Hekanhoda

ekanhoda: the Lord of Grotesques, Viscount of Corruption, Caliph of the Unclean, Duke of Deformities and Avatar of Afflictions. Hekanhoda’s body evidences every deformity known to man, as well as many that are unknown. He dresses in courtly robes that do not cover his deformities, they accentuate them. His finery is no affectation: Hekanhoda has perhaps the most pedigreed lineage amongst the Host of Chaos. He is the bastard son of the Dark Fey Queen and sired by Bobugbubilz himself. The Annals record that the King of Elfland deposed the Dark Fey Queen and Hekanhoda makes no secret of the fact that he has oath-sworn enmity against the White-Bearded Regent. The heraldry of Hekanhoda’s robes – purple for royalty, yellow for Elfland and red for his avowed blood-feud – are but one of the outward signs of his lineage. Another is his ownership of the eternal Grimoire of Endless Night, smuggled out of Ffumoria, his mother’s former realm. Through the mixing of his mother’s and father’s bloodlines Hekanhoda wields the power of the Nine Mortal Afflictions. Each affliction is fueled by a character flaw inherent in mortals and each finds physical expression in a life-threatening disease or infirmity. This makes them terrible weapons at the disposal of Hekanhoda and his followers. Invoke Patron check results: 12-13 Hekanhoda gives the caster insight into the mortal flaw of arrogance, which manifests in the body as bubonic plague. The caster can select one visible creature within 240’ and cause pustules to erupt from the target’s skin, covering its body. The pustules are painful and it is difficult to avoid chafing them. This imposes a -4 AC penalty and a -2 penalty to Agility. If the target makes a successful DC 15 Fortitude save these penalties are halved. The pustules burst and scab over in 2d3+1 turns, ending the effect. 14-17 The caster understands the mortal inclination toward bitterness and resentment and knows how this expresses itself as evil humors in the joints. The caster can select one visible creature within 240’ and cause painful swelling in the target’s joints. The joint inflammation makes it painful and difficult to move, resulting in the target dropping down two steps on the dice chain when rolling Action dice. Furthermore, the target’s movement is reduced by 10’. If the target makes a successful DC 15 Fortitude save these penalties are halved. The target’s joints remain impaired until the disease causing the inflammation is cured. 18-19 The caster grasps that a seed of contempt lives in the hearts of all mortals. Nurturing this seed causes it to grow into a malignancy in the body. The caster can select one visible target creature within 240’ and cause a huge tumor to grow impossibly fast inside the target’s body. The growth of this tumor has the effect of an immediate critical hit. The caster rolls 1d8+16 on Crit Table II to determine the effects of the hit. Targets make saves against the effects of this hit using a die two steps up on the dice chain (e.g., they roll a d30 if they would normally roll a d20). 20-23 Hekanhoda reveals to the caster how envy inculcates itself in the spirit. The caster sees the acrid bile that builds up in the gut when envy festers. The caster can void this bile from himself in the form of a vomitus spray. The spray inflicts 4d4 damage on up to three creatures within a cone 15’ long and 15’ wide. Target creatures that succeed at a DC 15 Fortitude save take half damage (rounded up). The spray also degrades any clothes, equipment, or possessions that it comes in contact with that would be negatively affected by acid. The caster can spray acid bile three times and then the spell is expended. 24-27 The caster, with Hekanhoda’s guidance, discerns the deep despair that can desiccate the soul. It is this despair that causes babes to cry out with colic. The caster can turn this discernment into the ability to inflict similar anguish. Enemies within 60’ of the caster experience an anguish so painful they take 1d4 points of damage. Those afflicted also flee aimlessly for 2d6 rounds in a futile effort to escape their anguish. Targets receive a Will save to resist the second effect. 28-29 Hekanhoda shows the caster the heartache that haunts the mortal condition and how pleurisy lodges in the lungs of those wrought by such pangs. The caster causes all opponents within 30’ to experience a lightning-quick onset of pleurisy, inflaming their lungs with evil humors. The pleurisy inflicts 2d3 damage per round and imposes a -4 penalty on the targets’ Stamina. Target creatures that succeed at a DC 20 Fortitude save reduce these effects by half. The target’s lungs remain afflicted until the disease is cured. 30-31 The caster learns the fundamental desperation felt by all mortals and how this humor fuels potentially fatal fevers. The caster instantly afflicts all opponents within 60’ with a preternatural, raging, burning fever. The fever inflicts 2d3 heat damage per round. Spells, abilities or magic items that allow a creature to resist fire mitigate the effect. Target creatures that succeed at a DC 20 Fortitude save reduce the damage by half. On the third round following affliction, targets experience the onset of delirium. Each round, delirious creatures roll a DC 15 Willpower save. If they fail their save they cannot correctly perceive reality and their actions that round are directed at a random creature or object. Targets are afflicted until the fever is cured. 32+ Hekanhoda lays bare the barrenness of the human soul and shows how this leads to sterility and impotence. All enemies within 120’ of the caster must succeed at a Willpower save or be weakened by impotence and extreme lethargy. Targets that fail their save lose 4d3+4 points of Strength. Creatures reduced to Strength 3 or lower can take no action except movement, which is reduced to 5’. Creatures reduced to Strength 0 must make a second DC 20 Will save or slide over the edge from lethargy into death.