DND Dufe Abyssalplagueepic
DND Dufe Abyssalplagueepic
DND Dufe Abyssalplagueepic
A tiny breach in an ageless prison has released a disease greater than any other. A chained god infuses his will into a liquid remnant of evil inhabiting a dead demiplane. A plague of hatred and malice spreads across the multiverse, transforming simple farmers and beasts into creatures of horror and madness. The purest essence of this malevolencean entity known as the Voidharrowspreads its power and consciousness across every known world. It resides in the Plaguedeep, the core of a demiplane of its own creation, protected by its most powerful followers, the exarchs and heralds of a new dark age. As described in the Abyssal Plague Dungeons & Dragons novel series, the spread of the plague was
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Traits
O Maddening Presence F Aura 1 Enemies in the aura take a 2 penalty to all defenses.
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +28 vs. AC Hit: 19 damage. r Mindspike (psychic) F At-Will Attack: Ranged 10 (one creature); +26 vs. Will Hit: 19 psychic damage. C Plagueburst (necrotic, psychic) F Encounter Trigger: The blightwalker drops to 0 hit points. Attack (No Action): Close burst 1 (creatures in the burst); +26 vs. Fortitude Hit: 25 necrotic and psychic damage. Miss: Half damage. Str 27 (+19) Dex 24 (+18) Wis 6 (+9) Con 24 (+18) Int 6 (+9) Cha 16 (+14) Alignment chaotic evil Languages understands Abyssal
Triggered Actions
Lore
Arcana or Religion DC 27: Blightwalkers overflow with the taint of the Abyssal plague. Little remains of their original minds. Dark energy issues from their gaping wounds, and a single blow against them violently unleashes the plague within. History DC 27: Powerful heroes who fall in battle against the Voidharrow, or those foolish enough to serve it willingly, are tested by its purest essence. Those who succeed become the guardians of the Voidharrow. Those who fail become blightwalkers.
VoidhArrow e x Arch
The strongest knights and warriors who pass the trials of the Voidharrow become its exarchs, commanders of its forces throughout the multiverse. They spread its will through extreme physical violence. Exarchs bodies are horribly mutated manifestations of their previous forms. Crystalline growths permanently fuse any armor they wear to their bodies. Large blades coated in sharp red crystal are grafted to their limbs. One exarch reigns over each region under the Voidharrows influence. It acts as the sentient plagues champion, leading armies across blighted lands, slaughtering the weak, and harvesting stronger foes as future servants of the Voidharrow.
Tactics
Blightwalkers have little individual direction. Pain and hatred fill their lives, although they retain some muscle memory from their former selves. They avoid taking actions that would open them to opportunity attacks, and they seek to station themselves where they can gain combat advantage. Their leaders know the value of commanding blightwalkers into such positions right before plagueburst is triggered.
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Lore
Arcana DC 28: This dark knight of the Voidharrow can bind enemies in the ethereal chains of Tharizdun, rip them through rifts in space, and hew them open with its jagged crystalline blade. History DC 28: Once, this twisted monstrosity was a knight who traveled the planes seeking justice, fame, or fortune. You cannot say whether it came to the Voidharrow as an enemy or as a supplicant seeking power from the sentient blight. Now it serves the Voidharrow as champion, guardian, and protector.
Voidharrow Exarch
Medium elemental humanoid (demon) HP 225; Bloodied 112 AC 40, Fortitude 37, Reflex 35, Will 36 Speed 5 Resist 15 necrotic, 15 psychic
Tactics
A Voidharrow exarch retains the tactical acumen of a powerful knight. It relies on psychic chains and vengeance strike to lock down strikers and controllers, but it gains particular pleasure from cutting down leaders. When fighting alongside the Voidharrow or one or more of its heralds, an exarch tries to pull as many enemies away from its allies as possible.
VoidhArrow h erAld
If exarchs are the brutal hands of the Voidharrow, the heralds are its voice. They spread the sentient plagues words of madness and hatred. Planewalking wizards and other mighty practitioners of the arcane arts are often selected to serve as the Voidharrows heralds.
Level 24 Soldier
XP 6,050 Initiative +20 Perception +18
Lore
Arcana DC 29: Twisted by the influence of the Abyssal plague, this former spellcaster sacrifices its magical abilities but gains a special blade of red crystal that extends from its hand. This sword can slice through space itself, inflicting horrible wounds on distant opponents.
Attack: Melee 1 (one target); +29 vs. AC Hit: 2d10 + 21 damage, and the target grants combat advantage and has vulnerable 5 to all damage until it hits the exarch with an attack (save ends both). Whirling Plague Blade F Recharge 5 6 Effect: The exarch uses plague blade twice. If the exarch is bloodied, it uses plague blade three times.
