The bizarre product of a mimic consuming the spellbook of an archmage, the living mage tower is a mighty magical creature with a fearsome arsenal of spells. Taking the disguise of a magical tower, these mimics are extremely intelligent, much to the detriment of their favorite prey: humanoids. On the inside a living mage tower is a strange mix of magic, monster, and building. Its body parts are shielded by mighty spell wards while strange arcane phenomena prevent access to its upper levels. The mimic even speaks, pretending to be a mad wizard slinging spells from the tower’s loft and antagonizing arrogant adventurers with stinging insults to their intelligence.
LIVING MAGE TOWER
Titanic Monstrosity (shapechanger, 30 ft. by 30 ft. square, 200 ft. tall), neutral
Armor Class 21 (natural armor)
Hit Points Special
Speed Special
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 (+2) | 1 (-5) | 23 (+6) | 26 (+8) | 20 (+5) | 15 (+2) |
Saving Throws Con +12, Int +14, Wis +11
Skills Stealth +7, Arcana +14, Perception +11, Deception +14
Damage Resistances fire; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities acid
Condition Immunities paralyzed, prone, restrained, unconscious
Senses blindsight 5 ft., darkvision 300 ft., passive Perception 18
Languages Common
Challenge 19 (10,000 XP)
TRAITS
Magical Defenses. The area in and around the tower in a 500 ft. radius is protected by powerful defensive magic. Attempts by creatures other than the tower to magically teleport automatically fail, and creatures cannot fly with the aid of magic. Additionally, the tower takes half damage from everything outside of the tower (in addition to its damage resistances and immunities).
Shapechanger. When the tower finishes a long rest, it can assume the form of a magical tower that is appropriate for its size. In this state it is indistinguishable from an “ordinary” magical tower. To facilitate this disguise, the tower creates libraries, chemistry labs, and other features typically found within a mage’s tower. The tower must always be in the shape of a magical tower appropriate for its size and cannot be forced to revert to its “true” form by any means.
Spellcasting. The tower is a 20th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 22, +14 to hit with spell attacks. The tower has the following spells prepared, requiring no verbal, somatic, or material components.
- Cantrips (at will): eldritch blast, firebolt, mage hand
- 1st level (6 slots): alarm, find familiar, magic missile
- 2nd level (5 slots): darkness, hold person, magic aura, phantasmal force
- 3rd level (5 slots): counterspell, dispel magic, fireball, glyph of warding
- 4th level (4 slots): hallucinatory terrain, polymorph, wall of fire
- 5th level (4 slots): animate objects, cloudkill, telekinesis
- 6th level (3 slots): chain lightning, guards and wards, mass suggestion
- 7th level (3 slots): firestorm, forcecage, symbol, teleport
- 8th level (2 slots): control weather, freeblemind, maze
- 9th level (2 slots): meteor swarm, prismatic wall
Sturdy Architecture. The tower is both a creature and a structure.
Subtle Presence. The tower has a passive Deception of 24 to conceal its true nature. When the tower takes actions or acts in a manner that may betray its nature, a creature not aware of the tower's nature that can detect this action must succeed on a DC 24 Wisdom (Insight) ability check, or attribute the effect to something that is not the tower's true nature (such as a trap, magical effect, or other source).
Titanic Creature. The tower is a titanic creature which is so large that combat involves dividing its body into various sections, each of which has a fixed initiative count on which it acts (losing initiative ties), detailed in its description. Each section is considered a unique creature for purposes of targeting (in case an effect or attack would include multiple targets), and effects that include an area may affect multiple sections of the tower if the area is large enough. Each section has its own hit points and actions but shares the tower’s other statistics (such as damage resistances, saving throws, etc.). When a section is reduced to 0 hit points, it becomes incapacitated until it regains hit points or the tower is slain, which causes the section to die along with the tower. If a section has a speed, the tower can move up to that section’s speed during the section’s turn. Creatures can enter and occupy the same space as the tower, and the tower cannot make opportunity attacks. Additionally, attempts to forcibly move, banish, or magically teleport the tower or any of its parts automatically fails.
LIVING MAGE TOWER - ATRIUM
Hit Points 247 (15d20+90)
Initiative 20
Speed 5 ft., climb 5 ft.
TRAITS
Mystic Seal. The atrium of the tower conceals the entrance to the Winding Staircase section behind a magical seal that prevents any physical passage. Once the atrium has been reduced to zero hit points, the seal dissipates for 24 hours.
No Way In/Out. Creatures and objects other than the tower’s appendages cannot enter the Atrium’s space unless they pass through a hole in its structure. Anything within the Atrium’s space has total cover against everything outside the space.
Position. The atrium is positioned at the bottom of the tower. The section is a cube with a 30 ft. square base that is 15 ft. tall.
ACTIONS
Multicantrip. The atrium casts two cantrips.
Arcane Maw. Melee Spell Attack: +14 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (2d12+8) force damage. If the target is a creature, it can expend a spell slot of 6th level or lower to deal an additional 6 (1d12) force damage per level of the spell slot expended.
Cast a spell. The atrium casts a spell of 3rd level or lower.
Focus Energy. The Atrium’s turn ends, and another section immediately takes a turn.
LIVING MAGE TOWER - WINDING STAIRCASE
Hit Points 165 (17d20+60)
Initiative 15
TRAITS
Infinite Staircase. A creature that ascends to the top of the Winding Staircase section magically appears at the bottom of the staircase. This effect ends for 24 hours if no creatures in the staircase spend any movement for an entire round.
No Way In/Out. Creatures and objects other than the tower’s appendages cannot enter the staircases’ space unless they pass through a hole in its structure. Anything within the staircases’ space has total cover against everything outside the space.
Position. The staircase is 15 ft. above the space the tower occupies. The section is a 30 ft. square that is 165 ft. tall.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The Staircase casts two cantrips or makes two tapestry tendril attacks.
Cast a spell. The Staircase casts a spell of 6th level or lower.
Focus Energy. The Staircases’ turn ends, and another section immediately takes a turn.
Tapestry Tendril. Melee Spell Attack: +14 to hit, reach 165 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (3d8 + 8) slashing damage and the target is pulled 50 ft. up toward the top of the staircase.
LIVING MAGE TOWER - CORE
Hit Points 279 (18d20+108)
Initiative 10
TRAITS
Bastion of the Mind. Effects that would attempt to influence the tower’s mind (such as psychic damage, the stunned and unconscious conditions, or effects that force an Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma saving throw) can only affect this section (all other sections are immune). If this section is blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, incapacitated, stunned, or unconscious, all the other sections are as well.
No Way In/Out. Creatures and objects other than the tower’s appendages cannot enter the Core’s space unless they pass through a hole in its structure. Anything within the Core’s space has total cover against everything outside the space.
Position. The Core section is a 30 ft. square that is 20 ft. high. The core of the tower is at least 180 ft. above the space the tower occupies.
Vulnerability. When this section is reduced to zero hit points, the tower is slain. Additionally, this section takes double damage from all sources inside of its space.
ACTIONS
Multicantrip. The core casts three cantrips.
Cast a spell. The core casts a spell of 9th level or lower.
Focus Energy. The core’s turn ends, and another section immediately takes a turn.
Recover Magic (Recharge 5-6). The core recovers expended spell slots of combined level less than or equal to nine.
Ref: TPKB1 p62, 63
