Anšar — The Primordial Whole of Heaven
At a Glance
| Name | Anšar (Anshar), the primordial entirety of heaven |
|---|---|
| Tradition | Babylonian creation narrative, Enūma eliš |
| Nature | Elder divine ancestor and the whole expanse of heaven before younger thrones |
| Counterpart | Kišar, the entirety of earth |
| Lineage | Descended from Lahmu and Lahamu, themselves descended from Apsû and Tiamat |
| Descendant | Anu in the genealogy of Enūma eliš |
| Alignment | Lawful Neutral; ancient order and restrained judgement |
| Domains | Law, Knowledge and Protection; the Elder Witness is a campaign-original divine tradition |
| Divine Estate | The Unmeasured Vault, a primordial realm of layered heavens |
| Campaign Emblem | A vaulted golden heaven above layered earth; an original fantasy sign |
| Followers | Keepers of old genealogies, oath-witnesses and custodians of ancestral sky charts |
| Role in Play | Judge of inherited claims, reluctant councillor and witness to the first boundaries |
Four ancient observatories now show a star that belongs to no recognised constellation. A ruler declares it proof of a right to conquer neighbouring lands; the oldest surviving tablets say otherwise. Anšar has not granted him a throne. He has returned to witness whether an oath spoken under the first heaven can still bind a king.
The First Heaven
Before the younger gods claimed cities, temples and the right to rule, Anšar and Kišar stood as the whole of heaven and earth. In Enūma eliš they descend from Lahmu and Lahamu, whose lineage reaches back to the elder waters of Apsû and Tiamat. Their son Anu inherits a place in that genealogy, but Anšar is not simply Anu under another name.
When Tiamat’s rising terrified the divine assembly, Anšar summoned the younger powers to counsel. He demanded an answer worthy of those who claimed the heavens, though the decisive struggle became Marduk’s. The elder’s authority lies in remembered beginnings and the limits of inherited power. Later writers sometimes identified him with Aššur or Anu; those historical identifications do not make their separate stories identical.
What Is Happening Right Now?
The impossible star has appeared over four ruined observatories. An ambitious ruler has dispatched soldiers to seize their oldest tablets, hoping to turn a genealogical record into a claim of conquest. The surviving astronomers know the text names the first divine generations, not a mortal dynasty. They need protection before the soldiers arrive.
The characters can recover the fractured tablets, decide whether to reveal the ruler’s deception at his court, or carry the original reading to the secluded witness who remembers the names. Anšar will answer a truthful witness, but he will not rule the kingdom for them.
Appearance and the Unmeasured Vault
In the world of the campaign, Anšar appears as an immense elder beneath concentric heavens, with stars visible through his robes and a horizon that bends around him. His silence carries more weight than a shout. The Unmeasured Vault holds the first measured distances between sky and earth, older than the thrones erected beneath it.
His signs are precise rather than theatrical: an ancestral seal loses the name of a false claimant; two distant observatories mark the same missing constellation; a treaty copied in error reveals its original words beneath the ink. His clerics keep genealogies, judge sworn testimony and guard old boundaries. These orders are campaign inventions, not attested historical temples.
Regional Effects
- Witness of the First Horizon (16-mile radius). While Anšar manifests within an observatory or ancestral court, creatures taking an hour to compare testimony gain Advantage on checks made to detect forged genealogies and knowingly false oaths. The benefit ends when the manifestation departs.
- The Unclaimed Star (8-mile radius). A cold star becomes visible on clear and cloudy nights when a ruler falsely claims divine ancestry. The star fades within one night after the claim is publicly withdrawn or proved false.
- Weight of Old Boundaries (1-mile radius). At the beginning of combat around a sacred boundary, a creature trying to cross a sealed threshold against an oath it personally swore must succeed on a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw or have its Speed reduced to 0 until the end of that turn. The effect ceases if the oath is honestly released or the boundary is restored.
- Tablets That Remember (within the divine estate). When an inscription is deliberately altered, its original characters remain faintly visible to anyone reading in steady starlight. The trace ends once Anšar withdraws this protection.
Encounters and Interventions
The Star That Names No King. A court astrologer offers a fortune to anyone who can retrieve an unbroken clay tablet before the army burns its observatory.
Boundary of the First Oath. Two nations are preparing for war over a valley whose ancient border was deliberately miscopied. The truth lies inside a collapsed, star-aligned shrine.
