#cr17

[memimic]

Lost One

CR 17 Celestial

With color faded eons ago and faith worn thin, a lost one endures long after its god has faded. What remains has become a spectator to the world, ancient and knowing but rarely involving itself.

💬 Should such a being be granted rest… or is its arrvial a warning meant to be faced?

Image via Midjourney

[dndcreaturesinfo]

Ratfolk Chief Warlock Engineer (continued) by Star Sail Games

[dev-the-dm]

NPC: Baron d'Avariss, Aristocrat of the Unseelie Court

"Few of the Unseelie Fey are as well-known as Baron d'Avariss, nobleman of that cursed Court, patron of collectors and the affluent. His warlocks know him as an intelligent, although self-indulged and egocentric being. But below the guise of bestowing magical abilities on those who worship him and helping the rich expand their hoards, the Baron has a secondary purpose. His place in the Court is that of High Treasurer, and he expands his influence upon the Material Plane, too - placing the sin of endless greed and desire upon the hearts of mortal men, twisting their desire into materialistic wishes until they rot to the core, forever tainted by the Baron's cursed touch."

Father of greed. The Baron started as a simple fey - a changeling boy left to steal on the streets. He owned nothing for many years, but upon the acquisition of his first gold piece, picked from the pocket of an unnamed god posing as a man, something changed. A certain desire was lit within his heart, and even as he grew and expanded his glimmering hoard, it could not be enough. When another urchin stole from him on the street in an act of pure luck and courage, the changeling condemned the child, and promised his Fey ancestors that he would give anything immaterial for the return of his possession. The Seelie Court refused, but the darkness that had already grown within him did not go unnoticed by the Unseelie Fey, who accepted his bargain, and raised him to the status of archfey, and he became the Baron.

Impostor amongst men. The Baron, now in charge of inciting eternal greed in the non-fey, does not seek out his targets, but simply waits for the right person to pass by him. He travels to the Material Plane, where he poses as a rich noble, parading his wealth until covetous eyes find him. Convincing his targets that wealth is the answer to all their problems is easy, and he bargains with them until they agree their never-ending servitude in exchange for riches beyond measure in this lifetime. The gold provided by the Baron is cursed, and infects the owner with gold-sickness, each coin disappearing eventually, until nothing but empty promises, lies, and cobwebbed vaults remain.

Archfey patron. As a warlock's patron, the Baron ever bargains with his warlocks. Their powers always come with a prize, and the Baron no longer covets only gold and riches. Each of his followers has something to offer them, and he lures them with promises of power and magic to attain what he desires.

Special equipment. The Baron wears a robe of stars and carries a wand of enemy detection. He also always carries a bag of holding filled completely with illusory gold, gems, and other treasures that look, feel, and smell real to anyone other than the Baron. His magic items aren't included in his stat block.

Friends and companions. The Baron is loyal only to the Unseelie Court and the Queen of Air and Darkness, although each of the Court's members schemes against each other Court representative. The Baron allies himself with his warlocks, as their patron, but is fiercely paranoid and does not trust any of his allies.

Requested by anonymous!

[cg3483]

Laudna deserved better

And still deserves better as her murder is now living in her head

[wavebirddash]

Halloween Zero-to-Thirty Challenge Rating Challenge

October 18th Prompt: Boss Monster

The Boss From Hell (Challenge 17)

Lore

The larger a corporation becomes, the more distant its employees become from the operations of the business. Individuals working further down the chain carry out their tasks completely unaware of what happens in the upper floors of their towering skyscrapers. But even with this degree of separation, the workers are still subject to the dealings of their overlords, for a contract signed in blood is binding at any distance.

A boss from Hell engages in infernal contracts at mind-boggling scales, using the complexity of a large business to conceal its efforts amidst mountains of paperwork and red tape. This allows the fiend to support the Blood War in a somewhat less direct but still impactful way, not only by lining up thousands of future souls as footmen and lackeys, but having them carry out wicked deeds in life through shady business dealings. Every time an insurance agent denies coverage, whenever a construction permit lacks safety considerations, each delayed response to an urgent email subtly furthers the corruption of the souls under the boss' employ.

