Buy me a coffeeCosmic Ranks and Cosmic Entities Defined
Grimoire of Cosmic Entities Volume One By Eli Atkinson, William Church and Serge W. Desir,Jr.
Original Concept by Serge W. Desir, Jr.
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Characteristics
This section highlights the abilities and characteristics accessible to beings with cosmic ranks (CsR).
Cosmic entities and beings with cosmic ranks determine their skills, feats, and the like in a manner identical to gods or epic mortals. Although a cosmic entity does not have access to salient divine abilities, it may possess comparable powers. It behooves one to review specific cosmic entity templates to determine what such powers may be.
A cosmic entity may have some or all of the following qualities, depending on its cosmic rank.
Quasi Divine Rank
A cosmic entity possesses a divine rank of 0 as detailed in Deities and Demigods. As a result, it gains certain elements associated with this rank. The characteristics discussed below for the powers based upon cosmic rank are those that supercede any benefits accorded to the divine rank 0.
Cosmic Rank Acquisition
A cosmic entity with cosmic ranks determines its status in the same manner identical to that of gods: the cosmic rank is assigned. Many cosmic entities receive bonuses to their cosmic ranks under special circumstances. For example, Dispater, like most of the Lords of the Nine, receives an additional +3 to his cosmic rank in Dis, allowing him to function as a cosmic rank 18 entity in the Second Perdition. Cosmic rank allows the cosmic entity to parallel the power of a god when it comes to affecting its own realm/layer, imposing its will against other beings, and resisting the cosmic or divine assaults of other similarly endowed entities. A cosmic entity typically does not use cosmic rank as a modifier for armor class, attack bonuses, spell casting level, and similar elements; opposed rank checks and ability checks are an exception to this rule.
Armor Class
A cosmic entity determines its armor class as a mortal being. Many of the more powerful cosmic entities (like the Demon Princes or the Seven Virtues), may have their armor class determined in a manner similar to gods in the event of mortal ascension.
Attacks
A cosmic entity with a cosmic rank of 1 or higher does not treat a roll of ‘1’
as an automatic failure. It does not use cosmic rank to modify attacks or damage.
Saving Throws
A cosmic entity with a cosmic rank of 1 or higher does not treat a roll of ‘1’ as an automatic failure. It does not use cosmic rank to modify saving throws.
Immunities
A cosmic entity may possess an array of immunities, although most are associated with the specific type of template rather than upon cosmic rank. A cosmic entity does not possess the sweeping immunities of gods; however, such immunities, not conditional on divine rank, are not overcome by opposed rank checks. See cosmic entity groupings (templates) to determine immunities. Regardless of cosmic rank, a cosmic entity can usually expect to be susceptible to effects that imprison or banish it. Such effects include banishment, binding, dimensional anchor, dismissal, imprisonment,
repulsion, soul bind, Temporal Stasis, and trap the soul. Bear in mind that the common names for a cosmic entity may not be its True Name. Thus spells like imprisonment are of limited value against a Herald of Holiness as the name to which it is referred is not its True Name.
A cosmic entity is resistant to the attempts to rebuke or turn it.
Interestingly, although it is utterly immune to turning/rebuking attempts by gods and other cosmic entities, the cosmic entity is not immune to such attempts by powerful mortals. In such cases, the cosmic entity receives turn resistance equal to half of its Spell Resistance, as described in the Epic Level Handbook under the Planar Turningfeat.
Spurn the Divine
A cosmic entity is resistant to the powers of the gods. When determining if a cosmic entity can be affected by divine power, it is entitled to an opposed rank check to see if it is immune or resistant to divine assaults; the cosmic entity is entitled to a bonus to its rank check as if it were a deity with the same divine rank as it has cosmic ranks (this also holds true where cosmic entities face off, and opposed rank checks come into play). For example, if Ares, a divine rank 14 god, were to attack Mephistopheles, a cosmic rank 16 cosmic entity, Ares would find that the Lord of the Eighth immune to his Annihilating Strike, unless he succeeded on an opposed rank check. Ares, an intermediate deity, would have a total bonus of +14 on the opposed rank check (+14 for his divine ranks), while Mephistopheles would be treated as a DvR 16 greater god, with a total bonus of +24 on the opposed rank check (+16 for his cosmic ranks, +4 for each strata above his opponent).
