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Kazyan
2013-06-09, 11:55 AM
"Even the mind flayers should have some kind of limits, but they broke them. There is only so much pain a soul can endure before it becomes something other, and if something experiences nothing but pain for its existence, it will begin to feed on it. And they kept feeding it for aeons, letting it grow..."
Dornlumer Stravian, alienist

Created inside the confines of normal reality rather than being external to it, unlike most apparent violations of existence, Negative Zero is a being previously kept imprisoned by mind flayers and tortured for centuries. Somehow it escaped, using its incredibly powerful soul. It haunts an ancient mind flayer dominion, and if it escapes, it will erase the very concept of thought from sentient life.


BACKGROUND

Records of Negative Zero come from mind flayers as one of their greatest mistakes. Supposedly, Negative Zero used to be a half-elven woman, who was tortured and used to create Liquid Pain for the purposes of crafting. The crafters did not need her forever, however, and eventually they ran out of tasks when demand dried up after those centuries. They had been keeping her in the library they did their research in, and simply abandoned her there as they would an old machine. Months later, it is said that Negative Zero reappeared and tore apart the Elder Brain, even eating some of its contents. The cabal imploded shortly thereafter. (DC 29 Knowledge [arcana or dungeoneering])
If Negative Zero simply had the eternity of torture spell cast on her, leaving her would have been no problem, but when captured, she displayed incredible resilience against any form of arcane or psionic dominion. Even the most powerful effects would fall away from her shortly after instating them. Thus, Negative Zero had to be tortured manually and continuously, a process only kept up partially out of fear and partially out of desire to study her abilities. A ring of sustenance was grafted into her, along with a psionic crystal that healed and prevented aging, so that she would never expire. The problem with containing Negative Zero was that she had an incredibly potent soul, unlike anything the mind flayers had ever seen, capable of manipulating incarnum with ease. Even after the first year or so of treatment, she still remained contentious, so they amputated all of her limbs and left her in her cage. (DC 34 Knowledge [arcana or dungeoneering])
The mind flayers didn't use her resource of incarnum to avoid giving her freedom and possibly diluting the Liquid Pain they would extract from her, but over the course of the centuries, her soul slowly corrupted through-and-through into necrocarnum, and her mind broke into insanity, with rage and desperation to remove things from reality. When they left her, she became driven to destroy the Elder Brain to wipe the mind flayer cabal from existence. Somehow she used her new necrocarnum soul to take on a wraith-like form of blackness, then incorporeally invaded the Elder Brain and tore it apart. To the horror of all the mind flayers around, she consumed part of the brain and animated the rest as a necrocarnum zombie. (DC 39 Knowledge [arcana or dungeoneering])
While destroying mind flayers is a good thing, Negative Zero didn't stop there. After the cabal imploded, trace rumors suggest that she remained in the libraries, slowly destroying all of the information they retained, simply because it was information. Though her powers are vast, including flight, telekinesis, and the ability to assume an advanced wraith-like form of necrocarnum, she was unable to weather the passage of time. The ruins were slowly earthed over by drafts of dirt and dust, sealing her deep within the library complex that she was too preoccupied with to leave. Now, that complex may have nothing left in it but Negative Zero, waiting. (DC 44 Knowledge [arcana or dungeoneering])


GOALS

The exposure to psionics and pain has warped Negative Zero and left her filled with hatred. She is a force of destruction not in a physical sense, but a more abstract one. She cares little for the actual physical traits of the world she wishes to destroy, save that it is incapable of causing her any more pain. Her more metaphysical desires are to reshape the landscape of perception, but it will be something minds cannot exist in. (DC 29 Knowledge [arcana or dungeoneering])
Negative Zero carries out her goals with her avatars of necrocarnum. She attacks reality through body, mind, and soul alike. Some of the necrocarnum creations are allied with a group of undead excavators, together working to bring Negative Zero out of her underground prison. (DC 34 Knowledge [arcana or dungeoneering])
Information is not her target, but the concept of meaning. She seems to perceive that meaning is what drives the vast intelligences that made her life unimaginable, and wishes to tear out the roots that allow minds to process the world around them. Once all creatures are mindless, she can have reprieve. This will be done through the use of necrocarnum, channeled through constructs or necrocarnum zombies. (DC 39 Knowledge [arcana or dungeoneering])
Draining all of the meaning out of reality effectively ends the world, as no life can perceive what is left, but her destruction will go deeper than that. Instead of simple draining meaning, Negative Zero seeks to be the void through which information falls, and re-emerges as meaninglessness--randomness, static, and white noise. The fluctuations of Limbo are too meaningful for her. Where she goes, reality is reduced to debris and noise--even her telepathic power is a neverending font of gibbering non-words. (DC 44 Knowledge [arcana or dungeoneering])


