Ennies Update and Freebie: Varubali, the Wicked Guardian (Adversary)

BREAK!! has been nominated for 2 Awards

First things first! If you would like to vote for BREAK!! for an Ennie award, the links to our nominated categories are below:

1. Best Family Game: https://t.co/GkO5ngfsAd

2. Best Layout & Design: https://t.co/6vjjijYkbM

Thank you for your support! Now onto the freebie....

 

It's been a busy week so I've cleaned up one of the adversaries I made for this stream from long ago!

He's based of a very frightening (well, for 10 year old me) boss from Breath of Fire II. I thought it would be fun for people to have an example of a Bright Aligned monster that was frightening and mean. Enjoy!

 

VARUBALI

The Wicked Guardian

Introduction

• A divine beast created to oversee the eternal suffering of a disgraced god, Varubali guards a temple located on a remote island in the Galvanus Archipelago. Cruel to the extreme, he refuses to allow anyone to attend to his long suffering charge - even though their punishment has spanned aeons at this point.

• Varubali is an armored, crawling creature with sword-like claws and a bladed tail. His physical presence and aura are so intense that it strikes unnatural fear in those less powerful than him.

Menace Level

• Mega-Boss

Rank

• 8

Type

• Celestial Order, Divine Beast

Size

• Massive

Allegiance

• 3 (Bright Aligned)

Home Region/Habitat

• The Temple of the Poisoned God, located on a small Island close to the City of Portia.

Aptitudes (Trait: Deadly, Overwhelming, Graceless (+2 Might, +2 Aura, -3 Deftness)

Primary Aptitudes: Might, Grit, Aura

Secondary Aptitudes: Deftness, Insight

• Might [15]

• Deftness [7]

• Grit [11]

• Insight [10]

• Aura [13]

Combat Values (As a Mega-Boss Varubali has Atk Value equal to his Rank)

• Hearts [6]

• Attack [+8]

• Speed [Normal]

• Defense Rating [14]

Abilities

Divine Behemoth (Species, Advanced)

Large even for a Divine Beast, Varubali towers over even the largest of folk and most other monsters. He relishes this advantage.

• Varubali is Massive (Per Page 434 of the BREAK!! Rulebook)

• Sweep Attack: Bladed Tail strikes as an Arc Weapon.

• Crush Attack: Claws strike as a Mighty Weapon.

• Varubali’s armored body has a Natural Defense of 16 like Heavy Amor (This is reduced to 14 due to massive size) and grants them an additional Heart.

Fearsome Aura (Standard, Magic, Light)

Perceiving Varubali and hearing his echoing voice fills the heart with dread and a feeling that it is against the will of the divine to oppose him.

• Anyone Encountering Varubali incurs an a Contest between his Aura against their Grit, if the Target Fails, they are inflicted with the Terrified status Ailment

• This Ability does not work against individuals who are equal to Varubali’s Rank or higher.

Retributive Claw (Legendary)

To strike Varubali is to defy his divinely ordained task, and prompts him to swift, furious retribution.

• Varubali may attack any individuals who successfully strikes him in melee. This may be a Sweep or a Strike, per his Massive Size.

• These Attacks are in addition to any actions Varubali takes in the round.

Breath of Frost and Flame (Advanced, Magic, Light)

Gifted access to a summer’s gale and a winter’s wind by his divine creator, Varubali can call forth either in a torrent of fire or ice that can decimate those who dare oppose him.

• Varubali may spew a breath weapon with an Attack Roll up to two Areas away. This Attack hits the entire Area and does 2 Hearts of Damage to anyone successfully hit.

• This Breath Weapon may do Flame or Frost damage as Varubali wishes.

• Once used, Varubali cannot use this Ability for 2 more Turns.

Lightning Blast (Advanced, Magic, Light)

When truly pressed, the divine behemoth may draw from the power of his long banished creator to strike down a foe with thunderous fury.

• Varubali may target an individual up to 3 Areas away with a burst of holy lightning. This requires a successful Attack Roll and does 3 Hearts of Damage on a hit. 

• This Ability may only be used once a fight.

Communication Methods

• Varubali can communicate and comprehend Low Speech and Bright Speech, but only greatly prefers the latter.

Tactics

• Varubali is a vicious combatant. If anyone afflicted with the Terrified ailment by his aura doesn’t run, he’ll try to pick them off first. He will open battles with his breath weapon when possible, hoping to weaken the enemy as a group and then draw them in to wear them down with his retributive strikes. If he can identify a particularly powerful opponent (or one that annoys him) he’ll target them with his lightning attack in hopes of finishing them off quickly.

Yield

Frost-Flame Amethyst

A purplish jewel can be removed from Varubali’s skull by someone with the proper Ability to do so. It switches from being almost too hot or too cold to touch, and it feels like some great energy swirls within it. It may be used as a crafting additive, bestowing the following Ability upon a weapon it’s forged into.

• Attack: The wielder of this weapon may choose to do Frost or Flame damage with an attack. This choice is made before the attack itself is made.

1 Slot, 50 Coins

Miscellaneous

• Indicators - Bodies that have been charred or frozen solid, a low rumbling sound, two glowing eyes with a gem between in the distance.

• Roleplaying Notes - Varubali revels in his duty and insists upon it in spite of the fact that the Divine Ruler who created him for the task is long gone. Some theorize he simply cannot envision any other life for himself due to his nature as a Divine Beast, but Varubali himself would insist that was nonsense. For all his wickedness, Varubali will not attack anyone not attempting to enter the Temple of the Poisoned God - in fact, he’ll engage in polite conversation with them if they don’t retreat from his presence. Similarly, he has no interest in pursuing those that flee him, lest they draw him away from his task.

• Customization  - Varubali could be used to represent a type of temple guardian rather than a singular entity. Other versions may do variant types of damage, inflict Status AIlments with their breath weapon, or have some other sort of divine gift.

Random Encounter Reaction

• Varubali is a singular entity, and should not be encountered randomly.

Variants and Related Entries

• Varubali could be given an ability that gave him Synthetic qualities rather than Divine/Infernal ones, and used to represent a sort of automated war machine.

The Temple of the Poisoned God

A gloomy structure surrounded by mournful statues wrapped with overgrown vegetation, this shrine’s single entrance is protected by Varubali. Within is a surprisingly labyrinthine structure with an immortal who suffers in eternal agony thanks to the curse of a long banished Divine Ruler. It is said that this god can grant one access to one to the vault of treasures dating back to the 2nd Aeon, but to access that would not only mean defeating Varubali, but also finding some way to lift the curse…