Nyxus
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Nyxus is a monster NPC from the METAMORPHOSIS trilogy published by EN Publishing.
This massive fiend stands nearly twenty feet tall and is roughly humanoid in shape. Its body is crudely formed, with thick limbs and a squat torso, and its head is a round lump, from which stares a single glaring red eye. It is armored in a breastplate of dull black metal and clenches a gargantuan steel hammer in both thick-fingered hands.
Nyxus (CR 25)
Advanced Terradaemon Fighter 10
NE Huge Outsider (Evil, Extraplanar)
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft, true seeing; Listen +30, Spot +30
Language Abyssal, Infernal, telepathy 100 ft.
AC 34, touch 9, flat-footed 33 (-2 size, +1 Dex, +18 natural, +7 armor)
hp 499 (32 HD); DR 10/good
Immune poison, sonic
Resist cold 10, fire 10; SR 29
Fort +30, Ref +17, Will +21
Speed 40 ft. (8 squares), burrow 20 ft.
Melee +3 huge thundering maul +48/+43/+38/+33 (3d8+27/19-20/x3) or
Melee 2 slams +43 melee (2d6+15) or
Ranged rock +29 (3d8+15)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Base Atk +30; Grp +53
Attack Actions Awesome Blow, Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Overrun, Improved Sunder, Power Attack, earth mastery, obliterating resonance, rock throwing
Special Actions weakening gaze
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th)
At will – greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds of objects only), magic stone, soften earth and stone
1/day – stoneskin
Abilities Str 40, Dex 12, Con 30, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 16
SQ daemon traits
Feats Ability Focus (weakening gaze), Alertness, Awesome Blow, Cleave, Great Cleave, Greater Weapon Focus (maul), Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (maul), Improved Overrun, Improved Sunder, Iron Will, Power Attack, Toughness (2), Weapon Focus (maul), Weapon Specialization (maul)
Skills Climb +49, Diplomacy +5, Intimidate +38, Jump +49, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +26, Knowledge (the planes) +26, Listen +30, Search +1 (+3 with secret doors), Sense Motive +28, Spot +30, Survival +28 (+30 on other planes) Possessions Earthshaker (+3 huge thundering maul), +3 chain shirt
Earth Mastery (Ex): Nyxus gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls if both he and his foe are touching the ground. If an opponent is airborne or waterborne, Nyxus takes a –4 penalty on attack and damage rolls. (These modifiers are not included in the statistics block.) Obliterating Resonance (Su): As a standard action, Nyxus can set up a special vibration in a metal weapon or tool by striking it against a hard object. This vibration resonates with metal and stone and can cause severe structural damage in objects made from either of those two materials. Nyxus can use his obliterating resonance in one of two ways. The obliterating resonance must be used on the following round or it is lost.
Sunder (Ex): If Nyxus uses his obliterating resonance on a metal weapon, and then uses the weapon to sunder an opponent’s metal weapon or shield, it ignores the hardness of the object and inflicts double damage.
Collapse (Su): Nyxus can cause any 20-foot square of stone or earth to crumble and collapse. He need only strike the wall, floor, or ceiling with his resonating weapon or tool to cause a collapse, and he need not strike the area directly. Nyxus can target an area up to 60 feet away, as long as it is connected to a contiguous stone or earthen substance. For example, if he wished to collapse a patch of ceiling directly above an enemy’s head, he could strike the wall, or even the floor it eventually connects to, as long as the patch of ceiling he wishes to effect is no more than 60 feet away. Listed below are the effects of collapsing ceilings, walls, and floors.
A 20-foot collapsing square of stone or earthen ceiling causes 6d6 points of bludgeoning damage to creatures directly beneath it. A DC 36 Reflex save halves this damage.
A 20-foot section of collapsing stone or earthen wall explodes outward in a 40-foot cone, causing 4d6 points of bludgeoning damage to creatures directly in front of it. A DC 36 Reflex save halves this damage.
A collapsing section of floor creates a 20-foot wide and 20-foot deep pit, and causes 2d6 points of falling damage to creatures that fall in. A DC 36 reflex save negates the damage.
Rock Throwing (Ex): Nyxus’ thrown rock has a range increment of 180 ft.
Summon Daemon (Sp): Once per day, Nyxus can attempt to summon 1d6 cryptodaemons or 1d3 terradaemon with a 60% chance of success. This is the equivalent of a 9th-level spell.
