Buy me a coffeeMorgan le Fay
![By Frederick Sandys - [1], [2], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15217599, Morgan le Fay](https://spiralworlds.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/800px-Sandys_Frederick_-_Morgan_le_Fay-729x1024.jpg)
Morgan le Fay is a villainess: a seductive, megalomaniac and powerful fey sorceress and antagonist of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere, wishing to overthrow Arthur. Morgan seduced Arthur and gave birth to the wicked Mordred. Mordred is often her pawn, used to bring about the end of the Arthurian age.
- Alias – Morgan le Fay is also known as Morgana, Morgaine, and sometimes even as Queen of Avalon.
- Gender – Morgan le Fay is a female character.
- Race – Morgan le Fay is typically depicted as a human, although some versions of the Arthurian legend suggest that she may be a faerie or other magical creature.
- Occupation – Morgan le Fay is often portrayed as a sorceress, with great knowledge and control over magic. In some versions of the legend, she is also a queen or noblewoman.
- Religion – Morgan le Fay is typically portrayed as a pagan or druidic character, with a strong connection to nature and the elements.
- Allies – Morgan le Fay has been known to ally herself with various characters throughout the Arthurian legend, including the Lady of the Lake, the Green Knight, and even King Arthur himself on occasion.
- Enemies – Morgan le Fay is often portrayed as an antagonist in the Arthurian legend, with her primary enemy being King Arthur and his knights.
- Abode/ Base of operations – Morgan le Fay’s base of operations is often depicted as being on the mystical island of Avalon, which is said to be the final resting place of King Arthur.
- Nationality – Morgan le Fay is typically depicted as being of British or Welsh descent.
- Languages – Morgan le Fay is said to be fluent in various languages, including Latin, French, and Welsh.
- Alignment – Morgan le Fay’s alignment is typically chaotic or neutral, as she is known to act both as a helper and an antagonist depending on the situation.
- Affiliation (s) – Morgan le Fay is affiliated with various groups throughout the Arthurian legend, including the Knights of the Round Table, the Faerie Folk, and the Druids.
- Significant others – Morgan le Fay is often depicted as having a complicated romantic relationship with King Arthur, with some versions of the legend suggesting that they are siblings or even lovers. She is also sometimes portrayed as being married to King Urien of Rheged.
She is the daughter of Arthur’s mother, the Lady Igraine, and her first husband, Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall; Arthur is her half brother by Igraine and Uther Pendragon.
Morgan has two older sisters, Elaine and Morgause, the latter of whom is the mother of Gawain. She is married, unhappily, to King Urien of Gore and Ywain is her son. Though she becomes an adversary of the Round Table when Guinevere discovers her adultery with one of her husband’s knights, she eventually reconciles with her brother, and even serves as one of the four enchantresses who carry the king to Avalon after his final battle at Camlann.
The youngest of Gorlois and Igraine’s daughters, she is sent away when Uther Pendragon kills her father and marries her mother. There she begins her study of magic, but is interrupted when Uther betroths her to his ally Urien. Unhappy with her husband, she takes a string of lovers until she is caught by a young Guinevere, who expels her from court in disgust.
Morgan continues her magical studies under Merlin, all the while plotting against Guinevere. She uses her skills to foil Arthur’s knights, especially Lancelot, whom she alternately tries to seduce and to expose as Guinevere’s adulterous lover. She delivers to Arthur’s court a magic drinking horn from which no unfaithful lady can drink without spilling, hoping to reveal the infidelity.
Through magic and mortal means, she tries to arrange Arthur’s downfall, most famously when she arranges for her lover Accolon to obtain the sword Excalibur and use it against Arthur in single combat. Failing in this, Morgan throws Excalibur’s protective scabbard into a lake. At the end of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, it is revealed that the entire supernatural episode has been instigated by Morgan as a test for Arthur and his knights, and to frighten Guinevere.
In folklore
Morgan eventually became connected with the mirage known as the Fata Morgana. The famous Sicilian volcano Etna “The Mountain of Morgan the Fairy”. At the same time legends claimed that sirens in the waters around Sicily lured the unwary to their deaths. Subsequently Morgan le Fay became associated not only with Etna, but also with sirens. She is called “mistress of the fairies of the salt sea”.
Other legends claim she created boats that fly above the sea and never approach the shore and caused golden castles to float in the air above the straits of Messina, castles that no one was ever able to reach and that were nothing more than an optical illusion.