The Igigi at the Gate. A divine messenger bars access to an ancestral vault, not because the characters are intruders, but because a forged genealogy has made the lawful heir appear to be one.
Divine Manifestations
Before the first royal sky was measured, Anšar held the whole vault of heaven. When the elder power enters an adventure, he sends forth a form that mortals can face, bargain with or drive away. A defeated manifestation is not the death of the primordial heaven.
Anšar — Manifestation of the First Heaven (D&D 2024)
Gargantuan Celestial (divine manifestation), Lawful Neutral
| AC | 28 (divine ward) |
|---|---|
| Initiative | +5 (15) |
| HP | 738 (36d20 + 360) |
| Speed | 60 ft., Fly 150 ft. (hover) |
| STR / DEX / CON | 36 (+13) / 20 (+5) / 30 (+10) |
| INT / WIS / CHA | 32 (+11) / 36 (+13) / 34 (+12) |
| Saving Throws | Str +23, Dex +15, Con +20, Int +21, Wis +23, Cha +22 |
| Skills | Arcana +21, History +21, Insight +23, Perception +23 |
| Resistances | Cold, Lightning, Thunder, Force |
| Immunities | Poison damage; Charmed, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified and Poisoned conditions |
| Senses | Truesight 240 ft.; Passive Perception 33 |
| Languages | Sumerian, Akkadian and the tongues of those addressing him; Telepathy 240 ft. |
| CR | 33 (original campaign CR beyond the standard table; PB +10, XP awarded by the Games Master) |
Traits
- Legendary Resistance (5/Day). If Anšar fails a saving throw, he succeeds instead.
- Divine Awareness. Anšar perceives unwarded events under an open sky within 100 miles. An equally ranked power can conceal its own realm.
- Measure of the First Sky. Hostile creatures beginning their turns within 30 feet of Anšar cannot teleport until the start of their next turns unless they succeed on a DC 31 Charisma saving throw.
- Divine Spellcasting. Spell save DC 31; no material components. At will: Detect Magic, Feather Fall, See Invisibility. 3/day each: Banishment, Control Weather, Scrying, True Seeing. 1/day each: Foresight and Time Stop. He needs no Concentration for Detect Magic.
Actions
- Multiattack. Anšar makes three First Measure attacks.
- First Measure. Melee Attack Roll: +23, reach 30 ft.; Hit: 35 (4d10 + 13) Bludgeoning plus 22 (4d10) Thunder damage.
- Divide the Horizons (Recharge 5–6). Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 31, creatures of Anšar’s choice in a 120-foot-long, 20-foot-wide line. Failure: 88 (16d10) Force damage and the creature is pushed up to 30 feet. Success: half damage and no push.
- The First Witness (1/Day). Anšar chooses up to six creatures he can see within 120 feet. Each makes a DC 31 Wisdom saving throw. On failure, for 1 minute the creature cannot deliberately speak a lie but may remain silent. A creature repeats the save at the end of each of its turns.
Bonus Actions and Reactions
- Skyward Step (Bonus Action). Anšar teleports up to 120 feet to a place he can see, leaving a momentary star-trail.
- Interpose the Firmament (Reaction). When a creature within 60 feet takes damage, Anšar reduces that damage by 35 and moves it up to 15 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Legendary Actions
Anšar can take 3 Legendary Actions between the starts of his turns, one at a time after another creature’s turn.
- Sky Spear. Make one First Measure attack.
- Ordered Distance. A creature within 120 feet must succeed on a DC 31 Strength saving throw or be pushed 30 feet.
- Boundaries of Heaven (Costs 2 Actions). Creatures of Anšar’s choice in a 30-foot Emanation make a DC 31 Wisdom saving throw, taking 27 (6d8) Psychic damage and losing Reactions until the start of his next turn on failure, or half damage on success.
The Unmeasured Vault — Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing ties), choose one. The same action cannot be used on consecutive rounds.
- Seal a Passage. One non-artifact portal within 120 feet is suppressed until the next initiative count 20; its controller can keep it open with a DC 31 spellcasting-ability check.
- Lines Between Stars. Creatures Anšar chooses in a 30-foot-radius sphere within 120 feet make a DC 31 Dexterity save, taking 36 (8d8) Force damage and having their Speed halved until the next count 20 on failure, or half damage on success.
