Archdevil, Geryon

This tripartite being has three humanoid bodies engulfed from the waist down by a tangle of three immense serpents.

Geryon CR 29

XP 6,553,600
LE Huge outsider (aquatic, devil, evil, extraplanar, lawful)
Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect chaos, detect good, scent, see in darkness, true seeing; Perception +47
Aura frightful presence (120 ft., DC 38), shield of law (DC 29)

DEFENSE

AC 47, touch 32, flat-footed 42 (+4 deflection, +5 Dex, +8 natural, +15 profane, +7 shield, –2 size)
hp 731 (34d10+544); regeneration 30 (deific or mythic)
Fort +31, Ref +28, Will +33; +8 vs. mind-affecting effects
Defensive Abilities all-around vision, envenomed scales, infernal resurrection, mind blank, threefold body; DR 20/epic, good, and silver; Immune ability damage, ability drain, charm, cold, compulsion, death effects, energy drain, fire, memory loss effects, petrification, poison; Resist acid 30; SR 40

OFFENSE

Speed 50 ft., swim 50 ft., air walk
Melee +5 cruel dispelling burst unholy flail +47/+42/+37/+32 (3d6+19/19–20), +1 heavy shield +43/+38 (2d6+15/19–20), 3 claws +41 (1d6+7), 3 tail slaps +41 (2d6+7/19–20 plus poison)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks casterbane, corrupting caress, perceive destiny
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 29th; concentration +40)

Constant—air walk, detect chaos, detect good, mind blank, shield of law (DC 29), true seeing
At will—astral projection, black tentacles^M, desecrate^M, dictum^M (DC 28), greater dispel magic, greater teleport, mindwipe (DC 25), modify memory^M (DC 25), order’s wrath^M (DC 25), unhallow, wall of ice
3/day—feeblemind (DC 26), quickened mindwipe (DC 25), mislead, persistent image (DC 26), summon devils, vision
1/day—prediction of failure (DC 29), time stop^M, wish^M

^M Geryon can use this ability’s mythic version in its realm.

STATISTICS

Str 38, Dex 21, Con 42, Int 33, Wis 30, Cha 33
Base Atk +34; CMB +50 (+54 disarm, trip); CMD 84 (86 vs. disarm, can’t be tripped)
Feats Blinding Critical, Combat Expertise, Critical Focus, Double Slice, Greater Disarm, Greater Trip, Improved Critical (flail, heavy shield, tail slap), Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Shield Bash, Improved Trip, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (mindwipe), Spellbreaker^B, Two-Weapon Fighting
Skills Bluff +48, Diplomacy +48, Intimidate +48, Know. (arcana, dungeoneering, engineering, geography, history, local, nature, nobility, religion) +45, Know. (planes) +48, Linguistics +48, Perception +47, Sense Motive +47, Spellcraft +48, Swim +21
Languages all (language mastery); telepathy 300 ft.
SQ amphibious, change shape (humanoid and serpentine; shapechange)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Casterbane (Ex)

Geryon’s foresight allows it to counterspell using greater dispel magic as an immediate action, with a +4 bonus to counter or dispel divine spells. It gains Spellbreaker as a bonus feat, and a spellcaster who fails a concentration check to cast defensively become flat-footed to Geryon until the end of its next turn.

Corrupting Caress (Su)

A creature damaged by Geryon’s natural attacks or melee weapons becomes unable to cast divine spells or activate domain powers, channel positive energy, or smite evil for 1 round (Will DC 38 negates). The duration stacks with multiple failed saves, but a creature that successfully saves cannot be further targeted by Geryon’s corrupting caress for 24 hours. This is a curse effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Envenomed Scales (Ex)

Creatures that strike Geryon with melee touch attacks, unarmed strikes, or natural attacks are exposed to its poison, as are creatures that confirm a critical hit on Geryon with a piercing or slashing weapon in melee.

Immune to Memory Loss (Ex)

Geryon is immune to the effects of the River Styx and to all effects that cause memory loss or manipulate memories.