NEGATIVE ZERO IN THE CAMPAIGN

Negative Zero's worldwide destruction of information will make it difficult for the PCs to perform research, or otherwise acquire lore. Wizards or other prepared casters in search of additional spells may find them sparse, as wizarding guilds are overrun by necrocarnum zombies or simply filled with clouds of corrupting necrocarnum gas. Needing to pick over newly-made ruins for information provides a plot hook to run into encounters, and to be introduced to Negative Zero's brand of erasure--books in libraries that survive mass destruction will have scrambled information, the lettering blurring together into symbols in the style of the language's alphabet, but do not mean anything.

The Elder Evil herself is trapped in an underground complex, the ruins of a magically-defended mind flayer library complex. Permanently dimensionally locked, it is impossible to teleport in or out without the use of wish. The excavators are attempting to dig through the layers of stone.


TIMELINE

EL 5: The town guard petitions the party to investigate the library of a nearby village, offering a hefty reward that was supposedly outsourced from the city. Once they arrive, they find the village has been ransacked, and they encounter a variety of Lost in place of commoners and warriors. Inside the library, they find only an incredibly nondescript ghost, alternately reading and destroying books. If engaged, it will inform the PCs that it's "done here anyway", and vanishes into the ether.

EL 10 (Faint Sign): A mage's guild's building abruptly implodes, leaving various wizards disgruntled. They pan to meet up at city hall, and the party is invited to hear what they say. When they arrive, they find all of the scrolls in the guild in a pile in the center of the hall, with the lettering scrambled to incomprehensibility. The hearing goes uneventfully until one of the magi (or PCs, with an appropriate Intelligence or Sense Motive check) realizes that they may have been manipulated to come here, as no damage was done to the magi themselves--it seemed deliberate, like someone knew they would gather here. The ghost, at some point, reappears and starts killing off the magi, along with a cluster of Deep Necrocarnum and Midnight Necrocarnum Constructs. He is too strong for the PCs to confront, and it is their job to evacuate the magi and town leadership.

EL 15 (Moderate Sign): The archmage, who escaped from the previous encounter with the ghost, calls the player characters to his tower to report that his libraries have been overrun by Onyx Necrocarnum Constructs, and most of the contents have been destroyed. He alerts the PCs to the existence of the excavators outside of town, and plans to go fight them to avoid unearthing Negative Zero. In the meantime, he suggests that the PCs clear out his library to retrieve the Scroll of Wish in his lowermost basement. His divinations indicate that the sroll is safe from being taken, and he's always been "saving it for when he needs it", so the PCs can have it. Once they get there, they find that the ghost has already arrived, and it taunts them with the scroll. The PCs can kill the ghost at this level, but when they get it, it turns out to be of Limited Wish...

EL 18 (Strong Sign): The archmage returns, and requests a favor of the PCs to accompany him once more to fight the excavators, which were too powerful for him alone. There, they fight a variety of undead and Abyss Necrocarnum Constructs. If asked about the scroll, the archmage will explain that scroll should have been of Wish, but he did have a Limited Wish somewhere. There they fight a series of Necrocarnum Zombies, two Abyss Constructs, and finally a Necrocarnum Zombie Elder Brain spearheading the operation. The excavators have made much progress, but the crevasse in the ground does not reach Negative Zero's holding library.

