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  Ras Nsi, Revised
     An Alternative Take 
  On An Exciting Villain
       by Taylor Reisdorf 
  Dungeon Master’s Workshop
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon
  Master’s Guide, D&D Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the
  Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected 
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  ©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, 
  CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK.
  
  Ras Nsi
  The information presented for Ras Nsi in the official Tomb of
  Annihilation Fifth Edition adventure reduces Ras Nsi to a
  threat that can be overcome by second-tier adventurers
  instead of the ancient and powerful foe he is. This document
  presents an alternative take on him.
  Exiled Bara
  Not only is Ras Nsi a bara (immortal defender) of the city of
  Mezro, he was one of the original seven barae, hand-picked
  by Ubtao himself more than 4,000 years ago. For over two
  thousand years, Nsi (“ras” is a noble title akin to “duke”) used
  his powers in defence of Mezro, especially his special ability
  as a bara to muster the dead.
  Ras Nsi was exiled from the city at the end of a 300-year
  war with a rival tribe, the Eshowe. After a desperate, doomed
  attack from the Eshowe against Mezro, Nsi raised a massive
  army from the fallen and set forth into the jungle on a bloody
  crusade to rid Chult of every Eshowe that remained. Nsi’s
  atrocities did not sit well with the other barae, who put him
  on trial and forced him into exile. They could not, however,
  strip him of his mantle as a Chosen of Ubtao.
  For over a thousand years, Ras Nsi remained devoted to
  Mezro, advancing its interests using his own twisted methods
  throughout Chult and beyond. He put his undead servants to
  work clearing the jungle for timber and mineral extraction,
  the results of which still scar Chult as the Nsi Wastes. He
  created a mercantile empire amassing staggering quantities
  of wealth ready to be spent in Mezro’s service. He menaced
  those settlements which might seek to threaten his former
  home, demanding heavy tribute.
  All the while, he waited to be called back to the city. It was
  a call that never came.
  Fallen Champion
  After his beloved city of Mezro was nearly destroyed by an
  army of goblins in the Year of the Helm (1362 DR), Ras Nsi’s
  patience with King Osaw and the other barae ran out, and he
  raised an army of undead to free the city of its misguided
  rulers. He was defeated before he could enact his ambitions,
  and Mezro vanished in the chaos of the Spellplague before he
  could consolidate his strength for another attempt.
  The disappearance of Mezro greatly reduced Ras Nsi’s
  power, all but breaking his control over the dead. With his
  home gone, Nsi realized that his millennia of service to Ubtao
  had been betrayed. This bitterness has driven the bara down
  a terrible path; he aligned himself with the yuan-ti, the ser-
  vants of Ubtao’s greatest foe, Denar the Night Serpent.
  As part of the alliance, Ras Nsi underwent a transforma-
  tion to become a yuan-ti malison and took leadership of a
  large cult based in the Fane of the Night Serpent beneath
  Omu. He also forged a pact with the archlich Acererak,
  agreeing to protect the Tomb of the Nine Gods where the
  archlich has sequestered his latest experiment, in exchange
  for help in freeing Dendar from her prison beneath the Peaks
  of Flame.
  The Barae of Mezro
  When Ubtao founded Mezro over 4,000 years ago,
  in -2,637 DR, he granted his blessings on seven of
  his wisest followers, creating the barae. A bara is
  bound to defend Mezro, and in exchange they are
  made into Chosen of Ubtao, granting them ageless-
  ness and a special power unique to each bara.
  There are always seven barae. If one is ever slain,
  a new bara is appointed after they complete a trial
  in Ubtao’s temple. The oldest bara is Ras Nsi, the
  last of the original seven.
  Lair
  Ras Nsi has taken the Fane of the Night Serpent (see chapter
  4 of Tomb of Annihilation) as his lair. The fane is a large
  temple where Nsi is attended by scores of yuan-ti, with magic
  and servants at his beck and call.
  Lair Actions
  On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Ras Nsi can take
  a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects; he
  can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
  Magical fog billows around one creature Ras Nsi can see
  within 120 feet of him. The creature must succeed a DC
  15 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by Ras Nsi until
  initiative count 20 on the next round.
  Ras Nsi causes up to two corpses in his lair to rise up as
  ghouls, or one corpse to rise up as a ghast. These undead
  have an inverted triangle branded into their foreheads.
  When these undead hit a creature with their Bite or Claw
  attacks, Ras Nsi regains a number of hit points equal to
  half the damage dealt. These undead obey Ras Nsi’s tele-
  pathic commands, which can reach anywhere in the lair.
