npc

Vlad

Vlad, The Absolute Overseer

CR 30

Medium celestial (elf), True Neutral

Reveal Stat Block

Armor Class

26 (Artifact Robes + Bracers)

Hit Points

740 (40d8 + 560)

Speed

60 ft., fly 90 ft. (hover)

str

dex

con

+10

int

+10

wis

+10

cha

Saves STR +11, DEX +17, CON +19, INT +19, WIS +19, CHA +18

Skills ARCANA +25, HISTORY +25, INSIGHT +25, PERCEPTION +19, STEALTH +17

Damage Immunities force, psychic, poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks

Condition Immunities charmed, exhausted, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, stunned

Senses truesight 300 ft., passive Perception 29

Languages All, telepathy 1,000 ft.

Traits

The Living Weave.Vlad is immune to any spell or magical effect of 9th level or lower unless he chooses to be affected. He has advantage on saving throws against all other spells and magical effects.

Master of Items.Vlad can attune to up to 10 magic items simultaneously. He currently wears a Robe of the Absolute, a Ring of Eternal Stasis, and carries the Staff of the First Brood.

Omnipresent Will.Vlad exists in all his shops simultaneously. If a manifestation is destroyed, his essence returns to the Aetheric Core and reforms elsewhere instantly. He cannot be truly killed while magic exists in Aethervale.

Epic Spellcasting.Vlad is one of the few beings capable of channeling 10th-level magic. He can cast one 10th-level spell (such as Aethelgard's Absolute Severance) per century without cost, or more frequently by sacrificing 100 hit points per level above 9th.

Legendary Resistance (5/Day).If Vlad fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.

Actions

Multiattack.Vlad uses his Reality Erasure three times.

Reality Erasure.Ranged Spell Attack: +19 to hit, range 300 ft., one target. Hit: 45 (6d10 + 10) force damage plus 27 (6d8) psychic damage. If this damage reduces a creature to 0 hit points, it is disintegrated as per the 'Disintegrate' spell.

Contractual Banishment (Recharge 5-6).Vlad targets one creature he can see within 120 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 27 Charisma saving throw or be banished to a pocket dimension of pure static for 1 minute. While there, the creature is incapacitated.

Legendary Actions

Quick Cast.Vlad casts a spell of 5th level or lower.

Aether Step.Vlad teleports up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space he can see.

Sovereign Command (Costs 3 Actions).Vlad speaks a word of power. Each enemy within 60 feet must succeed on a DC 27 Wisdom saving throw or be forced to drop whatever they are holding and fall prone, ending their turn immediately.

NPC Profile: Vlad

Role: The Absolute Overseer / The Eternal Merchant Location: Everywhere (Kigum, Steamfort, Dal Dur, Crystal Cove, Fortune's Lake Town) Status: Primordial Architect

Background

Vlad is not merely an elf, nor is he a simple merchant. He is an avatar of the Aetheric Core itself, a sentient "safety valve" created before the First Brood to ensure the universe did not shake itself apart. While he masquerades as a merchant to keep a pulse on the world's mortal affairs, his true purpose is the preservation of the magical grid. He has watched the rise and fall of every civilization in Aethervale's history with the detached interest of a collector.

Personality

Vlad's dry wit and calm demeanor hide a mind that calculates millions of variables a second. He views the Ancient Dragons not as gods, but as biological anomalies that occasionally need to be put back in their place. He is impeccably polite but possesses an aura of such overwhelming power that even the most aggressive warlords find themselves involuntarily bowing in his presence.

Power Level

Vlad’s power literally knows no bounds. He is the only known entity capable of casting 10th-level magic with ease, often using it to repair continents or silence entire wars before they begin. In a direct confrontation, Vlad is a formidable opponent for the combined might of all the Ancient Dragons' forces. He doesn't fight; he simply removes obstacles from the timeline.

Equipment

Vlad is adorned with countless magical artifacts, most of which are forgotten by modern history. His Robe of the Absolute grants him immunity to lesser magics, while his Staff of the First Brood allows him to command the very essence of draconic power.

Secret

Vlad is building the Doomsday Vault not just for kobolds, but as a backup server for reality itself. He believes the Aether Currents are reaching a "saturation point" and is preparing for a total reset of the physical plane if the "Big Folk" cannot learn to regulate their hunger for power.