Buy me a coffeeKyton Interlocutor
“Uncover the nightmarish art of the Kyton Interlocutor: a twisted, flesh-wielding horror that turns torture into a grotesque masterpiece!”
Appearance: The Kyton Interlocutor is a nightmarish fusion of raw, exposed flesh and semi-living metal. Standing 9 feet tall and weighing 800 pounds, its body is a grotesque amalgamation of tangled nerves, veins, and organs, all encased in a metallic shell forged from shadowstuff. This metal, a dark, shimmering substance harvested from the Plane of Shadow, forms a terrifying exoskeleton that both protects and enhances its monstrous form. Occasionally, remnants of its previous mortal body, such as a grotesque arm or a twisted limb, are retained as macabre trophies.
The interlocutor’s four elongated claws end in wickedly sharp tips, perpetually smeared with a sickly sheen of crimson. Its eyes gleam with an unsettling, otherworldly light, and its gaze, combined with the unnerving presence of its exposed anatomy, can unnerve even the bravest of souls.
Behavior: Interlocutors are methodical and detached in their approach to both their victims and their craft. They view their practice of inflicting pain and performing grotesque surgeries as a dark art, focusing intensely on their work with a cold, clinical precision. This detachment allows them to relish the suffering of their victims without any hint of empathy. Their movements are deliberate and fluid, reflecting their mastery over their own aberrant form and the intricate techniques they employ. When not actively tormenting a victim, they may be found meticulously maintaining their own monstrous body or studying the effects of their craft on others.
Habitat: Kyton Interlocutors dwell primarily within the Plane of Shadow, a realm of darkness and shifting shadows that mirrors the material world but with an eerie, otherworldly twist. They prefer to occupy secluded, grim locations where they can practice their dark arts away from prying eyes, such as forsaken ruins or shadowy sanctuaries. Occasionally, they venture into other planes or even the Material Plane to capture new victims or seek out particularly intriguing subjects for their experiments.
Modus Operandi: The interlocutor’s primary modus operandi involves capturing victims and subjecting them to horrific and elaborate tortures, often turning their suffering into a perverse form of artistic expression. Their surgical strikes are designed to inflict maximum pain, with the ability to heal their own damage ensuring that their experiments can continue indefinitely. They use their unnerving gaze to destabilize their prey mentally before they begin their cruel work. The interlocutor may also utilize their spell-like abilities, such as plane shift, to transport victims to their shadowy lairs or to stabilize and prolong their suffering. Death is not a release; rather, it is a rare mercy, as the interlocutor delights in dragging out the torment.
Motivation: The Kyton Interlocutor’s primary motivation is the pursuit of mastery over the art of pain and suffering. They are driven by a perverse sense of artistry, viewing their torturous practices as a form of creation. To them, each victim is a new canvas upon which they can explore and perfect their craft. This pursuit is not merely about sadism but also about achieving a dark form of perfection and transcendence in their work. They are also motivated by a deep-seated desire to perfect their own form and skills, constantly refining their grotesque abilities and expanding their knowledge of pain and flesh.
Interlocutor 5e
Interlocutor Pathfinder
Kyton Interlocutor
Large Fiend (Kyton), Lawful Evil
- Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 210 (20d10+100)
- Speed 40 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 (+7) | 16 (+3) | 20 (+5) | 16 (+3) | 18 (+4) | 18 (+4) |
- Saving Throws Str +12, Con +10, Wis +9, Cha +9
- Skills Medicine +9, Intimidation +9, Perception +9, Stealth +8
- Damage Resistances cold, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
- Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
- Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, poisoned
- Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 19
- Languages Common, Infernal, telepathy 120 ft.
- Challenge 14 (11,500 XP)
- Proficiency Bonus +5
Regeneration.
The Kyton Interlocutor regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point. If the Interlocutor takes radiant damage or damage from a silvered weapon, this trait doesn’t function at the start of the next turn.
Magic Resistance.
The Kyton Interlocutor has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Multi-Limbed Mastery.
The Interlocutor can wield up to four weapons at a time, or use all four of its arms for combat, surgical tasks, or grappling. When it makes a weapon attack, it can make up to 4 claw attacks or manipulate objects with its four arms.
Spellcasting
The Kyton Interlocutor is a 10th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks). The Kyton has the following spells prepared, focusing on shadow manipulation, healing, and debilitation:
- Cantrips (at will): Toll the Dead, Thaumaturgy, Spare the Dying, Minor Illusion
- 1st level (4 slots): Cause Fear, Inflict Wounds, Disguise Self
- 2nd level (3 slots): Mirror Image, Hold Person, Darkness
- 3rd level (3 slots): Bestow Curse, Counterspell, Fear
- 4th level (3 slots): Greater Invisibility, Phantasmal Killer, Shadow of Moil
- 5th level (2 slots): Danse Macabre, Cloudkill
Actions
- Multiattack.
The Kyton Interlocutor makes four claw attacks. - Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
Hit: 12 (1d8+7) slashing damage. If two claw attacks hit the same creature in one turn, the target must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) additional slashing damage from being torn apart by the Kyton’s surgical precision (this counts as the Interlocutor’s Rend ability). - Unnerving Gaze. Recharges after a Short or Long Rest.