Rather than engaging in direct combat, a boss from Hell is more likely to throw its employees under the bus, forcing them to take the hits while it continues to make deals out of the line of fire.

Attributes

Large fiend, lawful evil

Armor Class: 19 (natural armor)

Hit Points: 207 (18d10 + 108)

Speed: 30 ft.

STR: 22 (+6)

DEX: 13 (+1)

CON: 22 (+6)

INT: 22 (+6)

WIS: 17 (+3)

CHA: 18 (+4)

Saving Throws: CON +12, CHA +10

Skills: Deception +10, Intimidation +10, Perception +9

Damage Resistances: cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't silvered

Damage Immunities: fire, poison

Condition Immunities: poisoned

Senses: darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 19

Languages: Infernal, Common, telepathy 120 ft.

Challenge: 17 (18,000 XP)

Proficiency Bonus: +6

Special Traits

Devil’s Sight. Magical darkness doesn’t impede the boss from Hell’s darkvision.

Innate Spellcasting. The boss from Hell’s spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 20). The boss can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

At will: darkness, detect magic, detect thoughts, dispel magic

3/day each: shield, suggestion

1/day each: dominate person, geas, insect plague, invisibility (self only), wall of fire

Magic Resistance. The boss from Hell has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Magic Weapons. The boss from Hell’s weapon attacks are magical.

Actions

Multiattack. The boss from Hell makes three attacks: two with its hooves and one with its whip.

Hoof. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (3d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 19 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage plus 10 (3d6) fire damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 19 Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 15 feet toward the boss from Hell.

Teleport. The boss from Hell magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.

Reactions

Scapegoat. If the boss from Hell is hit by a melee or ranged weapon attack, it can summon a bearded devil (1/day), a spined devil (3/day), or an imp (5/day) to intercept the attack as a scapegoat, and the boss is moved to the nearest unoccupied space (this movement does not provoke opportunity attacks). The scapegoat is hit instead of the boss from Hell and suffers any effects of the attack as if it were the target. If the attack reduces the scapegoat to 0 hit points, the boss from Hell takes any excess damage. The scapegoat rolls its own initative, and if more than one creature is summoned as a scapegoat, they all share initiative.

[id: monster stat block for the boss from Hell, depicting a devilish figure with pointed horns and sharp teeth, wearing a long-sleeved shirt with tie, sitting at a desk with a Newton's cradle and a glass o whiskey, lit from behind with fire]

[Original prompt]

[citrustaz]

tbt to the victory pit

[ image ID: a scene from episode 17 of campaign 2 of critical role. molly is flying through the air, with both of his swords flung outwards and glowing. below him is the oytugh, which is swinging its tentacles at caleb. caleb is shooting flames at the oytugh with his glove of blasting. end ID ]

[dailyroosmarijn]

Cushnie et Ochs Resort 2018

[pathfinder-bestiary]

Lilitu (CR 17)

While this seductive woman has goat horns, goat hooves, and a serpentine tail, her eyeless face is her most disturbing feature.

XP 102,400 CE Medium outsider (chaotic, demon, evil, extraplanar, shapechanger) Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft., true seeing; Perception +34 Aura unholy aura (DC 26)

DEFENSE

AC 34, touch 24, flat-footed 28 (+4 deflection, +5 Dex, +1 dodge, +10 natural, +4 profane) hp 263 (17d10+170) Fort +19, Ref +23, Will +20 Defensive Abilities evasion, profane grace; DR 10/cold iron and good; Immune electricity, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10; SR 28

OFFENSE

Speed 60 ft., fly 60 ft. (good) Melee 4 claws +25 (2d8+8/19–20), tail slap +20 touch (1d6+4 plus branding) Special Attacks create husk, husk link, profane pact, swift claws Spell-Like Abilities (CL 17th; concentration +25)

