Rajaat: Reskinning Cryonax

Dark Sun adventures need more epic level action, so as a grand finale to a high level epic campaign why not pit players against the Athasian end-game?: Rajaat.

He stood twice as tall as any giant, with a crown of lightning crackling around his head. A constant crash of thunder belched forth from his fang-toothed mouth, and whenever he exhaled, billowing blue fog shot from his gaping nostrils and dissolved in a torrent of rain. His entire body was swaddled in roiling clouds the color of turquoise, and great torrents of salty water poured from the claws at the end of his gangling arms. Even his shadow was part of the tempest, causing the water to chum and froth wherever it fell.

As luck would have it, when looking for just the right 4e monster/god to reskin, Dragon published Mike Shea’s article on the Elemental Prince Cryonax in issue 421. Reading through the powers had me harken back to Troy Denning’s “Cerulean Storm” and I realized that Cryonax was perfect as Rajaat. Below is the renaming of the traits and actions to make it feel more like Rajaat with the new name first and what the name was in the Cryonax entry. I made only a single change which was making the damage type of the first trait lightning rather than thunder, but either would fit with the Rajaat described in the novel.

Traits

Hailstorm (cold, lightning) = Shardstorm (cold, thunder)

Two streams of smoking hailstones hissed down from Rajaat’s eyes. With a deafening roar, the pellets crashed off the sorceress’s shield and bounced away. They dropped into the lake many yards away, sending steaming plumes of water high into the air.

Cold Absorption (healing) = Cold Absorption (healing)

But Rkard’s powers were the opposite of Rajaat’s. They were based in the element of fire, while the ancient sorcerer was closely allied with the element of water. If anything could destroy Rajaat, it would be Rkard’s magic.

Rockstem Footing = Elemental Footing

Behind Rajaat, the ground became porous and white wherever his shadow passed. A moment later, circles of brilliant color-scarlet, sapphire, saffron, emerald, and a dozen others-burst across the surface, rising from somewhere deep inside the stone. In the center of these vibrant circles sprouted round nubs, like the seedlings of some strange plant.

Epic Resilience = Epic Resilience

Rikus stepped away from the-submerged hedge and swung his axe at the ancient sorcerer’s wispy wrist. The steel passed through harmlessly, with no geysers of vapor or swirling fountains of cloud to suggest that Sadira’s magic was working.

Cloudskin = Frostbrittle

As Tithian watched, Rajaat raised an arm into the sky as though reaching for something. Far above, a turquoise cloud vanished from sight, then reappeared in his grasp. The ancient sorcerer began to work it with both hands, flattening it out like bread dough, then stretching it into a thin sheet. Once he seemed satisfied with its consistently, he stooped down and pressed it over his foot. The misty fabric stretched over his bones like flesh.

Threatening Reach = Threatening Reach

Sadira tried to dive away, but Rajaat’s fingers closed around her waist before she could submerge herself. The enormous hand felt wet and soft, yet as unyielding as her own dark flesh.

Standard Actions

Talon = Tentacle

The bowl was now filled with a bubbling, foul-smelling ichor as black as obsidian. In the center, the yellowed bones of a hand protruded above the pool. Its crooked digits looked more like talons than fingers, slightly curled and ending in barbed tips.

Shadow Shapes Him = Spit Black Frost

Still, the ancient sorcerer had clearly been expecting the sorcerer-kings-even looking forward to their arrival. Given that, it seemed strange that he had relied on only one spell to stop them, and that his last act before being captured had been to come after her…. That was when she noticed a black shadow swimming through the water behind Andropinis.

Rajaat’s Fury = Cryonax’s Fury

“Free!” he bellowed, his voice rumbling over the sanctum like thunder. Streamers of blue fog gushed from his mouth, condensing into tiny droplets and falling to the ground like rain. “Let the traitors tremble and wail! I have returned, and my retribution shall be bloody and painful!”

Breath of the Black = Breath of Chill Death

A huge fountain of black fluid was shooting from the Scourge’s broken blade and had already coated the Dragon’s head beneath a thick layer of ebony slime.

Blue Age Charge = Primordial Charge

Finally, Tithian spotted Rajaat’s looming form at the end of the avenue, a walking storm of cerulean clouds. Once again, a crown of lightning crackled around his head and gales of rain poured from his hands. As Tithian watched, the ancient sorcerer lifted a foot and kicked open the enormous gates. Rajaat ducked beneath the keystone and vanished from the king’s sight. The flood-waters rushed after him, pouring onto the plain beyond.