Vestige

Vestiges are weird super-ghost things from the later fluff of Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition. Specifically, these are the metaphysical entities that the Binder class calls up and allows to timeshare their body in exchange for various magical powers. Post 3.5, they show up mainly as a Warlock pact.

List of Tome of Magic Vestiges

This was the big array of vestiges that appeared in the 3e Tome of Magic. Tend to be either game mythology shout-outs, or references to the demons from the real-world "demonology textbook", the Ars Goetia.

Acererak the Devourer

The Demi-Lich Acererak who created the Tomb of Horrors. You need at least 5 levels in Binder to summon him, and he requires you place a gemstone the size of a human tooth or eye in his seal before he'll appear. He manifests as a yellowed skull with gems for eyes and teeth (including the summoning gem, which is left behind when he leaves), his sign is that one of your teeth turns into a gem (but it reverts to normal if you rip it out), and he influences you to seize power and influence when presented with a chance to do so. A Binder hosting Acererak has Detect Undead, Speak with Dead and Hide From Undead as at-will spell-like abilities, is immune to cold and electricity, gains a Paralyzing Touch, and is healed by negative energy.

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  seal was taken from 40th demon, Raum, of the Ars Goetia

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Agares, Truth Betrayed

A former Earth Elemental general who was betrayed by his own emperor and lieutenants under false pretexts.You need at least 4 levels in Binder to summon him, and he demands that his seal be drawn upon earth or unworked stone; he won't appear otherwise. When he deigns to answer, a huge brown crocodile's head erupts from the seal, and then a hawk with eyes in its chest forces its way out of the croc's mouth, standing on its tongue and speaking to the Binder. Those bearing Agares' sign have a racking cough that causes them to spray dust and small stones from their mouth, making casting spells with verbal components impossible. His influence makes a Binder incapable of lying. He grants better ability to hurt land-based foes, increased defense against airborne foes, the ability to knock people prone by stamping on the ground, the ability to read, write and speak all languages, immunity to fear, and the ability to summon an earth elemental ally. Based upon the 2nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

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Amon, The Void Before The Altar

A once-goodly god of light and law, ages of existence as a Vestige have reduced him to a wrath-fuelled spirit. Manifesting as a firebreathing fang-toothed ram-headed black wolf with a snake for a tail, Amon despises the vestiges Chupoclops, Eurynome, Karsus, and Leraje and so he won't show up if you've summoned any of them in the last 24 hours; the feeling is mutual and they will similarly refuse to show up if you've summoned him in the last day. He's one of the weakest vestiges, needing only 1 level in Binder to summon. Binders hosting Amon sport ram's horns, are surly, irritable and compelled to oppose the actions of deities of fire, sun or law, and have darkvision, firebreath and headbutt attacks. Based upon the 7th demon of the Ars Goetia. Heavily implied to be the vestige of Amaunator, Netherese god of sun, law, and time, from the Forgotten Realms.

Amon's associated monster is the Horned Beast, believed to be the corrupted forms of the golden rams that served him when he was still good and alive.

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Andras, The Gray Knight

An Elf who served for centuries as first a paladin and then a blackguard before giving up on both sides in disgust. Only a 4th level or higher Binder is strong enough to call Andras, who manifests as a near-naked elf with an owl's head riding a giant wolf and carrying a greatsword. A Binder hosting Andras sprouts two small, vestigial owl's wings from their back, and if they succumb to his influence, they become so emotionally listless that they'll get bored and wander off from a fight if it lasts longer than 10 rounds. He grants his Binder proficiency with greatsword/lance/rapier/longsword, the ability to summon a heavy warhorse, added skill in riding, the ability to Smite Good and Evil, a free Improved Critical bonus, and the ability to force opponents to attack their allies. Based upon the 63rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

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Andromalius, The Repentant Rogue

A chosen of the god of thieves, Olidammara, who renounced his faith on his deathbed, hoping to play the ultimate trick and steal his own soul away from his god. It worked too well; his god approved, once he realised the joke, but he couldn't take Andromalius back without wrecking the joke. So he made him a vestige instead. Answering only Binders of 3rd level or higher, he requires you to sacrifice any two of twenty-four different items as part of summoning him; a belt purse, a silver key, a gold ring, a pair of dice, a copper coin, a dagger, an apple, an arm bone, a scroll, a comb, a whistle, a fish hook, a mirror, an egg, a potion, a dead spider, an oak leaf, a human skull, a lock, a closed black book, a bell, a dove, a set of lock picks, and a mouse. When he manifests, he appears as a human man whose arms split into twelve forearms at each elbow, juggling the Binder's sacrifices and whatever the other 22 trinkets they didn't provide. The Binder gains an extra digit on each appendage for Andromalius, who influences his host to make mischief but shun thieving. He makes it easier for his host to appraise items and to see through disguises, lets them cast Hideous Laughter as an at-will spell-like ability, locate items at will, and Sneak Attack like a Rogue. Based upon the 72nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

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Aym, Queen Avarice

A corrupt dwarven queen who destroyed her own kingdom through her insatiable hunger for wealth; upon her death she cursed Moradin for failing to come to her aid, and he in turn cursed her for her greed. Appearing to even 1st level Binders, she manifests as a powerfully muscled female dwarf in the finery of an empress with two tentacles like giant worms for legs and two extra heads (a bull's and a lion's), wielding a star-shaped branding iron. She places a brand upon her host's left hand or forehead upon concluding a pact, and a Binder who succumbs to her influence is both stingy and greedy and compelled to offer money to any dwarf whose name he or she learns. She grants dwarf-like carrying abilities, proficiency with medium armor, resistance to fire, the ability to enwreath one's own body in flame and burn everything one touches, and an enhanced knack for breaking physical objects. Based upon the 23rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