Triggered Actions
M Psychic Chains (psychic, teleportation) F At-Will Trigger: An enemy within 5 squares of the exarch makes an attack that doesnt include the exarch as a target. Attack (Immediate Reaction): Melee 5 (triggering enemy); +27 vs. Will Hit: The exarch teleports the target to a square adjacent to itself and then uses plague blade against the target. Vengeance Strike F At-Will Trigger: An adjacent enemy shifts or willingly teleports. Effect (Opportunity Action): The exarch uses plague blade against the triggering enemy. Str 28 (+21) Dex 22 (+18) Wis 12 (+13) Con 25 (+19) Int 12 (+13) Cha 24 (+19) Alignment chaotic evil Languages Abyssal, Common, Primordial
Tactics
A Voidharrow herald begins by spewing the vile whispers of the Voidharrow, cursing a ranged target. It then teleports near the cursed foe, preferably behind the rear ranks of an enemy party, and slices its prey from a safe distance. If pinned down, the herald teleports away from danger.
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Medium elemental humanoid (demon) HP 178; Bloodied 89 AC 39, Fortitude 36, Reflex 37, Will 38 Speed 6, teleport 6 Resist 15 necrotic, 15 psychic
Traits
Plagued Blood While the herald is bloodied, it can score a critical hit on a roll of 1720.
aim, the Progenitors will is simply to spread the Abyssal plague. The Voidharrow can appear in many forms, but it most often appears as a column of twisting red liquid crystal streaming with pulsing lines of silver and flecked with gold. In combat, the Voidharrow sees powerful opponents as future exarchs and heralds and surrounds itself with the mightiest of those it has converted. As a direct creation of Tharizdun, the Voidharrow has an intellect beyond that of any mortal, with no understanding of love, compassion, revenge, or hatred.
The Voidharrow Level 27 Elite Controller
Huge elemental magical beast (demon, ooze) XP 22,000 HP 500; Bloodied 250 Initiative +16 AC 41, Fortitude 39, Reflex 37, Will 41 Perception +21 Speed 6, teleport 6 Blindsight 3 Immune charm, fear, stunned; Resist 15 necrotic, 15 psychic Saving Throws +2; Action Points 1 O Voidharrow Whispers F Aura 1 (3 while the Voidharrow is bloodied) Any enemy that ends its turn in the aura gains vulnerable 15 necrotic and 15 psychic until the end of its next turn. Ooze While squeezing, the Voidharrow moves at full speed rather than half speed, it doesnt take the 5 penalty to attack rolls, and it doesnt grant combat advantage for squeezing. m Plague Grip (necrotic) F At-Will Attack: Melee 3 (one creature); +30 vs. Fortitude Hit: 3d10 + 5 necrotic damage, and the Voidharrow grabs the target (escape DC 30). Until the grab ends, the target is dazed and takes ongoing 10 necrotic damage. m Plague Reach (fear, psychic) F At-Will Attack: Melee 10 (one creature); +30 vs. Will Hit: 3d10 + 5 psychic damage, and ongoing 15 psychic damage (save ends). The Voidharrow slides the target up to the targets speed. Plague Fury F At-Will Effect: The Voidharrow makes two basic attacks. If the Voidharrow is bloodied, it makes three basic attacks.
It is unlike any villain the heroes of the outer worlds might have faced. Every drip of its essence teems with a single-minded ambition to devour all life.
Lore
Arcana DC 30: The Voidharrow twists space physically and in the minds of its opponents. It slips through traps with ease and can warp the minds of its enemies, turning them against one another. Nature DC 30: The Voidharrow has no ties to the natural world. It is a force bred from the chaos
Move Actions
Harrowing Grab (teleportation) F At-Will The Voidharrow walks or teleports up to its speed, and creatures grabbed by it are pulled or teleported with it, staying grabbed in a space of the Voidharrows choice within 3 squares of itself. The Voidharrows movement provokes no opportunity attacks from the grabbed creatures.
C Voidharrow Curse (necrotic, psychic) F At-Will Effect: Close burst 10 (one enemy in the burst). The target is cursed (save ends). If the herald scores a critical hit against the target while it is cursed, the target takes 15 extra necrotic and psychic damage.
