The Usurper
Tales of a forbidden machine joined with powerful fiendish enchantments. A hushed whisper as the corpses of half a dozen dragons are found strewn across the dunes of a desert. Yes, weary scholar... I have heard of the Usurper and its ancient deeds.
Credit: u/Morvick
Armageddon Lost
Legend has it that the Usurper could alter reality however it pleased, such that its own mention has faded from living memory. If this machine is ever found, the gods would bring their wrath upon those who used it.
Something Old or Something New?
There are many ways to include Usurper in a campaign. It can alter reality and remain dormant for a millenium. Perhaps the story begins with The Usurper waking up and making its dreams come true...
Heart
The Usurper's power comes from its Heart. This artifact offers a shard of itself to a worthy creature for attunement: the Usurper then recognizes such creatures as Pilots. The Heart is sentient, can indicate direction to the Usurper, and whispers telepathic suggestions to the Pilots: it desires the subjugation of all gods by mortal hands.
Broken Heart
The Heart is Usurper's weakness: it shatters if it takes 20 damage at once. An Arcana check DC 30 or a Wish spell can mend it and restore function.
Hull
Usurper segments its 900 hitpoints into Hulls. All damage and healing must be completely applied to only one Hull at a time. If a Hull reaches 0 hitpoints, it is breached and the next one is exposed - all ongoing conditions on Usurper end.
Some abilities require a minimum number of intact Hulls, such as [3] Depose which needs three, to be usable.
The Usurper
Gargantuan construct, unaligned artifact
- Armor Class 25 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 300/300/300 (Hull)
- Speed 60 ft., fly 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 30 (+10) 7 (-2) 30 (+10) 5 (-3) 8 (-1) 23 (+6)
- Saving Throws Str +19, Con +19, Cha +15
- Damage Immunities necrotic, poison, psychic
- Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, suffocation, unconscious
- Senses passive Perception 17, darkvision 300 feet
Bulwark. Usurper has a damage threshold of 30.
[2] Dauntless. The cockpit can seal shut, behaving like a Leomund's Tiny Hut warded by Forbiddance, guarding the Heart and Pilots from being targeted.
Linked. While in the cockpit, Pilots are bonded by Telepathy to the Usurper and its Heart.
Mighty. Treat a target's damage immunities as resistances, and any d12 rolled below 4 becomes 4.
Ontological. The Usurper is immune to the Wish spell, and any spell or effect that alters its form.
Trample. Large or smaller creatures take 50 bludgeoning damage on a failed DEX save DC 27 the first time Usurper moves over them in a turn. This changes to fire for 60 feet down when flying.
Unstoppable (3/Day). Succeed on a failed save.
Walking Castle. Ignore difficult terrain, fall damage, and elevation changes of 20 feet or less.
Dormant
The Usurper does not die, but instead is incapacitated and unaware of its surroundings if all Hulls are breached or certain abilities are used. If the Usurper fell Dormant due to damage, Immortal Protocol triggers for free after 1 hour.
Paragon. Usurper rolls initiative and takes a full turn once for each intact Hull, but only ever has one reaction per round. Each turn, Pilots may use one bonus action, and then either one Heart action or one Assault action.
Bonus Actions
Expedition. A Pilot can cast Project Image with the following alterations: the range is 240 feet, the image can interact with the world on the Pilot's behalf (use their spells, attacks, move objects, etc), and its duration is 1 minute.
[2] Hardlight Ward (Recharge 5-6). Usurper dons a shield using a 60x20 foot Wall of Force that provides full cover on one side. It can be reoriented with a free action, and lasts for 1 minute.
[3] Rune Armor (Recharge 5-6). For one round, reduce all damage that gets past Bulwark by 30.
Reactions
Active Defense. Use any recharged Bonus Action.
Annulment. If Usurper is aware of a spell being cast within 180 ft, it may use a 6th level Counterspell, with Charisma for spellcasting ability. The caster takes 30 force damage if Usurper succeeds.
