lekh

The Artificer Behind the Shells

Long ago, in the crumbling fortress of Nhar-Kesh, there lived a warlock-artificer named Dai’Lekh. Once a humble scholar of both arcane engineering and forbidden planar magics, Dai’Lekh grew obsessed with one question: how could the soul itself be weaponized?

He sought to free mortals from the frailty of flesh by binding their essence into indestructible armored vessels. At first, his work seemed inspired — loyal guardians who never tired, never aged, and never faltered. But his hunger for perfection curdled into something darker. Dai’Lekh began to strip unwilling victims of their souls, binding them into rune-etched shells of bronze and black iron.

The results were terrifying: his creations were neither truly alive nor dead, but hollow vessels driven by alien purpose — fragments of the souls screaming within, twisted into obedience.

Purpose and Design

The Shells. Forged from infernal bronze and hardened with abyssal fire, each monstrosity is a floating fortress. Their riveted plating is inscribed with runes that siphon the trapped soul’s anguish into raw arcane power.

The Eye Crystal. A blazing emerald crystal sits in the creature’s helm, the focus of its bound spirit. To look into it is to feel the echo of a thousand voices shrieking “Exterminate” in unison.

The Weapons. One arm channels destructive arcana into disintegration beams, while the other, a cruel claw, was meant to drag victims closer so their souls could be harvested for more constructs.

Why He Made Them
Dai’Lekh’s motives were twofold:

• Dominion. He sought to forge an unstoppable army to march upon the kingdoms of men, enslaving their rulers beneath his iron tide.
• Immortality. Rumors whisper Dai’Lekh plans to transfer his own soul into a perfected construct shell — a vessel free from age, hunger, or death, but brimming with eternal arcane might.

The Curse of the Monstrosities

Though powerful, the warforged monstrosities are imperfect. The stolen souls inside rebel constantly, creating maddened echoes. These echoes leak through their casings, producing the chilling, monotonous voices they are known for. Some even claim the creations whisper in unison, pleading for release when not on the battlefield.

The irony: Dai’Lekh calls them his “immortal army,” yet their very nature ensures they are never silent, never sane, and never truly his.

⚔️ Adventure Hook:
Legends say destroying a Dai’Lekh construct frees the tormented soul within. If your party destroys one, you may hear a final whisper of gratitude as the light fades from its crystal eye. But slaying too many risks drawing the attention of Dai’Lekh himself, who jealously guards his creations like a dragon hoards gold.

The Warforged Monstrosities of Dai’Lekh

Medium Construct, Lawful Evil

STR 14 (+2) DEX 10 (+0) CON 18 (+4)
INT 16 (+3) WIS 16 (+3) CHA 12 (+1)

Saving Throws Con +7, Int +6, Wis +4
Damage Resistances force, radiant; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Common, Converses telepathically with other warforged monstrosities in their own arcane tongue
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +4

Traits

• Armored Casing. The Dalek’s armored shell grants it advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
• Alien Logic. The Dalek has advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.
• Hovering Glide. The Dalek hovers above the ground. It ignores difficult terrain and can ascend or descend vertically at half speed.

Actions

• Exterminate! (Force Ray). Ranged Spell Attack: +7 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 27 (6d8) force damage. On a hit, the target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the start of the Dalek’s next turn.
• Energy Manipulator (Recharge 5–6). The Dalek releases a pulse of unstable energy. Each creature of the Dalek’s choice within 30 feet must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 21 (6d6) radiant damage and is pushed 10 feet away. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage and isn’t pushed.
• Mechanical Arm (Grapple). Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: The target is grappled (escape DC 14). Until this grapple ends, the Dalek cannot use its arm on another target.

Bonus Actions

Exterminate Command. If two or more Daleks are within 30 feet of each other, they can let out their battle cry. Each Dalek within 30 feet gains advantage on its next attack roll.

What’s a monster with the Wizard who conjured it?

Dai’Lekh, the Soulforger

Medium Humanoid (human), Lawful Evil

Armor Class 18 (magical robes, infused wards)
Hit Points 150 (20d8 + 60)
Speed 30 ft.

