Horseman, Apollyon

This muscular figure has a skeletal ram’s head and a cloud of flies spews from his mouth.

Apollyon CR 29

XP 6,553,600
NE Medium outsider (daemon, evil, extraplanar)
Init +12; Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect good, true seeing; Perception +49
Aura frightful presence (120 ft., DC 38), plague shadow (10 ft.), unholy aura (DC 29)

DEFENSE

AC 47, touch 35, flat-footed 38 (+4 deflection, +8 Dex, +1 dodge, +12 natural, +12 profane)
hp 717 (35d10+525); regeneration 30 (deific or mythic)
Fort +38, Ref +23, Will +34
Defensive Abilities apocalyptic resurrection, freedom of movement; DR 20/epic, good, and silver; Immune ability damage, ability drain, acid, charm effects, compulsion effects, death effects, disease, energy drain, petrification, poison; Resist cold 30, electricity 30, fire 30; SR 40

OFFENSE

Speed 50 ft., fly 30 ft. (good)
Melee Usher of the Black Rain (scythe) +56/+51/+46/+41 (2d4+29/19–20/×4), bite +46 (6d6+8 plus energy drain and disease), gore +46 (4d6+8)
Ranged Usher of the Black Rain (longbow) +48/+43/+38/+33 (1d8+21/×3)
Special Attacks breath of flies, disease, energy drain (1d4 levels, DC 38), father of plagues
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 29th; concentration +40)

Constantdetect good, freedom of movement, true seeing, unholy aura (DC 29)
At willastral projection, blasphemyM (DC 28), creeping doom (DC 28), desecrateM, contagionM (DC 24), greater dispel magic, greater teleport, shapechange, telekinesisM (DC 26), unhallow, unholy blightM (DC 25)
3/dayquickened epidemic (DC 27), quickened plague storm (DC 27), soul bind (DC 30), summon daemon
1/daycursed earth (DC 30), time stopM, wishM

M Apollyon can use this ability’s mythic version in his realm.

STATISTICS

Str 42, Dex 27, Con 40, Int 31, Wis 32, Cha 33
Base Atk +35; CMB +51; CMD 86
Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Deadly Aim, Dodge, Flyby Attack, Improved Critical (scythe), Improved Initiative, Mobility, Mounted Archery, Mounted Combat, Point-Blank Shot, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (epidemic, plague storm), Ride-By Attack, Sickening Critical, Spirited Charge
Skills Acrobatics +43, Bluff +49, Diplomacy +46, Fly +50, Intimidate +49, Knowledge (arcana, engineering, history, religion) +45, Knowledge (planes) +48, Perception +49, Ride +46, Sense Motive +49, Spellcraft +48, Stealth +46, Use Magic Device +49
Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Infernal; telepathy 300 ft.
SQ Horseman traits

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Breath of Flies (Su)

Every 1d4 rounds as a move action, Apollyon can exhale a cloud of flies in a 60-foot cone. Those caught in the area take 18d6 points of piercing damage from the bites and are nauseated for 1d4 rounds. A creature that succeeds at a DC 42 Reflex save takes half the normal damage and negates the nausea effect. Any creature that takes any damage at all from the flies is automatically sickened for 1 minute. The flies linger for 1d4+1 rounds, gathering at the start of Apollyon’s next turn into a buzzing 20-foot-square cloud centered on the cone’s point of origin. Any creature that ends its turn in this cloud must succeed at a DC 42 Reflex save or take 9d6 points of piercing damage and become sickened for 1 minute. This cloud of flies can be dispersed by any area effect that deals damage or creates strong or stronger wind.

All daemons and apocalypse horses are immune to the effects of breath of flies. The save DCs are Constitution-based.

Disease (Ex)

Those bitten by Apollyon risk contracting soul plague, a deadly affliction that causes flesh to rot and drip away and that fills the sufferer with overwhelming despair and nausea. The soul of a creature that dies from soul plague is consigned to Abaddon to become one of the hunted of that realm, regardless of the victim’s actual alignment and religion in life. Soul plague can be cured via magic but cannot be cured through normal rest.

