Adjudicon

Mountain

Urban

Guiding Bolt

Thorned Axe

An adjudicon is a celestial assassin sent from the Upper Planes by vengeful deities to hunt down a single individual who has grievously wronged a god. These shapeshifting beings can pose convincingly as mortals for the purposes of reaching their target, but often leave a trail of bodies in their path as they pursue their prey. 

Adjudicons are primarily motivated by the orders they are given by their superiors, and though they can exercise discretion in the means through which those orders are carried out, the orders are nonetheless obeyed without question. Adjudicons are assigned specific targets — individuals who may have wronged a god personally, or who are the leaders of particularly blasphemous and influential cults. Despite their divine nature and their celestial masters, the righteousness of an adjudicon’s task is not assured. Some gods of the Upper Planes can be wrathful and amoral as often as others are caring and benevolent. Adjudicons always prolong their hunts and assassinations in order invoke fear in their targets and make a public example of the punishment for their sins. They follow and harass their targets for days or weeks at a time, often striking down others who stand in their way or those who have aided or abetted the target in committing wrongs. 

Every corpse left by an adjudicon is marked with the symbol of the deity who sent it. In some cases, these symbols are easily recognizable representations of well-known deities. In other cases, the symbols or deities are obscure and esoteric. During their hunts, adjudicons also leave prominent messages for both their target and any bystanders, such as text that appears scratched in stone or formed in the clouds. These messages scold the sinner and hint at their punishment to come while also serving as a warning for anyone else who would dare follow in their footsteps. 

Adjucons stagger when they are directly opposed by the will of another deity of equal or greater rank to their master. Those who wish to stop the hunt of an adjudicon can best prepare themselves by petitioning and seeking blessing from a rival deity. A vial of holy water or a simple spellbook may prove lethally effective in combat if blessed by an intervening deity of appropriate rank and influence. 

During a hunt, when adjudicons are likely to find themselves beyond the Upper Planes, they rest and make their lairs in temporary pocket demiplanes they can summon and dismiss at will using their innate magic. An adjudicon can transport itself instantly into such a demiplane. The nature of these pocket demiplanes depend on the type of deity that the adjudicon serves; the lair of an adjucon serving a god of nature may be choked with vines and blooming flowers, while one associated with a god of wrath and thunder may be filled with wet stone and thundering clouds.

The adjudicon is unlikely to use any of its spellcasting in direct combat. Against a party of adventurers, it uses its fly speed to evade bulkier frontline enemies to target any lower hit point, easier-to-hit enemies in the backline, focusing damage on one target at a time. In many cases, it will fly out of range of any melee characters, and if it can successfully avoid a ranged bombardment, it will remain at a distance until it can land a Guiding Bolt attack, at which point it will fly into range on its next turn to use two Thorned Axe attacks on the same target.

It is said that those who ingest the blood of an adjudicon will be cured of any ailment or disease that afflicts them. The teeth of an adjudicon can function as warding charms that repel the influence of forces opposed to their associated deity. A PC can make a 

 Wisdom (Survival) check, or other check the GM deems appropriate, to obtain loot from the 

. On a successful check, the GM chooses one piece of loot, or has the PC roll a d4 to determine what they get. On a failed check, the PC gets a vial of 

 blood. A PC can choose to have another make their skill check if they so choose.

These teeth can be fashioned into a bracelet or necklace. While wearing it, you are immune to mind altering spells and spell-like effects from forces that oppose the adjudicon's deities ideals and commandments.

A creature that swallows this eye whole gains a third eye. As an action you can open this eye to gain advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks. You can use the eye for up to 1 hour, all at once or in several shorter periods, each one using a minimum of 1 minute from the duration. The eye regain 30 minutes of sight capability for every 12 hours it isn't in use.

     If you are using the eye when the duration expires, you can make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw to keep the eye open for one additional hour on a successful save. On a failed save, the eye remains open but you gain one level of exhaustion until the eye's sight capability returns to 1 hour.

This weapon is a battle axe. When you hit a creature while attuned to this weapon it must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 hour. While poisoned the target can't regain hit points. If a target's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target can't be poisoned by this weapon for the next 24 hours.

When you drink this vial of blood, you end one disease or condition afflicting you.

Adjudicon

Actions

Bonus Actions