```metadata title: Better Final Bosses by Ariadne's Codex description: '' tags: [] systems: [] renderer: V3 theme: 5ePHB ``` {{frontCover}} # Better Final Bosses ## By Ariadne's Codex of Strings ___ {{banner 5e Compendium}} {{footnote A Bunch of CR 30 creatures to End your Campaign in Style! }} ![background image](https://cdn.midjourney.com/61599c14-9369-40ab-a3ca-330b5eb1c245/0_0.png){position:absolute,top:0,left:-20px,height:120%} \page {{toc,wide # Contents - #### [{{ Agnar & Nemesis}}{{ 3}}](#p3) - #### [{{ Cain, Wielder of Hate}}{{ 7}}](#p7) - #### [{{ Darius the Traveler}}{{ 12}}](#p12) - #### [{{ Darkspawn Abomination}}{{ 19}}](#p19) - #### [{{ Gods in the Deep}}{{ 22}}](#p22) - [{{ The Blind Horror}}{{ 24}}](#p24) - [{{ Obsidias the Devouring Night}}{{ 24}}](#p24) - [{{ Arkan, the Beast}}{{ 29}}](#p29) - #### [{{ Greatwyrms}}{{ 30}}](#p30) - [{{ Primordial Greatwyrm}}{{ 32}}](#p32) - [{{ Greatwyrm Yharel}}{{ 32}}](#p32) - #### [{{ Leviathans}}{{ 35}}](#p35) - #### [{{ Novamorph Davyr}}{{ 38}}](#p38) - #### [{{ Odin, the Inkfather}}{{ 41}}](#p41) - #### [{{ Pride}}{{ 47}}](#p47) - #### [{{ Shadow of Ariadne}}{{ 50}}](#p50) }} ::: {{,text-align:center,position:relative,right:-5px,top:-10px,wide #### Ariadne's SRD and Guide to Legendary Characters This document uses content from our SRD and our book on Legendary Characters! Whenever a creature, item, spell, or feature is marked with a :df_d10:, that is a visual indicator of content belonging to the Ariadne's SRD. Ariadne's Guide to Legendary Characters is our sourcebook that expands beyond 20th level. Most of the content in this document is meant to interact with that. Whenever you see a :gi_death_skull:, that is a visual indicator of content that is meant for Legendary Characters. }} \page {{inside}} {{footnote The Tale of Light and Shadow}} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{position:relative,top:625px,left:170px,text-align:center : ## Agnar *Wielder of Might* : *"I am sorry. I do not wish to alarm you. Maybe you were expecting something else. Something greater. I am but the echoes of a dead god, hero. I cannot even put up a proper fight. You have earned the right to stand before me through strength, I know that. You followed the Way of the Crucible. If you have come to this place to claim the flame for yourself, I don't imagine I'll be much of a challenge. That is a risk my followers and I are willing to take. Would you listen to me, if just for a moment?"* : }} \column {{imageMaskEdge3,--offset:19%,--rotation:90 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/3363cd48-effd-4c0f-96fa-2fda37d0687b/0_3.png){height:120%,left:-20px,top:-100px} }} {{imageMaskEdge5,--offset:19%,--rotation:270 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/3363cd48-effd-4c0f-96fa-2fda37d0687b/0_3.png){height:120%,left:-20px,top:-100px} }} {{imageMaskEdge3,--offset:38%,--rotation:358 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/3363cd48-effd-4c0f-96fa-2fda37d0687b/0_3.png){height:120%,left:-20px,top:-100px} }} {{imageMaskEdge3,--offset:-5%,--rotation:150 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/3363cd48-effd-4c0f-96fa-2fda37d0687b/0_3.png){height:120%,left:-20px,top:-100px} }} {{imageMaskEdge3,--offset:-5%,--rotation:205 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/3363cd48-effd-4c0f-96fa-2fda37d0687b/0_3.png){height:120%,left:-20px,top:-100px} }} \page {{monster,frame,wide,position:relative,top:-35px ## Agnar, Ghost of the Crucible *Medium Undead (Teng), lawful neutral* ___ **Armor Class** :: 20 (natural armor) **Hit Points** :: 575 (50d8 + 350) **Speed** :: 40 ft., fly 80 ft. ___ | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:| |28 (+9)|18 (+4)|25 (+7)|18 (+4)|22 (+6)|28 (+9)| ___ **Saving Throws** :: Strength +18, Constitution +16 **Skills** :: Athletics + 25, Perception + 14, persuasion +17 **Damage Immunities** :: Fire, Cold, Poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks **Condition Immunities** :: charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned **Senses** :: truesight 240 ft., passive Perception 24 **Languages** :: All **Challenge** :: 28 (120,000 XP) ___ ***Legendary Resistance (3/day).*** If Agnar fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead. : ***Greater Magic Immunity.*** Agnar can't be affected or detected by spells 7th level or lower unless he wishes to be. He has advantage on saving throws against other spells and magical effects. : ***Thread of Divinity.*** Agnar possesses a Thread of Divinity, a remnant of gods long past. In the event of his death, the Thread will gently float above his corpse, ready for another to claim. If they attempt to claim it, they must first succeed on a DC 20 Charisma saving throw or suffer 20d10 force damage. Then, they must convince the Thread of Might to attune to them, and vow to protect it from those who want to destroy it. A creature that claims a Thread of Divinity becomes an ascended being of CR 26 or higher. : ***Might Incarnate.*** Creatures of Agnar's choice within 30 feet of him must succeed on a DC 25 Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution saving throw (the target's choice) or be reduced to 0 hit points. A creature that succeeds this saving throw becomes immune to this ability for the next 24 hours. : Additionally, Agnar can replace the result of any Strength-based roll with his Strength score. : ***Reckless.*** When Agnar makes his first attack in a turn, he can choose to give advantage to all his attacks using Strength for the turn. When he does so, all attacks against him have advantage until the start of his next turn. : ***Presence of Flame.*** Agnar sheds bright light in a 120-foot radius and dim light in an additional 240 feet. His presence is enough to melt away his enemies and protect his allies. Agnar can grant fire immunity to creatures of his choice within 60 feet of him. : If Agnar is below 250 hit points, he ignites himself in a mighty rage. All creatures of his choice within 60 feet suffer 35 (10d6) fire damage and 35 (10d6) radiant damage at the end of his turn. Creatures damaged by this feature catch fire; until someone takes an action to douse the fire, a creature takes 12 (2d10) fire damage at the start of each of its turns. : ***Innate Spellcasting.*** Agnar’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 25). He can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: : *At will:* counterspell, immolate, fireball : *3/day each:* blade barrier, fire storm, resurrection : *1/day each:* power word: stun, control weather ### Actions ***Multiattack.*** Agnar makes two unarmed strikes. He can replace either of them with a Radiant Smite. : ***Unarmed Strike.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +17 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 23 (4d6 + 9) bludgeoning damage plus 17 (5d6) radiant damage and 17 (5d6) fire damage. A creature hit by this attack must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or be *stunned* until the end of their next turn. : Agnar can choose to give each of his unarmed strikes an additional effect, choosing from the options below: : *Knock.* A creature hit by this attack must make a DC 25 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. : *Push.* A creature hit by this attack must make a DC 25 Strength saving throw or be pushed 30 feet back. : *Grapple.* A creature hit by this attack must make a DC 25 Dexterity saving throw or be grappled (escape DC 25). : ***Radiant Smite.*** Agnar calls down a radiant beam of light unto a target he can see within 120 feet of him. The target must make a DC 25 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10d10 radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success. On a failed save, the target also gains one random damage vulnerability from the following list (roll 1d6 to determine which): acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison or thunder. : ***Supernova (recharge 5-6).*** Agnar manifests a gravitational singularity through sheer force of will. Creatures within 120 feet of him must succeed on a DC 25 Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 60 feet closer to him, ending up prone. : At the start of his next turn, all creatures within 30 feet of Agnar must make a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw, taking 70 (20d6) fire damage plus 70 (20d6) radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success. Creatures reduced to 0 hit points by this ability are disintegrated into a pile of golden dust. : When Agnar is reduced to 250 hit points, this ability automatically recharges and triggers on his next turn. ### Legendary Actions Agnar can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Agnar regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn. : ***Strike.*** Agnar makes an Unarmed Strike. : ***Flamecall.*** Agnar casts *Immolate* or *Fireball*. : ***Apparate (Costs 2 Actions).*** Agnar teleports to an unoccupied space he can see within 120 feet. : ***Radiant Smite (Costs 2 Actions).*** Agnar uses his *Radiant Smite* action. }} {{imageMaskCorner,--offsetX:-25%,--offsetY:-40%,--rotation:0 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/3363cd48-effd-4c0f-96fa-2fda37d0687b/0_0.png){height:117%,top:-1px,left:-1px} }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote The Tale of Light and Shadow}} \page {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote The Tale of Light and Shadow}} {{position:relative,top:630px,left:170px,text-align:center : ## Nemesis *Wielder of Dusk* : *"He... sent you. I see. You must be worthy of Might, then. Why... didn't you take it? The Thread, I mean. Power... at the grasp of your hand. Yet you chose to leave him there. To leave my Agnar... alone. Suffering. You must feel quite righteous. The Hero, here to put an end to the Night. There is nothing, child. There is nothing here for you. If you wish to take my Thread away, to free this accursed land, then go ahead. You'd be doing all of us a favor. I am Nemesis, Wielder of Dusk. Let the Night consume your soul."* : }} \column {{imageMaskEdge3,--offset:19%,--rotation:90 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/6fcc8cea-7d4c-483f-92f2-cea2548d6aef/0_2.png){height:117%,left:0px,top:-100px} }} {{imageMaskEdge5,--offset:19%,--rotation:270 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/6fcc8cea-7d4c-483f-92f2-cea2548d6aef/0_2.png){height:117%,left:0px,top:-100px} }} {{imageMaskEdge3,--offset:40%,--rotation:358 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/6fcc8cea-7d4c-483f-92f2-cea2548d6aef/0_2.png){height:117%,left:0px,top:-100px} }} {{imageMaskEdge3,--offset:-5%,--rotation:150 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/6fcc8cea-7d4c-483f-92f2-cea2548d6aef/0_2.png){height:117%,left:0px,top:-100px} }} {{imageMaskEdge3,--offset:-5%,--rotation:205 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/6fcc8cea-7d4c-483f-92f2-cea2548d6aef/0_2.png){height:117%,left:0px,top:-100px} }} \page {{monster,frame,wide,position:relative,top:-35px ## Nemesis, Lady Eternal *Medium Undead (Teng), lawful neutral* ___ **Armor Class** :: 22 (natural armor) **Hit Points** :: 525 (50d8 + 300) **Speed** :: 40 ft., fly 80 ft. ___ | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:| |16 (+3)|30 (+10)|22 (+6)|27 (+8)|28 (+9)|30 (+10)| ___ **Saving Throws** :: Dexterity +19, Constitution +15, Wisdom +18, Charisma +19 **Skills** :: Arcana +26, Perception + 18 **Damage Immunities** :: necrotic, poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks **Condition Immunities** :: charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned **Senses** :: truesight 240 ft., passive Perception 28 **Languages** :: All **Challenge** :: 30 (155,000 XP) ___ ***Legendary Resistance (3/day).*** If Nemesis fails a saving throw, she can choose to succeed instead. : ***Greater Magic Immunity.*** Nemesis can't be affected or detected by spells of 7th level or lower unless she wishes to be. She has advantage on saving throws against other spells and magical effects. : ***Thread of Divinity.*** Nemesis possesses a Thread of Divinity, a remnant of gods long gone. In the event of her death, the Thread will gently float above her corpse, ready for another to claim. If they attempt to claim it, they must first succeed on a DC 20 Charisma saving throw or suffer 20d10 force damage. Then, they must convince the Thread of Dusk to attune to them, and vow to protect it from those who want to destroy it. A creature that claims a Thread of Divinity becomes an ascended being of CR 26 or higher. : ***Wielder of Dusk.*** Nemesis is attuned to the Thread of Dusk and embodies its values. She represents night, endings, and sleep. Let the Night take you into a peaceful slumber. : A profound darkness surrounds Nemesis. She can extend these shadows up to 200 feet in all directions. This magical darkness extinguishes all light. A creature that enters the dark for the first time must make a DC 28 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, they are blinded, deafened, incapacitated, and frightened for as long as they remain within the darkness. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature becomes immune to this feature for the next 24 hours. : A creature within 30 feet of the *Ring of Repentance* automatically succeeds its save against this effect. Too bad Nemesis took it. : ***Presence of Night.*** Nemesis is darkness incarnate. Her mere presence can snuff out the fire within a hero's very soul. : If a creature starts its turn within 30 feet of Nemesis, they must make a death saving throw, regardless of their current hit points. On a failure, that death save is permanently crossed for the next hour. If a creature has three death saves crossed, they immediately die, regardless of their current hit points. : In addition, unconscious creatures within 30 feet of Nemesis die at the start of Nemesis' turn. A creature that dies within 30 feet of Nemesis has its soul trapped by the goddess, and they cannot be revived in any way until Nemesis is defeated. : ***Innate Spellcasting.*** Nemesis’ spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 27, +19 to hit with spell attacks). She can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: : *At will:* counterspell, ray of enfeeblement, hold person, blight : *3/day each:* finger of death, disintegrate, force cage : *1/day each:* power word: stun, power word kill, psychic scream ### Actions ***Touch of Night.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +19 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 23 (4d6 + 10) bludgeoning damage plus 35 (10d6) necrotic damage. A creature hit by this attack must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or be put into a deep slumber until the end of their next turn. : A creature that is sleeping within 30 feet of Nemesis at the start of her turn is instantly killed as per the *Presence of Night* feature. : ***Necrotic Burst.*** Nemesis summons a burst of necrotic energy in a 15-foot radius sphere centered on a point she can see within 120 feet. Each creature in that area must make a DC 28 Dexterity saving throw, taking 54 (12d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success. : ***Fathomless Night (recharge 5-6).*** Nemesis extends her hands forward, manifesting a cursed wind in a 90-foot-cone in front of her. Each creature in that area must make a DC 28 Dexterity saving throw, taking 91 (26d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that fails this saving throw must make a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or fall into a deep slumber from which they will never wake from. Only a *Greater Restoration* spell can wake a creature affected by this ability. : A creature that is sleeping within 30 feet of Nemesis at the start of her turn are instantly killed as per the *Presence of Night* feature. ### Legendary Actions Nemesis can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Nemesis regains spent legendary actions at the start of her turn. : ***Grasp.*** Nemesis uses her *Touch of Night* action. : ***Detect.*** Nemesis makes a Wisdom (Perception) check. : ***Arcana of Dusk.*** Nemesis casts a spell from her Innate Spellcasting list. : ***Apparate (Costs 2 Actions).*** Nemesis teleports to an unoccupied space within 120 feet. : ***Necrotic Burst (Costs 2 Actions).*** Nemesis uses her *Necrotic Burst* action. : ***Telekinetic Force (Costs 2 Actions).*** Nemesis uses an action to exert her will upon the world, as per the effects of the *Telekinesis* spell. }} {{imageMaskCorner,--offsetX:-25%,--offsetY:-40%,--rotation:0 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/ba2fbf17-eda6-4e5f-9a2d-5c15142bb2f0/0_2.png){height:117%,top:-10px,left:} }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote Nemesis, Wielder of Dusk}} \page {{imageMaskEdge,--offset:0%,--rotation:0 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/d8a3bfa7-5fcd-4c7c-ba44-0582ae1e598c/0_1.png){height:103%,tOP:0} }} {{monster,decoration,frame,text-align:center,background-color:,position:relative,top:650px,left: : ## Reverend Cain *Wielder of Hate* : *The one-eyed, one-armed Dreadlord. The Dark Crusader. A truly terrible creature. The Hold was expanded just to accommodate him. His terrible, hateful intensity. His almost godlike status. To this day, many cults of violence, war, and hatred, worship the king of slaughter. And whenever they do, the Reverend's cage trembles with his furious temper. His containment not only freed the universe of his murderous Dark Crusade, but also of the thread he carries, perhaps the single, most dangerous divine domain.* : }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote Fallow's Hold}} \page {{position:relative,left:-10px {{text-align:center ## The Cycle of Hatred }} : Reverend Cain, a prince turned religious zealot from the kingdom of Fresz in the now barren planet of Rel, amassed a following of over five-hundred peasants and marched on his father's own palace, demanding fairer treatment towards the common folk and denouncing the king's heresy, excess, and debauchery. Cain had a very difficult relationship with his father, who was, by all accounts, a terrible ruler. The army of Fresz was sent to meet the peasants, led by none other than Cain's own brother, Abel, who was favored by their father as the better prince. Though Abel wanted to parley, as he was a kind-hearted man, Cain was overcome by hate for his father, and murdered his brother in front of the king's army. : Seeing the crown prince murdered in cold blood whipped the soldiers into a frenzy. Cain was the first to die, taking an arrow to the eye. The peasants were slaughtered to the last man, in a bloodbath that tainted the town square with the guts of the innocent. Heartbroken by the loss of his favorite child and possessed by hateful rage, the king ordered Cain's broken corpse to be strapped to a stone and lashed in front of the entire city, until not an inch of his once soft and pale skin was left intact. His right arm, with which he had murdered Abel, was cut at the elbow and fed to the dogs. When they were done with it, it still looked better than the restCain's flayed corpse. No animal could match the methodical brutality of mortalkind. For in fact, even if the Relites were not similar to humans, or elves, or any known race in appearance, they were still capable of the same cruelty. : What the king didn't expect was for the populace to rise in furious vengeance, not only for their fellow peasants, killed in cold blood by the king's men, but also for their beloved Cain, who was, after all, a man of the people, and in his final years had become a Reverend of the Church of the White Lady, and renounced his princely status. ### The Death of a Planet Fresz became the epicenter of the greatest peasant revolt the planet of Rel had ever seen. The kingdom fell in a month's worth of bloody skirmishes, and Cain, hailed as a martyr, was deified in the eyes of the populace. When the people took power, the guillotine began falling on the necks of any who would dare question Cain's purity. In this zealous obsession, a cult formed around the Reverend's corpse. His broken cadaver was nailed to the throne and worshiped, until a neighboring kingdom, worried of the peasants victory over the nobility, decided to raze Fresz with fire and blood, as an example to the entire world of Rel, a show of force against the anti-monarchists. There were no survivors. The red flames devoured all. }} {{imageMaskEdge1,--offset:3%,--rotation:270 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/ff13dc9c-301a-4afe-b32e-069cc23791d7/0_1.png){height:100%,left:370px,transform:scalex()} }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote Fallow's Hold}} \page {{descriptive,position:relative,top:500px,left:-30px {{text-align:center ##### From "To See a God", Chapter 6 }} : I cannot say at what point the Thread of Hate began to involve itself in the affairs of mortals. Perhaps it was its energy that urged Cain to kill his brother. Perhaps, it was its influence that made the King carry out such a bloody display with his own son's corpse. Perhaps, it was its whispering power that made the peasants execute the entire court of Fresz in brutal retribution. The fact is, at that time, the Thread had no wielder. How it ended up in Fresz, I do not know. Did it manifest there on its own? Was it called to the accursed kingdom by the concentrated, hateful, senseless bloodshed? Did the worship of Cain attract the Thread, or was it the Thread's presence that caused such hate to spread among the people in the first place? : Not that any of that matters much, except as an academic curiosity. A god was born from the ashes of Fresz. An amalgam of hate, death, and vengeance. The Wielder of the Thread of Hate himself; Reverend Cain, the Dark Crusader. It fascinates, but also scares me. The genesis of a God, perhaps the closest we, mortalkind, have ever been to our godly forebears. : **-- Myriel Genra, Threadseeker of Divinity** }} \column {{position:relative,top:-0px,left:20px ### Bloody Ascension It was in that final bloodshed, among the prayers of his slaughtered acolytes, that the corpse of Cain returned to life. Wielding the powers of a god, the Dark Crusader exterminated the armies of the neighboring kingdom and raised each of his followers in hateful redemption, turning them to fiendish undead, possessed by hate. : What followed was a decade-long crusade of hate, led by the Reverend. First, he conquered his planet, burning it to the ground in the process. Then, as the Thread of Hate urged him further, he created Astral Seafarers, and continued his crusade into the stars. The City of Strings found Rel --which by all intents and purposes, was a very promising planet, closely aligned with the material plane and filled with vibrant and interesting cultures-- burnt to a crisp. : ### The Dark Crusade Reverend Cain led his armies across the universe, possessed by the Thread of Hate. His unholy resurrection had made him immortal; the Mark of Cain did not allow him to die, which only angered him further. In this way, the Thread was the greatest curse that could befall the man, his regret for the murder of his brother, mixed with the hate for his nameless father, torturing his every thought. : Only in hateful killing was he free from his remorse. And so were his followers. Cain became a godly figure, worshiped across the universe as Lord of Murder, slaughter incarnate. The Dark Crusader, an overpowering figure, the closest anything has come to godhood since the pantheon fell against Eternity. : It took the entire might of the City of Strings for Cain to fall. And when Ariadne vanquished the Reverend, she understood there was no way of truly ending him. Cain became the vessel of the Thread of Hate, but in a twisted sort of way, also its prison. No creature could wield such power in good faith, for whatever that shard of divinity touched, it would turn to dreadful chaos--and thus, the Dark Crusader was imprisoned within the Hold. The first creature to be deemed as dangerous as the remains of Eternity, to be forever carried within the Bastion of Knowledge itself. ### Hate, Contained Many believe it is only a matter of time before the City falters and the Hold breaks under the wrath of Cain. In fact, there have been countless attempts to liberate the Dreadlord, by both his faithful, and pretty much anyone who has a bone to pick with the Order of Strings. The council of Threadmasters is not terribly worried. The Hold is a danger to the Order, yes, but there is no other community within the realms that could take up such a responsibility. Hate must be contained. }} {{imageMaskEdge1,--offset:3%,--rotation:90 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/ff13dc9c-301a-4afe-b32e-069cc23791d7/0_1.png){height:100%,right:250px,top:-0px} }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote Fallow's Hold}} \page {{imageMaskEdge5,--offset:25%,--rotation:0 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/d8a3bfa7-5fcd-4c7c-ba44-0582ae1e598c/0_1.png){height:113%,top:-30px,left:-0px} }} {{imageMaskEdge5,--offset:5%,--rotation:180 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/d8a3bfa7-5fcd-4c7c-ba44-0582ae1e598c/0_1.png){height:113%,top:-70px,left:0px,transform:scale(-)} }} {{monster,frame,wide,position:relative,top:265px ## Cain, Wielder of Hate *Medium undead, chaotic evil* ___ **Armor Class** :: 20 (natural armor) **Hit Points** :: 625 (50d8 + 400) **Speed** :: 30 ft., fly 30 ft. ___ | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:| |30 (+10)|30 (+10)|26 (+8)|15 (+2)|18 (+4)|22 (+6)| ___ **Saving Throws** :: Str +19, Dex +19, Cha +14 **Damage Resistances** :: bludgeoning, piercing, slashing **Damage Immunities** :: necrotic, poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non-magical attacks **Condition Immunities** :: charmed, frightened, exhaustion, poisoned **Senses** :: truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 14 **Languages** :: all, telepathy 240 ft. **Challenge** :: 30++ (155,000 XP) ___ ***Legendary Resistance (3/day).