Pendragon
Pendragon — The Encounter
Crowned warlord of legend, sword raised against the dark · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Pendragon
Of the Pendragon line the chroniclers say the crown passes by the sword and the sword answers only to the worthy. He took the realm out of the chaos of warring petty kings and held it against the long invasions, ringing the marches with knights sworn to a single table where none sat above another. They name him last shield of a doomed age, the king who knew his fall was written and rode to meet the field regardless, because a vow once given is not unspoken for fear of the ending. Where he plants the blade, men who were ready to run instead turn and hold; where his banner stands, the frightened find their feet. The minstrels insist he sleeps still beneath a hollow hill, neither dead nor wholly living, and that the realm in its blackest hour need only call the old name aloud and the crowned warlord will rise once more, sword first, to answer.
Run Pendragon in Sixty Seconds
- Hold his slot Pendragon is a leader, not a brawler in a vacuum. Open by sending his three swings into the party's softest backliner and Advance to reach them.
- Kill-priority is anything that strips his ally buffs or stuns him. He hands out frightened-immunity and free attacks, so the party should silence or grapple him before clearing his knights.
- When bloodied fire Rallying Command on recharge for temp HP plus a free ally volley, and lean on King's Defiance to end every condition thrown at him.
- Three ways to run him solo flagship boss (legendary actions carry the action economy), warlord leading 3-5 knights (Rallying Command shines), or a tragic duel where Parry turns the fight into a war of attrition.
- Don't waste Parry save the reaction for the single biggest incoming hit each round, not the first attack that lands.
Pendragon
Medium humanoid (human), lawful good
CR 9 · 5,000 XP · GUIDELINESovereign Resolve. Pendragon is immune to being frightened, and each allied creature within 30 feet of him that can see him has advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed.
Crowned Sword (Signature). Pendragon wields a blade of legend. When he rolls a 1 or 2 on a weapon damage die he may reroll it once, and must use the new roll. The first time each turn he reduces a creature to 0 hit points or scores a critical hit with the sword, he gains 10 temporary hit points and his allies within 30 feet have advantage on their next attack roll before the end of his next turn.
Actions
Multiattack. Pendragon makes three attacks with his longsword.
Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8+4) slashing damage. If wielded in two hands, the target makes a DC 15 Strength saving throw or is pushed 5 feet away and knocked prone.
Rallying Command (Recharge 5-6). Pendragon issues a battle-cry. Each allied creature within 30 feet that can hear him may immediately use its reaction to move up to its speed or make one weapon attack. Pendragon and each ally within 30 feet also gain 7 (2d6) temporary hit points.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Parry (Reaction). When a creature Pendragon can see hits him with a melee attack, he adds 4 to his AC against that attack, potentially causing it to miss.
Legendary Actions (3/Round)
Sword Strike. Pendragon makes one longsword attack.
Advance (Costs 1 Action). Pendragon moves up to his speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
King's Defiance (Costs 2 Actions). Pendragon ends one condition affecting him or an ally within 30 feet, and that creature gains 10 temporary hit points.
A high king in crowned plate stands braced over a longsword held two-handed, cloak streaming, the ruin of a tower at his back. He is the line that does not break.
Pendragon, Bound
Companion · acts on your initiative
Bound · GUIDELINEBodyguard (signature). While within 5 feet of Pendragon, Pendragon imposes disadvantage on attack rolls made against Pendragon by attackers Pendragon can see.
Actions
Warblade. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6+4) slashing damage.
Reactions
Interpose. When Pendragon within 5 feet is hit by an attack, Pendragon may swap places with him and become the target instead, taking the hit himself.
A grim knight who never sheathes first and never leaves the king's left hand uncovered.
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 by closing on the softest backline striker and using two-handed Longsword to knock it prone, then carve it down. If the party clusters, hold Rallying Command until you have summoned adds in range. As a solo boss at this tier he is brutal for low levels, so pair him with one or two weaker knights rather than alone.
Open with three Longsword swings on the controller or healer and spend a legendary Advance to reach it; kill-priority is anyone removing his frightened-immunity buff from allies. Use Parry on the biggest single hit and King's Defiance to shrug off stuns. When bloodied, fire Rallying Command for temp HP and a free ally volley. Built to lead 3-5 knights or stand alone as the flagship.
Open on the strongest melee PC to bait a Parry exchange, then pivot legendary actions onto casters. Kill-priority is concentration spellcasters locking him down. Spend King's Defiance freely to keep allies upright and feed temp HP. At this tier give him a captain or beast mount so the action economy keeps pace with high-level parties.
Put Pendragon 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 Pendragon?
His native build is CR 9 (T2, levels 5-10): AC 17, 138 HP, +7 to hit, save DC 15. He is solo-capable, so his sheet is dropped one band below the legendary norm because his legendary actions let him play up a CR or two. Stat him at T1 (~CR 4 feel) or T3 (~CR 14 feel) using the tiers table for other parties.
Can Pendragon be a companion or ally?
Yes. As a lawful-good high king he is a natural questgiver, war-leader, or NPC ally. Use the Bedwyr, Sworn Shield block if the party fights alongside him, or run Pendragon himself at reduced HP as a powerful temporary ally whose Rallying Command buffs the whole party.
Is he a spellcaster?
No. Pendragon is a pure martial warlord. His power is the Crowned Sword, his frightened-immunity aura, and command abilities that grant allies temp HP and free actions. Pair him with a Merlin-type caster if you want magic on the field.
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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