Soul Plague: Bite—injury; save Fort DC 42; onset immediate; frequency 1/day; effect 1d8 Con drain and nauseated for 24 hours. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Father of Plagues (Sp)

As a swift action (but no more than once per day per target), Apollyon can inflict upon a single target within 60 feet any disease that the creature has ever previously suffered, unless the target succeeds at a DC 38 Fortitude save. The onset is immediate and this ability affects creatures immune to disease unless they are of demigod or greater stature, though creatures immune to disease gain a +4 bonus on their saving throws. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Plague Shadow (Su)

Apollyon is surrounded by a carpet of plague-ridden vermin that bubbles up from the ground at his feet. Creatures within a 10-foot radius of Apollyon are subject to damage from this swarm. Any creatures in the area occupied by the plague shadow at the end of Apollyon’s turn take 5d6 points of swarm damage and must succeed at a DC 38 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Charisma-based.

ECOLOGY

Environment any (Abaddon)
Organization solitary or mounted (Apollyon and the White Horse)
Treasure triple (Usher of the Black Rain, other treasure)

Apollyon has ruled for eons, since he seized his throne and slew all potential rivals following the disappearance of his presumed-dead predecessor. The Horseman of Pestilence is also known as the Prince of Plagues, and rules from his domain of the Plaguemere, a vast realm of swamps, flooded forests, and shallow, acidic oceans. His citadel, the Throne of Flies, is carved from a titanic spinal column and set of ribs, rumored to be those of a dead god of healing or a protean lord slaughtered by the Four and dragged back to Abaddon to feast upon.

While other horsemen engage in more overt acts of brutality against the mortals of the Material Plane, Apollyon and his servitors focus instead on their distinct form of creation: the crafting of new diseases and plagues capable of doing the daemons’ work for them, spreading across the Material Plane in virulent pandemics. Less known is the fact that these acts of creation also extend to artifacts and magical items intended to corrupt their recipients, and even larger metaphysical infestations that work within the goddess of death’s system to taint souls and condemn them to Abaddon after judgment.

Apollyon frequently sends his minions to the Material Plane, and their actions there leave behind contagious diseases long after they’re killed or banished. When spreading ever more horrific and virulent plagues, the Horseman is not averse to granting temporary immunity to his mortal cultists in exchange for using them as carriers and living incubators, though this protection is short-lived—eventually, they too fall and their souls are carried to Abaddon amid clouds of corpse flies.

Apollyon’s Cult

Apollyon is worshiped by those who carry, suffer from, or use disease, including neutral evil druids, vengeful lepers, wererats and the like. Apollyon also commands the allegiance of a significant portion of the daemon-worshiping urdefhan race. The Prince of Plagues is served by leukodaemons, his deacon servitor race, as well as astradaemons, diseased undead, monstrous rats, nuckelavees, otyughs, piscodaemons, and all manner of vermin. His unholy symbol is a yellow scythe, and the scythe is also his favored weapon.

He grants access to the domains of Air, Darkness, Destruction, and Evil, and to the subdomains of Catastrophe, Daemon, Loss, and Night.

Usher of The Black Rain (Major Artifact)

Slot none; CL 29th; Weight 12 lbs.; Aura overwhelming all

Apollyon’s weapon is the Usher of the Black Rain. He can cause this weapon to shift from a scythe to a composite longbow (Str +16) as a move action, but in both forms the Usher is a +5 unholy wounding weapon. As a longbow, it creates ammunition automatically as it is fired. Against foes who are currently suffering from a disease, the Usher of the Black Rain deals an additional 6 points of profane damage with each hit.

DESTRUCTION

The Usher of the Black Rain burns to ash if Apollyon’s cloak (which was stitched from the flesh of the angels whose souls empower his bow) is brought to Nirvana, washed clean there, and then buried while intoning each dead angel’s long-forgotten name.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 6 © 2017, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Robert Brookes, Benjamin Bruck, John Compton, Paris Crenshaw, Adam Daigle, Crystal Frasier, James Jacobs, Thurston Hillman, Tim Hitchcock, Brandon Hodge, Jason Keeley, Isabelle Lee, Jason Nelson, Tim Nightengale, F. Wesley Schneider, David Schwartz, Mark Seifter, Todd Stewart, Josh Vogt, and Linda Zayas-Palmer.

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