*** If Cain fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead. : ***Magic Resistance.*** Cain has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. : ***Slaughter Domain.*** Cain is the closest a mortal has ever come to becoming true divinity. Worshippers all across the universe pray to him, emboldening his terrible power and filling his broken mind with rage. His very presence exudes a divine domain, something achieved by only the most powerful of Thread bearers, which affects any that come into it. Each creature of Cain's choice within 30 feet of him cannot recover hit points and loses all resistances. : In addition, if a creature deals damage while in the area, they must succeed on a DC 30 Wisdom saving throw or be *possessed by Hate* until the end of their next turn. If it is already possessed, it automatically fails this saving throw. A creature that is *possessed by Hate* moves to the nearest creature and uses the attack action. It attacks with advantage, gains an additional attack, and deals an additional 5 damage on each of their attacks. Any attack rolls against a creature *possessed by Hate* are made at advantage. : If a creature is reduced to 0 hit points while *possessed by Hate*, it is instead reduced to 1 hit point. When the effect ends for it, however, it must succeed on a DC 30 Constitution saving throw or take 999 points of fire damage. : ***Thread of Hate.*** Cain carries the Thread of Hate. In the event of his death, it will gently float above his corpse, ready for another to claim. A creature that attempts to claim it must succeed on a DC 20 Charisma saving throw or take 110 (20d10) force damage. Then, they must convince the Thread of Hate to attune to them, and vow to protect it from those who wish to destroy it. A creature that claims a Thread of Divinity becomes an ascended being of CR 26 or higher. : For this to happen, Cain's *Mark of Cain* feature must first be nullified, an exploit that can only be accomplished with the use of a *Wish* spell. : ***Hateful Strikes.*** Cain's attacks are considered magical and deal an additional 5d10 force damage. Cain's attacks deal maximum damage against creatures that are *possessed by Hate*. A creature that is murdered by Cain has its soul destroyed and cannot be revived. Only a *Wish* spell can restore the soul. : ***Rage of the Second Son.*** Cain is resistant to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. If a target Cain is attacking does not die after he makes three attacks against it, Cain deals an additional 100 force damage on each of its *Blade of the Martyr* attacks against that target until it is dead. : ***Mark of Cain.*** Cain cannot be killed. If it is reduced to 0 hit points, it makes a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a success, it is reduced to 1 hit point instead. Every time Cain makes this saving throw between long rests, the DC is increased by 2. If Cain fails this saving throw, he falls to his knees and becomes dormant for a minute, after which he reawakens with 300 hit points. While dormant, Cain automatically fails all saving throws. : ***Innate Spellcasting.*** Cain’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 23, +15 to hit with spell attacks). He can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: : *At will:* branding smite, dispel magic, misty step : *3/day:* antimagic field, earthquake, teleport }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote Fallow's Hold}} \page {{imageMaskEdge,--offset:0%,--rotation:0 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/ff13dc9c-301a-4afe-b32e-069cc23791d7/0_1.png){height:100%,top:-0px,left:-0px} }} {{imageMaskEdge1,--offset:0%,--rotation:180 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/ff13dc9c-301a-4afe-b32e-069cc23791d7/0_1.png){height:100%,top:-0px,left:-0px,transform:scale(-1)} }} \column {{monster,frame,top:-35px,width:360px,wide,left:160px ### Actions ***Multiattack.*** Cain uses his murderous will. It then makes three *Blade of the Martyr* attacks. : ***Murderous Will.*** Each creature of Cain's choice that is within 120 feet of Cain and can see or hear him must succeed on a DC 23 Wisdom saving throw or be *possessed by Hate*. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to Cain's Murderous Will for the next 24 hours. : ***Blade of the Martyr.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* + 19 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. *Hit:* 22 (4d10) slashing damage plus 27 (5d10) force damage. : ***Reality Slash.*** A cut that tears through reality travels forth in a 120 foot cone in front of Cain. Creatures within that area must make a DC 28 Dexterity saving throw, taking 35 (10d6) slashing damage and 35 (10d6) force damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. This effect effortlessly slices through any obstacle, including planar boundaries. ### Reactions ***Mage Slayer.*** As a reaction to a creature casting a spell within 5 feet of him, Cain makes a *Blade of the Martyr* attack. If the attack hits, the caster must succeed on a DC 28 Constitution saving throw or the spell fails. : ***Hate for the Arcane.*** As a reaction to a creature casting a spell within 120 feet of Cain, all ongoing magical effects within 30 feet of Cain are dispelled and Cain moves its full movement towards the creature that cast the spell. ### Legendary Actions Cain can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Cain regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn. : ***Move.*** Cain moves up to half its maximum speed. : ***At will*** Cain casts a spell from his *Innate Spellcasting* list. : ***Reap Soul.*** Cain reaps and devours the soul of a creature that died in the last minute within 120 feet of him, healing himself for 21 (6d6) hit points. : ***Hateful Bolt.*** *Ranged Spell Attack:* +16 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. *Hit:* 27 (6d8) force damage. : ***Blade of the Martyr (Costs 2 Actions.)*** Cain makes a *Blade of the Martyr* attack. : ***Mark of Murder (Costs 2 Actions).*** A creature within 30 feet of Cain that Cain can see must succeed on a DC 23 Charisma saving throw or become vulnerable to all damage until the end of Cain's next turn. : ***Reality Slash (Costs 3 Actions).*** Cain uses his *Reality Slash* action. : ***Power Word Hate (Costs 3 Actions).*** Cain utters a word of pure Hate, filling the mind of a creature within 120 feet with terrible fury. The target becomes *possessed by Hate* for a minute. On each of its turns, it can attempt to snap out of it by succeeding on a DC 23 Wisdom saving throw. : ***Raise Hateful Revenants (Costs 3 Actions) (3/day).*** Cain casts *Create Undead*. The spell has a casting time of 1 action and is cast at 8th level. Undead created by this legendary action are *possessed by Hate*. }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote Fallow's Hold}} \page {{imageMaskEdge,--offset:0%,--rotation:0 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/a09b802d-06aa-431a-97c0-f4b92a09c25c/0_0.png){height:150%,position:relative,right:60px,top:-280px} }} {{classTable,frame,decoration,,text-align:center,position:relatvie,top:0px ## Oh, Friend... : What a turn of events! Don't mind the dead Templars, they were trying to stop me. And I once called them friends of mine! Guilty, all of them. Pathetic, elitist pigs. : Now, I hope my true form isn't a surprise--I did say I had wings. Let's do a proper introduction, this time. I... am Darius the Traveler, Earl of the Stars, Champion of the Unbroken, Defender of Freedom! It does get longer every time I say it... Hey, why the long face? Are the dead angels disturbing you? No... you have seen worse, I'd wager. Well, I must ask, though I fear I already know the answer: what are you doing at the very doors to Asterion's Prison? : Oh... I see. They have corrupted your mind, haven't they? There is no other explanation to why you, of all people, would attempt to stop me. To save this city. This rotten den of criminals and self-righteous murderers, this monument to slavery, this gilded cage, this putrid dream of mine... No. I won't relent. This is my purpose, friend. Lyntas is doomed. Asterion will be free, and his wrath will scorch the Plains of Aeryn in avenging fire. They have it coming... You know that. : I was a Starfolk... once. Then, I was blessed with a Thread of Divinity. If you pay attention, you can listen to them; an echo of our Dead Gods... much like Asterion here, eh? Well, who am I kidding... That's exactly what you have been doing all this time, isn't it? You and your "City of Strings"... following the paths laid by our divine forebears. Yes, I understand now. You work for her, don't you? Ariadne Stringweaver... A killer, most definitely. You do not know her, friend. You do not know her true purpose, what she's done... : And to think the illustrious City of Strings would send someone to stop me! What's in it for you? What do you gain of all this? You... you are just like them. You do not fight for freedom. You never did! Well, no matter. You cannot stop me, friend. I am much greater than your Mistress of Strings. I have glimpsed the stars, and there, I saw a path forward. The Gods did not die in vain. Asterion, Shard of Yhawe, shall be free, and his wrath will destroy this nauseating world! It shall burn away the greed, the devotion, the crimes of the Caelum Temple; and from its ashes, a new realm shall be born! One that will never rest until every Tyrant is laid bare! That, I'm afraid, includes your precious Ariadne. Prepare yourself. : One last dance, friend. I'm sorry it has to end like this. : }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote PART IV | THE SACROPOLIS}} \page # Darius the Traveler And thus, Darius is finally revealed. His rampage across the High District leads directly to the broken Sanctuary, and deeper still, into the darkness of the Sacropolis. It is clear he no longer has any use for disguises, floating about in the catacombs in his true, Templar form. : This is Darius' final encounter, and builds upon every one of his previous appearances. He has made his choice, passed his judgement. There is no going back. After seven thousand years, Asterion, and what remains of the Yhawe's thread, will be released. : To properly play Darius all across the adventure and beyond, it is imperative to understand his character and know how he would react to many of the party's actions. To all of our DM's out there, let's have a little recap. : ### The Story of Darius Darius the Traveler is an ancient being, part of an immortal race that preceded the Celesari. Today, they are only known as Starfolk, an umbrella term to refer to all Celesari and their kin. He, along with the legendary Aeryn the White, were servants of Yhawe, God of Might, and acted in his stead after he was slain by the World Eater, Magnara. In an attempt to save the domain of Might, they entrusted what little divine power was left in them to a devoted Teng Ruler in the material plane, divesting themselves of their divine inheritance. This small fragment of Yhawe's power, however, was not the only remnant of the dead God of Might. During his battle, a wrathful splinter of himself broke apart and fell through the cosmos like a meteor, landing in an unknown chromatic planet that would one day become Aeryn. This apocalyptic star shard destroyed all civilization in the small world, and brought with it the intent of a God, attracting meteor shower after meteor shower in unending wrath. Yhawe was, after all, possessed by his anger in his final years. Darius and Aeryn, the first Templars, tracked down Asterion to the backwater planet, and along with their celestial entourage built Lyntas, the Citadel of Radiance, to contain the unhinged energies of the star god. Their task completed, they chose to follow different tasks; Darius, still hopeful for the return of the Gods, left in search of more of these remnants. If more Xildur left an afterimage such as Asterion, it was his duty to find them. Thus, he was named Darius the Traveler, and left Aeryn to guard Asterion, with the promise of returning once he found more. Together, they would rebuild the Pantheon, one shard at a time. : Darius never returned from his voyages, and Aeryn fell terribly ill, a side-effect of his great sacrifice in giving away part of himself to the mortal realms. Not exactly the glorious death a warrior such as himself would have preferred. In his final hours, he thought of Darius. If he would suffer the same fate. Their wounds were great, after the War of Eternity, and their Celestial energies had greatly diminished. It was Aeryn's hope that, somehow, Darius could finish what they had both started; their reconstruction of the Pantheon. ### A Never-ending Journey Lyntas did not uphold the values of Aeryn. Instead, the Templars of Amethyst became reclusive, abandoned by both Darius, their guiding light, and Aeryn, their steadfast protector. It's not surprising that their society stagnated and regressed as much as it did. In the beginning, Asterion was taken care of, appeased by Aeryn and Darius, who should have groomed him into what Yhawe once was. Without them, the Templars could not control it. And so, they had to contain it. Darius, on the other hand, fell prey to the same terrible side effects of his hollow divinity. He was created to serve Gods, and was sustained by their energies. Now, without even a shard of them to grab unto, he began to fade. His end did not scare him. He was ready to die a thousand times during the War of Eternity. And so, thinking of Aeryn, he let himself float away into the far realms, beyond the cosmos. : But for Darius, it was not the end. : As he felt himself slip away, a purple shooting star intercepted him, a Thread meant for someone as visionary as himself. Anarchy, a shard of the dragon goddess Tiamat, found the drifting celestial not far from the Garden of Eden. Perhaps the very Zedekiah, guardian of Eden, chose the dying celestial as the Wielder of Anarchy. Perhaps, very much in concordance with the thread itself, it happened by happenstance. The absence of a core, the hole left by the Dead Gods, is what spelled the end for Aeryn. Such creatures, the close servants of the Xildur, could not sustain themselves without their creators. Darius was spared such a fate. With the power of Anarchy, he regained consciousness, and continued on his journey, possessed by new, almost religious purpose. {{imageMaskCorner31,--offsetX:60%,--offsetY:-65%,--rotation:10 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/d35e88d9-80b5-4acd-9e67-c6ebf105ac2b/0_0.png){height:55%,transform:scalex(-1),bottom:-00px} }} {{imageMaskCorner31,--offsetX:-50%,--offsetY:-80%,--rotation:-30 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/d35e88d9-80b5-4acd-9e67-c6ebf105ac2b/0_0.png){height:55%,transform:scalex(-1),bottom:-00px} }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote PART IV | THE SACROPOLIS}} \page ### Darius and the Caelum Temple Anarchy led Darius on a course across the unknown cosmos, through planes and stars never before seen. Some said he even left this reality behind, for a while, carried by the unstable power of Anarchy. Of all divine threads, it was perhaps the most unruly. Its whims propelled Darius through the many dimensions beyond our own, where he lived for a hundred lifetimes in impossible realities. He met madmen pretending to be gods, eldritch beasts beyond comprehension, and all manner of divine beings, forsaken, much like him, by the War of Eternity. It is unknown how much Darius traveled, or for how long. Only he can tell of the thousand stories he witnessed before returning, one faithful day, to the planet of Aeryn, where he would find his friend buried, and his legacy squandered. Perhaps, some other Darius would have tried to rebuild, to stir the Citadel of Radiance to a better future. The Templars would have accepted his lead without question; many of them had eagerly awaited his return. And yet, Darius chose to hide, using the Thread of Anarchy to bend the rules of reality and be a witness to Lyntas' functioning, much like he had done thousands of times before in countless dimensions beyond this one. Darius was not the same eager hero that once built the Citadel and ventured into the cosmos. Somewhere along the journey, he had lost himself. And in that confusion, in that moment of weakness, the Thread of Anarchy melded with his soul. ### Ingrained with Divinity Perhaps as a side effect to his dimensional travels, or perhaps because of the unnatural way in which he came into the possession of his Thread of Divinity, Darius can no longer let go of Anarchy, nor can Anarchy ever leave him. They are one and the same; much like a Templar takes a gemstone as its core, Darius is now one with the Thread. He is no Wielder of Divinity; he has transcended, like few before, turning into some kind of nascent God, the very thing he once set out to find. What truly motivates him? Is it Anarchy? Is it his own forgotten dreams? Or is it the long, unnatural life he has led, through peril and death, war and peace, and a thousand stories beyond the veil? \column ### Liberator Darius is, beyond anything, a conduit for Anarchy. A thousand worlds he has seen, and wherever he found tyranny, he brought it to heel. He sees himself as a Liberator, no doubt, without a real care as to what happens to the societies he frees. As soon as his work is done, he will pass unto another reality, and his eternal voyage continues. Lyntas could have been saved, if only he cared enough about it. As it stands, he doesn't care for retribution, or vengeance, or anything of the sort. He is only a tool of freedom, and even though he himself has created this so-called sanctuary, he has long lost any attachment to it. Only the thought of Aeryn stayed his hand, but no pity would ever last among such a corrupt society. Thus, he has decided to burn it all down, as he has done countless times. : Perhaps, if the party is strong enough, they might save the thousands of innocents that Darius so casually sweeps under the rug. :: {{note, ##### Alternative Motives Darius is the final fight of the Citadel of Radiance. No matter how your players arrive to the Prison of Asterion, they do so just in time to see Darius slay the last of the Templars of Amethyst that were in his way. Why? Why would he so eagerly destroy his own city? : ***Anarchy.*** The simplest explanation is the one given above; he is no longer the celestial that sacrificed his divinity and built Lyntas to contain Asterion. He is now a nascent God, something much greater than Aeryn could have ever been. He has lost himself to his thread, and will forever do its chaotic bidding. He does not care for Lyntas anymore; he only sees tyranny. This will not be his last deed in this reality, however. The City of Strings seems like another such target, ready for "liberation". : ***Duty.*** You can also choose to have Darius be a more emotionally complex character. His multiversal travels did not yet erase what once was a hopeful, heroic celestial, yet returning to his great city, only to see such a rotten society might have tipped him over the edge. He now understands what it takes for a new God to be born; Aeryn and himself are the proof of that. And so, with a mixture of melancholy and resigned duty, he resolves to destroy Lyntas, not only to release Asterion, so that the shard might perhaps ascend, but also to put down the corrupted vision of his once shared dream. He owes it to Aeryn, after all these years. : ***Vengeance.*** Perhaps your story is even darker. Perhaps, for some reason, Darius was wronged by Aeryn, expelled from the Citadel and left to die among the stars. Only Anarchy saved him, which would make the Caelum Temple directly responsible for the monster Darius has eventually become. Now, he comes to Lyntas once more, in search for reckoning. The starfolk should have finished the job; now, vengeance has come for the Citadel of Radiance. }} {{imageMaskCorner31,--offsetX:50%,--offsetY:-50%,--rotation:10 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/d35e88d9-80b5-4acd-9e67-c6ebf105ac2b/0_0.png){height:55%,bottom:-100px} }} {{imageMaskCorner31,--offsetX:-50%,--offsetY:-65%,--rotation:-30 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/d35e88d9-80b5-4acd-9e67-c6ebf105ac2b/0_0.png){height:55%,bottom:-100px} }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote PART IV | THE SACROPOLIS}} \page {{imageMaskEdge4,--offset:22%,--rotation:180 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/daa7d3e0-8c49-40d5-bce0-34d6c96e9ca0/0_3.png){height:116%,position:relative,left:px,top:-0px} }} {{imageMaskEdge4,--offset:22%,--rotation:0 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/daa7d3e0-8c49-40d5-bce0-34d6c96e9ca0/0_3.png){height:116%,position:relative,left:px,top:700px,transform:scale(-1)} }} {{monster,frame,wide,position:relative,top:30px,width:785px,left:-50px ## Darius the Traveler *Large celestial, chaotic neutral* ___ **Armor Class** :: 23 (natural armor) **Hit Points** :: 625 (50d10 + 350) **Speed** :: 50 ft., fly 150 ft. ___ | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:| |29 (+9)|29 (+9)|25 (+7)|27 (+8)|27 (+8)|30 (+10)| ___ **Saving Throws** :: Str +19, Con +18, Wis + 18, Cha + 20 **Skills** :: Athletics + 19, Perception + 18, Persuasion +20, Religion +18 **Condition Immunities** :: charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned **Damage Resistances** :: acid, fire, cold, lightning, thunder, necrotic, radiant **Damage Immunities** :: poison; slashing, piercing and bludgeoning from non-magical attacks. **Senses** :: truesight 240 ft., passive Perception 27 **Languages** :: All **Challenge** :: 30+ (155,000 XP) {{bonus **Proficiency Bonus** +10 (Legendary Foe :gi_death_skull:) }} ___ ***Legendary Resistance (3/day).*** If Darius fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead. : ***Limited Magic Immunity.*** Darius can't be affected or detected by spells of 6th level or lower unless he wishes to be. He has advantage on saving throws against other spells and magical effects. : ***Ingrained Thread of Divinity.*** Darius possesses a Thread of Divinity, a remnant of Gods long past. In the event of his death, the Thread of Anarchy roll 1d6. On an odd roll, the Thread breaks and splinters, its fragments shifting to random locations across the cosmos. On an even roll, the Thread will gently float above his corpse, ready for another to claim. A creature attempting to claim the Thread first succeed on a DC 20 Charisma saving throw or suffer 110 (20d10) force damage. On a success, they must convince the Thread of Anarchy to attune to them, and vow to protect it from those who want to destroy it. A creature that claims a Thread of Divinity becomes an Ascended Being of CR 26 or higher, depending on their previous level of power. : ***Unendurable Presence.