Eidolons and Phantoms
While we wanted to make room for more mechanics articles this year, such as the return of Obscure Arcana, we didn’t want to abandon the fun and flavor of our Top Ten article line from last year. The compromise we eventually struck was to give all of our articles access to Top Ten-style flavor articles, now and then. Today is one of those days for Best in Class, where we provide some fun fluff detail relating to a particular class feature: in today’s case, that’s eidolons and phantoms.
1. Ashaya, Tragic Twin. This phantom is the departed spirit of her spiritualist’s twin sister, Ashaya, who died in a tragic accident, but had such a close bond with her sibling that she continued to persist at his side after death, acting as his guardian, protector, and constant companion. In some ways, it is as though she never died, and their relationship continues much as always, though occasionally circumstances force them to confront the truth of the matter, which can occasionally lead to dramatic and emotional outbursts from one or the other as they attempt to deal with their unresolved grief.
2. Katryc, Severed Psyche. This phantom is unusual in that it belongs to a creature that is currently alive. He is actually a fragment of his own spiritualist’s soul, which became separated from the rest of him after he died and then was returned to life. Exactly what metaphysical quirk caused only part of his spirit to return to his body is unclear, but the experience is certainly what awakened his abilities as a spiritualist. The longer that Katryc remains separate from the rest of his spiritualist’s soul, however, the more he begins to grow and develop his own identity, and the two are slowly beginning to drift apart.
3. Tamar, Phantom Hound. This phantom is not the spirit of a humanoid creature, but that of a massive dog. Loyal to its mistress even beyond death, Tamar died protecting the spiritualist, and then its spirit remained behind to continue to protect and aid her. It is unfailingly affectionate and loyal, but continues to display canine tendencies, such as playing fetch and digging up bones.
4. Sen Yun, Departed Mentor. This phantom is the spirit of the aged teacher who taught the spiritualist how to channel spirits and contact the other side. When she passed on, however, her work was not done, and there was still more left that she needed to teach. She remains with her pupil, instructing her from beyond the grave while also serving as her bodyguard and protector.
5. Blackmourne, Wrathful Composite. This phantom is not a single entity, but rather a composite being that contains all the souls (or at least fragments of them) of each creature that the spiritualist has slain. The phantom is bound to obey the spiritualist, and does her bidding, but makes no secret of the seething rage it holds towards her, and threatens to one day grow so powerful that she can no longer control it, at which point it will consume her utterly and mercilessly.
6. Elysriel, Guardian Angel. Taking the form of a giant wheel of flame with six white-feathered wings ringing the outside of its circumference, this angel is covered with dozens of unblinking eyes of various sizes and colors, which stare in all directions at once. In the center of the wheel, where all the spokes align, is the eyeless head of a beautiful blonde woman, which remains stationary even as the wheel-like body spins around her. Her solemn heavenly duty is to protect the summoner, and so she serves as his eidolon.
7. Xivilzon, Alien Hive. This eidolon is not a single creature, but instead, an entire hive of a strange and alien insect-like race found only in a single nightmarish demiplane. Each time the eidolon is summoned, it is a different drone from the hive that answers the call, although it largely makes no difference, as they all share a single hive mind. The drones obey the summoner, but there are subtle and insidious signs that they may have agreed to this service only as a means of scouting and learning about the Material Plane in preparation for an invasion.
8. Galifrax, Bound Demon. A muscle-bound brute with charcoal-grey skin, jutting tusks that emerge from a smashed and snarling face, and a pair of massive batlike wings, Galifrax is the archetypal image of a fiend. He has agreed to serve as an eidolon in exchange for his summoner’s soul. He takes great pleasure in inflicting pain and suffering, and goes out of his way to be as vicious as possible when pursuing his duties as an eidolon.
9. Ilgachi, Nature Spirit. Appearing as a woman whose body is made of tangled vines and ivy, with blooming flowers speckling her form, and a face made of pure, crystal-clear water, which swirls with violent currents and eddies when she is angry, Ilgachi is a manifestation of nature’s purity, drawn from a primal realm of unspoiled wilderness. Her reasons for agreeing to become an eidolon are unclear, and she remains inscrutable on the subject.
10. Nasharladon, Planar Dragon. This eidolon is a rare species of dragon that is only found on the outer planes. With opalescent, shimmering scales and a long, sinewy body and neck, it is quite remarkable in appearance, and its particular species matures at an incredible rate, at least by dragon standards. It answered its summoner’s call more out of curiosity than any other reason, and agreed to serve as an eidolon on a lark.