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Mummy Lord 5e: Stats, Spells, Legendary Actions and the Heart
A mummy lord is a CR 15 undead priest with AC 17, a curse-spreading Rotting Fist, a paralyzing Dreadful Glare, legendary actions and a heart that rebuilds its body 24 hours after it's destroyed. The 2014 version has only 97 hit points but casts as a 10th-level cleric and can punch four times a round. The 2024 version almost doubles its hit points to 187, trades the spell slots for a short list of daily spells, adds Legendary Resistance and a ranged necrotic attack, and its glare now deals 25 psychic damage as well as paralyzing.
Magic Resistance.The mummy lord has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Rejuvenation.A destroyed mummy lord gains a new body in 24 hours if its heart is intact, regaining all its hit points and becoming active again. The new body appears within 5 feet of the mummy lord's heart.
Spellcasting.The mummy lord is a 10th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks). The mummy lord has the following cleric spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): sacred flame, thaumaturgy
1st level (4 slots): command, guiding bolt, shield of faith
2nd level (3 slots): hold person, silence, spiritual weapon
3rd level (3 slots): animate dead, dispel magic
4th level (3 slots): divination, guardian of faith
5th level (2 slots): contagion, insect plague
6th level (1 slot): harm
Actions
Multiattack.The mummy can use its Dreadful Glare and makes one attack with its rotting fist.
Rotting Fist.Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (3d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage plus 21 (6d6) necrotic damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be cursed with mummy rot. The cursed target can't regain hit points, and its hit point maximum decreases by 10 (3d6) for every 24 hours that elapse. If the curse reduces the target's hit point maximum to 0, the target dies, and its body turns to dust. The curse lasts until removed by the remove curse spell or other magic.
Dreadful Glare.The mummy lord targets one creature it can see within 60 feet of it. If the target can see the mummy lord, it must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or become frightened until the end of the mummy's next turn. If the target fails the saving throw by 5 or more, it is also paralyzed for the same duration. A target that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to the Dreadful Glare of all mummies and mummy lords for the next 24 hours.
Legendary Actions
The mummy lord can take 3 legendary actions, choosing 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. The mummy lord regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Attack.The mummy lord makes one attack with its rotting fist or uses its Dreadful Glare.
Blinding Dust.Blinding dust and sand swirls magically around the mummy lord. Each creature within 5 feet of the mummy lord must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of the creature's next turn.
Blasphemous Word (Costs 2 Actions).The mummy lord utters a blasphemous word. Each non-undead creature within 10 feet of the mummy lord that can hear the magical utterance must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of the mummy lord's next turn.
Channel Negative Energy (Costs 2 Actions).The mummy lord magically unleashes negative energy. Creatures within 60 feet of the mummy lord, including ones behind barriers and around corners, can't regain hit points until the end of the mummy lord's next turn.
Whirlwind of Sand (Costs 2 Actions).The mummy lord magically transforms into a whirlwind of sand, moves up to 60 feet, and reverts to its normal form. While in whirlwind form, the mummy lord is immune to all damage, and it can't be grappled, petrified, knocked prone, restrained, or stunned. Equipment worn or carried by the mummy lord remain in its possession.
Stat block from the SRD 5.1 (2014 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
Read it as three threats stacked together.
A heavy hitter. The Rotting Fist is +9 to hit for 14 (3d6 + 4) bludgeoning plus 21 (6d6) necrotic, 35 on average, and a DC 16 Constitution save against mummy rot. Rot stops all healing and takes 10 (3d6) off the hit point maximum every 24 hours until Remove Curse or other magic ends it. The full curse rules are on the mummy page.
A controller. Dreadful Glare is DC 16 Wisdom. A failure means frightened until the end of the mummy lord's next turn; failing by 5 or more (a total of 11 or lower) also means paralyzed. Unlike an ordinary mummy's glare, succeeding against a mummy lord makes you immune to mummies and mummy lords for 24 hours.
