How do you kill an Umbral?

Here's a quick sketch of the Zeitgeist, a spirit of the timeline they will be forging into a weapon. To understand it, you have to know that in this timeline, the local civilization came under the influence of a devil who convinced the leadership to spark up an anti-kobold hysteria, even to the point of driving kobolds out of their homes and stampeding them into riots through towns and such to get people scared. This justified increased military forces, as well as taking kobolds as slaves for profit. Massive profit.

Of course, this was the devil's plan, as he has placed himself as the "god" of the kobolds by pretending to be a dragon. He wanted the kobolds infiltrated into society, so they could utilize rituals to steal Glory quintessence from another god.

When people discovered the kobolds were doing this, half the civilization demanded all the kobolds be killed or driven out immediately. The other half LIKED having kobold slaves. This sparked a civil war.

So... with that being the history of this timeline, I present: The Zeitgeist.



Zeitgeist of the Time Splinter Stage-1 (Spirit of Greed, Enslavement, and Civil War)
Level 21 Multi-Stage Elite Large Outsider (Extra-Planar)

Initiative: 16 Exp: 6400 (Each Stage)
HP: 310; Bloodied: 155
AC: 35 Fortitude: 33 Reflex: 35 Will: 36

Action points: 1
Str: 23 (+16) Dex: 23 (+16) Wis: 26 (+18)
Con: 23 (+16) Int: 23 (+16) Cha: 26 (+18)

Money Carried at Start of Encounter: 500gp

Traits:
Chained and Lashed
The Zeitgeist cannot move more than five squares from the place it was summoned. Targets that are marked by the Zeitgeist cannot move more than 5 squares away from the Zeitgeist. Creatures marking or being marked by the Zeitgeist share status effects with the Zeitgeist.

Enslaved
Every round, randomly select one of the Zeitgeist's foes, on a high roll (6 on a d6, 8 on a d8, etc) allow the players to choose. The Zeitgeist is considered to be marked by that foe, replacing any other marks current on it. If the Zeitgeist makes any attack not including the foe who is marking it, the Zeitgeist takes 2d6+7 damage. This damage stacks with any other damage that might result.

Secret Rebellion
The Zeitgeist has combat advantage and gains partial concealment against any foe that is marking it, and deals an extra 4d8+11 damage on any attack against any foe it has combat advantage against.

Standard Actions:
(Basic Melee) Greed Strike
Reach 2; +26 vs AC; 4d8 damage plus 1 per hundred gold peices carried by the Zeitgeist
Effect: Target loses 2d6 * 100 gold peices, and the Zeitgeist gains that amount. If the target is carrying insufficient gold, one magic item of the target has its bonus reduced by 1, and the Zeitgeist gains 1000 gp.

(Basic Ranged) Economic Chains
Range 1 per 100gp held by the Zeitgeist; +24 vs Reflex; 4d8 damage plus 2 per 100gp spent, and target is marked by the Zeitgeist.

Move Actions:
Pull chain
The Zeitgeist pulls one marked foe up to 6 squares.

Minor Actions:
Gate Kobold
1d4 Level 16 Kobold Minions appear within 5 squares of the Zeitgeist, and act immediately. Each wields a +2 Dagger of Hellfire (+2d6 Fire Damage on crit, halves any fire resistance of target).

Triggered Actions:
Rumors of Rebellion
(Trigger) The Zeitgeist is Bloodied for the first time
Effect: The Zeitgeist moves, then uses Gate Kobold, four times.

Outbreak of Civil War
(Trigger)The Zeitgeist is dropped to 0 or fewer HP
Effect: Two copies of the Stage-2 Zeitgeist are immediately spawned within 5 squares. Stage-2 Zeitgeists have all traits of a Stage-1 Zeitgeist, plus the following:

Warring Brothers

The Stage 2 Zeitgeist can only target other Stage 2 Zeitgeists for any attack.

Syncronized

All Stage 2 Zeitgeists have their own initiative count, but act on the initiative counts of all Stage 2 Zeitgeists.

Stage 2 Zeitgeists have the following standard action, but retain Triggered Actions:

(Basic Ranged) Crossfire

Range 10; All Creatures between Zeitgeist and Target; +26 vs Fort; 4d8+11 Fire damage




Rebel Kobold
Level 16 Minion

Initiative: 15 Exp: 350
HP: 1; a missed attack never damages a minion.
AC: 30 Fortitude: 28 Reflex: 29 Will: 28
Attack bonus vs. AC: +21
Attack bonus vs. other defenses: +19
Damage: 8 fire, ignore fire resistance. 16 fire if no fire resistance.
Shifts as a Minor Action
Str: 21 (+13) Dex: 24 (+15) Wis: 21 (+13)
Con: 21 (+13) Int: 24 (+15) Cha: 21 (+13)

Upper_Krust said:

Hiya mate!



