Shuluth

Illus. by D. Scott

attacker, which tore the sword from its grasp and left it off guard for a precious few seconds. She thrust with her rapier and scored a mortal blow. Something awoke in her then, a sense both of triumph at her victory and of rage at the injustice of the archon’s attack. Fiend-tainted, was she? Well, then she would embrace that heritage. She had proven herself once—let the celestials come. Now she is Dark tongue, enemy of heaven. Livonia has an auditory omen (song of doom), one

Menu A choice (creature compass) and one Menu B choice (Charisma enhancement +2). Combat

Livonia combines aggressive spellcasting with her innate abilities. Darkness (Sp): Livonia can use darkness as the spell once per day (caster level 7th).

Doom of Heaven (Su): Livonia can detect any good outsider within 60 feet, but she must concentrate (a standard action) to do so. She ignores any damage reduction of good outsiders when attacking them.

Warmage Edge (Su): Whenever Livonia casts a spell that deals hit point damage, she deals an extra 3 points of damage. This bonus damage applies only once per casting of a given spell.

Spells: Livonia casts spells as an 8th-level warmage. Typical Warmage Spells Known (6/7/7/6/3; CL 8th): 0—acid splash (+7 ranged touch), disrupt undead, light, ray of frost (+7 ranged touch); 1st—accuracy*, burning hands (DC 13), chill touch, fi st of stone*, hail of stone*, magic missile, lesser orb of acid/cold/electricity/fi re/sound*, shocking grasp (+4 melee touch), true strike; 2nd—blades of fi re*, continual fl ame, darkness, fi re trap (DC 14), fi reburst* (DC 14), fl aming sphere, ice knife* (+7 ranged; DC 14), Melf’s acid arrow (+7 ranged touch), pyrotechnics, scorching ray (+7 ranged touch), shatter (DC 14), whirling blade*; 3rd—fi re shield, fi reball (DC 15), fl ame arrow, gust of wind (DC 15), ice storm, lightning bolt (DC 15), poison (DC 15), ring of blades*, sleet storm, stinking cloud (DC 15), wind wall (DC 15); 4th—blast of fl ame*, contagion (DC 15), Evard’s black tentacles, orb of acid/cold/electricity/fi re/sound*, phantasmal killer (DC 16), shout (DC 16), wall of fi re *New spells detailed in Complete Arcane.

Armored Mage (Ex): Livonia suffers no chance of arcane spell failure while wearing light or medium armor.

Having overcome an archon, Livonia has awakened the power to challenge others

Omen: A keening song of doom fi lls the air when ever good-aligned enemies are within 5 feet of Livonia. Possessions: +1 leather armor, +1 fl aming rapier, 2 potions of cure light wounds. SHULUTH

This example uses an illithid as the base creature. Shuluth the Illithid

Shuluth, Mind Flayer of Legacy Medium Aberration Hit Dice: 8d8+8 (44 hp) Initiative: +6 Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares) Armor Class: 16 (+2 Dex, +3 natural, +1 defl ection), touch 13, fl at-footed 14 Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+7 Attack: Tentacle +8 melee (1d4+1) Full Attack: 4 tentacles +8 melee (1d4+1) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: Improved grab, extract, mind blast, psionics Special Qualities: Defl ection, mirror image, omen, see invisibility, spell resistance 25, telepathy 100 ft. Saves: Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +9 Abilities: Str 12, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 19, Wis 17, Cha 17 Skills: Bluff +11, Concentration +11 (+15 casting

defensively), Diplomacy +7, Disguise +3 (+5 acting in character), Hide +10, Intimidate +9, Knowledge (arcana) +12, Listen +11, Move Silently +10, Sense Motive +7, Spot +11

Feats: Combat Casting, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse

Environment: Underground

Organization: Solitary, pair, inquisition (3–5), or cult (3–5 plus 6–10 grimlocks)

Challenge Rating: 9

Treasure: Double standard

Alignment: Lawful evil

Advancement: By character class

Level Adjustment: —

Shuluth has the distinction of having survived a harrowing encounter with the Band of Lavender, a group of githyanki and elan adventurers who had made a name for themselves exterminating mind flayers. Not only did Shuluth survive (barely), it also managed to exterminate every member of the group by means of a fiendish trap. Because the Band of Lavender had such a long and illustrious history, and because Shuluth devised such a cunning and lethal trap, the illithid became a monster of legacy. Now, Shuluth thrills to the continued beat of its own heart, realizing that its victory was a spectacular event that might eventually become a legend. Combat

Shuluth enhances the normal combat tactics of an illithid with its improved defensive abilities.

Extract (Ex): If Shuluth begins its turn with all four tentacles attached and makes a successful grapple check, it automatically extracts the opponent’s brain, instantly killing that creature.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, Shuluth must hit a Small, Medium, or Large creature with its tentacle attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and attaches the tentacle to the opponent’s head. Shuluth can grab a Huge or larger creature, but only if it can somehow reach the foe’s head. If Shuluth begins its turn with at least one tentacle attached, it can try to attach its remaining tentacles with a single grapple check. The opponent can escape with a single successful grapple check or an Escape Artist check, but Shuluth gets a +2 circumstance bonus for every tentacle that was attached at the beginning of the opponent’s turn.

Mind Blast (Sp): 60-ft. cone, stun 3d4 rounds, Will DC 17 negates. This ability is the equivalent of a 4th-level spell.

Psionics (Sp): At will—charm monster (DC 17), detect thoughts (DC 15), levitate, plane shift, suggestion (DC 16). Caster level 8th.

Deflection: Shuluth enjoys an inherent +1 deflection bonus to its AC.

Mirror Image (Sp): Once per day by uttering a vile command word, Shuluth can use mirror image as the spell. Caster level 5th. Omen: All creatures within 15 feet of Shuluth that have a language “hear” dire mental whispers forecasting their sudden and painful demise. Shuluth can suppress or emit this telepathic aura as a free action.

See Invisibility (Sp): Once per day by uttering a vile command word, Shuluth can use see invisibility as the spell. Caster level 5th.

Telepathy (Su): Shuluth can communicate telepathically with any other creature within 100 feet that has a language.

Shuluth wiped out an entire illithid-hunting society and now revels in its newly gained abilities

Illus. by F. Hooper