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Let's Read the 4e Dark Sun Creature Catalog: Ulruun The Repugnant
Ulruun, a bald and beardless dwarf in a fancy tunic. He's smiling repugnantly. We’re fresh out of Sorcerer-Kings, but there are still a couple of randos to read through.
The Lore
Ulruun used to be a skilled gladiator who managed to survive the arenas of Nibenay for many years, a rarity. He eventually won his freedom, not for his victories, but as a reward for murdering someone for his patron.
The dwarf then proceeded to become a living example of the cycle of abuse as he went on to become a slave auctioneer for House Shom, and to run his own slave trading operation on the side. The money he earned from both activities made him wealthy, and finally allowed to achieve the luxurious life of debauchery he so envied in the people who had forced him to risk his life for entertainment.
His epithet, “the Repugnant”, is not someone people call him to his face, but it still describes his demeanor very well. He always travels with plenty of bodyguards in case a competitor or the “merchandise” decides to take a swipe at him, and has been known to take shelter behind lines of chained prisoners and other innocents when attacked. If pressed, he can still rely on his arena skills - that walking stick is mostly for show.
The Numbers
Ulruun is a Level 8 Soldier with 89 HP. As a dwarf, he has a ground speed of 5, +5 to saves against poison, low-light vision, and the same Stand the Ground and Steady-Footed traits PCs get. These reduced forced movement inflicted on him by 1 and allow him to roll a save to avoid falling prone.
Ulruun’s main weapon is a Dagger whose basic attacks damage and mark for a turn, and which can be used in a Hamstring maneuver that deals the same damage and causes the target to fall prone if they move more than half their speed before the end of their next turn. If a marked enemy tries to shift away from him, he can use Hamstring on them as an interrupt.
If his pursuers are too insistent he can surprise them with a Hurled Cane (minor, ranged 5), which targets Reflex and on a hit knocks prone and immobilizes for a turn. This is an encounter power, as he only has one cane on him.
Encounters and Final Impressions
Ulruun prefers his obvious bodyguards to be very large and intimidating, so he tends to recruit goliaths and muls to the role. He also has more discreet humans and halfling guards hidden in nearby crowds when walking through the city. And if there are any innocents on the map when a fight breaks out, he’ll use them as cover as well.
Ulruun is, well, repugnant, though other than being a dwarf there’s probably not much that’s unique about him. I think he’s meant to be a typical example of a sleazy slave trader.
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Let's Read the 4e Dark Sun Creature Catalog: Tectuktitlay
Tectuktitlay, dressed in extravagant regalia and holding a human heart. The Lore
Tectuktitlay is the king of Draj, and while he is not the only sorcerer-king to claim to be a god, he’s apparently the one most willing to enforce that claim.
His priests tell the story of how he’s the son of the moons Ral and Guthay, who descended into the mortal realm already a god. This divine family gave Draj the gifts of bountiful harvests and prowess in battle, and can easily revoke them if they’re not properly worshiped.
Disagreeing with Tectuktitlay about any of this is a particularly painful form of suicide. He constantly appears to his people at the top of his stepped-pyramid palace (the “Temple of the Father and Master”), and his vigilant gaze is etched on structures all through Draj. It’s hard to tell whether his subjects believe he’s really a god - they have gotten extremely good at going through the motions of worshiping him in the name of self-preservation.
I honestly couldn’t tell from the book’s description if Tectuktitlay really believes in his own divinity. Whether he does or not, he also knows he’s the weakest of the Sorcerer Kings, and probably has something of an inferiority complex about it. He tries to compensate for his personal weakness by making his realm military strong instead.
The Numbers
We get three stat blocks here. Draj is the Aztec-themed domain, so everyone here just loves to rip out people’s hearts.
Moon Priest
This is a typical templar of Draj, equal parts bureaucrat and enforcer of his god’s creed. They’re always on the lookout for heresy, and ready to violently punish it.
