Kaala-anala, one of the great
Bhitis, the many cults of which are currently enjoying a renaissance in western Shûth; she continues the anti-Oronthon motif. She represents (fear of) destruction by (magical) fire; arguably she
is the magical fire: every time a
destruction spell is evoked, Kaalaanala is present. In keeping with other chthonic deities, the size of her worship base is no way reflective of her power; Kaalaanala is a deity invoked by a privileged class: she represents a relatively rare and esoteric phenomenon.
Her voidwrought cycle of spells falls just short of functionally permanent. They are a set of eight epic buffs, assumed to be cast around the full moon, when she is in retreat: Kaalaanala is not a lunar deity, but like other chthonics is connected with the absence of light in general.
Although death is part of her portfolio, Kaalaanala also has no connection with the undead, the realm of the dead or the afterlife, but is rather focused on the act of death and slaying itself, or the "moment of
destruction." Thematic similarities with Hellfire and the wyrm Qematiel intimate at some unknown relationship.
Ability scores use a chthonic divine array with inherent bonuses. Many chthonic template qualities are subsumed within her stat block. Kaalaanala is transitional in nature: she represents a more visceral fear than Visuit and is far more potent. Her epic spells tend toward impulses at one extreme and permanent stat-buffs at the other; epic magic also offers her a permanent +40 armor bonus. Although she's 'only' a DvR8, she benefits from some pretty nifty template synergy and I've pegged her at CR80. Her power derives more from her sorcery than from specifically divine abilities. Somehow, it seems legitimate to call a vanilla epic stat buff
Aspect of Death given the nature of the goddess.
There are many
Bhitis (there are many fears), arranged in many families. Kaalaanala is assumed to be an emanation (or effluxion) of a DvR 16 chthonic apparition, and is part of the family which includes Gnhii, a chthonic phaethon;
Shvar Choryati, the living blasphemy; Jaraa, a god of senility and decrepitude; and Nidraa, another chthonic abomination, with provenance over nightmares. These are all DvR8 entities in the CR 60-80+ range. They follow the avatar mechanism, although the terminology is different and there's latitude in interpretation. Kaalaanala herself has her own emanatory abominations; she has also spawned infernals.
Kaalaanala has no natural shape-shifting abilities; epic magic is used in the event that an alternate form is desired. Otherwise, she appears as a cloaked and veiled figure surrounded by annihilating fire. No record exists of her features; it is unknown whether she possesses any.
Kaalaanala (CR 80)
Destroying Fire. The Fires of Death. The Moment of
Destruction.
Lesser Power
Sorcerer 50
Symbol: Flames
Home Plane: Dream (Fire and Death)
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Portfolio: Death, fire, destructive magic; death by
destruction
Domains: Death, Destruction, Fire
Medium Outsider (Chaotic, Chthonic, Dream, Evil, Extraplanar, Fire)
Divine Rank: 8
Hit Dice: 20d8+600 plus 50d4+1500 (2460hp)
Initiative: +22
Speed: 120ft. (rapid translocation)
Armor Class: 146 (+14 Dex, +40 armor, +8 competence, +8 divine, +45 deflection, +21 natural)
Base Attack/Grapple: +45/+67
Attack: +93 melee (1d6+30/18-20 plus
destruction,
+8 cold iron anarchic power fiery blast speed scimitar)
Full Attack: +93/+93/+88/+83/+78/+73 melee (1d6+30/18-20 plus
destruction,
+8 cold iron anarchic power fiery blast speed scimitar)
Space/Reach: 5ft./5ft.
Special Attacks: Salient divine abilities, spell-like abilities, spells
Special Qualities: Chthonic magic, chthonic qualities, divine powers, DR 20/epic and good, regeneration 20 (good), SR 195
Saves: Fort +107 Ref +91 Will +117
Abilities: Str 39 Dex 39 Con 71 Int 93 Wis 90 Cha 100
Skills: Concentration +111, Intimidate +154, Knowledge (arcana) +224, Sense Motive +121, Spellcraft +273; other skills
Feats: Blistering Spell, Chain Spell, Dark Speech, Empower Spell, Extend Spell, Fortify Spell, Greater Spell Focus (Evocation), Greater Spell Penetration, Heighten Spell, Improved Initiative, Magical Aptitude, Maximize Spell, Quicken Spell, Persistent Spell, Rapid Metamagic, Repeat Spell, Sculpt Spell, Skill Focus (Spellcraft), Spell Focus (Evocation), Spell Penetration, Transdimensional Spell, Twin Spell, Widen Spell
Epic Feats: Enhance Spell (3), Epic Skill Focus (Spellcraft), Epic Spell Focus (Evocation), Epic Spellcasting, Epic Spell Penetration, Improved Heighten Spell, Improved Metamagic (3), Intensify Spell, Manyspell (3), Superior Initiative, Tenacious Magic
SDAs: Avatar/Chthonic Effluxion, Dark Aura of Destruction, Divine Fire Mastery, Divine Spellcasting, Divine Skill Focus (Spellcraft), Divine Spell Focus (Evocation), Fire and Death, Hand of Death, See Magic, Utter Blasphemy
Divine Powers
Create Portfolio Item: 30,000gp limit
Divine Aura: Free action. 800-ft radius; Will DC 98.