  Ras Nsi casts mirage arcane, affecting a room within the
  lair that is no larger in any dimension than 100 feet. The
  effect ends on the next initiative count 20.
  Regional Effects
  The region containing Ras Nsi’s lair is warped by his magic,
  creating one or more of the following effects:
  Snakes and undead within 1 mile of Ras Nsi’s lair serve as
  Ras Nsi’s eyes and ears.
  Ras Nsi can sense the death of any sentient creature with
  an Intelligence of 3 or higher within 1 mile of his lair.
  Ras Nsi can use a bonus action issue a command to an
  undead creature of his choice within 1 mile of his lair, as
  though he had cast the animate dead spell.
  If Ras Nsi dies, these effects fade over the course of 1d10
  days.
  1
  DUNGEON MASTER’S WORKSHOP | RAS NSI
  
   
  The Death Curse
  Ras Nsi has lived for thousands of years, during which time
  he has been raised from the dead at least once. This means
  that he has been affected by the Death Curse.
  Until he can devise either a cure or a way to destroy the
  curse at its origin, Ras Nsi has come up with an alternative
  solution.
  Shortly after the Death Curse began, a plague of undead
  began to spread through the jungle as Ras Nsi sent out
  special ghouls and ghasts (marked by a blue triangle on their
  forehead) who would siphon life from their victims to fortify
  his own against the curse.
  The resilience to the curse is not a total immunity. Each
  night at midnight (beginning on day 36), roll a d20. On a 1,
  Ras Nsi’s hit point maximum is reduced by 1.
  2
  Ras Nsi
  Medium monstrosity (shapechanger, yuan-ti), ntrl. evil
  Armor Class 20 (bracers of defence)
  Hit Points 186 (26d8 + 78), reduced to 150
  Speed 30 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  17 (+3) 16 (+3) 17 (+3) 22 (+6) 18 (+4) 21 (+5)
  Saving Throws Dex +10, Con +10, Wis +11
  Skills Arcana +20, Deception +12, History +13, Insight
  +11, Perception +11, Persuasion +12, Religion +13,
  Stealth +10
  Damage Immunities poison
  Condition Immunities poisoned
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 21
  Languages Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Elven, Goblin,
  Old Omuan
  Challenge 21 (33,000 XP)
  Special Equipment. Ras Nsi wears bracers of defence,
  wields a flame tongue longsword, and carries a sending
  stone matched to the one carried by the guide Salida.
  Shapechanger. Ras Nsi can use his action to polymorph
  into a Medium snake or back into his yuan-ti form. His
  statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment he
  is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. He doesn’t
  change back if he dies.
  Arcane Recovery (1/Day). When he finishes a short rest,
  Ras Nsi recovers all his spell slots of 5th level and
  lower.
  Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Ras Nsi fails a saving
  throw, he can choose to succeed instead.
  Innate Spellcasting. Ras Nsi’s innate spellcasting ability
  is Charisma (spell save DC 20). He can innately cast the
  following spells, requiring no material components:
  At will: animal friendship (snakes only)
  3/day: suggestion
  Spellcasting. Ras Nsi is a 20th-level spellcaster. His
  spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 21;
  +13 to hit with spell attacks). He can cast detect magic
  and invisibility at will. He can cast animate dead and
  counterspell once each without expending a spell slot,
  but can’t do so again until he finishes a short or long
  rest. Ras Nsi has the following wizard spells prepared:
  Cantrips (at will): chill touch, firebolt, message, minor
  arcana, shocking grasp
  1st level (4 slots): absorb elements, shield, thunder-
  wave
  2nd level (3 slots): detect thoughts, hold person, misty
  step, ray of enfeeblement, see invisibility
  3rd level (3 slots): counterspell, dispel magic, fireball,
  sticks to snakes
  4th level (3 slots): greater invisibility, phantasmal killer
  5th level (3 slots): cloudkill, geas, hold monster, steel
  wind strike, telekinesis, wall of force
  6th level (2 slots): chain lightning, disintegrate
  7th level (2 slots): teleport
  8th level (1 slots): mind blank*
  9th level (1 slots): wish
  * Ras Nsi casts this spell on himself before combat.
  Magic Resistance. Ras Nsi has advantage on saving
  throws against spells and other magical effects.
  ACTIONS
  Multiattack. Ras Nsi makes three melee attacks, but can
  use Constrict only once.
  Bite (Snake Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to
  hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing
  damage plus 7 (2d6) poison damage.
  Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
  one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage, and
  the target is grappled (escape DC 18). Until the grapple
  ends, the target is restrained, and he can’t constrict
  another target.
