Fell Archon

The body of this powerful, regal-looking humanoid is a perfect work of godly design. The entity’s long hair cascades down its back in fiery waves; its powerful limbs move with heavenly grace; its beautiful visage fulgurates with the inner light of the Celestial Realm “and it is also laughing insanely as it raises its flaming sword towards you and blows a single, terrible note from its horn of doom”.

Monster Encyclopaedia II: The Dark Bestiary
Author J. C. Alvarez
Series Monster Encyclopaedia
Publisher Mongoose Publishing
Publish date 2005

Fell archons are the definition of tragic corruption ‘formerly the representation of all that is good and noble in the universe, they have become furious agents of the forces they once opposed with every fibre of their being. Fell archons are created by cruel divine curses or by their own sins, most often pride.

A fell archon looks as a grim winged humanoid with fiery eyes and a black or red mane. It would appear as a typical archon or angel except that the taint of evil is evident all over its body and disposition; its magnificent appearance turned into a dreadful vision of cosmic ruthlessness and perverted power. Fell archons always carry flaming swords and doom horns, which were once celestial instruments but now serve only to spell the ruin any creature within earshot.

Fell archons speak Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Ignan, Infernal and Undercommon. They lost the tongues ability they once possessed when they stopped caring about other races.

Archon, Fell
Medium outsider (Evil)
Hit Dice	22d8+110 (209 hp)
Initiative	+10
Speed	50 ft. (10 squares), Fly 150 ft. (good)
AC	41 (+6 Dexterity, +20 natural, +5 +3 blinding heavy steel shield), touch 16, flat-footed 35
Base Attack/Grapple	+22/+30
Attack	+5 flaming bastard sword +36 melee (1d10+13 plus 1d6 fire damage /17-20) or +3 unholy composite longbow (+3 Strength bonus) +31 ranged (1d8+6/x3) or slam +30 melee (1d10+13)
Full Attack	+5 flaming bastard sword +36/+31/+26/+21 melee (1d10+13/17-20 plus 1d6 fire damage) or +3 unholy composite longbow (+3 Strength bonus) +31/+26/+21/+16 ranged (1d8+6/x3) or 2 slams +30 melee (1d10+13)
Space/Reach	5 ft. /5 ft.
Special Attacks	Aura of menace, doom horn, spell-like abilities, spells
Special Qualities	Damage reduction 15/epic or good, Darkvision 60 ft., good vulnerability, Low-Light Vision, immunity to acid, cold and petrifaction, regeneration 10, electrical and fire resistance 10, Spell Resistance 27
Saves	Fort +18, Ref +19, Will +19
Abilities	Strength 26, Dexterity 22, Constitution 20, Intelligence 22, Wisdom 22, Charisma 22
Skills	Bluff +31, Concentration +30, Diplomacy +8, Heal +31, Hide +31, Intimidate +33, Knowledge (any one) +31, Listen +31, Move Silently +31, Perform (wind instruments) +31, Search +31, Spellcraft +31, Spot +31, Survival +31 (+33 following tracks), Swim +33
Feats	Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Critical (bastard sword), Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder, Power Attack, Track, Weapon Focus (bastard sword)
Environment	Evil aligned planes
Organisation	Solitary
Challenge Rating	21
Treasure	+5 flaming bastard sword, +3 unholy composite longbow (+3 Strength bonus) and +3 blinding heavy steel shield
Alignment	Always evil (any)
Advancement	23-44 HD (Medium), 45-66 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment	–

Combat

A fell archon is among the most powerful beings in existence, its corrupted soul being as mighty as that of the strongest demons, yet much more terrible for once having been a paragon of good. As a result, it is also incalculably proud, rushing into battle with unqualified abandon, sure of its superiority over nearly everything it faces.

Fell archons wield +5 flaming bastard swords and +3 unholy composite longbows with a +3 Strength bonus. In melee they carry +3 blinding heavy steel shields. The natural attacks and weapons of a fell archon are considered epic and evil for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.

