Deity Title: Melinoe, Goddess of Ghosts and Madness
Deity Symbol: A black poplar tree with white fruit, a two-faced mask, or a pair of torches
Home Plane: The Underworld
Deity Level: Intermediate
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Aliases: None
Superior: Hades and Persephone
Traditional Allies: Hecate, Thanatos, Hypnos
Traditional Foes: Apollo, Dionysus, Helios
Divine Artifact: None
Servants: Shades of the dead, ghosts, and the insane
Servitor Creatures: None
Sacred Animal: None
Manifestations: A ghostly aura, an unsettling feeling, the sound of moaning, the scent of decay, a glimpse of the afterlife, or madness-induced visions
Signs of Favor: Protection from undead, immunity to madness, increased necrotic power
Worshipers: Necromancers, madmen, the grieving, the mentally ill, and those seeking to commune with the dead
Specialty Priests: Necromancers, ghost whisperers, and those who specialize in treating mental illness
Holy Days: The Night of Shades (October 31), the Day of Madness (June 13)
Portfolio: Ghosts, the afterlife, madness, necromancy
Domains: Death, Grave, Madness
Favored Weapon: Whip
Favored Class: Sorcerer
Favored Race: Humans, Tieflings
Duties of the Priesthood: Communicating with the dead, protecting the living from spirits, offering comfort to the grieving and mentally ill, performing funeral rites and ceremonies, and studying necromancy.
Major Cult/Temple Sites: The Cave of the Black Poplar in Elis, the Sanctuary of Melinoe in Athens, and the Necromanteion in Epirus
Benefits: Access to necromantic spells and knowledge, resistance to madness, protection from undead, and the ability to commune with the dead.
Daughter of Zeus and Persephone queen of shadow demons and bringer of nightmares and madness she claims rulership over the shadow demons, and is rumored to a lover of demon prince Graz’zt. A spectral underworld demon who is issued forth from the underworld to terrify men.
Bio
Melinoe is a Greek goddess of ghosts, nightmares, and madness. She is often depicted as a dark, shadowy figure with ghostly features, embodying the eerie and unsettling nature of the supernatural world.
Her hair is long and dark, falling in wild waves around her face and down her back. It seems to move of its own accord, as if it is alive and writhing. Her skin is pale and almost translucent, with a faint blueish tint that gives her an otherworldly appearance. Her eyes are black as coal, seeming to absorb all the light around them, leaving only darkness in their wake.
Melinoe wears a flowing black robe that appears to be made of shadows. The fabric moves as if it is alive, rippling and swirling around her as she moves. Around her waist, she wears a belt made of bones, each one a different size and shape. Her fingers are long and slender, with sharp, pointed nails that glint like obsidian in the dim light.
Despite her frightening appearance, Melinoe exudes a sense of calm and stillness. Her movements are slow and deliberate, and her voice is soft and gentle. However, her mere presence can fill mortals with dread, and her powers can cause madness and hallucinations.
As a goddess of ghosts and nightmares, Melinoe is associated with death and the afterlife. She is believed to be the daughter of Persephone and Zeus, and her role in mythology is to guide and protect the souls of the dead. She also has the power to cause madness and nightmares, using her abilities to torment mortals who have angered the gods.
Melinoe’s purpose is to maintain balance in the world of the living and the dead. She believes that death is a natural part of the cycle of life, and that those who have passed on should be respected and cared for. However, she is also quick to punish those who disrespect the dead or seek to upset the balance between the worlds. In this way, Melinoe is a fearsome but necessary deity, one whose power and influence extend far beyond the realms of the living.
Innate Spellcasting. Her innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 24). She can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: detect magic, darkness, dispel magic, fear, invisibility, major image, misty step, telekinesis
3/day each: dominate person, feeblemind, mass suggestion
Magic Resistance. She has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack. She can use her Frightful Presence. She then makes two attacks with her daggers.
Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (1d4 + 6) piercing damage plus 22 (4d10) necrotic damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of Melinoe’s choice within 120 feet of her and aware of her must succeed on a DC 24 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to Melinoe’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Legendary Actions
Melinoe can take 3 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. Melinoe regains spent legendary actions at the start of her turn.
Teleport. She magically teleports, along with any equipment she is wearing or carrying, up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space she can see.
Attack. She makes one attack with her dagger.
