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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Abilities | Monsters | NPCs

The Red Bishop

This mothman priest of Pazuzu does not share his actual name with anyone, in part because the name itself cannot be spoken aloud—only conveyed via an unsettling telepathic sending. To those he manipulates and torments, he is known only as the Red Bishop.

The Red Bishop first came to the Lost Coast at the turn of the century in 4700 ar. Originally drawn from distant lands by the lure of his demonic patron's influence over the region, the Red Bishop was delighted to find not only an ancient shrine devoted to Pazuzu hidden within the rock of Chopper's Isle on Sandpoint's outskirts, but a much more ancient and powerful legacy in the depths of the Pit itself. Here, he knew a thin spot existed between the Material Plane and the Abyssal realm of High M'vania, where Pazuzu ruled. Yet an ancient ward kept the potential rupture in reality in check. Unable to directly undo this ward, and indeed, preferring long, slow corruption and cruelty to swift pain and immediate ruin, the Red Bishop settled into the region to begin a plan that would take over two decades to come to fruition.

Sandpoint's fortunes grew darker the day the Red Bishop arrived. Life there was already hard, but once the Red Bishop began to manipulate events, things grew undeniably worse. It was the Red Bishop who ensured that local eccentric Jervis Stoot would find and become corrupted by the statuette of Pazuzu that would give rise to Chopper's murder spree. It was the Red Bishop whose nightmare sendings and whispered poison caused so many in Sandpoint to act awfully toward Nualia, eventually resulting in the devastating fire that nearly burned the Sandpoint Cathedral to the ground. And while the Red Bishop himself was not directly responsible for the rise of Runelord Karzoug, his subtle manipulations certainly helped to spread the influence of the minor runewell of wrath hidden below Sandpoint so that certain powerful locals became more prone to cruelty.

For the next 20 years, Sandpoint has endured one tragedy after another. And while the grief caused by the Red Bishop's influence amused him, it was but a side effect of his primary goal. For such events were the best way to cultivate the very tools he needed to see to the destruction of Sazzleru's ward in the Pit. Adventurers were the Red Bishop's goal, adventurers who weren't direct agents of the Abyss but, as with so many mortals, could be manipulated into doing the Red Bishop's bidding.

Campaign Use

The Red Bishop prefers to manipulate the world around him rather than directly engage his foes in combat. If he can orchestrate a great calamity or deadly disaster to take out his enemies, he'll do that instead of confronting them in battle. Yet at the end of this adventure, when he makes contact with his latest “project” (the PCs), he's likely to be forced into a fight.

When combat is unavoidable, the Red Bishop fights with as many allies as possible, so that he can remain at range and cast spells against foes. Phantasmal killer is one of his favorites—those who are targeted by this spell endure realistic visions of horrific, world-ending disasters that seem to focus the brunt of their devastation on the victim. When fighting with allies in this way, he deactivates his Portentous Gaze, but he'll activate it at once if he's surrounded or reduced to fewer than 150 Hit Points, regardless of any minions or allies he might frighten. In melee, the Red Bishop uses his longsword with frightening effectiveness. Those who try to engage him up close might expect a weak spellcaster, and they might not live to regret that mistake. Typically, the Red Bishop makes two Strikes with his sword, then either moves to a better position or Focuses his Gaze on a foe.

While “Seven Dooms for Sandpoint” assumes the Red Bishop does not survive, if the mothman cleric does escape, he can become a dangerous recurring enemy—especially since once defeated and forced to flee, he relies more and more on working from afar, manipulating events to make life horrible for his enemies rather than seeking another rematch in battle.

