Archmage Vaelen The Ink-Bound

Vaelen was once a celebrated theorist of planar geometry, spending decades in obsessive study of the spaces between worlds, convinced that the barrier between dimensions was merely a puzzle awaiting the correct incantation. His obsession consumed him utterly—friendships withered, patrons withdrew funding, and his tower became a labyrinth of half-finished equations and failed experiments—until the night his calculations finally aligned and a shimmering rift tore open before him, revealing a realm of impossible clarity and strange solidity that he immediately recognized as the source reality underlying all others. His triumph lasted only moments before agony seized him as his corporeal form began harmonizing with this new dimension, his very lifeblood crystallizing into liquid midnight that flowed through his veins with sentient purpose. Now Vaelen exists in a nightmarish limbo, drawn perpetually back to the Real World by an hunger he cannot name, yet each crossing unmakes him further—his magic sputtering into uselessness the moment he crosses the threshold, his mind fragmenting into increasingly alien configurations, and leaving behind a trail of confused souls whose memories of him dissolve into folklore and impossible dreams. He continues his experiments with the desperation of the damned, seeking a stabilization that may not exist, haunted by the suspicion that the Real World itself is slowly digesting him, and that with each visit, he leaves less of himself behind to return.

Strength

10, modifier +0

Dexterity

14, modifier +2

Constitution

18, modifier +4

Intelligence

20, modifier +5

Wisdom

16, modifier +3

Charisma

15, modifier +2

Ink Blast

Ranged Spell Attack: +8 to hit, range 60 ft., 4d10 necrotic damage on hit.

Dimensional Rift

Create a portal to the Real World. Requires a DC 18 Intelligence check to stabilize.

Coughing Ink

Each turn in the Real World, take 1d6 necrotic damage and lose 1d4 Intelligence until returned.

Emergency Return

Instantly return to his home dimension, but lose 1d10 hit points upon arrival.

Mind Fracture

Target must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or suffer disadvantage on Intelligence checks for 1 minute.

Ink Transmutation

Vaelen's blood is ink; he is immune to poison and disease.

Cognitive Suppression

Anyone who interacts with him forgets him upon his departure.

strength

+0

dexterity

+2

constitution

+4

intelligence

+8

wisdom

+6

charisma

+5

Psychic