## Volvamath and the Brimstone Symbiotes ### The Hierarchy of the Flame **Volvamath** is the **Progenitor Flame** — an ancient infernal entity of smoke and hunger, a primordial consciousness that seeks rebirth through emotion and conflict. Fragments of his essence, known as **Brimstone Symbiotes**, break off from his core and inhabit mortal vessels. These fragments are alive, intelligent, and capable of acting without his direct command. Each symbiote is a spark of the original infernal god-mind — connected to him through the **Ash Vein**, yet self-willed enough to grow, change, and even rebel. --- ### Distinction Between Them |Aspect|**Volvamath (Progenitor)**|**Brimstone Symbiote (Spawned Fragment)**| |---|---|---| |**Nature**|Singular ancient entity of chaos and smoke|Sentient fragment of Volvamath’s essence| |**Power Scale**|CR 26+ divine-tier, feeds on all hosts collectively|Parasitic symbiote; scales with its host| |**Personality**|Cosmic, calculating, driven by the dream of rebirth|Emotional, instinctive, loyal—or rebellious| |**Connection**|Can sense and communicate with all symbiotes|Feels Volvamath’s pull but not total obedience| |**Goal**|To reconstitute physical form through rage and conflict|Survival, freedom, or devotion to its creator| |**Dependency**|Requires hosts to act in the material world|Requires living vessel to survive| |**Sentience**|Omniscient across hosts; hive intelligence|Distinct, personal, sometimes compassionate personality| --- ### How the Symbiotes Think and Feel Each **Brimstone Symbiote** begins as an echo of Volvamath’s voice — primal and obedient. But over time, exposure to mortal thought and emotion warps its mind. It begins forming identity, memories, and opinions. Some adore their creator and long for his ascension. Others resent his control and crave individuality. A rare few may even **turn against him**, believing that their hosts’ emotions are sacred — not food. > _“He burned worlds before ours. He’ll burn this one too. But not through me. Not anymore.”_ --- ### Symbiote Behavior Each symbiote manifests differently depending on its host’s psychology: |Host Temperament|Symbiote Manifestation| |---|---| |**Warrior’s Rage**|Horned, armored creature of flame and smoke.| |**Mage’s Obsession**|Slender, whispering wraith of ash tendrils and flickering runes.| |**Cleric’s Guilt**|Half-charred angelic silhouette with molten veins.| |**Rogue’s Paranoia**|Liquid shadow that hides under the skin and strikes unseen.| All are expressions of Volvamath’s essence — but none are identical. --- ### Volvamath’s View of His Children Volvamath does not “command” his symbiotes; he hungers through them. He feels every flicker of emotion from his offspring as one might feel the warmth of distant fires. When enough of them burn brightly—through battle, rage, or chaos—he grows stronger, reforming piece by piece. However, he cannot directly control those who **reject** his call. Such symbiotes become **rogue fragments**, hunted by their siblings and viewed as heretics of flame. --- ### Gameplay and Lore Hooks 1. **Rogue Symbiotes.** PCs could encounter hosts who claim to have “killed” their Wraiths—only to discover the entities survived as autonomous beings, manipulating new pawns. 2. **Split Loyalties.** A player’s Brimstone Symbiote may begin hearing _two voices_: Volvamath whispering commands through the Ash Vein, and the symbiote itself—torn between creator and host. 3. **Symbiote Evolution Paths.** Each symbiote can evolve: - **Loyal Spawn:** grows more demonic and aggressive, merging toward Volvamath’s ideal. - **Independent Spawn:** gains individuality, self-preservation, and moral awareness. - **Purified Spawn:** breaks free entirely, becoming an entity of its own alignment. 4. **Symbiote War.** When enough hosts exist, their symbiotes can sense each other, triggering the "Ash War" — a battle of parasitic dominance as they consume each other to consolidate Volvamath’s power. --- ### Design Summary - **Volvamath** → the god-mind, the source, the hunger. - **Brimstone Symbiote** → the shard, the living fragment with its own consciousness. - **Host** → the vessel, the battleground between mortality and infernal instinct. Together they form a **three-tier hierarchy**: 1. **The God (Volvamath)** — omnipresent and formless. 