Aspect of Tiamat (CR 10)
Large Dragon (Extraplanar)
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Initiative: +4 (Improved Initiative); Senses: blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., low-light vision, Listen +16, and Spot +16
Languages: Common, Draconic, and Infernal
AC: 23 (-1 size, +14 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 23
Hit Dice: 10d12+50 (115 hp); DR: DR 5/epic
Fort +12, Ref +7, Will +10
Speed: 30 ft., fly 50 ft. (clumsy)
Space: 10 ft./10 ft.
Base Attack +10; Grapple +21
Attack: Bite +16 melee
Full Attack: 5 bites +16 melee
Damage: Bite 2d6+3
Special Attacks: Breath weapon
Abilities: Str 24, Dex 11, Con 21, Int 19, Wis 16, Cha 18
Special Qualities: immunity to magic sleep effects and paralysis
Feats: Cleave; Great Cleave; Improved Initiative; Power Attack
Skills: +18 on other planes), +20 following tracks on other planes, Intimidate +17, Knowledge (arcana) +17, Knowledge (history) +17, Knowledge (religion) +17, Knowledge +17 (the planes), Listen +16, Search +17, Sense Motive +16, Spot +16, and Survival +16 (+18 following tracks
Advancement: -
Climate/Terrain: Nine Hells of Baator
Organization: Solitary
Treasure/Possessions: None
Source:
Miniatures Handbook
This thick-bodied dragon sports five full heads, each a different color: white, black, green, blue, and red. Its body is subtly striped in those colors, slowly mixing to black along its long, spine-tipped tail.
An aspect of Tiamat eats what it can and kills what it can't.
An aspect of Tiamat speaks Common, Draconic, and Infernal.
Combat
An aspect of Tiamat commonly flies above foes, hits them with its breath weapon, and then descends into the midst of the foes to strike out in all directions.
Breath Weapon (Su): 40-ft. cone, once per day, 8d6 acid, cold, electricity or fire, Reflex DC 20 half. The save is Constitution-based.
About Aspects
All tremble when the deities and archfiends send manifestations of their personal power onto the battlefield.
While the gods usually send creatures from the Outer Planes to assist their clerics, sometimes a patron will send some small portion of its own power instead. These living embodiments of the gods' life force carry on crusades for good or evil.
An aspect looks like the archfiend or deity from which springs (known as the aspect's "original"). It is only a pale shadow of the original archfiend or deity. Still, a pale shadow of such mighty being is formidable indeed.
An aspect is the embodiment of a small portion of an archfiend's or deity's life force. The original's power is so great that this shred of life force is actually able to take shape as a living creature (or an undead creature, as in the case of aspect of Vecna).
Rarely, aspects arise spontaneously on the planes where the originals reside, rather like naturally occurring echoes of original's powerful presence. More often, aspects are called forth by magic of some kind. In any case, they are short-lived, usually fading back into nonexistence within a day. The life force manifested as the aspect returns to the original, dissipates, or lurks in the area, ready to manifest as an aspect again if the conditions are right.
While aspects are spiritual rather than biological in origin, they manifest as actual living (or undead) creatures. They have consciousness, intelligence, and will. They are notoriously single-minded and unwilling to communicate. They may help mortals, but only because they want to - not because they're asked.
Aspects are usually as big as giants, although they are sometimes scaled more like humans. It is very rare for them to be larger than large or smaller than Medium. In the case of archfiends, aspects are the same size as or smaller than the original. In the case of deities, an aspect appears in a size that reflects the deity's power. (Deities can alter their size at will, so one can't really compare an aspect to the original's "actual" size.)
If the original has a signature weapon or other possession, the aspect may have a similar weapon (albeit a much weaker version, just as the aspect is a weaker version of the original). Such a weapon or other item loses its magical properties when separated from its aspect.
Aspects disdain mortals. They do not bother commanding troops, even those that would follow them loyally and they aren't inclined to even listen to the orders of any but the best commanders. Still, they're known to find common cause with like- minded warbands and to fight alongside them.
Unlike avatars, aspects are not extensions of the original. The original can't see through the aspect's eyes and doesn't know what the aspect learns. Destroying an aspect sometimes weakens the original by dissipating the aspect's life force and preventing it from being reabsorbed into the original, but beyond that, hurting the aspect does not harm the original.
Calling Aspects
Characters can sometimes use the planar ally or planar binding spell to call an aspect. In the case of the more powerful aspects, greater planar ally or greater planar binding is necessary.
An aspect is a deity's or archfiend's power coalesced into a single point. Typically, this power can't coalesce into two nearby points. Thus, aspects of a specific original are almost always found alone. Sometimes spellcasters or creatures wielding powerful magic items can force two aspects of the same original into the same area. These aspects are likely to attack each other, even if they're good-aligned. The proximity of another aspect of the same deity apparently causes an aspect great distress.
Vile servants of archfiends and evil deities sometimes call forth aspects of their unholy masters to take part in unspeakable rituals. The less said about these rites, the better.