Moon Priests are Level 11 Controllers with the Leader tag and 110 HP. Their leaderly qualities come from their aura of Enforced Zeal (1) which gives allies inside a +2 damage bonus; and from Blood Demands Blood an encounter power that gives allies within 5 squares a +2 attack bonus as a reaction when the priest is first bloodied.
They fight with a Scourge that damages and inflicts a -2 attack penalty for a turn. They also have a dagger in hand that has a scarier purpose: the Worthy Sacrifice maneuver (melee 1 vs. Reflex), which knocks a target prone on a hit and lets them make a secondary attack against the same target. If that hits, it deals heavy physical damage, dazes (save ends), and gives 10 temporary HP to each nonminion ally the priest can see. They try to rip your heart out! And this is at-will.
They can use a minor action to charm an enemy with a Sacrificial Summons (ranged 15 vs. Will) which pulls 5 squares and makes the target grant combat advantage for a turn. If this ends up with the target in melee reach, it’s that much easier to hit them with the big sacrifice attack.
Jasuan Temple Guard
These are elite bodyguards hand-picked from Draj’s knightly orders for their unquestioning devotion to their god. They protect the Father and Master Temple, and Tectuktitlay himself. They’re Level 21 Soldiers with 200 HP.
They fight with Obsidian Broadswords that deal immediate and ongoing physical damage, and also mark (save ends both). And they can throw Bone Harpoons that deal physical damage and immobilize (save ends). Once a target has been immobilized, they can be targeted by Reel In (minor, ranged 10 vs. Fort), which pulls them 5 squares or knocks them prone on a hit. If they end up adjacent to the guard, the guard can hit them with his sword again.
Finally, their Wicked Cruelty gives them 10 temporary HP whenever they bloody an enemy for the first time, and it’s the first time that enemy has been bloodied in the fight.
Tectuktitlay, Sorcerer-King
Tectuktitlay is Level 22 Elite Artillery (Leader), lower level than any other of the sorcerer-kings we saw so far in this book. He has 316 HP and a speed of 6.
Tectuktitlay projects a large aura of Imposed Zealotry (4) that gives a +2 attack bonus to allies inside, and another one of Bloody Vigor over the same area that heals 10 HP to any bloodied ally that starts their turn inside.
He has a dagger for melee, but the real star of the show here are his spells, all of which have a maximum range of 20. Arrows of the Two Moons deals necrotic + radiant damage, the most unexpected combination I’ve ever seen. Spear of the Sky is a selective area attack that deals fire + lightning damage, and Double Attack lets him use both spells in the same action.
Kiss of the Two Moons is his limited-use special, firing off two separate bolts at different targets. The first does necrotic damage and weakens (save ends); the second does radiant damage and blinds (save ends). A miss on either attack deals half damage and inflicts the associated condition for a turn. This recharges when he’s first bloodied.
Last but not least there’s Thief of Hearts (vs. Fort, recharge 5+), in which he attempts to teleport someone’s heart to his hand. A hit deals damage equal to the target’s healing surge value, and hit or miss the target is dazed (save ends).
If Tectuktitlay is hit with a melee or ranged attack, he can order an Involuntary Sacrifice as an interrupt, choosing an ally within 4 squares. That ally shifts to be adjacent to his master, and is hit by the attack instead of him.
Encounters and Final Impressions
Tectuktitlay wants to stay 20 squares away from the PCs and bombard them with spells. His at-wills are annoying enough, but what will really light a fire under the PCs to end him as soon as possible is when Thief of Hearts lands for the first time. I initially read it as dealing damage equal to the target’s bloodied value, but even if the actual damage is just half that, the psychological impact is still high.
The party will want to get into melee with him as soon as possible, as he has no protection against opportunity attacks, but that will be made harder by the small army of jasuan guards and maybe up-leveled priests that will also be there. They’ll get in the way, and their king can pull them in to take hits in his stead.