Dominating Gaze (Costs 2 Actions). She targets one creature she can see within 30 feet of her. If the target can see Melinoe, the target must succeed on a DC 24 Wisdom saving throw or be magically charmed by Melinoe until the end of Melinoe’s next turn. The charmed target must use its action on its turn to take the Dodge action, unless Melinoe is within 5 feet of the target, in which case the target makes a melee attack against Melinoe.
Physical Description
Melinoe appears as a stunningly beautiful humanoid with pale skin, pointed ears, and jet-black hair. She has two black leathery wings that allow her to fly through the air with ease. Her eyes are entirely black, and she wears a crown of thorns upon her head. She wields two ornate daggers, their blades glowing with an eerie purple energy. Her body is adorned with intricate black armor, and she radiates an aura of darkness and malevolence. Despite her beauty, there is an undeniable aura of danger and menace surrounding her.
Melinoe
Originally Posted by Kain Darkwind of the Dicefreaks d20 Community.
Blinding Strike: A creature hit by both of Melinoe’s blades in a single round must make a Fortitude save (DC 42) or be blinded for 1d6 rounds.
Mysteries: Melinoe uses mysteries as a 45th level shadowcaster.
At will (Su): arrow of dusk, black candle, caul of shadow, liquid night, mystic reflections, shadow hood (DC 42), sight obscured, umbral hand (DC 42)
3/day (Su): black fire (DC 42), carpet of shadow, clinging darkness (DC 42), congress of shadows (DC 42), flicker, voice of shadow (DC 42)
2/day (Su): dancing shadows
2/day (Sp): echo spell, flood of shadow, shadow evocation (DC 21), shadows fade, step into shadow, warp spell
1/day army of shadow, consume essence (DC 26), dark soul (DC 26), prison of night (DC 24), shadow plague (DC 25), soul puppet (DC 27), summon umbral servant, tomb of night (DC 25)
Vile Strike: All damage dealt by Melinoe is vile damage.
Darkness Enhancement: In areas of dim lighting (candlelight, moonlight or less), Melinoe gains a +15 bonus to attacks, damage, saves, Spell Resistance and armor class.
Quasicorporeal: Weapons and natural attacks have a 20% miss chance when striking Melinoe. ghost touch weapons have no miss chance. By making a Concentration check (DC 25), Melinoe can pass through a solid object such as a wall as if she were completely incorporeal. The Concentration check must be made every round she is within the object. Failure on a Concentration check while within a solid object deals 10d6 points of damage. Taking damage while within a solid object requires a Concentration check (DC 25 + damage dealt) to maintain or regain Concentration.
Melinoe’s own attacks are considered touch attacks.
Possessions: Melinoe can form two blades of darkness from her being. These function as +6 enervating longswords.
Currently in the World
Melinoe, the goddess of ghosts and madness, has always been a mysterious figure, lurking in the shadows and manipulating the mortal realm from behind the scenes. Her true origins are shrouded in myth and legend, but it is said that she was born from the union of the god of death and a mortal woman, making her half divine and half mortal.
In the early days, Melinoe wandered the world, spreading chaos and madness wherever she went. She reveled in the fear and terror that she could instill in mortals, and her powers grew stronger with each passing year. But despite her godly powers, Melinoe was not immune to the temptations of the flesh, and she fell in love with a mortal man.
Their love was doomed from the start, as the man could not comprehend the true nature of Melinoe’s powers. When he inevitably died, Melinoe was heartbroken and retreated to the underworld, where she took up residence among the shades and ghosts that haunted its halls.
In the centuries that followed, Melinoe became a feared and respected figure among the dead. She became known as a guide and protector of the spirits that wandered the underworld, and she used her powers of madness and illusion to keep them safe from harm.
But Melinoe’s true motivations were always shrouded in mystery, and some whispered that she was simply biding her time, waiting for the right moment to strike. In the 1450s, as Europe was plunged into a new era of conflict and chaos, Melinoe sensed an opportunity to finally achieve her long-awaited goals.
She began to whisper in the ears of mortals, sowing seeds of madness and chaos that would eventually grow into full-blown revolutions and wars. She manipulated kings and queens, politicians and generals, pushing them toward decisions that would only serve to further her own ends.
And as the bodies piled up and the world was consumed by violence and death, Melinoe watched from the shadows, content in the knowledge that her plans were finally coming to fruition. For she knew that when the dust finally settled, she would emerge from the darkness as the undisputed queen of the underworld, her powers over madness and ghosts more potent than ever before.
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