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Balam, The Bitter Angel

The despondent spirit of a slain angel who was set an impossible task - purportedly ending the practice of humanoid sacrifice - that failed and claimed her life. Appearing only to a 5th level or higher Binder, she requires 1 hitpoint worth of blood from the binder or a victim with 3+ Int to be placed upon her seal before she manifests. She appears in the form of a huge purple snake, with the upper halves of three horned humanoid heads fitting together in a triangle to make up her head. A Binder hosting Balam develops a hollow yet guttural voice and a vocal distrust of clerics, paladins and gods. She grants minor prophetic powers and a gaze attack that freezes victims. Based upon the 51st demon of the Ars Goetia.

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Buer, Grandmother Huntress

A mysterious huntress' spirit. She only appears to a binder who is 6th level or higher and who is willing to draw her seal outdoors. She manifests as five satyr legs fused together at the thighs to form a star-shape, with a face on either side of this central "body"; a kindly green hag's face on one side, and a lion on the other. While both she and the Roving Mauler are clearly based upon the 10th demon of the Ars Goetia, any in-universe basis for the resemblance is a mystery.

After manifesting, she trundles around and around her seal, lion face outwards and speaking from her hag-face. This causes her to switch from gentle, friendly conversation to furious profanities at her body when this movement makes her unable to see her binder. Her mark is that she gives her binder the legs of a satyr, and those who succumb to her influence find themselves averse to harming natural creatures, unable to deal coup de grace attacks, and prone to momentary memory lapses. To her binder, she bestows the gift of enhanced knowledge of survival and medicine, expert tracking skills, immunity to all natural poisons and diseases, rapid healing, and the ability to cure injury, poison and disease in others.

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Chupoclops, Harbinger of Forever

A monstrous spider-creature that lurked in the Ethereal Plane, feeding on ghosts and spawning nightmares. Legend has it that it was destined to devour hope and destroy the multiverse, but it was slain by an alliance of four villains and three heroes, living and ghost alike, who sacrificed their lives to destroy it. It takes the form of a phase spider so massive that only part of it can be seen through its seal at any given time- its head is oddly tusked, with eight all too human eyes. Summoning Chupoclops requires its seal to either be drawn on grave dirt or have the remains of a sentient creature placed upon it. Binders with Chupoclops's sign grow large tusks from their jaws, and its influence pushes Binders to grow hopeless and despondent; additionally, they must voluntarily fail all saving rolls against fear effects or morale penalties. It grants its Binders a poisonous bite, the ability to linger in the Ethereal Plane, sensing the living and dead, and the power to inspire despair in others.

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  seal was taken from 66th demon, Kimaris/Cimeies, of the Ars Goetia

Dahlver-Nar, The Tortured One

A human who is believed to have pioneered the art of binding, most known for his obsession with teeth. Seriously, he manifests as a human man with gums instead of skin and teeth everywhere, even for fucking eyes, but he has no teeth in his mouth and communicates only through moaning. His sign is that several teeth grow out of the Binder's scalp, and he influences his binder to rapidly shift between intense focus and distraction. He is bored by anything that requires prolonged focus, preventing his binder from taking any action requiring more than one round of concentration. He grants his binder natural armor, protection against madness, a moan that dazes anyone that hears it, and the ability to redirect half of the damage you take from any source to someone else.

The strange artifacts known as the Teeth of Dahlver-Nar are named after him. It is unknown how these teeth were created but one theory is that every time a new vestige is created, a new Tooth of Dahlver-Nar associated with that vestige is created. Each tooth gives a person who implants themselves with it an ability similar to what the associated vestige grants. Dahlver-Nar collected many of them but they have been scattered across the world since his death. Binders are very interested in gathering them up again, even though this is probably a very bad idea.

His associated monster is the Tooth Beast, a monster that resembles a bear whose hair, nails, and eyes have been replaced with teeth. Tooth beasts possibly were born from people who implanted themselves with too many of the Teeth of Dahlver-Nar at once, similar to what happened to Dahlver-Nar.

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  seal was taken from 33th demon, Gaap, of the Ars Goetia

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Dantalion, The Star Emperor

A gestalt consciousness born from the ancestral spirits of a now-lost royal line. Based upon the 71st demon of the Ars Goetia.

Dantalion has an entire Prestige Class, the Scion of Dantalion, dedicated to it.

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Eligor, Dragon Slayer

A half-elf dragon slayer of such proficiency that Tiamat demanded his soul be given to her after his death, threatening to set her dragons on the mortal races and forcing the gods to surrender him. She then raised him as a dragon-revering blackguard and used him as her own mightiest champion; after he got killed again, nobody wanted to touch his soul and so he became a vestige. He appears as an armored knight with a banner and lance, riding upon a half-horse, half-dragon monster that changes colors between the five colors of chromatic dragons. His sign causes one of the Binder's hands to develop thick scales the same color as Eligor's steed when it was summoned, and his influence compels the Binder to befriend any outcasts he/she meets, especially half-elves and half-orcs. Furthermore, Eligor seeks revenge against the deities that abandoned him and so will force the Binder to attack human, elf, and dragon foes before all others when in combat. His power grants a touch attack emulating that of a chromatic dragon's breath weapon, improved strength and natural armor, heavy armor proficiency, and unmatched horseback riding skills. Based on the 15th demon of the Ars Goetia.

