Great Old One, Choa-Thoom
CE Gargantuan aberration (extraplanar, great old one)
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +45
Aura frightful presence (100 ft., DC 32)
AC 45, touch 20, flat-footed 41 (-4 size, +25 natural, +10 deflection, +4 Dex)
HP 676 (33d12+462); regeneration 20
Fort +27, Ref +17, Will +29
DR 20/magic and good;; Immune charm effects, death effects, energy drain, petrification, poison; SR 38
Speed 0 ft., fly 50 ft. (poor), swim 40 ft.
Melee bite +35 (4d8+15), 9 tentacles +30 (1d8+7 plus grab) Reach 20 ft. with tentacle
Ranged ranged touch +24
Space 20 ft., Reach 20 ft.
Special Attacks constrict (1d8+7), frightful presence, overpowering telepathy, swallow whole (8d8 acid damage, AC 22, 49 hp)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th) 3/day—confusion (DC 24), invisibility, slay living (DC 25) 1/day—circle of death (DC 26), insanity (DC 27)
During Combat Swallowed characters are sucked through the godling and into a watery death in a lightless, watery hell far removed from the material plane. Unless the character is raised within 10 rounds, the death is irrevocable. If the godling has no one held in its tentacles to swallow, it attacks with its bite t isn’t a foregone conclusion that the godling will massacre an entire party of adventurers, even if they do something truly annoying. If several characters all die in short order, Choa-Thoom stops for a few moments to see if the survivors have been properly chastened and are now duly respectful. If it decides this is the case, it sinks back down under the waters of the lake. If the characters are still defiant or attempt to attack after they realize that Choa-Thoom has stopped attacking, it goes ahead and finishes off all who do not flee.
Str 41, Dex 18, Con 38, Int 25, Wis 29, Cha 31
Base Atk +24; CMB +43; CMD 67
Feats Awesome Blow, Cleave, Combat Expertise, Critical Focus, Great Fortitude, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (Bite), Improved Grapple, Improved Initiative, Improved Unarmed Strike, Improved Vital Strike, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Staggering Critical, Stunning Critical, Vital Strike
Skills Bluff +43, Diplomacy +43, Fly +30, Intimidate +46, Knowledge (arcana) +43, Knowledge (history, planes) +40, Perception +45, Sense Motive +42, Survival +45, Swim +59
Languages Abyssal, Aquan, Common, Infernal, Undercommon; telepathy 120 ft.
Environment underground lakes
Organization solitary (unique)
Treasure double
Overpowering Telepathy (Su) To communicate, Choa-Thoom uses telepathy, but only once per individual. The effect is not entirely healthy for the subject of the mind-read; on the first communication from Choa-Thoom, the target must succeed on a DC 31 Will save or have seizures, fall to the ground, and become catatonic for 3d6 x 10 minutes. Once Choa-Thoom reads a person’s mind, it can communicate telepathically with that person without further difficulty.
This godling is immense, and resembles a ghastly deep-sea anglerfish covered in writhing, whipping tentacles. It has glassy, emotionless eyes, and its cavernous mouth is filled with clear, sharp teeth.
If Choa-Thoom rises angry from the bottom of its lake, the only intelligent course of action for prudent mortals is to flee like frightened bunnies. The godling is vastly powerful and capable of sloughing off most material attacks and spells.
Clerics of Choa-Thoom have access to the Chaos, Death, Madness, and Protection domains. —Author: Matt Finch
Baha Shah, High Priestess of Choa-Thoom
Female dark stalker cleric of Choa-Thoom 3/mystic theurge 10/wizard 3
CE Medium humanoid (dark folk)
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., see in darkness; Perception +12
AC 20, touch 16, flat-footed 14 (+2 armor, +4 Dex, +2 natural, +1 dodge)
HP 133 (9d8+13d6+29)
Fort +11, Ref +14, Will +17
Weaknesses light blindness
Speed 35 ft.
