#elder evils

[giganotus]

The Starry Elder Evils of DnD

DnD has a handful of eldritch horrors that are/live within stars in its lore. The most well known is probably Hadar given that there's spells named after it. But there are others and I feel like talking about them.

Acamar

Acamar is described as a black star that consumes whatever gets too close. It's pretty obvious from this alone what kind of star Acamar is. It's a black hole. It's a hungry Elder Evil hellbent on consumption. Now why would anyone worship such a creature? Good question! My guess would be some misguided effort at keeping it fed to try to keep it away, or perhaps its worshipers see it as a cleansing force. Either way, its specialized Star Spawns, the Maws of Acamar, are certainly vicious.

Caiphon

Caiphon the Dream Whisperer, the Purple Star. As the title suggests, Caiphon is described as a purple colored star. It's also said to lend aid to those who beckon it, especially those who are desperate and feel rejected by the gods. But Caiphon almost always has a wicked price, and calamity eventually falls upon most who seek its help. Purple is a rare color in stars, however Type-O main sequence stars can appear purplish, so I believe that's what Caiphon is. It's also easy to see why people would turn to Caiphon. It's willing to help when all else fails. In my opinion, Caiphon genuinely believes it's helping. I don't think it intends for harm and calamity. It's just an immensely powerful eldritch being and doesn't realize that taking 10 years off someone's life as payment is kind of a shitty thing to do. It also seems to be associated with amoebas and music with alien tones and dissonance.

Delban

Delban, the Star of Ice and Hate. Not a pleasant entity to deal with if the name is any indicator. It is a bright white star usually only visible in winter. It is described as being a cold and hateful creature. Given the description, I think it's safe to guess that Delban is a White Giant star. Unlike real stars though, it's burning with cold plasma. Worship to Delban I can see being a similar situation to Acamar, an attempt at appeasement. Interestingly, Delban is mentioned in the Curse of Strahd module, as a small piece of it is within Barovia.

Gibbeth

Gibbeth, the Maddening Star. It is said to be an utterly unknowable green star. It's a creature so dangerous, that even knowing its name is a hazard. Interestingly, some flavor text from some 4E spells suggest Gibbeth was wounded or "slain" some time in the Material Plane's early history and that it's infuriated by this fact. It also behaves much like the classic concept of a cognitohazard. It it not only dangerous to know, but it WANTS to be known. Keeping the hazardous nature in mind, I think it's appropriate to compare Gibbeth to a pulsar or neutron star. As for cults, well the fact that it twists anyone who knows too much about it, its cults could be a completely supernatural effect as opposed to people choosing to revere it.

Hadar

The infamous Hadar. The Dark Hunger. Hadar is described as a cinder-red star that is barely visible in the sky. Additionally, the spells named after it often feature black tendrils. It is said to be a dying star and consumes matter in an attempt to stave off its death. Keeping this in mind, it's easy to assume Hadar is a Red Dwarf star, but I think it's more like a Brown Dwarf. A star that is either nearly dead or failed to properly start burning. They are extremely dim, only emitting a small amount of red or purplish light but otherwise appearing brown or black. The idea of feeding and empowering an entity may be the appeal of worshipping it, or much like Acamar its cultists may see it as a cleansing force.

Khirad

Khirad, the Star of Secrets. It is described as a beautiful blue star that shines brightest when calamity is about to strike. It is a purveyor of forbidden knowledge and secrets of all sorts. It isn't hard to see why a person would want to revere it. Anyone who seeks knowledge could be drawn to its divining power. I believe Khirad is a Type-B star of some sort. Exact size category doesn't matter, just some kind of blue star. Interestingly, Khirad is another one of the starry Elder Evils to be featured in Curse of Strahd.

Nihal

Nihal, the Serpent Star. A nasty Elder Evil described as a red star (though confusingly, sometimes green). Some say it's not a true star, but more a tear in reality full of worm-like creatures. And worms are definitely a recurring theme with Nihal. Even its unique Star Spawns are known as Serpents of Nihal. Star type for Nihal, much like Khirad, isn't as clear cut. Most likely though it's some form of red star. Whether that's a Red Giant or Red Dwarf, well that's up to interpretation. As for those who may worship the Serpent Star, perhaps they revere the process of decay and see Nihal as a cosmic version of decay.

Zhudun

Zhudun, the Corpse Star, is the final entry here. It's described as a "blank faced" star that can bestow prophecies as well as command the dead. Quite the grim creature, but given its ability to restore life fully, it's easy to see why a person might turn to it in desperation. I believe Zhudun is a White Dwarf star, as that matches nicely with the idea of a dead star with a blank face. Along with Delban and Khirad, a fragment of Zhudun is featured in the Curse of Strahd module.

