Protean, IzfiitarThis serpentine monster has six arms and is crowned by a halo of
ever-changing symbols.Izfiitar CR 20Source Bestiary 6 pg. 210
XP 307,200
CN Medium outsider (chaotic, extraplanar, protean,
shapechanger)
Init +14; Senses blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., detect law,
true seeing; Perception +36
Aura cloak of chaos (DC 27)DefenseAC 36, touch 24, flat-footed 26 (+10 Dex, +4 deflection,
+12 natural)
hp 362 (25d10+225)
Fort +27, Ref +22, Will +26
Defensive Abilities amorphous anatomy, freedom of
movement; DR 15/lawful; Immune acid, polymorph effects; Resist electricity 10, sonic 10; SR 31OffenseSpeed 40 ft., fly 50 ft. (perfect), swim 40 ft.
Melee bite +34 (4d6+9/19–20 plus greater warpwave), 6 claws +34
(1d6+9 plus greater warpwave), 2 tail slaps +32 (1d8+4 plus grab)
Special Attacks constrict (1d8+13)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th; concentration +29)
Constant—cloak of chaos (DC 27), detect law, true seeing
At will—confusion (DC 23), greater dispel magic, greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only), major creation, plane shift (DC 26), telekinesis (DC 34)
3/day—quickened confusion (DC 23), quickened disintegrate (DC 25), prismatic spray (DC 26), reshape reality (DC 26), quickened telekinesis (DC 24), word of chaos (DC 26)
1/day—heal, implosion (DC 28), mage’s disjunction, prismatic sphere (DC 28)
1/year—miracleStatisticsStr 29, Dex 31, Con 28, Int 24, Wis 27, Cha 28
Base Atk +25; CMB +34; CMD 58 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Flyby Attack, Greater
Vital Strike, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Improved Vital Strike, Multiattack, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-
Like Ability (confusion, disintegrate, telekinesis), Vital Strike
Skills Acrobatics +38, Bluff +37, Diplomacy +37, Fly +46,
Knowledge (arcana, planes) +35, Knowledge (history,
religion) +32, Perception +36, Sense Motive +36,
Spellcraft +35, Stealth +38, Swim +42
Languages Abyssal, Protean; telepathy 100 ft.
SQ change shape (shapechange)EcologyEnvironment any (Maelstrom)
Organization solitary or chorus (2–3)
Treasure doubleSpecial AbilitiesGreater Warpwave (Su) A creature struck by an izfiitar’s bite or claw must succeed at a DC 31 Fortitude save or be affected by a greater warpwave. Roll 1d20 and consult the following list for exact effects on the creature. The save DC is Constitution-based. | d20 | Warpwave Effect |
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| 1 | Target takes 4 points of Strength damage. | | 2 | Target takes 4 points of Dexterity damage. | | 3 | Target takes 4 points of Constitution damage. | | 4 | Target takes 4 points of Intelligence damage. | | 5 | Target takes 4 points of Wisdom damage. | | 6 | Target takes 4 points of Charisma damage. | | 7 | Target gains 1d4 negative levels. | | 8 | Target is blinded or deafened for 1d4+1 rounds. | | 9 | Target is confused for 1d4 rounds, and all non-proteans that are within 20 feet are affected by confusion (Will DC 23 negates). | | 10 | Target is struck by a fireball (Reflex DC 22 half) centered on its location that deals acid damage rather than fire. | | 11 | Target is affected by greater dispel magic (CL 20th). | | 12 | Target is sickened for 1d4+1 rounds. | | 13 | Target is nauseated for 1d4+1 rounds. | | 14 | Target is staggered for 1d4+1 rounds. | | 15 | Target is stunned for 1d4+1 rounds. | | 16 | Target gains 8d6 temporary hit points. | | 17 | Target is affected by a heal spell (CL 20th). | | 18 | Target is permanently turned to stone. | | 19 | Target is temporarily shifted outside of the normal flow of time, as per temporal stasis, for 1d3 rounds. | | 20 | Target is affected by imprisonment (CL 20th), and a keketar protean loyal to the izfiitar appears in the target’s place. |
Kiss of the Speakers (Ex) Moment by moment, an izfiitar tinkers with the myriad possibilities in which it can act or move, granting it the prescience to choose whichever possible moment best suits it. As a move action once every other round, an izfiitar can grant itself one of the following options on its next round’s action: double all of its speeds for 1 round, gain the ability to roll one d20 roll twice in the next round and choose which result to use, or gain an additional standard action that can be used only to activate a spell-like ability.
