Maddening Gaze. The first time Adarien sees a living creature, if they can also see Adarien, they must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be afflicted by one form of temporary madness. This ability is counted as a gaze attack.
Driven Mad by the Light. At the end of a turn in which Adarien has taken radiant damage, he expends a legendary action, if possible, and attacks himself with his Talons.
Lifedrinker. Any creatures within 10 feet of Adarien only regain half hit points from healing effects, and Adarien regains an equal number of hit points.
Legendary Resistance (1/Day). If Adarien fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.
Rampage. Adarien makes two of the following attacks at
random (reroll duplicates). If he cannot find a valid target for
an attack, he instead moves up to half his speed.
1. Crushing Tentacle. Melee weapon attack: [roll]1d20+7[/roll] to hit, reach 10ft., one target. Hit: 8 [roll]1d6+5[/roll] bludgeoning damage. The target is grappled (escape DC 13), and Adarien cannot use Crushing Tentacle again until the target is no longer grappled.
2. Acid Breath. Adarien exhales acid in a 20-foot line. Each creature in that cone must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 [roll]3d6[/roll] acid damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.
3. Talons. Melee weapon attack: [roll]1d20+7[/roll] to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 8 [roll]1d6+5[/roll] piercing damage and the target must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take an additional 10 [roll]3d6[/roll] poison damage.
4. Dark Gaze. Adarian unleashes a beam of necrotic energy from his fiendish eyes, making a gaze attack. One creature within 120 feet that Adarien can see must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 14 [roll]4d6[/roll] necrotic damage.
Adarien can take 3 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. Adarien regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.
Eye Bolt. Adarien unleashes a wisp thin bolt of lightning from his eyes, making a gaze attack. One creature within 20 feet that Adarien can see must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or take 3 [roll]1d6[/roll] lightning damage.
Crush (Costs 2 Actions). A creature grappled by Adarien’s Crushing Tentacle must make a DC 13 Strength saving throw or take 10 [roll]3d6[/roll] bludgeon damage.
Description
Adarien, also known as the Heartless Man, was once a kindly elven mage of the Shattering, who devoted his life to protecting Penumbra from falling into chaos during the age when humans first arrived on its eastern shores. His struggle was a losing one, though, and he watched the elvish people slowly be absorbed into the machine of human imperialism. Eventually, Adarien became disheartened and withdrew into solitude for many centuries, unable to watch his people be oppressed any longer.
As Adarien began to grow obsessed with his own mortality, he was found and corrupted by the ancient vampire, Garrow. Garrow taught him to harness the power of the blood plague in order to raise undead Plague Hounds. And so, Adarien created these creatures to serve Garrow’s plan to reshape the world to his vision, and his success made him one of his master’s most trusted servants. Very recently, he was tasked with raising a monstrous army to destroy Arckenbury Cathedral and Garrow’s ancient enemy: the Murder of Crows.
But Adarien has no love for his master or his machinations. Having tasted the possibility of eternal life, Adarien has built himself a secret laboratory in the hills near Arckenbury Cathedral. There, he creates a mutant army of vile creatures loyal to him. Hating his own frailty and age, Adarien’s obsession lingers on one wicked project above all others: the creation of a new, abominable body for himself. In the corrupted mage’s insane mind, he is creating a new kind of more highly evolved life -- and once Arckenbury is destroyed, he plans to turn his foul army against Garrow, and then all of Penumbra.
When the characters interact with Adarien in their dreams, he is frail, softly spoken, but also subtly terrifying with hidden power that belies his outward vulnerability. His cruel words and sick taunts suggest that he knows the characters and their deepest secrets all too well. In truth, his divination allows him to know much, even if Garrow’s corruption and a long life of solitude have driven him quite mad. Between insane ramblings and moments of clarity, he will use the characters’ personal weaknesses to strike at their nerves and manipulate them in any way he can.
When the characters finally confront him in his laboratory, he has managed to transfer his soul into a hideous flesh golem. He has the tentacle of a great sea monster where one arm should be, and his other limb’s fingers now end in poison-tipped talons. Other “improvements” include the glands of an exotic acid-breathing drake inside his throat, and fiendish blood pumping through the mad amalgam’s unholy veins. The body of the golem itself, though, is the very body of the NPC (or PC) that the characters have been trying to rescue. Faced with the horror that their friend is gone forever, and is now part of the nightmarish thing that is attacking them, the characters must fight to hold onto their own resolve and sanity.
During the final confrontation, Adarien may speak through their friend’s mouth, further taunting the characters. Newly awoken and feeling powerful, Adarien will be arrogant and reckless with his newfound powers. Building him up over the course of the adventure and ending in such a way will make him a hated, resonating, memorable villain for your campaign.
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