There are of course other Elder Evils within DnD lore, including a couple more starry ones, but these guys have the most info. I think they have a lot of fun potential in games as warlock patrons or as antagonistic forces!

[neuricospsomi]

I don't know what happened, I just stumbled upon Elder Evils on fandom wiki and the next thing I know - I'm drawing a symbol resembling Rasalhague, the Noxious Star.

Something about a sentient star in thousand light-years away from Exandria that is reaching its end before turning into a supernova, and then turning into a black hole, shift of which sents powerful waves across the universe that cause great damage to reality... Yeah, that got me strangely excited.

Imagine this thing pretending to be Moonweaver, deceiving followers by looking like celestial being, only for them to realise its something from beyond. (O_O)

[haorev]

Elder Evils Elder Evils Elder Evils Elder Evils

I love Elder Evils

Want more Elder Evils

[thecreaturecodex]

a threefer for today, would Cyth' Vsug have much of a following on Yuggoth? Secondly what Archfiends if any would have worshipers among the mi go or are they solely devotees of the GoOs and Outer gods? Also something which seems be happening with more frequency in the 7th Edition is Mi Go having cults devoted to them amongst humanity. With Pathfinder being the way it is especially in regards to worship is such cults exist how would becoming symbols of worship affect the "fungi"?

I feel like Cyth V'Sug would be a suitable patron for the Mi-Go, as would other archfiends related to fungus, infection, technology and expansion. Among daemons, I'd likely include Apollyon and Deceid as patrons, and devils would get Moloch and Barbatos. That said, I feel like such cults would be minorities compared to the Outer Gods and Great Old Ones. But pantheons have a way of expanding and incorporating new members. Like how there were Olympian gods but a lot of other divinities in Greek mythology.

As for the mi-go being worshiped themselves, one of two things could happen. Either the mi-go would act as a conduit for veneration to an appropriate Outer God (Sheol-Nugganoth is classically associated with them), or a new godling would be created through their efforts. Which seems like as good a backstory as any to fit the Elder Evil Ragnorra into the Pathfinder setting:

[thecreaturecodex]

Hulk of Zoretha (Female)

Image by Ralph Horsley, © Wizards of the Coast.

[Commissioned by @tar-baphon​. The Hulks of Zoretha are weird for Elder Evils in a number of respects. Firstly, they’re not unique creatures, instead coming as a set. They’re sexually dimorphic, which is a neat twist. They also have iterative slam attacks, which is not something commonly seen in 3.x. That last part I’ve stripped out. I’m statting the male Hulk of Zoretha separately (the commissioner wanted him to have a higher CR, for one thing). Unlike with my other Elder Evils, where I’ve typically abstracted their signs, the supernatural events that occur as they plunge the world into chaos, I’ve moved it over to the actual stat block. Because having an effect that makes people fight each other is useful in combat.]

Hulk of Zoretha (Female) CR 16 CE Outsider (native) This musclebound humanoid has vague, misshapen features seemingly carved into its stony body. Runic markings like tattoos cover its body, glowing with internal energy.

The hulks of Zoretha are alien horrors, spoken of in hushed tones and rumors by all but the most daring or mad sages. Their existence is documented in the madness inducing Zoretha Scrolls. They are five in number, quiescent in a remote part of the world, tended by violent cultists in the hopes of inducing them to awaken and cleanse the world of order and civilization. As the hulks stir in their slumber, the bonds of civility fall apart, violence breaks out en masse and even friends and lovers turn on each other in bloody rage.

The hulks of Zoretha are in fact an ancient terraforming project, designed to cleanse worlds of civilization. Different sets of five hulks have been seeded on a dozen planets, awaiting some mysterious signal or cosmic alignment to begin awakening and carry out their campaign of destruction. Four of the five hulks are female, capable of birthing an army of monsters to expand the reach of their violence. The fifth is male, whose job it is to impregnate the females and guard them from exceptionally powerful threats long enough for the next generation to be born.

The four female hulks are mechanically almost identical, differing only in their energy affinities. Each can breathe a destructive cone of energy, and their strikes carry the power of acid, electricity, fire or cold. More hazardous still is their effect on mortal minds. The very presence of a hulk of Zoretha inspires mindless violence, and the hulks can focus their alien minds on creatures that resist, inducing vivid waking nightmares. Despite their implacable affect, a hulk of Zoretha will attempt to flee a losing battle, as their ultimate goal can only be achieved by the survival and propagation of their species.