The next best thing is to inflict dazes or stuns on him, since he lacks protection against those aside from the usual elite save bonus.
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Let's Read the 4e Dark Sun Creature Catalog: Nibenay
Nibenay, in his true half-draconic form, lounging on his throne. The Lore
Yes, he named his city after himself.
Nibenay seems to be a very academically-minded Sorcerer-King, which is evident in how his transformation seems to be the furthest along among the living ones, but he’s also kinda lazy. For about two thousand years now, he’s been holed up in his palace-temple complex of Naggaramakam enjoying a life of luxury and study while his priesthood took care of all those boring “running the kingdom” tasks.
His priesthood are also his templars, which are all women and all his wives. So this might explain why Dregoth outpaced him 1700 years ago - Nibenay still has his vices.
Nibebay’s highest ranking templars are known as the High Consorts. There are five of them, each in charge of one of the city-state’s temples. The Shadow King’s inner circle is composed of these five, plus his personal arcane assistants, his half-monster son Dhojakt, and a group of elite goliath warriors. Only they can enter Naggaramakam and interact directly with their king. And only they know what Nibenay’s true draconic form looks like - he disguises himself as a human in his rare public appearances.
Things might have continued this way forever if it wasn’t for Kalak’s assassination and the liberation of Tyr. This kind of lit a fire under Nibenay, and he decided to end his isolation and take a more active hand in the ruling of his domain. This has nearly all Nibenese nobles and a large number of lower-ranking templars in a panic because they’ve been up to a lot of self-enriching shenanigans that they were sure their king would never notice or care about. There’s a lot of unpleasant purges in the city’s immediate future.
Still, Nibenay hasn’t completely abandoned his research. He seems to be particularly interested in Athas’ distant past, and is rumored to be looking for a way to “bring about a new Age”. That probably involves some sort of large-scale environmental engineering, though it’s unlikely to be beneficial to the inhabitants.
The Numbers
We get three different stat blocks here, which we’ll see in order of level.
Shadow Bride
This is one of Nibenay’s lower-ranking templars. The city’s nobles tend to look down on them and use them as pawns in their own schemes - the name “Shadow Bride” is something of an insult. The brides resent them for this, and do whatever dirty deeds they need in order to claw some wealth and influence for themselves and climb the ranks of their organization.
This Shadow Bride is a Level 13 Soldier with 130 HP and Speed 6. She fights with an Obsidian Short Sword in melee, and with Shadow Bolts at range that do light cold+necrotic damage. She can inflict the Curse of the Shadow King an adjacent enemy with a minor action. This marks the enemy until the end of the encounter and makes it grant combat advantage for a turn.
Marked enemies within 6 squares who decide to ignore the mark can be targeted with Nibenay’s Retribution as an interrupt - the bride teleports to a square adjacent to the enemy and makes a very accurate attack vs. their Fortitude, dealing fire+necrotic damage on a hit.
In her own turns the bride can also Demand Penitence (recharge 5+), targetting up to two marked enemies in a Close Burst 5, dealing psychic damage, pulling them 4 squares, and knocking them prone.
Yup, this is a Soldier Warlock. Not a combination you see every day. The “eldritch blast” equivalent here is distinctly secondary. She wants to bring enemies into melee range and keep them there.
High Consort
One of the five highest ranked priestess-wives of Nibenay, part of his inner circle. Just like the city’s nobles, they jockey for position amongst themselves, constantly engaging in backstabbing and intrigue, though they are loyal to their hubby and will fight at his side against meddling PCs who manage to get that far. They will also fight to the end to protect their own temples. In any other situation, they run away when the fight turns against them.
High Consorts are Level 27 Artillery with 192 HP, Speed 6 and Low-Light Vision. They fight with Obsidian Spears in melee and with Shadow Blasts at range 20. These deal cold+necrotic damage.
