Empyreal Lord, Black ButterflyThis living silhouette of a graceful woman has white hair and
eyes. Her butterfly wings shimmer with twinkling stars.Black Butterfly CR 28Source Bestiary 6 pg. 112
XP 4,915,200
CG Large outsider (azata, chaotic, extraplanar, good)
Init +19; Senses blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., detect
aberration, detect evil, detect law, low-light vision, see in
darkness, true seeing; Perception +50
Aura primal aura (30 ft.)DefenseAC 46, touch 34, flat-footed 31 (+4 armor, +15 Dex, +10 insight,
+8 natural, –1 size)
hp 676 (33d10+495); regeneration 30 (deific or mythic)
Fort +26, Ref +33, Will +28; +8 vs. mind-affecting effects
Defensive Abilities freedom of movement, mind blank; DR 20/epic and evil; Immune ability damage, ability
drain, charm effects, cold, compulsion effects, death effects,
electricity, energy drain, petrification; Resist fire 30, sonic 30; SR 39OffenseSpeed 40 ft., fly 150 ft. (perfect)
Melee Voidsedge +52/+47/+42/+37 (1d6+20/19–20/×3 plus
2d6 fire and 2d6 cold), touch +42 touch (10d6 cold plus
steal breath)
Ranged Voidsedge +52/+47/+42/+37 (1d6+20/19–20/×3 plus
2d6 fire and 2d6 cold)
Space 10 ft., Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks Voidsedge bond
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 28th; concentration +39)
Constant—detect aberration, detect evil, detect law, freedom of movement, mind blank, true seeing
At will—break enchantment, deeper darkness, dimensional anchor, greater dispel magic, hasteM, holy smiteM (DC 25), holy wordM (DC 28), interplanetary teleport, wandering star motes (DC 25)
3/day—antimagic fieldM, quickened healM, reverse gravityM, quickened wandering star motes (DC 25)
1/day—gate, implosion (DC 30), mage’s disjunctionM, moment of prescience, time stopM
M Black Butterfly can use this ability’s mythic version in her realm.StatisticsStr 28, Dex 40, Con 40, Int 27, Wis 30, Cha 33
Base Atk +33; CMB +43; CMD 78
Feats Alertness, Blinding Critical, Combat Expertise, Combat
Reflexes, Critical Focus, Deadly Aim, Flyby Attack, Improved
Critical (starknife), Improved Initiative, Improved Precise Shot, Point-Blank Shot, Power Attack, Precise Shot, Quicken Spell-
Like Ability (heal, wandering star motes), Skill Focus (Stealth), Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +51, Bluff +47, Diplomacy +44, Fly +57,
Intimidate +44, Knowledge (arcana, nature, religion) +41,
Knowledge (geography) +44, Perception +50, Sense
Motive +50, Spellcraft +44, Stealth +53, Use Magic Device +47
Languages Aklo, Celestial, Common; telepathy 300 ft.; truespeech
SQ celestial grace, interstellar mastery, no breath, seed of life,
silence between, starflightEcologyEnvironment any (Elysium)
Organization solitary (unique)
Treasure triple (Voidsedge, other treasure)Special AbilitiesCelestial Grace (Ex) Black Butterfly adds her Dexterity modifier instead of her Strength modifier to her damage rolls with all melee and ranged weapons. She gains an insight bonus to her Armor Class equal to her Wisdom modifier. She ignores any effect that would reduce her movement speed or prevent her from taking a 5-foot step.
Interstellar Mastery (Ex) Black Butterfly never suffers any harmful environmental effects from outer space. She gains a +4 sacred bonus on attack rolls and saving throws when in such an environment, as well as the benefits of a ranger’s favored terrain (+10 bonus).
Primal Aura (Su) No sounds pass through Black Butterfly’s primal aura except those she allows, and even then, she can choose to block a sound in some portions of her aura while allowing it to pass through other portions. When blocking sound, this aura functions similarly to silence. This ability is suppressed for 1d4 rounds whenever Black Butterfly is affected by a vision-based effect created by an evil creature.
Silence Between (Ex) When Black Butterfly takes a 5-foot step, instead of moving 5 feet, she can ride the spaces in between breaths and thoughts, disappearing and rematerializing anywhere within 150 feet and attempting a Stealth check to hide as a free action. She can hide even when being directly observed, and her Stealth can defeat any sense (for example blindsight, lifesense, and tremorsense) as long as the result of the check exceeds the result of the observer’s Perception check. She gains an additional +20 bonus on Stealth checks (+40 when immobile), which doesn’t stack with the bonuses from invisibility, and she can’t be outlined by spells like faerie fire or glitterdust. If she is hidden when she begins a full attack, any creature that wasn’t observing her is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC against all attacks in the full attack, not just the first attack. Black Butterfly loses access to her silence between ability when she is in an area of bright light.