D&D 5E Mythological Figures: Morgan le Fay (5E)
There’s a lot you can read about Morgan le Fay as she plays an integral role to much of King Arthur’s story but here are the highlights. She’s one of Arthur’s half-sisters and married to King Urien of Gaul, although she has a love affair with Accolon of Gaul (a Knight of the Round Table), at one point trying to kill her husband and Arthur so that her lover might take the throne. She’s a powerful enchantress that knows witchcraft and is always going about making use of it for intrigue and what have you. Although she steals the sheath of Excalibur, a source of magical healing for Arthur, and she doesn’t return it to him so that he might heal from the Battle of Camlann, she helps guide Arthur to Avalon during his final days. She’s mother to Ywain as well and gets sent to a convent when she’s young, and trains under Merlin and is also Modred’s aunt, and a whole bunch of other things. If nothing else Morgan le Fay was a very busy lady.
Morgan le Fay
Medium humanoid (human), neutral sorcerer (holy blood) 16
Armor Class 15 (bracers of defense, ring of protection)
Hit Points 88 (16d6+32)
Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
| 9 (-1) | 14 (+2) | 14 (+2) | 14 (+2) | 14 (+2) | 18 (+4) |
Saving Throws Str +0, Dex +3, Con +8, Int +3, Wis +3, Cha +10
Skills Arcana +7, Deception +9, History +7, Insight +7
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages Anglo-Saxon/Olde English (Common), Ancient Scandinavian/Proto-Norse, Sylvan
Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)
Background: Scholar. Fate gently nudges Morgan le Fay toward the answers to her questions. When she fails to recollect or discover more about a subject of lore, she knows where or whom can give her that information (usually from an athenaeum, library, institute of higher learning, another scholar, or mystical creature). The lengths to which she must go to acquire this information and the feasibility of doing so is entirely at the GM’s discretion.
Divine Favor (1/Short Rest). Morgan le Fay adds 2d4 to a failed saving throw or missed attack roll, making the saving throw or hitting if the new result beats the DC or AC.
Faerie Wings. Morgan le Fay can use a bonus action to conjure forth upon her back the wings of a great insect, gaining a flying speed of 30 feet until she dismisses them (a bonus action), dies, or becomes incapacitated.
Holy Magic. Morgan le Fay’s spells come from the cleric spell list as well as the sorcerer spell list, and shas cure wounds as a bonus spell known.
Feat: Ranged Spellcaster. Morgan le Fay ignores half cover and three-quarters cover when making a ranged spell attack. In addition, she doubles the range of any spell she casts that has a ranged spell attack.
Feat: Ritual Spellcasting. Morgan le Fay has a ritual book that contains the following spells, all of which she’s able to cast as rituals (using Wisdom as her spellcasting ability): detect magic, detect poison and disease, purify food and drink, speak with animals, animal messenger, locate animals or plants, meld into stone, water breathing, water walk, commune with nature.
Sorcery Points (16/Long Rest). Morgan le Fay can use sorcery points to gain additional spell slots, or sacrifice spell slots to gain additional sorcery points.
- Creating Spell Slots & Sorcery Points. As a bonus action on her turn, Morgan le Fay can expend one spell slot and either gain a number of sorcerer points equal to the slot’s level or create a spell slot by expending sorcery points (1st-level—2 points, 2nd-level—3 points, 3rd-level—5 points, 4th-level—6 points, 5th-level—7 points).
- Metamagic: Extended Spell. When Morgan le Fay casts a spell with a duration of 1 minute or longer, she can spend 1 sorcery point to double its duration, to a maximum duration of 24 hours.
- Metamagic: Quickened Spell. When Morgan le Fay casts a spell that has a casting time of 1 action, she can spend 2 sorcery points to change the casting time to 1 bonus action for this casting.
- Metamagic: Subtle Spell. When Morgan le Fay casts a spell, she can spend 1 sorcery point to cast it without any somatic or verbal components.
- Powerful Healing (1/Turn). As long as she’s not incapacitated, Morgan le Fay can spend 1 sorcery point to reroll any number of dice from a spell that restores hit points to herself or an ally within 5 feet.
Spellcasting. Morgan le Fay is a 16th level spellcaster that uses Charisma as her spellcasting ability (spell save DC 17; +9 to hit with spell attacks). Morgan le Fay has the following spells prepared from the cleric and sorcerer spell lists:
Cantrips: eldritch blast, fire bolt, light, mending, minor illusion, sacred flame, spare the dying
1st-level (4 slots): charm person, command, cure wounds, sleep
2nd-level (3 slots): invisibility, suggestion
3rd-level (3 slots): bestow curse
4th-level (3 slots): confusion, dominate beast
5th-level (2 slots): dominate person, geas, hold monster
6th-level (1 slot): mass suggestion
7th-level (1 slot): regenerate
8th-level (1 slot): power word stun
ACTIONS
Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4+2) piercing damage.