A cosmic entity may be able to temporarily ignore Area Divine Shields, Divine Blasts, Divine Shields, and Mass Divine Blasts. The attacking deity must succeed on an opposed rank check to affect a cosmic entity with Divine Blasts or Mass Divine Blasts. Against Area Divine Shields and Divine
Shields, the cosmic entity can make an opposed rank check to breach the effect; the cosmic entity can breach the shield for one round’s worth of actions. Thus, if Ares were to attack Mephistopheles with a Divine Blast, Ares would need to succeed on an opposed rank check. Likewise, if the Lord of Loss was to attack Ares with his Hell’s Fire, he would need to succeed on an opposed rank check. Note that in the second example, if Mephistopheles was unable to breach the Divine Shield with an opposed rank check, he would still deal damage as per normal to the Divine Shield with his Hell’s Fire.
A cosmic entity warps the powers of the gods drastically. If a god attempts to attack a cosmic entity, it may not count on distance in a conflict. If the cosmic entity has at least half as many cosmic ranks as the god’s divine ranks, the god must confront the cosmic entity personally. Rather than distance for Divine Blasts, sensory powers, and similar divine attributes being determined by miles, these powers when used against a cosmic entity are changed to 100 feet. Thus, if Ares were to attack Mephistopheles with a Divine Blast, Ares would have to be within 1400 feet of the Arch Duke of Cania in order to have a chance to strike him.
Note that if an attack from a deity is not directly aimed at a cosmic entity, but nonetheless includes said entity within its area of effect, the above limitations still apply.
A cosmic entity is also difficult for gods to track. If a cosmic entity is involved in any activity or action related to a god’s portfolio sense, there is no guarantee that that god in question will be aware of it. When dealing with a cosmic entity that possesses fewer than half the cosmic ranks as the god’s divine rank, the god’s portfolio awareness and sensory powers function at half power, decreasing not only range and duration by half, but also the effective divine rank by half, so that even a Greater deity will not be able to sense the cosmic entity’s actions ahead of time. When dealing with a cosmic entity that possesses more than half but still fewer cosmic ranks as the god’s divine rank, the god’s portfolio awareness and sensory powers function at quarter power. When dealing with a cosmic entity that possesses equal to or greater cosmic ranks as the god’s divine ranks, the god’s portfolio awareness and sensory powers do not function at all. This power can essentially blind gods to the machinations of a cosmic entity. It also benefits the personal servants of cosmic entities. Thus, if Mephistopheles’ mortal servant were personally instructed by the
Arch Duke of Cania to cause the collapse of a major temple dedicated to Ares would only become aware of the plot if one of his servants or he himself heard of it first hand. Only if a god’s name is spoken can a god peer into the location within 100 feet per divine rank for one round per divine rank as described in Deities and Demigods to learn about events related to the plots of a cosmic entity. Certain Cosmic entities have parallel limitations when dealing with divine beings.
Damage Reduction
A cosmic entity typically gains damage reduction in a manner unique to its type. However, without such a provision, the cosmic entity determines its damage reduction in a manner identical to that of a god as described by Dicefreaks.
Immortality
A cosmic entity possesses quasi-divine status as described in Deities and Demigods. It is also not subject to death from massive damage. A cosmic entity possesses a form of rejuvenation that makes them extremely difficult to kill. When a cosmic entity is “killed” beyond its Plane of origin or the Plane upon which it draws its power, it does not die. Within 10d10 days, the cosmic entity reforms in its home plane and, for the more powerful ones, in a specific area or layer. Upon reforming, the cosmic entity is typically trapped within its Plane/layer/realm for 5d20 years during which it can only be called or summoned into another Plane by mortals, and then for a limited time (usually 1d10 days).
Automatic Actions
A cosmic entity, like a deity, is able to take a certain amount of automatic actions per round. The number of such free actions that can be taken is as per the guidelines for deities (as found in Deities and Demigods), save that the cosmic entity is treated uses its cosmic rank to determine the number of free actions available per round. The types of actions available to the cosmic entity are always related to its portfolio, and are specified in the individual cosmic entity’s description.
Communication
A cosmic entity with cosmic ranks can understand, speak, and read any language, including nonverbal languages.
Realm
The power of a cosmic entity to manipulate its own realm is identical to that of a true god except the cosmic entity uses its cosmic rank to determine the extent that it can affect said realm. Many cosmic entities receive bonuses within their own abode.
Fiendish Oblivion
Fiends, like most outsiders, are extremely difficult to permanently destroy. As they are the immortal manifestation of an Ideal, they effectively live forever unless destroyed through special circumstances. This does not mean that all fiends are immortal in the same sense that quasi-gods or abominations are immortal. While all fiends live forever and are not required to eat, breath, or sleep, common fiends do not receive any special status when dealing with threats from cosmic or divine beings and do not benefit from the Immortal description.