  Flame Tongue Longsword (Yuan-ti Form Only). Melee
  Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
  7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage, or 8 (1d10 + 3) slashing
  damage when used with two hands, plus 7 (2d6) fire
  damage.
  LEGENDARY ACTIONS
  Ras Nsi can take 3 legendary actions, choosing one
  from the options below. Only one legendary action
  option can be used at a time and only at the end of
  another creature’s turn. Ras Nsi regains spent legen-
  dary actions at the start of his turn.
  Detect. Ras Nsi makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
  Move. Ras Nsi moves up to his speed without provo-
  king opportunity attacks.
  Cast a Spell (Costs 3 Actions). Ras Nsi casts a spell from
  his list of prepared spells, using a spell slot as normal.
  DUNGEON MASTER’S WORKSHOP | RAS NSI
  
  Roleplaying Ras Nsi
  Below are some helpful points for roleplaying Ras Nsi.
  Fallen Champion
  The last time Ras Nsi appeared in an official novel, he was
  wholly devoted to Mezro, even in exile. In the Third Edition
  supplement The Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, this
  loyalty is indicated to have been pushed too far by the open-
  ing of the city to outsiders in 1363 DR.
  The actual timing of his betrayal is unclear. The Forgotten
  Realms Campaign Setting is set in the year 1372 DR, nine
  years after the city was opened, and various sources indicate
  that Ras Nsi’s final confrontation with Mezro did not occur
  until shortly before the Spellplague in 1385 DR, another 13
  years after that. Whether this was when he was stripped of
  his mantle as a bara or if that came later is not explicitly
  stated in any extant literature.
  According to legend, the barae would be reduced to ash if
  Mezro should ever fall, and so when the city vanished during
  the Spellplague it was widely assumed that Ras Nsi had
  perished along with it. Of course, we know this to not have
  occurred. Whether this is because Ras Nsi was already strip-
  ped of his mantle as a bara (he would not have been the first
  bara to have lost his power) or because the city was not truly
  destroyed is not made clear.
  What is clear is that Ras Nsi has been rebuked by Ubtao, a
  deity to whom he spent thousands of years in service. Likely,
  Nsi feels betrayed, which is a powerful motivator. It would ex-
  plain why he has sought out the followers of Ubtao’s sworn
  enemy, Dendar the Night Serpent, and seeks to free the
  ancient primordial from her prison beneath the Peaks of
  Flame.
  Unlikely Ally
  Rasi Nsi is thousands of years old and has long since rid
  himself of any qualms over the methods he uses in pursuit of
  his goals. As well, the transformation into a yuan-ti has
  reduced his empathy even further. This makes him both a
  dangerous foe and an unlikely ally.
  If the yuan-ti capture the characters, Ras Nsi is unlikely to
  put them to death when he can turn them to his side and use
  them. He will readily share with the characters the terms of
  his alliance with Acererak to demonstrate how the archlich
  has broken their bargain. This gesture of trust is a calculated
  risk for the purpose of exploiting any emotional reaction
  which ensues. Once the adventurers see him as yet another
  victim of the death curse, they are more likely to agree to his
  proposition of an alliance.
  Ras Nsi knows that the Tomb of the Nine Gods is riddled
  with deadly traps, and he does not wish to waste the lives of
  his followers by sending them inside in search of what
  Acererak promised him: the Black Opal Crown. In exchange
  for the final puzzle cube, Ras Nsi wants the characters to
  retrieve the artifact for him. To ensure they fulfill their end of
  the deal, Ras Nsi will phrase their responsibility in such a
  way as to allow him to cast geas on a character who Ras Nsi
  believes is less likely to be able to resist the enchant-ment.
  Filling in the Blanks
  The following are some pieces of information we at Dungeon
  Master’s Workshop have devised to fill in missing pieces of
  Ras Nsi’s history and motivation.
  The barae of Mezro were given a vision by Ubtao of the
  coming Spellplague, allowing them time to prepare. To
  complete their plan to move the city to a demiplane, they
  had to sever Ras Nsi’s connection to it. Their efforts to
  revoke Nsi’s mantle as a Chosen of Ubtao prompted his
  attack, which resulted in his defeat and the loss of his
  bara powers. Before he could rally another attack, the city
  vanished.
  In the aftermath of his defeat and the disappearance of
  Mezro, Ras Nsi’s power was greatly reduced, but not
  spent. Though shorn of his mantle, Nsi was suffused by
  primordial magic that made him something more than
  mortal and allowed him to retain many of his former
  abilities, albeit to a much smaller scale. His mastery over
  the dead was limited in distance, as was his ability to
  perceive the deaths of sentient creatures. These abilities
  also required that he be attuned to the land around him, a
  process which takes time.
