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.

List of Tome of Magic Vestiges

This was the big array of vestiges that appeared in the initial 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

Andromalius, The Repentant Rogue

A chosen of the god of thieves, Olidammara, who repented 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.

Aym, Queen Avarice

A corrupt dwarven queen who destroyed her own kingdom through her insatiable 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 he or she meets. 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.

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.

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. 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 creature, 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. Based upon the 10th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Chupoclops, Harbinger of Forever

A monstrous spider-creature destined to destroy the multiverse, slain by an alliance of four villains and three heroes, living and ghost alike, who sacrificed their lives to destroy her.

Dhalver-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.

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.

Eligor, Dragon Slayer

A 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. Based on the 15th demon of the Ars Goetia.

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.

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.

Geryon, The Deposed Lord

An arch-devil who perished after losing everything to the whims of Asmodeus.

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 ought, 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.

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.

Haures, the Dreaming Duke

A rakshasa who become so obsessed with dreams and illusions he lost all ability to distinguish reality and unreality apart, fading entirely from existence. Based upon the 64th demon of the Ars Goetia.

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.

Karsus, Hubris in the Blood

Karsus was a human spellcaster who attempted to steal the power of the god of arcane magic, only to be consumed from within by the uncontrollable powers he had stolen.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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) 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.

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.

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.

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.

Savnok, The Instigator

A former servant of Hextor and Heironeus who stole their mother's divine armor, initially for them, but after doing so he couldn't bear to give it up. Hextor murdered 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.

Shax, Sea Sister

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

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.

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.

List of Outer 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 Vestige. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

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 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.

Arete the First Elan

The psion who created the Elan race. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

Arshaladon, 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.

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.

Astaroth the Unjustly Fallen

A fallen angel who claims to have been cast down from Celestia for giving civilisation 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. Based on the 29th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

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.

Desharus the Sprawling Soul

The pseudo-fey spirit of the very first city, Desha. Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

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.

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, 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.

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, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

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 eyes 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).

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. The article can be checked out here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070718