Combat — The Soul-Hunger
CombatArea O4 — The Hunger's Lair
The chamber beyond the shrine feels impossibly large. Frost clings to the walls despite the still air, and every sound seems muffled, as though the world itself has stepped back. At the center of the cavern, the Veil is no longer torn—it has been ripped open. Gray light spills from the wound without illuminating anything around it.
Resting on a low shelf of stone is the second shard. Curled protectively around it is a creature that barely resembles anything mortal. Its body shifts between shadow and pale flesh, its outline never settling for more than a heartbeat. Faces emerge from its surface only to disappear again, each whispering a different name before fading into silence.
The creature notices the party immediately, but it does not strike. Instead, its many voices fall quiet.
A Moment of Clarity
If Sister Mirela is present—or if a hero speaks the name Selene—the creature shudders violently. For a single round, her true self resurfaces:
"Don't... don't let it wake again. I can still hear them. I can still hear me. Take the stone... before I'm hungry."
During this brief grace period (1 round), the Soul-Hunger takes no hostile actions, and initiative pauses. The heroes have one turn to act before the Hunger reclaims control.
Option A: Seizing the Shard & Fleeing
If the party chooses to snatch the artifact and run rather than fight or attempt redemption, resolve the attempt as follows:
- Snatching the Stone: A character must move adjacent to the shelf and spend an Interact action [one-action]. They must succeed at a DC 20 Athletics check (to wrench it from its icy bed), a DC 18 Acrobatics check, or a DC 20 Thievery check to grab the pulsing shard cleanly.
- Failed Grab: On a failure, the character secures the shard, but the violent disruption snaps Selene out of her clarity early—ending the grace period immediately and rolling straight into initiative with the party off-guard.
- Ending Combat & Escape: If successful, the character holding the shard and any allies can immediately use their remaining actions to Sprint toward the exit. The boss combat ends instantly, but the encounter shifts to a Chases/Escape hazard: the enraged, starving Soul-Hunger pursues them through the Entry Warrens until they reach the surface sunlight.
Option B: Tactics & Mechanics (Level 6 Boss)
If the party chooses to stand and fight, or if the grace period expires, battle begins. The Soul-Hunger fights with terrifying instinct rather than malice. Treat it as a Level 6 creature—a severe-to-extreme threat for a Level 4 party:
- Soul Drain [two-actions] (Void, Visual): The creature pulls at a living target's vitality within 60 feet. The target must attempt a DC 22 Fortitude save or take 3d6 void damage and become drained 1 (or increase its drained condition by 1 on a critical failure).
- Summon Echoes [one-action] (Divine, Incarnation) (Frequency: 1/day): The Soul-Hunger tears at the wound in the Veil, summoning up to two Level 2 Echoes of the Slain into unoccupied spaces within 30 feet. These echoes act immediately after the Soul-Hunger on initiative.
- Soul Feeder: Whenever an echo or summoned entity is destroyed within 30 feet, the Soul-Hunger absorbs its fading memory, instantly regaining 20 Hit Points.
GM Note: This ability creates a tactical dilemma when combined with Summon Echoes! Destroying her summoned echoes heals the boss unless the party drags them away before landing the killing blow—or punishes parties who use their own summoning spells like summon animal.
- Flicker Through the Veil [free-action]: Once per round, the creature shifts its density, gaining the Incorporeal trait until the start of its next turn.
Option C: Reaching Selene (Redemption)
There is one final chance to save what remains of her soul during combat or the grace period. A character within 30 feet can spend [two-actions] reaching through the creature's fractured memories with either a profound act of divine faith or a deeply personal appeal:
- DC 28 Religion check (calling upon the proper repose of souls or Pharasmin rites).
- DC 30 Diplomacy check (appealing directly to Selene's human identity, supported by appropriate roleplaying).
On a success, Selene wrests control from the Hunger for one final heartbeat, turns upon the shard, and shatters it. Silver light floods the cavern as both the shard and the creature dissolve together. The wound in the Veil closes, leaving only silence behind.