  Ras Nsi remains a spellcaster of peerless skill, surpassed
  only by those who have immersed themselves in the
  Weave or devoted themselves to magic as he once devoted
  himself to Ubtao. When Ras Nsi uses the teleport spell to
  travel anywhere in Chult, he arrives on target without any
  chance of failure.
  It was Ras Nsi who was responsible for the strange effect
  that has driven the yuan-ti from their ancient home in
  Hisari. He did so in order to move them closer to Omu
  and the Peaks of Flame, under which Dendar the Night
  Serpent is imprisoned. Through subtle means, he guided
  them to their new home before revealing himself to them
  with the promise of redemption. For his knowledge of
  where to find the Iron Doors to Dendar’s prison and his
  dedication to her freedom, the yuan-ti were easily swayed
  to make him their leader.
  Ras Nsi is a master of many obscure and forgotten arts
  that have enabled him to create special ghasts capable of
  siphoning the life force of victims and diverting it to their
  master. These ghasts are marked by a blue triangle on
  their forehead, the Mezroan brand of an exile that Ras Nsi
  has taken as his symbol in defiance of his former home.
  This has allowed Ras Nsi to stave off the effects of the
  death curse, though it is not a complete immunity and it
  took time for the ghasts to be created and spread about
  the jungle.
  3
  DUNGEON MASTER’S WORKSHOP | RAS NSI
  
  New Spells
  The following are spells that are used above.
  Minor Arcana
  Transmutation cantrip
  Casting Time: 1 action
  Range: 30 feet
  Components: S
  Duration: Up to 1 hour
  This is a utility spell used by spellcasters to perform sundry
  tasks that require basic magical knowledge. There is no
  exhaustive list of this spell’s possible expressions, though
  there are a few things it can’t do: it can’t cause harm, it can’t
  restore hit points, it can’t replicate the effects of a spell of 1st
  level or higher, and it can’t directly modify combat effects.
  When you cast this spell, state your desired effect to the
  DM as precisely as possible. The DM has great latitude in
  ruling what occurs. The spell might simply fail, the effect you
  desire may only be partly achieved, or your efforts may have
  unforeseen consequences as a result of what you attempted
  to accomplish.
  Some example uses of the spell are presented below:
  You instantaneously light or snuff the candles on a candel-
  abrum, a torch, or a small campfire.
  You cause nearby flames to flicker, brighten, dim, or
  change colour.
  You instantaneously repair a single break or tear in an
  object, such as a broken chain link, two halves of a broken
  key, a torn cloak, or a leaking wineskin.
  You create a sound or an image of an object within range.
  A sound may continue unabated throughout the duration,
  or you can make discrete sounds at different times while
  the spell continues. An image can’t create sound, light,
  smell, or any other sensory effect, and physical interaction
  reveals it to be an illusion because things can pass
  through it. A creature can use an action to examine the
  sound or image, determining that it is an illusion with a
  successful Intelligence (Investigation) check against your
  spell save DC and thereby causing it to become faint to the
  creature.
  You instantaneously clean or soil an object no larger than
  1 cubic foot.
  You can interact with an unattended object within range
  as though you were physically touching it. You can’t use
  this effect to attack, activate magic items, disarm traps,
  pick locks, or carry more than 10 pounds.
  If you cast this spell multiple times, you can have up to
  three of its non-instantaneous effects active at a time, and you
  can dismiss such an effect at any time (no action required).
   
  Isn’t That Already A Spell?
  The minor arcana spell is a combination of various
  utility cantrips that have no good reason to be
  separated. It replaces light, mage hand, minor illu-
  sion, mending, prestidigitation, and thaumaturgy
  for all classes with access to those cantrips.
  Sticks to Snakes
  3rd-level transmutation
  Casting Time: 1 action
  Range: 30 feet
  Components: V, S, M (pieces of wood and a snake scale)
  Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
  When you cast this spell, you animate various pieces of wood
  no smaller than a torch and no larger than a quarterstaff, all
  of which must be within range. The pieces of wood transform
  into ophidian creatures, forming a swarm of poisonous
  snakes that appears within range.
  The swarm is under your control, and as a bonus action
  you can mentally command it to follow a course of action,
  such as to guard a particular chamber or corridor. If you issue
  no commands, the swarm only defends itself against hostile
  creatures. Once given an order, the swarm continues to
  follow it until its task is complete.
  The DM has the swarm’s statistics.
  At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of
  4th level or higher, you can create one additional swarm for
  each slot level above 3rd.