Name Morgan le Fay
Human Fey Creature CR 18
XP 153600
Any Medium Humanoid (Fey)
Aristocrat level 8 (skill points 56) Aristocrat
Sorcerer level 14 (skill points 70) Boreal
(Fey )
Init +2; Senses Low-light Vision; Perception +9
DEFENSE
AC 14, touch 15, flat-footed 11 (+2 Dex, +-1 Natural, +1 feats, +2 deflection)
hp 131 (0d8+8d6+14d6+44+8);
Fort +8, Ref +10, Will +14 Save Modifier +4 bonus on saves against mind-affecting effects
Damage reduction 10/cold iron, Evasion, Resist A fey creature gains resistance 10 to one energy type, or increases an existing resistance by 10. Resistance increased beyond 30 becomes immunity instead. This ability can be selected more than once., Resist cold and electricity 10, Spell Resistance 11HD
OFFENSE
Speed 30ft., fly 45ft.
Melee +1 Dagger +15/+10/+5 (1d4+1/19-20)
Ranged Crossbow, hand +16 (1d4 /19-20 X2) range 30
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Spell-Like Abilities
Caster level equals the creatures HD (or the caster level of the base creatures spell-like abilities, whichever is higher) , Dancing lights 3/day, 1/day faerie fire , 1/day entangle DC(19) , 1/day glitterdust DC(20) , 1/day Deep slumber DC(21) , 1/day Major image DC(22) , 1/day Confusion DC(23) , 1/day Feeblemind DC(23) , 1/day Mislead DC(24) , 1/day Project image DC(25) , 1/day Irresistible dance DC(26) , 1/day Scintillating pattern DC(26) ,
Spells Known:
Sorcerer Spells: CL 14 Concentration 22
- Level 0 (6) DC 18: Arcane Mark, Breeze, Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Message, Open/Close, Read Magic, Touch of Fatigue, ;
- Level 1 (8) DC 19: Alarm, Animate Rope, Charm Person, Disguise Self, Entangle, Youthful Appearance, ;
- Level 2 (8) DC 20: Accelerate Poison, Arcane Lock, Cats Grace, Foxs Cunning, Hideous Laughter, Invisibility, ;
- Level 3 (8) DC 21: Arcane Sight, Bestow Curse, Deep Slumber, Empowered Sleep, Silent Darkness, ;
- Level 4 (8) DC 22: Charm Monster, Detect Scrying, Fear, Maximized Color Spray, Poison, ;
- Level 5 (7) DC 23: Cloudkill, Die For Your Master, Maximized Hideous Laughter, Tree Stride, ;
- Level 6 (6) DC 24: Acid Fog, Mislead, Suggestion, Mass, ;
- Level 7 (4) DC 25: Age Resistance, Greater, ;
STATISTICS
Str 11, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 15, Wis 8, Cha 26
Base Atk +13; CMB +13; CMD 28
Feats Dodge, Lightning Reflexes, Armour Prof Heavy, Armour Prof Light, Armour Prof Medium, Combat Casting, Combat Expertise, Empower Spell, Eschew Materials, Exotic Weapon Prof, Martial Weap Prof, Maximize Spell, Mounted Archery, Mounted Combat, Persuasive, Ride-by Attack, Shield Proficiency, Silent Spell, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Tower Shield Proficiency, Weapon Focus, Weapon Focus(Ranged);
Skills Acrobatics +7, Appraise +8, Bluff +19, Diplomacy +21, Disguise +19, Fly +10, Handle Animal +15, Intimidate +19, Know Arcana +17, Know Geography +14, Know Nobility +17, Linguistics +2, Perception +9, Perform Oratory +14, Ride +10, Sense Motive -1, Spellcraft +25, Stealth +10, Survival +5, Swim +5, Use Magic Device +12
Languages Common
ECOLOGY
Environment Any
Organization Company 10-20, Band 30-100, Squad 4-8
Treasure Standard
SPECIAL ABILITIES
ITEMS: Cloak of charisma (+4) +4 CHR, Potion of Aid -, Potion of Bless weapon -, Potion of Neutralize poison -, Potion of Protection from arrows (15/magic) -, Ring of Protection (+2) +2 AC, Staff of Illusion -, +1 Dagger,