Kar'niss

Kar'niss is a Drider in service of the Absolute, whom he serves after being cast out by Lolth, the Queen of Spiders. He's a key character involved in the questline Seek Protection from the Shadow Curse, since he carries a Moonlantern that traps the pixie Dolly Dolly Dolly. He believes that anyone who perishes to the  Shadow Curse makes it stronger.

Kar'niss
Level 6
Role	Moonlantern bearer
Voiced by	Joshua B. Sklar
Information
Title	Light of the Absolute
Race	Drow
Stats
Size	Medium
Type	Monstrosity
Armour Class	19
Hit points	184 (Balanced) 239 (Tactician)
Weight	150 kg (300 lb)
Initiative	+3
Ability scores
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 18 (+4) 13 (+1) 16 (+3) 12 (+1)
Proficiency bonus	+3
Saving throws	Str +3 Dex +6 Con +4 Int +1 Wis +3 Cha +1
Conditions
Spindleweb Fanaticism	Entity and nearby allies deal an additional 1d6Psychic, as long as it isn't incapacitated. Movement speed increased by 3m/10ft.
Features
Sting The Helpless	Deal an additional 1d4Poison against  Restrained targets
Dual Wielder	Can wield two non-heavy weapons even if they aren't light.
Alert	+5 bonus to initiative and can't be  Surprised
Dark Devotion	Advantage on Saving Throws against being  Charmed or  Frightened
Darkvision	Can see in the dark up to 12m/30ft.
Improved Critical Hit	The number needed to roll a Critical Hit when attacking is reduced by 1
Multiattack: Wounded Target	Can Multiattack if its target has fewer than all of its hit points
Opportunity Attack	Automatically attack an enemy moving out of reach
Sunlight Sensitivity	While in Sunlight, gain Disadvantage on Attack Rolls and Perception Checks that rely on sight
Web Walker	Isn't slowed down by web surfaces, and can't be  Enwebbed by them
Cull the Weak (Drider) Tactician	Deal an additional 2d6Slashing to targets below 50% of their maximum hit points
Legendary Action: Fanatic Retaliation Honour	Once per round when a Spindleweb Fanatic is killed, Kar'niss can use a Legendary Action to possibly deal 6d10Psychic and silence the attacker.

Can be spoken to in death with the  Speak with Dead spell.

Encounters

Kar'niss may be first encountered in two different ways. While entering the Shadow-Cursed Lands from Rosymorn Monastery Trail, a group of Absolute followers will be waiting for Minthara to arrive and summon the guide. The player can use the Spider's Lyre to summon Kar'niss, then follow the convoy to Moonrise Towers.

Otherwise, if the party reaches the Shadow-Cursed Lands through Grymforge, they may encounter Kar'niss' caravan mid-transit - either alongside a group of Harpers to ambush them and claim the lantern as part of a quest given by Jaheira at Last Light Inn, or alone if they explore the Shadow-Cursed Lands and come across the checkpoint without interacting with the Harpers first. The Harper ambush will also be encountered if the party followed the caravan from the start. In each of these scenarios, the party may choose to follow the convoy to Moonrise, kill Kar'niss and his followers to take his lantern, or convince him through dialogue to relinquish it and walk away to his death.

If Kar'niss and his caravan are convinced to leave without the Moonlantern during the ambush in Seek Protection from the Shadow Curse, they can later be encountered as  Shadow-Cursed Undead in Reithwin Town, south of the statue of Ketheric Thorm outside the Sharran Sanctuary and north of the bridge to Moonrise Towers. They are automatically hostile to the party in this form and cannot be interacted with other than by attacking, but Kar'niss will still appear as  Temporarily Hostile if attacked.

If Kar'niss survives the road to Moonrise, he will run up the tower to seek the Absolute's blessing on the rooftop, where he can be encountered one final time as he fights alongside Ketheric when the party storms the tower at the end of Act 2.

Attacks and abilities

 Venom Claws ()

3d6 (3~18) + Strength modifier Piercing

+

2d8 (2~16) Poison

Lash out with venomous claws..

 Melee: 1.5 m / 5  ft

 Multiattack ()

Normal weapon damage + Normal weapon damage + Normal weapon damage Target must be below its maximum hit points.

 Melee: 1.5 m / 5  ft

Recharge: per turn

Spells Known

 Sanctuary ()

You or an ally cannot be targeted until you attack or harm a creature. You can still take damage from area spells.

Until the affected entity attacks or harms another creature, it cannot be targeted by enemy attacks. However, it can still take damage from spells that influence a larger area.

 Range: 18 m / 60 ft

 Spindleweb Sanctuary ()

Protect yourself from attackers in the Absolute's gaze. If you attack or harm another creature, the sanctuary shatters, dealing 3d8Psychic to nearby creatures. Until the affected entity attacks or harms another creature, it cannot be targeted by enemy attacks. However, it can still take damage from spells that influence a larger area.

 Range: Self

Related quests

• Follow the Convoy
• Seek Protection from the Shadow Curse

Notable loot

• Cruel Sting
• Moonlantern

Speak with Dead

Kar'niss can be spoken to with Speak with Dead.

Player: Who are you?

• Kar'niss: Erased... forgotten... we are... drider...

Player: What happened to you?

• Kar'niss: Lolth... cast out... Absolute... saved...

Player: Who killed you?

• Kar'niss: Traitor... heretic...

Player: Where are you from?

• Kar'niss: Moonrise...

Player: What were you doing?

• Kar'niss: Shepherding... the faithful... carrying... our Lady's light...

Player: You walk the shadows safely. How?

• Kar'niss: Lantern... our Lady's light...

Player: How did you trap that pixie in the lantern?

• Kar'niss: Always... many voices... her... the LOUDEST...

Player: How did the shadow curse come to be?

• Narrator: *The corpse remains silent. It does not know.*

External links

• Kar'niss on the Forgotten Realms Wiki