Feared Aspect (Necromancy). Cole resembles one of the most feared necromancers in the World of Corvi, that being Jessica of the Abyss. When Cole enters combat with creatures which have Seeds of Fear relating to "Jessica of The Abyss" or "Necromancy," Cole gains advantage on attack rolls made against them. Additionally, creatures with these Seeds have disadvantage on saving throws against being frightened by Cole Lector.
Legendary Resistance (5/Day). Where ever Cole goes, a swarm of silent phantoms surrounds him. If Cole fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead, sacrificing one of these phantoms.
Magic Resistance. Cole has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. Cole's weapon attacks are magical.
Aura of Soulblight. Any creature hostile to Cole that starts its turn within 60 feet of them must succeed on a DC 27 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of Cole until the start of its next turn. While frightened in this way, the creature takes 10 (3d6) psychic damage, and it has disadvantage on saving throws against damaging effects that deal necrotic damage. Additionally, if the creature fails by 5 or more, Cole instills within them a Seed of Fear towards "Jessica of The Abyss" or "Necromancy" if they aren't already. A creature that succeeds on its saving throw is immune to Cole's Aura of Soulblight for the next 24 hours. Constructs and Undead are immune to this effect.
Fear Feeding (Demon Trait). Whenever a creature is frightened and within 120 feet of him, Cole regains 40 (9d8) hit points at the start of its turn. Additionally, Cole gains 30 temporary hit points, and advantage on all attack rolls and saving throws until all frightened creatures are beyond 120 feet of him.
Immutable Form (Demon Trait). Cole is immune to any effect that would change his shape.
Fog Form (Demon Trait). Cole can see any creature that is frightened within 240 feet.
Toxic Fog (Demon Trait). While in its Fog Form, Cole is incorporeal. Anyone who breathes and starts their turn inside of Cole's space takes 9d6 poison damage (based on Cole's +9 proficiency bonus). A creature who starts its turn in the fog must succeed on a DC 27 Constitution saving throw or also be Poisoned until the start of their next turn.
Multiattack. Cole makes three attacks: two with its Necrotic Scythe and one with its Soul Rend.
Necrotic Scythe. Melee Weapon Attack: +18 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 23 (3d8 + 9) slashing damage plus 27 (6d8 + 9d6) necrotic damage. If the target is frightened, Cole regains hit points equal to the necrotic damage dealt. If the target isn't frightened, or if the target is resistant to necrotic damage, Cole instead regains half as much.
Soul Rend. Melee Spell Attack: +19 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 36 (8d8) necrotic damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 27 Constitution saving throw or gain one level of exhaustion. If the target is a humanoid, it must also succeed on a DC 27 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of Cole for 1 minute. A frightened creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Abyssal Anarchy (Recharge 5-6). Cole unleashes a wave of pure chaotic decay. Each creature within a 60-foot radius of Cole must make a DC 27 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 70 (20d6) necrotic damage and its hit point maximum is reduced by half that amount, and it becomes vulnerable to necrotic damage until the end of its next turn. On a successful save, it takes half damage and isn't made vulnerable. The hit point maximum reduction lasts until a greater restoration or comparable spell is cast on the creature.
Call of the Undying Horde (1/Day). Cole magically calls 2d4 Ghouls, 1d4 Ghasts, and 1 Wight. The called creatures appear in unoccupied spaces within 60 feet of Cole and act immediately after it in the initiative order. They remain until they are destroyed or until Cole dies.
Psychic Assault. Cole can use a bonus action to unleash a quick burst of necrotic and psychic energy at one creature she can see within 60 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 27 Intelligence saving throw or become unable to cast spells until the end of its current turn.
Abyssal Lock-On (Demon Trait). Cole can target one frightened creature within 120 feet. All of Cole's attacks against this target are considered an auto-hit and auto-crit. If the target is further than 10 feet away, Cole can immediately teleport to an unoccupied space within 10 feet of that creature. This effect lasts until the creature is no longer frightened or Cole uses this bonus action again.
Shifting Form (Demon Trait). Cole can use a bonus action to turn into a toxic fog (incorporeal) or back into its true form.
Freighting Reaction Time. Cole Lector starts with one reaction and gains an additional reaction for every creature frightened of him that is within 120 ft. This does not have a limit.
Necromantic Shroud. When a creature within 30 feet that Cole can see takes damage, He can use his reaction to wreathe that creature in shadowy energy. The creature takes an additional 2d8 necrotic damage.