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Eurynome, Mother of the Material

A titan who created the physical world by separating the sky and sea before being slain by the gods for daring to steal into the world as yet unformed, with her body becoming the land and her blood giving rise to all animals.

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  seal was taken from 62nd demon, Volac/Valak/Valac, of the Ars Goetia

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Focalor, Prince of Tears

An outsider, either a demon or an angel, who actually died of sheer grief. Based upon the 41st demon of the Ars Goetia.

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Geryon, The Deposed Lord

The Archdevil who was once Lord of Stygia, whose loyalty to Asmodeus during the Reckoning was repaid with the loss of first his title and then his existence. Asmodeus is a real jerk. He can only be summoned by binders with 5 ranks in Knowledge (Religion) or Knowledge (The Planes), and manifests as three ogre mages with their backs to each other that are merged into one being with three arms, three legs, and one head with three faces. His sign is the appearance of two additional sets of eyes on the Binder's head with green lids and catlike irises, and his influence makes the binder trusting of his allies even when they clearly plan to betray him. Furthermore, he considers the use of any ability that can read thoughts or detect lies to be an act of rebelling against his influence and will penalize his binder accordingly. Geryon's power grants the binder his baleful gaze and perfect vision, as well as the ability to fly.

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  seal was taken from 56th demon, Gremory/Gamori, of the Ars Goetia

Haagenti, Mother of Minotaurs

A former hill giant sorceress who tricked Thrym, god of frost giants, into screwing her by using magic to appear beautiful. When Thrym sought her out, and beheld both her true ugly form and the monstrous twin sons she had born him, he turned them into the first minotaurs and spread the creedo of distrusting all beauty to the frost giants. In her shame, Haagenti was unable to rest in any of the planes after her death. Based upon the 48th demon of the Ars Goetia.

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Halphax, The Angel in the Angle

A gnomish master engineer who created an inescapable prison-city at the behest of hobgoblin conquerors to try and save his wife's life, ultimately costing the lives of thousands of his fellows. based and alternate spelling of 36th demon, Halphas, of the Ars Goetia

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Haures, the Dreaming Duke

A rakshasa turned ghost who become so obsessed with dreams and illusions that he lost all ability to distinguish reality and unreality apart, fading entirely from existence. His sign is that his Binder's palms are where the backs of their hands should be (like that of a rakshasa), and his influence makes his binder talk out loud to himself and imaginary figures; additionally, he demands that if the Binder encounters and disbelieves an illusion not of his own making, he cannot voluntarily enter its area. In return, he protects the binder from mind reading, allows them to move like a ghost, and create illusions so convincing they can kill. He appears as a ghostly tiger that changes first into a middle-aged man, then a zombie, then a skeletal tiger in a crown and purple robe, then back into a ghostly tiger again. Based upon the 64th demon of the Ars Goetia.

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Ipos, Prince of Fools

The mystic scholar who codified the modern forms of binding, who was so obsessed with studying Vestiges that he became one himself. Based upon the 22nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

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Karsus, Hubris in the Blood

Another Vestige based on an existing D&D character. Karsus was a human spellcaster who attempted to steal the power of Mystryl, the god of arcane magic, only to be consumed from within by the uncontrollable powers he had stolen. Binders who wish to summon him must have at least 5 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) or Spellcraft, and he will not answer a summons if his seal is in the area of an active spell. When he manifests, he takes the form of a bleeding red boulder akin to his petrified heart in the Forgotten Realms, and speaks in fountains of blood. His sign makes Binders bleed far more profusely from their injuries, though this is merely cosmetic and makes wounds look a lot worse than they are. Binders who fall under Karsus' influence find that they are overcome by his legendary arrogance, and are incapable of relating to others via Diplomacy checks and instead are required to either use lies or intimidation to get what they want. Binders who make a pact with Karsus become more naturally adept with magical items and auras; they can use magical items as if they were wizards and further increase the save DCs for every magic item that they use. They also can sense magic as if they were under a constant Detect Magic effect. Their strongest ability is probably the fact that they can Dispel Magic with a simple touch and can negate spells cast on creatures or items, or even temporarily suppress permanent effects.

Occasionally, humans who are descended from Karsus will give birth to a Karsite, a subspecies of human who always have one blue eye, one brown eye, and a streak of white hair. Karsites are cursed with an inability to cast spells, but have resistance to magic, spells that fail to beat their magic resistance heal them, and they can temporarily disable magic items with their melee attacks.

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  seal was taken from 46th demon, Bifrons, of the Ars Goetia

Leraje, The Green Herald

A former herald of the god of elves, before her hubris led her to challenge her own god to a test of archery skills, in which she unthinkingly sacrificed her own life to prove her superiority to him. Based upon the 14th demon of the Ars Goetia.

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Malphas, The Turnfeather

An elven prince who betrayed his people, murdering his own family to try and steal the throne, only to die of heartbreak when the woman he had been doing it for revealed herself as a drow who had deceived him. Based upon the 39th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Malphas's accociated monster is the Murder of Crows. His influence causes birds to form into aggressive swarms and he may be the reason why a group of ravens is called an "unkindness."

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Marchosias, King of Killers

An expert assassin who specialised in killing other professional killers. When he died and went to the Nine Hells, hundreds of other thugs, slaughterers, executioners, and assassins banded together in a great diabolic prison riot, in which they captured Marchosias and tore his soul to pieces. Based upon the 35th demon of the Ars Goetia.

