Epic Monsters continues with the most enigmatic of the Great Old Ones, the strange entity wrapped in mystery and tattered yellow robes: Hastur! Epic Monsters is part of our weekly Mythological Figures column.
From what I can tell nobody’s entirely certain what’s up with Hastur and The Yellow King. Is the Yellow King Hastur? Is it only an avatar to partake of the physical world? These are questions beyond my ken and so I’m deferring to the good golems at Paizo and their writeup for The Yellow King in Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 4.
Hastur
Medium aberration (great old one), chaotic evil
Armor Class 26 (natural armor)
Hit Points 500 (40d8+320)
Speed 80 ft., fly 60 ft.
Skills Acrobatics +17, Arcana +18, Deception +19, History +18, Insight +17, Intimidation +19, Investigation +17, Perception +17, Performance +19, Sleight of Hand +17, Stealth +17
Damage Resistances acid, fire, lightning, necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from magical or adamantine weapons
Damage Immunities cold, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons not made from adamantine
Condition Immunities charmed, diseased, frightened, paralyzed, petrified
Senses darkvision 120 ft., truesight, passive Perception 27
Languages Deep Speech, telepathy 100 ft. (tongues)
Challenge 29 (135,000 XP)
Fulvous Dreams. When Hastur uses Nightmare Haunting on a target that has seen the Yellow Sign, it also inflicts horrifying dreams tinted with a nauseating yellow color and thick with overwhelming sensations of decadence, shame, and entropic disorder. The target makes a DC 27 Wisdom saving throw or is compelled to seek out a Yellow Sign, throwing all of its resources and actions into the obsession. While obsessed, the target has disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws, saving throws against symbol, Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration on a spell, and Wisdom ability checks. This obsession effect ends immediately when the target looks upon the Yellow Sign.
Immortality. When Hastur is slain the robes that drape its frame suddenly drop to the ground as if whatever shape supported them had suddenly ceased to exist. The robes themselves remain inanimate on the ground, but any humanoid creature that touches them must succeed at a DC 27 Wisdom saving throw to resist a sudden urge to put the robes on. Doing so is requires an action and bonus action, and provokes opportunity attacks. Once it has donned Hastur's robes, the creature immediately perishes and its body is destroyed. In its place, Hastur lives again, as if brought back via resurrection. If the discarded robes are not donned within 24 hours they fade away leaving behind a faint yellow stain, and Hastur can't manifest a physical body again until the conditions are right.
Innate Spellcasting. Hastur’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 27; spell attack +19). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
Insanity. Any creature that attempts to interact directly with Hastur’s thoughts (such as via detect thoughts or telepathy) must succeed at DC 27 Wisdom saving throw or gain an indefinite madness. When using its telepathy to communicate Hastur doesn't activate this feature unless it spends an action to focus its mind on one opponent.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Hastur fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. Hastur has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Nightmare Haunting. While on the Ethereal Plane or Material Plane, Hastur magically touches a sleeping humanoid on the Material Plane. A protection from evil and good spell cast on the target prevents this contact, as does a magic circle. As long as the contact persists, the target has dreadful visions. If these visions last for at least 1 minute, the target gains no benefit from its rest, and its hit point maximum is reduced by 7 (2d6). If this effect reduces the target's hit point maximum to 0, the target dies and its soul travels to Carcosa. The reduction to the target's hit point maximum lasts until removed by the greater restoration spell or similar magic. For every 5 minutes the visions last, the target gains a short-term madness. For every 10 minutes the visions last, the target gains a long-term madness.
Regeneration. Hastur regains 20 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point. Hastur dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points.
Reveal Visage. Hastur can use a bonus action to reveal the true shape beneath its robes to one adjacent creature able to see Hastur. The creature makes a DC 27 Wisdom saving throw or is paralyzed for 1d4 rounds and temporarily reduces its Wisdom by 1 at the end of its turn each round the paralysis lasts, though the revelation is too awful for memory to retain. A creature regains its Wisdom by 1 point at the end of a short rest or 1d4 points at the end of a long rest.
Sneak Attack (1/Turn). Hastur deals an extra 35 (10d6) damage when it hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of Hastur’s that isn’t incapacitated and Hastur doesn’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.
Wish. Although Hastur may innately cast the wish spell at will, it can do so only to grant the wishes of other creatures, and only once per creature. Invariably, the results of these wishes serve somehow to advance Hastur's agenda.