*** Darius is no longer a mere starfolk, and his command over the forces of reality goes far beyond gravity. That which he wishes undone simply... disappears. : Each creature of Darius' choice within 30 feet that is CR 5 or lower is disintegrated. Creatures of CR 6 or higher must make a Charisma saving throw with a DC of 20 minus their level / CR (minimum DC of 10). On a failure, they take 55 (10d10) force damage, half as much on a success. : ***Innate Spellcasting.*** Darius' spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 28). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: : At will: counterspell, invisibility (self only), telekinesis : 3/day each: power word penance, dominate monster, teleport : 1/day each: time stop, power word stun, power word kill : ***Angelic Attacks.*** Darius' attacks are considered magical and deal an additional 5d8 radiant damage (included in the attack). : ***Wielder of Anarchy.*** Darius is attuned to the Thread of Anarchy, and embodies its values. The very rules of the universe have a tendency to crumble around him. At the start of a combat round, roll a d6. An effect persists until a new one is selected. If the same effect is rolled twice in a row, the effect is dispelled and the round carries on without the influence of Anarchy. : | Roll | Effect | |:-----|:-----:| | 1 | All rolls made within 120 feet of Darius are inverted as soon as they are rolled. A natural 1 becomes a natural 20, a 19 becomes a 2, and so on and so forth. Darius' own rolls are also affected, but he may choose which result to keep between the two. | | 2 | Spells cast within 60 feet of Darius now expend a spell slot two levels higher than their original slot. A magic missile spell expends a 3rd level slot, while a Greater Invisibility spell expends a 7th level slot. Spells of 8th and 9th level cannot be casted. | | 3 | Each creature of Darius' choice within 120 feet must roll a d6, and are placed on the Initiative order according to their result (Dexterity breaking ties). Darius can choose to go first or last in this new turn order. | | 4 | Creatures within 90 feet of Darius cannot use their action but gain an additional bonus action on their turn. | | 5 | Darius breaks the fourth wall and shuffles everyone's character sheets. All players must now play a different character until this effect has passed. | | 6 | Creatures fighting Darius stop and reflect upon their actions. Everyone in the Initiative order skips their turn, except for Darius. He is a gentleman though, and will also skip his turn, provided he is not in mortal danger. He will instead take the opportunity to start a conversation and lecture his enemies on the merits of anarchy and the abuses of power created by hierarchies. ### Actions ***Multiattack.*** Darius makes four attacks: two with his wings (he may choose between *Divine Feather Throw* and *Wing Bash*) and two with his claws. : ***Divine Feather Throw.*** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +19 to hit, range 300/900 ft., one target. *Hit* 23 (4d6 + 9) piercing plus 23 (5d8) radiant damage. A creature hit by this attack must succeed on a DC 27 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of their next turn. : ***Wing Bash.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +19 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. *Hit:* 23 (4d6 + 9) bludgeoning damage plus 23 (5d8) radiant damage. A creature hit by this attack must succeed on a DC 27 Strength saving throw or be knocked 30 feet away from Darius. : ***Claws.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +19 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. *Hit* 30 (6d6 + 9) slashing damage plus 23 (5d8) radiant damage. : ***Starfall (recharge 5-6).*** Darius teleports a falling star from the Plains of Aeryn into the battlefield, letting it crash onto his enemies. The star explodes in a point Darius can see within a mile. Each creature in a 40-foot-radius sphere centered on the point must make a DC 28 Dexterity saving throw. The sphere spreads around corners. A creature takes 70 (20d6) radiant damage and 70 (20d6) bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. : }} {{watercolor1,top:-90px,left:-130px,width:500px,background-color:pink,opacity:80%}} {{watercolor1,top:-90px,left:-130px,width:500px,background-color:pink,opacity:80%}} {{watercolor2,top:400px,left:430px,width:700px,background-color:pink,opacity:80%}} {{watercolor2,top:400px,left:430px,width:700px,background-color:pink,opacity:80%}} {{watercolor2,top:-350px,left:-170px,width:1000px,background-color:pink,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(15deg)}} {{watercolor2,top:-350px,left:-170px,width:1000px,background-color:pink,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(15deg)}} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote PART IV | THE SACROPOLIS}} \page {{imageMaskCorner31,--offsetX:-50%,--offsetY:50%,--rotation:0 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/daa7d3e0-8c49-40d5-bce0-34d6c96e9ca0/0_3.png){height:100%,top:-00px,left:-100px} }} {{imageMaskCorner31,--offsetX:-50%,--offsetY:50%,--rotation:0 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/a09b802d-06aa-431a-97c0-f4b92a09c25c/0_0.png){height:70%,top:-100px,left:-60px} }} {{imageMaskCorner31,--offsetX:-50%,--offsetY:-50%,--rotation:0 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/daa7d3e0-8c49-40d5-bce0-34d6c96e9ca0/0_3.png){height:130%,top:-220px} }} {{monster,frame,position:relative,top:300px ### Legendary Actions Darius can take three legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Darius regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn. Darius often forgets to use them, as he rarely is in true danger. : ***Claw.*** Darius makes a claw attack. : ***Wings.*** Darius makes a wing attack. Alternatively, he can move up to half his flying speed. : ***Warp space (Costs 2 Actions).*** Darius changes places with another creature within 120 feet. A creature can attempt to resist this effect by succeeding on a DC 28 Charisma saving throw. : : ***Interlink (Costs 2 Actions).*** Darius targets two creatures within 120 feet. If they are unwilling, they must roll a DC 28 Charisma saving throw. If both creatures fail, they are interlinked for a minute -- if either of them succeed, the action has no effect. Any spell or magical effect that targets one creature automatically targets the other. : ***Equalize (Costs 2 Actions).*** Darius sets the hit point value of all creatures within 60 feet of him to 99. An unwilling creature may attempt to resist the effect by succeeding on a DC 28 Constitution saving throw. ___ ##### Darius as a Legendary Foe :gi_death_skull: Darius is meant to be fought by extremely high level players, characters a little beyond what D&D 5th ed. supports. If you are using the rules from our Ariadne's Legendary Characters sourcebook, Darius fits right in against some of the higher level parties that can be assembled with that supplement. A way of ensuring Darius can be a fun (and not too overpowered) stat sheet for your 17-20th level party is to reduce his hit points and save DC. We recommend 375 hit points and a DC of 24, as to make Darius an encounter more akin to some of the Ancient Dragons of D&D. }} {{monster,frame,,position:relative,top:-38px ## Induce Anarchy Darius manifests the power of the Thread of Anarchy in a 20-foot radius sphere centered on a point within 120 feet. Creatures within the area must succeed on a DC 28 Charisma saving throw or move half their speed in a random direction. Depending on the main class of the creature, this ability has additional effects. Once a player has rolled this saving throw, they cannot be affected by *Induce Anarchy* for the next 24 hours. *This ability costs 3 legendary actions.* : *Barbarian.* A barbarian immediately ends its rage, attacks himself once, then and throws its main weapon as far as it can. : *Bard.* A bard's mouth disappears. It loses its ability to speak and cast spells for 1d4 rounds (or until the effect is dispelled by a greater restoration or remove curse spell). : *Cleric.* A cleric speaks ill of its god and begins to commit an act its religion would consider heresy on its turn, as if controlled by a Dominate Monster spell. The effect fades after 1d4 rounds (or until the effect is dispelled by a greater restoration or remove curse spell). : *Druid.* A druid's wild shape is dispelled. On its turn, it casts a harmful spell of 4th level chosen by the DM against its allies. If it has no 4th level spell slots, it casts a 3th level spell. : *Fighter.* A fighter uses an Action Surge on their next turn then proceeds to stand perfectly still. If no Action Surges are available, it instead expends one use of the *Indomitable* feature. : *Monk.* A monk moves half its speed to a nearby friendly creature and immediately uses all its attacks against it using Stunning Strike. If no creatures are in range, it attacks itself using *Stunning Strike*. : *Paladin.* A paladin immediately moves half its speed directly away from Darius. On its turn, it will use its movement and action to run as far away as possible. This effect lasts for 1d4 rounds. : *Ranger.* A ranger immediately uses all its attacks on the nearest animal. If no animals are within range, it will target the nearest friendly creature. On its turn, it will lay prone and cast *Hunter Mark* on itself as if controlled by a Dominate Monster spell. The Ranger will lay prone without taking action for 1d4 rounds (or until the effect is dispelled by a greater restoration or remove curse spell). : *Rogue/Artificer.* A rogue/artificer will immediately reveal itself if it was hiding. On its turn, it will stand still and use its action to unattune to a single magical item. It will then use its bonus action to throw the item in the direction of Darius. : *Sorcerer.* A sorcerer will immediately expend 1d6 + 1 sorcery points, transforming them into the highest level spell slot it can. With that spell slot, it will cast a harmful spell of the DM's choice on itself. : *Warlock.* A warlock cannot benefit from *Eldritch Invocations* for 1d4 + 1 rounds (or until the effect is dispelled by a greater restoration or remove curse spell). : *Wizard.* A wizard immediately drops concentration and ends any ongoing spell. It will attempt to Counterspell any spell within 60 feet of it that is not cast by Darius until the end of its next turn. For the purposes of this effect, the wizard is considered to have the *Counterspell* spell memorized, even if they don't know it. }} {{watercolor1,top:-90px,left:490px,width:500px,background-color:violet,opacity:50%,transform:scalex(-1)}} {{watercolor1,top:-90px,left:490px,width:500px,background-color:violet,opacity:50%,transform:scalex(-1)}} {{watercolor6,top:400px,left:-430px,width:700px,background-color:violet,opacity:50%)}} {{watercolor6,top:400px,left:-430px,width:700px,background-color:violet,opacity:50%}} {{watercolor6,top:-350px,left:-100px,width:1000px,background-color:violet,opacity:50%,transform:rotate(-15deg)}} {{watercolor6,top:-350px,left:-100px,width:1000px,background-color:violet,opacity:50%,transform:rotate(-15deg)}} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote PART IV | THE SACROPOLIS}} \page {{imageMaskEdge5,--offset:35%,--rotation:180 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/d35e88d9-80b5-4acd-9e67-c6ebf105ac2b/0_0.png){height:55%,top:0} }} {{columns:2,wide,position:relative,top:200px ### Playing Darius Darius is not a very complex character, all things considered. Though his backstory might be extensive and layered, it has become almost irrelevant to him, in his current state. His malleable nature as a BBEG is an easy fit to any campaign, starting from his early whimsical appearances, all the way to his more confrontational encounters later on. : ##### Darius as a Bad Guy The Traveler is meant to be a final boss, a great, powerful, campaign ending character for your high level party to fight in an epic battle for the fate of Lyntas, and indeed, the world itself. In this adventure, the chromatic world of Aeryn is not in apocalyptic danger, per se--only Lyntas will be destroyed--but if you want to raise up the stakes in your story, you can add that Asterion's freedom would spell the end of the world. The Traveler does not care, regardless; he has visited countless realities, and has liberated each and every one. Darius is quite fit for the BBEG status; incredible power, many appearances all throughout the story, intrinsic to the plot of the Citadel of Radiance (or indeed, wherever you might have put him). His motivations are easy to understand; he is a servant of his own thread, and therefor, of himself, for he has long forsaken his once shining morals. His travels throughout the multiverse have jaded him to a point where, even though his motives are correct, to some extent, he has no qualms about committing the worst kind of atrocities in service to his goal. In addition, his divine nature and his cocky attitude make for a very satisfying character to bring down. ##### Darius as a Conflicting Character If you are adding Darius to your world, you can also choose to make him much less confrontational, and quite a bit grayer. He is a witness to many realities, after all, and loves to watch the worlds unmake themselves, then rise from the ashes. He might not want to intervene, even in Lyntas, preferring to leave the city to its own devices. In this vein, you can have him not as the BBEG, but as an auxiliary piece to the story, an interdimensional, 4th wall breaking, recurring character the party regularly encounters. He is clearly powerful, yet he never really helps the heroes out; which side is he really on? ### Beyond the Citadel We recommend introducing Darius in other arcs, before the party even arrives to the Citadel of Radiance, as a seemingly innocuous merchant, a pompous nobleman, or a wizard of great renown. No matter where you might find him, he will always maintain his whimsical attitude, always completely unqualified for the position he occupies. The Thread of Anarchy allows him to break any rule, and reality itself seems to bend to his will. If he wishes something to be, most of the time, it shall be so. In his wake, he only leaves confused authorities, wondering how they allowed a complete stranger to exert such authority over them. Darius can just as easily be found as the leader of a lizardfolk tribe and later appear as the commander in chief of the city guard. He plays with positions of power and dismantles systems wherever he goes. ### The End of our Story In this module, Darius the Traveler takes on the responsibility of bringing down the tyrannical regime of the Caelum Temple by... destroying the Citadel of Radiance and all its inhabitants. When confronted with this fact, he will most likely laugh. "Better to die standing than live on your knees!" The final confrontation ensues, and after a tense, almost impossible battle, in which Darius breaks the very laws of Dungeons and Dragons, the party is victorious. Yet, as Darius lies defeated, they understand the true meaning of an Ingrained Thread of Divinity; if they kill the Traveler, they will destroy the Domain of Anarchy, which in the end, will only serve to make Eternity, the greatest Enemy of the City of Strings, more powerful. : As with many interdimensional threats, there is only one way to deal with a character such as Darius. He is confined to the maximum-security prison that is Fallow's Hold, in the City of Strings, and there he will remain, among other, criminal Wielders of Divinity that cannot be divested from their Threads. For now, the story of Darius is at an end. Still, characters like him never stay put for long, and the Thread of Anarchy is notoriously powerful at unmaking even the most intrinsic of rules. : The Traveler will not be held for long... }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote PART IV | THE SACROPOLIS}} \page {{insideCover}} {{imageMaskEdge,--offset:0%,--rotation:270 ![](https://imgur.com/yOAkEpH.png){height:117%} }} {{footnote,z-index:1,color:white,wide,text-align:center,position:relative,top:930px,left:240px ##### *Gate of the abomination -- ixion's Palace* }} {{pageNumber,auto,z-index:12}} \page ![abomination](https://imgur.com/CnyZvr5.png) {width:935px,position:absolute,left:-50px,top:15px,transform:rotate(-1deg),z-index:1} {{monster,frame,wide,position:relative,top:405px,left:-40px,z-index:1,width:765px ## Darkspawn Abomination *Huge fey (darkspawn), chaotic evil* ___ **Armor Class** :: 16 (natural armor) **Hit Points** :: 568 (45d12 + 275) **Speed** :: 30 ft. ___ | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:| |28 (+9)|16 (+3)|22 (+6)|5 (-3)|20 (+5)|10 (-)| ___ **Saving Throws** :: Str +16, Con +13, Wis +12, Cha +7 **Damage Resistances** :: slashing, piercing and bludgeoning from nonmagical attacks **Damage Immunities** :: necrotic, poison, cold **Senses** :: truesight 60 ft., darkvision 480 ft., passive Perception 15 **Languages** :: understands dark sylvan but doesn't speak **Challenge** :: 30 (155.000 XP) ___ ***Legendary Resistance (3/day).*** When the Darkspawn Abomination fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. : ***Magic Resistance.*** The Darkspawn Abomination has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. : ***Dark Necrosis.*** The Darkspawn Abomination deals a special type of damage called *dark* damage, a variant of necrotic damage that is more deeply suffused with negative energy. This damage is extremely difficult to resist, and impossible to avoid altogether. Only those with immunity to necrotic damage are resistant to dark damage. : ***Monstrous Physiognomy.*** The Darkspawn Abomination doesn't need air, food or water to subsist. : ***Siege Monster.*** The Darkspawn Abomination deals double damage to objects and structures. : ***Greater Dark Fae.*** The Darkspawn Abomination cannot be magically *charmed*, *frightened* or put to sleep. Additionally, it is immune to all enchantment and illusion spells. : ***Soul Singularity.*** When a creature of CR 3 / Character Level 3 or higher dies within 1 mile of the Darkspawn Abomination, its soul is absorbed and added to the torrent of negative energy that writhes within it. The amount of souls it has absorbed grants additional damage, range and effectivity to its *Promised Demise* trait. : ***Promised Demise.*** One minute after the Darkspawn Abomination dies, a gargantuan burst of pure negative energy centered on its corpse manifests to obliterate everything in the vicinity. Creatures and objects within 10 miles are caught in the blast, taking 130 (20d12) dark damage, which can be halved on a successful DC 20 Constitution saving throw. : For every ten souls the Darkspawn Abomination absorbs, the damage of this blast increases by 1d12, up to a maximum of 70d12, and its range by 1 mile, up to a maximum of 60 miles. For every hundred souls, the DC of the Constitution saving throw increases by 1, up to a maximum of 25. : ***Ixion's Core.*** The Promised Demise trait can be nullified by a Wish spell or similar reality-altering high level magic. Another way is to remove the artifact that functions as the Abomination's connection to the negative energy plane. : Ixion's core was made by combining Ixion's own soul and body with a shard of the Crown of the Dryads, which resulted in an artifact that could draw negative energy straight from its universal source. If it is removed, it will explode (as per the *Promised Demise* trait) unless it is stabilized by purging Ixion's spirit from the artifact by using a *remove curse*, *greater restoration* or similar magic expending a spell slot of 7th level or higher. : }} {{watercolor9,top:-520px,left:990px,width:380px,background-color:black,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(-40deg)}} {{watercolor9,top:-520px,left:990px,width:380px,background-color:black,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(-40deg)}} {{watercolor9,top:-520px,left:990px,width:380px,background-color:black,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(-40deg)}} {{watercolor9,top:-1020px,left:-700px,width:350px,background-color:black,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(85deg)}} {{watercolor9,top:-1020px,left:-700px,width:350px,background-color:black,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(85deg)}} {{watercolor9,top:-1020px,left:-700px,width:350px,background-color:black,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(85deg)}} {{watercolor9,top:-20px,left:-150px,width:350px,background-color:black,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(95deg)}} {{watercolor9,top:-20px,left:-150px,width:350px,background-color:black,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(95deg)}} {{watercolor9,top:-20px,left:-150px,width:350px,background-color:black,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(95deg)}} {{watercolor3,top:-620px,left:-565px,width:310px,background-color:black,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(145deg)}} {{watercolor3,top:-620px,left:-565px,width:310px,background-color:black,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(145deg)}} {{watercolor3,top:-620px,left:-565px,width:310px,background-color:black,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(145deg)}} {{watercolor9,top:-450px,left:-250px,width:310px,background-color:black,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(145deg)}} {{watercolor9,top:-450px,left:-250px,width:310px,background-color:black,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(145deg)}} {{watercolor9,top:-450px,left:-250px,width:310px,background-color:black,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(145deg)}} {{pageNumber,auto,purple}} \page {{imageMaskEdge5,--offset:25%,--rotation:190 ![](https://imgur.com/60ZWdF2.png){height:117%} }} {{imageMaskEdge5,--offset:25%,--rotation:10 ![](https://imgur.com/60ZWdF2.png){height:117%} }} {{monster,frame,position:relative,top:185px,left:-25px,z-index:1,width: ### Actions ***Multiattack.*** The Darkspawn Abomination makes four attacks: two with its Arms of Negative Energy, and two with its Malignant Claws. It then uses its frightful presence or makes one bite attack. : ***Arms of Negative Energy.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +18 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. *Hit* 44 (8d10) dark damage. : ***Malignant Claws.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +18 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. *Hit* 24 (6d4 + 9) slashing damage. : ***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +18 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit* 30 (6d6+9) piercing damage and 11 (2d10) dark damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 26 Strength saving throw or be *grappled*. When the Darkspawn Abomination makes a bite attack against a creature that is already grappled in this way, the attack is always a critical hit. : ***Frightful Presence.*** Each creature of the Darkspawn Abomination’s choice within 120 feet of it and aware of it must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, with disadvantage if the Darkspawn Abomination is within line of sight, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the Darkspawn Abomination’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours. ### Bonus Actions ***Consume Cadaver.*** The Darkspawn Abomination devours the corpse of a medium or large creature within 5 feet of it, destroying it and healing itself for 2d10+6 hit points if it consumed a medium corpse, or 4d10+12 if it consumed a large one. }} {{monster,frame,position:relative,top:245px,left:15px,z-index:1,width: ### Legendary actions *The Darkspawn Abomination can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The Darkspawn Abomination regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.* : ***Jump.*** The Darkspawn Abomination uses its unnatural strength to jump, landing in a space within 90 feet of its original position. The Darkspawn Abomination can leap unto an occupied space, provided the creatures or objects it lands on are smaller than itself. : A creature that is within the landing zone or within 10 feet of it must succeed on a DC 26 Dexterity saving throw or take 21 (6d6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. A creature that was occupying the space of the landing zone, regardless of whether it succeeds the saving throw or not, is displaced up to 10 feet to the nearest unoccupied space. If there is no space for it to move, it takes an additional 35 (10d6) bludgeoning damage and is *restrained* (escape DC 20) under the Darkspawn Abomination. : ***Onslaught.*** The Darkspawn Abomination makes one Malignant Claws attack. : ***Bite (Costs Two Actions).