Once again Epic Monsters is getting kingly, though this time it’s with the living pharaoh, god of royalty, and deity of the sky: Horus!
Horus (aka Her, Heru, Hor, or Har) is among the most recognizable and important gods in the Egyptian pantheon. After all this is the guy behind kingship and the sky! He is the son of Isis and Osiris (his heir), or maybe born by Hathor (who is also his wife). In the former case Isis retrieved her murdered husband’s body parts (except his penis, which was eaten by a catfish or crab in the Nile) and resurrected him (with a new member used to conceive Horus) then fled to the Nile Delta’s marshlands to escape Set (her brother and the god of the desert) which is where she gives birth. Horus takes many forms but typically gets depicted as a falcon or falcon-headed man. Historically his earliest form is as the (first national) god Nekhen in Upper Egypt—there it was thought that in life the pharaoh was Horus in mortal form, and in death the pharaoh was Osiris. Eventually he eclipses and becomes Osiris (“Golden Horus Osiris”)
Unsurprisingly Horus is a rival of Set. In addition to being the god of the desert (in opposition to the sky) Set murdered his mother and uncle (and at one point his father too). In their struggle for Egypt to see who would take the throne after Osiris, Horus eventually wins but loses an eye (although Set loses a testicle). Among their 80 years of conflicts there’s a bit of weird trickery in The Contendings of Horus and Set where Horus fools Set into eating his semen, among other tales. The last spat is a boat race where Horus wins by agreeing to make his vessel from stone, when really it’s wood he’s painted to look like stone—upon winning Set gives up his pursuit of the throne of Egypt. Sometimes the story ends with Horus controlling Lower Egypt and Seth controlling Upper Egypt, or Horus controlling all the areas of civilization while Seth reigns over the deserts and oases. Also of course scholars have tied these stories up with historical happenings in the politics of ancient Egypt.
Design Notes: There’s not a ton of information on exactly what Horus did in his battles with Set so we’re going to lean into his relative level of power, the warrior aspect, and the whole sky god thing. To that end Horus can zip across the battlefield incredibly fast, he’s rocking both Divine Action and Legendary Actions, and to cover the deific stuff we’re giving him some innate spellcasting along with the usual suite of traits. Because his eye is important to his mythology he can also bestow it on creatures and things (unlimited in the case of the latter), and to round things out we’ll give him a (badass) spear for his weapon. Plus work some enemy positioning effects into those Legendary Actions. Let’s do the numbers! The DMG swoops in at 27.8333 while the Blog of Holding lands at a higher 30.3333, averaging out to a final CR of 29.
Armor Class 19 (natural armor)
Hit Points 380 (40d8+200)
Speed 50 ft., fly 120 ft. (hover)
Saving Throws Str +15, Dex +15
Skills Acrobatics +24, Athletics +15, Deception +15, History +13, Insight +14, Nature +13, Religion +13, Perception +23
Damage Resistances cold, fire, poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, paralyzed
Senses darkvision 600 ft., truesight 300 ft., passive Perception 33
Languages Coptic
Challenge 29 (135,000 XP)
Divine Action (Recharge 5–6). At the end of the round, Horus can move his Speed and take an additional action.
Innate Spellcasting. Horus’ innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 23, +15 to hit with spell attacks). He can innately cast the following spells, requiring only his pan flute and no other components:
Keen Sight. Horus has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Horus fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. Horus has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. Horus’ weapon attacks are magical.
Skyfree. While Horus is in the air, difficult terrain doesn't cost him extra movement, and magic can neither reduce his speed nor cause him to be paralyzed or restrained.
Wedjat. Horus can use a bonus action to touch a creature, object, or surface and leave his holy symbol (a stylized eye), granting it several benefits until the symbol is removed or dispelled (treat the symbol as a 6th-level spell effect). Evil creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls against the target. It also can't be charmed, frightened, or possessed by evil creatures. If the target is already charmed, frightened, or possessed by an evil creature, it has advantage on any new saving throw against the relevant effect.
Horus can bestow an unlimited number of wedjat on surfaces and objects, and up to 9 wedjat on creatures. When Horus has bestowed his maximum number of wedjat on creatures, the oldest wedjat disappears as he bestows a new one.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. Horus attacks five times.
Enchanted Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +18 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 120/360 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (1d8+9) magical piercing damage plus 18 (4d8) radiant damage. When thrown, the spear returns to Horus’ hand immediately after hitting or missing the target.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Horus can take 2 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. He regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.
Attack. Horus makes a weapon attack.
Blasting Zephyr. Horus summons a powerful wind from the sky that blasts at creatures he chooses that are within 100 feet of him. Each creature must make a DC 23 Strength saving throw or be pushed 25 feet in a direction chosen by Horus.
Tempest Escape (Costs 2 Actions). Horus spins in place with incredible speed. Each creature within 20 feet of him must succeed on a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw or take 15 (2d8+6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. A creature that fails its saving throw by 5 or more also drops whatever it is holding. Horus can then fly up to half his flying speed.