EL 20 (Overwhelming Sign): The ghost has used the stolen scroll of wish to bypass the dimensional lock on Negative Zero's prison, successfully wishing her just outside of town. Rampages of Abyss Necrocarnum Constructs tear through the city and create Lost. The archmage scries and teleports to the PCs, and begs of them to face Negative Zero once and for all. He uses a scroll of limited wish to bring the PCs near Negative Zero's location after helping them buff themselves, but they emerge spread out due to the limits on the spell, and will have difficulty finding each other again due to Negative Zero's sign. Negative Zero's telepathic babbling invades their senses. Once they successfully regroup after being briefly harassed by the ghost, they face him and two Absent Necrocarnum Constructs before Negative Zero descends upon them for the final battle.


SIGN

The sign of Negative Zero is the End of Meaning. As she is progressively unearthed from her prison, the foundation of perception is shaken ever more deeply. Distant perceptions become indistinct or incomprehensible, then closer ones, all while the world's abstract meanings drain away.

Faint Sign (DC 45 Knowledge [arcana or dungeoneering]): The horizon line grows fuzzy and distorted, as if in an intense heat wave.

Moderate Sign (DC 35 Knowledge [arcana or dungeoneering]): One cannot see or otherwise perceive anything beyond two miles in distance, instead seeing a haze of random colors that one cannot describe. Creatures must make a DC 15 Concentration or Decipher Script check to read nonmagical writing. Failure indicates that it appears run-together and meaningless. Divinations except true seeing have a 20% chance of failure, returning noise instead of information.

Strong Sign (DC 25 Knowledge [arcana or dungeoneering]): All nonmagical writing becomes meaningless garbage text, and creatures cannot perceive beyond 100 feet. Creatures must make a DC 15 Concentration or Sense Motive check to understand gestures, or any form of complex communication beyond speech. Divinations except true seeing have a 50% chance of failure, returning noise instead of information, and are cast at -5 CL.

Overwhelming Sign (DC 20 Knowledge [arcana or dungeoneering]): All magical writing requires a DC 35 Concentration of Decipher Script check to decipher, including the contents of spellbooks one wishes to prepare spells from. Creatures cannot perceive beyond 30 feet. All divinations except for true seeing automatically fail. No method of complex communication is possible beyond speech and telepathy.


NERVE

Nerve is the ghost that continually harasses the party and acts as Negative Zero's scion. While dedicated to the Elder Evil, he has his own goal of being the perfect mage-slayer. After solving the Seven Riddles that caused him to be spirited away to Vecna's demiplane, Nerve died during the process of becoming Vecna-Blooded. He now eschews spells almost entirely, and would rather kill mages than suffer them to live. He is willing to use magical scrolls on behalf of Negative Zero, as the ends justify the means.

Being Vecna-Blooded, Nerve is extremely nondescript and no information is available about him, save for his moniker.

Nerve

CR 15
LE Ghost Vecna-BloodedMMV Gray Elf Sorcerer 4/SwordsageToB 11
Medium Undead (Incorporeal)
Init +11, Senses: Listen +27, Spot +27, low-light vision
Languages Common, Elven, Deep Speech, Auran
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AC 24 (+4 Dexterity, +5 Deflection, +5 Ascetic Mage), touch 24, flat-footed 20
hp 78 (15 HD)
Fort +4, Ref +12, Will +12
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Speed 30 ft. (perfect) (6 squares)
Melee Unarmed Strike +16/+11 (1d3+5 damage) or maneuver
Base Atk +10/+5, Grp +10
Atk Options Enigma Aura, Hidden Spell, Corrupting Gaze, Corrupting Touch, Manifestation
Combat Gear +1 Ghost Touch Amulet of Natural Attacks (Ghostly Equipment. Allows unarmed strikes to affect corporeal creatures.)
Maneuvers and Stances
Maneuvers--
1st--Wolf Fang Strike, Sudden Leap, Sapphire Nightmare Blade, Distracting Ember
2nd--Shadow Jaunt, Cloak of Deception, Emerald Razor
3rd--Insightful Strike, Shadow Garrote
4th--Bounding Assault, Mind Strike, Hand of Death
5th--Shadow Stride, Bloodletting Strike, Leaping Flame
6th--Moment of Alacrity, Greater Insightful Strike, Shadow Noose
7th--Shadow Blink

