#astral dreadnought

[1stprototype]

[infinitypilot]

"And now, they will fear you."

My banner is of my sona, the One Eyed King, as the Doom Slayer in Doom The Dark Ages. Depicted in my interpretation of the Cosmic Realm, fighting Astral Whiplashes and with my Darkstar boss in the background.

This drawing was commissioned by me and drawn by arcmimus. I have full distribution rights.

[winterizer]

I just learned important DOOM lore.

[twilightofthesandwiches]

Which Edition of D&D had the best design/artwork of an Astral Dreadnought?

Second Edition

Third Edition

Fourth Edition

Fifth Edition

Fifth Edition Revised

Voting ended onMar 11

[luckyfirerabbit]

Mini Dump pt whatever

[reyturnofbensolo]

Jeff Easley!

bonus:

Dark Overlord from Howard the Duck!😛

[emiko-matsui]

murph: you see a poster of cindy crawford in a one-piece

emily/moonshine: (moans)

[thecreaturecodex]

Astral Dreadnought

Image © Wizards of the Coast

[The astral dreadnought has been floating around since the AD&D Manual of the Planes, where it was the cover creature (and promptly got ripped off to be the design for the cacodemon from Doom.]  The 3e version was cool looking, but very weak (3.0 monsters tended to be not great at dealing with high CRs), so I used one once in a high school game and never bothered to do so again. They’ve gotten a bit of cachet lately--an astral dreadnought appears in Critical Role, and one is returned to point of place on the cover of Mordenkainen’s Multiverse of Monsters. I like the 5e version tying them to the titans, and the idea that they are the portals to an extraplanar prison. I don’t like them being dumb, though. In Planescape, they were smarter than the average human, but inscrutable, which is a mode I prefer.]

Astral Dreadnought CR 21 CN Outsider (extraplanar) This immense horror is vaguely humanoid from the waist up. Its head is enormous, with a single eye set over a slavering maw, and a crown of horns rising from its surface. It has two arms, each of which ends in a lobster-like claw. Its lower body is a serpentine tail, trailing away into the seemingly infinite distance.

The astral dreadnoughts are relics from the war between the Titans, living jailers and executioners of those that would dare intrude upon the astral plane. Anything they swallow is imprisoned forever in a demiplane accessible only through their gullets. As astral dreadnoughts are immortal unless slain, and ravenously attack travelers they come across, these demiplanes are filled with the treasures of untold millennia. Some may even contain the descendants of those that survived being swallowed, although such creatures would require magical means of sustenance. Astral dreadnoughts seem to ignore any demodands they come across in their endless patrols. Although they are intelligent, astral dreadnoughts have no interest in communicating with creatures other than titans.

In combat, an astral dreadnought focuses on enemies traveling through astral projection above other foes. It can sever the silver cord of an astral traveler with a single lucky blow, killing that creature instantly. They attempt to swallow creatures they cannot immediately kill in this fashion, using their antimagic eyes to prevent enemies from fighting back with magic. Astral dreadnoughts prefer to fight with tooth and claw, relying only on their spell-like abilities if surrounded or facing foes it cannot seem to damage. Astral dreadnoughts are solitary at all times. If two astral dreadnoughts cross paths, they fight to the death, and such clashes are legendary for both their ferocity and rarity.

Astral Dreadnought         CR 21 XP 409,600 CN Colossal outsider (chaos, extraplanar) Init +7; Senses darkvision 120 ft., Perception +32 Aura frightful presence (5d6 rounds, 200 ft., Will DC 30) Defense AC 37, touch 12, flat-footed 34 (-8 size, +3 Dex, +25 natural, +7 insight) hp 385 (22d10+264) Fort +19, Ref +18, Will +20 DR 20/magic; Immune disease, exhaustion, fatigue, mind-influencing effects, paralysis, petrifaction, poison, stunning; SR 32 Defensive Abilities legendary resistance, protective insight Offense Speed 15 ft., fly 80 ft. (perfect) Melee 2 claws +28 (4d8+14), bite +28 (4d10+21 plus grab) Space 30 ft.; Reach 30 ft. Special Attacks antimagic cone, donjon visit, powerful blows (bite), sever silver cord, swallow whole (special) Spell-like Abilities CL 21st, concentration +30 3/day—telekinetic storm (DC 28) Statistics Str 38, Dex 17, Con 35, Int 15, Wis 24, Cha 28 Base Atk +22; CMB +44 (+48 grapple and sunder); CMD 57 (59 vs. sunder) Feats Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Flyby Attack, Greater Sunder, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Staggering Critical, Stunning Critical Skills Fly +28, Intimidate +34, Knowledge (arcana, planes, religion) +27, Perception +32, Sense Motive +32, Stealth +12 Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal (cannot speak) SQ astral form Ecology Environment Astral Plane Organization solitary Treasure triple standard Special Abilities Antimagic Cone (Su) An astral dreadnought projects an area of antimagic, as per the antimagic field spell, in a 150-foot cone. At the start of each of its turns, the dreadnought determines what direction, if any, the cone is pointing. The cone does not function if the astral dreadnought is blinded. Astral Form (Ex) An astral dreadnought cannot leave the Astral Plane either willingly or unwillingly. It cannot be banished or otherwise transported from the plane by any means. Donjon Visit (Su) As a swift action, an astral dreadnought can force a creature within 60 feet to succeed a DC 30 Will save or be transported to the demiplane connected to the astral dreadnought’s stomach. At the end of its next turn, the creature returns to the space it left, or the nearest unoccupied space. This is a teleportation effect, and the save DC is Charisma based. Legendary Resistance (Ex) Three times a day when an astral dreadnought fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. Protective Insight (Ex) An astral dreadnought receives an insight bonus to its AC equal to its Wisdom modifier. It only loses this bonus if helpless. Sever Silver Cord (Ex) If an astral dreadnought rolls a natural 20 and confirms the critical hit against a creature traveling with an astral body, such as through an astral projection spell, it severs the silver cord, killing that creature instantly. Swallow Whole (Su) A creature swallowed by an astral dreadnought is transported to a demiplane. A creature can only enter this demiplane through this ability or through a wish spell, but can leave by a plane shift, gate or similar effect. The demiplane takes the form of a stony chamber 1000 feet in diameter with a ceiling 100 feet high. From within the demiplane, the astral dreadnought cannot be harmed. If an astral dreadnought is slain, its demiplane is destroyed, and all of its contents appear around its corpse unharmed in the Astral Plane. An astral dreadnought cannot use its swallow whole ability in the area of a dimensional lock spell, or while under an effect that blocks planar travel.