Starflight (Su) Although she can use interplanetary teleport at will, Black Butterfly enjoys flying between the stars. When she does so, she travels at an incredible speed. Although exact travel times vary, a trip within a single solar system should take 3d20 hours, while a trip beyond should take 3d20 days (or more, at the GM’s discretion). Black Butterfly knows the routes to all destinations among the stars.
Steal Breath (Su) Black Butterfly’s touch attack deals 10d6 points of cold damage and draws the breath from the target’s lungs as she subjects the creature to the racking conditions of deep space. The creature struck can resist having its breath drawn out with a successful DC 37 Fortitude save; otherwise, the target is knocked unconscious by the sudden loss of oxygen. Steal breath does not harm creatures that do not breathe, but her touch attack can still deal cold damage. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Voidsedge Bond (Ex) Voidsedge is a +5 aberration-bane ghost touch holy starknife that exists as one of the stars in Black Butterfly’s wings until she calls it to her hand as a free action. When she throws Voidsedge, it returns to her hand instantly upon striking a target, allowing her to make iterative thrown attacks. Her range increment with Voidsedge is 120 feet. Attacks with Voidsedge deal an additional 2d6 points of fire damage and 2d6 points of cold damage on a hit when Black Butterfly wields the weapon.DescriptionBlack Butterfly, the Silence Between, arose from the spaces between the stars. Solemn and serene, she never acts rashly, relying on the wisdom of the cosmos to guide her to the appropriate solution. She believes that the true nature of the multiverse lies in the gaps and silences between thoughts and ideas, so she never focuses on one topic or idea for too long, lest in narrowing her view she should lose sight of the space beyond the idea’s edge.
On Elysium, Black Butterfly’s hidden realm is nestled in the constellation that leads to Desna’s palace. Her realm is relatively simple for an empyreal lord, with no grand palace or bright colors. Instead, it is a quiet respite from a plane of riotous passions, a gentle void, breathable by creatures of all sorts, with pockets of solid shadow for those who prefer ground beneath their feet and dotted with simple shelters. Her realm is so difficult to find that even planar scholars and other residents of Elysium can’t agree exactly where it lies, though travelers through silence and darkness, even on other planes, sometimes make their way into her realm in times of desperation, able to find momentary succor so long as they are respectful and quiet.
While few beings can match her knowledge of the alien monstrosities that dwell in the deepest reaches of interstellar space, Black Butterfly refuses to share much of it, as she worries that widespread knowledge of her greatest nemeses, the Outer Gods and the Great Old Ones, would serve their interests rather than hers. She often journeys from her home in Elysium to subtly battle the interests of these foes and other forces of evil, or to assist those in need without revealing her presence.Black Butterfly's FaithBlack Butterfly is the patron of distance, silence, and
space. The Silence Between’s
worshipers include those
for whom distances
are essential, such as
parted lovers or explorers
(particularly those who
brave the unfathomable
depths of outer space), as
well as those who appreciate
her connection to silence,
such as the deaf and the
mute. Worshipers of Black
Butterfly are encouraged to
perform anonymous acts of
charity without speaking to
the recipient of their kindness,
for the reason that such unseen
gifts help foster the perception
that good things sometimes
happen to good people for no
other reason than that they
deserve it. Black Butterfly’s
most sacred spaces are
isolated monasteries and
shrines high atop mountain
peaks, deep underground,
or even floating on
asteroids in the void
of space—these latter
redoubts typically have
potent magic to enable
her worshipers to live and
breathe with ease. She teaches
her followers that the greatest good
lies in performing quiet anonymous
acts, and her faith abhors loud spectacles on
holy days.
Black Butterfly’s holy symbol is a black-winged
butterfly with a white star for a body on a field of purple.
Her favored weapon is the starknife. She grants access to
the domains of Chaos, Good, Liberation, and Void, and access to the subdomains of Azata, Freedom,
Revolution, and Stars.Creatures in "Empyreal Lord" CategorySource Bestiary 4 pg. 87
The empyreal lords are the primal forces of good given physical form. Though not as powerful as gods, they are ancient celestials with legendary abilities.