Typical Readied Maneuvers--
Shadow Blink, Greater Insightful Strike, Shadow Noose, Distracting Ember, Mind Strike, Bloodletting Strike, Shadow Stride, Cloak of Deception

Stances--
Flame's Blessing, Island of Blades, Pearl of Black Doubt, Hearing the Air

Credit to NettleKid for appropriate maneuver selection
Spells
0th--prestidigitation, mage hand, acid splash, light, message, open/close
1st--mage armor, erase, silent image
2nd--darkness

Note that Nerve will not use his spells except in dire circumstances.
Supernatural Abilities Manifestation, Rejuvenation
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Abilities Str --, Dex 18, Con --, Int 15, Wis 12, Cha 20
SQ Cloak of Mystery, Quick to act +3, AC Bonus, discipline focus (weapon focus, insightful strike, defensive stance) [Shadow Hand], Sense Magic, Evasion, Rejuvenation, Turn Resistance +4
Feats Improved Initiative, Improved Unarmed Strike, Ascetic MageCS, Adaptive StyleToB, Shadow Blade, Ability Focus (Corrupting Gaze), Evil's BlessingB, Insane DefianceB, Vile Ki StrikeB
Skills Use Magic Device +14, Hide +30, Knowledge (Arcana) +20, Concentration +23, Listen +27, Spot +27, Tumble +14
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Rejuvenation (Su): When destroyed, Nerve will rejuvenate in Negative Zero's holding library in 2d4 days. He is utterly dedicated to the Elder Evil, and thus the only way to stop this ability is to destroy Negative Zero or break his devotion.

Turn Resistance (Ex): Nerve has +4 Turn Resistance.

Manifestation (Su): Nerve dwells on the Ethereal Plane and, as an ethereal creature, he cannot affect or be affected by anything in the material world. When Nerve manifests, he partly enters the Material Plane and becomes visible but incorporeal on the Material Plane. When manifested, Nerve can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons, or spells, with a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source. When manifested, Nerve can pass through solid objects at will, and its own attacks pass through armor. A manifested Nerve always moves silently, and can strike with its touch attack or with a ghost touch weapon (see Ghostly Equipment, below). A manifested Nerve remains partially on the Ethereal Plane, where is it not incorporeal, and can be attacked by opponents on either the Material Plane or the Ethereal Plane. Nerve's incorporeality helps protect it from foes on the Material Plane, but not from foes on the Ethereal Plane.

When Nerve is not manifested and is on the Ethereal Plane, his spells cannot affect targets on the Material Plane, but they work normally against ethereal targets. When Nerve manifest, his spells continue to affect ethereal targets and can affect targets on the Material Plane normally unless the spells rely on touch.

Nerve has two home planes, the Material Plane and the Ethereal Plane. It is not considered extraplanar when on either of these planes.

Corrupting Touch (Su): Nerve's incorporeal touch attack deals 1d6 points of damage to living creatures. Against ethereal opponents, he adds his Strength modifier to attack and damage rolls. Against nonethereal opponents, he adds his Dexterity modifier to attack rolls only. Nerve usually uses his +! Ghost Touch Unarmed Strike to attack, instead of this ability.

Corrupting Gaze (Su): Nerve can blast living beings with a glance, at a range of up to 30 feet. Creatures that meet Nerve's gaze must succeed on a Fortitude save or take 2d10 points of damage and 1d4 points of Charisma damage.

Enigma Aura (Su): Once per day, as a standard action, Nerve can wrap himself in an aura that makes creatures within 120 feet intermittenly forget he's there. At the start of each affected creature's turn, that creature has a 50% chance to be unable to attack Nerve in any way, including with spell and special abilities. The aura lasts for 1 minute after it's activated.

Hidden Spell (Su): Once per day, as a swift action, Nerve can cause flat-footed opponents to take a 01 penalty on saves against spells he casts on the same turn.


