Ahmanet

Ahmanet is a powerful, demon-like entity from a time before life on the Material Plane. She originally inhabited the space between planes-- the Void-- but was taken hostage by her own brother, Ares, and given to early humanoids in exchange for his own safe passage into the Planes. She spend millennia trapped in an enchanted coffin; her worshipers died off in time, and she was forgotten, left alone in her sarcophagus. Eventually, grave robbers attempted to open it, and she was released. It was then that she discovered that she could feed upon the life-force of both the living and the dead by consuming their very souls. Since then, she has stuck mostly to the Void, content to scavenge souls as they travel from one Plane to the next. A powerful necromancer is able to call on her and bring her back to the Material Plane-- however, there is no guarantee she will be happy to do so, and those who summon her are often her first victims upon arrival.

She has a bitter hatred of her brother, Ares, and will only willingly come to the Material Plane in order to try and defeat him. Although Ahmanet is evil, she is not entirely devoid of a sense of honor and morality; she takes no great pleasure in harming for the sake of harm, and may even perform simple acts of charity or affection to those she deems worthy of it.

Ahmanet resides in the Void, a space between Planes. While in the Void, she cannot be physically harmed, nor can she harm other Void-dwellers.

When she enters the Material Plane, Ahmanet must possess a sapient being, usually humanoid. This being must be a former religious worshiper who willingly accepts her, knowing that they will cease to exist once possessed; they must die before or shortly after she possesses it, or their soul will still be present and she will have difficulty staying in it. For all intents and purposes, Ahmanet's lair is the vessel itself.

Lair Actions

On initiative count 4 (losing initiative ties), Ahmanet takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; Ahmanet can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:

• Disappear into the Void and reappear up to 30 feet away in the Material Plane (or whichever plane of existence she was originally on).
• Exorcise herself from her current vessel and possess a new one. A saving throw by the vessel (DC 10+) is only necessary if they are still alive and do not consent to the possession.
• Exorcise herself from her current vessel and attempt to manifest in the Material Plane in her true eldritch form. No matter where this occurs, the area around Ahmanet will become obscene and bizarre as the laws of reality in that plane are broken by her presence, and it becomes difficult terrain for 300 feet in all directions. All creatures present must make a Constitution saving throw of 20+. On a successful save, the creatures experience the following effects:
  • Madness randomly chosen from the "Conditions" table or determined by the DM. The creatures may roll another Constitution saving throw at the beginning of their turn; the DC goes down by one each time, ie, if they fail the initial save their next DC is 19, then 18, and so on.
  • Bleeding from the ears, eyes, mouth, and nose.
• On a failed save, creatures experience at least one of the following effects at the DM's discretion: 
  • Paralysis for one turn. On their next turn, they must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, or they suffer another effect. Creatures must suffer one additional effect every time they fail to make a saving throw; however, the DC for saving throws goes down each turn.
  • Unconsciousness for one turn. On their next turn, they must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, or they suffer another effect. Creatures must suffer one additional effect every time they fail to make a saving throw; however, the DC for saving throws goes down each turn.
  • Vomiting.
  • Blindness.
  • Immense pain, as though every part of their body is being pulled away from their center.
  • Irreversible catatonia.
  • Immediate death as their organs scramble and liquefy within their bodies.

Regional Effects

Ahmanet’s vessel is essentially her lair, and her presence in it creates the following effects:

• The vessel begins to deteriorate as it would naturally for a short time after she possesses it. She appears emaciated, sleepless, and perhaps slightly rotted. The vessel's body must become used to her presence, and for a short time after she possesses it, the body will suffer greatly as it tries to acclimate.
• The eyes of her vessel turn bright crimson and glow a vivid shade of red. This cannot be stopped except by closing her eyes, and may give her away in dark conditions.
• The vessel's teeth will become larger, sharper, and longer. It may also grow additional teeth in rows, similar to a shark.
• The vessel's fingers will grow long, sharp claws.
• The vessel will grow horns similar to a goat or sheep. Before the body acclimates to her presence, these horns will be bloody and raw, very clearly a foreign growth; if the vessel accepts her successfully, the horns will continue to grow and heal completely.
• Any Arcana checks done in her presence will reveal a powerful but mostly harmless necrotic energy radiating off of her.
• She will appear as Undead in any sort of Detect Undead effects, and will take damage as any Undead would by Turn Undead effects.
• The vessel itself does not become any more powerful, nor does it become immune to physical damage.

If the vessel is destroyed or Ahmanet is exorcised from it, the vessel deteriorates rapidly, and is reduced to a shriveled black form in a matter of minutes. A powerful necrotic energy surrounds the vessel for 1d10 days. Any creature who approaches the vessel before the energy fades must make a DC 5 saving throw or suffer physical or mental sickness (ie, a non-lethal effect that is described above) for 24 hours.