Psychic Parry. When a creature within 30 feet that Cole can see makes an attack against him, he can use his reaction to impose disadvantage on that attack roll. If the attack still hits, Cole takes half damage from it.
Telekinetic Deflection. When Cole is hit by a ranged weapon attack, he can use his reaction to attempt to deflect it. He makes a Dexterity saving throw (DC equal to the attacker's attack roll). On a success, the attack deals no damage to him.
Legendary Actions (5 total)
Cole can take 5 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. Cole regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Attack. Cole makes one Necrotic Scythe attack.
Corrupting Gaze (1 Action). One creature frightened by Cole within 60 feet must succeed on a DC 27 Wisdom saving throw or take 22 (4d10) psychic damage and be Paralyzed until the end of its next turn.
Fearful Advance (1 Action). Cole moves up to its speed without provoking opportunity attacks. If it moves within 10 feet of a creature, that creature must succeed on a DC 27 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of Cole until the end of its next turn.
Unlife's Command (2 Actions). Cole makes a ranged attack against one corpse within 60 feet. If the corpse is a humanoid or beast of size Medium or Small, it immediately rises as a Grave Thrall. The thrall functions as a Zombie or Skeleton but gains Cole's proficiency bonus (+9) to its attack rolls and saving throws. It acts immediately and lasts until destroyed. Cole can have up to 5 Grave Thralls animated by this legendary action at a time.
The following abilities are unlocked once Cole Lector is reduced to 0 Hit Points for the first time. He uses his Demonic Banishment trait to retreat to his lair and begins his Mythic Transformation.
Mythic Trait: The Abyssal Wretch (Fear Incarnate). When Cole is reduced to 0 hit points, he transforms into The Abyssal Wretch (his true form), regaining all his hit points and instantly ending all conditions on himself. Cole Lector can take 3 Mythic Actions each round, choosing from the options below. Only one Mythic Action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Cole regains spent Mythic Actions at the start of its turn.
Mythic Action: Dread Harvest (1 Action). Cole targets all frightened creatures within 120 feet. They take 36 (8d8) necrotic damage, and Cole is healed for the full amount of damage dealt.
Mythic Action: Phantasmal Grip (2 Actions). Spectral energy wraps around a creature within 60 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 27 Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 30 feet directly toward Cole and be Restrained until the end of its next turn.
Mythic Action: Seed of Despair (3 Actions). Cole targets one creature. The creature must succeed on a DC 27 Charisma saving throw or gain a Seed of Fear relating to Jessica of the Abyss and immediately fail its next death saving throw (if it is making one). If the creature is not at 0 HP, it gains vulnerability to necrotic damage for 1 minute.
Description
Cole Lector: Lore Summary
Sovereign of the Fear Cult
Cole Lector is not a conqueror in his own right, but a self-loathing evangelist of a greater power. He is one of the most successful Demonic servants of The Fog, a primeval force that draws strength from raw, concentrated fear.
Cole Lector was born from the colossal surge of dread that swept across the world during the age when necromancers threatened to claim dominion over the continent of Xylos. His original form was the primal, generic manifestation of this fear: a cloaked, cowled embodiment of the deathly unknown.
The Forced Iconography
Cole's trajectory was violently and permanently altered by the ascension of Jessica of The Abyss. When Jessica—a mere mortal who became a cosmic sovereign by crushing Storytellers, slaying Tragedies, and even devouring the power of a Cthulhu-like entity—rose to become the universally recognized face of all necromantic and abyssal terror, the fear energy that fueled Cole Lector was forever changed.
The demon's form was physically and permanently overwritten. Cole Lector was compelled by the sheer, overwhelming psychic and existential dread surrounding Jessica to shed his generic guise and take on a grotesque caricature of his master's image—the very innocent little girl of cosmic nightmares. He is now the living, Small-sized embodiment of the world's terror of Jessica, forever forced to appear as a horrific, tentacled, and horned mockery of his impossibly powerful sovereign.
Sovereign of the Fear Cult and the Master's Grand Project
Cole Lector serves as the most effective Demonic agent of Jessica of The Abyss, but his role is unique. He was born from the collective dread surrounding the age of rampant necromancy. When Jessica rose to become the singular face of cosmic fear, her sheer psychic power violently and permanently warped Cole Lector's physical form from a generic robed necromancer into a horrifying, tentacled, and horned mockery of her own "innocent little girl" appearance.
Cole is compelled to wear this face not merely for propaganda, but because Jessica has designated him as her Grand Experiment. He is her most successful attempt to actively guide a lesser being to a higher state of power and terror.