Yellow Sign (1/Day). On its turn, Hastur can touch any solid surface and inscribe the Yellow Sign upon it. Once inscribed, the Yellow Sign remains for a year, but is active only on certain nights when the light from Hastur's distant world shines in the night sky as a star. When a creature looks upon an active Yellow Sign, it makes a DC 27 Wisdom saving throw or becomes dominated by Hastur (as dominate monster but without the need for Hastur to concentrate); whether or not the save is successful, the creature is immune to that Yellow Sign for 24 hours. While the creature is under this domination effect, if the creature is killed primarily with magic or breathed its last just before death by spell, it immediately dies and allows Hastur to manifest physically at the location of its corpse, as if the victim had donned Hastur's tattered robes (see Immortality). A Yellow Sign can be removed with dispel magic.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. Hastur uses its Unspeakable Presence then attacks four times with its shredded robes.
Shredded Robe. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 30 ft., one target. Hit: 24 (3d10+8) slashing damage. If the target is a creature other than an undead or a construct, it must succeed on a DC 27 Constitution saving throw or lose 3 (1d6) hit points at the start of each of its turns due to an unnatural wound. Each time Hastur hits the wounded target with this attack, the damage dealt by the wound increases by 3 (1d6). Any creature can take an action to stanch the wound with a successful DC 27 Wisdom (Medicine) check. The wound also closes if the target receives magical healing.
Unspeakable Presence. Each creature of Hastur’s choice within 300 feet of it and aware of it must succeed on a DC 27 Wisdom saving throw or gain a short-term madness. On a failure by 5 or more, the target gains a long-term madness instead, and on a failure by 10 or more, the target gains an indefinite madness instead. On a success, a creature is immune to Hastur’s Mind-Shattering presence for 1 minute.
Design Notes: Originally I thought The Yellow King was going to be simpler but it ended up bigger than Cthulhu! As lovable as the big-tentacle-mouthed chief Great Old One is though, Hastur is far more table- and plot-friendly than its bigger counterpart.
From what I can tell nobody’s entirely certain what’s up with Hastur and The Yellow King. Is the Yellow King Hastur? Is it only an avatar to partake of the physical world? These are questions beyond my ken and so I’m deferring to the good golems at Paizo and their writeup for The Yellow King in Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 4.
Hastur
Medium aberration (great old one), chaotic evil
Armor Class 26 (natural armor)
Hit Points 500 (40d8+320)
Speed 80 ft., fly 60 ft.
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
20 (+5) | 27 (+8) | 26 (+8) | 28 (+9) | 27 (+8) | 31 (+10) |
Skills Acrobatics +17, Arcana +18, Deception +19, History +18, Insight +17, Intimidation +19, Investigation +17, Perception +17, Performance +19, Sleight of Hand +17, Stealth +17
Damage Resistances acid, fire, lightning, necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from magical or adamantine weapons
Damage Immunities cold, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons not made from adamantine
Condition Immunities charmed, diseased, frightened, paralyzed, petrified
Senses darkvision 120 ft., truesight, passive Perception 27
Languages Deep Speech, telepathy 100 ft. (tongues)
Challenge 29 (135,000 XP)
Fulvous Dreams. When Hastur uses Nightmare Haunting on a target that has seen the Yellow Sign, it also inflicts horrifying dreams tinted with a nauseating yellow color and thick with overwhelming sensations of decadence, shame, and entropic disorder. The target makes a DC 27 Wisdom saving throw or is compelled to seek out a Yellow Sign, throwing all of its resources and actions into the obsession. While obsessed, the target has disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws, saving throws against symbol, Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration on a spell, and Wisdom ability checks. This obsession effect ends immediately when the target looks upon the Yellow Sign.
Immortality. When Hastur is slain the robes that drape its frame suddenly drop to the ground as if whatever shape supported them had suddenly ceased to exist. The robes themselves remain inanimate on the ground, but any humanoid creature that touches them must succeed at a DC 27 Wisdom saving throw to resist a sudden urge to put the robes on. Doing so is requires an action and bonus action, and provokes opportunity attacks. Once it has donned Hastur's robes, the creature immediately perishes and its body is destroyed. In its place, Hastur lives again, as if brought back via resurrection. If the discarded robes are not donned within 24 hours they fade away leaving behind a faint yellow stain, and Hastur can't manifest a physical body again until the conditions are right.