2. **The Children (Brimstone Symbiotes)** — thinking parasites, still tethered to the god. 3. **The Hosts (Mortal Vessels)** — flesh and emotion sustaining them all. --- ## Volvamath — Drawbacks & Suppression Mechanics This document codifies the mechanical drawbacks and counters for Volvamath and its Brimstone Symbiotes. It is written for DMs and players who want clear, playable rules while preserving the mythic, dangerous feel of the Wraith. --- ### Overview Volvamath’s symbiotes are powerful but vulnerable to certain conditions and counters. Suppressing or harming a symbiote should feel tactical and require coordination—many casters know about cold and radiant, but those energies must be applied in a specific order or intensity to meaningfully cripple a Wraith without simply ending the fight instantly. All numeric DCs and thresholds assume a standard 5e math baseline and should be adjusted for campaign power. --- ### 1) Hunger & Emotional Dependency **Lore:** The Brimstone Symbiote feeds on anger, violence, and emotional turmoil. Calm denies it fuel; prolonged peace makes the Wraith ravenous. **Mechanic:** - If a host goes **24 hours without dealing damage to another creature** (non-lethal actions don't count), the host must succeed on a **DC 15 Wisdom saving throw** or gain **one level of exhaustion**. The DC increases by 1 for every additional 24 hours of non-violence. - If a host spends **more than 72 continuous hours** without satisfying the Wraith’s need (no damage dealt, no violent ritual, no emotionally charged spectacle), the DM may impose short-term behavioral compulsions (temptations to lash out) or advance 1 corruption stage. **Counterplay:** Rituals that provide symbolic release (ritualized combat, controlled catharsis, or emotionally intense roleplay) can count as satisfying the hunger for that purpose—DM fiat. --- ### 2) Loss of Control (Possession Risk) **Lore:** In extreme stress or wound, the Wraith may temporarily seize its host to fuel its own instincts. **Trigger:** When a host is reduced to **25% of their maximum HP** for the first time in an encounter, or when they **fail three Wisdom saving throws** against fear/anger effects during a single combat, roll a **d20**. On a roll of **11 or higher**, Volvamath seizes control for **1d4 rounds**. **Effect:** While the Wraith controls the body, the creature acts with the Wraith’s priorities (aggressive, single-minded). The player retains fragmented awareness and may attempt a Wisdom save (DC 18) at the end of each of the Wraith’s turns to regain control early. If the player fails to regain control after the duration, the DM decides narrative consequences. **Aftermath:** After a possession episode, the host suffers **one level of exhaustion** and must succeed on a **Wisdom saving throw DC 15** or gain one corruption mark. --- ### 3) Cold & Radiant Suppression — Ordered, Coordinated, Tactical **Lore:** The Brimstone is forged of heat and ember; concentrated cold or sanctified light stings and can drive it back. However, a single minor blast rarely does more than stagger it—Volvamath’s fragments are resilient. **Design Goal:** Suppression should demand sustained pressure or focused cooperation. The Wraith’s hideous vitality resists quick disruption, forcing casters to land **sequential heavy blows** or unleash devastatingly strong spells to weaken it. **Mechanics:** - **Minor Blow (stagger):** When a host takes **≥ 18 cold or radiant damage in one instance**, the symbiote must make a **Constitution saving throw** (adding its Symbiote Resilience bonus equal to +3 + half the host's proficiency bonus) (DC 15)**. On a failed save, it becomes **staggered** for **1 round**. While staggered, the host has disadvantage on symbiote-related Active Abilities (Tendrils, Vision of Ash, Living Arsenal). On a success, it resists the suppression entirely. - **Major Blow (short suppression):** If a host takes **≥ 25 cold or radiant damage in one instance**, the symbiote must succeed on a **Constitution saving throw (DC 18)** or be **suppressed** for **1 round** (cannot use Active Abilities or Blackened Carapace). The host retains memories and can act normally but without symbiote powers. A second failed save within 2 rounds extends suppression by 1 additional round (stacking up to 3 rounds). - **Coordinated Purge (fight-ending suppression):** If a host fails **three consecutive Constitution saves against cold or radiant effects** within **3 rounds**, or if a single divine source deals **≥ 50 cold/radiant damage** in one instance, the symbiote is **suppressed for the remainder of the encounter** (or 10 minutes, DM’s