Atropal

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Atropal (CR 30)

All abominations are horrors. They are things which should not exist in the bright, sunny world of the Prime Plane. There are many sorts of abominations out in the Deep Dark, and of those, the Atropal are among the most terrible.

Atropal are dark, horrendous things. Eye-witnesses to Atropal incursions on the Prime are rare, but they describe them as terrible floating fiends, dead and yet still aware, with the dreadful sound of their azoic aura as it gnaws away at the fabric of our reality everywhere they go.

Atropal are powerful things, juggernauts of darkness that drift about when they are stillborn into our reality, sampling and examining. Normal creatures die in the presence of an Atropal, and their flesh is nearly instantly bound in service to the abomination. An Atropal incursion is usually discovered when the army of undead they generate simply by existing goes on a rampage. Atropal never negotiate, and only rarely try to communicate at all. Atropal are vastly intelligent, but their intelligence is of a different order from creatures.

Atropal are both undead, and constructs. Atropal are made things, you see, although the agency of their creation seems to be embodied in the very fabric of reality itself. Atropal are also dead, the aborted remains of failed gods which do not go quietly into oblivion, but persist as stains upon reality.

Atropal are very rare in the Prime Plane. Occasionally a Lich or Demi-Lich will manage to allow one into the world. The Atropal is completely beyond the power of most creatures on the Prime Plane to control, however. They make dandy weapons of terror, though, and can be summoned within a kingdom that is troublesome and left to their own devices. Demons and Devils are cuddly little housepets compared to an Atropal.

Perhaps the most frightening thing about the Atropal is their origin. The wisest scribes and sages have worked with the mightiest wizards and cleverest ciphers for thousands of years, and there is little doubt any longer. For every universe like the Prime Material that arises from the unknowable fount of creation, there are a trillion, trillion, trillion at least that never form completely. These universes trail away into the Outer Night and slowly rot and decay away, and when they have moldered to nothing their crystal spheres collapse and what is left is an Atropal.

For every man and woman and child and plant and animal and insect upon the entire world, there are a billion Atropals floating in the Deep Dark. The numbers are certain, and expeditions to the Outer Night have confirmed it. There are more Atropal than all the Demons and Devils a billion times over.

All that holds the Atropals away from our bright reality is the light and positive energy of our realms. But if you ever have to venture into the True Darkness, that mode of existence which lies behind the Hells, lies above the sky, you will find the Atropal waiting.

GENERAL

CR 30 Hit Dice 59

XP 9,840,000

LE Large Outsider (Undead, Construct, Aberration, Lawful)

Init +13; Senses Darkvision 60', Blindsense 90', Telepathy 1000', Perception +51

DEFENSE

AC 56, touch 35, flat-footed 50 (+13 armor, +6 dex, +8 natural, +19 deflection)

hp 1,683

Fort +25, Ref +25, Will +30

Special Defenses SR 40, ER 20/Fire, ER 20/Cold, Regeneration 20, Negative energy heals (except its own aura).

Immunities sleep, paralysis, death effects, necromantic effects, mind-affecting effects, any effect requiring a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects. Not subject to nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, or energy drain.

OFFENSE

Speed 50 ft., Fly 200 (hover)

Space 10 ft. Reach 10 ft.

Single Melee Bite +46 (Energy Drain 1d4 negative levels)

Full Melee Full Melee Bite +46 (Energy Drain 1d4 negative levels), 2x Claws +46 (Energy Drain 1d4 negative levels)

Ranged None, see Baleful Gaze

Special Attacks Azoic Aura 30', Baleful Gaze, Create Greater Undead, Greater Dispel Magic, Greater Invisibility, Harm, Project Image

Action Points 0

STATISTICS

Str 43, Dex 15, Con 0, Int 28, Wis 22, Cha 42

Base Atk +30; CMB +49; CMD 50

Feats Whirlwind Attack, Mobility

Skills Bluff +61, Diplomacy +61, Intimidate +61, Sense Motive +51, Spellcraft +54, Perception +51

Languages Stilth, Telepathy (all)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Azoic Aura

All creatures within 30 feet of the Atropal at the start of its turn take 15d6 negative energy damage (no save). This negative energy heals undead in the aura for the same amount. Any undead within 30 feet of the Atropal can be commanded as a free action. Any creature slain while within the aura spawns a Mohrg one round after the creature is killed. Note that this aura does not heal the Atropal (see regeneration). The Azoic Aura will slowly degrade the Atropal's surroundings, as well. If the Atropal remains within 30 feet of any material structures for one minute, each square of the affected area suffers one point of siege damage and loses one point of hardness. The hardness recovers as soon as the Atropal moves, but the siege damage remains.

