Project Cerberus

L
ooking for a setting where high
fantasy and cypberpunk collide? Join
Project Cerberus for a deep dive into
Zephyr’s Veil where we will be building a
DND 5E compatible setting directly with
the community!
• Detailed maps, societal orders, and world building
• New player options for all classes (including pison
and summoner)
• New magic items, 1-page adventures, and monsters

Welcome to the Nexus!

Clean on the outside… but underneath all that glitz is a
seething pit of politics and intrigue. Luckily, you’re no
stranger to either.

Exclusive Rewards https://bit.ly/knight_vision_creative_exclusive_rewards

APPENDIX
122
Nexus Runner Backbround
The streets are a rough place to grow up, and many of
those you called friends are no longer among the living.
You’ve learned to hustle, doing jobs as a ‘courier’ between
home and the ethereal. There’s no honor in it, but honor
doesn’t put food in your belly or clothes on your back.
Some folks will pay good coin to get what they want
without getting their hands dirty. Need to sabotage a
business? Need something stolen? Need something moved
without attracting the wrong kind of attention? Need
someone to be reminded of their financial obligations?
These are your gigs. You’re a ‘runner’, and this town,
regardless of the plane, is yours.
Skill Proficiencies: Two skills of your choice.
Tool Proficiencies: Select two from disguise kit, forgery
kit, thieves’ tools, or one type of gaming set.
Feature: Fixer
When you say you know someone that knows someone,
your fixer is your someone. They hook you up with jobs
of the voluntary and volun-told variety. In return, if you
need information, if they don’t know it, they likely know
who does. Your fixer is good for the occasional safe house
too, if it won’t bring too much heat down on them.
Suggested Characteristics
Born from the crucible of the streets, Nexus Runners
embody resilience, adaptability, and a keen eye for
opportunity. Leverage the tables from an existing
background to determine your traits and motivations.
Cerberus Familiar
Tiny Monstrosity, Any Alignment
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 35 (10d4 + 10)
Speed 35 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
14 (+2) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 12 (+1)
Senses blindsight 10 ft., passive Perception 23
Languages cannot speak or write but understands all
spoken and written languages
Proficiency Bonus +2
Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Ethereal Jaunt. As a bonus action, Cerberus can
magically shift from the Material Plane to the Ethereal
Plane, or vice versa.
Magic Resistance. Cerberus has advantage on saving
throws against spells and other magical effects.
Cerberus Familiar
Drayus, one of the transcended psion masters of legend,
often grants her agents a Cerberus Familiar. With its
three heads poised in perpetual vigilance, this enigmatic
monstrosity serves as both guardian and guide to those
fortunate enough to earn Drayus’ favor.
Eyes and Ears. Drayus can sense what the Cerberus
Familiar senses.
Good Will. If a creature crosses a line with Drayus,
the creature immediately loses their Cerberus Familiar.
She’s always watching, and does not provide guidance or
warnings on what line you may be about to cross.
At Home in the Ethereal. Just like the Cerberus, the
Cerberus Familiar is capable of seamlessly traversing
between the Material Plane and the Ethereal Plane at will.
This innate ability makes it a valuable companion capable
of navigating both planes with ease.
Cerberus Familiar Variant
Drayus, one of the transcended psion masters of legend,
will sometimes intervene and grant a willing caster a
chance to summon a Cerberus Familiar.
Summoning Chance. When a character casts Find
Familiar, they can choose to roll a d20 in an effort to
summon a Cerberus Familiar.
• On a 16 or higher, the familiar summoned is a
Cerberus Familiar.
• If the character has at least one level of psion,
a Cerberus Familiar is summoned on a roll of
10 or higher.
Magic Weapons. Cerberus’s bite attacks are magical.
Psionic Insight . Drayus can choose to sense all that
Cerberus senses.
Three Heads. Cerberus has advantage on Wisdom
(Perception) checks and on saving throws against being
blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, stunned, and
knocked unconscious.
Actions
Multiattack. Cerberus makes three Bite attacks: one with
each head.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.
Howl (Recharge 5 – 6). All creatures Cerberus chooses
within 30 feet of it that can hear the howl must succeed
on a DC 12 Intelligence saving throw. On a failed saving
throw, the creature is frightened until the end of its turn.
APPENDIX
123
 Cerberus
A psionic creature of vast power, Cerberus is the name
given to the legendary three-headed hound at the
entrance to the sepulchral asylum where the transcendent
masters have sequestered themselves within the
Deep Ethereal.
Will Enforcer. Those brave souls who make the
pilgrimage to the shrine before the gate to pay their
respects, are shown the way back to the Nexus by
this seemingly benevolent creature (typically via
teleportation). Those who attempt to pass the gates,
however, are rarely heard from again, and those who have
returned from such an encounter have invariably been
reduced to a permanent state of confusion that nothing
short of a wish will remedy.
Test of Enlightment. It is a common misconception that
Cerberus serves the transcendent masters as a guard,
when in fact this creature is a test. The scope of their
concerns exists at a level far beyond what most mortals
can contend with, and so they rely on Cerberus to weed
out would-be pretenders from those few who have