Hulk of Zoretha (Female)            CR 16 XP 76,800 CE Huge outsider (native) Init +4; Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., Perception +23 Aura blood moon (60 ft., Will DC 22), dark visitant (100 miles, Will DC 22) Defense AC 32, touch 12, flat-footed 32 (-2 size, +20 natural, +4 deflection) hp 232 (16d10+144); fast healing 10 Fort +14, Ref +10, Will +14 DR 10/epic; Immune ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, mind-influencing effects, poison, polymorph; SR 27 Defensive Abilities freedom of movement Offense Speed 60 ft. Melee 2 slams +23 (4d8+9 plus 2d6 energy/19-20) Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft. Special Attacks breath weapon (1d4 rounds, 50 foot cone, 8d12 energy, Ref DC 27 half), waking nightmare Spell-like Abilities CL 16th, concentration +20 Constant—freedom of movement, shield of faith 1/day—summon (1 elder elemental, 100%, 8th level) Statistics Str 29, Dex 10, Con 28, Int 16, Wis 19, Cha 19 Base Atk +16; CMB +27 (+31 bull rush); CMD 41 (43 vs. bull rush) Feats Awesome Blow, Cleave, Great Cleave, Greater Bull Rush, Improved Critical (slam), Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative, Power Attack Skills Acrobatics +19 (+31 jumping), Climb +28, Intimidate +23, Knowledge (geography) +19, Knowledge (planes, religion) +22, Perception +23, Sense Motive +23, Swim +28 Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal, telepathy 1000 ft., one elemental language SQ elemental affinity, no breath, quiescent invulnerability Ecology Environment any Organization solitary or rampage (2-4 plus 0-1 male Hulk of Zoretha) Treasure incidental Special Abilities Blood Moon Aura (Su) All living creatures within 60 feet of a female hulk of Zoretha must succeed a DC 22 Will save or be affected by a rage and song of discord effect for 1 minute. If a creature would be affected by multiple auras in the same turn, it makes a single save, but suffers a -1 penalty to its save DC for each additional hulk. A creature that saves against this aura is immune to the blood moon aura of the hulks of Zoretha for the next 24 hours. This is a mind-influencing compulsion effect. The save DC is Charisma based. Dark Visitant (Su) Any divine spellcaster who sleeps within 100 miles of a female hulk of Zoretha must succeed a DC 22 Will save or be affected by a nightmare spell and take 1d4+1 points of Wisdom drain. When the hulks are quiescent, this radius is reduced to 1 mile. The save DC is Charisma based. Elemental Affinity (Ex) Each female hulk of Zoretha is attuned to a single element. This determines the nature of the elemental damage dealt by her breath weapon and slam attacks, her energy resistances and immunities, and the type of elemental she can summon. The varieties of hulk are as follows: Acid Hulk: acid damage, immune to acid, resist electricity 20 and fire 20, summon elder mud elemental Electric Hulk: electricity damage, immune to electricity, resist cold 20 and fire 20, summon elder lightning elemental Fire Hulk: fire damage, immune to fire, resist acid 20 and electricity 20, summon elder fire elemental Ice Hulk: cold damage, immune to cold, resist acid 20 and electricity 20, summon elder ice elemental Quiescent Invulnerability (Ex) When dormant, a hulk of Zoretha is immune to all damage and divination effects. Waking Nightmare (Su) Five times per day as a swift action, a female hulk of Zoretha can inflict a waking nightmare on a creature within 30 ft., The creature must succeed a DC 22 Will save or be afflicted for 1d6+1 rounds. Each type of hulk has a different nightmare, as follows: Acid Hulk: Scream in terror from horrible visions. Become nauseated and suffer a -20 penalty to Stealth checks. Electric Hulk: Wracked with phantom pains. Take a -4 penalty to attack and melee damage rolls, skill and ability checks and saving throws. Fire Hulk: Tear into your own flesh in an attempt to cut out a parasite. Spend a standard action each round to deal 1d8+Str bonus damage to yourself Ice Hulk: Convinced that you are buried alive. Make a Will save each round or fall unconscious for the remaining duration. These are mind-influencing illusion effects. The save DC is Charisma based.

[thecreaturecodex]

Father Llymic

Image by James Zhang, © Wizards of the Coast.

[Commissioned by @tar-baphon. Father Llymic might be my least favorite of the Elder Evils from the book of the same name. I appreciate the Gerald Scarfe -like design (although do we really need multiple fat humanoids in the same book?), but his actual statistics leave a lot to be desired. He can inflict negative levels with his aura and all of his natural attacks, and those negative levels have special conditions for being removed. He can project an image of himself, and it’s a major plot point for the proposed campaign arc, but there is no mechanical information given about how it works. He has no means of communicating with his minions, even though that seems to be a big deal for his plot. And his light weakness as originally written means he’s automatically staggered by a 3rd level spell (daylight)--a devastating weakness in a game where action economy is everything. So this version is rather severely overhauled from a mechanical perspective.]

