Ferryman
Ferryman — The Encounter
Charon, the hooded boatman who poles the river of the dead · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Ferryman
Where the living world ends, a cold river runs, and across it poles the silent boatman the old poets named Charon. He is no demon and no mere shade, but the keeper of the crossing, ancient as grief itself, his barge ribbed with the skulls of those who could not pay and so wait, sinking, in the shallows. Place a coin upon the tongue of your dead, the grimoires warn, for he ferries none who come empty-handed, and turns his pole upon those who would cross by force or theft. He does not hate; he does not hurry; he keeps a toll older than any king's law. Necromancers who learn his true name may compel a single passage, but the debt always comes due, and the boatman remembers every soul he has carried and every soul he has refused. To meet him at the water's edge is to learn the exact price of where you are going.
Run Ferryman in Sixty Seconds
- Hold the toll trait. Track who has and hasn't 'paid the Ferryman' — unpaid creatures have disadvantage on every save against him, so a single tossed coin is a real choice your players can make mid-fight.
- Open with Drowning Pull. Yank the back-line caster or rogue 20 ft. toward you onto the boat, then follow with two Ferry Pole hits to lock its speed to 0 — now it's stranded in your reach.
- Kill-priority: the unpaid loudmouth. Focus whoever hasn't tossed a coin; their save disadvantage means your speed-locks and pulls almost always stick.
- When bloodied, stay glued to the barge — within 10 ft. of it he can't be shoved, grappled, or moved, so retreat onto the deck and pole from safety.
- Three ways to run him: (1) grim toll-keeper who'll wave the party past for a price, (2) lair anchor holding a river crossing while a bigger boss advances, (3) a recurring debt — he remembers everyone he's ferried and comes to collect.
Ferryman
Medium undead, lawful neutral
CR 6 · 2,300 XP · GUIDELINEToll of the Dead. The Ferryman ferries only those who have paid. A creature that has not given the Ferryman a coin, gem, or object worth at least 1 gp during this encounter has disadvantage on saving throws against his spells and abilities. He always knows whether a creature has paid him.
Borne on Black Water. While within 10 feet of his skull-prowed barge, the Ferryman cannot be knocked prone or moved against his will, and difficult terrain costs him no extra movement.
Actions
Multiattack. The Ferryman makes two attacks with his Ferry Pole.
Ferry Pole. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (3d8 + 3) necrotic damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or its speed is reduced to 0 until the end of its next turn as the cold of the river seeps into its limbs.
Drowning Pull (Recharge 5–6). The Ferryman points his pole at a creature he can see within 30 feet. That creature must make a DC 15 Strength saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) cold damage and being pulled up to 20 feet toward the Ferryman on a failure, or half as much damage and no movement on a success. A creature reduced to 0 hit points by this damage falls unconscious and begins to sink toward the far shore.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Demand Passage (Reaction). When a creature within 30 feet that has not paid the Ferryman casts a spell or attacks an ally of his, the Ferryman makes a Ferry Pole attack against that creature if it is within reach, or speaks a word of toll forcing it to make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be unable to take reactions until the start of its next turn.
A gaunt, hooded boatman leans into a long iron pole, driving a funeral barge whose gunwales bristle with grinning skulls and guttering candles, its serpent-headed prow gaping over black water lit from beneath by sullen fire.
Ferryman, Bound
Companion · acts on your initiative
Bound · GUIDELINEKeeper of the Crossing (signature). Once per short rest, the bound Ferryman can ferry the party across any impassable water, chasm, or threshold to the spirit world, carrying up to six creatures safely to the far side over the course of one minute.
Actions
Ferry Pole. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 3) necrotic damage.
Reactions
Toll Collected. When an ally within 10 feet is reduced to 0 hit points, the bound Ferryman may demand their toll instead: the ally is stable at 1 hit point, and the Ferryman cannot use this reaction again until he is paid 1 gp.
Bound by a name spoken over still water, the boatman tends your dead and carries your living, asking only his coin and a quiet crossing.
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 with Drowning Pull to yank the loudest attacker off solid ground into reach, then pole it where it stands. Kill-priority is whoever has not 'paid the toll' (they have disadvantage on saves). Drop him beside a tougher undead anchor; alone he is a slow grinder, not a wall.
Open by Demanding Passage on the first caster, then Drowning Pull the squishiest target adjacent so two Ferry Pole hits also zero its speed. Punish anyone who skips the toll, and never leave the barge—within 10 ft. of it he can't be shoved or moved. Pair him with a lair full of sinking skulls or a flagship undead to make the crossing a real wall.
Position him as the gatekeeper of a larger threat—he holds the river while a bigger boss closes. Open with Drowning Pull, chain-stagger the front line's speed with Ferry Pole, and use Demand Passage to shut down reaction-casters. He is an add-on/lair anchor here, not a solo: feed him minions and a stronger ally rather than running him alone.
Put Ferryman 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 Ferryman?
His home stat block is CR 6 (2,300 XP), built for a party of levels 5–10. Scaled-down (levels 1–4) and scaled-up (levels 11–15) versions are in the tier table — the traits and actions stay identical, only AC, HP, to-hit, save DC, and damage shift to fit the band.
Can Ferryman be a companion or ally?
Yes. Bound by his true name spoken over still water, 'Charon, Bound' (AC 15, 76 HP) will ferry up to six creatures across any impassable water, chasm, or threshold to the spirit world once per short rest, and can demand a dying ally's toll to stabilize them — so long as you keep paying his coin.
Is the Ferryman a solo boss?
No — he's a powerful add-on and lair anchor, not a centerpiece. He lacks legendary actions, so a four-player party will out-act him alone. Run him holding a river crossing or beside a flagship undead so his toll, pulls, and speed-locks shine without him being swarmed.
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
Played Ferryman at your table? Log in with your Obsidian Tavern account to leave a balance note, a war story, or a file issue — the sharpest reports get the block revised.
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