Vandalf
Vandalf — The Encounter
The Grey Wanderer, sage-mage of staff and steel · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Vandalf
Folk of the high roads call him only the Grey Wanderer, for he keeps no hall and claims no crown. He comes at need, leaning on a staff of plain ash crowned with a crystal that drinks the dawn, and departs before the thanks are spoken. The grimoires that remember him agree on little save this: he is older than he looks, and he looks ancient. Some name him a sage schooled in the first lore of fire and word; others swear he is a guardian spirit wearing a wanderer's flesh, sent to kindle courage where it has guttered out. He carries a sword though he names himself no warrior, and he draws it rarely, but when he does the steel takes a light from the staff and the shadows recoil. Eagles answer his call. The proud he humbles, the despairing he lifts, and the dark thing in the deep he will face alone if none else dare.
Run Vandalf in Sixty Seconds
- Hold shield and counterspell in reserve every round; a wizard who blows them early dies to the first crit or the party's own fireball.
- Open with fireball or lightning bolt into the tightest cluster of PCs, then settle into Multiattack so he sword-swings and throws a cantrip the same turn.
- Kill-priority is enemy casters within 30 ft.; bait their concentration, then counterspell or hold monster the one carrying the party's buff.
- When bloodied, misty step to high ground, flare Kindled Crystal to steady allies against fear, and call Skyclaw in to body-block the frontline.
- Three ways to run him: the merciful sage who warns before he strikes, the storm-caller who opens with thunder and lightning, or the lone guardian who walks toward the dark while the party flees.
Vandalf
Medium humanoid (human, wizard), lawful good
CR 6 · 2,300 XP · GUIDELINESpellcasting. Vandalf is an 11th-level spellcaster (Intelligence, save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks). He has the following wizard spells prepared: Cantrips: fire bolt, light, mage hand, prestidigitation. 1st (4 slots): mage armor, magic missile, shield. 2nd (3 slots): misty step, scorching ray. 3rd (3 slots): counterspell, fireball, lightning bolt. 4th (3 slots): banishment, ice storm. 5th (1 slot): hold monster.
Kindled Crystal. The blue crystal crowning Vandalf's staff burns with a steady light. As a bonus action he can sheathe everything within 30 feet of him in bright light, ending magical darkness in the area and granting himself and allies advantage on the next saving throw they make against being frightened before the start of his next turn.
Actions
Multiattack. Vandalf makes one Longsword attack and casts one cantrip, or casts one spell.
Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8+4) slashing damage, or 9 (1d10+4) slashing damage if used with two hands, plus 7 (2d6) radiant damage as the blade flares with kindled light.
Staff Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) bludgeoning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be knocked prone as the crystal cracks the earth at its feet.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Steadfast Counsel (Reaction). When an ally Vandalf can see within 30 feet fails a saving throw, he can call out a warning, letting that ally reroll the save. He must finish a short or long rest before using this trait again.
A grey-robed elder strides forward, staff raised high with its sapphire crystal ablaze, a long sword bright in his off hand. His weathered face and storm-coloured beard belong to a wanderer who has crossed every road and outlived every empire.
Vandalf, Bound
Companion · acts on your initiative
Bound · GUIDELINEKeen Sight (signature). Vandalf the great eagle has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight and cannot be surprised while it can see.
Actions
Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6+5) slashing damage, and a Medium or smaller target must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Reactions
Sweeping Rescue. When an ally within 5 feet of Vandalf is hit by an attack, the eagle may dive between them, taking half the damage itself and lifting the ally up to 10 feet to a safe space it can reach.
A vast tawny eagle that answers the wanderer's whistle, plucking the fallen from doom and bearing them above the storm.
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.
Open at range with fire bolt and a single scorching ray, holding shield for the first big hit. If foes cluster, drop a small fireball and step away with misty step. Run him beside a frontline fighter or a beast so he can play support, not solo.
Open with fireball or lightning bolt into the tightest knot, then alternate Longsword and cantrip each round so he never wastes an action. Hold counterspell and shield in reserve, and save Steadfast Counsel to rescue an ally's failed save at the worst moment. Kill-priority is the casters near him; pair him with melee minions or a bigger threat so the party cannot simply rush him.
Lead with ice storm or a maximized fireball, then lock the deadliest PC with hold monster and carve them with the radiant Longsword. Use Kindled Crystal to blunt frighten effects from his lair-mates and counterspell the party's answer. He shines as the lore-keeper at a bigger villain's side or with a lair full of minions, not as the lone capstone.
Put Vandalf 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 Vandalf?
Natively CR 6 (2,300 XP), a Tier 2 challenge for a 5th-10th level party. The record also gives drop-in Tier 1 (CR ~2) and Tier 3 (CR ~11) stat lines so you can field him against any table without rebuilding him.
Can Vandalf be a companion or ally?
Yes. He is built as a wandering sage who joins a party at need rather than a boss, so he reads beautifully as a guide or temporary ally. Steadfast Counsel lets him rescue a hero's failed save, and his bound great eagle Skyclaw can scout, ferry the fallen, and shield the front line.
Is he meant to be fought alone?
No. He has no legendary actions, so a four-PC party out-acts him in a one-on-one. Field him with melee minions, in a defended lair, or at the side of a bigger villain, where his control spells and counterspell punish a party that ignores him.
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.
Technical Specifications
32mm, 75mm
STL, Pre-supported STL
Standard or ABS-like resin, 0.05mm layer height
Yes — ready to print, optimized supports included
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