Constant—fly, tongues, true seeing, unholy aura (DC 26) At will—charm monster (DC 22), detect thoughts (DC 20), greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only), suggestion (DC 21), telekinesis (DC 23) 3/day—quickened charm monster (DC 22), persistent image (DC 23), seeming (DC 23) 1/day—demand (DC 26), dominate monster (DC 27), project image (DC 25), summon (level 5, 1 lilitu 20%, 1d2 glabrezus 40%, or 1d6 vrocks 50%) 1/week—binding (DC 26), wish (granted to a mortal humanoid only)

STATISTICS

Str 27, Dex 20, Con 30, Int 21, Wis 23, Cha 26 Base Atk +17; CMB +25; CMD 49 Feats Critical Focus, Deceitful, Dodge, Improved Critical (claw), Mobility, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (charm monster), Spring Attack, Staggering Critical Skills Acrobatics +25, Bluff +40, Diplomacy +28, Disguise +29, Fly +37, Intimidate +25, Knowledge (local, nobility) +25, Knowledge (religion) +22, Perception +34, Sense Motive +26; Racial Modifiers +8 Bluff, +8 Perception Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic; telepathy 100 ft.; tongues SQ change shape (Small or Medium humanoid; alter self), profane wishcraft

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Branding (Su) Each time a lilitu damages a living creature with her tail slap, the wound leaves an angry and permanent red brand. The creature struck becomes staggered for 1 round from the pain. A successful DC 26 Will save negates the staggered condition and reduces the duration of the brand from permanent to 1 hour. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Removing brands is difficult—each casting of restoration, dispel chaos, or dispel evil removes one brand. Heal removes 1d4+4 brands. Greater restoration removes a number of brands equal to the spell’s caster level. Miracle and wish can each remove all brands at once. The number of brands a creature gains in this manner has a cumulative series of effects, as listed below.

1–3 Brands: The lilitu can affect the branded creature with its create husk, husk link, and profane pact abilities.

4–6 Brands: The branded creature takes a –2 penalty on all Will saves made against a lilitu’s spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities. The branded creature’s aura now radiates chaos and evil.

7–9 Brands: The branded creature’s Wisdom score is reduced by 4. A chaotic evil creature is immune to this effect.

10 or More Brands: The penalties to the creature’s Will saves and Wisdom score that are listed above double. In addition, the branded creature automatically fails all Will saves made against a lilitu’s spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities. A chaotic evil creature is immune to this effect.

Create Husk (Su) Once per day as a swift action, when a lilitu deals enough damage with a weapon, spell, or spell-like ability to kill a branded Small or Medium humanoid within 30 feet, she can instead opt to transform that slain humanoid into a husk. The targeted creature can attempt a DC 26 Fortitude save to negate this effect, allowing it to die normally. A humanoid transformed into a husk withers away into an immobile and desiccated corpse, but does not actually die—in this state, the creature remains aware of its surroundings but can take no actions at all. A husk is essentially treated as an object with hardness 15 and 60 hit points; it weighs 10% of the original creature’s weight. If a husk is destroyed, the effect ends and the body dies. This is a curse effect—removing this curse restores the victim to life at a number of negative hit points equal to the creature’s Constitution – 1; a husk restored to life in this way has 1 round to stabilize or be healed before it dies. A lilitu can maintain a number of husks simultaneously equal to her Charisma bonus (8 husks for the typical lilitu); if she creates more husks than she can maintain, a previously created husk (chosen by the lilitu) is released and immediately dies. Lilitus hide their husk collections in very safe places. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Husk Link (Su) By spending a minute in blasphemous contact with a husk she created, a lilitu can establish a supernatural link to that husk. As long as she and that husk remain on the same plane, divination spells reveal the linked husk’s alignment to be the same as the lilitu’s alignment (chaotic evil). The link allows a lilitu to use her change shape ability to assume a husk’s original form, gaining a +20 bonus on Disguise checks to impersonate that person. If a lilitu with an active husk link takes enough damage to be slain, the husk takes the killing blow’s damage instead and is destroyed, instantly severing the active husk link; if the lilitu is disguised in the husk’s original form, she instantly reverts to her true form.

Profane Grace (Su) A lilitu gains a +4 profane bonus to AC and on Initiative checks and Reflex saves.

