Dying Earth Monsters Part I - Chun The Unavoidable

     Those of us who have played D&D owe a huge, incalculable debt to Jack Vance. Not only did he give us the magic system which underpins the majority of spell systems which exist within various editions, derivatives and versions of the game, he helped calcify the image of the typical adventurer in the form of Cugel the Clever and Liane the Wayfarer: Shiftless, mercenary and more than willing to rob their erstwhile employers if they failed to pay up.

     I'll get to the foes which vexed Cugel in a future post in this series, but today I wanted to go over my absolute favorite antagonist featured in the series and murderer of Liane, Chun the Unavoidable. Chun is simply put, creepy as all get out. Just look at this quote:

“The old man stood by another corpse with eye-sockets bereft and bloody. "This one came four days ago, and he met Chun the Unavoidable . . . And over there behind the arch is still, a great warrior in cloison armor. And there—and there—" he pointed, pointed. "And there—and there—like crushed flies."”

     He's one of the few creatures upon the Dying Earth that seems to give Wizards (the usual antagonists for the setting) pause, to the point that an assembled group of them make themselves scarce as soon as he is brought up. Chun lives among the rubble of the Place of Whispers, in the Old Town north of the city of Kaiin. There is a paucity of description or backstory on Chun (part of his appeal) and so I will simply post the full extent of what is given of him in the narrative:

“Over his shiny black back he wore a robe of eyeballs threaded on silk.” 

"And behind came Chun, running like a dog." 

     That's all we get. What is given a little more detail are his abilities, which imbue him with the ability not only to pursue any like Liane who dare to steal from him, but to follow them directly into extra-dimensional spaces crafted by magic:

"He (Liane) turned into an archway, pulled his bronze ring over his head, down to his feet. He stepped through, brought the ring up inside the darkness. Sanctuary. He was alone in a dark magic space, vanished from earthly gaze and knowledge. Brooding silence, dead space ...

He felt a stir behind him, a breath of air. At his elbow a voice said, "I am Chun the Unavoidable.""

     So Liane gets his eyes torn out and Chun adds them to his cloak and Lith gets a few more threads for her tapestry. Let's make him so that he can try to tear your PC's eyes out!

B/X Stats

HD: 17 (HP 102)

Armor: as Plate

Move: 30'; if pursuing see Special

Attacks: 2 Claws, 1d8+6

Special: Chun is resistant to all forms of magic and possesses True Sight. Instead of moving, Chun is able to move at the same speed of an unfriendly creature near to him, plus an additional 5'. Chun is always aware of the location of his quarry, even across differing dimensions, further, Chun may enter the Ethereal or Astral as long as he is in pursuit of a target, and may also enter spaces such as Tiny Huts, Portable Holes, Rope Tricks or similar effects.

5th Edition Stats

Medium Monstrosity, Chaotic Evil

Armor Class: 20 (natural armor)

Hit Points: 198 (18d8+54)

Speed: 30ft* (see The Unavoidable)

Abilities: Str: 20 (+5), Dex: 18 (+4), Con: 16 (+3), Int: 13 (+1), Wis: 18 (+4) Cha: 5 (-3)

Saving Throws: Str + 9, Wis +8

Skills: Athletics +10, Perception +9, Stealth +9

Damage Resistances: bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical attacks.

Condition Immunities: Exhausted, Fatigued, Paralyzed, Stunned.

Senses: Truesight 60ft, Passive Perception 19

Languages: Common

Challenge: 14 (11,500 XP) 

Magic Resistance. Chun has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

The Unavoidable. Chun always knows the direction and distance to any quarry he may target, regardless of which planes they are on. While in pursuit of his quarry Chun's speed is always the same as his target's +5'. If his quarry moves in a fashion which he is not able to match (such as teleporting or flying) Chun will simply move tirelessly towards them at a Dash until he catches up. Chun may enter spaces such as Tiny Huts or the extradimensional spaces made by Rope Trick and other similar spells or effects.

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Chun fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.

Innate Spellcasting. Chun's spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 12). Chun can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

At will: Blink
3/day: Plane Shift (self only)

Actions

Multiattack. Chun can either make two Unavoidable Strikes or one Unavoidable Strike and one Eye Pluck.

Unavoidable Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: automatic hit, reach 5ft., Hit: 16 slashing damage.

Eye Pluck. Melee Weapon Attack +9, reach 5ft., Hit: 1d6+5. Chun attempts to claw out one of his opponent's eyes to add to his cloak. This attack may only be used on prone creatures. A creature hit must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw or lose an eye.

Legendary Actions

Chun can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. Chun regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.

Pursue. Chun takes the Dash action.

Stalk (2 actions). Chun uses the Hide action.

Overpower (2 actions). Chun makes an Unavoidable Strike, the target must make a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.


Art by: Chun the Unavoidable by Nulsh, Chun the Unavoidable by M.Rasheed