Their special spell is Cage of Shadows (ranged 10), which deals heavy force damage and immobilizes (save ends). It recharges when they’re bloodied. They can also practice Arcane Defiling whenever they miss with this power or with a Shadow Blast while allies are present within 2 squares of them. This is a free action that inflicts 10 necrotic damage on each such ally, and lets the consort reroll the attack.
If they get surrounded, consorts can use Nibenay’s Gift (recharge 5+) as a minor action, dealing 15 cold+necrotic damage to each adjacent enemy, teleporting 6 squares, and gaining concealment for a turn.
Nibenay, Sorcerer-King
Nibenay in his true form is a Large Natural Humanoid, and a Level 29 Elite Controller with 532 HP. He has ground and teleport speeds of 6 and Darkvision.
His Sorcerer King’s Guile is going to ruin the day of many a PC fighter, as it makes him not provoke opportunity attacks from making ranged and area attacks.
In melee, he fights with Reach 2 Dragon’s Talons, which damage and restrain (save ends). At range, he uses the classic Ego Whip (range 10), which deals psychic damage and dazes (save ends). Yes, it’s at-will, and Ego Storm lets him use it twice in the same action.
Less often, he can use Defiling Burst (recharge 5+), which automatically deals 15 necrotic damage to each adjacent enemy and lets Nibenay attack an Area Burst 2 within 10 to deal necrotic damage.
The text is a bit strange here, as it says Nibenay gains +1 to the burst’s attack roll for each enemy damaged by it. I guess you roll once, count the hits, add the bonus, and keep repeating the last two steps until he either runs out of targets or misses someone.
As a minor action he can creaze a Zone of Shadows that lasts for a turn and blocks line of sight for everyone except himself. Enemies inside are blinded. The power recharges when the zone vanishes.
His version of Arcane Defiling triggers when he hits and deals damage with either of his basic attacks. It inflicts 10 necrotic damage on each enemy within 2 squares and weakens the target of the triggering attack for a turn. It’s a free action, not a reaction or interrupt, so this happens every single time he hits with Dragon Talon or Ego Whip.
Nibenay’s Demand is his anti-stunlock power, a reaction that lets him inflict 10 necrotic damage on an enemy within 5 squares and roll a save whenever he’s subject to an effect a save can end.
Encounters and Final Impressions
Nibenay being an Elite instead of a Solo is not necessarily a sign that he’s weak, but that the final fight against him will be a crowded affair. Any surviving high consorts will surely be here, as will any other epic level assistants and guards the GM wants to add to make the battle a worthy challenge.
Unlike Andropinis, Nibenay doesn’t have powers that boost or benefit from his allies, but at least he doesn’t get in their way either - his area attack is selective. The High Consorts, however, are likely to step on each others’ toes because their version of Arcane Defiling targets allies instead of enemies.
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Let's Read the 4e Dark Sun Creature Catalog: Mearedes
Mearedes in her jungle home. The Lore
Mearedes is a goliath druid, the self-appointed Sentinel of Shault. Shault, in turn, is a hidden island paradise in the Sea of Silt, one of the greenest areas remaining in the Tyr Region, largely thanks to the efforts of Mearedes and her disciples.
Those disciples are the giants Shakka and Shola, and the dwarf Hippolexes. They, their master, and a few volunteers from the local stone and beast giant communities intercept any strangers making landfall on Shault, and demand they subject themselves to a ritual that prevents them from ever speaking about the island to others. Those who refuse are killed. As you might imagine, very few people ever return from Shault, and those who do aren’t saying anything about it.
Though Mearedes has an age-lined face, she’s still as spry as a young goliath, and has received the respectful title of “Little Grandmother” from the local giants. Those who help her and her friends fight off threats to Shault will find her to be a stalwart ally.
The Numbers
Mearedes, as mentioned, is a Goliath. She’s also a Level 18 Controller with 176 HP, Speed 6, and a lot of Classic Druid Powers, which might look very exotic to typical Athasian characters.
