It is said that for every idea there is a star in the sky, and every star sings a song honoring that ideal. This is one of those songs. Although not all are malevolent, star songs adhere to their ideals with alien fervor and this makes them dangerous. Furthermore, they attempt to cause and thereby incorporate sounds that they feel strengthen their songs. This leads them to seek out like-minded beings with whom to work and strengthen in return for aid in increasing the song.
They are truly immortal beings, unless one skilled in the listening and recording of music puts its song down in some sort of physical form, binding them. Bards and some musically inclined spellcasters can utilize these written songs to perform rituals even if they normally could not. As such, it is not uncommon to occasionally meet a troupe of bards hunting down star songs to reap the power.
They look like multicolored glowing and pulsating bubbles that move and dance to the song that fills the air around them. This song is always present, though sometimes for stealth the star song can attempt to push it outside the hearing of mortals. Viewers often see a vague iconic theme to the bubbles, reminiscent of constellations, with flickering threads of power binding them for a moment here and there.
Star Song (Level 5 Triple-Strength Leader Demon)
Initiative: +9
Noise and Fury +9 vs. AC─45 damage thunder damage.
Natural 16+: Each nearby enemy takes 10 holy damage.
Miss: 20 thunder damage.
R: Dance to the Bloody End +10 vs. MD (1d2+1 nearby or far away enemies)—25 psychic damage.
Natural Even Hit: The enemy makes a basic attack on the nearest ally of theirs as a free action. This attack will not cause opportunity attacks by the star song’s allies.
Natural Even Miss: Each ally engaged with that target can pop free.
Limited use: 2/battle.
C: Ethereal Beauty +10 vs. MD (one nearby enemy, or one nearby enemy per point of esc. die if harmony of the heavens benefit is active)—15 psychic damage, and the target is weakened (save ends).
Dueling Melodies: When an enemy bard (or other who can use songs) sustains a song, the star song rolls to grant a benefit to both itself and its allies for that turn.
- All allies save at the start of their turn.
- Blood boils, granting +10 damage to all successful attacks.
- All allies that are conscious or alive heal 20 hit points.
- The star song and all its allies cause fear in anyone at 30 or less hp.
- All allies flicker like stars, able to teleport as their move action.
- All allies regain one use of any limited use abilities.
Harmony of the Heavens: When dueling melodies is not active, the music of the star song guides the motions of its allies, granting them and it double the Escalation Die in additional damage to ALL attacks, hit or miss, and adding its base value to their saving throws.
AC 21
PD 16 Â Â Â Â Â HP 205
MD 20
Nastier Specials
Song of Screams: Upon one of the star song’s allies being staggered or going to 0 hp (or below), the star song can use both harmony of the heavens and dueling melodies, activating the one currently unable to be used till the end of its next turn as it incorporates their death sounds into a secondary song.
Dance of the Celestial Twinkling: Once per round, the star song can interrupt a successful attack on them, switching places with an ally of choice as a teleport, who takes the damage and effects of the attack.
Icons
The High Magus is said to have a hidden library at his bardic college where he has collected recorded star songs. Yet, he has never been noticed using them, and reports say flickers of anger appear on his face when passing said library’s location.
The Soul Catcher has sent out groups of her people hunting these beings and has a reward offered, some say genuinely, to anyone who discovers a way to bring them to a final end.
The Euphony of Twilight is said to never use star songs in her plots, yet, on those occasions when she is sighted, is often seen with what is likely one nearby. This leads many to ask if she has some longer term plan in mind, or if it is an affectation of her romantic heart.
This is an intriguing monster! What kind of monsters do you suggest using as the star songs’ allies? Who would typically ally themselves with such alien beings?
Have you considered which Midgard icons might interact with star songs? Have you documented your campaign’s icons, so I can learn more about the three listed here?
Lovely! Though I wonder why it is classed as a Demon which will have special rules associated with it in 13th Age (specifically the extra demon abilities most demons get.) As for the Icons, they seem a pretty straight-forward renaming of 3 major icons associated with magic, temples, and demons respectively (though the last could be a gender swapped thief just as easily.)