Recall Knowledge - Aberration (Occultism): DC 42
Unspecific Lore: DC 40
Specific Lore: DC 37

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

The Red BishopCreature 14

Legacy Content

Unique CE Medium Aberration 
Source Pathfinder #200: Seven Dooms for Sandpoint pg. 196
Perception +12; darkvision
Languages Aklo, Common, Sylvan, Undercommon; (can't speak any language); telepathy 100 feet
Skills Acrobatics +10, Deception +14, Engineering Lore +12, Intimidation +12, Occultism +12, Religion +14, Society +12, Stealth +14
Str +5, Dex +8, Con +5, Int +4, Wis +8, Cha +6
Items +2 greater striking unholy longsword
AC 22; Fort +9, Ref +12, Will +14
HP 260
Portentous Gaze (aura, emotion, enchantment, fear, mental, occult, visual) 30 feet. When a creature ends its turn in the aura, it must attempt a DC 17 Will save. A creature that fails is frightened 1 (or frightened 2 on a critical failure) The mothman can deactivate or activate this aura with a single action, which has the concentrate trait.True Temptation [reaction] (divine, enchantment, mental Frequency three times a day) Trigger A creature within 30 feet of the Red Bishop speaks Pazuzu's name aloud three times with a single breath; Effect The Red Bishop casts charm on the creature. A creature with a fly speed takes a –4 circumstance penalty to the saving throw against this charm.
Speed 25 feet, fly 50 feet
Melee [one-action] longsword +13 [+8/+3] (versatile P), Damage 3d8+11 slashingMelee [one-action] claw +12 [+8/+4] (agile, finesse), Damage 3d8+11 slashingDivine Prepared Spells DC 20, attack +12; 7th divine decree, divine wrath, heal; 6th dispel magic, spirit blast, spiritual weapon; 5th dream message, sending, silence; 4th heal (×2), remove curse; 3rd heal (×2), remove disease; 2nd heal (×2), restoration; 1st heal (×2), sanctuary; Cantrips (7th) daze, divine lance, message, shield, stabilize
Occult Innate Spells DC 20, attack +12; 7th phantasmal killer, suggestion; 6th illusory creature, modify memory; 5th illusory object, mind reading, misdirection; 4th invisibility, nightmare; Cantrips (7th) daze, ghost sound, read aura
Rituals; 6th planar binding; 5th call spirit, planar ally; 3rd geas; 2nd consecrate, inveigle
Agent of Fate [three-actions] (primal) Frequency once per day; Effect The mothman casts any spell of 7th level or lower that normally takes 2 or fewer actions to cast, whether they have those spells in their innate spells or not. They can use this ability only if doing so steers the flow of fate in its proper course toward a disaster or otherwise significantly memorable event. What the proper flow of fate entails is determined by the GM, but some examples include casting illusory scene to coax someone to a portentous location, casting sending to deliver an important message to someone the exact moment they need to hear it, or casting rusting grasp to weaken a structure and cause some necessary calamity.Change Shape [one-action] (concentrate, occult, polymorph, transmutation) The Red Bishop takes on the appearance of a Tiny red sea gull or red hawk. This doesn't change his speed, but he can't make Strikes in this form. Command the Hateful Skies The Red Bishop's telepathic words carry an unsettling weight and promise of punishment when spoken to any evil creature capable of flight. Against such creatures, the Red Bishop gains a +3 circumstance bonus to attempts to Make an Impression, Request, Coerce, and Demoralize, and he increases the DC of any mental effect he uses against such creatures by 3 as well. Even without these bonuses, evil flying creatures tend to treat the Red Bishop with a mix of respect, if not outright fear.Extract Fear [two-actions] (divine, mental, necromancy) The Red Bishop reaches out with one hand toward a frightened creature he can see that's within 30 feet and makes a clutching motion to pull out the creature's fear and feed upon it. The Red Bishop restores 7d8+8 Hit Points to himself, and the target creature loses the frightened condition but must also attempt a DC 20 Will save as other emotions are drawn out of their mind as well to fade uselessly away, resulting in mental trauma and a strange numbness in the mind itself.
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success The target takes 3d6 mental damage.
Failure The target takes 6d6 mental damage and is stupefied 1 until the end of its next turn.
Critical Failure The target takes 12d6 mental damage and is stupefied 1 until the condition is removed via an effect like restoration.Focus Gaze [one-action] (concentrate, emotion, enchantment, fear, mental, occult, visual) The mothman fixes their glare at a creature they can see within 30 feet. The target must immediately attempt a Will save against the mothman's portentous gaze. If the creature is already frightened when it attempts this save, on a failure it becomes stupefied 1 for 24 hours in addition to the frightened effect. After attempting its save, the creature is then temporarily immune for 1 minute.