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Naberius, The Grinning Hound

A mysterious canine-like vestige whose origin is shrouded in mystery. He manifests only for a binder with a minimum of 4 ranks in Bluff or any Knowledge or Profession skill. Though he appears as a three-headed hound with a hoarse voice devouring a black crane, he comes off as strangely amiable and eloquent. His sign makes his binder's voice gravelly and growling, and he influences the binder to seize any opportunity to speak presented to them and compels them to shout down or mock those who might take control of the discourse away from the binder. His binders become able to disguise themselves as anybody, quickly regain lost ability points, make skill checks with skills they don't have training in, and can talk their way out of any danger. Based upon the 24th demon of the Ars Goetia. Of note, he gives you the ability to take 10 on diplomacy checks and makes them only a standard action, so good choicer for a Diplomancer

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Orthos, Sovereign of the Howling Dark

An entity generally believed to be the first vestige, so impossibly old that nobody knows who or what it used to be. It can only be summoned if its seal is drawn in a brightly illuminated area, and it manifests as a breeze that rapidly intensifies into a chilling wind surrounding a black speck. The speck soon opens as the wind howls ever louder and then suddenly stops, heralding the invisible, unheard, but still palpable presence of Orthos itself. Its Binder feels as if they are being buffeted by a breeze only they can feel, even indoors, and under its influence the Binder becomes panicky and short of breath around darkened areas and loud noises. Orthos also demands that its binders carry an active light source at least as bright as a candle (which cannot be darkened for more than 1 round) at all times and not speak more loudly than a whisper. In exchange, Orthos grants its binder blindsight, the ability to fool the sight of others, and turn his/her breath into wind that can either carry a message far away or tear a victim's flesh from the bone.

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  seal was taken from 54th demon, Murmur, of the Ars Goetia

Otiax, The Key to the Gate

A mysterious entity connected to the Far Realm that may or may not be Yog-sothoth, though since it cannot speak the truth of the matter is a mystery. It manifests as a locked golden gate that creaks open after something tries to force its way through, releasing a strange blue mist. Its binders are surrounded by wisps of blue fog even in heavy winds, and they are influenced to grow agitated around unopened doors and gates. Otiax also cannot tolerate secured locks, and so if its binder sees a key, they must use it to open its corresponding lock. Otiax allows its binders to open almost any lock or object, hide themselves in mist, or lash out at foes with a blast of air. Based upon the 59th demon of the Ars Goetia

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Paimon, The Dancer

An expert dancer, duelist and seducer who was captured by a jealous rival and had his limbs cut off and swordblades grafted to the stumps. Based upon the 9th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Paimon is worshiped by strange monsters called Deadly Dancers, which are aberrations resembling humanoids with bony blades in place of arms and legs. They possibly are descended from a binder who bound themselves too strongly to Paimon and became warped.

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Ronove, The Iron Maiden

A pioneer of the martial arts, Ronove had herself sealed inside an iron coffin to prove her skills, but spent so long that eventually her students forgot she even existed. Based upon the 27th demon of the Ars Goetia.

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Savnok, The Instigator

A former servant of Hextor and Heironeous who stole their mother's divine armor, initially on their behalf, but after doing so he couldn't bear to give it up. Hextor slew Savnok by stealing his mother's bow and arrows and bleeding him to death with dozens of shots, after which the brothers hid Savnok's soul where no god could find it and returned the armor, bow and arrows to their rightful place, covering up the crime. (This happened before they became enemies.) Based upon the 43rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

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Shax, Sea Sister

The former goddess-queen of the storm giants. Based upon the 44th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Shax's associated monster is the Deathshead, an undead created from the severed head of a drowned giant that walks around upside-down using its hair as tentacles. The first Deathshead was likely created by a necromancer who was also a binder. Deathsheads are extremely useful because they possess vast knowledge, probably because of their connection with Shax.

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Tenebrous, The Shadow That Was

The shadowy undead form that Orcus adopted after being slain; even after Orcus was resurrected as a demon prince again, the remnant of divinity he possessed as Tenebrous remained intact and eventually reformed itself into a Vestige- a shadow of a shadow, so to speak. Its seal must be drawn at night or in an area with little to no daylight exposure to summon it. Tenebrous manifests as an inky, impossibly gaunt humanoid form whose voice is both near impossible to hear and laden with unmistakeable meaning. Its binders look as if they are standing in shadow regardless of how bright it is, and their own shadows never seem to extend more than a few feet away. Tenebrous' influence takes the form of a sense of detachment, loss, and abandonment, and it requires that its binder never be the first to act in combat. It grants its binder the power to see in any darkness, shroud places in shadow, turn/rebuke undead, and chill foes with a touch.

Tenebrous has an entire Prestige Class dedicated to him, the Tenebrous Apostate.

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  seal was taken from 45th demon, Vine/Vinea, of the Ars Goetia

Zagan, Duke of Disappointment

A yuan-ti who was murdered whilst on the very precipice of ascending to divinity. Based upon the 61st demon of the Ars Goetia.

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List of Other Source Vestiges

Though Tome of Magic in general got little support after its lackluster release, the binder got the most of it. From online web-enhancements to Dragon Magazine and Dungeon Magazine, a bundle of new vestiges slipped into the world before the announcement of 4th edition.