Its defenses are immunity to necrotic and poison damage and to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical attacks, Magic Resistance (Advantage on saves against spells and magical effects), and strong Constitution, Wisdom and Charisma saves. It has no Legendary Resistance in 2014, which is unusual for a CR 15 solo monster. Its weak points are fire vulnerability, a Dexterity save of +0 and only 97 hit points.
The Mummy Lord in the 2024 Rules
The 2024 mummy lord (SRD 5.2.1) is still CR 15, but it's a different fight.
Challenge 15 (XP 13,000, or 15,000 in lair; PB +5)
Traits
Legendary Resistance (3/Day, or 4/Day in Lair).If the mummy fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance.The mummy has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Undead Restoration.If destroyed, the mummy gains a new body in 24 hours if its heart is intact, reviving with all its Hit Points. The new body appears in an unoccupied space within the mummy’s lair. The heart is a Tiny object that has AC 17, HP 10, and Immunity to all damage except Fire.
Actions
Multiattack.The mummy makes one Rotting Fist or Channel Negative Energy attack, and it uses Dreadful Glare.
Rotting Fist.Melee Attack Roll: +9, reach 5 ft. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) Bludgeoning damage plus 10 (3d6) Necrotic damage. If the target is a creature, it is cursed. While cursed, the target can’t regain Hit Points, it gains no benefit from finishing a Long Rest, and its Hit Point maximum decreases by 10 (3d6) every 24 hours that elapse. A creature dies and turns to dust if reduced to 0 Hit Points by this attack.
Channel Negative Energy.Ranged Attack Roll: +9, range 60 ft. Hit: 25 (6d6 + 4) Necrotic damage.
Dreadful Glare.Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 17, one creature the mummy can see within 60 feet. Failure: 25 (6d6 + 4) Psychic damage, and the target has the Paralyzed condition until the end of the mummy’s next turn.
Spellcasting.The mummy casts one of the following spells, requiring no Material components and using Wisdom as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks):
Whirlwind of Sand.Trigger: The mummy is hit by an attack roll. Response: The mummy adds 2 to its AC against the attack, possibly causing the attack to miss, and the mummy teleports up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. Each creature of its choice that it can see within 5 feet of its destination space has the Blinded condition until the end of the mummy’s next turn.
Legendary Actions
Legendary Action Uses: 3 (4 in Lair). Immediately after another creature’s turn, the mummy lord can expend a use to take one of the following actions. The mummy lord regains all expended uses at the start of each of its turns.
Dread Command.The mummy casts Command (level 2 version), using the same spellcasting ability as Spellcasting. The mummy can’t take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Glare.The mummy uses Dreadful Glare. The mummy can’t take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Necrotic Strike.The mummy makes one Rotting Fist or Channel Negative Energy attack.
Stat block from the SRD 5.2.1 (2024 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
Legendary action (2 actions): move 60 ft., immune to all damage while moving
Reaction when hit: +2 AC, teleport 60 ft., blinds creatures near its destination
Legendary actions
3: Attack, Blinding Dust, Blasphemous Word, Channel Negative Energy, Whirlwind of Sand
3 (4 in lair): Dread Command, Glare, Necrotic Strike
Three changes decide the 2024 fight:
•The glare is a damage attack now. Every turn the mummy lord uses it in its Multiattack, and it can use it again as a legendary action. A failed save means 25 psychic damage and paralysis until the end of its next turn. Paralysis means automatic failure on Strength and Dexterity saves, and any hit from within 5 feet is a critical hit.
•It can't be burned down in one round. 187 hit points and three Legendary Resistances mean the party needs a sustained plan, not one big spell.
•It reacts. Whirlwind of Sand turns one hit per round into a possible miss and a 60-foot teleport, and it blinds whoever stands next to where it lands.
Its legendary actions also changed purpose. In 2014 they were tools (blind, stun, stop healing). In 2024 they're mostly more attacks: Necrotic Strike has no once-per-round limit.
The Heart and the Lair
The heart. Both versions come back 24 hours after being destroyed if the heart is intact. In 2014 the new body appears within 5 feet of the heart, and the SRD gives the heart no statistics. In 2024 the new body appears anywhere in its lair, and the heart is a Tiny object with AC 17, 10 hit points and immunity to all damage except fire. Burning the heart is the only way to destroy it in 2024. Where the heart is hidden is up to you; the SRD doesn't say.