Tamas = First One

Casim = Old One (I swopped the name with the Pseudonatural 'Old One' which is now called Maadim...both names sound more apropos now.) Looks like a giant ball of darkness with tendrils. Bit like a living black hole I suppose. The Casim itself would be about planet size, although its reach could be much greater.

Thaumiel = Elder one (okay this one is complicated to explain its look. Its a two-headed giant but the heads are disembodied and each head has one wing. On its arms writhe two black serpents). Probably Giga-size in 4E. Anti-Time

Agshekolah = Greater God (looks like a colossal black house cat stomping about, walking on its hind legs...looks like Tacgnol...google that). Possibly mega-size in 4E. Anti-Spirit

Golohab = Intermediate (looks like a Gargantuan Tortoise whose shell is a small volcano shooting and spewing red fire). Anti-Matter

Tagiriron = Lesser (looks like a huge spiky-armoured warrior). Anti-Thought

Ghareb Tzerek = Demi (looks like a large swarm of ravens that fly in the shape of a skull). Anti-Life

Samael = Quasi (looks like a medium werewolf with yellow poison dripping from its mouth). Anti-Entropy



Going by the original designations, I think:

• Blackballs = 21 Elite (33 Minion)
• Gamaliel = 24 Elite (29 standard)...I recently made the Gamaliel one of the Devoids (an intelligent race that is Half-Umbral). The Gamaliel always was the template for a half-umbral, the Umbral part is a black minotaur that is molesting (to put it politely) the 'host'. Gamaliel are known as "Obscene Ones".
• Samael = 27 Elite (31 standard)
• Ghareb Tzerek = 31 Elite

• Tagiriron = 34 Elite
• Golohab = 37 Elite (32 Solo)
• Agshekolah = 41 Elite (31 Mega-solo)

• Thaumiel = 44 Elite (29 Giga-solo)
• Casim = 47 Elite (27 Tera-solo)
• Tamas = 51 Elite (26 Peta-solo)

The above might need some fine tuning (up or down a level for instance) but its a fairly close overview to what I had originally envisioned.

With true Mega-size and upward beasties think about combat in terms of peeling an onion in that it has multiple 'layers' dictated by distance. To use a crude example of Godzilla, you would fight him on the ground then fight on the monster itself. So with a Casim, there will be 4 'strata' of combat.



Undimensionals. Things that exist on the other side of the known (positive) dimensions.



When an immortal is (truly) slain, think of that acting like a cookie cutter slicing into the fabric of reality and leaving an 'immortal shaped' gap of nothingness into which entropy can fill.



Its possible that when the Supreme Being created the first...who became his adversary (in effect Satan) that he might have stolen or destroyed (perhaps during their battle) some of the akashic records. This may have resulted in negative dimensions.

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Hey @Uppercrust question: How many Planes (Old Ones) and planar layers (Elder Ones) are in Byss?

Hey guys. Just a heads up I am on holiday here visiting S'mon. So maybe slight delays responding.

Wolfdragon said:

Hey @Uppercrust question: How many Planes (Old Ones) and planar layers (Elder Ones) are in Byss?

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Well...

Byss infects other planes.
I have also tweaked the Sidereal tier so there are 4 ranks.
Demiplane - Layer - Plane - Dimension
plus Byss is kind of like a black ocean of annihilation with the real "dimension" being the surface.
so the short answer is as many as you want.

Any chance you could post what were going to be the 3.5 traits for Umbrals in case someone wants to take a crack at making stats for them?

Hey Bootlebat buddy!

Bootlebat said:

Any chance you could post what were going to be the 3.5 traits for Umbrals in case someone wants to take a crack at making stats for them?

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Likely not, for two reasons.

Firstly, I already have the Unelemental in the Epic Bestiary.

Secondly, I don't remember doing any specific 3.5E Traits for the Umbrals.

Umbrals are a bit tricky to fathom (as this thread showcases) with no simple solution that fits all interpretations. Where possible I would always try and lean towards interaction, but in this case, its the fact that they are (to some extent) un-interactible that makes them scary.

Upper_Krust said:

Hey Bootlebat buddy!



Likely not, for two reasons.

Firstly, I already have the Unelemental in the Epic Bestiary.

Secondly, I don't remember doing any specific 3.5E Traits for the Umbrals.

Umbrals are a bit tricky to fathom (as this thread showcases) with no simple solution that fits all interpretations. Where possible I would always try and lean towards interaction, but in this case, its the fact that they are (to some extent) un-interactible that makes them scary.

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Well, I'm also wondering since there's a divine ability in your book called Dimensional Ancestry. One ancestry you can pick is "entropy" which gives you umbral traits, except we don't have those.

Hello again buddy!

Bootlebat said:

Well, I'm also wondering since there's a divine ability in your book called Dimensional Ancestry. One ancestry you can pick is "entropy" which gives you umbral traits, except we don't have those.

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The book says that if you take Entropy you get Nightshade traits (which are in the Monster Manual).