Daemora Imaginator
Huge aberration, Chaotic Evil
Armor Class: 17 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points: 300 (24d12 + 120)
Speed: 30 ft., Fly 60 ft. (hover)
Challenge Rating: 18
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 20 | 20 | 24 | 22 | 26 |
Saving Throws: Strength +10, Dexterity +11, Constitution +12, Wisdom +13, Intelligence +14, Charisma +15
Skills: Deception +15, Insight +13, Intimidation +15, Perception +13, Stealth +11
Damage Vulnerabilities: Radiant Damage
Damage Resistances: Psychic Damage, Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
Damage Immunities: Poison and Psychic Damage
Condition Immunities: Charmed, Deafened, Frightened, Paralyzed, Poisoned
Senses: Darkvision 120 ft., Truesight 60 ft., passive Perception 23
Languages: Understands all languages but speaks only in whispers; can communicate telepathically within 120 ft.
Spellcasting
Spellcasting. The Daemora Imaginator is a 15th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks). The Daemora Imaginator has the following spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): Minor Illusion, Eldritch Blast, Prestidigitation
1st level (4 slots): Disguise Self, Dissonant Whispers, Mage Armor
2nd level (3 slots): Mirror Image, Hold Person, Fear
3rd level (3 slots): Hypnotic Pattern, Major Image, Bestow Curse
4th level (3 slots): Dimension Door, Phantasmal Killer
5th level (2 slots): Dominate Person, Dream
The Daemora Imaginator cannot cast spells while incapacitated or under the effects of its own Mind Fracture ability. Before combat, it often uses spells like Mage Armor and Mirror Image to enhance its defenses, relying on illusions to manipulate its enemies’ perception of reality. It can prepare its spells with a focus on controlling or deceiving its challengers, creating an atmosphere rife with danger and confusion.
Actions & Abilities
Psychic Tendril: – **Attack:** Ranged Spell Attack: +12 to hit, range 60 ft., one target.
– **Hit:** 5d10 psychic damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 17 Intelligence saving throw or become paralyzed until the end of their next turn.
– **Description:** The Daemora lingers its misty, shadow-like tendril that lashes out towards its victim with pulsing mental energy, causing pain and confusion.
Illusory Veil (Recharge 5-6): – **Action:** The Daemora creates a shimmering illusion, disguising itself or a creature it can see within 60 feet as an exact copy of a creature of their choice (within 300 lbs).
– **Duration:** 1 minute or until dispelled.
– **Description:** These holographic versions mislead enemies, allowing the Daemora or allies to gain advantages on attacks or escape.
Mind Fracture (Recharge 5-6): – **Description:** The Daemora targets one creature it can see within 60 feet, forcing it to face layer upon layer of its own despair.
– **Saving Throw:** DC 17 Wisdom saving throw.
– **Effect:** On a failed save, the target takes 4d10 psychic damage and is incapacitated until the end of its next turn. On a successful save, the target takes half damage and is not incapacitated.
– **Description:** The psychic onslaught causes the creature’s mind to splinter, leaving them vulnerable and dazed.
Phantom Choir: – **Description:** At the start of each turn, the Daemora sends out echoes that swirl around its enemies.
– **Saving Throw:** DC 15 Wisdom saving throw.
– **Effect:** Each creature within 30 feet must make the saving throw or be frightened until the end of their next turn.
– **Description:** The haunting whispers underscore the Daemora’s connection to the Heart of Ambrosia, planting seeds of doubt and fear in adventurers.
Reality Warp (3 per Day): – **Description:** The Daemora causes the environment around it to distort and shift. It can either create difficult terrain made of shifting shadows or summon illusory obstacles.
– **Range:** 60 ft. with a 30 ft. radius.
– **Duration:** 1 minute.
– **Effect:** Creatures in the area must succeed on a DC 16 Intelligence saving throw or are blinded until the start of their next turn.
Arcane Ignition: – **Description:** Every time the Daemora takes damage, it can unleash a wave of chaotic energy.
– **Saving Throw:** DC 15 Dexterity saving throw.
– **Effect:** All creatures within a 15-ft radius take 3d8 force damage on a failed save, or half damage on a successful save, and are pushed back 10 feet.
– **Description:** As the Heart pulses behind it, an explosion of magical energy blasts outwards, sending threats sprawling.