Father Llymic CR 22 CE Outsider This immense creature resembles a crystalline humanoid, with rocky plates growing along its back. Its head is flat and insectile, with three glaring yellow eyes above a fanged maw. Its arms end in long, mantis-like claws.

Father Llymic is an alien evil, trapped under the ice on the top of a polar mountain and working his influence subtly on the world around him. He is currently in a state of stasis, able to send an illusory avatar to interact with the world, but unable to move or battle. Father Llymic uses this avatar to lure creatures to visit his mountain, whereupon his soul chill aura can transform them into his monstrous children. He also uses this avatar to coordinate the actions of his existing minions, sending them on raids to increase their numbers. The more children of Llymic exist, the more his bonds become loosened, and eventually he will rise triumphant into the polar winter.

Sunlight is anathema to Father Llymic, and light of any kind weakens him. When Father Llymic is awake and active, he promises, the sun will never shine, and creatures of cold and darkness can take over the planet. In combat, he focuses on attacking as many creatures as possible, hoping to inflict his curse on any survivors to create more children in the coming days. Those he cannot afflict in such a way are scissored to pieces with his razor-sharp claws, or frozen solid with cold magic.

It is believed that Father Llymic was originally a creature of the Plateau of Leng, and was imprisoned on the Material Plane by ancient elven magic. Indeed, Father Llymic hates elves above other creatures, and his psychic avatar often takes the form of a ragged white-haired elf with blank eyes and teeth made of ice. In addition to the children of Llymic, creatures of the Elder Mythos such as Leng ghouls and Leng hounds may serve him, and the denizens of Leng keep a close eye on Llymic cults (although their individual goals vary). Some thematically appropriate creatures for Father Llymic to summon include child of Llymic moon giants (CR 17 each), child of Llymic ancient white dragons (CR 17 each), child of Llymic ice linnorms (CR 19) or child of Llymic Leng spiders (CR 16 each).

Father Llymic CR 22 XP 615,000 CE Huge outsider (chaotic, evil) Init +8; Senses blindsight 120 ft., Perception +33, see in darkness, true seeing Aura soul chill (30 ft., Fort DC 30) Defense AC 40, touch 12, flat-footed 36 (-2 size, +4 Dex, +28 natural) hp 420 (24d10+288); dark healing 30 Fort +20, Ref +18, Will +22 DR 20/epic; Immune ability damage and drain, cold, energy drain, mind-influencing effects, petrifaction, poison, polymorph; Resist electricity 20, fire 20; SR 32 (37 vs. divinations) Weakness light sickness, vulnerable to sonic Offense Speed 50 ft., fly 30 ft., ice walking Melee 2 claws +34 (3d6+12/19-20x3 plus 2d6 cold plus curse of Llymic), bite +34 (2d8+12 plus 2d6 cold) Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft. Special Attacks augmented critical, psychic avatar, rend (2 claws, 3d6+18 plus 2d6 cold) Spell-like Abilities CL 22nd, concentration +30 Constant—nondetection, true seeing At will—cone of cold (DC 23), deeper darkness, detect magic, dimension door, dream, greater dispel magic, nightmare (DC 23), wall of ice 3/day—quickened cone of cold (DC 23), greater scrying (DC 25), polar ray 1/day—energy drain (DC 27), polar midnight (DC 27), summon children of Llymic Statistics Str 34, Dex 19, Con 35, Int 24, Wis 27, Cha 26 Base Atk +24; CMB +38 (+42 sunder); CMD 52 (54 vs. sunder) Feats Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Great Cleave, Greater Sunder, Improved Critical (claw), Improved Initiative, Improved Iron Will, Improved Sunder, Iron Will, Power Attack, Quicken SLA (cone of cold), Stand Still Skills Acrobatics +29 (+37 when jumping), Bluff +33, Climb +34, Diplomacy +31, Fly +32, Intimidate +33, Knowledge (arcana, planes) +32, Knowledge (geography, nature) +29, Linguistics +11, Perception +33, Sense Motive +33, Spellcraft +32, Stealth +21 Languages Aklo, Aquan, Auran, Common, Draconic, Elven, Giant, telepathy 1 mile (100 miles with children of Llymic) SQ no breath, planar acclimation Ecology Environment cold mountains Organization unique Treasure double standard Special Abilities Augmented Critical (Ex) Father Llymic’s claws threaten a critical hit on a roll of 19-20 and deal x3 damage on a successful critical hit. Father Llymic has increased this threat range with the Improved Critical feat.  Curse of Llymic (Su) Claw—contact; save Fortitude DC 30; onset immediate; frequency 1/day; effect 1 temporary negative level. Negative levels dealt by the curse of Llymic can only be removed through magic, and only if the creature is in natural sunlight. A creature that has as many temporary negative levels as HD from this ability is transformed into a child of Llymic over the course of one minute. The save DC is Charisma based. Dark Healing (Su) Father Llymic gains fast healing 30 whenever he is in an area of darkness or supernatural darkness. Flight (Su) Father Llymic’s fly speed is a supernatural ability. Ice Walking (Ex) Father Llymic ignores all difficult terrain and movement penalties from natural or magical snow and ice. Light Sickness (Ex) Father Llymic is sickened in an area of normal or bright light. He takes damage as if it were undead from light based spells and abilities that deal damage, such as searing light or sunbeam. In an area of direct sunlight, he must succeed a DC 30 Fortitude save every round or be paralyzed. Planar Acclimation (Ex) Father Llymic is never treated as having the extraplanar subtype. Psychic Avatar (Su) Once per day as a standard action, Father Llymic can create an illusory avatar and project it over great distances. This functions as a project image spell that lasts for 1 hour, except that it has a range of 100 miles, and Father Llymic does not require a direct line of effect to the area. Father Llymic can choose what the avatar looks like, as if affected by a veil spell. Father Llymic can use his spell-like abilities through the avatar, but all saving throws made against them gain a +2 circumstance bonus. Soul Chill Aura (Su) All creatures within 30 feet of Father Llymic must succeed a DC 30 Fortitude save every round or take 1 temporary negative level. Creatures with the child of Llymic template are immune to this effect. These negative levels cannot be removed except by magic, and then only if the creature is in natural sunlight. A creature that has as many temporary negative levels as HD from this ability is transformed into a child of Llymic over the course of 1 minute. The save DC is Charisma based. Summon Children of Llymic (Sp) Once per day as a standard action, Father Llymic can summon a CR 19 encounter worth of creatures with the child of Llymic template. These remain for 1 hour or until slain.