Abysm, The Schismed

A psionic mythal that once protected a secret city of psions; when the psions all died in an unknown disaster, their souls were trapped in the Mythal by their own psicrystals, turning it into a half-insane hivemind of a Vestige. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website,Three Psionic Vestiges.

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Ahazu the Seizer

The demon prince who once controlled the Wells of Darkness before he was entrapped in his own prison. Needless to say, this makes him very hard to bind unless you take the feat that lets you forfeit special requirements; in addition to needing you to be at least a 3rd level binder, you have to draw his seal on the surface of one of the Pools of Darkness, which lie at the bottoms of the Wells of Darkness on the 73rd layer of the Abyss. Ahazu manifests as a sphere of darkness that slowly reveals the form of a giant hybrid of bodak and shadow demon. Whilst hosting Ahazu, your skin becomes cold to the touch and your mouth fills with absolute darkness, which sometimes spills forth as a small cloud from your open lips. If you succumb to Ahazu's influence, you become avaricious in the extreme; as well as constantly stealing small valuables whenever you have the chance, you are compelled to imprison your enemies rather than kill them, and if one of your prisoners escapes, you suffer a blinding rage. For powers, you gain Ahazu's Abduction (render 1 creature unable to take any action for a round at will), Ahazu's Touch (cast Unholy Blight as a touch attack once per five rounds), Blindsight, and Void Mind (you can withdraw your mind to a mystical void, rendering you immune to mind- and soul-affecting powers, but if you die in this state, nothing can resurrect you). Appears in Dragon Magazine #357 and Dungeon Magazine #148.

Ansitif the Befouler

An ancient demon prince with an urge to defeat the gods and all their servants. Needless to say, as well as demanding great power from his binders (minimum level to summon him: 7), he requires you scribe his seal with the broken remnants of a holy symbol, one that must belong to a true deity. When conjured, the symbol you used erupts into flame, with cascading sparks scorching any relics, holy symbols or other signs of worship in the immediate vicinity, before sending up cloying smoke, with a disembodied mouth of sparks forming in the center of the cloud. Obviously, his Sign is that your skin and hair look scorched and his influence compels you to destroy or steal relics dedicated to true gods. For powers, he gives you the ability to cast Blasphemy 3/day, spell resistance against divine magic, immunity to fire, and the benefits of the Thrall to Demon feat. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

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Arete the First Elan

The psion who created the Elan race. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye web articles from WotC's old website, Three Psionic Vestiges

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Ashardalon, Pyre of the Unborn

A red dragon of such balls-out nastiness that he bound a balor into his body to replace his heart when he got it skewered - when that wasn't enough to keep him alive, he sought out the Bastion of Unborn Souls and began munching on the preborn souls of all life across the multiverse. When he got killed for this, he lingered as a vestige. Can be found in the splatbook Dragon Magic.

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  seal was taken from 34th demon, Furfur, of the Ars Goetia

Astaroth-Diabolus

The vestige of a demon prince with a real hatred for devils, having infiltrated their ranks as Diabolus and risen to the rank of Treasurer of Hell before he was outed, slain and had his name stolen by Gargauth. Only appearing to 4th level binders who scribe his sigil on stone that has recently been burned and then doused with cold water, Astaroth appears as a handsome humanoid with a serpentine tongue and multiple pairs of wings - draconic and feathered - being consumed by hellfire. Those binding Astaroth smell of brimstone and have clouded eyes, whilst those who succumb to his influence become morose and fatalistic, but compelled to attack devils above all other foes. He grants the powers of Blackfire (all fire powers do half-fire and half-vile damage, plus can cast fireball 3/day), Divination as a spell-like ability, Serpentine Tongue (bonus to Bluff and Disguise checks that is even higher against evil outsiders) and Silvered Touch (any natural attack or attack with a metal weapon counts as silvered for piercing damage reduction). Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

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  Not pictured: the reason why they re-used a name from the Ars Goetia. Seriously, there are dozens!

Astaroth the Unjustly Fallen

A fallen angel who claims to have been cast down from Celestia for giving civilization to mortals and was slain by the mortals he sought to rule over. Binders hosting Astaroth have yellowed skin and a persistent foul odor around them, and are influenced to avoid taking responsibility for their actions. They have bardic knowledge, a breath weapon in the form of vile-smelling gas, a competence bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Craft checks, a temporary item creation feat, and the ability to use the Suggestion spell every 5 rounds. His seal and powers match the demon of the same name in the Ars Goetia, who is listed 29th and ranked up there with Beelzebub and Lucifer as one of the three rulers of Hell.

Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, Urban Magic.

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Cabiri the Watching Master

A many-eyed obyrith seer who has been imprisoned in the Wells of Darkness. Only answering the call of binders of 4th level or higher, Cabiri demands his seals be drawn in blood and outside, and will only respond if the summoning is done at night or during a solar abyss. When manifesting, a celestial body in the sky becomes a giant staring eye before the seal turns into a puddle of blood, which then becomes a ring of tiny eyes around a mouth. Those bound to Cabiri sport an extra eye in their forehead and those who succumb to his influence are compelled to watch; they can better resist figments but are more vulnerable to patterns, and can't close their eyes to ward off gaze attacks. When Cabiri is bound, the binder can cast Arcane Eye a will, has increased aptitude with scrying spells, gains (enhanced) darkvision and lowlight vision, and can cast Phantasmal Killer 3/day. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

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Desharus the Sprawling Soul

The pseudo-fey spirit of the very first city, Desha. Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement,Urban Magic.