Profane Pact (Su) Once per day as a full-round action, a lilitu can forge a profane pact with a willing humanoid creature bearing at least one lilitu brand by touching the creature for 1 full round. A single creature can have no more than one profane pact with a lilitu at any time. This functions identically to a succubus’s profane gift ability, save that it grants a +4 profane bonus to an ability score of the humanoid’s choice and it does not grant a telepathic link to the target.

Profane Wishcraft (Su) A creature that accepts a wish from a lilitu immediately becomes chaotic evil unless it succeeds at a DC 26 Will save. A creature that becomes chaotic evil in this way gains the benefits of a good hope spell for 24 hours, followed by the effects of crushing despair for 1d6 days (these spell effects function at CL 17th). The save DC is Charisma-based.

Swift Claws (Ex) When a lilitu makes a full attack, she can attack twice with each of her claws, for a total of four attacks in that round.

ECOLOGY

Environment any (Abyss) Organization solitary, pair, gathering (3–5), or cult (1 lilitu and 6–12 succubi) Treasure double

Lilitus are subversive and hidden horrors, demons who work subtly in their constant quest to destroy and devastate. Whereas most demons prefer to rend and destroy, the lilitu is more akin to the succubus—she prefers to do her work in humanoid form to infect society with sin from within. Lilitus enjoy few things more than leading mortals into all manner of sinful acts, in the hope that when the mortal perishes, its soul will fuel the Abyss. Despite some superficial similarities to succubi, lilitus are not solely concerned with the sin of lust.

The exact nature of sin that a lilitu tempts a mortal into committing varies, for these demons are adept at reading mortal desires and secrets, quickly discerning which sins a specific target can be convinced to perform.

Lilitus have numerous tools at their disposal for the encouragement of sin, but they much prefer their humanoid victims to commit sins of their own free will.

As such, lilitus generally use their abilities to deceive and beguile mortals rather than forcing them to execute heinous acts. A son convinced to kill for his mother (the disguised lilitu) to rectify a grave injustice elicits far more delight than compelling a mind-controlled humanoid to do such a deed.

In her true form, a lilitu appears as an eyeless, horned, snake-tailed—but otherwise beautiful—human woman.

Despite her lack of eyes, a lilitu can see with ease. A lilitu forms from the soul of a mortal who lured others of its kind to commit sins.

Lilitus are more likely than other demons to devote their work to a specific demon lord, yet they do not generally view such devotion as true servitude. It’s simply convenient to have a specific demigod in mind when seeking to corrupt a mortal’s faith and to convince such fallen souls to shift their own allegiance from a prior deity to the lilitu’s chosen demon lord. When a lilitu chooses to ally herself with a demon lord, she takes on certain physical characteristics that reflect that demon lord’s personality or appearance. For example, a lilitu that serves Dagon, the demon lord of deformity, sea monsters, and the sea might bear scaly skin like that of a fish, webbed fingers and toes, and finlike ridges on her head instead of the more typical goat’s horns.

A lilitu that serves Pazuzu, on the other hand, might have vestigial feathery wings on her back and bird’s talons instead of hooves for feet. These appearance changes are cosmetic only and never impact the lilitu’s options for natural attacks. of course, the demon’s ability to change shape or assume the form of a captured husk allows the demon to disguise her true form at will. Lilitus who serve specific demon lords in this manner often have class levels. A lilitu typically focuses on class roles such as bards, rogues, swashbucklers, or any other agility- and deception-based classes.

Lilitus typically stand 6 to 6-1/2 feet tall and weigh 130 to 150 pounds.

Copyright Notice: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 6 © 2017, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Robert Brookes, Benjamin Bruck, John Compton, Paris Crenshaw, Adam Daigle, Crystal Frasier, James Jacobs, Thurston Hillman, Tim Hitchcock, Brandon Hodge, Jason Keeley, Isabelle Lee, Jason Nelson, Tim Nightengale, F. Wesley Schneider, David Schwartz, Mark Seifter, Todd Stewart, Josh Vogt, and Linda Zayas-Palmer.