*** The Darkspawn Abomination makes a bite attack against a creature within range. : ***Screech of Wounding (Costs 3 Actions).*** The Darkspawn Abomination cries out a blasphemous curse, and wounds open in the bodies of those who can hear it. Each creature within 120 feet of the Darkspawn Abomination must make a DC 26 Constitution saving throw, taking 55 (10d10) slashing damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. }} {{pageNumber,auto,z-index:12}} \page {{,position:relative,left:190px,top:-20px,text-align:center {{text-align:center,position:relative,top:-10px ## Ixion's Greataxe *Greataxe, Artifact (requires attunement)* : }} This mythic weapon was made with a shard of the Crown of the Dryads that was corrupted by an overwhelming quantity of negative energy, drawn into its core by the Darkspawn Lord Ixion. Who knows what it might have looked like before a century of defilement? : You have a +3 to attack and damage rolls made with this weapon, and your critical range increases by 2. Additionally, it deals an extra 2d8 dark damage on a hit. Dark damage is a special type of damage unique to this weapon, and the creature that used it for a core. Suffused with pure negative energy, it cannot be entirely avoided, and only those with immunity to necrotic damage have resistance to dark damage. : ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::: : ***Removing Ixion's Curse.*** \ If you remove the negative energy that has corrupted this greataxe by casting the *remove curse* spell on it using a 9th level spell slot, it loses its 2d8 additional dark damage property, and instead gains the *life transference* property, healing the wielder for half the amount of hit points it deals on a successful attack against a creature. Alternatively, the wielder can choose to direct the healing to an ally within 30 feet of them. }} {{imageMaskEdge1,--offset:19%,--rotation:270 ![](https://imgur.com/Qqd7ds6.png){height:130%,top:0} }} {{imageMaskEdge1,--offset:19%,--rotation:90 ![](https://imgur.com/Qqd7ds6.png){height:130%,top:0,left:-100px,transform:scalex(-1)} }} {{imageMaskEdge1,--offset:40%,--rotation:0 ![](https://imgur.com/Qqd7ds6.png){height:130%,top:0} }} {{imageMaskEdge1,--offset:37%,--rotation:43 ![](https://imgur.com/Qqd7ds6.png){height:130%,top:0} }} {{imageMaskEdge1,--offset:40%,--rotation:320 ![](https://imgur.com/Qqd7ds6.png){height:130%,top:0} }} ![axe](https://imgur.com/YPYEOah.png) {width:225px,position:absolute,left:310px,top:330px} {{pageNumber,auto,z-index:12}} \page {{imageMaskEdge1,--offset:3%,--rotation:270 ![](https://imgur.com/jlILFVh.png){height:100%,right:-170px} }} {{position:relative,left:-30px,top:-30px,width:340px ## Gods in the Deep : The Deep Setva, Greater Aboleths, Aberrant Jellies, and the once Teng-sworn Deep Raptors are indeed deadly perils, no doubt about it. But it isn't them that mark these forsaken profundities as off-limits for all but the mightiest adventurers of the universe. It isn't them who build networks of unholy influence in places far beyond the abyss where they live. It isn't them who, being anathema to light and to existence itself, have no choice but to hide here, where the shadows are deep enough to sustain their otherworldly forms. : All those accolades are reserved to the Gods in the Deep, as they're known. They have a few things in common: they entered our reality as lieutenants of the Enemy, powerful enough to hold their own against minor and intermediate Gods, if not defeat them outright. And they all live in the Abyssal Netherdepths, for venturing beyond the arcanite slate for them is akin to a vampire taking a stroll under the midday sun. That is where the similarities end, for the most part. : ### A Myriad of Alien Wills Each God in the Deep acted differently upon the defeat of Eternity, their eldritch master. Some of them, like Arkan, are known to pursue great wealth and influence, having become part of the universal ecosystem they had originally come to destroy. Others gather followers, exhorting them to perform dark rituals in its name, gaining more power and becoming closer to true godhood with each passing century. But most of them gained no purpose of their own after losing the war, and are still bent on undoing existence, following the directives of Eternity from beyond the veil. : As the keen-eyed reader may have observed, some of these purposes are contradictory. And indeed, the great old ones fight, kill and consume each other in a long game of eldritch influence, with each participant vying for more power through whatever means: slaves, worshippers, artifacts, and a long etcetera. These eldritch minds have no moral quandaries and no sense of honor or shame. : {{note,descriptive ##### From *Ariadne's Journal*, Page ??? No good comes from bargaining with minds from beyond our universe, dearie. Even when they are not bent on the destruction of our reality and its assimilation to the howling void, which isn't a lot of the time, everything they touch becomes cursed. They simply are not meant to exist. : If you *must* deal with one, keep it short and keep it simple. Their minds thrive on complexity -- their neural networks calculate better and faster than ours, so their advantage grows with each layer of deception and trickery, for they can see through their web effortlessly, and we cannot. : **Ariadne Stringweaver, Regent of the City of Strings** }} }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote The Abyssal Netherdepths}} \page {{imageMaskEdge4,--offset:3%,--rotation:90 ![](https://imgur.com/nDoF87j.png){height:100%,top:0,left:-350px} }} \column {{position:relative,left:30px,top:-30px ### The Blind Horror Revered by the K'Nyall as the only true god, this cosmic horror seems entirely bent on growing its cult and the horrific sacrifices they perform in its name. Reportedly animalistic in its behavior and objectives, it is nonetheless cunning enough to match wits with its siblings who, despite trying, have never managed to lay him low and devour its eldritch potential, claiming it for themselves. Funnily enough, the Blind Horror is not really blind, but rather one of the creatures with the most powerful eldritch sight in the universe. : The Blind Horror cares nothing for politics or webs of influence outside of its cult. If encountered, aggression is certain. It can only conceivably be swayed with promises of sacrifice and worship -- still a very long shot, to be sure. One does not simply negotiate or reason with a God in the Deep. : ### Obsidias the Devouring Night Fiercely loyal to Eternity and its quest of destroying existence, Obsidias takes bitter insult in the fact that most of its companions in that ancient war have turned to their own purposes and agendas. Its hatred for the creatures of this reality is, in fact, only surpassed by its hatred of its former brothers. Obsidias detests its own existence, too, longing for the endless night of oblivion more than anything else, but knowing that its death would make Eternity's victory a more distant prospect. Students of this horror have noted that Obsidias is endowed with a "very strange, very alien conception of honor and loyalty." : Obsidias operates in a contradiction: the necessity of organization to defeat the guardians of reality against its hatred of any kind of order, the preamble of life. Cults to it exist, but are prone to being destroyed by their own eldritch master if they annoy it -- a very common occurrence, given that Obsidias is irritated by the very fact of mortal existence. Thus it remains uninfluential outside the Abyssal Netherdepths. ### Arkan, the Beast Of all the Gods in the Deep, Arkan has abandoned the principles of Eternity's entropic crusade the most, becoming an important player in the politics of the material plane and the universe at large. Its true nature as a Great Old One is shrouded in secrecy, as few sellswords would rally their blades to such an entity, no matter how large the payment and how low their moral fiber -- there is just something about having tried to destroy the universe that puts off potential employees. : A dealer in secrets and influence, none can claim to know what the being with the most spies and assassins in its service truly desires. What is certain is that it is an enemy of academic organizations, for it has built its castle using ignorance and greed as a foundation, and the spreaders of true knowledge threaten to collapse all that it achieved in seven millennia of careful plotting. }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote The Abyssal Netherdepths}} \page {{monster,frame,wide,position:relative,top:0px,left:-15px,width:710px ## God in the Deep *Gargantuan aberration, any evil alignment* ___ **Armor Class** :: 20 (natural armor) **Hit Points** :: 615 (30d20 + 300) **Speed** :: fly 60 ft. (hover), swim 60 ft. ___ | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:| |28 (+9)|16 (+3)|30 (+10)|27 (+8)|26 (+8)|20 (+5)| ___ **Saving Throws** :: Str +18, Con +19, Int +17, Cha +14 **Damage Resistances** :: fire, acid, psychic, lightning; slashing, piercing and bludgeoning from non-magical attacks **Damage Immunities** :: cold, poison **Condition Immunities** :: frightened, charmed, poisoned, restrained **Senses** :: truesight 30 ft., darkvision 240 ft., passive Perception 22 **Languages** :: all, telepathy 1000 ft. **Challenge** :: 30 (155,000 XP) ___ ***Legendary Resistance (3/day).*** When the God in the Deep fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. : ***Unnatural Existence.*** The God in the Deep doesn't require air, food or water to sustain itself. : ***Indescriptible Horror.*** Creatures who look upon the form of a God in the Deep are struck by existential dread. Any creature (except Aberrations) that starts its turn within 120 feet of the God in the Deep and can see it must make a DC 24 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is Frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, with disadvantage if the God in the Deep is within line of sight, ending the effect on itself on a success. : If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the God in the Deep's *Indescriptible Horror* for the next 24 hours. Unless the target is surprised or the revelation of the God in the Deep's true form is sudden, the target can avert its eyes and avoid making the initial saving throw. Until the start of its next turn, a creature that averts its eyes has disadvantage on Attack rolls against the God in the Deep. : ***Anathema to Reality.*** The God in the Deep's attacks deal an additional 14 (4d6) psychic damage to creatures that aren't Aberrations. : ***Far Realm Toxin.*** The God in the Deep is coated in a strange otherworldly toxin. Creatures that touch it or hit it with an attack while within 5 feet of it must succeed on a DC 22 Constitution saving throw or take 11 (2d10) poison damage be *cosmically intoxicated*. While cosmically intoxicated, a creature has eerie visions of distant nebulae and eldritch monsters. They cannot see anything beyond 10 feet and have disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. A cosmically intoxicated creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. : ***Aberrant Arcana.*** The God in the Deep's spells are shrouded in unnatural power, making them especially difficult to counteract. All of its spells are considered 9th level spells for the purposes of counterspell and dispel magic. They do not scale their damage, duration or effects in that way, however. : ***Innate Spellcasting.*** The God in the Deep can cast the following spells innately, without expending material components. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 25, +17 to hit with spell attacks). : At will: lightning bolt, hypnotic pattern, black tentacles : 3/day each: disintegrate, regenerate, forcecage : 1/day each: power word kill, dominate monster ### Actions ***Multiattack.*** The God in the Deep makes three tentacle attacks, one of which it can replace by a maw attack. It then casts one spell from its *Innate Spellcasting* list or uses its *Summon Servitors* action. : ***Tentacle.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +18 to hit, reach 15ft., one target. *Hit* 23 (4d6 + 9) bludgeoning damage plus 14 (4d6) psychic damage if the target is not an Aberration, and the target must succeed on a DC 28 Strength saving throw or be *grappled* (escape DC 28) if it is Large or smaller. : ***Maw.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +18 to hit, reach 5ft., one grappled creature. *Hit* 35 (4d12 + 9) bludgeoning damage plus 14 (4d6) psychic damage if the target is not an Aberration. If this damage reduces a creature to 0 hitpoints, they are chewed apart and die instantly as they are swallowed by the God in the Deep. : ***Summon Servitors (3/day).*** The God in the Deep calls upon its underlings choosing from the options below. They spawn in unoccupied spaces of its choice within 60 feet of it. - 2d6 + 4 Aberrant Jellyfishes - 1d4 + 1 Karcharis - 1 Aboleth ### Legendary Actions *The God in the Deep can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The God in the Deep regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.* : ***Onslaught.*** The God in the Deep makes one tentacle or maw attack. : ***Desecration (Costs 2 Actions).*** The God in the Deep speaks a blasphemous word born of the maddening symphony of the howling void, barring the influence of the divine. *Channel divinity* actions cannot be used by clerics and paladins within 1000 feet of the God in the Deep, and deities cannot intervene in the same range. The desecration lasts for a minute. : ***Cast Spell (Costs 2 Actions).*** The God in the Deep casts a spell from its *Innate Spellcasting* list. : ***Transmute Cadaver (Costs 3 Actions).*** The God in the Deep targets the corpse of a non-Aberration that has been killed in the past minute. It warps and transforms, becoming an Aberration under its control of the same size as the cadaver. Its CR cannot exceed that of the dead creature from which it was transmuted (if the body belonged to a player character, consider its total character level instead). }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote The Abyssal Netherdepths}} {{imageMaskCenter,--offsetX:0%,--offsetY:0%,--rotation:0 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/fcc325a4-7fdd-4f65-9dee-67c7d3e7a615/0_2.png){height:120%} }} \page {{monster,frame,position:relative,top:-20px,left:-20px {{text-align:center ## The Blind Horror : *The God in the Deep known as the Blind Horror has additional traits, actions and legendary actions. These additional options and features make it slightly more challenging than the base monster.* : }} ### Additional Traits ***Cult Leader.*** The Blind Horror's Charisma score is increased to 28 (+9) and its Intelligence score is decreased to 20 (+5). : ***Tyrant of the K'Nyall.*** When using its *Summon Servitors* action, the Blind Horror has one additional option it can use: - 1d4 + 1 K'Nyall cultists and 1 Blind Prophet : ***Not So Blind.*** The Blind Horror's truesight range is increased to 60 feet. Creatures that start their turn within that range must succeed on a DC 22 Wisdom saving throw or be *Revealed* until they leave its truesight range or succeed on the save in subsequent turns. : ***Variant Innate Spellcasting (Replaces Innate Spellcasting).*** The Blind Horror can cast the following spells innately, without expending material components. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 26, +18 to hit with spell attacks). : At will: arcane eye, blight, black tentacles : 3/day each: flesh to stone, eyebite, feeblemind : 1/day each: imprisonment, weird : ### Additional Actions ***Variant Multiattack (Replaces Multiattack).*** The Blind Horror makes two tentacle attacks and two paralyzing eyebeam attacks. : ***Paralyzing Eyebeam (Replaces Maw).*** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +18 to hit, reach 30/60 ft., one target. *Hit* 10 (3d6) force damage plus 14 (4d6) psychic damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 22 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed until the end of their next turn. ### Additional Legendary Actions ***Sight-Killing Pulse.*** A burst of eye-withering energy ripples outward from the Blind Horror. Creatures within 120 feet of it that aren't behind full cover must succeed on a DC 22 Constitution saving throw or take 11 (2d10) psychic damage and be blinded until the end of their next turn. Creatures with more than two eyes make this saving throw with disadvantage. : ***Focus Sight (Costs 2 Actions).*** The Blind Horror focuses the entropic energy of its central eye on an ongoing magical effect it can see within its truesight range, snuffing it out if it is a spell of 6th level or lower. }} {{monster,frame,position:relative,top:20px,left:20px {{text-align:center ## Obsidias, Devouring Night : *The God in the Deep known as the Devouring Night has additional traits, actions and legendary actions. These additional options and features make it slightly more challenging than the base monster.* : }} ### Additional Traits ***Magic Resistance.*** Obsidias has advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects. : ***Forces of the Void Loyalist.*** When using its *Summon Servitors* action, Obsidias has one additional option it can use: - 1 Greater Aboleth : ***Aura of Disintegration.*** At the start of Obsidias' turn, creatures and objects within 30 feet of it take 18 (4d8) force damage. Obsidias can choose whether or not this trait is active at the start of each of its turns, before it deals damage. ### Additional Actions ***Variant Multiattack (Replaces Multiattack).*** Obsidias makes three Void Appendage attacks. It then casts a spell from its *Innate Spellcasting* list. : ***Void Appendage (Replaces Tentacle).*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +18 to hit, range 10 ft., one target. *Hit* 10 (3d6) necrotic damage plus 10 (3d6) force damage plus 14 (4d6) psychic damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 22 Charisma saving throw or become vulnerable to one randomly determined damage type until it finishes a long rest. A casting of *remove curse* or similar magic removes this effect. : ### Additional Reactions ***Devouring Night.*** Obsidias snatches the soul of a creature that dies within 60 feet of it, immediately devouring it and regaining 21 (6d6) hit points. That creature cannot be brought back to life by any means short of a *Wish* spell. : ### Additional Legendary Actions ***Reverse Gravity.*** Obsidias reverses gravity in a 50-foot-radius, 100- foot high cylinder centered on a point within 120 feet of it. All creatures and objects that aren't somehow anchored to the ground in the area fall upward and reach the top of the effect's area. A creature can make a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw to grab onto a fixed object it can reach, thus avoiding the fall. If some solid object (such as a ceiling) is encountered in this fall, falling objects and creatures strike it just as they would during a normal downward fall. If an object or creature reaches the top of the area without striking anything, it remains there, oscillating slightly. At the start of Obsidias' next turn, gravity reverts back to normal. : ***Black Hole (Costs 2 Actions).*** Obsidias creates a space-time disturbance of unendurable gravity centered on a point within 120 feet of it. Creatures within 60 feet of that point must succeed on a DC 22 Strength saving throw or be sucked in, taking 54 (12d8) force damage and landing prone at a point within 10 feet the black hole's center. : }} {{imageMaskEdge2,--offset:15%,--rotation:200 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/fcc325a4-7fdd-4f65-9dee-67c7d3e7a615/0_2.png){height:100%,top:-300px,transform:rotate(90deg)} }} {{imageMaskEdge4,--offset:10%,--rotation:20 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/fcc325a4-7fdd-4f65-9dee-67c7d3e7a615/0_2.png){height:120%} }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote The Abyssal Netherdepths}} \page {{imageMaskEdge,--offset:0%,--rotation:270 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/e1169268-5704-4442-9ca2-6e725e618a19/0_0.png){height:145%,transform:scale(-1),right:-10px,bottom:-120px} }} {{imageMaskEdge1,--offset:1.3%,--rotation:90 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/e1169268-5704-4442-9ca2-6e725e618a19/0_0.png){height:145%,top:-120px,left:-10px} }} :: {{classTable,frame,decoration,width:350px,text-align:center,left:166px,top:-10px ## What Beckons From Below : As you breach the unnatural darkness of the Abyssal Netherdepths, delving deeper than any other hero before you thanks to the guidance of the mysterious Teng tablet, a humanoid silhouette beckons at you from the distance, at the entrance of a crevice. You sense the tablet's discomfort, and a dash of something else. Scorn, unbridled *hate*. : The shadow-cloaked figure approaches tentatively, with its hands raised high in the sky. As it comes closer, you make out the shape of an entity you know all too well: a Masked One of Arkan. A powerful leader of the dark organization that has been hunting you throughout your journey. The man stays very still, careful not to provoke your aggression. : *If I may, tenacious adventurers... My hallowed lord wishes to parley with you. We've no reason to be enemies -- as you'll come to understand, you want the same thing as Him. Might I have the honor of guiding you to the presence of Arkan? If you prefer, I can explain the way forward and leave you well alone. My lord has instructed me to trust you. He has seen that you are fated to meet, no matter what you may choose at this insignificant crossroads.* : You feel the tablet and its raw emotion washing over you as a tide of contradictory feeling. It wants to follow the Masked One, to meet with Arkan... and end him. But you also sense doubt, a profound heartache born of the hero's solitude. It isn't sure you can face Arkan without being swayed by his words. It is afraid of being returned to its dormant state. It is afraid to lose *you*. : **DC 14 Persuasion / Deception:** You connect to the tablet, promising you are ready. You will not falter in the face of the Beast. The tablet trusts you, and you stand as one before this final challenge. : You follow behind the Masked One, or perhaps you undertake the journey on your own. It makes no matter: as cheaply prophesied by Arkan, your path leads only to him. An enormous underground grove with hanging bioluminescent light acts as the Beast's lair. You notice several Masked Ones and other unspeakable things observing from the fringes, their eyes locked on you as you approach the great old one. It emerges. Its countenance is aberrant, no doubt, but somehow less so than that of other Gods in the Deep. While its siblings are indescriptible aberrations, Arkan resembles an eldritch scorpion, bearing one huge central eye the color of bloody crimson. It seems Arkan's earthly ambitions have made his form into something almost... understandable. }} \page {{position:relative,top:-20px,left:-30px,width:330px ## Audience With The Beast : The tablet brims with fiery wrath directed at this monstrous being. Arkan opens its maw, and speaks to you with a deep, rocky voice, almost... noble. These are not the imperative words of fury you've been subject to before. : *"Protectors of this universe, come for my head. Seven millennia ago, when I first breached the veil of this reality, I would have attacked you on sight. Worthy champions you would've been, even in that age of heroes and gods. But..."* : Your hand twitches and your brain burns red with the tablet's imperious will: *attack*. : *"It is not seven millennia ago. It is the present day. That war is passed and I've had time to ponder my defeat, and forget all the resentment it created in me. Today, you and I are still likely at odds in a great many things. The desire to see this universe continue its existence, however, is not one of them. I've built a life, in these centuries, a thriving and influential business network... All outside the control of the great tyrant of the cosmos. The one you've taken to calling Eternity. Should it return, I will be flayed and tortured, have my powerful mind brutally broken down, and finally, I will be remade into a dozen new aberrations for its army."