Narasimha
Narasimha — The Encounter
Man-Lion Avatar who slays at the threshold of all things · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Narasimha
Inscribe upon the lintel: when a king extorts worship for himself and forbids the name of the divine, the heavens answer not with a man and not with a beast, but with both at once. So the chronicles of the Man-Lion tell. A boon-blessed tyrant had sworn that no creature of any kind, by no weapon, neither indoors nor out, neither by day nor night, could end him; he believed himself a god. From a shattered pillar at dusk's threshold the avatar erupted, lion-headed and many-armed, and across his own lap, with claws that are no weapon at all, he undid the tyrant utterly. Devotees carve Narasimha at doorways still, for he is the guardian of every boundary a proud soul tries to hide behind. His wrath is terrible but never random; he comes only for the oath-breaker, the protector who became predator. To the faithful child he sheltered, he is gentleness itself once the killing is done.
Run Narasimha in Sixty Seconds
- Identity Narasimha is a summoned avatar of judgment, not a wandering monster: it has one rightful target (the oath-breaker / boon-abuser) and everyone else is just in the way. Lean into that focus and the fight tells its own story.
- Open with Tearing Bite on the healer to switch off their hit-point regen, then claws on the marked tyrant. Save Roar of the Pillar (recharge) for the first time three or more PCs bunch up.
- Threshold Slayer is the gimmick Any creature hiding behind a magical immunity, sworn invulnerability, or protective vow loses it for one hit per turn and eats double-rolled damage. Make the PC with the contingency or blessing your kill-priority.
- When bloodied tunnel-vision: it Sidereal Steps and Bursts Forth straight to its true target and ignores chip damage, fighting only to finish the one it came for.
- Three ways to run it (1) pure boss solo at T3 with legendary actions; (2) divine executioner that ignores the party to slay one named NPC tyrant; (3) a guardian at a doorway or threshold the party must pass, who attacks only if they break a sacred boundary.
Narasimha
Large celestial (avatar), lawful good
CR 11 · 7,200 XP · GUIDELINEThreshold Slayer. Narasimha exists in the gaps the world forgot. Once on each of its turns, when it hits a creature that has resistance or immunity granted by a magical effect, oath, blessing, or curse (such as a contingency, a sworn invulnerability, or protection conferred by a vow), that protection is suppressed against this attack and Narasimha rolls damage twice and takes the higher total. The man-lion is 'neither man nor beast, neither indoors nor out, neither day nor night,' and no boon born of such conditions avails against it.
Avatar of Wrath. Narasimha has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects, and on ability checks and saving throws made to resist being grappled or restrained.
Magic Rending Claws. Narasimha's weapon attacks are magical. When it hits with its claws, the attack deals an extra 9 (2d8) radiant damage (included below).
Actions
Multiattack. Narasimha makes three attacks: two with its Rending Claws and one with its Tearing Bite. It can replace one claw attack with Divine Discus.
Rending Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage plus 9 (2d8) radiant damage.
Tearing Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 6) piercing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be unable to regain hit points until the start of Narasimha's next turn.
Divine Discus. Ranged Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, range 60/120 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (3d6 + 3) radiant damage, and the discus returns to Narasimha's hand.
Roar of the Pillar (Recharge 5-6). Narasimha looses a deafening roar from the place it burst forth. Each creature of its choice within 30 feet must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 21 (6d6) thunder damage and is frightened until the end of its next turn; on a success, it takes half damage and isn't frightened.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Burst Forth (Reaction). When a creature Narasimha can see within 30 feet casts a spell or makes an attack against an ally of Narasimha, the avatar can move up to its speed toward that creature without provoking opportunity attacks. If it ends adjacent, it may make one Rending Claws attack.
Legendary Actions (3/Round)
Claw. Narasimha makes one Rending Claws attack.
Sidereal Step (Costs 1 Action). Narasimha moves up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks, ignoring difficult terrain.
Sundering Wrath (Costs 2 Actions). Narasimha makes one Tearing Bite attack. If it hits, the target has disadvantage on the next saving throw it makes before the start of Narasimha's next turn.
A towering lion-faced avatar with a mane of fire and eyes of molten gold, its many arms bearing mace, bow, and whirling discus while a fan of serpent hoods crowns it from behind. It crouches mid-lunge upon a lotus throne, claws bared to tear apart any tyrant who thought himself untouchable.
Narasimha, Bound
Companion · acts on your initiative
Bound · GUIDELINEUnshakable Faith (signature). Narasimha is immune to the frightened condition and has advantage on saving throws against being charmed. While he is conscious, allies within 10 feet have advantage on saving throws against fear.
Actions
Blessed Staff. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage plus 5 (1d10) radiant damage.
Reactions
Cry of Invocation. When an ally Narasimha can see within 30 feet is reduced to 0 hit points, he can call out; that ally instead drops to 1 hit point. Once Narasimha uses this, he can't do so again until he finishes a short or long rest.
The devout youth whose unwavering prayer summoned the avatar; he walks unharmed where giants fall, his voice a shield against terror.
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 the Tearing Bite on the party's healer so they can't be patched up, then claw whoever stands between Narasimha and the marked tyrant. At this size it is a brutal solo for a low table, so keep Roar of the Pillar for when foes cluster. Kill-priority is always the boon-protected target the avatar was summoned against.
Lead with Roar of the Pillar to scatter and frighten, then Burst Forth onto the most dangerous caster. Spend legendary Claws each round to punish anyone who relies on a sworn invulnerability or blessing, since Threshold Slayer eats those protections. If a tank turtles up, bite it to shut off its healing and force the line to break.
Run it as a genuine boss: open by Sidereal Stepping past the front line to Tearing Bite the healer, then full Multiattack the boon-blessed target while Threshold Slayer strips their protection. Hold Roar for a cluster, and spend legendary actions on Sundering Wrath to set up your next save effect. When bloodied it ignores everyone but the one it was summoned to slay.
Put Narasimha 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 Narasimha?
Narasimha is built as a CR 11 centerpiece boss (Tier 3, levels 11-15) with legendary actions, so it can headline a party of four to five. Its native numbers are AC 18, 195 HP, +9 to hit, and save DC 16. Because it is solo-capable, the stat block drops one band — its legendary actions and reaction let it 'play up,' threatening tables a CR or two higher. Tier 1 (~CR 2) and Tier 2 (~CR 6) scaled blocks are provided for lower-level encounters.
Can Narasimha be a companion or ally?
Not as a follower — it is an avatar of divine judgment, summoned only when a sacred boundary is broken or a tyrant abuses a granted boon. It can fight on the party's side for the length of a single reckoning if they share its cause, then it departs. For a persistent ally, use the included companion, Prahlada the Sheltered Devotee, whose unshakable faith shields allies from fear and whose Cry of Invocation can pull a fallen hero back from death.
Why does Narasimha ignore magical protections and immunities?
Its Threshold Slayer trait reflects the core myth: the tyrant it was made to slay had sworn he could be killed by no creature, no weapon, neither indoors nor out, neither day nor night. Narasimha is the loophole made flesh — neither man nor beast, at the threshold, at dusk, with claws that are no weapon. Mechanically, once per turn it suppresses a target's magically granted resistance, immunity, or sworn invulnerability and rolls its damage twice, taking the higher result.
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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