The Book of One Hundred Tales

The Hepospex
Outside of Time and Space The Hepospex does not need to eat,
Hepospex breathe, drink or sleep. It does not age, and does not
Large aberration, chaotic evil
experience the passage of time.
Armor Class 18 (natural armor) Eldritch Physiognomy. Reduce all damage dealt from a single
Hit Points 150 (20d10 + 40) source to the Hepospex by 8 points (to a minimum of 1). If
Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft. destroyed, a Hepospex merely slowly dissolves into ethereal
matter that disappears into the air, leaving no corpse.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
18 (+4) 12 (+1) 15 (+2) Eldritch (-) 14 (+2) 8 (-1) Actions
Multiattack The Hepospex may use its Tear Apart ability, or fire
Saving Throws Str +8, Dex +5, Con +6 a Void Sliver for each active Though Crystal still attached to it.
Skills Perception +6
Damage Resistances Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Tear Apart. The Hepospex targets a point within 80-feet of itself
non-magical attacks it can see. Each creature in a 25-foot-radius sphere centred
Damage Immunities Psychic , Poison, Necrotic on that point must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw. A
Condition Immunities Charmed, Frightened, Asleep, Prone, target takes 10d6 force damage on a failed save, or half as
Unconscious, Paralyzed, Poisoned much damage on a successful one. All non-magical material
Senses Truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 16 in the area is destroyed and reduced to its molecular
Languages Does not speak. properties. The sphere affected by this ability becomes Time
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP) Broken until this ability is used again.
An area that is Time Broken counts as difficult terrain, and any
spell, attack or ability that has a trajectory touching any part
Eldritch Intelligence The Hepospex thinks and reasons on
different planes of thought. It possesses no Intelligence of that area is rendered null, as any matter entering the area
slows down.
score, and it automatically succeeds in any Intelligence
saving throw (and receives no damage from any spell, ability Void Slivers. Each of the Hepospex active Thought Crystals
or effect that requires one). It is immune to scrying, Detect unleashes a single sliver of pulsating, horrible energy
Thoughts and Divination or Illusion magic. towards an enemy it can see within 100 feet (+8 bonus to
hit), causing 1d6 force damage on a successful hit.
Ineffable Shape If a creature with Truesight or a similar ability
attempts to look at the Hepospex, it must succeed on a DC Thought Crystals
27 Wisdom saving throw or immediately receive 68 (15d8)
points of psychic damage (half if the creature succeeds). These strange, 3-feet long purplish crystals slowly float around the
Hepospex, constantly cackling with strange and deep psychic
Thought Crystals. Each Hepospex begins combat with 1d4+1 power.
Thought Crystals surrounding it. These crystals float and
orbit the body closely. While the Hepospex has 4 or more - AC 20
crystals active, it gains +1 AC for each Thought Crystal above - Hit Points 30
4 it possesses. A Hepospex may summon 1d4 Thought - Hardiness Reduces all damage dealt to a Thought Crystal by 5
Crystals by spending 8 hours focusing on the task (to a (to a minimum of 1).
maximum of 5 Thought Crystals). - Damage Resistances Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from
non-magical attacks
Voidthought Shield. While any Thought Crystals associated with - Damage Immunities Psychic, Poison, Necrotic
this Hepospex are active, the Hepospex it is immune to all - Condition Immunities Charmed, Frightened, Asleep, Prone,
damage from all sources. Unconscious, Paralyzed, Poisoned
THE BOOK OF ONE HUNDRED TALES
Perhaps in the entirety of the known Multiverse, across the many planes of both gods and flesh.things, and amidst the
arcane, primordial thundering horrors that stalk the cosmos, very few creatures are as mysterious and ungodly as the
Hepospex. Made from otherworldly matter whose physical structures would drive most experienced researchers
utterly insane, those few who have cross the paths of these stalking, mad creatures oft’ share tales of terrible and sheer
horror - how the floating creature merely shatters reality by ripping apart the molecular structures of things, dissolving
both flesh and stone into nothing more than a wispy liquid that floats through the air like blood slowly dripping into
water.
Or strangest of all, the creature’s strange obsessions - and how a single Hepospex may follow these manias into
ravishing and spectacular spectacles of indomitable violence and slaughter, tearing apart everything in its path and
driven by some strange will that is not mirrored by any sane mind on the Material plane.
What is seen from a Hapospex is not the reality - merely a reflection, made physical by one’s limited minds in
understanding its true shape - albeit the creature transcends the very concept of shape. The visible part of the creature
is in fact only part of it - such as a membrane that breaks the surface of a lake, hiding the ululating horror underneath.
Even so, the reason why it even exists is a mystery - it serves no god nor purpose, does not feed, does not hunt, it does
not create. Intelligent beyond measure, the Hepospex does not worry about the mundane wants of life, knowledge or
power. It can outsmart the oldest liches, the most venerable gods, but it cares not for the petty trappings for which they
exist.
Immortal, endless and utterly disgusted with all life around it, the Hepospex regards most organic creatures as curious
insects, skittering quickly around itself, their minds fragile and so far beneath itself that it could care less for their
ideas, their ideals, their dreams, their thoughts. For what it cares about, no one truly knows, but perhaps in the
cosmos, once does not need to concern itself with such things.
That would only drive oneself even further mad…