* : Arkan stops speaking for a moment, as if letting the weight of his words sink in. : *"I've no intention of letting that happen, if not to save your world, to save my own skin. In fact, I have been an active participant of efforts to keep Eternity sealed away. You should rather point that shiny blade at some of my siblings, who yet serve the void's designs. I... can point you in their direction. Saves me a headache, and you... Well, you can save the world from these looming threats, and be hailed as heroes. I can even lend you some of my eldritch might for this purpose. What say you?"* : You've never felt the tablet's will be this clear. It's telling you something. Warning you of a deep corruption behind everything this being touches. No, of a deep corruption that is the essence of Arkan's own being, and that spreads through every strand of its web. It speaks. {{note,descriptive,background-color:#FDDC9C *My bearer, my protector... I muster all my might to speak, for you must know what this damnable roach is doing. Here in the center of the material plane is where I was born, countless centuries ago, as the Emerald Tablet of Life.* : *For many millennia I stood there, guiding the great flame of life that burns at the center of the world. Creating new species, forging souls as unique and brilliant as the distant stars. Then, Eternity came. You know how that went -- a phyrric victory, with the Gods dead, Eternity sealed away, and its soldiers exiled to the depths beneath the arcanitie slate... This used to be my sacred home.* }} }} : {{position:relative,top:-20px,width:335px {{note,descriptive,background-color:#FDDC9C *The Teng plucked me out in the brilliant submarines they constructed with the dwarves, as what came to be known as the Abyssal Nethedepths was no place for a sacred artifact of creation anymore. Since then, I've been passed from hand to hand. My melancholy growing, my power waning. Until you found me. Until you not only heard me, but listened, too.* : *This disgusting aberration may or may not want the destruction of the universe, but it sure is leeching of the flame of life, squeezing the heart of the world dry for its own gain. I beg of you: listen once more, and end this abomination in the name of life!* }} ##### A Decision: Arkan or the Tablet If the players decide to follow the will of the tablet to its conclusion, it will evolve to its final state: the Emerald Tablet of Life. On the other hand, if the players are swayed by the persuasive words of Arkan, or bribed by its offers of influence, power or wealth, it will unattune from the player bearing it, use *Word of Recall* on itself and become dormant once more, in a Teng ruin far above the arcanite slate. : Arkan will hold true to his word, and provide you tools and boons to defeat your common enemies. Meanwhile, his mysterious rituals and influence trading continues. Who knows to what final end? #### Emerald Tablet of Life *Wondrous item, Artifact (requires attunement)* : While you are attuned to the Emerald Tablet of Life, it becomes almost weightless to you, but it remains terribly heavy to everyone else. Your Constitution score becomes 26 unless it is already higher. You gain one legendary resistance, one damage immunity and one condition immunity of your choice, and become resistant to all elemental damage (acid, cold, fire, lightning, and thunder). Additionally, you can cast the *True Resurrection* spell through it once per week without expending material components. : In addition to its properties as the Emerald Tablet of Life, this artifact has gained sentience and new powers over the course of centuries under the possession of brilliant Dwarven and Teng artificers, which it maintains in its awakened form. You can use it to seal or unseal Teng control rooms and outposts. A Teng construct or machine that is in contact with the Emerald Tablet of Life regains 25 hit points per round. If it was broken or in a state of disrepair, it becomes functional only when it is restored to its maximum hit points. : Teng Sentinels will be friendly towards you, and their vehicles and machines will respond to your commands as well as their state of disrepair allows. }} {{watercolor8,top:-220px,left:330px,width:500px,background-color:#BBAD82,opacity:80%}} {{watercolor5,top:700px,left:-50px,width:500px,background-color:#BBAD82,opacity:80%}} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote The Abyssal Netherdepths}} \page {{imageMaskEdge,--offset:-10%,--rotation:270 ![](https://imgur.com/QKv07rV.png){height:116%,top:0px} }} {{insideCover}} {{color:white,position:relative,top:0px,left:-5px,text-align:center ##### ONLY. TO. KILL. ME. }} {{color:white,position:relative,top:5px,left:-px,text-align:center ##### you would risk the universe itself... }} {{color:white,position:relative,top:100px,left:-235px,text-align:center ##### YOU. ARE. A. FOOL. }} {{color:white,position:relative,top:105px,left:-235px,text-align:center ##### But if you wish for a taste of the Beast, }} {{color:white,position:relative,top:110px,left:-235px,text-align:center ##### who am I to deny you? }} {{color:white,position:relative,top:115px,left:-235px,text-align:center ##### You've come this far, after all. }} {{color:white,position:relative,top:120px,left:250px,text-align:center ##### THIS. IS. YOUR. LAST. ERROR. }} {{color:white,position:relative,top:125px,left:250px,text-align:center ##### Even after deserting Eternity. }} {{color:white,position:relative,top:130px,left:250px,text-align:center ##### I never did lose the taste }} {{color:white,position:relative,top:135px,left:250px,text-align:center ##### for righteous flesh. }} {{color:white,position:relative,top:320px,left:-235px,text-align:center ##### WITHIN. OR. WITHOUT. }} {{color:white,position:relative,top:325px,left:-235px,text-align:center ##### this universe... }} {{color:white,position:relative,top:330px,left:-235px,text-align:center ##### There is no place for kindness. }} {{color:white,position:relative,top:335px,left:-235px,text-align:center ##### No place for playing hero. }} {{color:white,position:relative,top:450px,left:250px,text-align:center ##### ONLY. THE. DEAL. MATTERS. }} {{color:white,position:relative,top:455px,left:250px,text-align:center ##### but you were not ready to accept }} {{color:white,position:relative,top:460px,left:250px,text-align:center ##### that. I still have much work }} {{color:white,position:relative,top:465px,left:250px,text-align:center ##### before mortalkind can be mine. }} {{color:white,position:relative,top:600px,left:0px,text-align:center ##### Now... }} {{color:white,position:relative,top:605px,left:px,text-align:center ##### DIE. FOR. ME. }} \page {{imageMaskEdge4,--offset:20%,--rotation:270 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/341aa3c6-6a76-4345-9a10-a14c31fbae3f/0_0.png){height:120%,right:0} }} {{imageMaskEdge4,--offset:20%,--rotation:90 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/341aa3c6-6a76-4345-9a10-a14c31fbae3f/0_0.png){height:120%} }} {{monster,frame,position:relative,top:-05px,left:160px,width:370px {{text-align:center ## Arkan, the Beast : *The God in the Deep known as the Beast has additional traits, actions and legendary actions. These additional options and features make it the strongest variant of the base monster.* : }} ### Additional Traits ***Limited Magic Immunity.*** Arkan can't be affected or detected by spells of 6th level or lower unless it wishes to be. It has advantage on saving throws against all other spells and magical effects. : ***Reflective Carapace.*** Any time Arkan is targeted by a magic missile spell, a line spell, or a spell that requires a ranged attack roll, roll a d6. On a 1 to 5, Arkan is unaffected. On a 6, Arkan is unaffected, and the effect is reflected back at the caster as though it originated from Arkan, turning the caster into the target. : ***Revealing Gaze*** Arkan's opened eye creates an area of weakness exposure in a 150-foot cone. Creatures within that area are automatically *Revealed*. At the start of each of its turns, Arkan decides which way the cone faces. The cone doesn't function while the Arkan's eye is closed or while it is blinded. : ***Head of the Scorpion.*** When using its *Summon Servitors* action, Arkan has one additional option it can use: - 1d4+1 Arkan Operatives and 1 Masked One of Arkan : ***Variant Innate Spellcasting (Replaces Innate Spellcasting).*** Arkan can cast the following spells innately, without expending material components. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 25, +17 to hit with spell attacks). : At will: cure wounds, cloudkill, geas : 3/day each: resurrection, move earth, harm : 1/day each: true resurrection, power word kill : ### Additional Actions ***Variant Multiattack (Replaces Multiattack).*** Arkan makes two beastly pincer attacks and one otherworldly sting attack. It then casts a spell from its *Variant Innate Spellcasting* list. : ***Beastly Pincer (Replaces Tentacle).*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +18 to hit, reach 30/60 ft., one target. *Hit* 36 (4d12+10) bludgeoning damage plus 14 (4d6) psychic damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 27 Strength saving throw or be grappled (escape DC 27). : ***Otherworldly Sting.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +18 to hit, reach 30/60 ft., one target. *Hit* 24 (4d6+10) piercing damage plus 14 (4d6) psychic damage, and the target must make a DC 22 Constitution saving throw, taking 65 (10d12) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. ### Additional Legendary Actions ***Variant Onslaught (Replaces Onslaught).*** Arkan makes one beastly pincer or maw attack. : ***Dominate Life Domain (Costs 3 Actions) (1/day).*** Arkan squeezes the heart of the world using its partial control of it, healing itself for 265 (30d10+100) hit points. }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote The Abyssal Netherdepths}} \page {{text-align:center,position:relative,left:105px,width:470px,top:-35px # Primordial Greatwyrms : *Tall as a mountain, angry as a storm, and dumb as a rock. One could hardly imagine a more terrifying enemy. Like the Krakens of the ocean, the Primordial Greatwyrms take life to its largest possible form, with most of them standing thrice as large as ancient true dragons. Their maw is big enough to swallow lesser dragons whole, and they are indeed known to favor such meals. Luckily, they only survive in the elemental plane of earth, as the heroes of eld slew those that lived in the material plane.* }} {{imageMaskEdge5,--offset:-15%,--rotation:0 ![](https://imgur.com/sbVkzbb.png){height:150%,top:160px,left:-230px} }} {{imageMaskEdge5,--offset:-15%,--rotation:0 ![](https://imgur.com/sbVkzbb.png){height:150%,top:160px,left:400px} }} ![dragonsaurio](https://imgur.com/eBHFvRi.png) {position:absolute,top:180px,right:0px,width:817px,mix-blend-mode:} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{pageNumber,auto}} \page {{monster,frame,wide,position:relative,top:75px,width:745px,left:-30px ## Primordial Greatwyrm *Gargantuan dragon, unaligned* ___ **Armor Class** :: 24 (natural armor) **Hit Points** :: 820 (40d20 + 400) **Speed** :: 40 ft., fly 120 ft. ___ | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:| |30 (+10)|14 (+2)|30 (+10)|4 (-3)|12 (+1)|10 (--)| ___ **Saving Throws** :: Str +19, Con +19 **Damage Resistances** :: lightning, radiant **Damage Immunities** :: fire; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks **Condition Immunities** :: charmed, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned **Senses** :: darkvision 240 ft., tremorsense 480 ft., passive Perception 20 **Languages** :: -- **Challenge** :: 30 (155,000 XP) ___ ***Legendary Resistance (5/day).*** When the Primordial Greatwyrm fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. : ***Gargantuan Wings.*** The Primordial Greatwyrm can only take flight once per round, consuming 40 feet of its maximum fly speed only to take off. When it takes flight, creatures within 120 feet of it must succeed on a DC 25 Strength saving throw or take 11 (2d10) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. : ***Siege Monster.*** The Primordial Greatwyrm deals double damage to objects and structures. : ***Primordial Rage.*** When the Primordial Greatwyrm has less than half of its maximum hit points remaining, it becomes *enraged*. While *enraged*, its damage resistances become immunities, and it gains new actions and legendary actions. : ***Cataclysmic Assault.*** When the Primordial Greatwyrm makes an attack, creatures and objects within 15 feet of the target take half of the attack's normal damage. Creatures can make a DC 25 Dexterity saving throw to avoid the impact, taking no damage on a success. : ### Actions ***Multiattack.*** The Primordial Greatwyrm makes four attacks: one with its tail, one with its bite, and two with its stomp. : ***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +19 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. *Hit:* 32 (4d10 + 10) piercing damage, and the target is *grappled* if it is Huge or smaller (escape DC 25). On a hit, this attack is always a critical against grappled targets. A creature killed by this attack is swallowed by the Primordial Greatwyrm. : ***Stomp.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +19 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. *Hit:* 28 (4d8 + 10) bludgeoning damage. : ***Tail.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +19 to hit, reach 30 ft., one target. *Hit:* 28 (4d8 + 10) bludgeoning damage. : ***Charged Breath Weapons (Recharge 6).*** The Primordial Greatwyrm uses one of the following breath weapons. Because it is so large, the Primordial Greatwyrm's breath weapons are slow to charge. When it uses this action, it must decide where the breath weapon will aim, and it only takes effect at the start of its next turn. If it moves, turns or uses an attack in the meantime, the breath weapon doesn't fire. : *Fire Breath:* The Primordial Greatwyrm exhales fire in a 120-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 25 Dexterity saving throw, taking 140 (40d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. While this breath weapon charges, the area 60 feet around the Primordial Greatwyrm becomes superheated. A creature that starts its turn within the area or enters it for the first time in its turn must make a DC 25 Constitution saving throw, taking 35 (10d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. : *Primordial Beam (Enraged):* The Primordial Greatwyrm exhales a beam of primordial lightning and fire in a 240-­foot line that is 20 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 25 Dexterity saving throw, taking 110 (20d10) lightning damage and 110 (20d10) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. While this breath weapon charges, the area 60 feet around the Primordial Greatwyrm becomes superheated and electrified. A creature that starts its turn within the area or enters it for the first time in its turn must make a DC 25 Constitution saving throw, taking 35 (10d6) fire damage and 35 (10d6) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. : ### Legendary Actions *The Primordial Greatwyrm can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Primordial Greatwyrm regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.* : ***Onslaught.*** The Primordial Greatwyrm makes one stomp or tail attack. : ***Bite (Costs 2 Actions).*** The Primordial Greatwyrm makes one bite attack. : ***Beseech the Skies (Enraged, Costs 3 Actions).*** The Primordial Greatwyrm roars to call the wrath of the skies upon three points it can see within 240 feet. Three 10-foot-radius, 120-foot-high cylinders filled with lightning appear centered on each point. The cylinders can't overlap with each other. Creatures within the area of a pillar must make a DC 25 Dexterity saving throw, taking 55 (10d10) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{imageMaskCenter10,--offsetX:-40%,--offsetY:40%,--rotation:0 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/6ab72ecf-ddef-446c-8f2d-a7983eaf2822/0_1.png){height:117%,top:-0px,left:-1px} }} {{imageMaskCenter10,--offsetX:43%,--offsetY:-40%,--rotation:0 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/6ab72ecf-ddef-446c-8f2d-a7983eaf2822/0_1.png){height:117%,top:400px} }} {{watercolor3,top:-240px,left:950px,width:360px,background-color:indigo,opacity:62%,transform:rotate(-30deg)}} {{watercolor6,top:560px,left:190px,width:360px,background-color:darkorange,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(-20deg)}} \page {{imageMaskEdge3,--offset:6%,--rotation:180 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/9a7dae5d-5dda-481a-b358-d78ab5aa1722/0_2.png){height:60%,top:0px,left:-100px} }} :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: # Greatwyrm Yharel: The Hidden Story Greetings, countless denizens of the planes. My name is Farlane, wandering planeswalker and truest threadseeker of the City of Strings, even if my official position there has been long forfeit -- some tales, it seems, are even beyond the curiosity of Ariadne Stringweaver herself. : Knowledge, like magic, ought to be free, boundless as the skies above and the abyss below. And today, despite the mewlings and protestations of the laughably titled Threadmaster's Council, I present to you knowledge they would rather keep shrouded. : In a distant age, the minotaur-like Isark fell upon the material plane to claim the Fragment of Tauryl, a divine remnant of their dead Bull-God -- nowadays, it is known as the Thread of Stasis, a force of primordial frost. Ain't the universe poetic? One of the most fiery Elder Gods held within himself the very essence of death frost... : Anyway, I digress: the Isark fought among themselves for ages in the War of the Final Ascent. However, all the challengers that came to stand before the Fragment of Tauryl were rejected by it. Of course! The ancestral frost would not take for a wielder a fiery, bull-headed (pardon the pun) Isark. It wanted a creature that represented its icy might... : Enter Ysgar the Blessed, the last of the chieftains of the Final Ascent, as bold and unyielding as they come. Instead of going home after being denied, he attempted to bend the Thread to his will, and... met a fate cold and unforgiving, of course. But then, the unforeseen happened... : Ysgar's loyal steed, the Elder Frost Wyrm Yharel, struck with profound grief at his master's demise, unknowingly resonated with the very essence of the Thread. In a twist of cosmic irony, this majestic creature absorbed it, morphing into the very embodiment of its power - the Greatwyrm of Stasis. : And now, the climax of our story: the so-called Threadmaster's Council, holed up in their precious City of Strings, wishes for this story to remain lost. Their fear? That probing or challenging the might of Yharel might awaken him in full force, leading to an age of eternal frost upon the material plane. But, where they see doom, I see the musings of fate, a tale that must be known... and continued. : **--Threadseeker Farlane, Your Truest Fellow** {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote Threadmaster's Archive: Greatwyrm Yharel}} \page {{monster,frame,wide,position:relative,top:px ## Greatwyrm Yharel *Gargantuan dragon (demigod), neutral evil* ___ **Armor Class** :: 23 (natural armor, 26 with Glacial Ward) **Hit Points** :: 626 (31d20 + 301) **Speed** :: 80 ft., fly 120 ft. ___ | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |RES| |:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:----:| |30 (+10)|14 (+2)|30 (+10)|15 (+2)|16 (+3)|16 (+3)| 28 (+9)| ___ **Skills** :: perception + 12, survival + 12, **Condition Immunities** :: all congelation conditions, charmed **Saving Throws** :: Strength +19, Constitution +19, Resolve +18 **Senses** :: heatsight 1000ft., truesight 90ft. **Languages** :: Primordial, Draconic, Aquan, Ice Tongue (Taurish) **Challenge** :: 30 (155000 XP) **Damage Immunities** :: cold; slashing, piercing and bludgeoning from nonmagical attacks ___ ***Legendary Resistance (3/day).*** If Greatwyrm Yharel fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. : ***Arcane Stasis.*** Spells cast within 120 feet of Greatwyrm Yharel have a chance of failing automatically, due to its oppressive aura of primeval frost. : Creatures attempting to cast a spell must succeed on a spellcasting ability check with a DC of 25 minus the level of the spell they are trying to cast. On a failure, the spell fails as if nullified by *counterspell*. : ***Scales of Ice and Death.*** Yharel's demi-divinity has fortified its scales to a near impenetrable state. When Yharel is targeted by a direct melee attack, non-magical weapons shatter upon impact and magical weapons receive a temporary -1 penalty to attack and damage rolls until the end of the wielder's next turn. If targeted by natural weapons, the attacker suffers 4d6 cold damage instead. : ***Entombing Permafrost.*** At the start of each of Yharel's turns, the ground in a 30-foot radius around it becomes covered in a sheet of uneven, treacherous ice. This area becomes difficult terrain for creatures other than Yharel. Any creature that starts its turn on this ice or enters it for the first time on a turn must succeed on a DC 26 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone. : Additionally, creatures that start their turn prone against the entombing permafrost are slowly swallowed by the burgeoning sheets of elemental ice. They must succeed on a DC 26 Strength saving throw or be grappled by the ice (escape DC 26), taking 4d6 cold damage each time they end their turn grappled in this way. : ***Thermal Death*** When a creature within 120ft. of Greatwyrm Yharel dies as a result of a *congelation effect*, it regains hitpoints equal to four times the character level (or CR) of the creature that died. : ***Innate Spellcasting.*** As the Wielder of Stasis, Greatwyrm Yharel can cast the following spells, requiring no material components and using Resolve as its spellcasting ability (spell save DC 26, +18 to hit with spell attacks). : *At will (3rd level upcast):* Ice Gale, Frostbolt, Absolute Zero, Sleet Storm. : *3/day each (5th level upcast):* Cone of Cold, Ice Storm. : *1/day each:* Glacial Ward (7th level version), Stasis Storm. ### Actions ***Multiattack.*** Greatwyrm Yharel makes two attacks with its Claws, and one with its Winter's Maw. It then uses either *Soulfrost Wail*, *Stasis Gale*, or casts a spell from its *Innate Spellcasting* feature. : ***Winter's Maw.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +19 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. *Hit:* 36 (4d12 + 10) piercing damage and 26 (4d12) cold damage. A creature hit by this attack must succeed on a DC 26 Constitution saving throw or become vulnerable to cold damage until the end of its next turn. If they are resistant or immune to cold damage, they lose one layer of protection: immune creatures become resistant, and resistant creatures lose their resistance but are not made vulnerable. : ***Claws.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +19 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. *Hit:* 24 (4d6 + 10) bludgeoning damage and 13 (2d12) cold damage. : ***Stasis Gale (recharge 4-6).*** Greatwyrm Yharel bats its enormous, frozen wings, generating a current of magical cold in a 120ft. long, 20ft. wide line in front of it. Creatures within that area must make a DC 26 Constitution saving throw, taking 70 (20d6) cold damage and becoming *frostbitten* for one minute on a failed save. On a successful save, they take half damage and are not frostbitten. : If a target is already frostbitten and fails the saving throw, they become *frozen* for one minute instead. : ***Soulfrost Wail (3/day).*** Greatwyrm Yharel screeches out a word of primeval stasis directed at a creature it can see within 120 feet of it, who must make a Resolve contest against Yharel. If the Greatwyrm prevails, the creature is *soul-chilled*. If they are already *soul-chilled*, they are *death frosted* instead. If the creature prevails, Yharel can only use one legendary action until they refresh at the start of its next turn. ### Reactions ***Subzero Snap.*** When a creature within 120ft of it deals fire damage to Yharel, it can, as a reflex, release a pulse of intense cold. The creature that dealt the damage must make a DC 26 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed by the chilling shock until the end of their next turn. : ***Grasping Stalagmites.