A party that saves Selene earns a major story award (120 XP). More importantly, her soul finally passes on in peace—a kindness that may not go unnoticed when the party reaches the Threshold of Souls in Act 3.
The Soul-Hunger
The creature lurking beneath the ossuary was not always a monster. Long before the Veilbreaker began tearing wounds between the planes, it served Pharasma as a psychopomp named Selene. Prolonged exposure to the shard has twisted that purpose into an endless, unbearable hunger. It no longer guides souls to judgment. It consumes them.
Fragments of Selene still remain beneath the corruption. Certain names, familiar prayers, or reminders of the life she once knew can bring moments of painful clarity before the Hunger overwhelms her again. Those brief moments are the party's best chance to avoid a battle they are not expected to win—or to grant Selene the mercy she can no longer give herself.
GM Advice: Managing the Encounter
- Encounter Difficulty: At Level 6, the Soul-Hunger represents a Severe-to-Extreme encounter for a 4th-level party. Emphasize its size, cold aura, and shifting form early so the players recognize the danger before initiative is rolled.
- Forewarning via Recall Knowledge: A character who succeeds at a DC 22 Religion or Occultism check identifies the creature as a corrupted former psychopomp (specifically a former Yamaraj or Nosoi lineage) and realizes that her essence is anchored directly to the shard.
- Tracking Soul Drain: Keep careful track of the drained condition inflicted by Soul Drain. Remind players that drained reduces both their maximum HP and their Fortitude saves, making subsequent rounds against the creature's abilities significantly more dangerous.
- Using the Skill Track in Combat: Resolving the encounter socially during combat requires a character to spend [two-actions] on their turn. Remind players that they can use skill actions while staying mobile, but taking these actions provokes standard reactions if the creature is in a position to strike.
SOUL-HUNGER CREATURE 6
[UNCOMMON] [MEDIUM] [SPIRIT] [PSYCHOPOMP]
Corrupted former psychopomp guarding the second shard.
Perception +15; darkvision, spirit sense 60 feet
Languages Requian, Common (cannot speak except during Moment of Clarity)
Skills Religion +16, Stealth +14, Deception +13
Str +3, Dex +4, Con +3, Int +1, Wis +4, Cha +2
AC 24; Fort +15, Ref +12, Will +17
HP 120; Immunities death effects, disease; Resistances void 10
Speed 25 feet, fly 30 feet
Soul Drain ◆◆ (divine, spirit, void) Range 60 feet.
The Soul-Hunger tears at the vitality of a living target within range. The target takes 3d6 void damage and must attempt a DC 22 Fortitude save.
- Critical Success: The target is unaffected.
- Success: The target takes half damage and is not drained.
- Failure: The target takes full damage and becomes drained 1.
- Critical Failure: The target takes double damage and becomes drained 2.
Consume Echo ▯ (reaction)
Trigger: An echo, spirit, or summoned entity within 30 feet is reduced to 0 Hit Points.
Effect: The Soul-Hunger absorbs the fading essence, instantly regaining 20 Hit Points.
Phase ✦ (free action)
Frequency: once per round.
Effect: The Soul-Hunger shifts its density, gaining the Incorporeal trait until the start of its next turn. While incorporeal, it is immune to precision damage and has resistance 5 to physical damage (except force, ghost touch, or vitality effects).
Moment of Clarity
If Sister Mirela is present, or a hero speaks the name "Selene", the Soul-Hunger loses its first turn as Selene briefly regains control. During this round, the party can seize the shard, flee, or attempt to redeem her without drawing an attack of opportunity or hostile reaction.
Redemption ◆◆ (skill action)
A character within 30 feet can spend two actions appealing to Selene's true nature by attempting a DC 28 Religion check or a DC 30 Diplomacy check.
On a success, Selene wrests control from the Hunger for one final moment, turning her power against the shard to shatter both it and herself, immediately ending the encounter in victory.
