A fire-haired woman with ashen skin gently touches a dying tree, igniting it and the surrounding undergrowth.

Wardens of Wildfire. This beautiful fey with fiery hair and ashen skin wears a cloak of soot as she treads the forests of the world. The ashen custodian cleanses forests with flames, allowing them to grow anew and maintaining the natural cycle of death and rebirth. Though ashen custodians primarily live solitary lives, forest drakes are sometimes found in their company or service. The drakes enjoy acting as intermediaries between a forest’s ashen custodian and local druid circles.

Life from the Ashes. Ashen custodians are born out of the fallen forms of dryads who lost their trees to wildfires. The custodians emerge from the ashes of their charred mothers with new purpose.

Double-Edged Fire. Ashen custodians set fires to cleanse old growth forests and allow new growth, but they do not revel in forest fires. An ashen custodian is just as likely to prevent a forest fire as she is to set one. The ashen custodian values the role of fire in a forest’s life cycle and severely punishes those who start or prevent fires outside of this cycle.

Ashen Custodian

Medium fey, neutral
Armor Class 15
Hit Points 99 (18d8 + 18)
Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
10 (+0)	21 (+5)	12 (+1)	14 (+2)	15 (+2)	18 (+4)

Saving Throws Con +4
Skills Nature +5, Perception +5
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities fire
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages Elvish, Sylvan
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)

Fire Controller. As a bonus action, the ashen custodian can create or extinguish a nonmagical fire in a 5-foot cube within 30 feet of her, or she can expand an existing fire within 30 feet of her by 5 feet in one direction. If she creates or expands a fire, the target location must have suitable fuel for the fire, such as paper or wood. If the ashen custodian targets a fire elemental with this trait, the fire elemental has advantage (expanded) or disadvantage (extinguished) on attack rolls until the end of its next turn.

Forest Cleanser. When the ashen custodian hits a plant or plant creature with her Cleansing Strike, the target takes an extra 2d8 fire damage.

Magic Resistance. The ashen custodian has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Warming Presence. When a hostile creature starts its turn within 10 feet of the ashen custodian, the creature must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 3 (1d6) fire damage. When a friendly creature within 10 feet of the ashen custodian regains hp, the creature regains an extra 1d6 hp.

Innate Spellcasting. The ashen custodian’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 15). The ashen custodian can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: druidcraft, produce flame
3/day each: burning hands, cure wounds, flame blade, fog cloud
1/day each: conjure elemental (fire elemental only), wall of fire

Actions

Multiattack. The ashen custodian makes two cleansing strike attacks.

Cleansing Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage plus 9 (2d8) fire damage. If the target is a creature or a flammable object, it ignites. Until a creature takes an action to douse the fire, the target takes 5 (1d10) fire damage at the start of each of its turns.