  4
  DUNGEON MASTER’S WORKSHOP | RAS NSI
  
  Appendix: Excerpt from
  The Ring of Winter
  The following is an excerpt from The Ring of Winter by
  James Lowder which provides great insight into the nature of
  Ras Nsi’s character.
   
  “By Ubtao’s blood, they were fools,” he chuckled. “I end a
  three-hundred-year-long war, save Mezro from destruction,
  and they banish me.”
  “A war that lasted three hundred years?” Artus gasped.
  “They sent you here without telling you of my great crime?”
  Ras Nsi asked sarcastically. His sun-bright eyes flashed.
  “They must be embarrassed by their foolishness, especially
  now that the city is in such grave danger.”
  Ras Nsi began his tale. He stared into the green stone on
  his ring as he spoke, as if it were calling forth his memories
  of the ancient battles.
  “The war started about eighteen hundred years ago,” the
  bara told Artus. “That was long before the wall encircled the
  city. We didn't need sorcerous protection then. Mezro boasted
  the mightiest army in the world, and every Tabaxi* who had
  the heart to be a warrior flocked to the city to prove his
  mettle.
  “There was another large tribe of humans in Chult then—
  the Eshowe—and they were our sworn foes. They mocked
  Ubtao, worshiping the rain and the sun, calling upon local
  spirits for spells.” Nsi sneered and reached behind him for a
  short-handled spear hanging on the wall. Holding the broad
  blade toward Artus, he added, “But their local gods could not
  help them against our righteous armies. For three hundred
  years we fought, driving the Eshowe farther and farther into
  the wild parts of the jungle, the valleys where creatures from
  before time still dwell in dark caves.”
  The bara tapped the spear against his palm, digging the
  sharp tip deeper and deeper into his bloodless flesh. The
  wounds healed instantly. “The Eshowe found just such a
  beast,” Ras Nsi said, his voice strained with excitement. “A
  creature as tall as the highest spire on the Temple of Ubtao,
  its body wrought of blinding smoke and choking fog. They
  made a deal with the creature, promising the souls of all the
  slain to its greedy stomach, for it fed upon bravery, and the
  Tabaxi were known throughout Ubtao's jungle as the bravest
  of all men.” He sank the spear into the arm of his throne.
  “The Eshowe led the beast back to Mezro for a final, des-
  perate attack.”
  A look of sadness passed across the bara’s features, though
  his eyes still blazed with an infernal light. “They sacked the
  city before we could defeat them. Our homes, our fields—all
  burned. Just the temple and a few of the buildings in the city's
  heart were left standing.” Ras Nsi sighed. “Of the seven barae,
  only I survived. The others all died crushing the Eshowe and
  the beast. We were the victors, but at a terrible price.
  “For the next decade, I hunted the few Eshowe that survi-
  ved the fight, tracked them with my zombies. I burned their
  homes and slaughtered their children. And each Eshowe
  warrior I killed was raised up to fight against his brothers.”
  He gestured casually to the weird painting. “That depicts the
  last of the Eshowe being killed. There are no more of them in
  Chult.”
  Ras Nsi stated the gruesome facts with inestimable pride.
  Artus shuddered at the claim, his throat constricting. It was
  clear now the bara was blind to the horror of his actions.
  “By the time I returned to Mezro, the legion of dead
  Eshowe trailing in my wake, Osaw had been made king, with
  Mainu and that bleeding heart T’fima serving as his most
  trusted advisors.” The bara scowled. “When they saw what I
  had done, they banished me from the city. ‘Your murderous
  ways are not honorable,’ T’fima proclaimed at my trial. They
  were fools, but I had no choice but obey. Osaw was the right-
  ful king and leader of Mezro. I would have done anything to
  help the city, and they turned me away!”
  The bara glowered for a moment, staring at the screaming
  men and women in the painting. “I warned them that other
  enemies would arise, that there was a void in the jungle
  hierarchy. I have watched the Batiri rise up over the last
  thousand years. The war Mezro faces now could have been
  prevented long ago, had they only let me wipe out the goblins,
  too. But now I will remedy that mistake.”
  * Note that The Ring of Winter was written in 1992 while the
  game was still Second Edition AD&D. At this time, Tabaxi
  were not catfolk, but rather a tribe of humans living in Chult.
  DUNGEON MASTER’S WORKSHOP
  Disclaimer: If you bite it and you die, it is poisonous. If it bites
  you and you die, it is venomous. Do not trust tabletop role-
  playing games to get this right.
  For more from Dungeon Master’s Workshop, visit our
  website.
  5
  DUNGEON MASTER’S WORKSHOP | RAS NSI
  
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