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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Khurfel

Khurfel saw his first blood vision as a child, after his first taste of an enemy's blood. Not every urdefhan has blood visions; those who do tend to keep them quiet, for those who experience them are seen as irrational or untrustworthy. Such visions always relay great apocalypses, perhaps connected to daemons and urdefhans' lust for great death, but they're nonsensical and rarely come true. Yet, like all urdefhans subjected to blood visions, Khurfel was absolutely convinced of his vision's veracity, its outcome terrifying him. He saw the end of his cult, the urdefhans in the Abomination Vaults once sworn to Belcorra but who had mostly forgotten their oaths. He saw that this end would come while he ruled and that he was powerless to stop it. He would be the last war champion.

Of course, Khurfel kept his visions secret. If the rest of his cult knew of them, his life would be forfeit— but that wasn't the real reason he denied them. His blood boiled at the revelation. He was the chosen of Abaddon. He would indeed rise to war champion, but he would fight these fevered nightmares. They were another enemy to be vanquished.

Khurfel's rise was swift. He was large, strong, and fearsome. When he led his first war band, he achieved victory and slaughter, and when he partook in his enemies' blood, the haunting visions waned. Within a few years, Khurfel became the youngest war champion in his cult's history. He swore to defend their symbol of leadership, the Emerald Fulcrum Lens carried by generations of war champions. That's when Khurfel's troubles began.

It's one thing to lead comrades into battle. Everything not urdefhan is prey. Fighting was simple and visceral. It focused Khurfel's mind, and it exhilarated him. But being a leader, he learned, was far more nuanced. He had to juggle the jealousies, ambitions, and problems of everyone in his cult, an aspect of his position that he found tiring and dull. Worse still, his blood visions resumed. The Ghost Queen Belcorra returned to tell his cult to be ready, for they would soon have worlds of slaughter when she finished with her plans. His fellow urdefhans cheered at this promise, but Khurfel's visions dampened his joy.

His visions showed him that hunting the drow leader, Larathols, would be the first step toward his cult's demise. However, Larathols provoked Khurfel with his cautious explorations of the great lake the urdefhans claimed as their own. Larathols sought secrets in the forbidden vault—the one the urdefhans had been told long ago that no one should enter. Hungry for another fight and believing he could overcome his visions, Khurfel swam to an island on the lake and there killed Larathols and his daughter. He drank of the drow's blood and threw the body into the lake so monsters could rip it apart. He had vanquished his foes. The victory was glorious, and his people screamed his name in triumph. Larathols's blood was invigorating. What urdefhan doesn't want these things? It's every urdefhan's right to bring death and destruction into the world.

But Khurfel's blood visions now manifest more frequently, showing strangers who threaten him and drow working against him. He has called upon his cult's tormentors and blood mages to summon more daemons and strengthen their defenses, but the visions persist. Khurfel is uneasy, and his doubt feels like weakness. The only way to solve a problem is to destroy it utterly—what his people have always done. Still the visions come, and Khurfel is powerless to stop them.

Campaign Role

Khurfel leads the largest and most active group of adversaries the heroes face in the Abomination Vaults. His fated confrontation with the heroes is necessary because he holds the Emerald Fulcrum Lens and refuses to give it up as long as he lives, as it symbolizes the leadership of his cult. Khurfel's vision of falling at the heroes' hands doesn't inspire fear—it inspires fury, and he fights against his prophesized enemies as long as breath remains in his body.

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 37
Unspecific Lore: DC 35
Specific Lore: DC 32

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Changes from being Elite are marked in red below.
NOTE: The +2 damage bonus to non-strike offensive abilities (+4 if the ability is limited, such as spells) is NOT factored in.

Elite KhurfelCreature 11

Legacy Content

Unique CE Medium Humanoid Urdefhan 
Source Pathfinder #165: Eyes of Empty Death pg. 88
Perception +21; greater darkvision
Languages Aklo, Daemonic, Undercommon
Skills Athletics +24, Intimidation +21, Survival +22
Str +5, Dex +4, Con +3, Int +0, Wis +5, Cha +4
Items +1 striking rhoka sword, chain mail, emerald fulcrum lens, heavy crossbow (10 bolts)
AC 30; Fort +22, Ref +21, Will +24
HP 220 (negative healing); Immunities death effects, disease, fear; Weaknesses positive 10
Necrotic Decay (divine, necromancy, negative) When Khurfel dies, his invisible flesh quickly rots away and sublimates into a foul-smelling gas that fills a 10-foot emanation around his body. The gas deals 10d6 negative damage to creatures in this area as their flesh too curdles and rots (DC 30 basic Fortitude save).Attack of Opportunity [reaction]
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] rhoka sword +26 [+21/+16] (deadly 2d8, magical, two-hand 2d10), Damage 2d8+2+11 slashingMelee [one-action] jaws +25 [+20/+15], Damage 2d8+2+11 piercing plus wicked biteRanged [one-action] heavy crossbow +24 [+19/+14] (range increment 120 feet, reload 2), Damage 1d10+2 piercingDivine Innate Spells DC 30, attack +22 (+4 dmg); 4th harm, read omens; 3rd blindness, paralyze; 2nd augury, death knell; 1st feather fall (at will; self only), ray of enfeeblement
Frenzied Attack [two-actions] Khurfel makes one rhoka sword Strike and two jaws Strikes against one or two different creatures (splitting up the attacks any way he wishes). His multiple attack penalty doesn't increase until after all three attacks.Insightful Swing [two-actions] Khurfel makes a melee weapon Strike. On this Strike, he gains a +2 circumstance bonus to the attack roll and ignores any concealment the target has.Wicked Bite [one-action] Requirements Khurfel damaged a creature with a jaws Strike on his last action; Effect Khurfel maintains contact, turning the creature's flesh translucent around the injury. Khurfel chooses one of two options, each of which requires a DC 30 Fortitude save. If the jaws Strike was a critical hit, the creature suffers both effects, using the same save result for both.
  • Drain Blood Khurfel drinks some of the creature's blood. On a failed save, the creature is drained 1 and Khurfel regains 10 HP (or, on a critical failure, it's drained 2 and Khurfel regains 20 HP).
  • Drain Vitality (necromancy) Khurfel draws out some of the creature's vital essence. The creature becomes enfeebled 1 for 1 hour on a failed save (or enfeebled 2 for 1 hour on a critical failure).