Heart Actions
Repair (Recharge 5-6). Heal Usurper's current Hull by 4d12+40 hitpoints.
Immortal Protocol (1/Hour). Heal the current Hull, and then the next one out. This cannot do more than 300 points of healing.
Sojourn (1/Day). Usurper brings itself and those aboard to another plane of existence as if by Plane Shift, then falls Dormant for one minute.
Omega Drill (1/Week). Target any 20x500-foot line originating from Usurper, and move to occupy the opposite end of that line, creating a tunnel. Every creature in this line must make a DEX save DC 27. They take damage equal to Usurper's missing hitpoints on a fail, or half of that on a success.
Calamity (1/Month). Choose a 500-foot radius sphere centered on a point within 1,000 feet. Creatures who enter or start their turn in the area make a WIS save DC 23. On a failure, they suffer 25 bludgeoning, force, radiant, or thunder damage (your choice). Dispel Magic has no effect. Only divine intervention or Wish can undo Calamity.
Monument To Sins (1/Year). Usurper falls Dormant for 1 to 1,000 years, during which it is invulnerable and Sequester affects its occupants. Creatures within 1 mile on the same plane cannot benefit from rests or heal, unless Usurper favors them. When Usurper and the Pilots wake, they cast Wish without the stress.
Recharge
Some of Usurper's abilities operate by recharging. At the start of every turn, roll a d6 for each ability and if the result matches what is listed, Usurper regains use of that ability.
Assault Actions
King-Breaker. Melee Weapon Attack: +19 to hit, reach 20 ft, three attacks. Hit: 4d12+10 magical slashing damage. Creatures adjacent to a struck target take half of the damage.
Needle Salvo. Ranged Weapon Attack: +19 to hit, range 180/540 ft, four attacks. Hit: 2d12+10 magical piercing damage. Consecutive hits on one target stack +10 damage each, resetting per use.
Sovereign's Gaze (Recharge 5-6). Ranged Spell Attack: +15 to hit, range 180 ft, two attacks. Hit: 8d12+6 radiant damage. Targets killed by this ability deal 50 fire damage to adjacent creatures.
[2] Boneshaker. Usurper stomps the ground, forcing all creatures within 60 feet to make a CON save DC 27. They take 10d12 thunder damage and are stunned for one round on a fail, or half that damage and knocked prone on a success.
[2] Implosion Shell. A sphere of shimmering force with a 20-foot radius appears up to 120 feet away. The interior is difficult terrain and affected by Silence. The shell implodes after one minute or if Usurper uses a free action, ending Silence and dealing 12d12 force damage inside, or half as much on a successful CHA save DC 23.
[2] Primordial Cannons (Recharge 5-6). Create four 5x50 lines oriented in any way desired within 90 feet. Creatures within a line must make a WIS save DC 27, taking 10d12+10 lightning damage or half as much on a successful save.
[3] Black Harpoon. Up to 5 creatures between Usurper and a point up to 90 feet away must make a DEX save DC 27 to dodge from the path of a siege bolt. Those that fail suffer 15d12+10 magical piercing damage and are impaled, carried to the chosen point, and restrained. A creature can end the restraint with an action.
[3] Depose. Usurper targets a creature within 15 feet with a STR contest (+19). If Usurper wins, the target is held overhead and restrained. On a success, multiply Usurper's total STR contest score by 5 and store this value: as an Action the creature can then be thrown up to that distance in feet (DEX save DC 27 to dodge), crushed in hand, or swung around as a melee weapon attack (+19 to hit, reach 20 ft). The creature and whatever it strikes will take the value as bludgeoning damage.
[3] Theocide (Recharge 5-6). Creatures inside a 15-ft cube within 120 ft must make a WIS save DC 23. Deal 200 radiant or necrotic damage to each creature that fails. All overkill damage is passed to a target of your choice who also failed the save.