STR 10 (+0) DEX 14 (+2) CON 16 (+3)
INT 20 (+5) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 18 (+4)

Saving Throws Con +7, Int +9, Cha +8
Skills Arcana +9, History +9, Insight +6, Intimidation +8
Damage Resistances force, necrotic, psychic
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages Common, Infernal, Draconic, Primordial
Challenge 11 (7,200 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +4

Traits

• Soulforged Artifice. Dai’Lekh carries a reservoir of bound souls. Once per long rest, when reduced to 0 hit points, he can release a trapped soul to remain at 1 hit point instead.
• Master of Constructs. Any of Dai’Lekh’s Warforged Monstrosities within 60 feet gain advantage on saving throws against spells.
• Spellcasting. Dai’Lekh is a 12th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks). He has the following spells prepared:
  Cantrips (at will): mage hand, minor illusion, eldritch blast, shocking grasp
  • 1st level (4 slots): shield, magic missile, absorb elements
  • 2nd level (3 slots): mirror image, misty step, scorching ray
  • 3rd level (3 slots): counterspell, fireball, lightning bolt
  • 4th level (3 slots): greater invisibility, blight
  • 5th level (2 slots): wall of force, dominate person
  • 6th level (1 slot): disintegrate

Actions

• Arcane Staff. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage plus 10 (3d6) force damage.
• Soul Drain (Recharge 5–6). Dai’Lekh targets one creature within 30 ft. The target must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or take 27 (6d8) necrotic damage, and Dai’Lekh regains hit points equal to half the damage dealt.
• Soulforged Detonation (1/day). Dai’Lekh sacrifices one bound soul in his staff to unleash a devastating blast. All creatures of his choice within 20 ft. must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 42 (12d6) force damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success.

Legendary Actions

• Dai’Lekh can take 2 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time, and only at the end of another creature’s turn. He regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.
• Cantrip. Dai’Lekh casts a cantrip.
• Command Construct. Dai’Lekh directs one of his Warforged Monstrosities within 30 ft. to immediately take one attack action.
• Soul Surge (Costs 2 Actions). Dai’Lekh channels raw soul energy. Each creature of his choice within 15 ft. must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of their next turn.

Bonus Actions

• Misty Step (3/Day). Dai’Lekh casts Misty Step, using the Spellcasting ability.

Reactions

• Protective Magic (3/Day). Dai’Lekh casts Counterspell or Shield in response to the spell’s trigger, using the Spellcasting ability.

Lair Actions (if in Nhar-Kesh Fortress)

• On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Dai’Lekh can use a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects:
• Runes Flare. Arcane glyphs carved into the walls flare with power. Each enemy spellcaster must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or lose one prepared spell of the highest level they can cast.
• Soul Wail. The cries of trapped spirits echo through the chamber. Each enemy within 30 ft. must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be incapacitated with horror until the start of their next turn.
• Construct Reinforcement. If any of Dai’Lekh’s constructs are destroyed, roll a d6. On a 6, a new Warforged Monstrosity crawls from a hidden chamber into the battle.

⚔️ Campaign Role: Dai’Lekh is best used as a mid-campaign villain who becomes the final boss of a Warforged-themed arc. His constructs soften up the party, but he remains the true threat, capable of fighting toe-to-toe with even high-level adventurers when surrounded by his creations.

And since we have Lair Actions…

Nhar-Kesh, the Soulforged Bastion

Perched upon a knife-edge ridge where black volcanic cliffs plunge into a storm-lashed sea, the fortress of Nhar-Kesh looms like a scar upon the world. Dai’Lekh the Soulforger built it not as a mere redoubt, but as a living crucible of iron and suffering—half-citadel, half-workshop, a place where both flesh and spirit are broken and reshaped into warforged monstrosities.

Exterior

• The outer walls are carved obsidian fused with veins of cold iron, etched with runes that flicker faintly in blood-red light when storms roll overhead.
• Towering bastions in the shape of chained giants stand guard at each corner, their stone visages howling silently against the sea wind.
• Across the drawbridge stretches the Soul Gate: a portcullis of interlocked blades, each engraved with the names of the condemned whose souls empower the fortress.

Interior Halls

• The grand hall is an echo chamber of industry, where forges burn with green-blue necromantic fire, tended by half-finished constructs and hooded apprentices.
• Hallways are lined with alcoves holding failed experiments: shattered automatons, skeletal husks, and warped armor animated only by whispers of torment.
• Deep within, the Soul Crucible dominates the fortress: a colossal furnace-engine where Dai’Lekh binds souls into metal, feeding his endless armies.

Defenses

• The air itself is thick with the hum of binding wards; arcane chains flicker in and out of sight, ready to ensnare intruders.
• Warforged sentinels patrol tirelessly, never resting, their glowing optics sweeping in unnatural synchronicity.
• Should enemies breach the outer walls, the Fortress itself shifts, corridors realigning under Dai’Lekh’s will, turning familiar paths into mazes of doom.

Atmosphere

Adventurers who cross the threshold are overcome with a sense of time and hope unraveling. Echoes of screams linger in the stone, and the fortress drinks in courage like a sponge. It is said that every breath taken in Nhar-Kesh feeds the Soulforger’s forge, and that the very stones remember every death that occurred within.

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Dai’Lehk, Warforged Monstrosities, and Nhar-Kesh base images were built using ChatGPT using prompts by Alien Graphics ©2025 Alien Graphics

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