Baleful Gaze

As a minor action, the Atropal makes a ranged touch attack against any target it can perceive within 400 feet. If the attack hits, the target takes 1d4 ability damage to INT, WIS and CHA, and the target is teleported to an unoccupied square adjacent to the Atropal. The target may make a Reflex save (DC 41). If successful, the ability damage is halved (round up) and the teleport is negated.

Create Greater Undead (No save, SR no)

As a standard action, the Atropal may use the Create Greater Undead ability, as the Create Greater Undead spell, except that this is an extraordinary ability which does not require a concentration check.

Greater Dispel Magic (No Save, SR no)

As a standard action, the Atropal may use the Greater Dispel Magic ability, as the Greater Dispel Magic spell, except that this is an extraordinary ability which does not require a concentration check.

Greater Invisibility (Will DC 41 negates, SR no)

As a standard action, the Atropal may use the Greater Invisibility ability, as the Greater Invisibility spell, except that this is an extraordinary ability which does not require a concentration check.

Harm (Will DC 41 for half, SR yes)

As a standard action, the Atropal may use the Harm ability, as the Harm spell, except that this is an extraordinary ability which does not require a concentration check. Harm charges a subject with negative energy that deals 150 points of damage. If the creature successfully saves, harm deals 75 points of damage. Harm cannot reduce the target's hit points to less than 1.

If used on an undead creature, harm acts like heal.

Project Image (Illusion (shadow) DC 41 negates, SR no)

As a minor action, the Atropal may use the Project Image ability, as the Project Image spell, except that this is an extraordinary ability which does not require a concentration check.

The Atropal taps energy from the Plane of Shadow to create a quasi-real, illusory version of itself. The projected image looks, sounds, and smells like the Atropal but is intangible. The projected image mimics the actions of the Atropal (including speech) unless it is directed to act differently (which is a move action).

The Atropal can see through its eyes and hear through its ears as if it were standing where the image is located. During its turn The atropal can switch from using its senses to using the images senses, or back again, as a free action. While the Atropal is using the remote images senses, the Atropal is considered blinded and deafened.

If the Atropal wishes, any spell or ability it can use whose range is touch or greater can originate from the projected image instead of from the Atropal. This includes all the powers above. The projected image can't cast any spells on itself except for illusion spells. The spells affect other targets normally, despite originating from the projected image.

TREASURE

Each Atropal drops loot with a sell value of approximately 6,250,000 gp.

COMBAT TACTICS

If at all possible the Atropal will begin combat using its projected image. Energy drain, Harm and baleful gaze are the main attacks. Note that baleful gaze used through the image will teleport the afflicted victim to the real Atropals location, which can leave an unfortunate victim alone with the abomination. Once the real location of the Atropal is located, the Atropal will use baleful gaze every round on any spellcasters or other targets outside of its aura. If a party is well prepared with buffs and defenses against the Atropal's dread attacks, it will use Greater Dispel Magic to strip away as much of those defenses as it can. Atropals are very mobile and will fly around corners to cut line of sight and use Greater Invisibility to then ambush their foes. Whenever possible an Atropal will try to force attackers to close to within Azoic Aura range. It will also seek to prolong fights so its healing can work, and if in an area with low level mortals will use its Azoic Aura to spawn Mohrg's to serve as cannon fodder. Multiple Atropals will stack their Azoic Aura's if they can, so they can maximize the negative damage they inflict and heal one another. In melee, Atropals will use their energy drain attacks to bestow as many negative levels as possible upon any melee attackers. If surrounded by multiple attackers they will use whirlwind attack to energy drain all of them. If they are having trouble hitting a well-armored attacker they will use Harm on that target to soften it up for the Azoic Aura to slay. If pressed, an Atropal will use Harm on itself as it flees, and then will use Greater Invisibility to double back and continue the attack.

Good luck, you're going to need it.

OUT OF COMBAT

Out of combat, Atropals have the ability to cast about any spell you can think of, once per day. They are vastly knowledgeable, and if you can persuade one not to kill you immediately they can provide enormous amounts of the most arcane and erudite knowledge imaginable. Atropals speak only in Stilth, but their telepathy allows them to communicate with anyone they wish to. Atropals don't view mortal denizens of the Prime Plane as anything other than amusing diversions and useful raw materials most of the time, and will happily pass the time in the most horrific amusements. For example, an Atropal will often use its Create Greater Undead power for hours at a time when fresh raw materials are available, trying to see what cool things it can make with a caster level of 30....

Atropals on the Prime Plane usually kill a good supply of mortals, create an army of Mohrgs, and set the horde of Mohrgs to work killing other mortals and turning them into Zombies. Left to their own devices, a nest of Atropals will kill every living thing on an entire world and set up a dark kingdom of undeath for their own edification. If they have killed an entire world, a nest of Atropals will then seek to travel to other worlds and repeat the process for as long as they exist.