[thecreaturecodex]

Child of Llymic

Image by Wayne England, © Wizards of the Coast.

[Commissioned by @tar-baphon. It’s a template, and hoo boy is it a long one! It’s actually less complicated than the original, which added racial HD and stripped off the special attacks of the base creature. At that point, why make it a template?

As you’ll notice in the art, this template was originally called “brood spawn”. I’ve changed the name to embrace the “Father” theme of Father Llymic, the Elder Evil that these are associated with. I’ve got plenty of problems with Llymic, but my complaints will wait until that entry specifically.]

Child of Llymic CR +2 Template (acquired) This hulking creature appears roughly humanoid, with a stooped posture and a metallic blue exoskeleton. It has three solid black eyes overlooking a drooling, fanged maw. Instead of hands, its forelimbs end in oversized claws like those of a mantis.

The children of Llymic are monstrous mutants, warped by exposure to the alien entity known as Father Llymic. The hands of a child of Llymic are warped into large talons, rendering them incapable of wielding weapons or using anything but the most basic of tools. Although sapient children of Llymic do not lose any intelligence, and indeed become more in tune with their surroundings, they rapidly abandon material culture, although they may wear a few scraps of jewelry or clothing as reminders of their previous lives. They have no society or behavior except for pursuing their basic survival and tending to Father Llymic’s needs. Regardless of their original species, they cooperate with each other as park carnivores.

The children of Llymic despise the touch of sunlight. During the long polar summers, they hide in caves and burrows, hibernating until winter in a reversal of many other creatures. In the darker seasons, they are more active. The children of Llymic are stronger and tougher than they were as mere mortals, and gain access to a number of magical powers manipulating cold and darkness. Their freezing breath carries the chill of the void, and creatures that are exposed to it, even if they take no cold damage, begin to dwindle. If not saved through magic, these victims transform into children of Llymic themselves.

Creating a Child of Llymic “Child of Llymic” is an acquired template that can be applied to any living corporeal creature that is not immune to curses (hereafter referred to as the base creature). A child of Llymic retains all of the base creature’s statistics and special abilities, save as noted here.

