Amphibious. The archon can breathe air and water.
On Soaring Tides. The archon doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy's reach.
Damned Resistance. (3/Day). If the archon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. All allies within 50 ft of the archon then take 5 necrotic damage. If there is not at least one ally within range, it cannot use this ability.
Innate Spellcasting. The archon's spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks). The archon can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: guiding bolt
3/day each: dispel magic
2/day each: spirit shroud
1/day each: chain lightning, banishment
Magic Resistance. The archon has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Multiattack. The archon makes two weapon attacks, nautiloid trident or Eldritch Spear.
Nautiloid Trident. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one creature. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) piercing damage plus 10 (2d6) radiant damage. If throw, the nautiloid trident then reappears in their grasp.
Eldritch Spear. Wreathing the nautiloid trident in eldritch energy the Archon hurls it at one target. Ranged Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, range 60/150 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (4d6) damage of one of the following types (archon's choice): force, cold, lightning or radiant. The nautiloid trident then reappears in their grasp.
Umberlee's Wake (Recharges 5-6). Water ripples out in a 60-foot radius sphere from a point within range (150 ft.) as the will of Umberlee affects all in her watery embrace. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC: 17 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature can't use reactions, its speed is halved, and it can't make more than one attack on its turn. In addition, the creature can use either an action or a bonus action on its turn, but not both. These effects last for 1 minute. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself with a successful save.
Call the Crew. The archon summons 1d4 drowned blades from the depths, appearing within 30 ft on it or an enemy combatant.
Coordinated Assault. After the archon makes a nautiloid trident attack, it can command an ally within 30ft to use its reaction to make a single weapon attack against the same target.
Thunderous Thrust (2/day). The archon sheats its weapon in booming energy and makes a melee or ranged weapon attack with it against one creature. On a hit, each creature in a 15-foot cube originating from the prongs of the trident must make a DC: 17 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 9 (2d8) thunder damage and is either (your choice) knocked prone or pushed 10 feet away from the archon.
The archon can take 2 reactions per turn, choosing from different options listed below.
Living Coralplate. When a creature the archon can see targets the archon with a melee attack, the archon gains 10 temporary hit points. If the attack hits and reduces the temporary hit points to 0, each creature within 5 feet of the archon takes 7 (2d6) cold damage.
Sacrificial Shield. When a creature the archon can see targets the archon with a ranged weapon or spell attack, the archon can use its reaction to summon a whip of water and seize a minion it can see within 50 ft, interposing it between the archon and the attacking creature as a shield, forcing the minion to suffer the effect or take the damage in its place
Spell Reflection. If the archon makes a successful saving throw against a spell, or a spell attack misses it, it can choose another creature (including the spellcaster) it can see within 120 feet of it. The spell targets the chosen creature instead of the archon. If the spell forces a saving throw, the chosen creature makes its own save. If the spell was an attack, the spell is rerolled against the chosen creature.
Multiattack Retaliation (4/day). After being hit with 2 or more attacks from the same creature the archon can make one nautiloid trident attack or cast guiding bolt at the attacking target.
Return to the Depths (2/day). The archon causes a corpse it can see within 30 feet of it to burst into a shower of radiant sparks leaving no trace of it behind. Everything it is wearing or carrying remains. Each creature within 10 feet of the corpse, when it bursts, must succeed on a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw and take either 11 (2d10) radiant damage or 11 (2d10) cold damage.
Villain Actions:
Round 1 - On surging tides I carry you to your foes. The archon sends waves from its cloak that allow all allies to move up to their movement.
Round 2 - Strike the Heretic! Choosing a single target, the archon commands all allies to either immediately attack or move up to their speed towards the target.
Round 3 - Your service has not ended... From it's cape algal blooms drift out across the lair before the archon vanishes. Water is discoloured in sickly shades of green and the blooms reanimate all defeated allies (with only 1 hit point) and grants them a free move and single attack action.
Round 4 - ...now return to the depths embrace. The archon reappears and its cape spreads like wings, absorbing all the algal blooms and killing all reanimated allies as it absorbs their essence into it, cleansing the archon of all negative effects, healing it for 10 hit points per ally consumed up to a maximum of 85 hit points and immediately activating its mythic trait (ignoring any additional healing).
Thassalic Rebirth (Mythic Trait - Recharges after a Long Rest). If the archon is reduced to 0 hit points, its master tears through reality, manifesting a measure of its thalassic grandeur around its champion. The archon regains 85 hit points and springs back to its feet with a burst of radiant, tidal energy. Each creature of the archon's choice within 30 feet of it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, or the creature takes 2d8 radiant or cold damage (your choice) and is blinded until the start of the archon's turn.
Description
Where once angelic wings sprouted, there now streams a cascading cloak of water that flows endlessly from the drowned celestials back, a grim reminder of its oath to the mighty Kraken.
The epic accounting of the world's earliest histories recounts the battle between a group of the gods' champions and a mighty archon. Defeated, the falling archon is said to have plummeted beneath the depths. There, a juvenile Kraken saved the desperate near-dead celestial, who gratefully swore its allegiance to the underwater tyrant. As a sign of its mercy, the Kraken gave the archon storming, wave-like wings it could use to soar anew both above and below the ocean. To replace its lost spear, it was granted a trident forged from an ancient nautiloid shell that rivalled the power of the heavens. This was the first Archon of Rising Depths.
Lair and Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the archons takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; they can't use the same effect two rounds in a row. Each effect is replaced by the subsequent effect the following round.
Desecrated Aboleth Monolith (Destroyable). A plated stone pillar marked with eldritch sigils issues randomly causes an effect. A hostile creature that moves within 30 ft of the monolith for the first time on its turn also triggers an effect. Roll 1d4.
- 1 – Psychic alarm, audible to all creatures within 1 mile. One creature within 60 feet hostile to the archon rolls a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, it takes 2d8 psychic damage and has disadvantage on attack rolls against the archon until the end of its next turn.
- 2 – A jet of force. One creature within 60 feet hostile to the archon rolls a DC 14 Strength saving throw. On failure they take 2d6 bludgeoning damage and are pushed 30 feet away. On a success, they take half damage and can choose to be pushed up to 30 feet away.
- 3 – Lightning arcs off of the pillar. One creature within 60 feet hostile to the archon rolls a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, you take 2d8 lightning damage, and a random creature within 10 feet of them also takes 1d8 lightning damage. On a success, they take half damage.
- 4 – The monolith grants one creature within 60 feet of the archon 1d12 temporary hit points.
Surging Rapids. Water in the lair surge outward in a grasping tide. Any creature within 20 feet of water must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 20 feet into the water and knocked prone.
Part of the Lair. The coral in a 60-foot radius of the archon grows rapidly around creatures in the lair. Each creature must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or become restrained. Restrained creatures can take an action on their turn to make a DC 14 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to free themselves. This effect lasts for 1 minute unless dispelled (it counts as a 5th level spell), and doesn't require concentration.
Hallowed Protection. Allied creatures of the archon within the lair gain resistance to one damage type of its choice, except for bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing.
Ink Cloud. Water within 120 feet of the archon becomes murky and opaque until initiative count 20 of the next round. A creature with darkvision can't see through the water, and light can't illuminate it.
Storm Veil. A freezing fog fills a 40-foot-radius sphere within 120 feet of the archon. Creatures and objects within or beyond the fog are heavily obscured. A creature that enters the freezing cloud for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there takes 10 (3d6) cold damage.
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