Janus, “God of beginnings, endings, transitions, duality, and doorways”

Janus is a two-faced Roman god of beginnings, endings, transitions, duality, and doorways.

Janus is a fascinating deity with a complex and multifaceted personality. As the Roman god of beginnings, endings, transitions, duality, and doorways, Janus holds a unique position in the pantheon of gods. With two faces, he embodies the paradoxical nature of life, and his presence is felt in both the past and the future.

In many ways, Janus is an enigmatic figure, a god of contradictions. On the one hand, he is associated with the new beginnings and fresh starts that come with the dawn of each day. On the other hand, he is also the god of endings, and his presence is often felt in the rituals and rites that mark the passing of time.

Despite his complex nature, Janus is a character with a clear purpose. His two faces allow him to look both backward and forward in time, and his role as the guardian of doorways and transitions means that he is always ready to guide those who seek his help. For Janus, the ultimate goal is balance, and he works tirelessly to ensure that the cycles of life, death, and rebirth continue to flow smoothly.

To achieve his aims, Janus is a god who values introspection and self-reflection. He is a patient and wise teacher who encourages others to embrace the power of their own duality and to seek out new opportunities for growth and transformation. For Janus, life is a journey, and he is always ready to help those who seek to navigate the twists and turns of their own personal paths.

• Pantheon: Roman pantheon
• Deity Title: Janus, god of beginnings, endings, transitions, duality, and doorways
• Deity Symbol: Two-faced head or two keys crossed in an X-shape
• Home Plane: The Roman heavens
• Deity Level: Intermediate
• Alignment: True neutral
• Aliases: Ianus, Dianus, Diana
• Superior: None
• Traditional Allies: Saturn, Jupiter, Juno
• Traditional Foes: The Titans, Juturna
• Divine Artifact: Key of Janus, which unlocks all doors and gates
• Servants: Janitores (gatekeepers)
• Servitor Creatures: Time Modrons, Sphinxes
• Sacred Animal: Wolf
• Manifestations: Shimmering doorways, creaking gates, a feeling of duality, two-faced apparitions
• Signs of Favor: Doors opening or closing on their own, dreams of two-faced figures, feeling a sense of balance and duality
• Worshipers: Romans, travelers, merchants, diplomats, new beginnings, endings, transitions, those seeking balance in their lives
• Cleric Alignments: Any neutral alignment
• Specialty Priests: Theologians, philosophers, diplomats, gatekeepers, those who work with beginnings and endings, those who work with transitions
• Holy Days: The first day of each month (Kalends), the feast of Janus on January 1st, the Vinalia Rustica festival in August
• Portfolio: Beginnings, endings, transitions, duality, doorways, time
• Domains: Travel, Knowledge, Trickery, Protection, Time
• Favored Weapon: Club
• Favored Class: Cleric
• Favored Race: None
• Duties of the Priesthood: Maintaining and guarding doorways and gates, helping those who are going through transitions, studying philosophy and theology, mediating disputes, working to maintain balance in all things. The priests of Janus are also responsible for maintaining the flow of time and space, ensuring that doors and portals remain open for those who need them and closed to those who would cause harm. They are also tasked with seeking out new beginnings and endings, constantly pushing the boundaries of knowledge and discovery.
• Major Cult/Temple Sites: Janus is worshiped throughout the multiverse, with temples and shrines dedicated to him on countless planes of existence. Some of the most famous cult sites include the Janiculum Hill in Rome, the Janus Temple in Alexandria, and the Gate of Janus in Constantinople.
• Benefits: Ability to detect secret doors and hidden entrances, ability to see through illusions and deceptions, ability to open and close doors at will, protection from harm while traveling, increased insight into the nature of beginnings and endings.

Janus, God of Beginnings and Endings

Medium deity (intermediate), true neutral

Armor Class 30 (Divine Armor of Janus)

Hit Points 500 (50d10 + 250)

Speed 60 ft.

	Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
Ability	30 (+10)	24 (+7)	28 (+9)	30 (+10)	30 (+10)	30 (+10)

Skills Perception +30, Insight +30

Senses passive Perception 40, truesight 120 ft., Divine Awareness (detects any being that crosses a threshold or door)

Languages All languages,

Divine Spellcasting. Janus is a 20th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 30, +22 to hit with spell attacks). Janus has access to all spells from the Travel, Knowledge, Trickery, Protection, and Time domains.

Divine Presence. Any creature within 120 feet of Janus that is attempting to deceive or hide must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 30) or become unable to deceive or hide from Janus for 24 hours.

Two-Faced Nature. Janus can take two actions on each of his turns, one for each of his faces.

Actions

Divine Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +30 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 50 (10d10) radiant damage.

Gates of Janus. Janus opens a portal to the past or the future, allowing one creature to travel through time. The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC 30) or be transported to a random time period. He can also use this ability to open or close any door or portal within 120 feet.

Abilities

Divine Duality. Janus can take two different forms at the same time, each with its own unique abilities and actions.

Divine Guidance. Janus can offer divine guidance to any creature, giving them advantage on their next ability check, attack roll, or saving throw.