CR: Same as the base creature +2 (minimum CR 3) Alignment: Chaotic evil Type: Change to outsider (native). Do not recalculate BAB, HD or saves Armor Class: Natural armor improves by +4 Special Qualities and Defenses: A child of Llymic gains the see in darkness universal monster quality as well as the following Damage Reduction: A child of Llymic has DR 5/magic. A child of Llymic with 10 or more HD has DR 10/magic. Immunities: A child of Llymic is immune to ability damage, ability drain, cold, mind-influencing effect, petrifaction and polymorph effects Resistances: A child of Llymic has electricity and fire resistance 10. A child of Llymic with 20 or more HD has electricity and fire resistance 20 Spell Resistance: A child of Llymic gains spell resistance equal to its adjusted CR +11. Weaknesses: A child of Llymic gains the following weaknesses Light Sickness (Ex) A child of Llymic is sickened in an area of normal or bright light. It takes damage as if it were undead from light based spells and abilities that deal damage, such as searing light or sunbeam Vulnerable to Sonic: A child of Llymic takes 150% damage from sonic based spells and effects. Speed: Increase the base creature’s land speed by 20 feet. A child of Llymic also has the following special ability Ice Walking (Ex) A child of Llymic ignores all difficult terrain and movement penalties from natural or magical snow and ice. Melee: A child of Llymic has no hands and loses the ability to use manufactured weapons. They gain two claw attacks and a bite attack. The bite attack deals damage as normal for a creature of the child of Llymic’s size. The claw attacks deal damage as if they were two sizes larger. A Gargantuan child of Llymic deals 3d8 points of damage with its claw attacks, and a Colossal child of Llymic deals 4d8 points of damage with its claw attacks. Special Attacks: A child of Llymic gains a breath weapon that deals 1d6 points of cold damage per 2 HD of the creature. Creatures that take damage from the breath weapon are also exposed to the curse of Llymic (see below). The save DC for the breath weapon is Constitution based. This breath weapon can be used three times per day, but the child of Llymic must wait 1d4 rounds between uses. The size of the breath weapon is as follows:

Size                                         Cone Length Tiny or smaller                          10 ft. Small                                         15 ft. Medium                                     20 ft. Large                                        30 ft. Huge                                         40 ft. Gargantuan                              50 ft. Colossal                                    60 ft.

If the base creature has a better breath weapon, it retains that breath weapon instead, but deals the curse of Llymic to creatures that take damage from it. Curse of Llymic (Su) Breath weapon—contact; save Fortitude, Charisma based DC; onset 1 hour; frequency 1/day; effect 1 temporary negative level. Negative levels dealt by the curse of Llymic can only be removed through magic, and only if the creature is in natural sunlight. A creature that has as many temporary negative levels as HD from this ability is transformed into a child of Llymic over the course of one minute. Spell-like Abilities A child of Llymic with an Intelligence or Wisdom of 8 or higher gains access to the following spell-like abilities. CL = HD.

HD                                             Abilities 1-2                                             snowball 3/day 3-4                                             darkness 3/day 5-6                                             sleet storm 7-8                                             dispel magic 3/day 9-10                                           deeper darkness 3/day 11-12                                         wall of ice 13-14                                         enervation 15-16                                         cone of cold 17-18                                         greater dispel magic 3/day 19-20                                         polar ray

Abilities: Change from base creature as follows: Str +6, Con +6, Wis +2, Cha +4 Skills: A child of Llymic gains skill ranks from its racial HD as a creature of the outsider type (6+Int modifier). Do not change class skills for racial HD. Feats: A child of Llymic gains Improved Critical (claw) and Power Attack as bonus feats.

Child of Llymic Ogre              CR 5 XP 1,600 CE Large outsider (augmented giant, native) Init –1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +8, see in darkness Defense AC 17, touch 8, flat-footed 17 (–1 Dex, +9 natural, –1 size) hp 42 (4d8+24) Fort +9, Ref +0, Will +4 DR 5/magic; Immune ability damage, ability drain, cold, mind-influencing effect, petrification, polymorph; Resist electricity 10, fire 10; SR 16 Weakness light sickness, vulnerable to sonic Offense Speed 60 ft., ice walking Melee 2 claws +10 (2d6+8/19-20). bite +10 (1d8+8) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks breath weapon (30 ft. cone, 3/day, 2d6 cold plus curse, DC 17), curse of Llymic (Fort DC 12) Spell-like Abilities CL 4th, concentration +4 3/day—darkness, snowball Statistics Str 27, Dex 8, Con 21, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 11 Base Atk +3; CMB +12; CMD 21 Feats Improved Critical (claw) (B), Iron Will, Power Attack (B), Toughness Skills Climb +15, Intimidate +7, Perception +8, Swim +12 Languages Giant