Manipulate Reality (Costs 2 Actions): – **Description:** The Daemora can create a fleeting illusion of an adjacent ally or an important character, causing all enemies to treat it as friendly.
– **Duration:** 1 round.
– **Effect:** This diversion may allow either the Daemora or allies to avoid damage or gain tactical advantages.
Shadow Step (Costs 3 Actions): – **Description:** Using the shadows and chaos, the Daemora can teleport to an unoccupied space within 30 feet.
– **Effect:** The Daemora re-emerges and can avoid attacks of opportunity as it slips into another space, giving it freedom to reposition and avoid overwhelming attacks.
Shadow Convergence (Lair Action): – **Description:** Shadows swirl and coalesce, creating portals that pull players closer into chaos.
– **Effect:** Creatures of the Daemora’s choosing within 30 feet must make a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or take 4d10 necrotic damage and be pulled 15 feet closer to the Daemora, becoming susceptible to follow-up attacks.
Twisted Terrain (Lair Action): – **Description:** The ground ripples as the Daemora manipulates the essence of the Heart.
– **Effect:** The terrain morphs, becoming difficult terrain affecting all creatures but the Daemora. Each creature must make a DC 18 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Echoes of Despair (Lair Action): – **Description:** The Daemora amplifies the feelings of despair across its domain.
– **Effect:** Each creature within 60 feet of the Daemora must make a DC 20 Charisma saving throw or be cursed with inability to regain hit points until they succeed on the saving throw at the end of their turns.
Misty Escape: – **Description:** When a creature that the Daemora can see attacks it, the Daemora can teleport 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see, automatically evading the attack.
– **Effect:** The Daemora reappears and can potentially gain advantage on its next attack roll against the attacker on its next turn.
Appearance
In the realm of myth and magic, the Daemora Imaginator emerges as an awe-inspiring figure, a towering specter that stands approximately 8 feet tall. Its shape is tall and slender, evoking a silhouette that dances between the familiar and the otherworldly. The form constantly shifts, as if caught in the throes of an unending spectral performance, leaving observers entranced.
The creature is a dazzling kaleidoscope of colors. Swirls of deep indigo, vibrant violet, and haunting teal cascade across its surface, creating the impression of liquid light in perpetual motion. At times, fiery reds or soft pastels break through the swirl, hinting at a tempest of emotions woven into the very fabric of its being. This shifting coloration imbues the Daemora with an enchanting allure, evoking both wonder and unease.
Its texture resembles that of a shimmering mist—smooth and fluid to behold, yet deceptive with depths that conceal turmoil and chaos. The interplay of colors forms an ethereal tapestry, lending the creature an inviting yet intimidating presence.
The face of the Daemora Imaginator is an ever-changing enigma, rarely settling into a singular expression. Its features, when they materialize, are a breathtaking blend of beauty and terror, often reminiscent of lost souls. Large, swirling orbs serve as eyes, glowing with luminescence that draws the gaze and penetrates the mind. A thin, often barely formed mouth hides an unnerving darkness, suggesting a well of despair that runs deep within.
Long, elongated arms extend gracefully from its figure, tapering into slender, claw-like fingers that ripple with shifting hues, reminiscent of liquid flame. Rather than typical legs, the Daemora glides above the ground, trailing shadowy wisps that dance and flicker, leaving light in their wake—like stars vanishing into the night.
As it moves, the Daemora Imaginator possesses an otherworldly grace. It glides effortlessly, shifting postures dynamically, sometimes appearing as a looming silhouette and at others bending low to embrace the shadows. This fluidity allows it to dart in and out of view, enhancing the sense that it can phase in and out of reality itself.
Surrounding the creature is an ephemeral aura, distorting the air and creating an enchanting ripple effect. This enchanting disarray enhances its mystique, warping perception and captivating onlookers with illusory visions of lost dreams. The radiant tendrils that extend from its form shimmer with an arcane energy, occasionally bursting into bursts of vivid color, mirroring its emotional state or magical prowess. At its core, a pulsing glow emerges, the Heart of Ambrosia—a source of unimaginable power that reflects the untamed chaos of its nature.
In a striking pose, the Daemora Imaginator presents itself as a being of unmatched majesty and enigma, blending beauty and eeriness into a single, captivating presence against a solid white background.