Melee quarterstaff +12/+12/+7/+2 (1d6+3/1d6+3)
Space 5 ft., Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks channel negative energy 4/day (DC 12, 2d6), hand of the apprentice (7/day), poison, spell synthesis
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th) At will—deeper darkness, detect magic, fog cloud Domain Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th; melee touch +16) 7/day—bleeding touch (1 round), touch of evil (1 round)
Spells Prepared (CL 13rd)
7th-Blasphemy (D DC 21), Blasphemy (DC 21)
6th-Blade Barrier (DC 20), Create Undead (D), Word of Recall
5th-Commune, Flame Strike (DC 19), Slay Living (D DC 20), Symbol of Pain (DC 20)
4th-Chaos Hammer (DC 18; x2), Cure Critical Wounds (x2), Divine Power, Unholy Blight (D DC 18)
3rd-Contagion (DC 18; , x2), Locate Object, Magic Circle Against Good (D), Prayer, Speak With Dead (DC 18)
2nd-Align Weapon (evil only D), Darkness, Hold Person (DC 16; x2), Silence (DC 16), Spiritual Weapon
1st-Cause Fear (D DC 16), Command (DC 15), Doom (DC 16), Inflict Light Wounds (DC 16), Protection from Good, Protection from Law
0th-Bleed (DC 15), Detect Magic, Guidance, Resistance (D Domain spell)
Spells Prepared (CL 13rd)
7th-Finger of Death (DC 22)
6th-Geas/Quest (x2)
5th-Cloudkill (DC 19), Feeblemind (DC 19), Telekinesis
4th-Beast Shape II, Black Tentacles (x2), Confusion (DC 18), Ice Storm
3rd-Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, Fireball (DC 17), Fly, Slow (DC 17), Water Breathing
2nd-Darkness, Daze Monster (DC 16), Invisibility, Mirror Image, Protection from Arrows
1st-Charm Person (DC 15), Magic Missile (x2), Shield, Sleep (DC 15)
0th-Acid Splash, Detect Magic, Ray of Frost, Touch of Fatigue (DC 15)
Domain: Death, Evil
Str 14, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 19, Wis 11, Cha 13
Base Atk +12; CMB +14; CMD 29
Feats Combat Casting, Dodge, Double Slice, Fleet, Improved Initiative, Leadership, Mobility, Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus (Necromancy), Spell Penetration, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse
Skills Climb +10, Diplomacy +17, Fly +2, Heal +13, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (arcana, dungeoneering, planes, religion) +19, Perception +12, Sense Motive +20, Sleight of Hand +5, Stealth +8, Survival +22
Racial Modifiers +4 Climb, +4 Perception, +4 Stealth
Languages Abyssal, Common, Dark Folk, Goblin, Undercommon
SQ arcane bond (+1 quarterstaff), combined spells, death throes, poison use
Gear leather armor, +1 quarterstaff, belt pouch containing 20 gp, 20 sticks of incense, watertight bag containing the Skinbook of Choa-Thoom, 3 black pearls from the River Styx (worth 5,000 gp each), a small, jeweled platinum incense burner (worth 500 gp), platinum unholy symbol of Choa-Thoom with a sapphire setting (worth 1,500gp)
Environment any underground
Organization solitary, gang (1 dark stalker and 2-5 dark creepers), or clan (20-80 dark creepers plus 1 dark stalker per 20 dark creepers)
Treasure SKINBOOK OF CHOA-THOOM
Slot none; Aura strong necromancy; Weight 15 lbs.
DESCRIPTION
The Book of CHOA-THOOM is 113 pages of some kind of skin-parchment, bound in thick, strangely textured leather that ripples of its own accord in slow pulses, as if to the rhythm of a distant heartbeat. Upon the front of the book is a spiraling rune that is normally a symbol of death. Very few living creatures have ever seen the skinbook other than the mad cultists of CHOA-THOOM itself, for the book has been in the continuous possession of its original creator, the high priestess Baha Shah. The few who claim to have knowledge of the book describe the writing as only slightly darker than the pages themselves but raised into ridges like a scar. It would be possible for a person to read the book in utter darkness, simply by tracing a finger over the writing.
The skinbook is an unutterably nasty conjunction of contents and substance. Its leather binding is made from hide stripped away from the living body of CHOA-THOOM, a death-godling residing in the subterranean lake known as the Flagon of the Death God, in that region of the Under Realm known as the Cyclopean Deeps.
The first six pages of the book are dedicated to the proper worship of CHOA-THOOM, essentially an instruction manual for its cultists. These pages describe how to paint patterns onto a human sacrifice, how to speak the godling’s name when a sacrifice is ready, and various chants to sing as the sacrifice is drowned, killed, and/or consumed by CHOATHOOM itself. It is a very unpleasant read. The second portion of the book is a wizard’s spellbook that contains a number of powerful spells collected over the centuries of Baha Shah’s reign as the high priestess of CHOA-THOOM beside the creature’s dark lake. The book contains the following spells:
1st—charm person, detect magic, magic missile, read magic, shield, sleep;
2nd—darkness 15 ft. radius, ESP, invisibility, mirror image;
3rd—fly, protection from normal missiles, slow, water breathing;
4th—confusion, ice storm, polymorph other, polymorph self;
5th—animate dead,
cloudkill, feeblemind, telekinesis;
6th—death spell, geas
DESTRUCTION
A true resurrection, cast by a 20th level Lawful Good priest, has a 50% chance of unbinding the skinbook.
Death Throes (Su) When a dark stalker is slain, its body combusts in a flash of white-hot flame. This acts like a fireball that deals 3d6 points of fire damage to all creatures within a 20-foot-radius burst. A DC 15 Reflex save halves this damage. A dark stalker's gear and treasure are unaffected by this explosion. This save is Constitution-based.
Poison Use (Ex) Dark stalkers are skilled in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves. Like their diminutive kin, the dark creepers, dark stalkers use black poison on their weapons and generally carry six doses on them. Black Smear-injury; save Fort DC 15; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Str; cure 1 save. The poison DC is Constitution-based.
See in Darkness (Su) A dark stalker can see perfectly in darkness of any kind, including that created by deeper darkness.