Reshape Reality (Sp) This ability functions as mirage arcana heightened to a 9th-level spell, except the changes created are quasi-real, like those created by shadow conjuration. A creature that interacts with reshaped reality can attempt a DC 26 Will save to see through the illusion. Terrain thus created can provide concealment, and against foes who fail the Will save to see through it, reshaped reality can provide cover. For disbelievers, quasi-real objects and terrain have only 20% of the normal hardness and hit points, and break DCs are 10 lower than normal. Damage caused by dangerous terrain can’t exceed 5d6 points of damage per round (1d6 per round against disbelievers). This ability can’t damage existing structures, nor does it function in areas where planar travel is prohibited.DescriptionWhile the keketar proteans (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2 215) hold vague ideological sway over their kind’s infinite choruses, the izfiitars loom above them, cardinals among the slithering clergy. Aloof and distant even compared to the keketars, izfiitars rarely venture beyond the Maelstrom’s deepest reaches, content to divine the will of the plane’s unknowable dualistic godhead, the Speakers of the Depths.
Bound to a single chorus, izfiitars are and yet are not distinct from the keketars who pay them obeisance, leading many to speculate that they are essentially elevated keketars, chosen for reasons unknown and propelled along a path of apotheosis either by the Maelstrom itself or by one of the so-called protean lords. Yet their position remains paradoxical, befitting the Maelstrom’s rejection of stability and consistency. Not every chorus contains an izfiitar, while some contain multiple, and the size and influence of any given chorus is entirely independent of their presence.
Although smaller in size than keketars, izfiitars have monstrous physical attacks and stupendous magical powers. They wield a more powerful version of lesser proteans’ warpwave, as well as abilities that bend reality and alter probability, focused on the proteans’ desire to return all of reality to the freedom of pure, unbound chaos.Herald of the SpeakersAmong the izfiitars, those termed Heralds of the
Speakers wield greater power and authority than
their kin and take a more direct hand in guiding the
choruses than the much more distant
protean lords. Each Herald of the
Speakers is effectively a unique being;
they often have additional Hit Dice
or levels in a particular class (typically
cleric or oracle), the advanced creature
simple template, and possibly unique
powers granted by their dualistic and
inscrutable divine patron. Listed
below are three sample unique
abilities of Heralds of the Speakers,
but these examples are by no
means the entirety of the strange
powers they might wield.
Planar Transposition (Su):
The Herald’s connection to
the fabric of the Maelstrom
that underlies every other
plane of reality provides it a
considerable ability to influence
its surroundings even while on
other planes. As a standard action once every 1d4 rounds,
the Herald can suppress one planar trait or add one of
the Maelstrom’s planar traits to an area equal to one 10-
foot square per Hit Die it has. Alternatively, the Herald can
effectively shift the area in a 90-foot radius centered on itself
into the Maelstrom, swapping a corresponding region of the
Maelstrom onto its current plane and choosing whether to
move creatures or leave them in place. Creatures can resist
being transported by succeeding at a Will save (DC = 10 + half
the Herald’s HD + the Herald’s Charisma modifier).
Reality Flaunt (Su): The Herald can selectively ignore or
redirect a spell or spell-like ability once every 1d4 rounds
as an immediate action. The Herald can choose to buck the
laws of reality and ignore such an effect by attempting a
Wisdom check (DC = the caster level of the spell or
spell-like ability). If the Herald exceeds the
DC by 10 or more, it can choose to redirect
any targeted effect to a new target of its
choosing within 60 feet.
Voice of the Speakers (Su):
The Herald of the Speakers has
additional spell-like abilities (20
spell levels’ worth of 1st- to 4thlevel
spells usable at will
and 20 spell levels’
worth of 5th- to 8thlevel
spells usable
three times per day).