Weakening Gaze (Su): As a standard action, Nyxus can focus his single massive eye upon any one foe within 60 feet and drain the vitality and strength from his target. Creatures targeted by weakening gaze must succeed on a DC 29 Fortitude save or suffer 2d6 points of Strength damage. This damage cannot reduce a victim’s Strength score below 0, but anyone reduced to Strength 0 is helpless. Creatures that are affected by this power or that successfully save against it cannot be affected again by Nyxus’ weakening gaze for 24 hours.
Nyxus serves Yaghur Hod as one of the four generals in charge of the Archodaemon’s massive daemonic army. He is the de facto field general, and directs the army’s movements on the field of battle, as well as personally commanding the legions of terradaemons that look to him as their true leader.
Background
Terradaemons are a xenophobic, isolationist race, and the greatest among them, the bold and battle-hungry Nyxus, is no exception to this racial trend. Like his lesser brethren, Nyxus prefers solitude, or at the very least, the sole company of his own kind. Despite his prejudices and general misanthropy, Nyxus has a keen mind for battle, and understands the give and take of combat in a way that far eclipses others of his kind. Because of this ability, he has been forced into a role he is unaccustomed to, that of one of the four generals of Yaghur Hod’s vast daemonic army.
Before the return of the great daemon, Nyxus had managed to shuck off some his racial xenophobia, and had serious designs on the title of Archodaemon. He lacked the magical skill of the daemon that held the throne before Yaghur Hod, the powerful Ozynthraxus, and he lacked the guile of his most ardent rival, the cacodaemon Turgon. However, these facts did not deter the iron willed Nyxus, and he sought the pinnacle of daemon0kind with the stoic, uncompromising drive of his race. What he lacked in sorcery and diplomacy, he made up for in skill at arms, and there were few daemons in all of Gehenna or Hades that could stand against the massive terradaemon and his terrible maul.
Nyxus had also been doing something almost unheard of among terradaemons in order to secure his bid for the title of Archodaemon. He had been trying to unit all terradaemons beneath his banner, promising a genocidal purge of other daemonic races should he attain ultimate power. This doctrine, while appealing to the bigoted, xenophobic terradaemons did little to inspire a following among the other races of daemons. In fact, his rival Turgon, who led the powerful race of cacodaemons, used his enemy’s extreme views to rally support to his own cause.
There is little doubt that Ozynthraxus, Turgon, and Nyxus would have eventually sought to destroy one another directly, but the return of Yaghur Hod, and the subsequent destruction of Ozynthraxus, left no doubt as to who would rule the destiny of daemon-kind. Yaghur Hod immediately recognized Nyxus’ talents and chose him as one of the four generals that would lead his army. At first the stubborn Nyxus railed against service to the powerful Archodaemon, but Yaghur Hod's unctuous persuasiveness, and his very sincere desire to lead all daemons to glory, soon cracked his hardened resolve, and he now serves the great daemon willingly and loyalty.
Nyxus continues his rivalry with Turgon, and is convinced that the powerful cacodaemon will betray Yaghur Hod. To this end, he has once again gone against his nature, and has been grooming the vicious and barbaric Zeeosh, master of the azodaemons, as an ally. His overtures have been well received, and the two powerful daemons currently conspire to kill Turgon, once Yaghur Hod has brought ultimate victory to the daemonic race.
Strategies and Tactics
Nyxus is a mighty juggernaut of daemonic power, and he and his maul of crushed the life from every creature foolish enough to stand against them. The great terradaemon relishes melee combat, and eagerly engages opponents willing to go toe-to-toe with him. However, Nyxus is no fool, and does not rush into battle recklessly or without being well prepared.
Nyxus typically begins combat by throwing stones at opponents. He does this until his enemies are within range of a charge, and then switches to melee. Before entering melee Nyxus casts stoneskin, and then targets a likely spellcaster with his weakening gaze, hoping to drain such a foe completely, leaving him helpless and unable to continue the fight. Once melee is joined, the mighty terradaemon makes good use of his Power Attack feat, routinely shaving 10 points from his attack roll to increase his damage output by 20 points. He is also fond of sundering the weapons and shield of his opponents, or sending them flying with the Awesome Blow feat.
Nyxus will flee combat if he is reduced to 100 hit points or less, often using his obliterating resonance to open up pits beneath his enemy’s feet to cover his escape. He is also more likely to flee a fight against airborne opponents, as he suffers a severe disadvantage against winged foes.