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  How are you supposed to draw this?

Kas the Bloody Handed

The spirit of the treacherous former servant of Vecna, the vampire who maimed the God of Secrets. Manifesting as his sword with Vecna's hand and eye on the tip, those binding Kas have extra eyes appear on their palms, which weep blood for 10 rounds after any of Kas' powers are used. His influence causes the binder to act warm and affectionate, but they will invariably betray someone during the first hour of binding him, and they are compelled to destroy Vecna's followers and the undead. They can inflict permanent blindness with a critical hit, ignore the usual immunity to critical hits ability of the undead, gain a bonus to Bluff checks, have a 25% chance to nullify critical hits made against them, ignore the damage reduction abilities of the undead, and gain proficiency with the bastard sword, longsword and shortsword. Only a 4th level or higher binder can summon Kas. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

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  seal was taken from 30th demon, Forneus, of the Ars Goetia

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Primus, The One And The Prime

The ghost of the model of Primus that was slain by Orcus-as-Tenebrous during the storyline of The Great Modron March. Needless to say, Primus will never co-share a body with Tenebrous, and a Binder who has ever allowed Tenebrous to be hosted in their body must draw Primus' seal in an area of bright light. Manifesting as essentially a smaller version of the classic Primus form (albeit a crying one because of everything that happened to the Modrons after Tenebrous killed him), those binding Primus develop a scattering of metal plates on their limbs, representing geometric shapes formed of gold, silver or bronze - though they revert to strips of skin if somehow flayed off. Those under his influence become ruthlessly practical and compelled to obey all lawful authorities. He only grants three powers, but they're doozies; Divine Structure causes you to gain a cumulative bonus if you keep taking the same action for multiple rounds, Lawful Attacks cause your attacks to count as Lawful for piercing damage reduction, and Primus' Orders allow you to issue a Command that also renders you invisible and inaudible to the being you successfully take control of. You must be at least a level 3 binder to call forth Primus. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

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  seal was taken from 67th demon, Amdusias, of the Ars Goetia

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The Triad

Three psionic gods from a now-lost civilization that were forced to combine themselves into a single being to save themselves after the Plane of Shadow started leaking into their world. They refuse to bind with anyone connected to the Plane of Shadow in any manner, whether it's by feat, class abilities, or something else. Their manifestation is a glowing purple jade statue that shifts between the forms of their constituent beings: the god of knowledge Gorn appears as a young man with spectacles reading a book, the goddess of justice Rujsha appears as a motherly woman with bandaged eyes, and the god of battle Mintar appears as a man in armor holding his sword in salute.

Their sign is that the Binder's facial features alter slightly every hour to match one member of the Triad, from a young man's inquisitive face to a woman's concerned features to a bearded masculine face and back again. They influence the binder by changing their mental aspect to match the face that is their current sign. As Gorn, the bearer is inquisitive and prone to using many big words. As Rujsha, the binder is caring and motherly but tends to speak to others as if they were children. As Mintar, the binder is honor-bound and somewhat combative. In any case, if the binder encounters someone influenced by shadow, the Triad will insist that the binder either face that being first when in combat or avoid that being (and any help it might seek to provide) outside of combat.

The powers they grant are similarly split across the three gods. Collectively, they grant 15 power points and allow the binder to act as a psion if they're not one already. Gorn grants the psionic power Call to Mind and bardic knowledge. Rujsha grants the psionic power Empathy, a diplomacy bonus, and the ability to smite evil three times per day. Mintar provides the psionic power Detect Hostile Intent, a bonus to Sense Motive checks, and proficiency with all simple, martial, and exotic weapons.

Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, Three Psionic Vestiges

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  Luckily, this seal isn't as slow to draw as his release schedule. Guess that second R takes a really long time.

Vanus, The Reviled One

Vanus is a guy who was hated way more than he should have been. He grants you a fear aura, freedom of movement or gaseous form for an ally, extra damage against people with fewer hit dice than you, and good hearing.

Appears in a web article from WotC's old website about creating your own vestiges.

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  seal was taken from 11th demon, Gusion, of the Ars Goetia

Zceryll, The Star Spawn

A powerful alienist who was dragged into the Far Realm and now seeks to return to the mortal world. She appears as a collection of mirrors that initially reflect a beautiful human woman who has something off about her appearance, which rapidly transforms into a tentacled monstrosity before the mirrors all shatter. Her sign is that the eyes of her Binders become circular mirrors and living things in their peripheral vision look like they're covered in eyes, tentacles, and other vestigal organs. She influences her Binders to be unwilling to admit weakness and to treat people weaker than them with scorn, especially young women and spontaneous spellcasters. Her Binders' bodies and minds become alien, giving them the pseudonatural template, immunity to madness, a ray that dazes its targets, telepathy, and the power summon monsters like the Summon Monster spell (and the summoned monsters also get the pseudonatural template). Generally considered the most powerful vestige in the system, due to the sheer power and varied options unlimited summon monster brings.

The only new vestige added in a Class Chronicles article on adding Binders to your Forgotten Realms games, alongside some other vestiges that could replace Tome of Magic Vestiges.

List of Epic Vestiges

These ones didn't get Waybacked, but fortunately the good comic strip fans of giantitp.com saved the contents for us. Except the seals, so use your imagination I guess. Guess again! They were Waybacked! and but yeah they didnt have seals. Some imagination still needed.