All selected spells must
come from the cleric spell
list, the Chaos domain, or
the Protean subdomain.Creatures in "Protean" CategorySource Bestiary 2 pg. 213
Beings of pure chaos, the serpentine proteans slither through the anarchic improbabilities of Limbo, remaking reality according to their whims. According to their own history, they were already here when the first gods pulled forth the other planes from raw chaos—and they have been battling against the indignity ever since. Hereditary and ideological enemies of Axis, Heaven, and Hell, and especially of the residents of those planes, all proteans see it as their sacred duty to return the bland, static expanses of mundane reality to the beautiful incongruities of Limbo, for the planes' own good and for the greater glory of their mysterious god, a dualistic deity which may be a living aspect of Limbo itself. They are Limbo's living, breathing immune system, rooting out infections of mundanity and replacing them with beautiful entropy.
Primeval in shape and philosophy, proteans are the race that most perfectly embodies the twin aspects of creation and destruction (although certain aeons might contest this claim). Even their language is mutable, evolving so quickly that few outsiders can understand it without magical aid. Ecological study is nearly impossible, as reproduction can take a wide variety of forms, from sexual union to fission to spontaneous generation. Despite their deceptively similar natural appearances, the two things that truly unify the protean race are slavish devotion to their strange god and a fervent desire for the dissolution of reality as we know it.
Proteans are organized into several sub-races or castes, each with its own individual abilities and roles. Other proteans than the four presented here doubtless exist, but they do not interact with other races nearly to the extent that these four types do.
Voidworms: Disowned by greater proteans, who find these tiny beings shameful, voidworms nevertheless retain all the characteristics of true proteans, and are frequently found swimming through Limbo in vast schools or serving as spellcasters' familiars.
Naunets: Possessing little in the way of culture, the powerful naunets are the most bestial of the true proteans, representing the lowest recognized caste. Naunets are the shock troops of the protean race, and patrol the borderlands between Limbo and other planes, seeking out lawful incursions and making daring, savage raids into the realms of their enemies.
Imenteshes: These cunning proteans seek to subvert the forces of order from within their own systems, whispering information and insinuations where they can do the most damage. Endlessly creative, they adore reforming the landscapes of Limbo to suit their fancies, but enjoy warping the vistas and creatures of other planes even more.
Keketars: Priest-kings and voices of Limbo itself, keketars rule their fellows in the name of their bizarre god. Though their forms are extremely mutable, keketars can always be recognized thanks to eyes that glow amber or violet and floating crowns of swirling and changing symbols that often appear above their heads. Organized into cabals called choruses, keketars seek only to understand and follow the will of entropy. Protean Lords While the keketars are the highest caste of the protean race, there exist a few scattered individuals who put even the mightiest chorus to shame. Equal in power to demon lords or empyreal lords, the beings known as protean lords are an enigma, far older than other proteans and perhaps spawned in a previous iteration of the multiverse or somewhere beyond the depths of Limbo. Disdaining direct leadership, protean lords act according to their own desires, occasionally appearing to advise their lesser kin or keep an inscrutable eye on entities whose powers rival their own. Warpwaves Many proteans, particularly the imenteshes, have the ability to create and manipulate ripples in reality known as warpwaves. Yet even a protean can't predict what effects a warpwave might have. When a creature is affected by a warpwave, roll 1d20 and consult the table below to see what effect the entropic energies have.
| d20 | Warpwave effect | | 1 | Target takes 2 Strength damage. | | 2 | Target takes 2 Dexterity damage. | | 3 | Target takes 2 Constitution damage. | | 4 | Target takes 2 Intelligence damage. | | 5 | Target takes 2 Wisdom damage. | | 6 | Target takes 2 Charisma damage. | | 7 | Target gains 1 negative level. | | 8 | Target is blinded or deafened for 1d4 rounds. | | 9 | Target is confused for 1d4 rounds. | | 10 | Target is entangled by filaments of energy for 1d4 rounds. | | 11 | Target becomes fatigued (or exhausted if already fatigued). | | 12 | Target becomes nauseated for 1d4 rounds. | | 13 | Target is stunned for 1d4 rounds. | | 14 | Target is sickened for 1d4 rounds. | | 15 | Target is staggered for 1d4 rounds. | | 16 | Target gains 4d6 temporary hit points. | | 17 | Target is affected by a heal spell (CL = protean's CR). | | 18 | Target is turned to stone. | | 19 | Target is affected by baleful polymorph (CL = protean's CR). | | 20 | Portions of target's body burst with energy of a random type (choose between acid, cold, electricity, or fire), dealing 4d6 points of damage of the appropriate type to the target. |
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