Daze, fright or
resolve
Immunities: Ability damage, ability drain, acid, banishment or imprisonment, cold, death effects, disease, disintegration, electricity, energy drain, fire, mind-affecting effects, poison, polymorph, sleep, stunning
Portfolio Sense: Events involving 500 or more people
Remote Communication: Standard action. Any worshipper or creature within 8 miles of any dedicated site.
Sensory Range: 8 miles
Remote Sensing and Blocking: Standard action. 5 locations; 8-mile radius
Spell-Like Abilities: As a standard action, Kaalaanala can replicate any spell with the fire descriptor, or any of the following domain-related SLAs:
animate dead, contagion, create greater undead, death ward, destruction, disintegrate, earthquake, implosion, inflict critical wounds, harm, resist energy, slay living, wail of the banshee. (CL78, Save DC 63 + spell level).
Rapid Translocation: Kaalaanala may move between any two points as a move action.
Salient Divine Abilities
- Avatar (Chthonic Effluxion): Kaalaanala may emanate up to five DvR0 paragon chthonic abominations of up to 50HD. This process is not volitional, and Kaalaanala exercises no special control over entities which she emanates; the abominations are otherwise treated as avatars.
- Dark Aura of Destruction: As a free action, Kaalaanala can generate an aura of destroying fire with a radius of up to 80 feet. The aura blocks all light (as deeper darkness) from sources with less than 9 divine ranks. Living creatures within the aura must make Fortitude saving throws every round (DC98) or be slain (as destruction); those who successfully save still take 10d6 points of damage.
- Divine Fire Mastery: As a standard action, Kaalaanala may use any spell with the [fire] descriptor as a spell-like ability. She gains a +8 competence bonus to attack rolls, damage and armor class if using her flaming weapon or touching fire. Kaalaanala's stat block already reflects this ability.
- Fire and Death: When Kaalaanala casts spells or uses spell-like abilities with the fire descriptor, damage inflicted is profane in nature and is never subject to resistances or immunities. Kaalaanala's fire spells also gain the [death] descriptor and are treated as death effects: mortal creatures which fail to make successful saving throws against Kaalaanala's fire spells are slain outright (as destruction). Creatures immune to death effects still sustain damage from the flames. Kaalaanala may add the [Slay] and [Destroy] seeds to any epic fire spell which she develops without increasing the Spellcraft DC.
- Hand of Death: As a standard action, Kaalaanala may point to any mortal within her sensory range (8 miles) and slay it (as destruction). There must be an unbroken line of effect. Target creatures are entitled to a Fortitude saving throw (DC98).
- See Magic: Kaalaanala can see all magical effects (as greater arcane sight) and has true seeing to a limit of 8 miles.
- Utter Blasphemy (Su) : As a standard action, Kaalaanala can utter a blasphemy in an 80-ft. radius spread (Will DC98). Kaalaanaala is treated as 78th-level caster for calculating the effects on target creatures.
Other Abilities
Chthonic Magic: Kaalaanala gains integrated sorcerer spellcasting abilities equal to her outsider HD; she needs no components, and never pays XP for spells or abilities which normally require it. She can cast Darkness, Destruction and Evil domain spells as arcane spells. All of Kaalaanala's spells and spell-like abilities gain the [evil] descriptor and enjoy a +4 profane bonus to their Save DCs when they target good creatures.
Chthonic Qualities: Kaalaanala gains a +10 profane bonus to all melee attacks (included in her stat block). She can see perfectly in darkness of any kind. She gains regeneration 20; epic good-aligned weapons and good spells deal normal damage to Kaalaanala.
