Planar Bestiary
Always watching, continually telepathically muttering, nexus foretellers take great interest in imminent events, especially those that will end in the death of one or more participants. No one knows their origin for certain, but some people guess that they were fashioned and sent out by various gods of destiny to make certain that deaths decreed by fate occur as ordained.
A nexus foreteller appears immediately before one or more intelligent humanoids "significant to the timeline" face their end, popping into existence from a previously visited death scene on another plane. They attempt to appear at least several minutes if not several hours or even days ahead of time, then depart within a minute of their subject's death, defending themself only if first attacked. Though they are obviously constructed beings, a foreteller's central eye seems almost alive as it blinks, squints, and opens wide as they silently watch, never speaking in more than a confused mutter.
Some people believe that if they destroy a nexus foreteller before the death event the construct has come to watch occurs, that death event will never happen.
A nexus foreteller doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep.
Motive: Observe deaths (or close calls) of important individuals fated (or historically recorded) to die, defense
Environment: Almost anywhere
Health: 25
Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound (4 points)
Armor: 4 (including Intellect damage)
Movement: Short when flying
Modifications: Speed defense as level 5 due to large size; perceives and resists mental influence as level 8
Combat: If threatened, a nexus foreteller launches a psychic assault at a target within long range, visible as a sparkling ray of energy. A target that fails an Intellect defense task takes 4 points of Intellect damage (ignores Armor) each round for one minute, or until they succeed on an Intellect task as their action. Each time the nexus foreteller hits an already-afflicted victim with this attack again, the damage dealt by the ongoing psychic ringing increases by 1 additional point of Intellect damage (ignores Armor) and the effect extends for another minute, or until the victim succeeds on an Intellect task. Magical healing in any amount ends the episode, as does the use of a recovery roll by the victim.
Interaction: Though they are telepathic, it's impossible to make sense of the nexus foreteller's telepathic muttering. However, if questioned, the nexus foreteller's telepathic murmuring increases in intensity for a moment, and the eye squints and blinks at whoever addressed them. Nothing of any real sense seems to be conveyed. However, if the character who was addressed by the foreteller spends a couple of rounds thinking about the message and they succeed on a level 2 Intellect task, they gain a fragmentary glimpse of the deadly event that will overtake them or their ally at some point within the next few days. Probably not enough information to prevent it, but maybe enough to take some preparations. Once during the period leading up to or during the death event, the character can add a d20 roll to the result of any roll they make. A foreteller only provides one warning per event.
Use: As omens go, the appearance of a nexus foreteller is especially dire, assuming those being watched know or can find out anything about the lore of these rare entities.
GM Intrusion: The death event that the foreteller has come to watch kicks off, be it an attack by assassins seeking revenge, the appearance of a horrific monster, a plague, or something else.