NECROCARNUM CONSTRUCTS

These animated masses of tortured soulstuff are bits of Negative Zero's soul that have been sloughed off and released into the world. The more powerful Negative Zero grows, the bigger the fragments and deeper black the necrocarnum.

All Necrocarnum constructs have an essentia pool equal to one third of their hit dice, rounded up. Lesser Necrocarnum Constructs cannot reallocate essentia. For all consturcts, their essentia capacity is as that for a player character of level equal to their hit dice.

Navy Necrocarnum Construct (CR 1)

This crystalline, clawed humanoid form is jaggedly angular, uniformly covered navy blue. Under its glass-like surface, you can make out the expressions of distorted, screaming faces.

Navy Necrocarnum Constructs use the statistics of Lesser Midnight Constructs, except that they have only 1 Hit Die. Recalculate to-hit, hit points, saves, and other related values accordingly. They are also Small, with a Strength score 4 lower, Dexterity 2 higher, and natural armor 4 lower.

Navy Necrocarnum constructs have their essentia pool invested into the Damage Reduction or Land Speed Increase options.

Midnight Necrocarnum Construct (CR 4)

This looks like a navy nercrocarnum construct from earlier, except larger and a darker blue.

Midnight Necrocarnum Constructs use the game statistics of a Lesser Midnight Construct, except that they are advanced to 6 HD, and have their essentia pool invested into any valid Essentia Modification.

Deep Necrocarnum Construct (CR 8)

Another one of those necrocarnum constructs. This one is almost 9 feet tall, and very nearly black in color.

Deep Necrocarnum Constructs use the game statistics of a Midnight Construct, and have their essentia pool invested into any valid Essentia Modification.

Onyx Necrocarnum Construct (CR 12)

Now the height of a house, this necrocarnum construct has the color and reflectiveness of onyx gemstone.

Onyx Necrocarnum constructs use the game statistics of a Greater Midnight Consturct, and can reallocate their Essentia Modifications as a swift action.

Abyss Necrocarnum Construct (CR 15)

The light doesn't catch on this necrocarnum construct. It's simply blacker than black, a void for light to fall into endlessly, like a hole in space.

Abyss Necrocarnum Constructs use the game statistics of an Onyx Necrocarnum Construct, except that they are advanced to 22 HD. They gain the following as Essentia Modifications:
Meaningless Touch: The necrocarnum construct's attacks deal 1 point of Intelligence damage per essentia invested. Will negates, DC 21 + essentia invested.
Unweave Purpose: The necrocarnum construct can, as a move action, touch an ongoing spell effect and to duplicate the effect of a targeted greater dispel magic. The caster level is equal to 11 + essentia invested.

Absent Necrocarnum Construct (CR 19)

There is nothing here. Oh, of course your mind registers an enormous humanoid-shaped thing, but it's not a thing. There's no noun that can describe inside of it, not even void, not even nothingness. It makes the abyss constructs look bright. And the not-thing is looking to neutralize you.

Absent Necrocarnum Constructs use the game statistics of Abyss Necrocarnum Constructs, except that they have been advanced to 32 HD and their size has increased to Gargantuan. Their Strength, Dexterity, and Natural Armor change accordingly. They gain the following as Essentia Modifications:
Spell Resistance: The necrocarnum construct has spell resistance equal to 24 + 3*essentia invested.
Unwelcoming: The necrocarnum construct has an aura of slow. Any creature entering the aura must make a DC 26 + essentia invested Fortitude save or be slowed, as the spell, for as long as they remain in the aura. If they exit the aura on their turn using their one action, they do not get their other move action for the turn. The aura has a radius of 10' per essentia invested.


NEGATIVE ZERO

The stumps of Negative Zero's arms and legs still have visible angular scars where the amputation healed over, leaving corpse-white nubs over an equally ghostly body. Faint gray rags, rotted from centuries of decay, hang loose over her torso, which hovers erratically over the ground with sickening bobbing motions. Her mouth jabbers with noise at staccato speed, not seeming to actually move, simply being in a different static position form one instant to the next. Thick veins bulge and choke her bloodshot eyes, and what would be knee-length hair floats horizontally, undulating, bunching up and falling and returning in an eldritch pattern.