Rebuke/Command Fire Creatures: At will, Kaalaanala can rebuke or command evil fire creatures as a 78th-level cleric rebukes or commands undead.
Spellcasting
Kaalaanala casts spells as a sorcerer (Caster Level 78. Save DC 63+ spell level, 71+ spell level for evocations); Kaalaanala may cast spells up to 45th level; she may apply metamagic feats without extending the casting time of the spell, and may cast up to four quickened spells in a round. For purposes of overcoming SR, Kaalaanala gains an addiitonal +6 bonus to her caster level checks.
Notes:
*
Area Spell Attack (Ref half; DC 78)
When Kaalaanala is angered, her main attack spell is a quickened – blistering – triply-enhanced – intensified – repeated – twinned – widened
delayed blast fireball. These spells require slots of 19th-level or higher. Kaalaanala may add a variety of other metamagic effects (including up to +52 spell penetration factors, or she may Heighten the Save DC as high as 104). In one round, she can evoke up to 20 discrete detonations of 800 points each.
*
Maximum Penetration (Nonepic)
(Against creatures immune to Hand of Death): Thirty-six times fortified
Implosion. Fort DC 80. Kaalaanala makes her CL check at +156. Useful against Cheiromancer's pseudonatural zombie hill giant frenzied berserkers.
*
Eight Voidwrought Protections (Epic, DC280 or thereabouts)
Kaalaanala is under the protection of a set of eight epic spells which are renewed once per month. Voidwrought spells cannot be
disjoined and function in an
antimagic field. Kaalaanala is treated as a 148th-level caster for purposes of dispelling any voidwrought spell. The voidwrought protections afford Kaalaanala a +30 profane bonus to her Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma. Her Spell Resistance increases by +100, and she gains a +30 profane bonus to each of her saving throws. Their effects are included in her stat block.
*
Epic Mage Armor
Permanent
Epic Mage Armor grants Kaalaanala a +40 armor bonus to AC.
*
Continuance (DC 280)
Instantaneous.
Fortify (+17), Contact (+23); interplanar (+4), 1-action (+20), +200 years (+400); XP (-184).
Bestowed upon favored mortal worshipers. Grants a 200 year extension to the current age category of any subject of Kaalaanala's remote sensing ability.
*
Aspect of Death
Fortify (+17), Impulse (+32), +200 Cha (+400), XP (-200)
+200 Cha. Increase the Save DCs of all Charisma-based attacks by +100.
Spells When Gathering Fire
When Kaalaanala gathers fire, she invokes chthonic power too destructive for even her to control and receives ongoing backlash as long as the spell is in effect, pushing herself to the verge of self-annihilation. Apocalyptic spells are especially effective whilst Kaalaanala gathers fire; seven or eight rounds represent the 'safe' limit of this method.
Gathering of Fire (DC 283)
Duration: Up to 20 hrs (D); see text
Fortify (+17); Impulse (+32), (D) (+2), +249 Int (+498); XP (-200), backlash (-66)
Grants a +250 enhancement bonus to Intelligence; for as long as this spell is in effect, Kaalaanala sustains 66d6 (232) points of backlash damage each round. Increase Kaalaanala's Spellcraft score by +125 to +398. Gathering of Fire may be dismissed as a free action on Kaalaanala's turn.
Erase Nation (DC 408)
Evocation [Death, Fire]
Duration: Instantaneous
Energy (Fire) (19), Slay, Destroy, Ward (14), Weather (25), Swift (+28), increase radius (+596), penetrate
death ward (+6), +10DC (+20); XP (-200), backlash (-100).
Requires
Gathering of Fire be in effect. As a swift action, Kaalaanala gestures and utters a pronouncement, invoking fiery doom on a civilization. All creatures and unattended objects within a 300-mile radius must make Fortitude saving throws (DC 91) or suffer 10d6 points of fire damage; all living targets are slain.
Death ward is ineffective against this spell, but epic protections may be entitled to an opposed caster level check. Targets who successfully save suffer only 5d6 points of fire damage. If Kaalaanala wears the
Aspect of Death, increase the Save DC to 191.
Innate Bonuses
Kaalaanala benefits from the following modifiers to her ability scores and skills:
+20 insight bonus to Int, Wis and Cha
+100 competence bonus to Spellcraft checks
+100 competence bonus to Knowledge (arcana) checks
Equipment
Kaalaanala wields a
+8 cold iron anarchic power fiery blast speed scimitar. Creatures struck by this weapon are subject to
destruction (Fort DC 98).
