Taisus
Huge Aberration, Chaotic NeutralMagically Ascended Mage
Habitat Any — Treasure Arcana
The most gifted mortal mages can sometimes peer beyond reality to glimpse pure, untrammeled magic. Directly accessing this energy requires years of careful study and dangerous rituals. Any mage who succeeds taps into esoteric powers that strip away the mage's physical body, blending their mortal mind with raw magic to form a quasi-corporeal entity called a taisus, or an ascended mage.
A taisus initially retains the personality and values of the mortal mage it was before, but its mindset eventually becomes alien, taking on a long-term outlook that seems callous to mortals. Most taisuses seek to draw energies from places of significant magical power, such as planar portals or quintessence pools, in order to create bizarre magic items, reshape the nature of magic, or lead others to duplicate their eldritch ascension. A taisus's end goal is unfathomable to mortal minds.
AC 18
Initiative +10 (20)
HP 310 (27d12 + 135)
Speed 40 ft., Fly 60 ft. (hover)
STR
17 (+3)
Save +3
DEX
18 (+4)
Save +4
CON
20 (+5)
Save +5
INT
25 (+7)
Save +7
WIS
22 (+6)
Save +6
CHA
19 (+4)
Save +4
Skills Arcana +19, Insight +12, Perception +12
Immunities Poison; Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Restrained
Senses Passive Perception 22
Languages All; telepathy 120 ft.
CR 19
Traits
Arcane Immortality. If the taisus dies, its body crumbles into glittering dust. It gains a new body after 1d10 days, reviving with all its Hit Points, unless a Wish spell is cast on its remains to prevent the effects of this trait. The new body appears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of a location designated by the taisus on its creation.
Legendary Resistance (4/Day). If the taisus fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. The taisus has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack. The taisus makes two Brain Drain attacks.
Brain Drain. Melee Attack Roll: +13, reach 20 ft. Hit: 20 (3d8 + 7) Force damage plus 16 (3d10) Psychic damage, and if the target is a creature with spell slots, it's subjected to the following effect. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 21. Failure: The target's highest-level unexpended spell slot is expended.
Spellcasting. The taisus casts one of the following spells, requiring no Material components and using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 21):
At Will: Detect Magic, Fireball (level 5 version), Invisibility, Mage Hand
2/Day Each: Jallarzi's Storm of Radiance, Plane Shift, Scrying
1/Day Each: Befuddlement, Disintegrate
Reactions
Protective Magic. The taisus casts Counterspell or Shield in response to the spell's trigger, using the same spellcasting ability as Spellcasting.
Legendary Actions
Legendary Action Uses: 3. Immediately after another creature's turn, the taisus can expend a use to take one of the following actions. The taisus regains all expended uses at the start of each of its turns.
Deadly Drain. The taisus makes a Brain Drain attack. The taisus can't take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Teleport. The taisus teleports itself or a willing creature it can see within 10 feet of itself up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space the taisus can see.