Divine Domains and Granted Spells
Domains: Law, Knowledge and Protection. The Elder Witness tradition serves oath-keeping, sky-lore and ancestral memory; its divine gifts are granted by Anšar, not by a universal priestly institution.
Elder Witness devotion: 1st Sanctuary, 2nd Augury, 3rd Clairvoyance, 4th Divination, 5th Scrying, 6th True Seeing, 7th Plane Shift, 8th Control Weather, 9th Foresight. These are the campaign’s devotional spells, not an additional spell list for every cleric.
Manifestation: Defeating this visible form returns it to the Unmeasured Vault. It does not kill the primordial deity or alter the celestial genealogy.
Anšar — Sky-Father’s Manifestation (D&D 2014)
Gargantuan celestial (divine avatar), lawful neutral
| Armor Class | 28 (divine protection) |
|---|---|
| Hit Points | 738 (36d20 + 360) |
| Speed | 60 ft., fly 150 ft. (hover) |
| STR / DEX / CON | 36 (+13) / 20 (+5) / 30 (+10) |
| INT / WIS / CHA | 32 (+11) / 36 (+13) / 34 (+12) |
| Saving Throws | Str +23, Dex +15, Con +20, Int +21, Wis +23, Cha +22 |
| Skills | Arcana +21, History +21, Insight +23, Perception +23 |
| Damage Resistances | cold, lightning, thunder, force |
| Damage Immunities | poison |
| Condition Immunities | charmed, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned |
| Senses | truesight 240 ft., passive Perception 33 |
| Languages | Sumerian, Akkadian and all languages spoken directly to him; telepathy 240 ft. |
| Challenge | 33 (custom beyond core CR tables; PB +10, XP determined by the DM) |
Traits
- Legendary Resistance (5/Day). If Anšar fails a saving throw, he may succeed instead.
- Magic Resistance. Anšar has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
- Divine Aura. Allies chosen by Anšar within 30 feet gain a +3 bonus to saving throws; hostile creatures treat the area as difficult terrain.
- Innate Spellcasting. Spellcasting ability Wisdom (spell save DC 31). At will: detect magic, feather fall, see invisibility. 3/day each: banishment, control weather, scrying, true seeing. 1/day each: foresight, time stop.
Actions
- Multiattack. Anšar attacks three times with First Measure.
- First Measure. Melee Weapon Attack: +23 to hit, reach 30 ft., one target. Hit: 35 (4d10 + 13) bludgeoning damage plus 22 (4d10) thunder damage.
- Divide the Horizons (Recharge 5–6). Each creature of Anšar’s choice in a 120-by-20-foot line makes a DC 31 Dexterity saving throw, taking 88 (16d10) force damage and being pushed 30 feet on failure, or half damage without movement on success.
- Sky’s Embrace (1/Day). Up to three willing creatures within 60 feet gain resistance to lightning and thunder damage and advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks for 1 hour.
Legendary Actions
Anšar has 3 legendary actions, uses one option after another creature’s turn, and regains them at the start of his turn.
- Measured Strike. Make one First Measure attack.
- Sky’s Presence. One creature within 120 feet must make a DC 31 Strength saving throw or fall prone and be pushed 30 feet.
- Witness of Oaths (Costs 2 Actions). Up to three creatures within 60 feet must make a DC 31 Wisdom saving throw or be unable knowingly to lie until the end of their next turn; they may remain silent.
Lair Actions
At initiative count 20 in the Unmeasured Vault, Anšar may suppress a portal within 120 feet for 1 round or fill a 30-foot-radius sphere with star-lines (DC 31 Dexterity save, 36 (8d8) force damage, half on success). He cannot choose the same effect on successive rounds.
Domains and Sacred Spells
Domains: Law, Knowledge and Protection. The Elder Witness tradition serves oath-keeping, sky-lore and ancestral memory; its divine gifts are granted by Anšar, not by a universal priestly institution.
Devotional spell list: sanctuary (1st), augury (2nd), clairvoyance (3rd), divination (4th), scrying (5th), true seeing (6th), plane shift (7th), control weather (8th), foresight (9th).
Avatar: This stat block represents a defeated-and-restorable manifestation, not the full cosmic being. Its destruction does not destroy Anšar.
