Leo
Leo — The Encounter
Maned Champion of the Summer Sun, axe and standard raised · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Leo
Where the constellation of the Lion climbs highest at midsummer, the old star-charts name a guardian set there to hold the gate of the longest days. Leo is sung as that guardian made flesh: a celestial champion crowned with a living mane, sent down to stand at the head of mortal hosts when the sun is at its strongest. He does not skulk or scheme. He plants his standard, names the ground his, and dares the enemy to take it from him. Soldiers who march beneath his raised banner speak of a warmth at their backs that burns away fear, and of an axe that flashes like noon-light at the moment of the kill. The grimoires counsel commanders to win his favour with deeds of plain courage, for Leo loves a brave fool and has only contempt for the cunning coward. Bound to no throne but the turning year, he answers the horn of the just and abandons the field of the treacherous.
Run Leo in Sixty Seconds
- Anchor, don't chase. Leo plants the standard and holds ground; keep him near allies so Pride of the Lion shields the line from fear and let enemies come to the axe.
- Open with Roaring Charge. First round, line up a straight charge into the hardest-hitting target to knock it prone, then Multiattack it while it's down.
- Spend the reaction wisely. Lion's Defiance (+3 AC) is best held for the attack that would drop a low-HP ally, not the first hit you see.
- When bloodied (63 HP), stop trading and pin one PC: charge to knock prone, then full-attack so the party must split focus to rescue.
- Three ways to run him: as a stalwart bodyguard over a fragile boss, as a duelist who singles out the party tank, or as a banner-captain buffing a unit of lesser soldiers.
Leo
Medium celestial, lawful neutral
CR 6 · 2,300 XP · GUIDELINEPride of the Lion. Signature. While Leo can see at least one ally within 30 ft., he has advantage on saving throws against being frightened, and allies that can see his raised standard have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
Solar Mane. When Leo is hit by a melee attack, light flares from his mane and the attacker must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or have disadvantage on its next attack roll before the end of its next turn.
Actions
Multiattack. Leo makes two Sunfang Axe attacks.
Sunfang Axe. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8+4) slashing damage plus 5 (2d4) radiant damage.
Roaring Charge (Recharge 5-6). Leo moves up to his speed in a straight line and makes one Sunfang Axe attack. If the attack hits, the target takes an extra 9 (2d8) slashing damage and must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Lion's Defiance. Reaction: When an ally Leo can see within 30 ft. is hit by an attack, Leo raises his standard and grants that ally a +3 bonus to AC against that attack, potentially causing it to miss.
A mane-haloed warrior in sun-scrolled plate stands braced over a fallen foe, twin-bladed axe low and a tattered war-standard held high as a beacon to his line.
Leo, Bound
Companion · acts on your initiative
Bound · GUIDELINEMane-Bond (signature). While within 10 ft. of Leo, Leo and Leo each gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls.
Actions
Raking Pounce. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6+4) slashing damage, and if the target is Large or smaller it must succeed on a DC 13 Strength save or be knocked prone.
Reactions
Covering Roar. Reaction: When an enemy within 10 ft. targets Leo with an attack, Leo roars; the enemy must make a DC 13 Wisdom save or attack Leo instead.
A half-grown sun-lion that pads at the champion's heel, sharing the glow of his mane and the same stubborn refusal to yield ground.
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 Roaring Charge to knock the toughest melee fighter prone, then stand over a downed ally as a wall. Kill-priority is whoever is flanking your weakest party-side ally. Pair Leo with a softer caster boss; he is the bodyguard piece that buys it time.
Open with Roaring Charge into the front rank, then Multiattack the same target to drop it. Hold Lion's Defiance for whichever ally the party focuses. Kill-priority: enemy controllers that would frighten his line; pair him beside a bigger flagship as the unbreakable anchor of its formation.
As an elite, lead the charge so Pride of the Lion blankets the whole warband against fear. Recharge Roaring Charge keeps a key PC prone and out of the fight. Kill-priority is the party's healer; run him as the captain in front of a true boss, never alone.
Put Leo 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 Leo?
Leo is CR 6 (2,300 XP) at his native Tier 2 build (AC 17, 127 HP, +7 to hit, DC 14). Scaled stat blocks are provided for Tier 1 (~CR 2) and Tier 3 (~CR 11) so you can drop him into any party level without rebuilding him.
Can Leo be a companion or ally?
Yes. As a lawful celestial champion he readily fights beside a brave, honest party, and his Pride of the Lion and Lion's Defiance make him an outstanding protector for a front line. He also comes with Sunwhelp, a bound sun-lion companion, if you want an allied pair.
Is Leo a boss or an add-on?
He is an add-on champion, not a solo boss. He has no legendary actions, so a full party will overwhelm him alone. Run him as the unbreakable anchor or captain beside a larger flagship threat, where his fear immunity aura and reaction shielding shine.
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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