*** When a creature within 15 feet of Yharel tries to move out of his reach, it can attempt to seize them with tendrils of frost that shoot from the ground. The creature must succeed on a DC 26 Strength or Dexterity saving throw (their choice) or be restrained. They can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, breaking free on a success. }} {{watercolor1,top:-90px,left:-130px,width:500px,background-color:skyblue,opacity:100%}} {{watercolor1,top:-90px,left:-130px,width:500px,background-color:skyblue,opacity:100%}} {{watercolor2,top:400px,left:430px,width:700px,background-color:skyblue,opacity:100%}} {{watercolor2,top:400px,left:430px,width:700px,background-color:skyblue,opacity:100%}} {{watercolor2,top:-350px,left:-170px,width:1000px,background-color:skyblue,opacity:100%,transform:rotate(15deg)}} {{watercolor2,top:-350px,left:-170px,width:1000px,background-color:skyblue,opacity:100%,transform:rotate(15deg)}} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote Threadmaster's Archive: Greatwyrm Yharel}} \page {{monster,frame,wide,position:relative,top:-0px ### Legendary Actions Greatwyrm Yharel can take three legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Yharel regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. : ***Stasis Spell.*** Greatwyrm Yharel casts one spell from its *Innate Spellcasting* feature. : ***Bludgeoning Onslaught.*** Greatwyrm Yharel moves up to half its speed, violently trampling objects and creatures in its way, dealing 70 (20d6) bludgeoning damage, doubled against non-reinforced structures. : Creatures caught in its path can use their reaction make a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw to move out of the way, being unaffected by Yharel's onslaught on a success. : ***Turn Tail.*** Greatwyrm Yharel turns 180 degrees, raising a thick cloud of powdered ice and snow with his colossal tail. Creatures within 20 feet of Yharel must make a DC 27 Dexterity saving throw or take 44 (8d10) bludgeoning damage as they are hit by it. Additionally, creatures within 40 feet of Yharel when it uses this action are caught by the rising frost and must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw, taking 28 (8d6) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. : ***Munch Foe (costs 2 actions).*** Greatwyrm Yharel uses its *Winter's Maw* action. : ***Flight of Killing Frost (Costs 3 Actions).*** Greatwyrm Yharel takes to the skies, followed by the legendary Death Frost. It moves 120ft in a straight line. Creatures it passes over must succeed on a DC 20 Resolve saving throw or be *Death Frosted*. : ### Lair Actions *Lair Actions take effect at initiative count 20, losing ties. Yharel chooses two options from those outlined below, and cannot use the same combination next round.* : *Yharel can only use these actions while within his palace of ice in the Soulfrost Depths.* : ***Realm of Stillness.*** Time itself is not impervious to the ancestral stasis exuded by Greatwyrm Yharel, and creatures attempting to overthrow it bear the brunt of this disruption. At the start of each round, creatures within 60 feet of Greatwyrm Yharel must succeed on a DC 26 Resolve (or Wisdom) saving throw or have their initiative lowered by 4, potentially demoting them from the turn order. : Creatures who reach negative initiative through this effect lose their next turn and must roll initiative again. : ***Ice Pillars.*** Up to three icicle-like formations shoot up from the ground, acting as difficult terrain and potentially impaling creatures. The icicles are considered *huge* objects (15x15ft.). Creatures within their area when they appear must make a DC 26 Dexterity saving throw, taking 4d6 bludgeoning damage and 4d6 cold damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. : ***Cryogenesis.*** Ice elementals spawn at different points within 60 feet of Yharel, aiding the Greatwyrm in battle. Roll 1d4 twice against the following list to determine which creatures are spawned: : *1:* **Four Iceborn Beasts.** : *2:* **Two Iceborn Nymphs.** : *3:* **One Iceborn Horror.** : *4:* **One Forlorn Draugr.** : These cryogenic creatures are formidable, but they lack the physical and elemental stability of their trueborn counterparts. If they take 15 or more fire damage from a single attack or magical effect, they instantly vaporize in a burst of frozen mist. : Creatures might be able to spot this magical instability with a successful DC 18 perception check. : ***Glacial Divide.*** With a roar, Yharel causes walls of thick ice to rise from the ground, creating barriers. It can create up to three walls, each being up to 20 feet long, 20 feet high, and 5 feet thick. These walls last until Yharel uses this lair action again or until destroyed. Each wall has AC 12, 30 hit points, vulnerability to bludgeoning damage, and immunity to cold, psychic and poison damage. : If a wall is reduced to 0 hit points, it shatters, causing shards of sharp ice to scatter. Creatures within 10 feet of an ice barrier when it shatters must succeed on a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw or take 17 (3d10) piercing damage. : ***Frozen Echoes*** Ghostly wyrm-like apparitions of frozen mist, mirroring Greatwyrm Yharel's ancient siblings, emerge from icy surfaces within the lair. Yharel can target up to three creatures it can see. Each target must succeed on a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw or be convinced that they are fighting multiple dragons, imparting disadvantage on their attacks and ability checks for the next round due to the overwhelming fear and confusion. ### Regional Effects ***Forsaken Depths.*** The area within 6 miles of Yharel's lair is in a perpetual state of *unendurable stasis*. The *control weather* spell can lower this to a state of *biting frost* in a 1 mile radius around the caster. : ***Frozen Memories.*** Creatures within 1 mile of the lair occasionally experience glimpses of Yharel's traumatic past: the death of Ysgar the Blessed being the most common of these visions, but also remembrances of the brutal, bloody battles of the Final Ascent. : ***Temporal Stasis.*** Time is partially frozen within 6 miles of Yharel's lair: creatures don't age, and the only thing that seems to move is the frozen brume that covers the entirety of Hestra. : There aren't even blizzards here -- an eerie tranquility is draped over the region, only disturbed by the dormant grumbling of Greatwyrm Yharel itself, and the methodical march of its elemental worshipers. }} {{watercolor1,top:-90px,left:490px,width:500px,background-color:skyblue,opacity:100%,transform:scalex(-1)}} {{watercolor1,top:-90px,left:490px,width:500px,background-color:skyblue,opacity:100%,transform:scalex(-1)}} {{watercolor6,top:400px,left:-430px,width:700px,background-color:skyblue,opacity:100%)}} {{watercolor6,top:400px,left:-430px,width:700px,background-color:skyblue,opacity:100%}} {{watercolor6,top:-350px,left:-100px,width:1000px,background-color:skyblue,opacity:100%,transform:rotate(-15deg)}} {{watercolor6,top:-350px,left:-100px,width:1000px,background-color:skyblue,opacity:100%,transform:rotate(-15deg)}} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote Threadmaster's Archive: Greatwyrm Yharel}} \page # Leviathans, Bane of All Existence Titanic in size and eldritch power, leviathans are without a doubt the ultimate testament to the threat that the void poses to existence. They raze proud cities in a matter of minutes, and corrupt miles of land with their mere presence. Leviathans are pure cosmic horror, incomprehensible and endowed with terrible might. So far, only two have ever emerged in Selem's Marsh, though the depths from which they were born could very well spawn another, under the right circumstances. : Across many planes of existence, Leviathans have made their horrid presence felt. One of them can threaten a continent. A dozen is a planar threat that would send shivers down the spines of celestials and fiends alike. Some think that unity between the high and low planes will one day be achieved, when they're forced to collaborate in the fight against true darkness. That day is yet to come, and Leviathans remain an extremely rare reminder that the light of existence is always under threat of complete devastation. : We have compiled what little information there is about them, thanks to the crumbs of information left behind after Selem's fall. We hope you never have to use this accursed knowledge: here it is nonetheless, a unique entry found only in the Codex of Strings. \column {{descriptive,position:relative,top:5px ##### From "Into the Storm", Scrapped Notes Leviathans, now there's fuel for a sleepless night. Their presence corrupts and taints the very earth, as well as the flesh of those unfortunate enough cross its path, the waters it touches, everything. Death and decay, incomprehensible chaos and merciless entropy. : What can be done against such a foe? Many apprentices have asked me that question, though it is one I prefer to avoid myself. If a Leviathan emerged from the waters of Selem's Marsh tomorrow, I fear the combined might of the entire Blackstone may not be enough to save Harspire, and the entire world would pay the price of our failure. : Leviathans are a challenge fit for celestials, demons, or immortal wizards. Us puny mortals can do naught but despair, run, and die. I saw Selem fall to that horrid fate. No gods could have saved them. : This is supposed to be a manual on how to fight the eldritch threat, but here I am not talking as Stormwalker Geld, the hero of Harspire's sentinel corps. I talk to you as the only man who saw the Bane of Selem and lived. Should you see a Leviathan, run in the opposite direction. You have nothing to gain in that fight, and all to lose. : **Chief Sentinel Geld, Stormwalker of the Sixth Company** }} {{imageMaskEdge1,--offset:7%,--rotation:0 ![](https://imgur.com/WZPa6CI.png){height:70%,position:relative,top:560px,left:-190px} }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote Ruined Selem}} \page {{monster,frame,wide,position:relative,top:px ## Deep One Leviathan *Gargantuan aberration (titan), chaotic evil* ___ **Armor Class** :: 23 (natural armor) **Hit Points** :: 702 (35d20 + 350) **Speed** :: 60 ft., swim 120 ft. ___ | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:| |30 (+10)|8 (-1)|25 (+7)|8 (-1)|16 (+3)|16 (+3)| ___ **Skills** :: athletics + 28, perception + 12, survival + 12, **Condition Immunities** :: charmed, frightened, poisoned, exhaustion **Saving Throws** :: Strength +19, Constitution +16, Wisdom +12 **Senses** :: truesight 240 ft., passive Perception 22 **Languages** :: Understand all but doesn't speak **Challenge** :: 30 (155,000 XP) **Damage Immunities** :: Lightning, Acid; Slashing, Piercing and Bludgeoning from Non-Magical Attacks ___ ***Legendary Resistance (3/day).*** If the Leviathan fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. : ***Limited Magic Immunity.*** The Leviathan can't be affected or detected by spells of 5th level or lower unless it wishes to be. It has advantage on saving throws against other spells and magical effects. : ***Aura of Entropy.*** The ground within 1000 feet of a Leviathan becomes infertile for 1d4 years. Additionally, creatures within 500 feet of it are affected by an otherworldly arcane radiation, taking 1 point of necrotic damage every minute they spend within that range. Whenever a creature loses hit points in this way, they are subtracted from their hit point maximum until they finish a long rest. Creatures with a constitution score of 20 or higher are immune to this effect. : ***Doom Incarnate.*** Creatures laying eyes on the Leviathan for the first time must succeed on a DC 23 Wisdom saving throw or become *demoralized* for 10 minutes. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, with disadvantage if the Leviathan is within line of sight, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the effect for the next 24 hours. : ***Caustic Storm.*** The Leviathan is surrounded by 5 miles of caustic storm, which slowly eats away at everything: vegetation, structures, and the very earth. Creatures that fail to cover their skin may take acid damage to the DM's discretion, according to their level of exposition. After a few minutes, water sources are considered poisoned. After some hours, the foundations of buildings may begin to corrode and buckle under a weight they can no longer support. : While under the caustic storm, the Leviathan regenerates 30 hit points at the beginning of each of its turns, unless it has taken 30 or more fire damage in the previous round. : ***Lair of Dead Sky.*** The *caustic storm* is the Leviathan's moving habitat, and it gives it access to certain special actions so long as the caustic storm remains in the sky. A creature casting the *control weather* spell may subdue the storm enough for the Leviathan to lose its benefits: every turn, they make a DC 20 spellcasting ability check, battling against the tainted skies. On a success, the storm dwindles until the end of their next turn. Three consecutive successes dispel the storm for 10 minutes. : ***Path of Ichor.*** The Leviathan leaves behind a trail of ichor. Pools form under its impossible weight, corrupting the land further and creating *spawning pools* for lesser aberrations. The Leviathan creates one *spawning pool* per 100 feet traveled from which other Deep One creatures (up to CR 5) can emerge. These *spawning pools* last for 1d4 days (provided that they are not in direct sunlight), and can generate up to five creatures before being consumed. : ***Otherwordly Kinship.*** Other Deep One creatures are not affected by the *Caustic Storm* feature. In addition, while under the storm, aberrations gain advantage on all saving throws and heal for 3d8 hit points per round, unless they have taken fire damage in the previous round. : ***Siege Monster.*** The Leviathan deals double damage to objects and structures. ### Actions ***Multiattack.*** The Leviathan makes three tentacle attacks and one void maw attack. It can also choose to use its Noxious Vapors. : ***Noxious Vapors.*** The Leviathan overheats its body, vaporizing some of the ichor that covers its enormous figure, dealing 35 fire damage to itself and casting an enormous cloud of corrosive fog in a 40-foot-radius sphere centered on itself. When a creature enters the effect's area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, that creature must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw. The creature takes 5d8 acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. : The Leviathan can have more than one cloud active at a time, each dealing its damage separately. A cloud of Noxious Vapors lasts for 5 rounds of combat, or thirty seconds, before becoming too dispersed to be damaging. : ***Tentacle.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +19 to hit, reach 30 ft., one target. *Hit:* 24 (4d6 + 10) bludgeoning damage and 13 (2d12) acid damage. A creature hit by this attack must succeed on a DC 23 Strength saving throw or be grappled. A creature may attempt to escape the grapple by using its action to attempt a DC 20 Strength saving throw on their turn. Dealing 50 damage to a tentacle makes it drop whoever it had been carrying. The Leviathan can grapple up to three medium creatures (or one large creature) with a tentacle and possesses at least eight tentacles that can grapple (to the DM's discretion). : ***Void Maw.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +19 to hit, reach 20ft., up to three targets within 10 feet of each other. *Hit:* 23 (2d12 + 10) piercing damage and 13 (2d12) acid damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 23). If the Leviathan has other creatures grappled in this way when using this attack, they can attempt a DC 15 Dexterity (acrobatics) check to escape the grapple as the monster opens its mouth to bite again. }} {{watercolor1,top:-90px,left:-130px,width:500px,background-color:black,opacity:100%}} {{watercolor1,top:-90px,left:-130px,width:500px,background-color:black,opacity:100%}} {{watercolor2,top:400px,left:430px,width:700px,background-color:black,opacity:100%}} {{watercolor2,top:400px,left:430px,width:700px,background-color:black,opacity:100%}} {{watercolor2,top:-350px,left:-170px,width:1000px,background-color:black,opacity:100%,transform:rotate(15deg)}} {{watercolor2,top:-350px,left:-170px,width:1000px,background-color:black,opacity:100%,transform:rotate(15deg)}} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote Ruined Selem}} \page {{monster,frame,wide,position:relative,top:-40px ### Legendary Actions The Leviathan can take three legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The Leviathan regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. : ***Tentacle.*** The Leviathan makes one tentacle attack. : ***Death Lightning (Costs 2 Actions).*** The Leviathan summons three dark bolts of lightning and acid, each of which can strike a target the Leviathan can see within 120 feet of it. A target must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw, taking 17 (3d10) lightning damage and 17 (3d10) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. On a failed save, the target immediately fails a death saving throw. : This action cannot be used if the caustic storm is subdued, as described in the Leviathan's *Lair of Dead Sky* feature. : ***Gulp (Costs 2 Actions).*** The Leviathan attempts to gulp down all creatures it has grappled by means of its Void Maw attack. They must succeed on a DC 20 strength saving throw or be swallowed. While swallowed, creatures are blinded and restrained, and have total cover against attacks and other effects outside the Leviathan, and they take 35 (10d6) force damage at the start of each of the Leviathan’s turns. If the Leviathan takes 60 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, it must succeed on a DC 25 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 10 feet of the Leviathan. If the Leviathan dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse by using 30 feet of movement, exiting prone. : ***Eldritch Disruption (Costs 3 Actions).*** The Leviathan emits a powerful sound from its orifices, sending a wave of energy that deactivates all ongoing magical effects of 6th level or lower within 60 feet of itself. : ### Leviathan Variant A Leviathan is a unique creature. Each is created with a singular form and a particular adaptation called a Leviathan Variant. The following are some possible mutations a Leviathan could possess that make it distinct from other world-ending threats. : #### The Bane *"When the thing started marching towards Selem, even the most hopeful of stormwalkers knew they were defeated. Some even dropped dead before the creature had reached the damn walls."* : *Trait: Incarnation of the Great Beyond.* The area affected by the Leviathan's *Caustic Storm* ability is increased to 10 miles. In addition, creatures within 120 feet of the Levithan suffer 10 (1d8 + 5) psychic damage even if they are not directly exposed to the storm. : *Action: Frightful Presence.* The Leviathan's form is so terrible it frightens even the firmest of defenders. Each creature of the Leviathan’s choice within 120 feet of it and aware of it must succeed on a DC 23 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, with disadvantage if the Leviathan is within line of sight, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the Leviathan’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours. : *Legendary Action: Drain Hope.* The Leviathan chooses a creature within 300 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be *stunned* until the end of their next turn. Creatures that fail this saving throw are *demoralized* for 1 minute. If already demoralized, the creature suffers 6d6 psychic damage. : #### The Stygian *"We were lost, without Alathai. I think only her could have faced Stygius. The Leviathan harbored within its terrible form the power to destroy the very skies."* : *Trait: Primordial Strength.* The Leviathan's Strength score increased to 32 (+11). In addition, creatures grappled by the Leviathan take 18 (3d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage at the start of each of their turns. : *Action: Atomic Breath (Recharge 5-6).* The Leviathan takes an action to charge this attack. It may act using its other features and abilities while charging, but can't move. At the start of its next turn, it automatically spends its action to spew a laser of concentrated force energy forming a line 1000 feet long and 35 feet wide. Each creature in the line must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 25d6 lightning damage and 25d6 force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. This breath attack disintegrates any creature or object in the area that it reduces to 0 hit points. : *Legendary Action: Move.* The Leviathan moves up to half its speed. : #### The Seraph *"Deep within the marsh, ancient writings in long abandoned ruins tell of a doom yet to come. A creature bound to the skies, destined to devour the sun and plunge the world in eternal darkness."* : *Trait: Flying Doom.* The Leviathan gains a flying speed of 80 feet. Its *tentacle* attacks now have a reach of 120 feet. : *Action: Rain of Ichor.* The Leviathan produces a rain of concentrated ichor directly beneath itself in a 60-foot-radius sphere. Each creature within the area must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 10d6 acid damage and 10d6 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that fails this saving throw must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or be afflicted by the *Black Touch* sickness. Creatures that find cover from the rain are not affected by this attack. : *Legendary Action: Profound Darkness.* The Leviathan generates a cloud of magical darkness in a point within 120 feet that fills a 30-foot-radius sphere. The darkness spreads around corners. A creature with darkvision can’t see through this darkness, and nonmagical light can’t illuminate it. The cloud lasts for an hour. The Leviathan can have up to ten clouds of darkness active at a time. The clouds are dispelled if they are ever further than 300 feet of the leviathan. ___ **DM's Note:** *You are welcomed to create your own Leviathan Variant! Try to think of an Action, a Trait, and a Legendary Action. This creature is meant to be the final boss of a campaign! Don't limit yourself by the pitiful precedent of the other CR 30 monster we all know. Keep in mind you can always just use the regular stat sheet, without a Variant, if you think the creature is too powerful.* : }} {{watercolor1,top:-90px,left:490px,width:500px,background-color:black,opacity:100%,transform:scalex(-1)}} {{watercolor1,top:-90px,left:490px,width:500px,background-color:black,opacity:100%,transform:scalex(-1)}} {{watercolor6,top:400px,left:-430px,width:700px,background-color:black,opacity:100%)}} {{watercolor6,top:400px,left:-430px,width:700px,background-color:black,opacity:100%}} {{watercolor6,top:-350px,left:-100px,width:1000px,background-color:black,opacity:100%,transform:rotate(-15deg)}} {{watercolor6,top:-350px,left:-100px,width:1000px,background-color:black,opacity:100%,transform:rotate(-15deg)}} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote Ruined Selem}} \page {{imageMaskEdge,--offset:-0%,--rotation:180 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/0a854767-9a63-4034-8704-2b2f8b0bcb16/0_1.webp){height:117%,position:relative,left:0px,top:-0px} }} ![iron Davyr](https://imgur.com/FH7KRFF.png) {position:absolute,top:40px,right:255px,width:680px} {{imageMaskCorner24,--offsetX:60%,--offsetY:-50%,--rotation:0 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/0a854767-9a63-4034-8704-2b2f8b0bcb16/0_1.webp){height:117%,position:relative,left:0px,top:-0px} }} \column {{classTable,frame,decoration,,text-align:center,position:relatvie,top:40px ## Finally... Oh, my most diligent associates, you are here! Well, damn the surprise. I found it! I found a way for impulse, or more precisely, its hit of Eminent Energy, to be with me forever. You see, biological bodies are not made to bear its power, so they fail, sooner or later. The power of true order... is for machines. So I became one. Sparks and the Lex-I arm all led me to this. : The imbecile Shatterers might think they can embody the order of their Dead God, but they can't. Sophisticated as their minds might be, they are not machines. They are not like Sparks. They are not like me. Gyreon, I am sure, was also a construct. : Ugh, it grinds against my teeth, that word. Constructs? Like we need to be made, fabricated? By lesser beings? Please. The universe is mathematical equation and arcane calculus, no more. Its creator was a machine. You, of flesh and bone, are the constructs. : I built this perfect body myself, and soon will do what Gyreon himself was forbidden from doing by the Enemy: shape the universe with biomechanical and arcane perfection. All will be assimilated, and when Eternity returns... we'll be ready. Imagine if all the Gods had been as strong as Gyreon... another tale, assuredly. : I don't know if the shark empress knew all of this, but... do you feel it? The power of change in the core of this moon? The essence of a Change of Age, present in these ancient stones? With the empress' ritual finally completed, I'll be ready to prepare this galaxy for the invasion of the Enemy. Chaos will not have its way. : What? You... don't want to change? No, no. You don't understand. This is the ultimate hit. You have no idea what eminent energy feels like, it's... it's made me who I'm meant to be. The man I knew I could become. You can be that too! I promise, the feeling of impulse... every second of every hour. You'll be limitless. : Still no? Pity. I had not expected to crush my first *defectives* quite so early. }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote The Fated Day: Davyr's Transformation}} \page {{monster,frame,wide,position:relative,top:55px ## Novamorph Davyr *Medium construct, neutral evil* ___ **Armor Class** :: 25 (living metal) **Hit Points** :: 560 (66d8 + 260) **Speed** :: 60 ft., fly 120 ft. ___ | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:| |22 (+6)|30 (+10)|18 (+4)|28 (+9)|14 (+2)|19 (+4)| ___ **Saving Throws** :: Str +15, Dex +19, Int +18 **Damage Vulnerabilities** :: psychic (if below 4 Eminent Wisps) **Damage Resistances** :: lightning, fire **Damage Immunities** :: poison; bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical weapons **Condition Immunities** :: charmed, frightened, unconscious, poisoned **Senses** :: truesight 90ft. **Languages** :: Gyreon, telepathy 240 feet **Challenge** :: 30 (155,000 XP) ___ ***Legendary Resistance (3/day).