Each of these wheels of cheese requires its own Epic Feat. Epic Binders get to bind more and more normal vestiges at a time with increasing level, but if you want to bind multiple epic vestiges at once, you're going to spend several feats - one per vestige, and one for every extra epic vestige you want to stick in your poke-soul at once; the first one is free. All the epic feats require a bunch of Knowledge ranks - Gaia's the lowest, at 'merely' 25 ranks of Knowledge (geography/nature/the planes) (and she also has a fetch quest - find the gith's Tome of Continental Lore and decipher it).

One represents the Egyptian babies killed in a story you have probably heard of; the other three are three god-like figures involved in the history of the Gith; the continent they once lived on, the alien squid beastie which ate that continent, and a god who tried to keep their Lich Queen and her armies from invading his country ...unsuccessfully. Pretty sweet lore, shame about how you can only use them in games where the mechanics are utterly busted.

Amun-her Khepeshef, Desecrated Scion

The firstborn heir to his people's kingdom, Amun-her Khepeshef represents the souls of the firstborn sons of the empire, whose lives were tragically extinguished by the god of their slaves. Does this remind you of anything?

Legend: Amun-her Khepeshef was the heir to the throne, son of the current king, and leader of the army. The empire kept thousands of slaves, who they used to build numerous pyramids, tombs, and palaces. When the slaves revolted, the empire imposed harsh strictures, limiting their religious freedoms. Eventually, the people rebelled, calling on their long suppressed god to smite their captors. Furious, the god struck the empire with numerous plagues -- fire, vermin, disease, drought, and worse. The final plague was the most terrible even in the empire's history -- the foreign god struck down the firstborn sons of each family in the empire, including Amun-her Khepeshef.

The loss of the first-born sons was tragic, bringing an entire generation to its knees with depression and desperation. To make matters worse, grave robbers and rival invaders desecrated the numerous new tombs, destroying the sanctity of the afterlife of the dead sons. These spirits became furious: angry at the foreign god and his people, enraged at those who betrayed them in their complacency, livid at the tomb robbers who interrupted their after-life, the spirits appealed to the god of the dead, who agreed to banish them beyond space and time, so that they would suffer no longer. These spirits were removed from existence as a single bound entity known as Amun-her Khepeshef.

Special Requirement: You cannot bind Amun-her Khepeshef if you are currently suffering from any level drain, negative levels, ability drain, or ability damage dealt by undead or by spells and spell-like abilities from the necromancy school. Only living creatures can bind Amun-her Khepeshef.

Manifestation: When Amun-her Khepeshef manifests, a handsome tanned male warrior appears in a sarcophagus, his body resplendent in gold and gems and surrounded by ritual accoutrements. The lid of the stone sarcophagus lies broken on the floor several feet away. Suddenly, the warrior bolts upright in the sarcophagus. He wails a scream of pain that sounds like the collective voices of men and boys. His body explodes into overlapping images of thousands of men and male children of all different ages, their faces jaundiced, their cheeks sunken, and their skin reeking of rotting death. They wail in unison for but a moment, and then the forms merge back together into that of the warrior. The warrior lies back down into his sarcophagus, still and dead.

Sign: You take on the look of the dead: jaundiced skin, sunken cheeks, bags under the eyes, and stiff movements. You exude a faint odor of decay and preservative chemicals.

Influence: You cannot abide the presence of undead, necromancers, and death spells and effects. You seek any opportunity to slay undead, and you refuse to work with anyone who you feel uses necromancy and death effects. You are easily provoked by such individuals, seeing reasons to fight them that many miss.

Gaia, Soul of the Land

Once the soul of a continent, Gaia grants her summoners the ability to feel the pulse of the land, allowing them advantages against unnatural creatures, senses derived from the land, immunity to elemental forces, the ability to speak with and influence the attitudes of creatures, and the capacity to regenerate wounds.

Legend: Gaia was both the nature goddess of a lost continent and the body of that land itself. She was the patron of all creatures and the defender of sacred life. When the land was injured, she too was hurt, her life-essence pumping in time with the earth. When Tkhaluuljin, a mammoth alien squidlike entity, attacked the land, Gaia fought, hoping to sacrifice her essence to protect the lives of her beloved residents. Her attempts were a failure and Tkhaluuljin swallowed her along with all life that lived on her surface.

Even in the gargantuan stomach of the alien squid, Gaia continued to fight for her people, raking Tkhaluuljin with sharp branches and rocks and inciting her surviving followers to use their magic against the entity. Gaia and those that lived upon her could not save themselves, but they did destroy their captor. After a long drawn-out fight, Tkhaluuljin was so injured that it could no longer control its flight. It plummeted into the ocean, killing itself, Gaia, and her charges in the process.

Special Requirement: You must summon Gaia outdoors. She does not answer your call if you cannot see the sky.

Manifestation: When Gaia manifests, a large green sphere appears where the sun (or moon) should be. The surface of the planet slowly becomes more illuminated, its land masses and oceans more distinct. The light intensifies until it is as bright as the sun. The planet explodes in a ball of fire and plasma, sending flaming meteorites in all directions. In the afterimage of the explosion, the silhouette of a beautiful green-skinned woman appears briefly, and then winks out. Left in the image's place is the ethereal silhouette of a vaguely female figure.

Sign: The hair on your face, head, and body takes on a greenish hue, as do the eyes and skin.

Influence: Never allow cruelty toward living creatures to occur in your presence. Seek out every opportunity to destroy aberrations, constructs, oozes, and undead.

