Source Horror Realms pg. 61
CR 9; XP 6,400
CN persistent variant haunt (40-ft. radius)
Caster Level 9th
Notice Perception DC 20 (to smell a faint floral odor)
hp 40; Weakness negative energy (immune to positive energy); Trigger proximity; Reset 1 day
Effect The surrounding area begins to rapidly cycle through manifestations of the season. Each season lasts 1 round, and the haunt cycles through the seasons three times (lasting 12 rounds total). On the spring round, flowers bloom, spreading a thick cloud of pollen that blocks sight (as per obscuring mist) and requires each creature within the area to succeed at a DC 18 Fortitude saving throw or sneeze violently, gaining the staggered condition for 1 round. On the summer round, the pollen falls out of the air as the atmosphere becomes unbearably hot and dry, dealing 8d6 points of damage (Fortitude DC 18 half). Half of this damage is fire damage, and the other half is untyped damage from desiccation. On the autumn round, ropes of decaying leaves grasp at all creatures in the area, as per black tentacles. Finally, on the winter round, a heavy hailstorm strikes, as per ice storm.
Overcharge During a spring round, seeds join the pollen spray, implanting themselves in the flesh of all living creatures that fail a DC 18 Fortitude saving throw. These seeds deal 1d4 points of Strength damage. A summer round becomes hotter, dealing 12d6 points of fire and untyped damage instead of 8d6. On an autumn round, the leaves become razor sharp, dealing 1d6 points of bleed damage to any foe they grapple. A winter round produces a more bitter chill and causes any creature that fails a DC 18 Fortitude saving throw to become staggered and move at half speed for 1 minute.
Destruction To destroy the haunt, a character must use a spell or effect that counters a seasonal effect with one associated with the opposite season (for example, a fire effect during the winter round, or an entangle spell during the autumn round) for 4 consecutive rounds.
DescriptionThe most powerful beings in the First World are the Eldest, divine creatures who can transform large swaths of the plane to suit their interests. Mortal scholars know little about the Eldest, with Ng the Hooded, who is connected to the shifting seasons, proving particularly inscrutable. Seasonal haunts manifest at crossroads in the Material Plane connected to the paths Ng treads in the First World.Echoes of the First World
The boundless and ever-shifting First World is home to fey and all manner of strange, otherworldly creatures caught in a constant flux of life-giving energies. Ancient beyond measure, the realm is a vibrant “first draft of reality,” according to legend. It shares its place in existence with the Material Plane, and in some places, the boundary between the two planes wears thin. The Material Plane’s influence on the First World manifests as regions of stubborn stability that the First World’s denizens regard with disgust. On the Material Plane, the fey realm’s pull erodes the laws of time and space and transforms reality in its wake.
Unlike a typical haunt, an echo of the First World is healed by positive energy. In fact, when these manifestations interact with positive energy, they typically become stronger. When an echo of the First World is healed beyond its normal maximum hit points, any excess hit points persist for 1 minute as temporary hit points. As long as it has any temporary hit points, it gains the effects listed in the overcharge section of its stat block.
While positive energy is a boon for these unusual haunts, negative energy damages them as if they were living creatures. Damaging spells with the death descriptor also harm them. Echoes of the First World are almost always chaotic neutral.
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