Horus (aka Her, Heru, Hor, or Har) is among the most recognizable and important gods in the Egyptian pantheon. After all this is the guy behind kingship and the sky! He is the son of Isis and Osiris (his heir), or maybe born by Hathor (who is also his wife). In the former case Isis retrieved her murdered husband’s body parts (except his penis, which was eaten by a catfish or crab in the Nile) and resurrected him (with a new member used to conceive Horus) then fled to the Nile Delta’s marshlands to escape Set (her brother and the god of the desert) which is where she gives birth. Horus takes many forms but typically gets depicted as a falcon or falcon-headed man. Historically his earliest form is as the (first national) god Nekhen in Upper Egypt—there it was thought that in life the pharaoh was Horus in mortal form, and in death the pharaoh was Osiris. Eventually he eclipses and becomes Osiris (“Golden Horus Osiris”)
Unsurprisingly Horus is a rival of Set. In addition to being the god of the desert (in opposition to the sky) Set murdered his mother and uncle (and at one point his father too). In their struggle for Egypt to see who would take the throne after Osiris, Horus eventually wins but loses an eye (although Set loses a testicle). Among their 80 years of conflicts there’s a bit of weird trickery in The Contendings of Horus and Set where Horus fools Set into eating his semen, among other tales. The last spat is a boat race where Horus wins by agreeing to make his vessel from stone, when really it’s wood he’s painted to look like stone—upon winning Set gives up his pursuit of the throne of Egypt. Sometimes the story ends with Horus controlling Lower Egypt and Seth controlling Upper Egypt, or Horus controlling all the areas of civilization while Seth reigns over the deserts and oases. Also of course scholars have tied these stories up with historical happenings in the politics of ancient Egypt.
Design Notes: There’s not a ton of information on exactly what Horus did in his battles with Set so we’re going to lean into his relative level of power, the warrior aspect, and the whole sky god thing. To that end Horus can zip across the battlefield incredibly fast, he’s rocking both Divine Action and Legendary Actions, and to cover the deific stuff we’re giving him some innate spellcasting along with the usual suite of traits. Because his eye is important to his mythology he can also bestow it on creatures and things (unlimited in the case of the latter), and to round things out we’ll give him a (badass) spear for his weapon. Plus work some enemy positioning effects into those Legendary Actions. Let’s do the numbers! The DMG swoops in at 27.8333 while the Blog of Holding lands at a higher 30.3333, averaging out to a final CR of 29.
Horus
Medium humanoid, neutral goodArmor Class 19 (natural armor)
Hit Points 380 (40d8+200)
Speed 50 ft., fly 120 ft. (hover)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
| 22 (+6) | 23 (+6) | 21 (+5) | 19 (+4) | 20 (+5) | 23 (+6) |
Skills Acrobatics +24, Athletics +15, Deception +15, History +13, Insight +14, Nature +13, Religion +13, Perception +23
Damage Resistances cold, fire, poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, paralyzed
Senses darkvision 600 ft., truesight 300 ft., passive Perception 33
Languages Coptic
Challenge 29 (135,000 XP)
Divine Action (Recharge 5–6). At the end of the round, Horus can move his Speed and take an additional action.
Innate Spellcasting. Horus’ innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 23, +15 to hit with spell attacks). He can innately cast the following spells, requiring only his pan flute and no other components:
At will: bestow curse, bless, blur, enhance ability, guiding bolt, haste, remove curse
5/day each: dispel magic, holy aura, wind walk
1/day: wish
Keen Sight. Horus has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Horus fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. Horus has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. Horus’ weapon attacks are magical.
Skyfree. While Horus is in the air, difficult terrain doesn't cost him extra movement, and magic can neither reduce his speed nor cause him to be paralyzed or restrained.
Wedjat. Horus can use a bonus action to touch a creature, object, or surface and leave his holy symbol (a stylized eye), granting it several benefits until the symbol is removed or dispelled (treat the symbol as a 6th-level spell effect). Evil creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls against the target. It also can't be charmed, frightened, or possessed by evil creatures. If the target is already charmed, frightened, or possessed by an evil creature, it has advantage on any new saving throw against the relevant effect.
Horus can bestow an unlimited number of wedjat on surfaces and objects, and up to 9 wedjat on creatures. When Horus has bestowed his maximum number of wedjat on creatures, the oldest wedjat disappears as he bestows a new one.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. Horus attacks five times.
Enchanted Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +18 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 120/360 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (1d8+9) magical piercing damage plus 18 (4d8) radiant damage. When thrown, the spear returns to Horus’ hand immediately after hitting or missing the target.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Horus can take 2 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. He regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.
Attack. Horus makes a weapon attack.
Blasting Zephyr. Horus summons a powerful wind from the sky that blasts at creatures he chooses that are within 100 feet of him. Each creature must make a DC 23 Strength saving throw or be pushed 25 feet in a direction chosen by Horus.
Tempest Escape (Costs 2 Actions). Horus spins in place with incredible speed. Each creature within 20 feet of him must succeed on a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw or take 15 (2d8+6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. A creature that fails its saving throw by 5 or more also drops whatever it is holding. Horus can then fly up to half his flying speed.