The lair. SRD 5.1 gives the 2014 mummy lord no lair actions. SRD 5.2.1 gives the 2024 version no lair actions either; its lair adds a fourth Legendary Resistance, a fourth legendary action and 2,000 XP. Any lair hazards beyond that are yours to design.
How the Mummy Lord Fights
It's an Intelligence 11, Wisdom 18-19 priest that has had a very long time to plan. It knows its tomb. It fights where it wants, with mummies and animated dead between it and the party.
2014: the four-punch round. Legendary actions can be spent on Attack, one at a time. That's four Rotting Fists a round: one on its turn, three after other creatures' turns. Against AC 18 each fist hits on a 9 or higher (60%), so four fists average about 85 damage (35.5 per hit), each with a DC 16 save against mummy rot. In practice it should mix in Blasphemous Word (stuns non-undead within 10 feet on a failed DC 16 Con save) and Blinding Dust.
2014: glare into a crit. A level 13 character with Wisdom +1 and no proficiency in Wisdom saves fails the DC 16 glare 70% of the time and is paralyzed 50% of the time. A paralyzed target takes critical hits from the fist: 6d6 + 4 bludgeoning plus 12d6 necrotic, about 67 damage. Glare the fighter, then punch the fighter.
2014: use the spell list. Hold Person on a Humanoid sets up the same critical hits. Channel Negative Energy (2 legendary actions) stops all healing within 60 feet until the end of its next turn, which pairs well with Harm. In 2014, Harm deals 14d6 necrotic (about 49) on a failed Con save and reduces the target's hit point maximum for an hour, but it can't reduce the target below 1 hit point. Silence on the party's caster shuts off verbal spells.
2024: steady pressure from range. The 2024 version moves 30 feet, rolls initiative at +10 and has a 60-foot ranged attack. A typical round: Multiattack with Channel Negative Energy (60% to hit AC 18, about 15 damage) and Dreadful Glare (a Wisdom +2 character without proficiency fails 70% of the time, about 17.5 damage plus paralysis), then a legendary Glare on someone else and two Necrotic Strikes. That's roughly 80 damage spread across the party, with one or two characters paralyzed.
2024: Insect Plague and Animate Dead first. Before the party reaches it, cast Insect Plague at its level 7 version (6d10 piercing, about 33, in a 20-foot-radius sphere that is lightly obscured and difficult terrain) on the entrance, and have animated dead waiting. Insect Plague requires Concentration, so the party can try to break it with damage. Its Constitution save is only +3, but it can spend a Legendary Resistance to keep the spell.
Fall back to the heart. If the fight goes badly, the 2014 version uses Whirlwind of Sand to put 60 feet between itself and the party. Losing the body only costs it 24 hours if the heart is safe.
Running a Mummy Lord Encounter
A mummy lord is worth 13,000 XP (15,000 in its lair under 2024 rules). Using the 2024 SRD 5.2.1 budget for four characters:
Party of 4 (2024 rules)
Low
Moderate
High
Example
Level 11
7,600
11,600
16,400
Mummy lord alone (13,000, High)
Level 13
10,400
16,800
21,600
Mummy lord in lair + 2 mummies (16,400, Moderate)
Level 15
13,200
21,600
31,200
Mummy lord in lair + 6 mummies (19,200, Moderate)
Mummies are CR 3 (700 XP each). Under the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide guidelines that our encounter difficulty calculator uses, a lone mummy lord is a Medium fight for four level 13 characters (13,000 against a Hard threshold of 13,600). Add two mummies and the total is 14,400, doubled for a group of three to 28,800, well past Deadly (20,400).
Neither formula prices the heart. A mummy lord that returns tomorrow is two fights unless the party finds and burns the heart, so budget the second encounter or make the heart hunt part of the adventure.
The 2014 version is tuned for levels 11 to 13 because of its low hit points: a party at level 15 can kill 97 hit points in a round. The 2024 version holds up through level 15.
