Elder Evils

ATROPUS
Atropus is as much a place as it is a being. It is a small moonlet
spinning through the void, waiting to be ensnared by the
pull of the planets it nears. To those on the surface of the
chosen world, the elder evil appears as a speck in the sky. At
night it is almost invisible, blending in with the darkness,
but during twilight and dawn, it looks like a moving pinhole
of darkness.
As it draws closer and its sign intensifies, it grows, expanding
from a tiny dot to a small disk until it dominates the sky.
Pitted and slick with the black slime of the putrid amniotic
fluid of its birth, it hangs above, always drifting away from
the light of the sun and lurking overhead when the sun has
fled. It has the appearance of a huge chunk of black stone,
but from certain angles, it looks like a great hairless head,
black eyes glassy and soulless.
Atropus has no understandable personality and no inclinations
other than craving the destruction of all living things.
This rock is not uninhabited: Undead conjured from the
darkest nightmares infest it. These horrors claim the craters
for themselves, flitting through the shadows, ravenous for
the energy of the living. The master of them all is the focus,
an extension of Atropus’s will.
The focus is a headless, human-shaped creature with flesh
fossilized during Atropus’s endless roaming through the
cosmos. Closer inspection reveals that its foul body shares
the same hideous coating that wells up from the rents and
fissures on the moonlet’s surface.
Aspect of Atropus CR 23
hp 858 (66 HD); fast healing 20; DR 15/epic and good
LE Gargantuan undead (evil)
Init +5; Senses blind, blindsight 500 ft., true seeing; Listen +76
Aura negative energy (30 ft.)
Languages telepathy 1,000 ft., tongues
AC 43, touch 15, flat-footed 42; Dodge, Mobility
Immune anathematic secrecy (malefi c property), cold, gaze
attacks, elder evil immunities (page 6), undead immunities
(MM 317)
Resist acid 20, fi re 20, positive energy 10; SR 34
Fort +24, Ref +25, Will +42
Speed 50 ft. (10 squares); Spring Attack
Melee 2 slams +54 each (4d8+24/19–20 [on critical hit,
death (Fort DC 67 negates) plus 1d6] plus Con drain plus
energy drain)
Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft.
Base Atk +33; Grp +69
Atk Options Awesome Blow, Cleave, Combat Expertise,
Great Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Overrun,
Improved Sunder, Power Attack, Powerful Charge, Whirlwind
Attack, aligned strike (evil, lawful), Constitution
drain, energy drain, epic strike
Special Actions call meteor shower, create spawn, divine
scourge (malefi c property)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th):
At will—blight (+53 melee touch, DC 25), circle of death
(DC 26), create greater undead
3/day—quickened circle of death (DC 26), meteor swarm
(DC 29), waves of exhaustion
1/day—symbol of death (DC 28), wail of the banshee (DC 29)
Abilities Str 58, Dex 13, Con —, Int 25, Wis 24, Cha 31
SQ nondetection, sign (restless dead)
Feats Ability Focus (energy drain), Awesome Blow, Cleave,
Combat Expertise, Devastating Critical (slam) ELH (DC
67), Dodge, Great Cleave, Great Fortitude, Improved
Bull Rush, Improved Critical (slam), Improved Initiative,
Improved Sunder, Improved Toughness LM , Lightning
Reflexes, Mobility, Overwhelming Critical (slam) ELH , Positive
Energy Resistance LM , Power Attack, Powerful Charge,
Quicken Spell-Like Ability (circle of death), Spring Attack,
Weapon Focus (slam), Whirlwind Attack
Skills Balance +70, Climb +93, Concentration +69, Escape
Artist +70, Hide +58, Intimidate +79, Jump +32, Knowledge
(arcana) +76, Knowledge (religion) +76, Listen
+76, Move Silently +70, Spellcraft +86, Use Rope +1
(+9 bindings)
True Seeing (Su) As the true seeing spell; continuous; caster
level 20th.
Negative Energy Aura (Su) All undead creatures within 30
feet gain +5 turn resistance and fast healing 5, while all
living creatures gain fi ve negative levels for as long as
they remain in the area unless they have some protection
against negative energy effects. Living creatures that
have 5 or fewer Hit Dice are slain and rise as spectres
after 1d4 rounds.
Tongues (Su) As the tongues spell; continuous; caster level
20th.
Constitution Drain (Su) Living creatures hit by the aspect of
Atropus’s slam attack must succeed on a DC 53 Fortitude
save or take 1d6 points of Constitution drain. On each
such successful attack, the aspect of Atropus gains 5
temporary hit points. These temporary hit points last for
up to 1 hour, and an aspect of Atropus can gain a maximum
number of temporary hit points equal to its normal
hit point total.
Energy Drain (Su) Living creatures hit by the aspect of
Atropus’s slam attack gain three negative levels. The DC
is 55 for the Fortitude save to remove a negative level.
For each negative level bestowed, the aspect of Atropus
gains 5 temporary hit points. There temporary hit points
last for up to 1 hour, and an aspect of Atropus can gain a
maximum number of temporary hit points equal to its full
normal hit point total.
Call Meteor Shower (Su) The aspect of Atropus can sacrifi ce
50 hit points to call down a torrent of meteors. All creatures
(including the aspect of Atropus) within a 100-foot
radius take 10d6 points of bludgeoning damage and 10d6
points of fi re damage. A DC 53 Reflex save halves this
damage. After the meteor shower each square in the area
becomes diffi cult terrain and costs 2 squares of movement
to enter.
Create Spawn (Su) A living creature of size Huge or smaller
slain by the aspect of Atropus becomes an angel of decay
(see page 30) in 1d4 rounds. Spawn are under the command
of the aspect of Atropus and remain enslaved until
its death. They do not possess any of the abilities they
had in life.
Divine Scourge (Su) Once per day as a swift action, the
aspect of Atropus can cause all divine spellcasters and
extraplanar outsiders within a 1,000-mile radius to become
sickened for 1d4 hours. An affected creature must
succeed on a DC 53 Fortitude save or take 66 points of
vile damage.
Anathematic Secrecy (Su) The aspect of Atropus is immune
to all divine divination spell effects.
Nondetection (Su) As the nondetection spell; continuous;
caster level 20th.
CHAPTER 2
ATROPUS
19