ascended to the appropriate tier of ability.
Psychoportation. The Cerberus is an extremely capable
teleporter, rapidly moving not only around its current
planes, but between the planes..
CHAPTER 7
124
Lore
With a successful Intelligence (Arcana) or Wisdom
(Survival) check, the characters know the following:
DC 15. Cerberus is immune to damage from attacks
made with nonmagical weapons.
DC 20. The howl is described as extremely low-
pitched yodeling.
DC 25. A story tells of heroes that defeated Cerberus.
Choosing to rest before pushing onward, they found the
creature reformed and awaiting them in an hour’s time.
Tactics
Cerberus is extremely mobile, using misty step to position
itself for an attack without provoking opportunity attacks.
In between turns, it will use its phase shift ability to
remove itself from harm’s way, seemingly disappearing
into the deep ethereal.
When making a series of bite attacks, Cerberus will use
its ability to knock a creature prone to gain advantage
on subsequent attacks, which necessitates making the
attacks one at a time in order to utilize advantage should a
creature get knocked prone.
Cerberus typically uses its mind blast at its first
opportunity when taking a legendary action, though the
actions of the characters might dictate it do otherwise.
Cerberus
Gargantuan Monstrosity (Titan), Lawful Neutral
Armor Class 22 (natural armor)
Hit Points 448 (23d20 + 207)
Speed 50 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
29 (+9) 14 (+2) 29 (+9) 30 (+10) 20 (+5) 20 (+5)
Saving Throws Str +17, Con +17, Int +18, Wis +13
Damage Vulnerabilities force, psychic, radiant
Damage Immunities fire, poison, bludgeoning, piercing,
and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened,
paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 23
Languages cannot speak or write but understands all
spoken and written languages
Proficiency Bonus +8
Challenge 25 (75,000 XP)
Ectoplasmic Revivification. If Cerberus is slain it
reforms ten minutes later within 10 feet of the closest
transcendent master, returned to full strength.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Cerberus fails a saving
throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. Cerberus has advantage on saving
throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. Cerberus’s bite attacks are magical.
Three Heads. Cerberus has advantage on Wisdom
(Perception) checks and on saving throws against being
blinded, deafened, stunned, and knocked unconscious.
Actions
Multiattack. Cerberus can use its Frightful Presence. It
then makes three Bite attacks: one with each head.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 10 ft., one
target. Hit: 30 (2d20 + 9) piercing damage. If the target
is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 25 Strength saving
throw or be knocked prone.
Ethereal Jaunt. As a bonus action, Cerberus can
magically shift from the Material Plane to the Ethereal
Plane, or vice versa.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of Cerberus’s choice
within 120 feet of it and aware of it must succeed on a
DC 21 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1
minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the
end of each of its turns, with disadvantage if Cerberus is
within line of sight, ending the effect on itself on a success.
If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect
ends for it, the creature is immune to Cerberus’s Frightful
Presence for the next 24 hours.
Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). Cerberus’s innate
spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 26).
It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no
components:
At-will: misty step
1/day each: plane shift (self only), teleport (other creatures only,
and only to the Nexus)
Psychic Howl (Recharge 5 – 6). Cerberus howls,
creating both an auditory and telepathic effect. All
creatures it chooses within 120 feet of it that can either
hear the howl or receive telepathic communication must
succeed on a DC 26 Intelligence saving throw. On a failed
saving throw, the creature can’t take reactions until the
start of its next turn and rolls a d8 to determine what it
does during that turn.
• On a 1 to 4, the creature does nothing, babbling
incoherently.
• On a 5 or 6, the creature takes no action but uses all
its movement to move in a random direction.
• On a 7 or 8, the creature makes one melee attack
against a random creature, or it does nothing if no
creature is within reach.
This effect lasts for one minute, though the creature
can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns,
ending the effect on itself on a success. If the creature
fails this saving throw three times (including the initial
saving throw), the effect is permanent and can only be
removed with a wish.
Legendary Actions
Cerberus can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from
the options below. It can take only one legendary action
at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn.
Cerberus regains spent legendary actions at the start
of its turn.
Attack. Cereberus makes one bite attack.
Phase Shift. Cerberus teleports to a point it can see
within 120 feet.
Mind Blast (Costs 2 Actions). Cerberus emits psychic
energy in a 60-foot cone from each of its heads. Each
creature in one of those areas must succeed on a DC
26 Intelligence saving throw or take 36 (4d12 + 10)
psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A target
can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its
turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. Even if
the cones intersect, only one saving throw is required
to avoid the effect.
CREATURES
125