ECHO OF THE SLAIN CREATURE 2
[UNCOMMON] [MEDIUM] [INCORPOREAL] [SPIRIT] [UNDEAD]
A hollow, translucent remnant of a fallen crusader ripped from the veil-tear by the Soul-Hunger.
Perception +8; darkvision, spirit sense 30 feet
Languages Common (understands, but can only whisper incoherent laments)
Skills Acrobatics +8, Stealth +8, Intimidation +7
Str -5, Dex +4, Con +0, Int -2, Wis +2, Cha +3
AC 17; Fort +5, Ref +10, Will +8
HP 20 (negative healing); Immunities death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, precision, unconscious; Resistances all damage 3 (except force, ghost touch, or vitality; double resistance vs. non-magical)
Speed fly 30 feet
Melee ◆ Spectral Touch +10 (agile, finesse, magical), Damage 1d6+3 spirit damage.
Gasp of the Veil ◆◆ (auditory, emotion, fear, mental)
The echo releases a chilling sigh of hopeless static. All living creatures within a 15-foot emanation must attempt a DC 17 Will save. On a failure, the target becomes frightened 1 (or frightened 2 on a critical failure). The echo cannot use Gasp of the Veil again for 1d4 rounds.
Fatal Tether
When the Echo of the Slain is reduced to 0 Hit Points, its spirit shatters in a flash of void energy. If it is destroyed within 30 feet of the Soul-Hunger, the boss absorbs its fading memory and triggers Soul Feeder, instantly regaining 20 Hit Points.
Moderate Treasure Cache
Hidden within a hollow behind a loose stone in the crypt wall (DC 22 Perception check to locate):
- Pharasma's Balm (Level 4 Consumable) ×2: Treat as ghost oil. When applied to a weapon or 10 pieces of ammunition, the attacks gain the effects of a ghost touch rune for 1 minute.
- Cloak of the Crusader (Item 5): A worn velvet mantle reinforced with silver thread. Functions as +1 resilient explorer's clothing (grants a +1 item bonus to AC and a +1 item bonus to all saving throws).
- Ancient Crusader's Journal: A water-damaged leather journal detailing troop movements during the Shining Crusade. Reading the journal takes 1 hour and grants a +2 circumstance bonus to Recall Knowledge checks regarding the Shining Crusade and the Threshold of Souls.
- 120 gp in tarnished silver coins, crusade scrip, and small uncut garnets.
Shard 2 & Redemption
The Threshold Seed is not merely a key—it is a beacon. While embedded in the ossuary tear, it broadcasts a harmonic resonance that masks the location of the other seeds. Securing Shard 2 (whether intact or shattered) does three things:
- Stabilizes the Ossuary Tear: Removing the seed from the rift causes the local wound to seal. The dead cease wandering, the Soul-Hunger loses its anchor, and the Flock’s ritual site collapses into inert stone.
- Reveals the Third Tear: Sister Mirela can use the shard’s resonance to triangulate the third seed’s location. An intact shard provides a clear, sustained pulse; fragments give only brief, flickering glimpses—enough to point toward the Threshold of Souls, but not precise enough to avoid a journey of deduction and danger.
- Proves the Pattern: With two seeds in hand, Mirela can demonstrate to the Pharasmin hierarchy (and skeptical authorities) that the Veilbreaker is not a local haunting but a systematic campaign. This unlocks political support in Act 3.
If the party redeems Selene, she shatters the shard in her final act of will. The explosion leaves behind Veil Resonance—silver-glass fragments that hum when pointed toward the third tear. The party loses the raw power of an intact seed (which Mirela could have used to force-close a minor rift or power a death ward ritual), but they gain a major story award and Selene’s gratitude, which may manifest as a boon at the Threshold of Souls.
If the party takes the shard by force, they retain its full power: Mirela can use it to scry the third tear’s exact coordinates and temporarily seal lesser rifts along the way. However, Selene’s soul is consumed, and the shard’s corruption leaves a subtle stain—each bearer dreams of gray water and whispering mouths until the seed is finally expended or destroyed.