Divine Artifact. Key of Janus – This magical key can unlock any door or portal and grants the user truesight for 1 hour. The key disappears after it has been used.

Divine Armor of Janus. This magical armor grants Janus an armor class of 30 and resistance to all damage types. It also grants the ability to cast the shield spell at will.

Challenge Rating 30 (155,000 XP)

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Janus can take a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects:

• Two portals appear within 120 feet of Janus, leading to different planes of existence.
• The air shimmers with magical energy, granting all creatures within 60 feet the ability to cast one spell of their choice as an action.
• A wave of energy pulses out from Janus, dealing 50 (10d10) radiant damage to all creatures within 60 feet of him.

Legendary Actions

Janus can take 3 legendary actions per round, 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. Janus regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.

• Divine Insight. Janus gives a creature divine insight, allowing them to reroll one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw.

• Divine Protection. He grants one creature within 60 feet resistance to all damage types for one round.

• Divine Escape. He uses his ability to open a portal to escape to another plane of existence or to teleport up to 120 feet away.

Regional Effects

The region containing Janus’ temple or presence is subject to the following effects:

• All doors and portals within the region are imbued with magical energy, granting them resistance to any attempts to lock or trap them.
• Any creature that passes through a doorway or portal within the region is marked with a magical sigil that identifies them as having entered or left the presence of Janus.
• The flow of time within the region becomes malleable, allowing for creatures to experience time at different rates or to travel through time.

In the World

Janus watches from his realm as the world undergoes a great transition. The Byzantine Empire, which has stood for a thousand years, is on the brink of collapse. The Ottoman Empire, led by the young and ambitious Sultan Mehmed II, has laid siege to Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Janus is intrigued by this momentous event and the changes it will bring to the world.

As the battle rages on, Janus looks for ways to intervene. He sees the defenders of Constantinople, vastly outnumbered and outmatched, fighting with great bravery and skill. Janus admires their spirit and determination and decides to lend them his aid. He calls forth his powers of transitions and doorways and creates a portal that leads to the heart of the Ottoman army.

Through this portal, the defenders of Constantinople are able to strike at the heart of their enemy, causing chaos and confusion in the Ottoman ranks. The tide of the battle turns, and the defenders are able to hold out against the onslaught of the Ottoman forces.

Janus is pleased with the outcome of the battle. He sees it as a new beginning for the world, a time when old empires will fall and new ones will rise. He knows that this is just the beginning of a great transition and that many more changes lie ahead. As the god of endings, Janus is not afraid of these changes. He knows that every ending is also a new beginning, and that the future is full of possibilities.

Worshipers of Janus gain the following benefits:

Access to the Time Domain spells: Janus’ worshipers gain access to spells from the Time Domain, including spells like time stop, haste, and temporal stasis.

Advantage on all Intelligence (History) and Wisdom (Insight) checks related to time and space: Janus’ followers gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of time and space, allowing them to have an advantage on all Intelligence (History) and Wisdom (Insight) checks related to these topics.

The ability to cast the knock spell once per day: Janus’ worshipers can call upon his divine power to unlock any door or portal with the knock spell once per day.

Resistance to all damage types while within 60 feet of a door or portal: Janus’ followers gain a measure of protection while near any door or portal, granting them resistance to all damage types.

The ability to use the Divine Armor of Janus for one hour per day: Janus’ most devoted worshipers can call upon his divine armor for protection, gaining its benefits for one hour per day. This includes an armor class of 30 and resistance to all damage types, as well as the ability to cast the shield spell at will.

Time Modron

Medium construct, lawful neutral

Armor Class 18 (natural armor)

Hit Points 75 (10d8 + 30)

Speed 30 ft.

Ability	Strength	Dexterity	Constitution	Intelligence	Wisdom	Charisma
Score	12	15	16	10	14	6
Modifier	+1	+2	+3	+0	+2	-2

Damage Immunities poison, psychic Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12

Languages Modron, understands all languages but can’t speak

Magic Resistance. The modron has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Immutable Form. The modron is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.

Actions

Multiattack. The modron makes two slam attacks.

• Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
• Chronal Strike (1/day). The modron unleashes a blast of temporal energy in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
• Temporal Shift (1/day). The modron teleports itself and up to two willing creatures it can see within 60 feet to a point it can see within the same plane of existence. This movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks.
• Time Stop (1/day). The modron stops time for up to 1 minute, during which no other creatures can take actions, bonus actions, reactions, or movement. The modron can use this time to take up to three actions of its own.

Challenge Rating: 6

The Time Modron is a humanoid-shaped construct made of shining metallic materials. It stands at about 6 feet tall and moves with precise and calculated movements. Its body is covered in intricate clockwork gears and mechanisms, giving off a faint ticking sound as it moves.

It has two glowing eyes, which can shift in color from blue to red, depending on its current state. Its arms end in large, heavy fists, which it uses to deliver powerful slam attacks.

Despite its mechanical nature, the Time Modron seems to possess a sense of purpose and intelligence. It can manipulate time itself, unleashing devastating temporal energy in the form of Chronal Strike, teleporting itself and others with Temporal Shift, or even stopping time completely with Time Stop.