Absalom
single-winged reaper who falls upon foes from above
Absalom — The Encounter
single-winged reaper who falls upon foes from above · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Absalom
Absalom is the Methuselans' wing, the one champion the line lifts above its wall to strike where the enemy thinks itself safe. A single broad pinion sweeps from his shoulder, relic and limb at once, enough to carry him over the formation and down onto a target with the full weight of a long-reaching scythe. In the warband he is the diving threat that breaks rear ranks and silences archers while the heavy kin hold the front. The old line calls him their long shadow, and warns that an enemy who watches only the wall has already forgotten the sky.
Run Absalom in Sixty Seconds
- Vault the wall then his fly 40 ft. carries him over the line onto the enemy's rear.
- Dive in then a 20-ft. flying charge plus a scythe hit adds 2d8 and a prone save (DC 15).
- Lift away then Skyward as a bonus action flies him clear without provoking.
- Hunt the back rank then strike archers and casters while the warband holds the front.
Absalom
Medium humanoid (human), neutral
CR 6 · 2,300 XP · GUIDELINEDiving Reaper (signature). If Absalom flies at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and hits it with the war-scythe this turn, the attack deals an extra 9 (2d8) slashing damage and the target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength save or be knocked prone.
Winged Veteran. Absalom does not provoke opportunity attacks when he flies out of an enemy's reach, and he has advantage on Dexterity saving throws while airborne.
Actions
Multiattack. Absalom makes two war-scythe attacks.
War-Scythe. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8+4) slashing damage.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Skyward (bonus action). Absalom flies up to half his fly speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
A single great wing carries this scythe-bearing veteran above the line to fall on a foe from the open sky.
Guideline numbers — formula-tuned and read from the miniature's design, not yet table-proven. Tell us how it ran in the comments.
How It Fights — by Tier
Same creature, scaled threat. The traits never change; only the numbers move.
Use the fly speed to vault the wall and Diving Reaper a back-rank archer or caster, proning it on a hit. Skyward keeps him out of reach between strikes. He picks off the enemy's rear while the warband holds the front, never grounded alone.
Open with a 20-ft. dive onto a soft target: bonus damage plus a prone save, then carve with the 10-ft. scythe. Use Skyward to lift away from melee each turn, with advantage on Dex saves while airborne. Fight him as the warband's diving flank, not a lone duelist.
Same swooping kit at higher numbers. Absalom dives on casters and archers behind the enemy line, prones them, and lifts clear before they answer, while the heavy Methuselans pin the front. He strikes from the sky for the warband, never solo.
Put Absalom on the table
Download the presupported STL and run the fight tonight — the model, and the encounter that comes with it.
Get the STL on MyMiniFactory →Clay Cyanide Companion Rules v1
How a bound creature acts
- A companion acts on its owner's initiative, immediately after the owner.
- It uses the Companion block above — roughly ×0.6 HP and damage, no recharge abilities, and at most one reaction trait.
- It moves freely; it takes its Action only while its owner is conscious.
- At 0 HP a companion is broken, not dead — restored on a long rest unless your table rules otherwise.
Original Clay Cyanide material © Clay Cyanide LLC — explicitly not the non-SRD official sidekick rules.
Questions, Asked at the Table
What CR is Absalom?
Absalom is CR 6 at his native Tier 2 (2,300 XP). Scale his AC, HP, to-hit and save DC to the Tier 1 or Tier 3 bands for your party.
How does Absalom fight alongside the rest of the Methuselans?
He is the diving flank. While the heavy champions hold the front, Absalom flies over the wall to dive on the enemy's archers and casters, proning them before lifting clear.
Is Absalom a solo boss?
No. He has no legendary actions and works as an aerial harasser; deploy him alongside a Methuselan warband that pins the enemy front.
Tell Us How It Ran
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 ("SRD 5.1") by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
Clay Cyanide Miniatures is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC. This content is compatible with the fifth edition of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game. Companion rules, lore, names, and original mechanics © Clay Cyanide LLC.
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