The Kyton Interlocutor fixes its gaze on one creature within 30 feet. The creature must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. While frightened, the target also becomes staggered (their speed is halved, and they cannot take reactions). The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. - Surgical Precision (Recharge 5–6).
The Kyton Interlocutor makes a single, precise attack with one of its claws. If it hits, the target must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target takes 36 (8d6) slashing damage, and the Interlocutor heals an equal amount. On a success, the target takes half damage and the Interlocutor gains no healing. - Healing Touch (3/Day).
The Interlocutor touches a creature and restores 30 (6d8) hit points to it. This can also be used to restore life to a creature that has died within the last minute, returning it to life with 1 hit point. - Plane Shift (1/Day).
The Kyton Interlocutor magically transports itself to the Shadowfell or to the Material Plane, along with any creatures it is grappling. A creature unwilling to be teleported must succeed on a DC 17 Charisma saving throw or be transported against its will.
Legendary Actions
The Kyton Interlocutor 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. The Kyton regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
- Surgical Slice.
The Kyton makes one claw attack. - Shadow Step.
The Kyton magically teleports up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. It can bring along one creature it’s grappling, and the creature takes 10 (3d6) psychic damage. - Chilling Grasp (Costs 2 Actions).
The Kyton reaches out with one of its claws to grasp a creature within 10 feet. The target must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or take 14 (4d6) cold damage and be paralyzed until the end of its next turn.
Tactics
- Spellcaster in Combat:
The Kyton Interlocutor uses spells like Fear and Phantasmal Killer to terrify and debilitate opponents from a distance. It uses Shadow of Moil and Mirror Image to shield itself from attacks and Greater Invisibility to strike unseen. - Surgical Precision:
In melee, it uses its multiple claw attacks to maximize damage, focusing on isolating a single opponent and using Surgical Precision when an enemy is weakened, healing itself in the process. - Debilitate & Control:
The Kyton relies on Hold Person and Bestow Curse to lock down foes, while Cloudkill and Danse Macabre allow it to control the battlefield, raising dead enemies to fight for it.
Kyton Interlocutor
At the core of this multi-limbed monstrosity of claws and blades struggles a glistening mass of veins, organs, and twisted flesh.
| Source Bestiary 3 pg. 1 Orginally posted in Archives of Nethys |
Kyton Interlocutors are the self-proclaimed surgeon-sculptors among kytons, viewing their practice as more art than medical process. Each victim is a new chance to study the art of pain and sensation through horror-stricken eyes. Their ability to heal the damage they inflict, even to the extent of restoring life to a subject that has only just expired, is perhaps more feared than their eagerness to cut flesh. To an interlocutor’s victim, death is a mercy that is rarely offered.
Nowhere is the interlocutor’s mastery of flesh more apparent than in their bodies, for their apotheosis from mortal into kyton involves the shedding of useless parts down to a tangle of nerves, veins, and various organs. These are then incorporated into bodies made of semi-living metal fashioned from raw shadowstuff harvested in strange reaches of the Plane of Shadow, giving the kyton a terrifying body. Periodically, an arm or other ‘leftover’ limb is retained by the kyton, but only in the same way someone might retain ownership of a treasured piece of jewelry as a keepsake or memento. Some interlocutors retain nothing of their old bodies of flesh save the brain, nerves, and portions of their circulatory system.
Interlocutors are 9 feet tall and weigh 800 pounds.
| Interlocutor CR 12 |
| XP 19,200 LE Large outsider (evil, extraplanar, kyton, lawful) Init +7; Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +23 |
| DEFENSE |
| AC 26, touch 13, flat-footed 22 (+3 Dexterity, +1 Dodge, +13 natural, -1 size) hp 147 (14d10+70); regeneration 5 (good weapons and spells, silver weapons) Fort +14, Ref +9, Will +17 DR 10/silver or good; Immune cold; SR 23 |
| OFFENSE |
| Speed 40 ft. Melee 4 claws +20 (1d8+7/1920 plus bleed) Space 10 ft., Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks bleed (1d6), poison, rend (2 claws, 1d8+7), surgical strikes, unnerving gaze (30 ft.; DC 22) Spell-Like Abilities (CL 14th; concentration +19) At will – bleed (DC 15), plane shift (from the Material Plane to the Plane of Shadow Plane, self only), stabilize 3/day – cure serious wounds, restoration 1/day –breath of life |
| STATISTICS |
| Strength 24, Dexterity 17, Constitution 21, Intelligence 15, Wisdom 22, Charisma 20 Base Atk +14; CMB +22; CMD 36 (38 vs. trip) Feats Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack Skills Heal +23, Intimidate +22, Knowledge (arcana, local, religion) +9, Knowledge (dungeoneering, nature, planes) +12, Perception +23, Sense Motive +23, Stealth +16 Languages Common, Infernal |
| Special Abilities |
| Surgical Strikes (Ex) An interlocutor’s claws threaten a critical hit on a roll of 19-20. On a successful critical hit, that claw deals 2d6 bleed damage rather than 1d6. Unnerving Gaze (Ex) A creature that succumbs to an eremite’s unnerving gaze becomes staggered for 1 round as it becomes convinced that it recognizes some of its own body parts entangled in the interlocutor’s body. |
| ECOLOGY |
| Environment any (Plane of Shadow) Organization solitary, pair, or gang (3-5) Treasure standard |