How Players Beat a Mummy Lord
•Fire, with Dexterity saves. Fire damage is doubled, and Dexterity is its weakest save (+0, no proficiency, in both editions). Fireball averages 28 damage, 56 after vulnerability. Against the 2014 mummy lord's 97 hit points, two failed saves (112 damage) finish it. Magic Resistance gives it Advantage on the save: at DC 17 it needs a 17 or higher, so it still fails about 64% of the time.
•Spend its Legendary Resistance (2024). Lead with cheaper save effects before the spell that matters. The 2014 version has none to spend.
•Bring magic weapons (2014). It's immune to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical attacks. Check whether the party has them before the fight.
•Defend against paralysis. Freedom of Movement stops spells and other magical effects from paralyzing its target. The 2014 glare is described as magic, so it's covered; the 2024 glare isn't labeled as magic, so whether the spell stops it is a DM call. In 2014, a target that can't see the mummy lord can't be affected by the glare at all.
•Spread out (2014). Blasphemous Word hits non-undead within 10 feet and Blinding Dust hits everything within 5. Only the characters who need to be in melee should be.
•Don't count on healing. Mummy rot blocks hit point recovery in both editions, and the 2014 Channel Negative Energy legendary action blocks it for everyone within 60 feet. Damage prevention (cover, positioning, killing the animated dead fast) works better than healing.
•Find the heart. Divination, interrogating the mummy lord's servants or reading its tomb's inscriptions can all point to it. In 2024 it has 10 hit points and only fire hurts it.
Mummy Lord Encounter Ideas
The bean that grew a pyramid. SRD 5.1's Bag of Beans has a 91-99 result: a pyramid bursts from the ground with a mummy lord in a sarcophagus, and the pyramid counts as its lair. A player who plants a bean in the middle of a farming village has just given the village a problem. The party has to clear the pyramid before the mummy lord wakes up and finds a village full of new servants.
The court chaplain. A kingdom's founding queen was mummified with her high priest, who serves her still. The priest is the mummy lord. The queen's tomb is a pilgrimage site, and the mummy lord has spent centuries using Dispel Magic and Animate Dead on grave robbers. Now a royal heir wants the queen's crown, and the party is the escort.
The heart in the museum. A scholar has the mummy lord's heart in a glass case without knowing what it is. Every time adventurers destroy the mummy lord in its tomb, it reappears 24 hours later. The party has to work out that the heart left the tomb, then get it back from a scholar who refuses to let anyone burn an artifact.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CR is a mummy lord in 5e?
A mummy lord is CR 15 in both editions, worth 13,000 XP. The 2024 version is worth 15,000 XP when fought in its lair.
How do you permanently kill a mummy lord?
Destroy its body and its heart. If the heart is intact, it gains a new body 24 hours after being destroyed. In 2024 the heart is a Tiny object with AC 17 and 10 hit points that only fire can damage.
Does a mummy lord have legendary resistance?
The 2014 mummy lord doesn't; it relies on Magic Resistance and high Constitution, Wisdom and Charisma saves. The 2024 mummy lord has Legendary Resistance 3/day, or 4/day in its lair.
Does a mummy lord have lair actions?
Not in the SRD. Neither SRD 5.1 nor SRD 5.2.1 gives it lair actions. In 2024 its lair gives it a fourth Legendary Resistance, a fourth legendary action and more XP.
What spells does a mummy lord have?
The 2014 mummy lord is a 10th-level cleric with spells including Hold Person, Silence, Animate Dead, Dispel Magic, Contagion, Insect Plague and Harm. The 2024 version casts Dispel Magic and Thaumaturgy at will and Animate Dead, Harm and Insect Plague once per day each.
Is a mummy lord weak to fire?
Yes. Both versions are vulnerable to fire, and the 2024 mummy lord's heart can only be damaged by fire.
Stat blocks: System Reference Document 5.1 (2014) and 5.2.1 (2024), Wizards of the Coast, CC-BY-4.0. Tactics, encounter math and ideas are Loreify's own.
This page includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Loreify is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.