Child of Llymic Adult White Dragon CR 12 XP 19,200 CE Large dragon (cold) Init +5; Senses dragon senses, Perception +23, see in darkness, snow vision Aura cold (5 ft., 1d6 cold damage), frightful presence (180 ft., DC 19) Defense AC 31, touch 10, flat-footed 30 (+1 Dex, +21 natural, –1 size) hp 188 (13d12+104) Fort +16, Ref +9, Will +11 DR 10/magic; Immune ability damage, ability drain cold, mind-influencing effects paralysis, petrifaction, polymorph, sleep; Resist electricity 10, fire 10 SR 23 Weaknesses light sickness, vulnerability to fire, vulnerability to sonic Offense Speed 50 ft., burrow 30 ft., fly 200 ft. (poor), swim 60 ft. Melee bite +23 (2d6+15/19–20), 2 claws +23 (2d6+10), 2 wings +18 (1d6+5), tail slap +18 (1d8+15) Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with bite) Special Attacks breath weapon (40-ft. cone, DC 24, 12d4 cold plus curse), curse of Llymic (Fort DC 19) Spell-Like Abilities CL 13th, concentration +16 (+20 casting defensively) At will—fog cloud, gust of wind 3/day—darkness, deeper darkness, dispel magic, snowball 1/day—enervation, sleet storm, wall of ice Spells Known CL 1st, concentration +4 (+8 casting defensively) 1st (4/day)—shield, true strike 0 (at will)—dancing lights, detect magic, ray of frost, mending Statistics Str 31, Dex 12, Con 27, Int 12, Wis 17, Cha 16 Base Atk +13; CMB +24; CMD 35 (39 vs. trip) Feats Alertness, Combat Casting, Flyby Attack, Improved Critical (bite, claws [B]), Improved Initiative, Power Attack (B), Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (bite) Skills Fly +11, Intimidate +19, Knowledge (arcane) +17, Perception +23, Spellcraft +17, Stealth +13, Swim +34 Languages Common, Draconic SQ icewalking, ice shape

[thecreaturecodex]

Avatar of Atropus

Image © Wizards of the Coast, by Izzy.

[Commissioned by @tar-baphon. Atropus is the most powerful of the Elder Evils in the book of the same name, an entire planet that can only by fought by going up there and beating up this headless hulk. Very video gamey--I feel like Atropus owes a lot to Final Fantasies IV and V, and Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. My version of the statistics borrows abilities from my earlier atropal conversion, and makes reference to the angel of decay I wrote up near this blog’s beginning.

Of note: Pathfinder canonically has in it a version of Atropos, one of the Three Fates, as a psychopomp usher. This may lead to confusion in your campaign. Maybe that’s intentional. The commissioner’s idea for Atropus’ origin is that it was created in Earthfall, by Avacna dying in steering the moon to absorb most of the meteorites. A bitter undead goddess who sacrificed herself and now hates those she died for is a cool concept, but I wanted to open it up to multiple possible interpretations/roles. I do assume a weird version of canon in these entries--I typically avoid references to Pathfinder’s canonical gods, but demigods like demon lords and archdevils are open season. I’m not really sure why; possibly as a relic of when I was trying to sell these in the 3pp market.]

Avatar of Atropus CR 25 NE Undead This headless giant is clearly dead, with rotting flesh and withered limbs. Its belly is swollen as with decay or pregnancy, or possibly both. Oily black fluid oozes from its surface, running down its body in rivulets.

Atropus, the Dead World, is a sapient evil planetoid. Some say that it is the castoff of creation, a force of Death to counterbalance the existence of Life. Others say that it is a fragment of a planet or moon destroyed through some magical cataclysm, infused with the mind of a dead god and forever enraged at its abandonment by the faithful. Still others claim that Atropus is a shard of the Negative Energy Plane given life and intelligence. Whatever its true origins, Atropus is a planet killer. It drifts through the space between worlds, and when it takes up orbit around a planet, it drains the life from it until all that are left on its surface are the walking dead.

Atropus itself cannot be fought, or slain, in any conventional manner. Those exploring the world find it truly lifeless. It is a low gravity, airless place with the minor negative dominant trait across its entire surface and the major negative dominant trait in fissures and cracks oozing profane ichor. This world is crawling with undead—angels of decay and atropals are the most notable, but not the only, denizens. Coordinating these monsters is the avatar of Atropus, its will concentrated into a perverse, corpse-like body.

The avatar of Atropus remains on the surface of its own planetoid, a final line of defense against anyone powerful or foolish enough to visit the Dead World. Its very presence drains life from creatures, creating an army of spectres wherever it goes. It can channel negative energy and cast deadly magic as surely as the strongest mortal necromancers and clerics, and has crushing physical force in order to pulverize creatures that resist necromantic magics. Only by slaying the avatar can Atropus be once again cast into interstellar space, but the means have not yet been discovered to forever end the threat of the Dead World.