Anšar — Primordial Sky Manifestation (Pathfinder 1e)
CR 35; Colossal outsider (lawful, extraplanar, divine); LN
| Initiative | +11; Senses darkvision 120 ft., true seeing; Perception +57 |
|---|---|
| Aura | First Boundary (60 ft.; see Special Abilities) |
| AC | 51, touch 19, flat-footed 44 (–8 size, +7 Dex, +32 natural, +10 deflection) |
| HP | 700 (40d10+480); fast healing 20 |
| Saves | Fort +34, Ref +29, Will +36 |
| Defenses | DR 20/epic and chaotic; immune poison, paralysis, petrification, fear; resist cold, electricity and sonic 30; SR 46 |
| Speed | 60 ft., fly 150 ft. (perfect) |
| Melee | First Measure +53/+48/+43/+38 (4d8+24 plus 4d10 sonic; reach 30 ft.) |
| Space and Reach | 30 ft.; 30 ft. |
| Special Attacks | Divide the Horizons (DC 43); The First Witness (DC 43); vault decree |
| Spell-Like Abilities | CL 30th; concentration +43; at will—detect magic, discern lies, feather fall, see invisibility; 3/day—banishment, control weather, divination, greater scrying, true seeing; 1/day—foresight, time stop |
| Ability Scores | Str 42, Dex 24, Con 34, Int 32, Wis 38, Cha 36 |
| Base Attack / CMB / CMD | +40 / +64 / 81 (includes size and ability modifiers) |
| Skills | Diplomacy +56, Knowledge (arcana) +54, Knowledge (history) +54, Knowledge (planes) +54, Perception +57, Sense Motive +57, Spellcraft +54 |
| Languages | Sumerian, Akkadian, celestial speech; telepathy 240 ft. |
| Environment / Organization | The Unmeasured Vault / solitary, with heralds |
| Treasure | First Measure (major divine artifact); otherwise none |
Special Abilities
- First Boundary (Su). Within 60 feet, an enemy attempting extradimensional movement must succeed at a DC 43 Will save or the effect fails. The enemy loses no prepared spell or slot if the attempted travel fails.
- Divide the Horizons (Su). Every 1d4 rounds, as a standard action, Anšar draws a 120-foot line 20 feet wide. Creatures he chooses take 20d8 force damage (Reflex DC 43 half) and are pushed 30 feet on failure.
- The First Witness (Su). Three times per day, up to six creatures within 120 feet must succeed at a DC 43 Will save or be unable knowingly to lie for 1 minute; they may refuse to answer.
- Vault Decree (Su). As a swift action once each round, Anšar grants one ally within 60 feet a +4 sacred bonus on all saving throws for 1 round.
- Regeneration of the First Sky (Ex). If reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, the manifestation dissolves into its divine realm. Its loss is a defeat in an encounter, not the death of Anšar.
Divine Domains and Granted Spells
Domains: Law, Knowledge and Protection. The Elder Witness tradition serves oath-keeping, sky-lore and ancestral memory; its divine gifts are granted by Anšar, not by a universal priestly institution.
Law domain spells: protection from chaos, align weapon, magic circle against chaos, order’s wrath, dispel chaos, hold monster, dictum, shield of law, summon monster IX (lawful only). Knowledge domain spells: comprehend languages, detect thoughts, clairaudience/clairvoyance, divination, true seeing, find the path, legend lore, discern location, foresight. Protection domain spells: sanctuary, shield other, protection from energy, spell immunity, spell resistance, antimagic field, repulsion, mind blank, prismatic sphere. Divine spellcasters follow ordinary class preparation and daily limits.
Encounter design: This CR 35 divine manifestation uses original campaign abilities. It can be defeated without ending the primordial deity’s existence.