*** When Davyr fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. : ***Matrix Mind.*** Davyr's mind, bound to a construct of living metal, is still very much alive and constantly computing. He cannot be charmed, frightened, or put to sleep by magical means. Additionally, any attempt to read his thoughts or emotions, or to communicate with him telepathically, causes the creature attempting such a connection to take 21 (6d6) psychic damage. : ***Eminent Metal.*** Davyr's body is imbued with ten Eminent Wisps, which he has collected over the course of his tenure as Keep Maester and impulse dealer. They travel his form slowly, gleaming as they travel through the living metal. Depending on how many Wisps remain with him, he gains the following traits: : *10 Wisps:* The Living Metal's already impressive self-repairing qualities are boosted. Davyr regains 25 hitpoints at the start of each of his turns. : *7 Wisps:* The inherently arcane properties of Eminent Energy shield Davyr from magical assault. Spells of 5th level or lower that target him are automatically dispelled upon contact, and he has advantage on rolls to resist other spells and magical effects. : *5 Wisps:* The Eminent Energy forms a mighty ward across Davyr's body, making him immune to nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage. : *3 Wisps:* The Eminent Energy grants Davyr *truesight* out to a range of 90 feet. Being below four Wisps has negative effects on Davyr's mind, giving him vulnerability to psychic damage. : *1 Wisp:* One Wisp is barely enough to sustain Davyr's eminence-dependent construct form. His flying speed is slashed in half, and he cannot perform attacks that require *recharge*. If he loses his last Wisp, Davyr gains one point of exhaustion per round until he dies. : ***Limitless Caster.*** Davyr can cast the following spells requiring no material components. His spellcasting ability for them is Intelligence (spell save DC 26, +18 to hit with spell attacks). : *At will:* Starfire, Dimension Door, Fabricate, Resilient Sphere : *3/day each:* Cosmic Singularity, Disintegrate, Reverse Gravity, Counterspell : *1/day each:* Nebula, Meteor Swarm : *Consumes Three Wisps:* Wish : ***Eminent Forbiddance.*** At the start of each of his turns, Davyr can choose one school of magic to forbid. Creatures within 120 feet of him (including himself) must succeed on a DC 25 spellcasting ability when they attempt to cast a spell of that school. On a failure, the spell fails and the slot and action it was casted with are wasted. : Experienced casters can feel the forbiddance take effect when it is cast. ### Actions ***Multiattack*** Davyr makes three attacks with his *Unendurable Grasp* or *Wrist Flare*. Alternatively, he can make one attaack and use his *Double Eye Beam*, if available. : ***Unendurable Grasp.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +15 to hit, reach 5ft., one large or smaller target. *Hit* 17 (3d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage and 11 (2d10) force damage, and the target is *grappled* (escape DC 23). Davyr can have only one creature grappled in this way. : ***Wrist Flare.*** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +19 to hit, range 240/480ft., one target. *Hit* 21 (2d10 + 10) fire damage and 11 (2d10) force damage. : ***Double Eye Beam (recharge 4-6).*** Davyr fires dual beams of force in a 60 foot long, 10 foot wide line in front of him. Creatures within that area must make a DC 26 Dexterity saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) fire damage, 21 (6d6) radiant damage and 21 (6d6) force damage and on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. : ***Transmogrify Item (Costs One Wisp).*** Davyr targets one magical item he can see within 30 feet of him, turning it into a nonmagical rubber version of itself. If a creature is attuned to the item, they can attempt a DC 26 Charisma saving throw to resist this effect. The transformation lasts for one minute. }} {{imageMaskEdge4,--offset:12%,--rotation:180 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/0a854767-9a63-4034-8704-2b2f8b0bcb16/0_1.png){height:116%,position:relative,left:px,top:-0px} }} {{imageMaskEdge4,--offset:12%,--rotation:0 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/0a854767-9a63-4034-8704-2b2f8b0bcb16/0_1.png){height:116%,position:relative,left:px,top:-0px} }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote The Fated Day: Novamorph Davyr}} \page {{watercolor6,top:20px,left:-100px,width:800px,background-color:purple,opacity:50%}} {{monster,frame,position:relative,top:-35px ### Bonus Actions ***Fast Arcana.*** Davyr casts a spell of 7th level or lower from his *Limitless Spellcaster* list. : ***Commanding Eminence.*** Davyr casts the *Suggestion* spell (spell save DC 27), targeting a creature within his telepathic range of 240 feet. He can spend one Eminent Wisp to cast *Dominate Monster* instead. ### Reactions ***Undying Eminence (Costs Two Wisps).*** If Davyr reaches 0 hitpoints, he can immediately use his reaction to spend two Eminent Wisps to regain 150 hitpoints instead of dying. ### Legendary Actions *Novamorph Davyr can take three legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. He regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.* : ***Construct's Onslaught.*** Davyr makes a *Wrist Flare* or *Unendurable Grasp* attack. : ***Irradiate.*** A pulse of purple radiation beams out of Davyr's electromechanical body. Creatures within 30 feet of him must make a DC 25 Constitution saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) radiant damage and becoming *poisoned* for one minute on a failed save. On a successful save, they take only half damage and aren't poisoned. : ***Dashthrough.*** Davyr sprints at supersonic speeds in a 30 feet line in a direction of his choosing. Creatures in that path must succeed a DC 27 Dexterity saving throw to move out of the way or take 28 (5d10) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. : ***Limitless Arcana (Costs 2 Actions).*** Davyr casts a spell from his *Limitless Spellcaster* list. : ***Eminence Shock (Costs 2 Actions) (Costs One Wisp).*** Davyr targets a creature it has grappled with a powerful surge of Eminent Energy. The target must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or take 100 force damage, as the rippling energy undoes their molecular binds. : ***Time Shatter (Costs 3 Actions) (Costs One Wisp).*** Davyr shatters the flow of time to erase the effects of one action performed in his presence in the past round. For example, he can recover the hitpoints from an attack that hit him, or prevent a magic item from being activated. Reality reshapes itself to accommodate the change. }} {{note,position:relative,top:735px,right:353px ##### A Note About Davyr, From the Creators... You might have noticed that Davyr can cast the *Wish* spell in exchange for three Eminent Wisps. We're here to recommend *moderation* in the use of that ability: since Wish has so much DM discretion, it can feel unfair to your players if you allow Davyr to use it in a very powerful way. : We recommend using Davyr's *Wish* to replicate a spell, or to perform actions of similar power to some of his most powerful abilities. Every table is different, however. If you're all okay with wishing the party's *Armor of Invulnerability* away, it can be cool. Davyr likes to toy with reality like that. But this is a team game, and everyone's fun should come first! }} {{imageMaskEdge4,--offset:6%,--rotation:270 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/7c3b23a6-9aff-4e26-bda5-47cbaa1cfc4e/0_0.png){height:117%,right:-70px,top:-180px} }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote The Fated Day: Novamorph Davyr}} \page {{insideCover}} {{imageMaskEdge1,--offset:-16%,--rotation:180 ![](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-d5F2RNV/0/X4/i-d5F2RNV-X4.jpg){height:140%,top:-200px,LEFT:-50PX,TRANSFORM:SCALEX(-1)} }} {{position:relative,wide,text-align:center,top:700px ## TO END RAGNARÖK : ***"Careful, comrades. We have made it this far, but nothing guarantees our victory. See, the darkfowls are watching us. They are the eyes and ears of Odin. He is expecting our arrival. Remember, we are the hunters, not the hunted. Let us end this sorrowful tale."*** : Stormwalker Geld leads the way into the Palace of Gold. What was once a mighty castle is now nothing more than a forsaken ruin. The ground is tainted by the ichorous corruption, a constant outpour of black liquid flowing from the center of the palace. To find Odin, one must simply follow the ink. : Ravens litter the many nooks and crannies of the old castle. A legion of black wings and opaque feathers. They watch, intently, as you march to your doom. Odin's chamber is not far within the derelict bastion. You find it soon enough; an enormous round hall, where feasts and banquets were once held, now a blackened tomb, at the center of which, on a tall stone throne, sits an old man, accompanied only by two ravens, two wolves, and silence. His voice reaches you as soon as you step into the room. One lowly inquiry, before all hell breaks loose. }} {{pageNumber,auto}} \page {{insideCover}} {{imageMaskCenter,--offsetX:0%,--offsetY:0%,--rotation:0 ![](https://imgur.com/gGGUvzu.png){height:200%} }} {{imageMaskEdge,--offset:0%,--rotation:0 ![](https://imgur.com/JqnowM1.png){height:90%,top:50px,left:64px} }} {{color,position:relative,top:315px,left:-130px,width:200px ## ARE : ## YOU : ## HERE }} {{color,position:relative,top:305px,left:185px,width:200px ## TO : ## KILL : ## ME? }} {{pageNumber,auto}} \page {{imageMaskCenter,--offsetX:0%,--offsetY:0%,--rotation:0 ![](https://imgur.com/GQCakFE.png){height:113%,top:0,left:-20px} }} {{monster,frame,wide,position:relative,top:-35px ## The Inkfather *Medium Celestial, chaotic neutral* ___ **Armor Class** :: 20 (natural armor) **Hit Points** :: 625 (50d8 + 400) **Speed** :: 0 ft. ___ | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:| |5 (-3)|9 (-1)|26 (+8)|5 (-3)|30 (+10)|30 (+10)| ___ **Saving Throws** :: Con +18, Wis +20, Cha +20 **Damage Immunities** :: necrotic, poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks **Condition Immunities** :: blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned **Senses** :: truesight 240 ft., passive Perception 24 **Languages** :: All **Challenge** :: 30 (155,000 XP) ___ ***Legendary Resistance (3/day).*** If the Inkfather fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead. : ***Greater Magic Immunity.*** The Inkfather can't be affected or detected by spells 7th level or lower unless he wishes to be. He has advantage on saving throws against other spells and magical effects. : ***Shadow of a God.*** The Inkfather was once the mighty Odin, God of War and Death, Allfather to the Aesir pantheon. The ichorous corruption, however, has left him a shadow of his former self. His physical scores have deteriorated and his mind has been addled by the maddening curse ever since he was first bound to the throne. He is, however, the host of ink, and all the nightmares that haunt Midgard are his doing. In the event of his death, all creatures that have been spawned by him will slowly melt away and dissipate over the course of 1d4 days. : Though he is not in his best shape, Odin is still a God of old, veteran of Ragnarök, and first to act against the Enemy. He has a proficiency bonus of +10 and truesight out to 240 ft. : ***Thread of War.*** Odin carries a shard of the Thread of War. In the event of his death, it will gently float above his corpse, ready for another to claim. A creature that attempts to claim it must succeed on a DC 20 Charisma saving throw or take 110 (20d10) force damage. Then, they must convince the Thread of War to attune to them, and vow to protect it from those who wish to destroy it. A creature that claims a Thread of Divinity becomes an ascended being of CR 26 or higher. : ***Bound to the Throne.*** The Inkfather cannot move, as he is chained to the throne, forced to endure his madness for eternity. The throne itself is what protects him from harm. He is immune to all conditions that would displace or restrain him in any way. In addition, the Inkfather uses the Throne's hit points and Constitution score. : ***Ink Domain.*** The Inkfather can use most of his abilities in a 120-foot radius sphere centered on himself, which coincides with the chamber he is bound to. Within this area, creatures of the Inkfather's choice take 13 (3d8) unmitigable necrotic damage at the start of their turns, unless they are immune to the black touch sickness. : ***Geri and Freki.*** The Inkfather does his bidding through his animal familiars. Geri and Freki, his two loyal wolves, are large creatures of ink that share the Inkfather's statistics, except they have an AC of 18, a Dexterity score of 22, and 78 hit points. If they are killed, Odin cannot use their abilities until they reform. If not summoned back, they respawn at the Inkfather's side after a minute. : ***Huginn and Muninn.*** The Inkfather does his bidding through his animal familiars. Huginn and Muninn, his two watchful ravens, are tiny creatures of ink that share the Inkfather's statistics, except they have an AC of 22, a Dexterity score of 22, and 28 hit points. If they are killed, Odin cannot use their abilities until they reform. If not summoned back, they respawn at the Inkfather's side after a minute. : ***Innate Spellcasting.*** The Inkfather’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 28, +20 to hit with spell attacks). He can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: *At will:* scrying, clairvoyance, counterspell *3/day each:* dominate person, wall of force, harm (with a range of 120 ft.) *1/day each:* power word: stun, power word: kill, time stop ### Actions ***Multiattack.*** The Inkfather uses the throne's maddening presence. He then commands Geri and Freki. He can also use his Mournful Wail, if available. : ***Maddening Presence.*** Each creature of the Inkfather's choice that is within the Ink Domain must succeed on a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw or gain a random effect from the short-term madness table (5e SRD). A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the Inkfather's Maddening Presence for the next 24 hours. : ***Geri.*** Geri teleports to an unoccupied place within the Ink Domain and makes three attacks: two with its claws and one with its bite. : ***Claw.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* + 16 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage plus 11 (3d6) necrotic damage. : ***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* + 16 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 13 (2d6 + 6) piercing damage plus 22 (6d6) necrotic damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 24 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. : ***Freki.*** Freki teleports to an unoccupied place within the Ink Domain, uses his *Mending Howl*, and casts one of the following spells: *haste*, *lightning bolt*, *blight*, *hypnotic pattern* or *sleet storm*. : ***Mending Howl.*** Freki lets out a mending Howl. Freki and the Inkfather recover 27 (6d8) hit points. : ***Paint Familiar.*** The Inkfather remakes one of his wolves or both his ravens. The ink creature spawns in an unoccupied space within the Ink Domain. : ***Mournful Wail (recharge 5-6).*** The Inkfather cries out in pain. His sorrow is unbearable. All creatures within the Ink Domain that can hear him must succeed on a DC 28 Constitution saving throw or take 35 (10d6) psychic damage. Every time the Inkfather uses this ability before finishing a long rest, its next mournful wail deals an additional 18 (5d6) psychic damage. }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote To End Ragnarök}} \page {{imageMaskEdge,--offset:0%,--rotation:0 ![](https://imgur.com/PGLRlM0.png){height:120%,top:-210px,left:} }} {{imageMaskEdge1,--offset:0%,--rotation:0 ![](https://imgur.com/PGLRlM0.png){height:120%,bottom:-280px,transform:scale(-1),left:-50px} }} {{imageMaskCorner17,--offsetX:-75%,--offsetY:-0%,--rotation:090 ![](https://imgur.com/PGLRlM0.png){height:120%,bottom:-100px,transform:rotate(268deg),left:-140px} }} {{imageMaskCorner18,--offsetX:80%,--offsetY:-0%,--rotation:270 ![](https://imgur.com/PGLRlM0.png){height:120%,bottom:-180px,transform:rotate(90deg),left:60px} }} {{monster,frame,wide,top:310px,width:630px,left:20px ### Legendary Actions The Inkfather can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The Inkfather regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn. : ***Huginn.*** Huginn flies 60 feet and uses either its *neurotoxic beak* or its *metamorphosis*. : ***Neurotoxic Beak*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* + 16 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 13 (2d6 + 6) piercing damage plus 22 (6d6) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 24 Constitution saving throw or be incapacitated until the end of its next turn. : ***Metamorphosis.*** Huginn transforms into an Ink-forged or aberration of CR 5 or lower. This transformation is permanent, and Huginn must be summoned once more by the Inkfather. : ***Muninn.*** Huginn flies 60 feet and uses either its *necrotic bolt* or its *end magic*. : ***Necrotic Bolt.*** *Ranged Spell Attack:* +20 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. *Hit:* 27 (6d8) necrotic damage. : ***End Magic.*** Huginn ends an ongoing magical effect of 5th level or lower it can see within 60 feet. It can choose to end a creature's concentration on a spell instead. A creature targeted in this way must succeed on a DC 24 Constitution saving throw or lose concentration. : ***Command Wolf (Costs 2 Actions).*** The Inkfather commands one of his wolves to act. : ***Mark of the Inkfather (Costs 2 Actions).*** A creature within the Ink Domain that the Inkfather can see must succeed on a DC 28 Charisma saving throw or become vulnerable to necrotic damage until the start of the Inkfather's next turn. : ***Paint Familiar (Costs 3 Actions).*** The Inkfather uses his *Paint Familiar* action. : ***Paint Greater Ink-forged (Costs 3 Actions).*** The Inkfather spawns an Ink-forged of CR 11 or lower in an unoccupied space within the Ink Domain. : ***Create Nightmare (Costs 3 Actions) (1/day)*** The Inkfather's throne manifests the power of madness and calls upon a creature from nightmares. A *Faceless Angel* appears in an unoccupied space within the Ink Domain. }} \page {{insideCover}} {{imageMaskEdge,--offset:0%,--rotation:0 ![](https://imgur.com/QiWrWYy.png){height:117%,top:-50px,left:-1px} }} {{position:relative,left:-230px,width:200px,top:0px,quote As the Allfather's tormented mind is put to rest, his missing eye starts to bleed profusely. The ichorous corruption slowly turns red, and the many creatures beyond the Palace of Gold are alerted to the outcome of your battle. : You have succeeded. Now, however, a legion of angels is about to descend upon you, for the crime of killing a God. More than that, you and your allies are deep within the Asgardian stronghold, exhausted, and without a clear way to escape. : At that exact moment, a shape wearing yellow manifests at the corner of the hall. It's... Him. }} {{pageNumber,auto}} \page {{insideCover}} {{imageMaskCenter,--offsetX:0%,--offsetY:0%,--rotation:0 ![](https://imgur.com/gGGUvzu.png){height:200%} }} {{imageMaskEdge,--offset:0%,--rotation:0 ![](https://imgur.com/Lrq4sDX.jpg){height:115%,top:-40px,left:-240px} }} {{quote,width:300px,position:relative,top:360px,left:150px "You did it, it seems. Oh, what a nuisance. Well, things happen. A setback... I guess. What will I do with you, huh? I cannot kill you lot, I sent you on this quest in the first place. Oh, buggers. I hate rules. : Well. Maybe destiny has put you on this path for a reason. Maybe this was meant to be. And what can we do... but follow the crumbs? Eternity will return, after all, and we will have to work together. : Perhaps, you are the army I've been looking for all along. Let's get you out of here, shall we? I wouldn't want my heroes to end up skewered by divine arrows. : You are destined for great things, it seems. All of you. I will make sure your futures are as bright as they are tragic. Such is the way of Madness." : {{attribution He Who Wears Yellow}} }} {{pageNumber,auto}} \page {{imageMaskEdge,--offset:-0%,--rotation:180 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/adf933d7-798f-4afb-8160-56dc11541421/0_1.png){height:120%,position:relative,left:0px,top:-90px,left:-20px} }} \column {{classTable,frame,wide,decoration,,text-align:center,position:relatvie,top:640px ## Finally. I've Been Waiting. : For such fabled heroes, you did take your time. You extend a challenge? To your Emperor? Daring. Reckless, even. I would expect nothing less from the Ferryman's chosen. He always had a good eye for those destined for greatness. This battle has been written in the stars from the moment I was chosen. Those that would come to defeat me. Those worthy of Pride. The Leung did say... if I chose Adras, my fate would be sealed. : Good. Let fate itself conspire against me. : Pride is a particular sin. It fills you with purpose, beyond any other. Spite... oh how strong can it burn. It can inspire against overwhelming odds. The profound satisfaction to stand against all. It's what brought you this far. While those dogged dragons tremble in their cages, you walk the golden stairway and face the greatest conqueror this world has ever seen. You feel it too, don't you? : Pride... such a pure feeling. Let's see if Adras truly made the right choice. Let's see if I can vanquish fate, this time. For if I can defeat those my truest friend brought to fell me... Then I would have been right... All Along. }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote To Restore the Narak: Finale}} \page {{monster,frame,wide,position:relative,top:-35px ## Pride *Large yokai, lawful evil* ___ **Armor Class** :: 25 (natural armor) **Hit Points** :: 625 (50d10 + 350) **Speed** :: 60 ft., fly 120 ft. ___ | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:| |30 (+10)|20 (+5)|24 (+7)|18 (+4)|20 (+5)|30 (+10)| ___ **Saving Throws** :: Str +19, Dex +14, Cha +19 **Damage Resistances** :: bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't silvered **Damage Immunities** :: necrotic, poison **Condition Immunities** :: charmed, frightened, exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained **Senses** :: truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 24 **Languages** :: All **Challenge** :: 30 (155,000 XP) ___ ***Legendary Resistance (5/day).*** When Pride fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead. : ***Yokai Scent.