Triggered Actions
Cursed Pain (necrotic, psychic) F At-Will Trigger: An enemy cursed by the herald that the herald can see takes damage. Effect (Free Action): The triggering enemy takes 15 necrotic and psychic damage, and the curse ends. Skills Arcana +20, Insight +18 Str 16 (+15) Dex 24 (+19) Wis 12 (+13) Con 22 (+18) Int 16 (+15) Cha 28 (+21) Alignment chaotic evil Languages Abyssal, Common, Primordial
Traits
Minor Actions
M Mind Harrow (charm) F Recharge 5 6 Attack: Melee 10 (one creature taking ongoing psychic damage); +30 vs. Will Hit: As a free action, the target charges or uses an at-will attack power against an enemy of the Voidharrows choice. C Harrowing Misdirect (charm) F Recharge when first bloodied Trigger: An enemy within 20 squares of the Voidharrow hits or misses it with a melee or a ranged attack. Attack (Immediate Interrupt): Close burst 20 (triggering enemy in the burst); +30 vs. Will Hit: The triggering attack is instead made against a creature of the Voidharrows choice within the original attacks range. Skills Arcana +26, Insight +21 Str 20 (+18) Dex 16 (+16) Wis 16 (+16) Con 26 (+21) Int 26 (+21) Cha 29 (+22) Alignment chaotic evil Languages Abyssal, Common, Primordial; telepathy 10
Triggered Actions
t he VoidhArrow
The essence of malice and destruction, the Voidharrow is a sentient disease that travels from world to world, infecting every living creature it can. Like a virus, it seeks only to replicate and spread. It has boundless ambition, like the Chained God that created it, but its will is divided between the desires of Tharizdun and the destructive purpose of the Progenitor. Although Tharizdun still seeks release and hopes to use the Voidharrow to fulfill that
Standard Actions
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Tactics
The Voidharrow uses enemies against one another, filling their minds with malice. It attempts to keep as many foes as possible within its aura without allowing itself to become completely surrounded. If the Voidharrow is surrounded, it teleports to a better position. It grabs those bold enough to confront it in melee and moves more distant targets closer or into a good position for the effect of mind harrow. Occasionally, it twists the mind of a ranged attacker so that the foes shot targets another creature.
Maddening Presence
Intelligent creatures overcome by the essence of the plague project the Voidharrows malice. This whisper seeps into the minds of those nearby and begins corrupting their bodies. It sends veins of red through their skin and murmurs of a darkness so deep that no mortal can comprehend it. This power best fits mighty controllers and leaders.
O Maddening Presence F Aura 1 Enemies in the aura take a 2 penalty to all defenses.
Plagueburst
The Voidharrow uses larger and more mindless creatures to spread its will in more direct ways. When a creature uses this power, all of its crystalline protrusions explode, spreading a burning, screaming red mist in the air. This power best fits brutes and soldiers. You can use this power to add environmental effects to the encounter.
C Plagueburst (necrotic, psychic, zone) F Encounter Trigger: The creature drops to 0 hit points. Effect (No Action): Close burst 1 (creatures in the burst). Each target takes 5 necrotic and psychic damage per tier. If the creature is not a minion, the burst creates a zone that lasts until the end of the encounter. Any creature that ends its turn in the zone takes 5 necrotic and psychic damage per tier.
Abyssal Plaguetouch
Beasts afflicted with the Abyssal plague often find their natural weapons coated in a strange red liquid crystal that spreads the infection further. Creatures can coat their weapons in razor-sharp crystals. The plague breaks through targets mental and physical resistance, making them more susceptible to harm. This power best fits skirmishers, lurkers, and artillery creatures. Alternatively, the effect can be changed so that it ends when the target hits the creature. When
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In the middle of the epic tier, the characters track down the remnants of the gods that first imprisoned Tharizdun to learn more about the plagues origin and weaknesses. To prevent the party from gaining such knowledge, the Voidharrow sends dark assassins to kill the gods or transform them into its servants. Only the characters can save them. In the final adventures of the epic tier, the party faces the Voidharrows strongest exarchs and heralds. After defeating those forces, the characters confront the Voidharrow in its demiplane. During this mighty battle, the party might glimpse the madness within the prison of the Chained God and see the true threat faced by the multiverse.
Michael E. Shea is the webmaster of SlyFlourish.com, a site focused on building a better 4th Edition Dungeon Master, and the author of Sly Flourishs Dungeon Master Tips and Sly Flourishs Running Epic Tier D&D Games. Mike lives in northern Virginia with his wife, Michelle, and his dire worg, Jebu.
Editor Ray Vallese Developer Chris Sims Managing Editors Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins Producers Greg Bilsland, Christopher Perkins, Stan! Digital Studio Consultant Dan Helmick Art Directors Kate Irwin, Jon Schindehette Illustrator Peter Tikos Graphic Production Erin Dorries
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