Anšar — Primordial Sky Manifestation (D&D 3.5e)
Colossal outsider (extraplanar, lawful, divine manifestation); Lawful Neutral
| Hit Dice | 40d8+480 (660 hp) |
|---|---|
| Initiative | +11 |
| Speed | 60 ft. (12 squares), fly 150 ft. (perfect) |
| Armor Class | 50 (–8 size, +7 Dex, +32 natural, +9 deflection), touch 18, flat-footed 43 |
| Base Attack/Grapple | +40/+72 |
| Attack | First Measure +53 melee (4d8+24 plus 4d10 sonic) |
| Full Attack | First Measure +53/+48/+43/+38 melee (4d8+24 plus 4d10 sonic) |
| Space/Reach | 30 ft./30 ft. |
| Special Attacks | Divide the Horizons, First Witness, spell-like abilities, vault decree |
| Special Qualities | Damage reduction 20/epic and chaotic, darkvision 120 ft., true seeing, spell resistance 46, immunity to poison, paralysis, petrification and fear, fast healing 20 |
| Saves | Fort +34, Ref +29, Will +36 |
| Abilities | Str 42, Dex 24, Con 34, Int 32, Wis 38, Cha 36 |
| Skills | Concentration +55, Diplomacy +56, Knowledge (arcana) +54, Knowledge (history) +54, Knowledge (the planes) +54, Listen +57, Sense Motive +57, Spot +57, Spellcraft +54 |
| Feats | Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Improved Critical (spear), Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Mobility, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (divination), Spell Focus (divination), Skill Focus (Knowledge [history]), Weapon Focus (spear) |
| Environment | The Unmeasured Vault |
| Organization | Solitary or with celestial heralds |
| Challenge Rating | 35 (campaign epic CR; not capped at 30) |
| Treasure | First Measure (major artifact) |
| Alignment | Always lawful neutral as a manifestation of Anšar |
| Advancement | Divine manifestations have no normal Hit Dice advancement |
Special Attacks
- Divide the Horizons (Su). Every 1d4 rounds, Anšar may open a 120-foot-long, 20-foot-wide line of luminous sky as a standard action. Chosen creatures take 20d8 force damage (Reflex DC 43 half) and on a failed save are pushed 30 feet.
- The First Witness (Su). Three times per day, up to six creatures within 120 feet make a Will save DC 43. A failed save prevents deliberately speaking falsehoods for 1 minute but does not compel speech.
- Vault Decree (Su). Once per round as a swift action, Anšar gives an ally within 60 feet a +4 sacred bonus on saving throws for 1 round.
- Spell-Like Abilities. Caster level 30th; save DCs use Charisma (DC 23 + spell level). At will—detect magic, discern lies, feather fall, see invisibility; 3/day each—banishment, control weather, divination, greater scrying, true seeing; 1/day each—foresight, time stop.
- Return to the First Heaven (Su). A slain manifestation dissolves and returns to the Unmeasured Vault. This does not slay Anšar or end his divine rank.
Domains and Domain Spells
Domains: Law, Knowledge and Protection. The Elder Witness tradition serves oath-keeping, sky-lore and ancestral memory; its divine gifts are granted by Anšar, not by a universal priestly institution.
Law: protection from chaos, align weapon, magic circle against chaos, order’s wrath, dispel chaos, hold monster, dictum, shield of law, summon monster IX (lawful). Knowledge: comprehend languages, detect thoughts, clairaudience/clairvoyance, divination, true seeing, find the path, legend lore, discern location, foresight. Protection: sanctuary, shield other, protection from energy, spell immunity, spell resistance, antimagic field, repulsion, mind blank, prismatic sphere. These are complete domain-spell lists, not additional spells known without preparation.
Divine estate: In the Unmeasured Vault he can suspend a nonartifact portal for 1 round or lay out a force-lattice in a 30-foot radius (8d8 force; Reflex DC 43 half) at initiative count 20; the same effect cannot be repeated on successive rounds.
Envoys Beneath the First Heaven
Anšar’s messengers bring sealed star charts, judgments over broken oaths and warnings that the young gods have disturbed the boundaries. Some storytellers call these skyward envoys Igigi Heralds. The Igigi gods of Mesopotamian tradition form a divine assembly, not a winged species; the heralds depicted here belong to the living traditions of this world.
A messenger may carry a treaty, demand the return of a stolen heavenly measure, or remain silent until a judge agrees to hear both sides. Its appearance alone cannot prove which power sent it.
The Spear of the First Measure
This long sky-bright spear marks the line between an oath fulfilled and a border broken. Its metal has no forge-mark, and its shadow points towards the Unmeasured Vault. Anšar can call it into a manifestation’s hand; a mortal entrusted with it receives a burden of arbitration rather than the right to command the heavens.
Sources and Licensing
ORACC, Anšar and Kišar records the elder pair’s genealogy and uncertain iconography; ORACC, Igigi/Igigu distinguishes the divine group from later illustrative winged forms. The divinely inhabited realm, relic, encounters and game mechanics are original fantasy interpretations. The D&D 2024 and 2014 rules use their respective stat-block conventions; Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e use the conventions of those games. No rule panel depends on an external page for its core actions, defenses, saving throws or attacks. The two older accompanying illustrations are retained as interpretive artwork, not ancient iconographic evidence.
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