Innate Spellcasting. Zarrus’s spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 23). Zarrus can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: detect thoughts, major image
3/day each: dispel magic, fear
1/day each: feeblemind, dominate monster
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Zarrus fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. Zarrus has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. Zarrus's weapon attacks are magical.
Mind of Chaos. Zarrus has advantage Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration, and on saving throws against being charmed, frightened, stunned, and knocked unconscious.
Multiattack. Zarrus makes two Snake Head attacks.
Snake Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 28 (3d12 + 9) piercing damage plus 17 (2d8+8) poison damage.
Telepathic Enthrallment. Zarrus turns his attention to a single creature that he can see within 120 feet. That target must make a DC 23 Wisdom saving throw. If the target fails the save, the target suffers one of the following effects of Zarrus’s choice or at random:
- Deadened Mind. The target is Stunned until the start of Zarrus’s next turn or another creature uses the help action to wake it up.
- Enthralled Mind. The target is charmed by Zarrus until the start of Zarrus’s next turn. Zarrus chooses how the charmed target uses its actions, reactions, and movement. Because this feature requires Zarrus to focus on the target, he can’t use his Maddening Enthrallment legendary action until the start of his next turn. If a creature is reduced to 0 hit points while under this effect, they become a Husk.
- Bewildered Mind. The target becomes confused until the start of Zarrus’s next turn. An affected creature must roll 1d10 on the Behavior table of the confusion spell.
Zarrus can take 2 legendary actions, 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. Zarrus regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.
Snake Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (2d10 + 9) piercing damage plus 17 (2d8+8) poisondamage.
Maddening Enthrallment. Zarrus uses his Telepathic Enthrallment action, and must choose either the Deadened Mind or the Bewildered Mind effect.
Description
Zarrus is a demon overlord who possesses the ruler of the walled south-eastern kingdom. Anyone who strikes down the ruler is then possessed by the demon.
Zarrus was one of the instigators of the ancient war, which resulted in many of the gods being bound or forced into solitude. Zarrus’s defeat was followed by the destruction of his physical body. Unlike most of the other gods in the world, Zarrus cannot manifest physical presence without a host. Zarrus takes residence in the body of anyone who defeats his host. There have been many mortals who have attempted to control Zarrus either to gain his power or to destroy his kingdom, taking his essence into themselves. All have fallen to his corruption, there is not a mortal in existence that can overpower his corrupting will once his essence has taken up residence in their body.
Physically, a host of Zarrus goes through several changes. The host must consume the metaphysical minds of sentient beings in order to survive. Those whose minds are consumed appear to be unharmed. Their bodies remain alive and can move about, but they do so aimlessly. In times of stress, Zarrus can exert telepathic control over these empty Husks (summonable creature with a stat block), commanding them to do his bidding.
Once a host has sufficiently consumed the minds of enough victims, its telepathic power begins to grow. Husks can be commanded at will, without the host becoming fatigued, and the number that can be controlled simultaneously will continue to increase as more minds are consumed.
At the peak of corruption, the host will physically transform, becoming monstrous in appearance, and growing 15 ft snakes out of its back. The snakes can be controlled by the host, but also have a will of their own. The host will also grow in size as the corrupting influence of Zarrus swells and controls the flesh of its host body. A Medium sized host body may become Huge in size if given enough time. At peak corruption, Zarrus’s influence begins to warp and shape the creatures and land around him. Creatures born from this corruption become demons that roam the land, leaving destruction in their wake, only yielding to the will of Zarrus himself.
Lair and Lair Actions
Zarrus's Lair
Zarrus makes his lair in a walled castle within the Realm of the Demon King. The castle itself is lavishly furnished and filled with mindless Husks as servants and guards.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Zarrus can take a lair action to cause one of the following effects; Zarrus can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Zarrus creates an illusory duplicate of himself, which appears in his own space and lasts until initiative count 20 of the next round. On his turn, Zarrus can move the illusory duplicate a distance equal to his walking speed (no action required). The first time a creature or object interacts physically with Zarrus (for example, hitting him with an attack), there is a 50 percent chance that it is the illusory duplicate that is being affected, not Zarrus himself, in which case the illusion disappears.
- Zarrus summons 1d4 Husks to the battlefield.
Regional Effects
The region containing the Realm of the Demon King is warped by his magic and corruption, creating one or more of the following effects:
- The area within the walled territory corrupts sentient humanoids within. Slowly twisting their minds and bodies into the demons and aberrations that occupy the dark corners of caverns and dungeons across the land.
- Beasts within 1 mile of the lair become violent and crazed — even creatures that are normally docile.
- If a humanoid spends at least 1 hour within 1 mile of the lair, that creature must succeed on a DC 23 Wisdom saving throw or descend into a madness determined by the Short-Term Madness table in the Dungeon Master Guide. A creature that succeeds on this saving throw can’t be affected by this regional effect again for 24 hours.
If Zarrus dies, these effects fade over the course of 1d10 days.
Short-Term Madness
If a creature goes mad in Zarrus’s lair, roll on the Short-Term Madness table to determine the nature of the madness, which is a character flaw that lasts until cured. See the Dungeons Masters Guide for more on madness.
Short-Term Madness
| d100 | Effect (lasts 1d10 minutes) |
|---|---|
| 01-20 | The character retreats into his or her mind and becomes paralyzed. The effect ends if the character takes any damage. |
| 21-30 | The character becomes incapacitated and spends the duration screaming, laughing, or weeping. |
| 31-40 | The character becomes frightened and must use his or her action and movement each round to flee from the source of the fear. |
| 41-50 | The character begins babbling and is incapable of normal speech or spellcasting. |
| 51-60 | The character must use his or her action each round to attack the nearest creature. |
| 61-70 | The character experiences vivid hallucinations and has disadvantage on ability checks. |
| 71-75 | The character does whatever anyone tells him or her to do that isn't obviously self-destructive. |
| 76-80 | The character experiences an overpowering urge to eat something strange such as dirt, slime, or offal. |
| 81-90 | The character is stunned. |
| 91-100 | The character falls unconscious |
Husk Stats
|
AC 9 |
HP 93 (11d8 + 44) |
Speed 30 ft. |
Medium Undead |
Occupies a 5ft. X 5ft. Space |
|
|
STR |
DEX |
CON |
INT |
WIS |
CHA |
|
19 (+4) |
9 (-1) |
18 (+4) |
6 (-2) |
10 (+0) |
5 (-3) |
Condition Immunities: Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 10
Languages: Understands the languages of its creator but can't speak
Magic Resistance. The Husk has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. The Husk’s weapon attacks are magical.
Actions
Multiattack. The Husk makes two weapon attacks. At the DM’s discretion, the weapon damage type will depend on the weapons the Husk is wielding.
Bludgeon. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
Slash. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage.
Stab. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage.
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