Aura of Menace (Su): Fell archons retain their good counterparts’ aura of righteous fury, though in fell archons it has become twisted, hateful and blindly destructive. Any creature (whether hostile or peaceful) coming within a 20-foot radius of a fell archon must immediately succeed on a Will save (DC 29, Charisma based, including +2 racial bonus) or receive a -2 penalty on attack rolls and saving throws, as well as a -2 penalty to its Armour Class, as long as it remains within sight of the fell archon. A creature that has succeeded at this save cannot be affected again by the same fell archon’s aura for 24 hours.

Doom horn: A fell archon’s horn is a terrible instrument, whose notes have the ability to crumble walls, kill birds and beasts, topple mountains, poison the air, churn the waters and break the endurance and sanity of any living creature unfortunate enough to hear it. The doom horn combines the properties of a horn of greater blasting (save DC increased to 27) and a horn of evil (both items described in chapter 7 of the SRD); plus it forces every creature listening to it to make a Will save (DC 27, Charisma based) or become panicked for 2d6 round

Spell-Like Abilities:

• At will – animate objects, bestow curse (DC 19), contagion (DC 19), continual flame, detect snares and pits, death knell (DC 18), discern lies (DC 20), dismissal, freedom (DC 25), greater dispel magic, greater teleport (self plus 200 pounds only), hold person (DC 18), invisibility (self only), polymorph (self only), power word stun, resist energy, see invisibility, sound burst (DC 18), speak with dead (DC 19), summon monster VII, true seeing, unholy blight (DC 20), waves of fatigue;
• 3/day – blade barrier (DC 22), destruction, earthquake (DC 24), harm (DC 22), mass charm monster (DC 24), permanency, waves of exhaustion;
• 1/day – blasphemy (DC 23), power word blind, power word kill, power word stun, prismatic spray (DC 23), wish. Caster level 20th (21st for spells with the evil descriptor). The save DCs are Charisma based.

Spells: Fell archons can cast divine spells as 20th level evil clerics, with access to the Destruction and Evil domains. The save DCs are Wisdom based. Caster level is 21st for spells with the evil descriptor.

Typical Cleric Spells Prepared (6/8/8/7/7/7/6/5/5/5; save DC 16 + spell level):

• 0 – Detect Magic (2), Inflict Minor Wounds (2), resistance (2);
• 1st – bane, cause fear (2), command (2), curse water, doom (2), protection from good*;
• 2nd – darkness(2), desecrate*, enthral (2), Inflict Moderate Wounds (2), shatter (2);
• 3rd – animate dead, bestow curse, blindness/deafness, deeper darkness, glyph of warding, inflict serious wounds, locate object, magic circle against good*;
• 4th – dimensional anchor, giant vermin, inflict critical wounds (2), inflict critical wounds*, poison (2), spell immunity;
• 5th – Dispel Good, flame strike, Insect Plague, mark of justice, mass inflict light wounds*, plane shift, slay living, unhallow;
• 6th – Antilife Shell, create undead (2), Forbiddance, harm*, mass inflict moderate wounds (2);
• 7th – blasphemy, control weather, disintegrate*, Greater Scrying, mass inflict serious wounds, repulsion;
• 8th – create greater undead, discern location, Earthquake, fire storm, mass inflict critical wounds, unholy aura*;
• 9th – energy drain, Implosion (2), Implosion*, storm of vengeance (2).

*Domain spell.

Good Vulnerability (Ex): Fell archons are particularly vulnerable to good-aligned attacks and effects, since the memory of goodness stings their souls to the core. Fell archons receive a -2 penalty to Armour Class against attacks from creatures or weapons with an aura of good, and a -2 penalty on attack rolls and saving throws against spells and effects with the good descriptor.

Regeneration (Ex): A fell archon takes normal damage from epic weapons and from spells or effects with the good descriptor.