Perceive Destiny (Su)

As an immediate action, Geryon can train its threefold gaze upon a creature to perceive its past, present, and future, granting Geryon a +4 insight bonus to its AC and on attack rolls, opposed skill checks, and Reflex saves against that creature and attacks or effects created by that creature until the end of its next turn. This affects creatures using mind blank, nondetection, or similar protection from divination only if Geryon succeeds at a caster level check (DC = 11 + the effect’s caster level + the mythic tier of the caster, for mythic effects).

Poison (Ex)

Tail slap—injury; save Fort DC 43; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d6 Int drain; cure 3 saves.

Threefold Body (Ex)

Geryon’s vital organs and senses are spread across all three of its linked bodies. An effect that would cause it to become blinded or deafened instead affects only one of its bodies, unless it affects an area or targets each body as a separate creature. If one body is blinded or deafened, Geryon suffers no ill effects. If two bodies are blinded or deafened, it loses its all-around vision and is dazzled. Geryon is blinded or deafened only if all three bodies are blinded or deafened. It likewise has a 75% chance to ignore critical hits, sneak attack damage, and similar precision-based damage.

ECOLOGY

Environment any (Hell)
Organization solitary (unique)
Treasure triple (+5 arrow deflection bashing heavy steel shield, +5 cruel dispelling burst unholy flail, Horn of Lies, other treasure)

Geryon, the source of blasphemies, has ruled in Hell longer than any other archdevil. When Asmodeus and his legions migrated to Hell, Geryon reigned as an asura rana, an emperor among divine mistakes. After bargaining with Asmodeus, Geryon betrayed its brethren, assuring devilkind’s stranglehold over Hell and cementing its continued rule over the bleak marshes of Stygia. Ever since, Geryon has numbered among Hell’s greatest and most enigmatic rulers, a connoisseur of impossible truths and a font of heresies.

Geryon is a knot of three 20-foot-long, scaled worms.

From its maws it can partially regurgitate and speak with the voices of any being it has ever devoured—be they mortals, fiends, or stranger eldritch beings. As a result of its covenant with Asmodeus, Geryon is now a true devil.

Horn of Lies (Major Artifact)

Slot none; CL 30th; Weight 15 lbs.; Aura overwhelming all

This horn can be sounded three times per day as a swift or move action to function as a greater horn of blasting with no chance of exploding and an effect duration of 1 minute. Creatures deafened by the horn hear whispers and falsehoods echoing in their minds, twisting their perceptions; they treat all other creatures as if they had concealment and take a –4 penalty on saves against mind-affecting effects as long as they remain deaf. In addition, any competence or insight bonuses are treated as penalties instead until they regain their hearing.

The horn can be sounded three additional times per day to grant allies within 60 feet a +4 bonus on saves against divine spells, while enemies within 60 feet become unable to tell the truth (Will DC 25 negates). This includes verbal, written, and any other form of communication, but does not prevent saying things that are neither true nor untrue, such as commands, questions, and verbal components of spells. While compelled to falsehood, Geryon’s enemies also become paranoid and treat no one as their ally; thus, they are unable to provide or benefit from flanking, teamwork feats, or the aid another action, and always attempt to save against harmless effects.

Affected creatures are unable to cast divine spells or activate domain powers unless they worship an archdevil. This effect lasts 1 minute. This is a sonic mind-affecting curse effect.

DESTRUCTION

If the Horn of Lies is sounded by a chaotic good divine spellcaster within the Silent Cairns of Elysium, it shatters into 13 fragments, each of which transforms into a serpentine monster.

If these 13 serpents are slain within 24 hours, the artifact is destroyed—but if even one serpent remains alive, the Horn of Lies is restored and returned to Asmodeus’s keeping in Hell.

Geryon’s Cult

Geryon is worshiped by those who crave forbidden knowledge. Its sacred places are hidden within libraries or amid the ruined temples of nigh-forgotten gods and fallen kingdoms.

Geryon’s unholy symbol is a shadowed, red-and-black serpent’s head. It favored weapon is the heavy flail. It grants access to the domains of Evil, Law, Strength, and Water, and to the subdomains of Devil, Ferocity, Oceans, and Resolve.