Ratling Voidcaller
Large aberration, chaotic evil
Physical Description
The ratling voidcaller exists in a state of partial reality, its form seeming to phase in and out of existence with each movement. Standing nearly nine feet tall, its body has been grotesquely transformed by contact with entities from beyond the stars. Its fur has been replaced by a chitinous exoskeleton of midnight blue that constantly shifts and ripples as if something moves beneath it. Where its eyes should be, there are instead swirling vortices of darkness that occasionally reveal glimpses of distant stars and unknown constellations. Six arms extend from its torso—the upper pair ending in surprisingly delicate hands capable of complex arcane gestures, the middle pair terminating in wickedly curved blades of crystallized void energy, and the lower pair ending in writhing tentacles that occasionally pass through solid matter. A corona of purple-black energy surrounds the voidcaller at all times, and reality itself seems to distort in its vicinity, with shadows behaving unnaturally and light bending toward rather than away from its form.
The massive creature steps through what seems to be a tear in reality itself, bringing with it a bone-deep cold that has nothing to do with temperature. Its form is difficult to focus on, as if the mind refuses to fully acknowledge what it's seeing. Where it walks, shadows flow toward it rather than away, and the whispers of distant, alien voices can be heard at the edge of perception. The swirling voids where its eyes should be reveal glimpses of impossible geometries and distant stars that no mortal astronomer has ever catalogued. When it speaks, its words seem to arrive in your mind before the sound reaches your ears, carrying echoes of vast, empty spaces between worlds.
Lore
Void Emissaries. Voidcallers are ratlings who have formed pacts with entities from the Far Realm or the dark spaces between stars. Through forbidden rituals, they open their minds to these alien intelligences, allowing themselves to be transformed into conduits between reality and whatever exists beyond it. These pacts grant them tremendous power at the cost of their connection to normal reality.
Reality Distorters. The mere presence of a voidcaller warps the fabric of reality. Natural laws function unpredictably in their vicinity—gravity may fluctuate, time may flow at irregular speeds, and the boundary between mind and matter becomes fluid. These distortions grow more pronounced when the voidcaller channels significant power, sometimes creating permanent anomalies in locations where they have conducted major rituals.
Voices of the Beyond. Voidcallers serve as interpreters between ratling society and the alien entities they worship. They translate the incomprehensible desires of these beings into directives that other ratlings can understand and execute. Whether these interpretations are accurate or simply the voidcaller's own madness given voice is impossible to determine, but the power they channel is undeniably real.
Collectors of Minds. Voidcallers are obsessively drawn to creatures with unusual mental abilities or knowledge. They seek to capture such individuals alive, subjecting them to rituals that extract and preserve their consciousness for delivery to their void patrons. The exact fate of these harvested minds is unknown, but voidcallers sometimes exhibit knowledge or skills that belonged to their previous victims.
The Void Within
"The transformation begins not with the body but with the mind. The aspirant must first learn to perceive the Void—the emptiness between stars that is paradoxically full of entities older than time. Once contact is established, the physical changes follow naturally as the body adapts to channel forces it was never meant to contain. Many candidates' bodies simply dissolve into nothingness during this process. Those who survive find themselves forever caught between worlds, belonging fully to neither." — Recovered fragment from "The Codex of Endless Night"
Stats
- Armor Class: 22 (natural armor)
- Hit Points: 400 (32d10 + 208)
- Speed: 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 (+4) | 16 (+3) | 22 (+6) | 22 (+6) | 20 (+5) | 20 (+5) |
- Saving Throws: Con +13, Int +13, Wis +12, Cha +12
- Skills: Arcana +13, Insight +12, Intimidation +12, Perception +12
- Damage Resistances: cold, lightning, necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
- Damage Immunities: psychic
- Condition Immunities: charmed, frightened, prone
- Senses: Darkvision 120 ft., Truesight.60 ft., passive Perception 22
- Languages: Ratling, Common, Deep Speech, Abyssal, telepathy 120 ft.
- Challenge: 19 (22,000 XP)
Void Shield. The voidcaller has a magical shield that grants it +2 AC and resistance to all damage. If the voidcaller takes psychic damage, the shield deactivates until the start of its next turn.
Magic Resistance. The voidcaller has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Aura of Madness. Creatures within 30 feet of the voidcaller make saving throws against being frightened with disadvantage.
Reality Anchor. The voidcaller exists partially outside normal reality. It can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object. Additionally, it has advantage on saving throws against effects that would banish it to another plane of existence.
Multiattack. The voidcaller makes three attacks with its voidblade.
Voidblade. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 23 (4d6 + 9) force damage plus 9 (2d8) psychic damage.
Tentacle. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (3d6 + 9) bludgeoning damage plus 13 (3d8) psychic damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 18). Until this grapple ends, the creature is restrained and takes 13 (3d8) psychic damage at the start of each of its turns.
Void Rift (Recharge 5–6). The voidcaller creates a rift in space within 120 feet. Each creature within 20 feet of the rift must make a DC 21 Dexterity saving throw, taking 54 (12d8) force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Additionally, on a failed save, a creature is pulled 10 feet toward the center of the rift.
Mind Harvest (Recharge 6). The voidcaller targets one creature it can see within 60 feet. The target must make a DC 21 Intelligence saving throw. On a failure, the target takes 49 (14d6) psychic damage and is stunned until the end of the voidcaller's next turn. On a success, the target takes half as much damage and isn't stunned. If this damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the voidcaller absorbs a portion of its consciousness and regains 50 hit points.
Annihilation Wave (1/Day). The voidcaller releases a wave of destructive energy. Each creature it chooses within 60 feet must make a DC 21 Constitution saving throw, taking 66 (12d10) necrotic damage and being stunned for 1 minute on a failed save, or half as much damage and not stunned on a successful one. A stunned creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Tactics
The ratling voidcaller begins combat by creating a Void Rift to damage and reposition enemies, then follows up with targeted Voidblade attacks against spellcasters and other high-value targets. It uses Tentacle attacks to immobilize particularly dangerous opponents, while using its hover ability to maintain optimal positioning. The voidcaller employs Mind Harvest against creatures that appear mentally powerful, both to neutralize them and potentially recover hit points. It saves Annihilation Wave for when multiple strong enemies are clustered together. The voidcaller fights with alien intelligence, its strategies often seeming bizarre until their effectiveness becomes apparent, and it shows particular interest in capturing rather than killing mentally gifted opponents.
The voidcaller makes no sound as it floats above the ground, reality rippling around it like heat waves. The void-portals of its eyes swirl hypnotically as it assesses its opponents, occasionally revealing glimpses of distant stars and unknown dimensions. With a gesture from its upper arms, space itself tears open nearby, the rift pulling everything toward it as if gravity itself has been rewritten. Its movements are unnervingly graceful as it phases partially through solid objects, striking from unexpected angles while whispering telepathic messages that seem to bypass the ears and manifest directly in the mind.