Tkhaluuljin, the Cephalopocalypse

In his house at R'lyeh, Dread Tkhaluuljin lies dreaming... or something like that. A gargantuan alien squidlike entity, Tkhaluuljin traveled the planes, devouring whatever blocked its path. It was not malevolent; rather, it was the embodiment of pure hunger -- the insatiable need to consume all. When you bind Tkhaluuljin, you project an aura of madness, gain exceptional abilities of flight, can stun enemies, and can summon a sphere of annihilation.

Legend: No one knows where Tkhaluuljin came from. In the language of the gith, its name roughly translates as "living armageddon." Scholars of planar lore believe that it may have emerged from some sort of rift or black hole and that it is a being of pure nihilism that serves no purpose beyond indiscriminate destruction. When Tkhaluuljin attempted to devour the land known as Gaia, it had no expectation that this land would be any different than the others. It never really thought about what it was eating. Then, as it devoured that land, it could no longer control its flight, so it plummeted into the ocean where it was torn apart from within. When it finally exploded in a supernova, it destroyed everything within hundreds of miles.

Manifestation: When Tkhaluuljin manifests, a black rift opens in the air, absorbing all light in the area. All the matter in the area -- trees, rocks, plants, animals, and even people -- appears to get sucked into the portal. A strange slurping sound begins, followed by a flash of dark magenta light. When the light dissipates, the tentacle-mawed head of an enormous squidlike creature emerges, followed by a bulbous translucent body. As the rear half of the creature emerges from the rift, dark magenta light flashes again. When the light dissipates, you see the rift hurtling toward you, imbuing you with the essence of destruction.

Sign: Your veins appear spidery and more pronounced, emitting a pulsing magenta light.

Influence: You can never pass up the opportunity to eat. This does not require you to eat food that you would normally consider inedible, but you must consume 5 times the amount of food you would normally eat when not bound to Tkhaluuljin.

Zuriel, the Bronze God

Zuriel was a just deity of war who sacrificed his life and divinity in vain when githyanki invaded his land. Zuriel grants you the ability to augment your fighting prowess, employ powerful force effects with the speed of thought, fortify your pacts, and absorb damage suffered by allies.

Legend: Zuriel was the deity of just and reasoned war, a stalwart force that spoke for and defended the people of his land. When the githyanki invaded the land after reawakening long-dormant portals, Zuriel organized the defensive front. During the war, thousands of citizens and several gods perished under the assault of the elder evils, but it was not enough. Zuriel was the last defense between the innocent citizens and slavery to the Lich Queen. He sacrificed his divinity and his life to create a force field that would block the invaders, but during the ritual, he was overcome by the githyanki and the land was taken. It was too late to halt the ritual, and his life force dissipated into the ether. Since his death and dissolution, he has been a frustrated and resentful vestige, but he still possesses a basic sense of decency and kindness. This paradox carries to any who bind him.

Special Requirement: You cannot bind Zuriel if you are evil-aligned.

Manifestation: When Zuriel manifests, a 10-foot-tall, bronze-skinned, male figure with a perfect, athletic body stands before you. He wears an expression of proud dignity, as if he is ready for some momentous occasion. Suddenly, he looks up, seeing images of githyanki riding yrthaks, and screams. The bronze covering his body shatters, revealing an athletic mortal, his heart pierced by a githyanki arrow. He leans forward and whispers in your ear, "Do not let the city fall," then topples over dead.

Sign: Your skin takes on a bronze sheen, your muscles expand and tighten, you appear more athletic overall, and your posture changes as you hold your carriage proud and upright.

Influence: You must always intercede on the behalf of innocents when their lives are threatened. You also must slay githyanki on sight and hunt them down whenever the opportunity presents itself. You never retreat from a fight if you feel that leaving it would endanger innocents.

Vestige Sources

If you want to catch them all (or just want the delicious cheese of poorly-playtested supplements), where do you need to look to find all the vestiges?

• Mind's Eye: Three Psionic Vestiges
  • Arete, the First Elan
  • The Triad
  • Abysm, the Schismed
• Cityscape, Part 2: Urban Magic
  • Astaroth, Unjustly Fallen
  • Desharis, the Sprawling Soul
• Designing Your Own Vestige, Part 2
  • Vanus, The Reviled One
• Class Chronicles: Binders
  • Zceryll, "The Star Spawn"
  • Other Vestiages converted to the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.
• Epic Binders
  • Amun-her Khepeshef "Desecrated Scion"
  • Gaia, "Soul of the Land"
  • Tkhaluuljin "the Cephalopocalypse"
  • Zuriel "the Bronze God"
• Dragon Magic
  • Ashardalon, Pyre of the Unborn (pg. 85)
• Dragon Magazine #341
  • Kas the Bloody Handed (pgs. 69-71)
  • Primus, the One and the Prime (pgs. 71-74)
• Dragon Magazine #357
  • Ansitif the Befouler (pgs. 67-68)
  • Astaroth (pg. 68)
  • Cabiri the Watching Master (pgs. 68-69)
• Dungeon Magazine #148
  • Ahazu the Seizer (pg. 82)

And, obviously, you need the Tome of Magic itself. Well, a third of it, but the only third anyone really uses. (RIP Truespeaking, but that's a mercy-kill.)

Radiance House

The third party publisher Radiance House made a few books with third party support for the system. Those books would later be ported to Pathfinder alongside a lot of new content and released under OGL. Since there's already a site with the full OGL contents, we'll just just link to the full thing instead of describing the many, many new spirits.