Inevitables 5e: Stats and Guide for Players & DMs

Last Updated on January 22, 2023

The Inevitables. It sounds like a superhero group, huh? Like Thanos if he were in a k-pop boy band. (You think he would be the bad boy one? Definitely not the cute one. Maybe the one with the most chins?)

In truth, a typical Inevitable would probably have been strong enough to defeat Thanos in the MCU. Thanos would definitely have found himself being hunted by one as someone who wanted to fiddle with the fabric of reality so much.

That’s what the Inevitables do. They hunt down transgressors of the laws of the multiverse. At least, that’s what they used to do in previous editions of Dungeons and Dragons.

In 5e, we aren’t really sure what they do. All we know for sure is that they do something related to interplanar contracts.

In this post, we will go into detail on what we know about Inevitables in the published material of Dungeons and Dragons 5e and what we know about what Inevitables used to be in previous editions.

Finally, we will give our projections for what Inevitables will become in 5e and then give you a little help in using them for your game.

What Are the Inevitables?

The Inevitables are a type of Living construct from the Plane of Mechanus that act as judge, jury, and executioner of universal laws across the planes. They also act as enforcers of contracts between interplanar beings.

What We Know About Inevitables in 5e

The only Inevitable we have in Dungeons and Dragons 5e so far is The Marut.

We have one stat block on one page of Mordenkaiden’s Tome of Foes and an update of that stat block in Mordenkaiden’s Monsters of the Multiverse.

There is much to be learned from the stat block, though!

MMotM mentions that the Marut is an agent of the Kolyhrut, an “engine of absolute jurisprudence” (MMotM 173). That’s fairly vague, to be sure.

However, the description also mentions that interplanar entities can use the Kolyarut to create a contract. Should one or more parties violate the contract, the Marut is sent to enforce the terms.

So it would seem that the Kolrhut is more like the judge and jury, while the Marut is the executioner, although death may not always be the answer!

The Marut is capable of teleporting a target back to the Hall of Concordance in Sigil where the Kolyrhut presides for judgment.

The description also mentions Primus, the leader of the Modrons, being their creator.

However, all we know about Modrons at this point in the published material of Dungeons and Dragons 5e is that they are beings from Mechanus who are the sworn enemy of Slaads, who are native to the Chaotic plane of Limbo.

Apparently, Primus, in his/her/their effort to expand law and order across the multiverse, created the Kolyrhut and the rest of the Inevitables as a way to enforce contracts across the various planes.

While this isn’t exactly like a multiverse police force, it is a step in that direction.

We have no reason to believe the Kolyrhut still answers to Primus. It would make sense that once the Kolyarut was created, it would be able to operate according to its own judicial algorithm.

Yet, the Marut does answer to the Kolyrhut, and so we can assume that all Inevitables we may get in future publications will also be answerable to the Kolyrhut as its jurisprudence is “absolute” (MMotM 173).

Similarly, we can expect those Inevitables to be insanely powerful, like the Marut and like all Inevitables in previous editions of Dungeons and Dragons.

Inevitables in Previous Editions

Inevitables have two canonical sources in earlier editions. In Faerun, the Inevitables were created by Mystra. In standard cosmologies without a dedicated campaign setting, they were created by Primus.

Either way, the Inevitables are outsiders hailing from the plane of Law, typically Mechanus. Specifically, they are from a city within Mechanus called Sigil, the City of Doors, in the Hall of Concordance.

They are all living constructs who appear to be clockwork-like beings who resemble warforged.

Regardless of who created them, the Inevitables existed to fulfill a certain purpose, depending on what type they were.

Unlike Dungeons and Dragons 5e,  these creatures did not enforce specific contracts. Rather, they wandered the multiverse enforcing specific laws or principles that applied to all the realms.

Laws and principles, such as “all things must die in their own time,” “the streams of time should remain unchanged,” and “mortals shall not become gods,” were all guarded and enforced by one specific type of Inevitable.

Types of Inevitables and the Laws They Enforced

Zelekhut (3.5 Monster Manual)

These were centaur-like constructs who tracked and chased those who escaped punishment.

Marut (3.5 Monster Manual)

These were Large constructs who enforced the natural death of living creatures by hunting down and executing Liches, undead, and clerics who resurrected or raised too many people.

Kolyarut (3.5 Monster Manual)

These were Medium-sized humanoid constructs who hunted creatures who went back on their given word.

Varakhut (Fiend Folio)

These were polygonal humanoid constructs who opposed any creature that attempted to ascend to godhood. They viewed the gods as natural forces and defended them. Should the creature have actually succeeded in becoming a god, the Varakhut would acknowledge them and become their defender.

Quarut (Fiend Folio)

These metallic humanoids with hourglass-shaped bodies would protect the integrity of space and time, hunting and punishing magic users who time traveled, changed the past to change the future, or simply cast wish too many times.