Soulmelds, the uncolor of the Absent Necrocarnum Constructs, array her form, beating and contracting around her with energies as vast the void of space.

Stones and dirt from the ground hover and sway just above ground level.

And the telepathic static, the unspeech, the noise of a thousand foreign crowds of nameless dying women, is soul-crushing.

Negative Zero

CR 26
NE Small Aberration (Evil, Incorporeal, Incarnum)
Init +14, Senses: Listen +50, Spot +50, blindsight 500 ft., low-light vision
Aura Erase Perception 30 ft.
Languages Common, Deep SpeechLM, Elven, Auran, telepathy 1,000 ft, tongues
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AC 30+e (+1 size, +10 Dexterity, +9 deflection, +e Necrocarnum Wraith Essentia), touch 30+e, flat-footed 20+e
hp 816 (44 HD)
Fort +27, Ref +24, Will +30
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Speed 60 ft. fly (perfect) (12 squares)
Melee Incarnate Weapon via telekinesis +42+e/+37+e/+32+e/+27+e (1d8+e, x2)
Ranged Touch Dissolving Spittle +43 ([e+1]d6 acid damage, damage repeats on next round)
Frost Helm Ray +43 ([e+1]d6 cold damage)
Base Atk +33, Grp +27
Atk Options Soulmelds, Scream of Agony, Telekinesis, Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, Combat Expertise, Improved Trip
Combat Gear Soulmelds
Soulmelds Frost Helm (Bound to Crown) [5*e cold resistance]
Planar Chausible (Brow) [Evil subtype, 10+5*e acid resistance]
Mantle of Flame (Shoulders) [Creatures attacking Negative Zero without reach take (e+1)d6 fire damage]
Wind Cloak (Bound to Shoulders) [DR 2+2*e/magic against ranged attacks, Deflect Arrows 1+e per round]
Dissolving Spittle (Bound to Throat, XSC) [(e+1)d6 acid damage on a ranged touch attack, damage repeats on next round]
Necrocarnum Shroud (Bound to Waist) [+1 Profane bonus on attack and damage rolls any time a living creature takes damage while within 5+5*e feet, lasts 1 round. At beginning of her turn, creatures within area become shaken, Will negates]
Incarnate Weapon (Heart)
Fellmist Robe (Bound to Soul) [10+5*e% miss chance, max 50%, winds above 50mph negate this]
Essentia Pool 37
Spell-like Abilities (Caster level equal to invested essentia + 2)
at-will--[I]dimension hopPHII, conjure deep necrocarnum construct (as conjure midnight construct, but summons a deep necrocarnum construct), mirror image, silence, displacement, greater dispel magic, erase
3/day--incarnum bladestorm (invested essentia does not increase damage), quickened conjure deep necrocarnum construct, conjure abyss necrocarnum construct
Supernatural Abilities True Seeing, Tongues, Anethematic Secrecy, Nondetection, Darkest Meldshaper, Epic Mettle, Telekinesis, Until the End, Necrocarnum Wraith
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Abilities Str 6, Dex 30, Con 37, Int 16, Wis 22, Cha 28
SQ DR 10/epic, Elder Evil Traits, Resist fire and cold 20, SR 32, soulmelds, supernatural abilities (see below), Telepathy 1,000 ft, Blindsight 500 ft.
Feats Shape Soulmeld (Frost Helm), Expanded Soulmeld Capacity, Bonus Essentia, Double Chakra (Shoulders), Improved Initiative, Combat Expertise, Quicken Spell-like Ability, Improved Trip, Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, Heart of Incarnum, Epic Essentia (x3), Ability Focus (Telekinesis)
Skills Knowledge (Arcana) +47, Knowledge (Psionics) +47, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +47, Spot +50, Listen +50
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True Seeing (Su): As the true seeing spell; continuous; caster level 20th.

Tongues (Su): As the tongues spell; continuous; caster level 20th.

Dark Visiting (Su): As the malefic property, DC 39 and to a range of 1,000 miles, except that it deals essentia damage instead of Wisdom damage.

Nondetection (Su): As the nondetection spell; continuous; caster level 20th.