Simultaneously, fiends are not mortal in the same sense that humanoids, magical beasts, and other creatures are. They do not have biological functions (unless they want to) and do not have traditional organs, fluids, or the like. When a witch claims to need a barbazu’s heart, what one acquires is a “heart” that comes into being at the moment it is culled from the fiend’s body. A fiend’s body is in different stages of protoplasmic development over its existence depending on its status. Lowest ‘ranked’ fiends, like lemures
and manes, are the most carnal in nature; as a fiend progresses in power, it
loses more and more of its physical nature. It is no accident that pit fiends are usually translucent or that balors are composed of flames, shadow, and hate rather than possessing bodies in the mortal sense.
It is for this reason (among others) that the Blood War has persisted for so long. Devils cannot permanently destroy their demonic adversaries in the vast majority of cases. (There are rumors among demons that devouring the protoplasmic remains of a fiend renders it completely destroyed; if such is the case, devils have not adopted the practice as of yet). What happens to a fiend’s life when its physical form is destroyed depends upon where it ‘died,’ how it relates to the area in which it died (called or summoned), and its station. If a fiend is summoned and then slain, it is instantly returned from whence it came. Most fiends encountered in the mortal coil were summoned and are never in fear of being permanently destroyed and rarely risk a loss of face and/or station if defeated. The only time a fiend has to be concerned with the latter is if they were summoned by an immediate superior.
Fiends that have been called, whether by a planar alliance, planar binding, gate, or similar magicks are at a greater risk of being destroyed or punished. Indeed, they suffer the exact same risk as those fiends encountered in the Realms Beyond. Being destroyed in the Depth Below often risks permanent destruction. What occurs depends upon a fiend’s status:
Least Fiend
Permanent destruction when slain, regardless of location.
Lesser Fiend
Reduced to least status for a century per hit die and unable to travel beyond the confines of the appropriate Depth Below. The fiend may be permanently slain anywhere in the appropriate Depth Below.
Greater Fiend
Reduced to the appropriate highest-ranking lesser fiend status for a decade per hit die and unable to travel beyond the confines of the appropriate Depth Below during that time. The fiend may be permanently slain anywhere in the appropriate Depth Below. It may also suffer other penalties, as determined by a possible superior.
Minor Cosmic Fiend
Duke of Hell, unique demon. Such creatures are unable to manifest in a corporeal fashion for five years per hit die and confined to the appropriate Depth Below for the time frame. Thereafter, the fiend may enter the mortal coil only by being called first. A fiend of this station risks permanent destruction if slain on the appropriate layer of the appropriate plane (eg. Martinet may only be slain on Nessus, Ninth of the Nine Hells of Perdition). The fiend may possibly suffer other penalties, as determined by a possible superior.
Greater Cosmic Fiend
Arch-Devil, Demon Lord. As minor cosmic fiend, except confined to the appropriate Depth Below for one year per hit die. These beings are typically not tied to a superior.
True Cosmic Fiend
Demon Prince, Lord of the Nine. Confined to the appropriate Depth Below for one year per hit die; otherwise as a minor cosmic fiend. Permanent destruction takes place only if the creature is slain on the appropriate layer of the appropriate plane (eg. Mephistopheles may be destroyed only in Cania, Eighth of the Nine Hells of Perdition), and only if the attacker succeeds in a rank check against the fiend. Although such a creature is unlikely to suffer a loss of status from a superior (assuming it has one), the loss of face for being confined to a fiend’s layer is enough to guarantee severe retaliation once the fiend regains its ability to travel.
Deity
A god is as difficult (and probably more difficult) to permanently destroy as a cosmic entity. A divine being risks permanent destruction only if slain on its home plane and only if the attacker succeeds on a rank check. Otherwise the deity or patron reforms within its divine realm after one year per Hit Die.
While the destruction of a cosmic fiend may adversely affect the cult activities of its servants and “worshippers,” the destruction, even temporary, of a god may have vast consequences not only for its church, but for its future in a mortal world.
A single-spheric deity slain on the world upon which it is venerated loses jurisdiction on that world and seems to die (as if destroyed on the planes). Such a deity may reform after one year per Hit Die if sufficient worship is available or a suitable ritual is performed (in some cases, an overpower must allow the god’s return).
If a multi-spheric deity is slain on one of the worlds upon which it is venerated, the god is not destroyed nor its activities restricted on the planes or on other worlds; however, it is banished from that world/pantheon and loses jurisdiction in said world. The god may attempt to exert influence on that sphere again after one year per Hit Die if sufficient worship is available or a suitable ritual is performed (again, some cases will warrant the approval of an overpower).