Unlike many other beings of demigod-level power, empyreal lords do not divide themselves as strictly along racial lines—the term “empyreal lord” names the greatest members of the agathion, angel, archon, and azata races. While demon lords, archdevils, horsemen, and similar unique beings orchestrate the plots of their race alone— proving either unwilling or too fractious to collaborate with those not of their kind—empyreal lords seek out the commonalities of interest and purpose shared by their peers among the other celestial races. Although some goodaligned planar races have their own titles for the greatest of their kind, the title “empyreal lord” serves as a unifying bond between forces for good. Though their foes (and even some allies) see these mightiest azatas, angels, agathions, and archons as rulers of their kind, the empyreal lords do not consider themselves royalty. Together the empyreal lords marshal the efforts of all goodly outsiders toward common ends.
Some empyreal lords are almost as old as creation itself, having arisen from the ranks of the first celestials. Others were imbued with divine grace, either by being champions of a deity, inheriting the power of a slain god, or tapping into remarkable powers gathered at far-flung corners of the planes. Some reached this high station by performing impossible quests, gaining the favor of fate, or becoming perfectly attuned with one of the good outer planes.
Representing the two poles of goodness and the fulcrum upon which they balance, the empyreal lords do not always agree, but generally do not interfere with each others’ decisions. Most view philosophical squabbles as petty when faced with a common foe, and never has infighting threatened the foundation of their bonds. Thus, while their outlooks may differ regarding freedom, individuality, and loyalty, the empyreal lords do not allow such differences to stand in the way of vanquishing evil—they’re celestials aligned against evil first and foremost.
Despite their power, the empyreal lords typically eschew direct involvement in the affairs of mortals and even most other celestials. They believe the greater objectives of good are ultimately served by larger and fartherreaching orchestrations of diplomacy and subtle strategy. Even though their powers might not always obviously be directly at work, empyreal lords court mortal worshipers who share their goals and ideals, who are typically referred to as mystery cultists. Rather than more general goals like good or order, mystery cultists focus their worship on the ideals, activities, and creatures their patron most fervently extols or openly favors. Empyreal Realms An empyreal lord’s planar realm may be as small as a metropolis or as large as a continent. The realms’ environments, themes, and traits are as unusual as the empyreal lords themselves, presenting surreal challenges and dangers to creatures seeking to invade them.
An empyreal lord gains the following additional powers while in its realm (the statistics presented on the following pages do not include these abilities). - Mythic: An empyreal lord functions as a 10th mythic rank creature, including the mythic power ability (10/day, surge +1d12). It may expend uses of mythic power to use the mythic versions of any spell-like ability denoted with an asterisk (*) just as if the ability were a mythic spell.
- Use of the following spell-like abilities at will—demand, discern location, fabricate, and major creation.
- Use of the following spell-like abilities once per day— dimensional lock*, miracle (limited to physical effects that manipulate the realm or to effects that are relevant to the empyreal lord’s areas of concern), power word stun*.
- Heightened Awareness (Ex): An empyreal lord gains a +10 insight bonus on Perception and Initiative checks.
Other Empyreal Lords Although the three presented here are among most powerful of the empyreal lords, they are far from the only celestials to bear this title. Among the ranks of the good races of the heavens stand those that are great leaders of their kind and shining examples to other celestials. For these few, their natures or their actions kindle a transformation that reshapes them into empyreal lords—a superlative version of their basic form. When they ascend, these empyreal lords are given an honorific typically celebrating their deeds or honoring another empyreal lord of similar distinction. Below are many ascendant celestials that have become empyreal lords and their honored titles.
Andoletta, Grandmother Crow (archon)
Arshea, Spirit of Abandon (angel)
Bharnarol, the Tempered Inventor (agathion)
Black Butterfly, the Silence Between (azata)
Chucaro, Maiden of Haze and Whimsy (azata)
Falayna, Warrior’s Ring (archon)
Ghenshau, Breezes-Still-and-Ripples-Cease (archon)
Immonhiel, Balm-Bringer (angel)
Jaidz, Fearless Claw (agathion)
Lalaci, He of Motley Repose (azata)
Olheon, the Just Arbiter (archon)
Ragathiel, General of Vengeance (angel)
Shei, the Ibis Matron (agathion)
Sinashakti, Immaculate Joy (azata)
Vildeis, the Cardinal Martyr (angel)
Ylimancha, Harborwing (agathion)
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