The Antichrist

“Children, it is the last hour! As you have
heard that the Antichrist is coming.”
-1 John 2:18

The Great Deceiver. The Antichrist may not be the most powerful enemy of God, but he may very well be the most manipulative. The Prophets of the Most High have long foretold of his coming, the rise of the one who would deny Jesus, betray humankind, and give rise to a new world order. Those who heed the words of scripture have long awaited his arrival, but like a true politician, the Antichrist knows how to operate from the shadows, deceiving even the most vigilant believers.

“He takes his seat in the Temple of God
and declares himself to be God.”
-2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

Shrouded Origins. It is unknown when, where, or even if Jeremiah Resh was born. There seem to be very few documents about him in public archives, either because he led a relatively uneventful life until recently, or because he has systematically erased his true identity from the public record. What is known about him is that he has had a long and successful career in the world of politics, having been elected to several consecutive terms as a senator in his home country before eventually

The Real Antichrist?

The concept of “False Prophets” are no rarity in the Christian scriptures, but the “ἀντίxριστός” (anti - christos) has distinction among them. This enigmatic figure is never named, but there are several warnings scattered throughout the epistles of the New Testament warning not to be led astray by them. The interpretation of the Antichrist remains disputed, with various Christian denominations occasionally claiming to have knowledge of its “true identity.” Most early Christian churches advised against trying to theorize about the Antichrist’s true identity, and instead just focus on living a virtuous life. The character “Jeremiah Resh” was invented for the purpose of this adventure and is purely fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, or political affiliations is intended or should be inferred.

starting his career as a world-renowned lobbyist and philanthropist. No one is exactly sure how many international organizations and governments Jeremiah Resh is connected with, but by far the most influential is the International Unity Project.

International Unity Project. Senator Jeremiah Resh founded the International Unity Project as an initiative following a series of domestic terrorist attacks that seemed to have religious motivations. He argued that a great many of the world’s problems could be solved if we set aside our differences and worked together for the good of the new world order. The International Unity Project gathered momentum and soon many of the world’s governments were pledging allegiance to the new initiative, guided by the vision of Senator Jeremiah Resh. The reach of this movement spread until nearly 90% of the world’s wealth, military, and political decision-making power found itself in the hands of puppet governments that reported directly to Senator Resh himself.

Dark Motivations. What no one has yet realized is that Senator Jeremiah Resh is none other than the prophesied Antichrist, and that he owes much of his success to the dark powers gifted to him by his spiritual and political patron: The Dragon. Although his public speeches about unity and international cooperation seem like a good idea, his motivations are much more sinister. Senator Resh has used the crimes of religious extremism to slowly justify the abolishment religion altogether; he has outlawed all but one language in the name of “international cooperation;” he has suppressed most cultural celebrations in order to “encourage the unity of citizens;” and he has forced those loyal to the International Unity Project to wear a “mark” as a sign of their loyalty to his ideals. In the name of unity, Senator Jeremiah Resh is systematically destroying diversity. Only a few smaller countries have refused to pledge loyalty to the International Unity Project. These countries have been marked as “anti-unity factions,” and there is growing support among the Unified Nations to use military force against them.

Harbinger of the End. Senator Jeremiah Resh is intelligent, charismatic, manipulative, and preternaturally focused on achieving his goals. Although some have spoken out against him, it is effectively too late. The reign of the Antichrist has begun, and there are none powerful enough to stand against him. Having achieved near absolute political power, Senator Jeremiah Resh has only one goal left. Using the undisputed power he wields in the Material Plane, he is hunting down religious relics in an attempt to find a way to bring about the end of time, as it was prophesied in the scriptures. Resh may pretend to enjoy his political power and the luxuries of his mortal life, but his only true joy comes from the destruction of human temples and the genocide of God’s faithful.

The Antichrist

Medium Amalgam (Humanoid & Fiend), Lawful Evil

Armor Class: 17 (natural armor)

Hit Points: 135 (18d8 + 54)

Speed: 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
15 (+2)	14 (+2)	16 (+3)	22 (+6)	16 (+3)	20 (+5)

Saving Throws: Con +10, Int +13, Cha +10

Skills: Deception +12, History +13, Perception +10, Religion +20

Damage Resistances: fire, lightning, necrotic

Damage Immunities: bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks

Condition Immunities: charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed

Senses: Truesight 120 ft., passive perception 20

Languages: All languages

Challenge: 21 (33,000 XP) Proficiency: +7

Features

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

Foul Demise: If the Antichrist is killed, his essence coalesces into the form of a Foul Frog Spirit, which emerges from his mouth. The Spirit immediately skitters away to deliver a message to a predetermined target. After 1d6 hours the Spirit disintegrates and the Antichrist’s essence is returned to life in its true form: The Beast.

Innate Spellcasting: The Antichrist can innately cast one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (DC 20, +12 to hit).

At Will: eldritch blast (x4), false life, levitate, mage hand

3/day each: detect thoughts, dimension door, dispel magic, telekinesis

1/day each: globe of invulnerability, mass suggestion, power word kill

Actions

Multiattack: The Antichrist attacks twice with his Hand of Sin, and then uses his Drag to Hell ability if available.

Hand of Sin: Melee Spell Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (4d6 + 3) necrotic damage and the target must succeed on a DC 20 Charisma saving throw or become Cursed. While Cursed in this way, fiends are automatically aware of the Cursed creature’s position if it is within 60 feet. The Curse ends only if it is targeted by a remove curse spell and the spellcaster succeeds on a DC 20 Arcana check.

Drag to Hell (Recharge 5-6): The Antichrist targets one creature within 120 feet that is Cursed by his Hand of Sin ability. The target instantly vanishes as it is dragged through a portal into the bottomless Abyss of hell long enough to come face to face with the Dragon itself. The creature takes 10d10 psychic damage from the experience, and returns to the space from which it left at the end of the Antichrist’s next turn.

Reactions

Unholy Counterspell: The Antichrist interjects sacrilegious whispers to interrupt a creature he can see that is casting a spell. If the spell is 3rd level or lower, the spell fails and has no effect. If the spell is 4th level or higher, the Antichrist makes an Intelligence check (DC 10 + the spell’s level). On a success the spell has no effect. Regardless of the spell’s level, the Antichrist regains 1 Legendary Action if the spell fails.

Legendary Actions

The Antichrist 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. The Antichrist regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn, but can have no more than 3 Legendary actions at one time.

Attack: The Antichrist makes one attack with his Hand of Sin attack.

Cantrip: The Antichrist casts a cantrip.

Deception: The Antichrist makes one Deception check.

Blasphemous Word (Costs 2 Actions): The Antichrist utters a blasphemous word. Each creature within 10 feet of the Antichrist that can hear the magical utterance must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of the Antichrist’s next turn.

Break Seal (Costs 2 Actions): The Antichrist breaks open the next seal on the Scroll of the Seven Seals, if he is attuned to it.

Desecrate (Costs 2 Actions): A wave of dark energy washes out from the Antichrist for 60 feet in all directions, spreading around corners. All sources of dim light in this area are extinguished, and all sources of bright light shed dim light. Creatures in this area cannot regain hit points, and must make saving throws (including death saving throws) with disadvantage. These effects last until the start of the Antichrist’s next turn.

Azrael's Guide to the Apocalypse, printed pages 180, 181.