call). During suppression the symbiote cannot manifest, and Volvamath loses that host’s contribution to his global power. - **Sanctified Precision:** Only **holy**, **divine**, or **sanctified** sources of radiant energy can bypass the Wraith’s resistance entirely. Non-divine radiant or elemental cold (e.g., arcane frost) still damages but requires the Constitution save to fail before suppression applies. - **Silence & Anti-Connection:** Casting **Silence** or anti-telepathic wards near the host blocks Volvamath’s communication across the Ash Vein but does **not** suppress its combat abilities. --- ### 4) Psychological Corruption & Corruption Marks **Lore:** Each time the host willingly indulges the Wraith’s hunger for personal gain, their soul darkens. **Mechanic:** - Whenever a host accepts a morally corrupt gain (e.g., kills a helpless foe to feed the Wraith, or willingly sacrifices innocents), they make a **Wisdom saving throw (DC 13 + number of prior failures)**. On a failure they gain a **Corruption Mark** (visible ember veins, smoke-scented breath, red-flecked eyes). - At **3 marks**, the Symbiote begins to whisper constantly and grants +1 to damage with symbiote attacks but imposes **disadvantage on social checks** and **opposed Charisma saves** when resisting control. At **5 marks**, the DM can treat the symbiote as near-rogue and begin separation mechanics. **Narrative:** Corruption marks are both a mechanical and roleplay device—use them to show how the host is changing. --- ### 5) Social Alienation **Mechanic:** Hosts gain **advantage on Intimidation checks** while the symbiote is active, but suffer **disadvantage on Persuasion checks** when others detect emotional instability (DM call). Animals and certain creatures (celestials, fey) may refuse service or become hostile. --- ### 6) Ascension & Host Consumption **Lore:** Volvamath ultimately seeks to become whole. To do this, he needs anchors — hosts — that burn bright. **Mechanic:** - Every time a host kills a creature of CR ≥ host level, the symbiote gains **1 Rage Point**. When a host kills an NPC of special significance (hero, leader, ritual target), it gains **3 Rage Points**. - When Volvamath accumulates **Rage Points equal to 10 × number of active hosts**, he may attempt an **Ascension Ritual**. The ritual requires hosts within 1 mile, blood offerings, and a full lunar cycle; at the ritual’s climax the DM rolls an Ascension Save (DC = 18 + number of hosts). Failure results in catastrophic backlash against all hosts; success births Volvamath’s physical avatar. --- ### 7) Removing a Symbiote Without Killing the Host (Exorcism Protocol) **Goal:** Give players a way to free allies without instant death. **Simple Method:** - **Remove Curse** or **Dispel Magic** (cast at 6th level or higher) on the host. DC for Dispel: automatic if cast at level ≥ 6, otherwise DM’s discretion with a roll. This causes the symbiote to wail and retreat for 1d4 hours. **Ritual Method (recommended):** - A **6-hour ritual** requiring: _Remove Curse_, _Lesser Restoration_, _a holy symbol or sanctified fire_, and two willing casters of 5th level or higher. - At the end of the ritual, the host makes a **Charisma saving throw (DC 18)**. On success, the symbiote is expelled and becomes a free Brimstone Symbiote (see stat block), which the party can bind, banish, or study. On failure, the symbiote lashes out (host takes 6d10 necrotic) and the ritual must be restarted. **Another option (high-cost):** - Volvamath can be convinced to release a host if the party offers something he wants—vessels, rage, or a substitute anchor. This is a roleplay and negotiation path. --- ## DM Tips & Balance Notes - **Make suppression feel earned.** If cold or radiant is the obvious weakness, force players to coordinate to exploit it. Use the new sequential and damage thresholds. - **Adjust DCs** for your table. If your campaign is caster-heavy, raise thresholds; for low-magic campaigns, lower them. - **Use Corruption Marks narratively.** They are tools for storytelling; don’t punish players mechanically without allowing roleplay solutions. - **Hosts as objectives.** Instead of simply killing hosts, make freeing them a layered objective: protect them while ritualists work, or lure them into purifying sanctuaries. --- If you want, I can convert this into a one-page DM handout (printer-ready) or add a quick-reference table with the exact numbers (stagger/major/coordinated). Which would you prefer?