Innate Spellcasting. Hastur’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 27; spell attack +19). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
Constant: fly, freedom of movement, tongues, true seeing
At will: astral projection, counterspell, dimension door, dispel magic, dream, mirage arcane, ray of enfeeblement, sending, suggestion, wish* (see below)
5/day: symbol
3/day: feeblemind, project image, mass suggestion, symbol, teleport
At will: astral projection, counterspell, dimension door, dispel magic, dream, mirage arcane, ray of enfeeblement, sending, suggestion, wish* (see below)
5/day: symbol
3/day: feeblemind, project image, mass suggestion, symbol, teleport
Insanity. Any creature that attempts to interact directly with Hastur’s thoughts (such as via detect thoughts or telepathy) must succeed at DC 27 Wisdom saving throw or gain an indefinite madness. When using its telepathy to communicate Hastur doesn't activate this feature unless it spends an action to focus its mind on one opponent.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Hastur fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. Hastur has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Nightmare Haunting. While on the Ethereal Plane or Material Plane, Hastur magically touches a sleeping humanoid on the Material Plane. A protection from evil and good spell cast on the target prevents this contact, as does a magic circle. As long as the contact persists, the target has dreadful visions. If these visions last for at least 1 minute, the target gains no benefit from its rest, and its hit point maximum is reduced by 7 (2d6). If this effect reduces the target's hit point maximum to 0, the target dies and its soul travels to Carcosa. The reduction to the target's hit point maximum lasts until removed by the greater restoration spell or similar magic. For every 5 minutes the visions last, the target gains a short-term madness. For every 10 minutes the visions last, the target gains a long-term madness.
Regeneration. Hastur regains 20 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point. Hastur dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points.
Reveal Visage. Hastur can use a bonus action to reveal the true shape beneath its robes to one adjacent creature able to see Hastur. The creature makes a DC 27 Wisdom saving throw or is paralyzed for 1d4 rounds and temporarily reduces its Wisdom by 1 at the end of its turn each round the paralysis lasts, though the revelation is too awful for memory to retain. A creature regains its Wisdom by 1 point at the end of a short rest or 1d4 points at the end of a long rest.
Sneak Attack (1/Turn). Hastur deals an extra 35 (10d6) damage when it hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of Hastur’s that isn’t incapacitated and Hastur doesn’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.
Wish. Although Hastur may innately cast the wish spell at will, it can do so only to grant the wishes of other creatures, and only once per creature. Invariably, the results of these wishes serve somehow to advance Hastur's agenda.
Yellow Sign (1/Day). On its turn, Hastur can touch any solid surface and inscribe the Yellow Sign upon it. Once inscribed, the Yellow Sign remains for a year, but is active only on certain nights when the light from Hastur's distant world shines in the night sky as a star. When a creature looks upon an active Yellow Sign, it makes a DC 27 Wisdom saving throw or becomes dominated by Hastur (as dominate monster but without the need for Hastur to concentrate); whether or not the save is successful, the creature is immune to that Yellow Sign for 24 hours. While the creature is under this domination effect, if the creature is killed primarily with magic or breathed its last just before death by spell, it immediately dies and allows Hastur to manifest physically at the location of its corpse, as if the victim had donned Hastur's tattered robes (see Immortality). A Yellow Sign can be removed with dispel magic.
Multiattack. Hastur uses its Unspeakable Presence then attacks four times with its shredded robes.
Shredded Robe. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 30 ft., one target. Hit: 24 (3d10+8) slashing damage. If the target is a creature other than an undead or a construct, it must succeed on a DC 27 Constitution saving throw or lose 3 (1d6) hit points at the start of each of its turns due to an unnatural wound. Each time Hastur hits the wounded target with this attack, the damage dealt by the wound increases by 3 (1d6). Any creature can take an action to stanch the wound with a successful DC 27 Wisdom (Medicine) check. The wound also closes if the target receives magical healing.
Unspeakable Presence. Each creature of Hastur’s choice within 300 feet of it and aware of it must succeed on a DC 27 Wisdom saving throw or gain a short-term madness. On a failure by 5 or more, the target gains a long-term madness instead, and on a failure by 10 or more, the target gains an indefinite madness instead. On a success, a creature is immune to Hastur’s Mind-Shattering presence for 1 minute.
Design Notes: Originally I thought The Yellow King was going to be simpler but it ended up bigger than Cthulhu! As lovable as the big-tentacle-mouthed chief Great Old One is though, Hastur is far more table- and plot-friendly than its bigger counterpart.
