Npc, Circe, the Witch-Queen of Aeaea

Circe, Witch-Queen of Aeaea

Medium Celestial, Neutral

Armor Class 21 (divine ward)

Hit Points 414 (36d8 + 252)

Speed 30 ft.

Saving Throws Dex +12, Con +14, Int +15, Wis +14, Cha +16

Skills Arcana +15, Deception +16, Insight +14, Medicine +14, Nature +15, Perception +14, Persuasion +16

Damage Resistances fire, radiant

Damage Immunities poison

Condition Immunities charmed, poisoned

Senses truesight 60 ft., passive Perception 24

Languages Ancient Greek, Colchian, Celestial, Latin; communicates with Beasts

Challenge 23 (50,000 XP; PB +7)

Traits

Divine Immortality. Circe does not age and is immune to disease. She does not need to eat, drink or sleep.

Immutable Self. Circe is immune to effects that would alter her form unless she chooses to be affected.

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Circe fails a saving throw, she can choose to succeed.

Magic Resistance. Circe has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Master of Pharmaka. Circe has Advantage on Arcana, Nature and Medicine checks involving magical herbs, poisons, medicines, potions, antidotes and transformative substances.

Tongue of Beasts. Circe can communicate with Beasts as though continuously benefiting from Speak with Animals.

Actions

Multiattack. Circe makes two Wand of Aeaea attacks.

Wand of Aeaea. Melee or Ranged Spell Attack: +16 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 27 (4d8 + 9) force damage.

Transforming Curse (Recharge 5–6). Circe chooses one creature she can see within 90 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 24 Wisdom saving throw or be transformed into a harmless mundane Beast chosen by Circe.

The transformed creature retains its current and maximum hit points, Hit Dice, alignment, personality, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, memories, saving throw proficiencies and skill proficiencies.

Its equipment melds into its new form. It cannot speak, cast spells, activate magic items, use weapons or tools, or make attacks. It may otherwise act in ways its new anatomy permits.

At the end of each of its turns, the creature repeats the saving throw. A success ends the transformation. After three failed repeat saves, the transformation lasts for 24 hours and no further repeat saves are allowed.

Remove Curse, Greater Restoration or comparable magic ends the effect.

Transforming Draught (3/Day). Circe chooses a creature she can see that consumed food or drink she personally prepared within the previous hour.

The creature must succeed on a DC 24 Constitution saving throw or be transformed into a swine or another mundane Beast chosen by Circe for 1 hour.

This transformation allows no repeat saving throw. A creature that succeeds is immune to Circe’s Transforming Draught for 24 hours.

A draught treated beforehand for 1 minute with a Moly Herb loses its magical draught effect.

Innate Spellcasting

Charisma is Circe’s spellcasting ability (spell save DC 24, +16 to hit with spell attacks). She requires no material components for these spells.

At will: detect magic, minor illusion, prestidigitation, speak with animals

3/day each: charm person, dispel magic, greater invisibility, modify memory, remove curse, speak with dead, suggestion

2/day each: break enchantment, dominate person, hold monster, legend lore, polymorph, scrying, teleport, true seeing

1/day each: foresight, greater restoration, mass suggestion, plane shift, shapechange

Bonus Actions

Restorative Draught (3/Day). Circe or a willing creature she touches regains 27 (6d8) hit points. Instead of restoring hit points, Circe may end one poison affecting the drinker.

Reactions

Counterspell (3/Day). Circe casts Counterspell when a creature she can see casts a spell within range.

Legendary Actions

Circe can take 3 Legendary Actions, one at a time, immediately after another creature’s turn. She regains all spent Legendary Actions at the start of her turn.

Wand Stroke. Circe makes one Wand of Aeaea attack.

Bewitching Word. One creature Circe can see within 60 feet must succeed on a DC 24 Wisdom saving throw or be Charmed until the end of its next turn.

Command the Menagerie. One Beast friendly to Circe within 120 feet may use its Reaction to move up to its Speed and make one attack.

Alter Flesh (Costs 2 Actions). One creature Circe can see within 60 feet must succeed on a DC 24 Constitution saving throw or become partially bestial until the end of its next turn. Its Speed is halved, it cannot take Reactions, and it has Disadvantage on attack rolls and Dexterity saving throws.

Aeaea Estate Actions

While Circe is on Aeaea, on initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), she may invoke one of the following effects. She cannot use the same effect on consecutive rounds.

Beast-Shaping Vapours. Golden-green vapour fills a 20-foot-radius Sphere centred on a point Circe can see within 120 feet. Creatures of her choice in the area must succeed on a DC 24 Constitution saving throw or become partially bestial until initiative count 20 of the next round. Their Speed is halved, they cannot take Reactions, and they have Disadvantage on attack rolls.

Living Loom. Threads, fibres and vines fill a 20-foot square Circe can see within 120 feet. Hostile creatures there must succeed on a DC 24 Dexterity saving throw or become Restrained.

An affected creature may use its action to make a DC 24 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check, ending the effect on itself on a success. The threads disappear on initiative count 20 of the next round.

Cup of Forgetting. The scent of an impossible feast fills a 30-foot-radius Sphere centred on a point Circe can see within 120 feet. Enemies in the area must succeed on a DC 24 Wisdom saving throw or lose their Reactions and subtract 1d6 from the next attack roll or saving throw they make before initiative count 20 of the next round.

Circe, Witch-Queen of Aeaea

Medium Outsider (Native); CR 23; Neutral

Hit Dice 24d8+192 (300 hp)

Initiative +10

Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)

Armor Class 40, touch 24, flat-footed 33 (+6 Dex, +8 armor, +7 deflection, +1 dodge, +8 natural)

Base Attack/Grapple +24/+26

Attack Wand of Aeaea +35 melee (1d4+7)

Full Attack Wand of Aeaea +35/+30/+25/+20 melee (1d4+7)

Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.