THE BOOK OF ONE HUNDRED TALES

Resembling a strange, pulsating, mysterious
disembodied brain, the Hepospex often slowly floats or
flies through space, its existence a permanent challenge
to the very fabric the universe it inhabits. It can “fly”, but
it seemingly possesses no organ that allows it. Its body
seems mineral, organic, alien and vegetable at the same
time. Hepospex are immune to aging, and seem to
perceive our reality under completely different
spectrums - they can “see” but do not have eyes, and the
concepts of shape, colours or even sound are completely
alien to them.
They seem completely oblivious to physical threats and
do not seem to communicate at all. While moving, they
merely destroy matter in front of them using some sort
of psychic force that breaks apart and dissolves material
at a molecular level - to the point where everything at
the point of impact is also slowed, as time itself seems
to break apart.
They have no lairs, take no servants, and can be found
under any hospitable environment, and even some
inhospitable ones. What distinguishes these creatures
from most are their intense and murderous bouts of
strange mania - the Hepospex may (seemingly
randomly) become utterly obsessed over some concept.
These beings have been found following particular
flocks of birds, being mesmerised by their flight - they
may become suddenly obsessed with a particular
landmark or construction, with a single being, or even a
community. the creatures will feverishly “defend” all of
those who “threaten” the target of their obsession -
which sometimes means merely destroying anything
that comes close to it, even non-organic material, entire
civilizations, magical items, or mere landmarks.
A single Hepospex may stay for decades or even
centuries around the core of its obsession, merely
floating slowly, and then suddenly leave or worse -
destroy it in a single swoop. Many tribal communities
may even worship these creatures in the same way their
worship the sun or the moon, since for them, the
Hepospex does not communicate or interact - only for
archeologists to find ruins of their constructions
millenia later, destroyed by some strange force.
The Hepospex is, in itself, a mystery, on a multiverse
that holds its own quite closely. The fact the creature
even exists with no purpose to the fabric of reality
seems to indicate something else on the background - a
deeper, more profound and strange layered purpose in a
universe where everything seems to fit correctly.
They are a remnant, perhaps a shadowy tendril of some
indescribable darkness that rests underneath the inky
black canopy of the universe, perhaps hinting at the
darker things that reside there, in worlds where the
Hepospex makes sense…
Description
A mysterious chorus of random white noise fills your
ears slowly, firstly from a distance, but seemingly
becoming closer and more distant as it travels. A slowly,
floating shape occupies the air around it - you attempt to
trace its movements, but it seems to somehow slowly
blink across reality. That is not movement, but a strange
language of gestures, of curious cruelty, as if the air is
dissected to allow its passage. It appears to be a brain, a
pulsating, sickening, pale brain that emanates colors
your eyes cannot perceive. Several long, thin purplish
crystals float around it, and a membrane of some
eldritch matter ebbs and flows around its body. It
doesn’t seem to notice you. It does not seem to notice
anything. Its large, clumsy body seems ill-fitted not only
for this world, but reality itself.
It does not make sense. Its shape and size seems to
pulsate darkly - as if a demon drawn from a hand of
someone who had never imagined one, the endlessness
of the creature seems otherworldly, and utterly
dissonant from any concept of normality. It is … wrong.
Plot Hooks
A single Hepospex became utterly obsessed with the last
remaining member of a royal bloodline, and it destroyed an
entire capital to reach the scared princess. A group of
adventurers needs to find a way across the destroyed
remnants of the capital city to reach her and save her…
An ancient wizard discovered that the crystals from the
mysterious Hepospex can be transformed into powerful
arcane conduits, providing enough power to prevent an army
of demons from over-running the world. Unfortunately, the
Hepospex itself is an elusive creature, but there are legends of
a similar being that inhabits the mountains of the north -
utterly obsessed with storm clouds…
A group of adventurers discover a forgotten cult that has
slowly been exercising their presence from the books of history.
Their insane leader can conduct rituals that seemingly break
reality itself. One of the most recent ones almost destroyed the
cult itself, as it summoned a Hepospex - that proceeded to
turn the cultists into a fine fleshy mist, more out of curiosity
than cruelty.
The Hepospex becomes utterly enthralled with the ranger
from a group of mercenaries and explorers, following her
everywhere. Unfortunately, it seems to consider her travel
companions as threats, and it decides to destroy them all -
leaving the object of its obsession intact.
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