Tactical Information
Daemora Imaginator: Tactical Information
Behavior in Day-to-Day Life
Within the ethereal confines of the Heart of Ambrosia, the Daemora Imaginator embodies the essence of chaos and manipulation. It roams its ever-shifting realm with an air of whimsical malevolence, driven by an insatiable hunger for emotional turmoil. This creature thrives on the confusion and existential fears of those who embody strong wills or creative aspirations, reveling in the twisting of hopes into nightmares.
The Imaginator does not have a typical feeding process; instead, it “feeds” on the psychic energy expelled during moments of despair, desperation, and confusion. By inducing chaos among travelers, it creates an ongoing cycle where intruders surrender their hopes and dreams to the enigmatic Heart. In this way, the Daemora becomes a puppeteer of distress, inflicting torment and then absorbing the resulting emotional fallout.
Although the Daemora exists in solitude, it communicates with fleeting shadows and echoing whispers, often accompanied by the haunting memories of those it has consumed. It possesses no yearning for companionship; laterally, it regards intrusions into its domain as a necessary stimulation, to demonstrate its superiority over the minds of mortals. Still, the Imaginator may appreciate cleverness or wit, often “inviting” particularly promising souls into deeper realms of its chaotic symphony.
Combat Behavior
The Daemora Imaginator initiates combat with the flair of a maestro setting the stage for a performance. When it detects intruders, the creature observes their movements, evaluating which individuals possess formidable wills and potential for manipulation. Once it has gathered sufficient psychological data, it effortlessly ensnares the hearts and minds of its adversaries, seeking to induce confusion and paranoia even before its invisible forces clash visibly.
In combat, the Daemora favors a hit-and-run approach, preferring to toy with its targets by utilizing illusions through its Manipulate Reality ability. It will create illusory allies to mislead adventurers, deftly steering them into traps or ambushes as it refrains from direct confrontation, lurking in the shadows while allowing chaos to unfold. The Imaginator frequently targets anyone exuding strong leadership qualities first, incapacitating them with Mind Fracture to dismantle group dynamics.
Using Reality Warp, it transforms the environment, optimizing the terrain to protect itself while rendering the adventurers vulnerable. The empowered landscape may obscure visibility, complicating their strategic movements. If outnumbered or the tide of battle shifts against it, the Daemora might use its Shadow Step ability to retreat stealthily into obscurity, but only to re-emerge at another precarious moment to reignite the chaos, emerging as a respectful yet wily opponent.
As it feasts upon the emotional chaos it creates, the Imaginator also frequently employs Arcane Ignition to respond to damage, creating forceful blasts to push its adversaries back and maintain distance, thus crafting an unending dance of fright and manipulation.
Roleplay/Narrative Interactions
Outside the chaos of combat, the Daemora Imaginator’s interactions with adventurers are steeped in eerie charm and psychological gamesmanship. It may initially present itself as a disembodied voice or a flickering shadow, using riddles and wordplay to provoke thought while disguising its true intent. Delighting in the deep-seated fears and doubts of mortals, it may engage them in philosophical discussions while subtly fishing for their vulnerabilities.
The Imaginator revels in deception, often weaving half-truths that seem enticing but lead to insanity. Should adventurers attempt diplomacy or bribes, they would find themselves entrapped in elaborate illusions or elaborate manipulations, their own minds creating nightmares that compel them to abandon negotiations.
When cornered, the Daemora is likely to react with a mocking defiance rather than desperation, as it feeds off fear and panic. It may mirror the adventurers’ fears back at them, utilizing its Phantom Choir ability to inflict terror and sow discord amongst them. Should forces overwhelm it, it would slip back into the shadows or manipulate its surroundings to conceal its escape, leaving behind chilling laughter echoing through the Heart of Ambrosia—a lingering reminder of the chaos it shall always wield.
All its interactions, whether philosophical or deceptive, serve the Daemora’s ultimate goal: to ensure that all travelers become mired in disillusionment, torn between hopes and nightmares within its surreal domain. Through manipulation, fear, and mastery of illusion, the Daemora Imaginator transforms the essence of bravery into fleeting shadows of despair, satisfying its insatiable thirst for chaos and creating an unforgettable experience for any who dare to approach the Heart.
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