Special Attacks pharmakeia, spell-like abilities, transforming curse

Special Qualities darkvision 60 ft., divine immortality, divine ward, immutable self, DR 15/epic, fire resistance 20, spell resistance 34

Saves Fort +26, Ref +24, Will +27

Abilities Str 14, Dex 22, Con 26, Int 30, Wis 24, Cha 28

Skills Bluff +36, Concentration +35, Craft (alchemy) +40, Diplomacy +36, Heal +34, Knowledge (arcana) +40, Knowledge (history) +37, Knowledge (nature) +37, Knowledge (religion) +37, Knowledge (the planes) +37, Listen +34, Perform (sing) +36, Profession (herbalist) +34, Search +37, Sense Motive +34, Spellcraft +39, Spot +34, Use Magic Device +36

Feats Ability Focus (pharmakeia), Ability Focus (transforming curse), Dodge, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (suggestion), Skill Focus (Craft [alchemy]), Skill Focus (Knowledge [arcana]), Weapon Finesse

Environment Aeaea

Organization Unique; usually accompanied by enchanted or friendly animals and members of her household

Treasure Wand of Aeaea, ancient household treasures, ritual materials, rare herbs and magical preparations

Spell-Like Abilities

Caster level 23rd. Save DCs are Charisma-based.

Constant: true seeing

At will: alter self, charm person, detect magic, detect thoughts, disguise self, speak with animals

3/day: baleful polymorph, confusion, greater dispel magic, greater invisibility, modify memory, remove curse, speak with dead, suggestion

2/day: break enchantment, dominate person, hold monster, greater teleport, legend lore, polymorph, scrying, true seeing

1/day: dominate monster, foresight, greater restoration, maze, plane shift, polymorph any object, shapechange

Special Abilities

Divine Immortality (Ex). Circe does not age and is immune to disease, poison and magical sleep. She does not need to eat, drink or sleep.

Divine Ward (Su). Circe’s immortal nature continuously grants her a +8 armor bonus to Armor Class, a +7 deflection bonus to Armor Class and a +4 resistance bonus on saving throws. These bonuses are included in the statistics above.

Immutable Self (Ex). Circe is immune to petrification, polymorph and other unwilling effects that alter her physical form. She may voluntarily accept such an effect.

Transforming Curse (Su). Three times per day as a standard action, Circe may target one living creature within 90 feet.

The target must succeed on a DC 33 Fortitude save or be permanently transformed into a mundane animal chosen by Circe. The save DC is Charisma-based and includes Ability Focus.

The victim retains alignment, memories, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma but assumes the chosen creature’s size, Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, natural armor, ordinary movement modes and natural attacks.

Worn and carried equipment melds into the new body and becomes nonfunctional.

The victim cannot speak or perform verbal, somatic, material or focus components its new anatomy cannot physically manage.

The transformation is supernatural and cannot simply be dispelled. Break Enchantment, Remove Curse or equivalent magic requires a caster-level check against DC 34.

Miracle, wish or comparable reality-altering magic ends the transformation automatically.

Pharmakeia (Su). With 1 hour of work, Circe may create up to eight magical draughts. No more than eight of her special draughts may exist at one time.

Beast Draught: A creature drinking the draught must succeed on a DC 33 Fortitude save or suffer Circe’s Transforming Curse for 1 hour rather than permanently.

Sleep Draught: A living creature drinking it must succeed on a DC 33 Fortitude save or fall into magical sleep for 1d4 hours. Damage permits an immediate new saving throw.

Restorative Draught: The drinker regains 8d8+24 hit points and may immediately attempt another saving throw against one poison affecting it.

Clarifying Draught: The drinker gains a +4 alchemical bonus on saving throws against enchantment and illusion effects for 1 hour.

A Moly Herb used correctly on one of these liquid preparations for 1 minute before it is consumed destroys its applicable potion and poison properties.

Ritual Purification (Su). Circe may spend 1 hour purifying a willing creature, suppliant or group.

At the conclusion of the rite she may reproduce Break Enchantment or Remove Curse at caster level 23rd.

When a creature suffers mythic blood-guilt, divine pursuit or the consequences of a violated supernatural oath, the rite may cleanse ritual pollution without necessarily removing the wider consequences of the deed.

Wand of Aeaea. The Wand of Aeaea functions as a +5 weapon in Circe’s hands and serves as the focus of her transformative magic. Another creature cannot reproduce Circe’s Transforming Curse merely by taking possession of the wand.

Aeaean Dominion

While Circe is physically present on Aeaea, she may invoke one of the following supernatural manifestations as a swift action once per round. She cannot use the same manifestation on two consecutive rounds.

Beast-Shaping Vapours (Su). Circe chooses a point within 120 feet. A 20-foot-radius cloud of golden-green vapour appears and lasts until the beginning of her next turn.

Creatures of Circe’s choice within the cloud must succeed on a DC 33 Fortitude save or undergo a partial transformation for 1 round.

An affected creature’s land speed is halved, it cannot make attacks of opportunity, and it takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, Reflex saves and Dexterity-based skill checks.

Living Loom (Su). Threads, fibres and creeping vines fill a 20-foot square within 120 feet.

Hostile creatures in the affected area must succeed on a DC 33 Reflex save or become entangled and anchored in place.

An affected creature may escape as a standard action with a successful DC 33 Strength check or Escape Artist check. The threads disappear at the beginning of Circe’s next turn.

Cup of Forgetting (Su). One creature Circe can see within 90 feet must succeed on a DC 33 Will save or become confused for 1 round.

A creature that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to the Cup of Forgetting for 24 hours.