The Motherly Master
Jessica’s treatment of Cole Lector is tragically complex. She does not view him with disdain for his inferiority; instead, she treats him with a chilling, unexpected motherly empathy. To Jessica, Cole is a challenging, fun project—a test of her ability to cultivate fear and power in others.
She provides Cole with a guiding hand, offering advice and encouragement in a voice that is gentle and non-judgmental. This empathy, coming from a being who crushed Cthulhu and killed Tragedies, is something Cole finds both terrifying and profoundly welcoming. It is a foreign sensation—true kindness from the sovereign of absolute evil—and it scares him because he knows her affection is conditional on his performance as her terrifying proxy.
This relationship relieves the immense weight of the task: Cole is no longer trying to match an overwhelming shadow in secret; he is devotedly striving to meet the high, yet encouraging, expectations of his terrifying Master.
The Terrified Disciple
Cole Lector is therefore the ultimate terrified, devoted disciple. His immense power (CR 30) is the result of Jessica's guidance, proving her ability to uplift even a generic fear-demon.
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His Lair is not a secret refuge, but a school of fear, meticulously organized to harvest the dread surrounding Jessica's legacy.
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His Appearance is a permanent, living reminder of his Master's overwhelming power, and the terrifying price of her favor.
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His Abilities are lessons in fear. He focuses on the Necrotic and Frightened conditions—the low-tier tools of necromancy and psychology—while he works to internalize the lessons necessary to one day reach Jessica's level of psychic, reality-altering cosmic terror.
He knows that to fail his Master's grand experiment is not to face her wrath, but to face her disappointment, which may be a fate far worse than death. Cole Lector is the high-CR mascot who labors tirelessly, eternally grateful for, and simultaneously terrified of, his Master's kind smile.
Lair and Lair Actions
Lair and Lair Actions
Cole Lector has two layers
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Cole can take one lair action to cause one of the following effects; Cole can't use the same lair action two rounds in a row:
- A Simulacrum of Cole is made in an unoccupied space within 120 feet he can see. This Simulacrum acts on Cole's initiative and follows his commands. It has half of Cole's hit points. Cole can have up to 7 Simulacrum clones active at a time.
- Grave Tremor. The ground within a 60-foot radius centered on a point Cole can see within the lair trembles and erupts with spectral hands. Each creature on the ground in that area must succeed on a DC 25 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone and take 21 (6d6) bludgeoning damage as the hands grapple them. A prone creature can use its action to end the prone condition.
- Whispers of Oblivion. Spectral voices whisper insidious truths and forgotten horrors into the minds of Cole's foes. Each creature of Cole's choice within the lair must make a DC 25 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature is targeted by the bane spell for 1 minute (no concentration required by Cole) and has disadvantage on saving throws against being frightened. On a successful save, it takes 11 (2d10) psychic damage.
- Necrotic Bloom. Tendrils of necrotic energy erupt from the ground in a 20-foot radius within 120 feet of Cole. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 25 Constitution saving throw or take 28 (8d6) necrotic damage and be poisoned for 1 minute. A creature poisoned in this way has its speed halved. It can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Regional Effects
The region containing Cole lair is warped by its demonic presence, creating one or more of the following effects:
- Within 10 miles of the lair, living creatures dream of their own demise, of loved ones returning as shambling corpses, or of their souls being torn from their bodies. These nightmares are so vivid that affected creatures gain no benefit from a long rest on a failed DC 15 Wisdom saving throw.
- The ground within 6 miles of the lair is blighted. Plants wither and die, and water becomes stagnant and polluted. Undead within this area gain advantage on saving throws.
- Within 1 mile of the lair, the veil between the actual and the vivid is thin. Illusions related to death, decay, and reanimation are common, and unexplained necrotic phenomena occur.
- Creatures that die within 1 mile of the lair rise as Zombies (if humanoid) or Skeletons (if the remains are sufficient) within 1d4 hours, unless their bodies are consecrated or disintegrated. These undead are immediately hostile to all living creatures and seek to spread decay.
- Within 3 miles of the lair, a cold, deathly mist rolls in, independent of weather, often at dusk or dawn. This mist lightly obscures the area within 60 feet and heavily obscures anything beyond that. Any living creature that starts its turn in the heavily obscured part of the mist takes 3 (1d6) necrotic damage as its vitality is subtly leached away. Furthermore, while within this mist, creatures have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to detect living creatures, but advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to detect undead.
- If Cole dies, these effects fade over the course of 1d10 days.
Previous Versions
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