Avatar of Atropus                  CR 25 XP 1,640,000 NE Gargantuan undead Init +5; Senses blind, blindsight 500 ft., Perception +42 Aura desecration (60 ft.), life suppression (60 ft.) Defense AC 43, touch 12, flat-footed 41 (-4 size, +1 Dex, +1 dodge, +4 profane, +31 natural) hp 583 (30d8+390 plus 60); fast healing 20 Fort +26, Ref +15, Will +30; channel resistance +5 DR 20/good and epic; Immune cold, gaze attacks, undead traits, visual spells and abilities; Resist acid 20, fire 20; SR 36 (40 vs. divination) Defensive Abilities freedom of movement, profane ichor, rejuvenation Offense Speed 50 ft.. air walk Melee 2 claws +40 (4d8+22 plus 2d6 unholy plus Constitution drain plus energy drain) Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft. Special Attacks call meteor shower, channel negative energy (10d6, 15/day, DC 43), create spawn, divine scourge, energy drain (3 negative levels, DC 37), profane channeling Spell-like Abilities CL 25th, concentration +37 Constant—air walk, freedom of movement, nondetection At will—control undead (DC 29), create greater undead, greater dispel magic, harm (DC 28), mass fester (DC 28), mass inflict serious wounds (DC 29) 3/day—quickened greater dispel magic, heart clutch (DC 30), empowered horrid wilting (DC 30), waves of exhaustion 1/day—overwhelming presence (DC 31), power word: kill, wail of the banshee (DC 31) Statistics Str 50, Dex 13, Con -, Int 25, Wis 28, Cha 35 Base Atk +22; CMB +46 (+50 bull rush, sunder); CMD 57 (59 vs. bull rush, sunder) Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Command Undead (B), Dodge, Empower SLA (horrid wilting), Greater Bull Rush, Greater Sunder, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder, Mobility, Power Attack, Quicken SLA (greater dispel magic), Spring Attack, Toughness, Whirlwind Attack Skills Acrobatics +34 (+42 jumping), Climb +53, Intimidate +45, Knowledge (arcana, religion) +40, Knowledge (geography, planes) +37, Perception +42, Sense Motive +42, Spellcraft +40, Stealth +22 Languages Aboleth, Aklo, Azlanti, Draconic, Eoxian, Necril, truespeech, telepathy 500 ft. Ecology Environment any (Atropus) Organization unique Treasure standard Special Abilities Aura of Desecration (Su) The avatar of Atropus radiates an aura of evil energy as per the desecrate spell in a radius of 60 feet. It is treated as being an altar to an evil deity for determining the strength of the desecrate spell, and the bonuses for the spell are calculated into its statistics above. Call Meteor Shower (Su) As a standard action three times a day, the avatar of Atropus can cause meteors to fall in a 100 foot radius around itself. All creatures in the area take 15d6 points of bludgeoning and 15d6 points of fire damage (Reflex DC 37 halves). The area is treated as difficult terrain after the meteor shower. The save DC is Charisma based. Channel Negative Energy (Su) The avatar of Atropus can channel negative energy as a 20th level cleric. The save DC is Charisma based. Constitution Drain (Ex) A creature struck by the avatar of Atropus’s claw attack must succeed a DC 37 Fortitude save or take 2d4 points of Constitution drain. On each successful attack, the atropal gains 5 temporary hit points. The save DC is Charisma based. Create Spawn (Su) Any creature killed the avatar of Atropus’ life suppression aura rises as a free-willed spectre in 1d4 rounds. A humanoid with 15 or more HD rises instead as a free willed angel of decay in 1d4 rounds. Divine Scourge (Su) As a swift action once per day, the avatar of Atropus can cause all divine spellcasters and extraplanar outsiders within 100 miles to become sickened for 1d4 hours. Creatures affected must succeed a DC 37 Fortitude save or take damage equal to the avatar’s HD plus Charisma modifier (42 damage). The save DC is Charisma based. Life Suppression Aura (Su) All living creatures within 60 feet of the avatar of Atropus gain 5 negative levels. This never results in permanent negative levels, and these negative levels are removed when the creature leaves the aura, but creatures with 5 or fewer Hit Dice are automatically slain by this effect. A creature under protection from evil, death ward or any spell or ability that has a similar effect is immune to the life suppression aura. All undead in the area gain fast healing 5 and channel resistance +5 as long as they remain in the area. Profane Channeling (Su) Whenever the avatar of Atropus uses its channel negative energy, it can choose to do so as a swift action, to maximize the damage dealt (or healded), or double the area. The avatar of Atropus can choose only one of these enhancements at a time. Profane Ichor (Su) The avatar of Atropus gains a +4 profane bonus to its AC and saving throws. In addition, it deals an extra 2d6 damage with its natural attacks to any non-good creature, as if its natural attacks were unholy weapons. Rejuvenation (Ex) When the avatar of Atropus is slain, Atropus is launched into interstellar space, where it remains adrift for 1000 years before the avatar of Atropus can reconstitute itself. The planetoid Atropus can only be destroyed by powerful deific or mythic magic (subject to GM approval), and only when its avatar has been slain. Truespeech (Su) The avatar of Atropus can automatically communicate with all creatures that have a language, as per a tongues spell.