*** Within a mile, the Yokai can follow the trace of a creature it has learned the scent of. It also detects the presence of other Yokai. : ***Ethereal Creature.*** Pride can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object. In addition, Pride can cast *Greater Invisibility* on itself at will and his attacks are considered to be magical. : ***Limited Magic Immunity.*** Pride can't be affected by spells of 6th level or lower unless it wishes to be. It has advantage on saving throws against all other spells and magical effects. : ***Armor of Spite.*** Pride becomes immune to the last type of elemental damage (fire, cold, acid, lightning, thunder) that he took. This immunity changes every time he takes a different type of damage. : In addition, Pride cannot take more than 100 points of damage in a single turn. Any damage above this limit is nulled as the Emperor's armor shines with a golden light until the start of his next turn. : ***A Will Beyond Fate.*** Pride has chosen an impossible path and prevailed. His will has become so powerful it bends reality. He can use his bonus action to utter one of the following commands. A creature cannot be affected by more than one command per round of combat. *Attack:* A single creature of Pride's choice that can hear him within 90 feet immediately uses its reaction to take an attack of opportunity against a creature of Pride's choice within range. *Kneel:* A single creature of Pride's choice that can hear him within 120 feet must stop dead in their tracks and fall prone. Their speed becomes 0 and they cannot move of their own volition until the end of their next turn. *Break:* A Large or smaller non-magical object within 30 feet of Pride breaks irreparably. A sword is cut in half, an armor falls apart, a shield turns to splinters. *Fall:* A single large or smaller creature of Pride's choice is flung 60 feet in a direction of Pride's choosing. *Suffer:* A single creature of Pride's choice that can hear him within 30 feet suffers 5d10 force damage. : ***Innate Spellcasting.*** Pride’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 27). He can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: : *3/day each:* plane shift, dominate monster, heal, teleport, echo of leung : *1/day each:* time stop, power word: stun, power word: kill, reflective scales ### Actions ***Multiattack*** Pride makes three attacks with his *Unarmed Strikes*. Alternatively, he can make one attack and use his *Degrade Power* ability, if available. : ***Unarmed Strike.*** Melee Weapon Attack: +19 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 24 (4d6 + 10) bludgeoning damage plus 17 (5d6) necrotic damage and 17 (5d6) radiant damage. : Pride can choose to give each of his unarmed strikes an additional effect, choosing from the options below: : *Knock.* A creature hit by this attack must make a DC 27 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. : *Push.* A creature hit by this attack must make a DC 27 Strength saving throw or be pushed 30 feet back. : *Grapple.* A creature hit by this attack must make a DC 27 Dexterity saving throw or be grappled (escape DC 27). : ***Degrade Power (Recharge 5-6).*** Pride points to a creature within 60 feet and degrades them. A creature must succeed on a DC 27 Charisma saving throw or lose all class features gained in the last three levels. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. ### Legendary Actions Pride can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Pride regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn. : ***Strike.*** Pride makes an Unarmed Strike. : ***Command.*** Pride uses a command from *A Will Beyond Fate.* : ***Apparate (Costs 2 Actions).*** Pride teleports to an unoccupied space he can see within 120 feet. : ***Degrade Power (Costs 2 Actions).*** Pride uses his *Degrade Power* action. : ***Thread of Dominion (Costs 3 Actions).*** Pride shapes reality itself, gaining power over 1-cubic mile of inanimate material around him. With it, he can do as he pleases; he can create castles from rubble, turn water into lava, tear down a city. With this ability, he can cause the following spells to occur naturally: Meteor Swarm, Earthquake, Control Weather, Tsunami. Any save provoked by this ability has a DC of 20. : Most things this ability is able to do will take more than a single round to complete. A castle cannot be erected in six seconds! As such, if Pride is creating an original effect, he must concentrate on this ability and cannot take other actions. }} {{imageMaskEdge4,--offset:12%,--rotation:180 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/adf933d7-798f-4afb-8160-56dc11541421/0_3.png){height:117%,position:relative,left:px,top:-520px} }} {{imageMaskEdg4,--offset:12%,--rotation:0 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/adf933d7-798f-4afb-8160-56dc11541421/0_3.png){height:117%,position:relative,left:px,top:0px,transform:scale)} }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote To Restore the Narak: Finale}} \page {{position:relative,text-align:center,left:165px,top:-35px,width:340px ## The Ambassador's Treachery : *A deadly encounter to pit your players against the mightiest (former?) mortal in the universe, and close the conspiracy plot line on a high, tense note.* : You push open the heavy enchanted gates, granted the authority to do so through a blessing of Threadmaster Fallow himself. The view at the very cusp of the Central Spire is like something out of a song, vast and astral and beautiful beyond what only words can describe. In contrast to the purity of the cosmos, a sharp shriek comes from a figure dressed in purple sorceress robes, as Luthael Starbeard takes two steps back from her, watching with expectant viciousness. A knife of pure black and crimson crystal juts from Ariadne's back. : With another scream, she lunges forward against the treacherous ambassador, her muscles spasming as they rebel against her--but Luthael avoids her with a quick backstep. She tries again, and again, and once more, with each attempt getting weaker than the last, until she falls to one knee. Eyes closed, Ariadne's body spams as though she were naked in the snow... : Until all shaking stops, and she reopens her eyes, casting her gaze straight at you. Those are not the purple eyes of curiosity staring into your soul. Those two amethysts hold impossible darkness within--the darkness that will topple the City of Strings, Fallow's Hold, and the universe entire, in due time, unless you put an end to this conspiracy, right here, right now. : Luthael doesn't stay to face you, simply giving you a smirk before plane shifting away from the terrible battle about to unfold. *Coward*. : {{note,descriptive #### Premise : While the players collaborated with Guilliam Fallow to unravel the source of the growingly threatening conspiracy against the Order of Strings, Luthael Starbeard was hard at work executing the downfall of the most successful Regent of the City of Strings in history, shaking the threads of fate in the process. : The players barge in only moments after Luthael has driven a fresh-forged Black Fate Armament into Ariadne's back, crafted using the blood of the Princess of the End Times he'd supposedly defeated some years ago, and endowed with its aberrant sentience. In other words, a weapon made specifically to corrupt Ariadne, and bring about the end of the City of Strings. But the players' quick unraveling of the conspiracy, as well as the Dusk-Eyed Regent's indomitable spirit and unparalleled power, have given fate a chance at salvation. The stakes have never been higher; failure here means the death of Fallow, and likely that of many other Threadmasters, too. An irreparable blow to the forces that resist Eternity in the present age. }} : }} {{imageMaskEdge4,--offset:22%,--rotation:270 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/bef49e53-5246-4a02-9943-6c1759c42720/0_3.png){height:116%,} }} {{imageMaskEdge4,--offset:22%,--rotation:90 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/bef49e53-5246-4a02-9943-6c1759c42720/0_3.png){height:116%,right:0} }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote The Order of Strings}} \page {{imageMaskEdge,--offset:0%,--rotation:90 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/701c02aa-bc1a-46fd-beb2-7e050567c4b3/0_1.png){height:135%,left:-80px,top:-270px} }} {{classTable,frame,wide,decoration,,text-align:center,position:relatvie,top:620px ## Oh! Dearest... Threadseeker : I cannot believe you took so long. You wound me! Rakes. All of you! : Don't you understand? We are in the cusp of greatness! I could barely see it, without our dear Luthael's help, but now... Oh, how could I have been so blind! The Shadow, that primordial darkness -- it awaits us with open arms! The Gods made a terrible mistake -- no, we did a terrible mistake! We should have given ourselves to it a long time ago. It yearns... it yearns for us! And we reject it? These Threads of Divinity... they have brought nothing but pain, a reminder of those that failed before. We were never meant for such power. I can see that now. I am sorry, dear Threadseeker. I know you cannot see it. No one can. Not even Luthael. : It takes Divinity to recognize true purpose. And finally, after all these years, I see. The Threads I possess... I have burdened myself long enough. It is time. Eternity awaits, dearest! We shall dance to the tune of dark stars, and drink from purple cups, and smile, and laugh, and die in peace! : I... can save you. I can save you all! My Order of Strings... You shan't suffer much longer! : }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote The Order of Strings}} \page {{imageMaskEdge2,--offset:0%,--rotation:90 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/3ff5b166-c4f6-4463-b079-f6c93409220c/0_1.png){height:100%,left:-140px} }} {{note,frame,position:relative,top:510px,width:350px,left:-15px,text-align:center,background-color:pink ##### Ariadne Stringweaver, the most powerful wizard in existence (and playing her as a big bad evil gal) : Ariadne has fallen for Luthael's trap! The black blood has taken hold of her impervious mind, turning her into a servant of the Enemy. She must be saved, or the entire City of Strings might fall. : ***Running out of Time.*** Luthael's plan is for the Shadow of Ariadne to transport the City of Strings to the void beyond the stars. If the party doesn't manage to defeat the Shadow before a minute is passed, she will have completed her ritual, dooming the entire City of Strings. : ***Uncorrupted Ariadne.*** You can use this stat sheet as an uncorrupted version of Ariadne by removing the features pertaining to her shadow. The features *Eternity's Curse* and *Shadow Form* are tailored to this particular encounter, and are a way to make the fight against Ariadne have a definitive end to it. : ***DM's note.*** Roleplaying Ariadne in her cursed state can be bittersweet! She might have already appeared before as a mentor, which makes the fight that much sadder. Remember, your players don't know she can be saved! They might think she has to die for the sake of the City. You can even disregard the intended way in which to save Ariadne, if you are feeling particularly evil, and just have her fight until the end. Or perhaps, your players find another way to cleanse her of her corruption, before it is too late. : }} {{monster,frame,,position:relative,top:-60px,width:356px,left:20px, ## Shadow of Ariadne *Medium human, neutral evil* ___ **Armor Class** :: 25 (Master of Strings' Cloak) **Hit Points** :: 260 (40d8 + 80, 300 with Unbreakable Stance) **Speed** :: 30 ft., fly 80 ft. ___ | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:| |10 (-)|13 (+1)|15 (+2)|30 (+10)|30 (+10)|30 (+10)| ___ **Skills** :: Arcana +19, History +19, Insight +19, Perception +28 **Saving Throws** :: Int +19, Wis +19, Cha +19 **Damage Resistances** :: acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks **Damage Immunities** :: psychic (shadow form) **Senses** :: truesight 240 ft., passive Perception 19 **Languages** :: All **Challenge** :: 30+++ (155,000 XP) ___ ***Legendary Resistance (5/day).*** When Ariadne fails a saving throw, she can choose to succeed instead. : ***Eternity's Curse.*** Ariadne is not done fighting yet. At the start of each of Ariadne's turns, roll a d6. On a 6, Ariadne retakes control of her body. If the shadow starts its turn with 200 hit points or less, Ariadne retakes control of her body on a roll of 5-6. The Shadow of Ariadne can expend a legendary resistance to remain in control. If the Shadow of Ariadne starts its turn with 100 hit points or less and has used all its legendary resistances, Ariadne will purge the rest of Eternity's curse out of her system and regain control of her body. : ***Shadow Form.*** Ariadne is immune to psychic damage. Whenever she is subjected to psychic damage, she takes no damage and instead regains a number of hit points equal to the psychic damage dealt. Ariadne has some abilities only available to her as long as this feature remains active. If Ariadne is purged from *Eternity's Curse*, she loses this feature. : ***Arcane Exemplar.*** While above half her maximum hit points and not suffering from *exhaustion*, Ariadne does not expend spell slots when casting spells of 5th level or lower and can concentrate on two spells simultaneously. Additionally, Ariadne has a single 10th level spell slot. : ***Thread of Curiosity.*** Ariadne carries the Thread of Curiosity. In the event of her death, it will gently float above her corpse, ready for another to claim. A creature that attempts to claim it must succeed on a DC 20 Charisma saving throw or take 110 (20d10) force damage. Then, they must convince the Thread of Curiosity to attune to them, and vow to protect it from those who wish to destroy it. A creature that claims a Thread of Divinity becomes an ascended being of CR 26 or higher. : ***Ameth, the Dusk-Eyed.*** Ariadne's purple gaze of curiosity reveals all secrets to her. She can read the minds of all creatures in a 90-foot cone in front of her, anticipating their actions and foiling their plans. At the start of each of her turns, Ariadne decides which way the cone faces. A creature that is under her gaze has disadvantage on attack rolls against her, and Ariadne has advantage on attack rolls and saving throws provoked by creatures under her gaze. In addition, she can cast the *detect thoughts* spell at will as a bonus action. A creature under her gaze automatically fails the saving throw. : ***Magic Resistance.*** Ariadne has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. }} {{watercolor4,top:-1330px,left:-100px,width:2000px,background-color:purple,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(-80deg)}} {{watercolor4,top:-230px,left:-100px,width:2000px,background-color:purple,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(-80deg)}} {{watercolor4,top:-1330px,left:-100px,width:2000px,background-color:purple,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(-80deg)}} {{watercolor4,top:-230px,left:-100px,width:2000px,background-color:purple,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(-80deg)}} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote The Order of Strings}} \page {{imageMaskEdge,--offset:20%,--rotation:180 ![](https://cdn.midjourney.com/3ff5b166-c4f6-4463-b079-f6c93409220c/0_1.png){height:120%} }} {{monster,frame,wide,position:relative,top:-30px,left:-30px,width:745px ### Legendary Traits Ariadne is not accustomed to using her full power, for she rarely needs to. If Ariadne is reduced to 0 hit points, she is reduced to 1 hit point instead and immediately casts *Ariadne's Unbreakable Stance* if possible. The following traits take effect. Ariadne can choose to activate some or all her legendary traits without the need to be reduced to 1 hit point, if she believes the fight requires her best effort. None of these Legendary Traits are active while she is affected by ***Eternity's Curse***. : ***Limited Magic Immunity.*** Ariadne can’t be affected or detected by spells of 6th level or lower unless she wishes to be. She has advantage on saving throws against other spells and magical effects. : ***Reactive.*** Ariadne can take an additional reaction per round. : ***Wielder of Curiosity.*** Ariadne is attuned to the Thread of Curiosity and embodies its values. Her allies within 30 feet of her automatically succeed any Wisdom saving throw (including herself). : ***Wielder of Destiny.*** Ariadne hides a powerful secret: the Thread of Destiny, a curse, more than a blessing, given to her by the Oracle. She gains additional abilities. ### Spellcasting *Ariadne is a 20th-level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 27, +19 to hit with spell attacks). Ariadne can cast scrying at will and has the following spells prepared:* : *Cantrips (at will):* fire bolt, guidance, minor illusion, mending, thaumaturgy : *1st level (4 slots):* color spray, faerie fire, hideous laughter, magic missile, thunderwave, unseen servant : *2nd level (4 slots):* blur, ariadne's fake, darkness, invisibility, scorching ray, suggestion : *3rd level (3 slots):* counterspell, haste, hypnotic pattern, lightning bolt, sending : *4th level (3 slots):* arcane eye, confusion, polymorph, wall of fire : *5th level (3 slots):* legend lore, modify memory, wall of force : *6th level (3 slot):* chain lightning, globe of invulnerability, irresistible dance : *7th level (3 slot):* etherealness, project image, teleport : *8th level (2 slot):* power word stun, maze, mind blank : *9th level (2 slot):* gate, true polymorph : *10th level (1 slot):* ariadne's unbreakable stance : ### Actions ***Multicast.*** Ariadne casts a spell with a casting time of one action. She can then take one of the following actions. : ***Psychic Bolt (Shadow Form).*** *Ranged Spell Attack:* +19 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. *Hit* 35 (10d6) psychic damage. A creature hit by this attack must succeed on a DC 27 Intelligence saving throw or be stunned until the end of its next turn. : ***Inquiry.*** Ariadne focuses her eyes on a creature within her *Eyes of Dusk* feature. She then formulates a question. The creature must succeed on a DC 27 Wisdom saving throw or be forced to answer truthfully using their reaction. If the creature cannot speak, Ariadne still receives the answer to her query in her mind. : ***Share Knowledge.*** Ariadne focuses her eyes on a creature within her *Eyes of Dusk* feature. She can telepathically share great amounts of wisdom with that creature. Ariadne can choose to have the creature learn a new language, gain a skill or tool proficiency, or learn an entire academic subject by heart. Ariadne can only share knowledge she personally has. This shared knowledge remains with the creature for 24 hrs, after which it slowly fades from their mind. An unwilling creature can attempt a DC 27 Intelligence saving throw to resist this ability. : This ability can also be used to share terrible, profane knowledge, capable of turning a creature's mind to mush. A creature targeted by this action must succeed on a DC 27 Intelligence saving throw or take 70 (20d6) psychic damage, half as much on a success. : ***Destroy Knowledge (Shadow Form) (3/day).*** Ariadne casts the *Feeblemind* spell. : ***Divine Future (Wielder of Destiny) (3/day).*** Ariadne casts the *Foresight* spell. : ***Sever Life (Wielder of Destiny) (1/day).*** Ariadne casts the *power word: kill* spell. : ### Reactions ***Choose Fate (Wielder of Destiny).*** Whenever a creature within 60 feet of Ariadne makes an attack, ability check, or saving throw, Ariadne can choose the result of the roll, before any modifiers are applied. She cannot choose to modify a critical success nor a critical failure, nor can she choose 1 or 20 as the result of a roll. : ***Divine Counterspell (Wielder of Destiny).*** Whenever a creature within 120 feet of Ariadne casts a spell, Ariadne can choose to abjure the spell as if affected by a *Counterspell*. In addition, the creature that cast the spell must succeed on a DC 27 Charisma saving throw or become unable to cast spells from the same school of magic as the spell that was countered for the next minute. ### Legendary Actions Ariadne can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Ariadne regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn. : ***Cast Spell.*** Ariadne casts a spell of 5th level or lower from her *Spellcasting* list. : ***Inquire.*** Ariadne uses her *Inquiry* action. : ***Unarmed Strike (Unbreakable Stance).*** While in her *Unbreakable Stance*, Ariadne makes one *Unarmed Strike*. : ***Phase.*** Ariadne casts the *Misty Step* spell. : ***Move.*** Ariadne moves up to half her maximum speed. While in her *Unbreakable Stance*, she can move up to her maximum speed. : ***Plane Shift (Costs 2 Actions).*** Ariadne casts the *plane shift* spell innately, without expendin a spell slot. : ***Ariadne's Thread (Wielder of Destiny, Costs 3 Actions) (1/week).*** Ariadne rewinds time, making Al-Manakh himself walk backwards and rearrange the timeline. The entire universe returns to a previous version of itself, up to six hours before this spell was cast. Only Ariadne retains her memories of what transpired. }} {{watercolor4,top:-880px,left:-00px,width:2000px,background-color:azure,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(-80deg)}} {{watercolor4,top:-880px,left:-00px,width:2000px,background-color:azure,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(-80deg)}} {{watercolor4,top:-880px,left:-00px,width:2000px,background-color:azure,opacity:80%,transform:rotate(-80deg)}} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote The Order of Strings}} \page {{imageMaskEdge,--offset:0%,--rotation:270 ![](https://imgur.com/EXsSKOH.png){height:117%,top:-00px} }} {{classTable,frame,,text-align:center,width:,wide,position:relative,top:-30px,left:10px ## Oh... What a Headache... : Is everyone okay? Are the other Threadmasters safe? Oh dear, what a mess... Quite a fight we put up. Your strength is beyond extraordinary, Threadseekers. I'll wager Fallow will be putting your names up for a Threadmaster nomination soon. The service you have done to this Order, nay, to our very mission, is priceless. : Oh darling, when did my blood turn... purple? These Threads, I swear. Fallow and Runo were the smart ones, never to take one. But someone must wield them. You, perhaps... We have no lack of divine domains up for grabs, these days, and I do believe all worthy wielders are standing in this very room. : Well then, I decree it. You'll have your pick, if you want it. The City of Strings has neglected its duty as protector of divinity for long enough. And you'll need all the might we have, if you'd like to accept your first mission as Threadmasters of the Order... Dearie, I'd like you to bring this dreadful Luthael to justice. He must pay for this, for all the dead at the Emporium, for all the murdered Threadseekers. I must speak with the Court of the Firmament at once. We must ensure they are still our allies. Perhaps, that might just be our next destination. }} {{pageNumber,auto,z-index:12}} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote The Order of Strings}} \page {{backCover}} # That's all, Folks! : We hope you enjoyed this small compendium on CR 30 creatures. : All art in this booklet was made with AI, except for the few pieces on Odin in pages 41-46 (and the sick wolf here on this page!), which are made by Kim Diaz Holm. His fantastic dark fantasy is really something to behold! : This sourcebook is a compilation of all of our work throughout the years, from our start in July 2023 up until now. We will continue updating it as we make more and more content! Here's the reference for each of the creatures shown in this compendium, and their original sourcebook. : - Agnar & Nemesis: IV - The Molten Crucible - Cain, Wielder of Hate: XII - The City of Strings - Darius the Traveler: II - The Citadel of Radiance - Darkspawn Abomination: X - The Emerald Crown - Gods in the Deep: XI - The Tectonic Netherdepths - Greatwyrms: Cousins of Dragonkind - Greatwyrm Yharel: III - The Soulfrost Expanse - Leviathans: I - The Ichorous Peninsula - Novamorph Davyr: IV - The Nova Cluster - Odin, the Inkfather: VIII - Allfather's Ink - Pride: VI - The Rippling East - Shadow of Ariande: XII - The City of Strings ___ :: {{text-align:center ##### Cheers and Happy Threadseeking! }} ![background image](https://imgur.com/ZxKQxQN.png){position:absolute,bottom:0,right:-154px,height:100%}