Darkest Meldshaper (Su): Negative Zero is capable of meldshaping as a 20th-level evil Incarnate, and can shape soulmelds with the Necrocarnum descriptor (in fact, all of her soulmelds are made from necrocarnum), with the following exceptions:
- Her essentia capacity is 10
- She does not have feet, arms, or hands chakras, and thus cannot shape soulmelds in them or bind soulmelds to them
- She can shape the Incarnate Weapon soulmeld so that it occupies her heart chakra, it can be wielded by her telekinesis, and it reappears in her square if released

Epic Mettle (Su): If Negative Zero succeeds on a saving throw against an effect, she is completely unaffected by it, even if it has a lesser effect on a failed save. She may make a Will save against spells and supernatural abilities that normally do not allow saving throws. At the beginning of her turn, Negative Zero can also make an additional saving throw against each effect currently affecting her, which is subject to the preceding sentences.

This ability is mostly suppressed in an antimagic field, but Negative Zero is still allowed to apply Epic Mettle to negation of the field itself.

Scream of Agony (Ex): Once per round, when damaged, Negative Zero can emit a scream echoing with the centuries of torture she has endured. All creatures within 30' must make a Will save of DC 32 + essentia invested in this ability, or be nauseated for 1 round.

Telekinesis (Su): Negative Zero can direct three continuous telekinesis effects (caster level 20) as a free action once per round. This allows her to attack with her Incarnate Weapon as a free action, if it is currently held by any telekinesis effect. If any of the effects end due to using the violent thrust option, the effect resumes at the beginning of Negative Zero's second turn after the effect ends (thus, she is without it for the following round.) The save DC of the telekinesis effects are DC 34 + essentia invested in this ability, which includes a +2 bonus to the save DC from Ability Focus.

Erase Perception (Su): At the beginning of their turn, any creatures within 30' of Negative Zero must make a DC 32 + invested essentia Will save or take 1d4 essentia damage and Intelligence damage as Negative Zero personally tears away their ability to perceive meaning. This ability is tied to her sign, and thus bypasses any immunities to mind-affecting effects, although immunity grants a +6 bonus to the saving throw.

Until The End (Su): Negative Zero is not subject to the perception-restricting nature of her own sign.

Necrocarnum Wraith (Su): Negative Zero can improve her incorporeality by investing essentia in this ability. Her deflection bonus to AC increases by 1 per point of essentia, and her miss chance against magic (excluding force effects) increases by 5% per invested essentia. The more essentia invested into this ability, the more shadowy her figure becomes.

Sgt. Cookie
2013-06-09, 01:08 PM
Congratulations. You have effectively creeped me the hell out. Now, please, take it away before Moffat uses it as a Doctor Who villain.


In other words: Good job, this is brilliant work.

anacalgion
2013-06-09, 02:35 PM
Wow. Awesome job. This is really well done, everything looks great to me.

DeusMortuusEst
2013-06-09, 02:41 PM
Subscribed. Well done!

vasharanpaladin
2013-06-09, 03:17 PM
Needs the Incarnum subtype. :smalltongue:

Mithril Leaf
2013-06-09, 03:19 PM
It's pretty cool overall, but I do have issue with the following bit of fluff:

If Negative Zero simply had the eternity of torture spell cast on her, leaving her would have been no problem, but when captures, she displayed incredible resilience against any form of arcane or psionic dominion. Even the most powerful effects would fall away from her shortly after instating them. Thus, Negative Zero had to be tortured manually and continuously. A ring of sustenance was grafted into her, along with a psionic crystal that healed and prevented aging, so that she would never expire. The problem with containing Negative Zero was that she had an incredibly potent soul, unlike anything the mind flayers had ever seen, capable of manipulating incarnum with ease. Even after the first year or so of treatment, she still remained contentious, so they amputated all of her limbs and left her in her cage.

Mind Flayers are all hyper intelligent creatures with lots of strong magic. Why on earth would they choose literally the worst person to be tortured for eternity?