Anydrhut (3.5 Sandstorm)

A rather specific form of Inevitable, this type protected the integrity of deserts and opposed irrigation and desert agriculture.

(It seems weird to have such a localized, regional law to enforce instead of an abstract principle, but toward the end of 3.5, the editing got sloppy as they milked it for all it was worth… which was probably another reason 4e flopped: editorial resentment.)

Behavior

Inevitables had two basic modes of operation.

If they were on-mission, they were relentless, though still intelligent.

They would make allies if necessary, though they would be very open about the fact that they would sacrifice themselves and anyone else for the sake of the mission.

If it looked like they would die without completing the mission, then the Inevitable would most likely abandon this approach and regroup with a new strategy.

As immortal beings, they could wait. They were infinitely patient.

One common example is that if a prophecy foretold the coming of a Lich from a certain crypt in 500 years, a Marut could conceivably destroy the crypt or simply sit and wait for 500 years just to get the drop on the Lich as soon as it rises.

Once a mission was completed, they would go into observation mode, where they would patiently wander this plane or the next, watching, listening, or interrogating anyone who may have information on another possible target on whom to enforce their special type of justice.

Just a judgemental junkie jonesing for its next fix.

Abilities

Inevitables in previous editions had immense power. Their Challenge Ratings were in the 15-20 range, and they often casted spells at 13-17 level.

They had all magical attacks, whether they were magical weapons (+3 longswords) or even something a little scarier sounding called Thunder and Lightning Fists.

Their spell list was equally impressive.

Kolyruts could cast vampiric touch, discern lies, hold person, fear, disguise self, locate creature, and suggestion at will; hold monster and mark of justice 1/day; and geas/quest 1/week.

Maruts could cast air walk, dimension door, fear, greater command, dispel magic, mass inflict wounds, locate creature, and true seeing at will; chain lightning, circle of death, mark of justice, and wall of force 1/day; and earthquake, geas/quest, and plane shift 1/week.

Zelykhuts could cast clairaudience/clairvoyance, dimensional anchor, dispel magic, fear, hold person, locate creature, and true seeing at will; hold monster and mark of justice 3/day; and lesser geas 1/week.

That’s insane! Most of those spells were at will. Compare that to the Marut in 5e, who can only cast plane shift at will, but then again, 3e was a higher-powered game with higher numbers and more powerful magic at hand.

Our Hopes for the Future of Inevitables in 5e

As Dungeons and Dragons 5e continues, we expect the Inevitables to be similar to the Marut.

Rather than having wandering interplanar law enforcement officers, we will probably see specialized Inevitables designed to enforce specialized contracts, or even different Inevitables that specialize in recovering certain types of creatures from specific planes.

Also, we expect to see Inevitables operating as mercenary guardians or adjudicators of authority, especially in the plane-traveling adventures of Spelljammer.

If there is some type of planar trade network in the works for the multiverse of Dungeons and Dragons 5e, expect to see the Inevitables traveling and enforcing the terms of all the signatories among those planes.

Using the Inevitables in Your Game Tonight

While the Marut is the only official stat block we have for an Inevitable, there are quite a few available in the Homebrew section of D&D Beyond.

Alternatively, you could simply create a Warforged character of 17th-20th level, (or any level really) and call them an Inevitable.

Regardless of where or how you get a stat block, remember that these creatures are always focused on enforcing or explaining a law.

They do not care to debate a law; rather they will strictly enforce what is written, not what can be implied or surmised.

Tier I

In your Tier I game, you could have the PCs bump into an Inevitable or be subpoenaed by one who is looking for information it believes the PCs have.

The PCs will either have to give it the information, convince it they do not have the information, or bargain for their lives to go and get the information.

Tier II

In your Tier II game, you could have an Inevitable hire or threaten the PCs to go somewhere that it can not go without causing a major social disruption.

While on their mission on behalf of the Inevitable, the PCs could break a few laws or contractual obligations and convince a different Inevitable that the first Inevitable is responsible for that transgression, thus causing the two Inevitables to come into a potentially landscape-altering conflict.

Tier III

In this Tier, consider having the PCs ally with an Inevitable in order to raid or destroy a dungeon or stronghold.

As a plot twist, consider having the Inevitable seemingly sacrifice the PCs in order to complete the mission. Let the PCs survive and then watch the Inevitable sacrifice itself.

Tier IV

This Tier is simple enough. As a CR 25, the Marut as presented in Mordenkaiden’s Monsters of the Multiverse would make an ideal foe for the PCs to face.

The only hard part would be putting the PCs into a position where they sign a contract and then breach its terms. Surely if the PCs have made it Tier IV, they should be able to keep their word, right? Right?!

Final Thoughts

All in all, the Inevitables are a fun and interesting culture to throw into any game. Hopefully we will see some Inevitables lore in the future of Dungeons and Dragons 5e. Maybe even an adventure or two.

As always, have fun, and roll on!

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