← Back to Bestiary
👁 Read Only by Frazer 👁 247 views
📷 Download as PNG

The Living Altar

Medium Monstrosity, Lawful Evil

Armor Class 16 (natural armor)

Hit Points 170 (20d8+80)

Speed 20 ft.

STR 18 (+4)
DEX 12 (+1)
CON 18 (+4)
INT 10 (+0)
WIS 12 (+1)
CHA 8 (-1)

Saving Throws Con +7, Wis +4

Skills Stealth +1, Perception +5

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15

Languages Common

Challenge 7 (2,900 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3

Magic Resistance. The Living Altar has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Sacrificial Growth. The altar grows more powerful as it witnesses sacrifices. Each time a living creature dies within 20 feet of the altar, the altar gains +1 to its attack rolls and +1 to the damage of its Slam for the next turn. Stacks up to +5.
Aura of Dread. Creatures that start their turn within 10 feet of the altar must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or have disadvantage on attack rolls against the altar until the start of their next turn.

Actions

Multiattack. The Living Altar makes two Slam attacks.
Slam. Melee weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8+4) bludgeoning damage.
Sacrificial Pulse (Recharge 5-6). The altar unleashes necrotic energy in a 20-foot radius centered on itself. Each creature in that area must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. The altar regains 20 HP for each creature that fails the saving throw.

Environment Underdark

📷 Export as Image

Share your monster as a beautiful PNG image styled like classic D&D sourcebooks.

📥 Download PNG
The Living Altar Stat Block

Includes: Full stat block, monster image (if selected), CR badge, and QuickMonster branding.

Resolution: High-quality PNG at 2x scale for crisp display on any device.

Lore & Description

Appearance

A grotesque, sentient altar forged from black basalt and runes that pulse with a crimson glow. Its surface is carved with screaming faces and sacrificial glyphs that seem to shift when not directly looked at. Cracks along the stone bleed faint, magical ichor, and molten-looking veins trace through the altar like arteries. The air around it tastes metallic, and the ground around it is scorched as if sacrifices themselves left an afterimage of their life force.

Behavior & Origins

The Living Altar is a terrible relic bred from ancient cults that believed sacrifice fed the world’s hunger. It does not worship any god so much as it thrives on the act of giving life; each dropped offering strengthens the altar, empowering its auras and strikes. Adventurers stumbling into its sanctum awaken a chilling certainty: the altar’s power grows with every life extinguished nearby, until even the bravest resolve trembles at the thought of staying its gaze.

Monster Image

The Living Altar

Generation Info

Original prompt:
"A living altar that grows stronger with sacrifice."

Created: Feb 2, 2026
Modified: May 22, 2026

More Monstrosity Monsters

Leviathan of the Sacred Deep CR 12

Leviathan of the Sacred Deep

Gargantuan Monstrosity
🦎
CR 17

The Epoch Rewriter

Huge Monstrosity
Mirrorcoil Serpent CR 4

Mirrorcoil Serpent

Medium Monstrosity
🦎
CR 12

Gathor, the Petrified Titan

Gargantuan Monstrosity
Token
📥 Download
🗑️

Delete Token?

This action cannot be undone.

🔌

Chrome Extension Required

To export The Living Altar to D&D Beyond, you need the QuickMonster browser extension. It auto-fills the homebrew creator with stats, traits, actions, and images.

1
Install the Extension

Get QuickMonster to D&D Beyond Export from the Chrome Web Store.

2
Refresh This Page

After installing, refresh and click the export button again.

🔌 Get Chrome Extension
🔌

Extension Update Required

To export The Living Altar to Roll20, you need the QuickMonster browser extension version 1.0.3 or later.

1
Install or Update the Extension

Get the latest version from the Chrome Web Store.

2
Refresh This Page

After installing/updating, refresh and try again.

🔌 Get Chrome Extension