Omnicrat
2013-06-09, 03:19 PM
Congratulations. You have effectively creeped me the hell out. Now, please, take it away before Moffat uses it as a Doctor Who villain.


In other words: Good job, this is brilliant work.

This really would make a good Doctor Who villian... maybe the thing that makes the doctor not the doctor?

I don't really like incarnum, but I really like this concept. Did she also have a constitution score of 50 or something? Why were they only used her for their liquid pain? Or was she part of a farm, but she was special?

Omnicrat
2013-06-09, 03:22 PM
Mind Flayers are all hyper intelligent creatures with lots of strong magic. Why on earth would they choose literally the worst person to be tortured for eternity?

My guess is they started torturing her, then realized how powerful she was, and the just kept with the torture in part out of fear of what she would do. That, or they were also studying her, but that knowledge is totally lost, hence no DC check for it.

Kazyan
2013-06-09, 03:23 PM
Now that I've had a nap, thanks for the positive responses, everyone. :smallsmile:


Mind Flayers are all hyper intelligent creatures with lots of strong magic. Why on earth would they choose literally the worst person to be tortured for eternity?

Good point. I'll think on it. My immediate thought is "only one available", but Omnicrat brings up the possbility of there being far more than one subject, and her simply being an anomaly at the time. Maybe she was never simply excised from the program because of bureaucracy or shortage of subjects. I'll think about it.

Kazyan
2013-06-09, 03:24 PM
My guess is they started torturing her, then realized how powerful she was, and the just kept with the torture in part out of fear of what she would do. That, or they were also studying her, but that knowledge is totally lost, hence no DC check for it.

Swordsaged by a good explanation. I'll throw that into the fluff to patch up Mithril Leaf's plot hole.

Sgt. Cookie
2013-06-09, 04:14 PM
I'm not very good, but I'll give drawing her a go. It'll be up tomorrow at some point.

Kazyan
2013-06-09, 04:37 PM
I'm not very good, but I'll give drawing her a go. It'll be up tomorrow at some point.

Who's awesome? You're awesome, that's who.

Tragak
2013-06-09, 06:08 PM
Congratulations. You have effectively creeped me the hell out. Now, please, take it away before Moffat uses it as a Doctor Who villain.


In other words: Good job, this is brilliant work. SILENCE!!!

Sgt. Cookie
2013-06-09, 06:23 PM
In drawing news, Negative Zero's body is more or less done. I'm not happy with the shape of the breasts, so I'm going to have to redo them. The clothing, that is, tattered rags, are taking shape; the rips and tears are done. I've not started on the hair or facial features yet.

Xuldarinar
2013-06-10, 08:40 AM
Excellent Job, I really like the look of this and would love to be in a campaign using Negative Zero. I've actually considered making an Elder Evil myself, based in shadow magic, but am busy with a different Elder Evil based project. Im making an elder evil (and hopefully balanced) equivalent to the Thrall and Disciple PrCs. As it develops, Im considering of including homebrew evils as well as official. If I were to include a homebrewed elder evil, I'd like to hear input from the creator of the elder evil. The PrC is called at this time; Elder Evil Epigone, and is currently a Work in Progress. Would you be interested in seeing a Negative Zero Epigone?

Kazyan
2013-06-10, 09:14 AM
I'd be flattered to have my creation included in your project, Xuldarinar.

Tragak
2013-06-10, 09:24 AM
Is it also OK that I'm going to try coming up with villains that work the same way as Negative Zero: not the traditional monsters that do incredibly terrible things to people, but completely normal people that survived the monsters in the worst possible way to become even nastier?

Kazyan
2013-06-10, 09:27 AM
Go for it. If this inspires you, I'm doing it right.

smoke prism
2013-06-10, 04:05 PM
Very nice:smallbiggrin:, I think that this has inspired me to write my own elder evil.

Debihuman
2013-06-11, 10:09 AM
Good stuff here! Kudos!

Debby

Haluesen
2013-07-12, 04:21 PM
Wow this is really very impressive. :smallsmile: And horrifying. :smalleek:

What in the world inspired you to make this? I was going to say the name is the best part, until I read through her goals and decided that is actually the besy part of Negative Zero.