She fights in melee with a Thorny Staff that damages and slows for a turn; and at range with Flame Seeds that deal fire damage, and inflict 5 fire damage on any enemy that enters one of the squares adjacent to the target or starts their turn there before the end of her next turn. This means the target can take this additional damage if they try to move.
And then there’s the expected Lashing Vines (recharge 6+), a fireball-sized area attack that damages and then creates a zone of hazardous difficult terrain that lasts for the rest of the encounter. It damages and slows those caught inside. Yes, this is a recharge power, so the battlemap will become rougher and rougher as time goes on.
As a minor action, Mearedes can assume the Form of the Ghost Panther for a turn and shift 3 squares. In this form, she cannot attack but gains +4 Speed, insubstantial, and phasing. She can end this as a free action or sustain it for another turn as a minor action. And she also has the Goliath Stone’s Endurance encounter power, which lets her gain Resistance 10 to all damage for a turn.
Encounters and Final Impressions
Mearedes will almost always be accompanied by her three apprentices (whose stats are left as an exercise for the reader) and by as many stone and beast giants you need to make the fight interesting. She’s also clearly meant to be more of an ally than an enemy here, so she or some of her apprentices could also tag along with the group for a short while.
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Let's Read the 4e Dark Sun Creature Catalog: Maetan of House Lubar
Maetan Lubar, posing for the cover of a business magazine. The Lore
Maetan is the current head of House Lubar, one of Urik’s wealthiest noble houses. He’s been prepared for leadership since childhood, though his time came much sooner than expected due to the untimely death of his parents.
The house makes its fortunes through commerce and through the ownership of many profitable fields outside of Urik’s walls. The work on those is performed by slaves, and their administration by junior house members. Senior leadership like Maetan has loftier concerns.
Maetan, for example, is busy petitioning Hamanu for the opportunity to lead a large army against the recently freed city of Tyr, as he has a story of success against Urik’s smaller enemies and wishes to attain new heights of glory and favor with the sorcerer-king.
This probably relates to the 2e Prism Pentad adventures, which saw the PCs take part in a battle against Urik’s forces. If this happens in your 4e campaign, Maetan will likely be at the head of those forces.
The Numbers
Maetan Lubar is a human, and a Level 16 Elite Controller with 302 HP. He fights using a combination of the fencing skills and psychic powers taught to him from a tender age.
The fencing is distinctly second fiddle here: just a basic Longsword attack that does level-appropriate damage with no riders. Maetan wants to stay a bit outside of melee range and use his many psychic abilities instead. He’s a telepath, so all of his powers target Will.
Serpent’s Kiss is a range 20 basic attack that targets up to 2 creatures, deals psychic damage and makes the target grant combat advantage for a turn. Insidious Worm is an at-will range 10 attack that can only be used against targets granting him combat advantage; it deals psychic damage and forces the target to make a melee basic attack against another target of Maetan’s choice. His usual routine would involve alternating these two.
Coils of Lubar is an area 1 within 10 attack that deals psychic damage and restrains (save ends). It deals 10 psychic damage as an aftereffect of the save. It recharges when he uses Psionic Augment, a power that triggers when Maetan hits with one of his two ranged at-wills and further boosts their damage. And this, in turn, recharges when he’s first bloodied.
His two final powers are Psionic Intrusion, a minor action ranged attack that dominates on a hit (save ends). This recharges when he’s first bloodied. And the Mind Fog encounter power, which triggers when he’s hit by a melee attack, affects a Close Burst 3, deals psychic damage on a hit, and forces the targets to treat him as invisible (save ends).
Encounters and Final Impressions
I guess this might be a typical example of an evil noble type. The book says Maetan will always be accompanied by a sizable honor guard, and in a fight he will try to use his powers to make things easier for those guards (all of them are selective, so he has no risk of hitting his allies). It also says that despite all of his psionic might, Maetan is still very proud and overconfident of his sword skills, so he might end up letting a PC get too close to him because of this.
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