Archives of Nethys
Avernal VortexHazard 22
Unique Complex Environmental MagicalSource The Final Damnation pg. 193
Complexity Complex
Stealth +42 (legendary)
Description The edges of the extraplanar tunnel seem to writhe with malevolence, as if preventing unwanted souls from passing through.
Disable DC 50 Arcana (master) or Religion (master) to allow the group to traverse along the portal tunnel; six total successes are required to complete the journey; a PC who succeeds at a DC 48 Acrobatics, Athletics, or Survival check as a 2-action activity grants themselves a +2 circumstance bonus to AC and saves against the hazard’s routine for 1 round (on a critical success, they can also grant this bonus to one other PC)
Gaze of Barbatos [reaction] (divine, emotion, fear, fire, mental, unholy) Trigger A living creature enters the portal tunnel; Effect As the PCs begin to pierce planar boundaries, they feel they’ve caught the attention of the archdevil Barbatos, ruler of Avernus. Each creature in the tunnel must attempt a DC 45 Will save. The hazard then rolls initiative.
Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
Success The creature is stupefied 1 for 1 round and frightened 1.
Failure The creature is stupefied 2 for 1 minute and frightened 2.
Critical Failure The creature is stupefied 3 for 1 minute and frightened 3.
Routine (1 action; divine) The Avernal vortex churns across the portal tunnel, stopping the PCs from reaching their ultimate destination. In the first round, the vortex takes an action to attempt to dispel all beneficial spells on all creatures in the tunnel, scouring them with Hellfire. The vortex has a counteract modifier of +43 and a counteract rank of 10, and rolls separately for each spell. On a success, the target creature takes 4d6 fire damage with a DC 45 basic Fortitude save (this has the divine, fire, and unholy traits). In the second round, the vortex attempts to instill a dread of tumbling forever through the tunnel to those within it; each creature takes 6d6 persistent mental damage with a DC 45 basic Will save (this is an emotion and mental effect). Once a creature ends its persistent mental damage (or if they avoided the persistent damage), they can reach and escape the tunnel. In all subsequent rounds, the vortex releases bolts of acid, cold, fire, and electricity. It makes one vortex bolt Strike against each creature in the tunnel.
Ranged vortex bolt +41 (divine, unholy), Damage 4d10+22 acid, cold, fire, or electricity; the damage is chosen randomly, and the Strike gains the appropriate trait; no multiple attack penalty
Reset Once the PCs pass through the portal tunnel and arrive in Hell, the Avernal vortex ends and doesn’t reset.
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