Villains' Lorebook.pdf - Department of Political Science

while unlikely, the possibility that Tyranthraxus
spawned at least some of them does exist.
The last recorded appearance of the Possessing
Spirit was 1340 DR, in conjunction with the legendary
Pool of Radiance. Tyranthraxus inhabited
multiple bodies during these events, but he spent a
great deal of time in the body of a bronze dragon.
When the heroes were on the verge of victory over
him, he leapt into a different body and dove into the
Pool, using its magic to teleport away.
Many rumors have arisen since then of “possessions”
and so forth. A recent one linked to Tyranthraxus
(however feebly) is that he recently took up
residence in the ruins of Myth Drannor. Another is
that he’s learned of and is seeking one or more of the
fiend Phalse’s duplicates of Alias the swordswoman-or
perhaps the original herself.
Motivations/Goals: Tyranthraxus wants to rule
all of the Realms; it’s that simple. As a unique being,
he feels best qualified for such a position. He longs to
squeeze all of Toril in his iron grip.
Campaign Uses: With his body-jumping abilities,
Tyranthraxus can be a tremendously dangerous foe;
he literally could be anyone, even someone the PCs
trust implicitly such as a mentor, family member, or
lover.
Care must be taken in his spirit jumping into PCs’
bodies; players hate losing control of their characters
and doing so too often can lead to hard feelings. Use
NPCs when possible; it’s simpler plus then the PCs
never know exactly where Tyranthraxus might be.
Sources: Pool of Radiance, Curse of the Azure
Bonds accessory.
Unique Powers
Tyranthraxus is seemingly unique in the history of
the Realms. How he came to be a disembodied entity,
whether he’s always existed in that form, and
even the plane of existence that he calls home is un-
known.
Tyranthraxus places the consciousness of the host
body he invades in a kind of temporal stasis. While he
cannot access its memories, physical qualities such
as voice, posture, and gross bodily movements remain
the same. When the Possessing Spirit invades
a body, the following special abilities apply:
l Fiery Aura: From the moment of possession, the
host body Tyranthraxus is invading is sheathed in
flames. The flames do no damage to the host body,
but any beings in contact with the host body take
2dl0 points of magical fire damage. Tyranthraxus
has learned to quell these flames so he can mix in society
normally. In combat though, he often allows
the flames to reappear, discouraging potential foes
from coming too close.
l ESP: Tyranthraxus can sense all thoughts
within line of sight, out to 150’ distant. This means
he can read the minds of those near him and react as
those beings expect the host body to. Tyranthraxus
also is all but impossible to surprise.
l Magic Resistance: All host bodies of Tyranthraxus
have a flat 25% Magic Resistance rating, re-
gardless of any the host body may possess itself.
l Transference: Tyranthraxus can abandon a host
at any time and seek a new body. The being he
chooses must make a successful save vs. death or
come entirely under the control of the Possessing
Spirit. The host’s consciousness is put into a kind of
temporal stasis, and Tyranthraxus assumes control of
all higher functions. If the save succeeds, Tyranthraxus
remains in his most recent host. He may attempt
one “jump” per round, and this is the only action
he can take in that round. His range limit for
jumping is the same as for his ESP: line of sight
within 150’.
The Possessing Spirit cannot be expelled from a
host body by any means short of a dispel evil or limited
wish. Abjure, dismissal, and other magicks that affect
only otherplanar creatures have no effect, nor does
protection from evil spells.
If Tyranthraxus is expelled from a body or the
body is killed, the Possessing Spirit immediately
gains a chance to invade a new host, as per the rules
above.
If, somehow, no living bodies exist for Tyranthraxus,
he can exist within the Pool of Radiance. If
such exist in your campaign, they would be Tyranthraxus’
bolt-hole of choice. Barring that, it’s possible
that any magical liquid could sustain him. In
such a medium, he can try to possess only those who
come into direct contact with the liquid. How long
Tyranthraxus could survive without any medium is
unknown.
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