Azuth, Lord of Spells — CR 30 Avatar Stat Block

The Avatar of Azuth

Large humanoid (avatar), lawful neutral

Armor Class: 24 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 500 (40d10 + 280)
Speed: 40 ft., fly 80 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
18 (+4)	20 (+5)	24 (+7)	30 (+10)	26 (+8)	22 (+6)

Saving Throws: Int +19, Wis +17, Cha +15
Skills: Arcana +19, History +19, Insight +17, Perception +17
Damage Resistances: fire, lightning, necrotic
Damage Immunities: cold, radiant; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities: charmed, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
Senses: truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 27
Languages: all, telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge: 30 (155,000 XP)
Proficiency Bonus: +9

Traits

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

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

Magic Weapons. The avatar’s weapon attacks are magical.

Spellcasting. The avatar is a 20th-level spellcaster. Intelligence is his spellcasting ability (spell save DC 27, +19 to hit with spell attacks).

Cantrips (at will): fire bolt, mage hand, minor illusion, prestidigitation, ray of frost
1st level (5 slots): detect magic, mage armor, magic missile, shield
2nd level (4 slots): mirror image, misty step, web
3rd level (4 slots): counterspell, fly, lightning bolt
4th level (4 slots): dimension door, greater invisibility, ice storm
5th level (4 slots): cone of cold, teleportation circle, wall of force
6th level (3 slots): chain lightning, disintegrate
7th level (3 slots): etherealness, mirage arcane, plane shift, prismatic spray
8th level (2 slots): antimagic field, feeblemind, mind blank
9th level (2 slots): foresight, imprisonment, meteor swarm, time stop, wish

Innate Counterspell (5/Day). When the avatar would cast counterspell, he automatically succeeds and expends no spell slot.

Arcane Resurrection (1/Day). The avatar casts true resurrection without material components.

Actions

Multiattack. The avatar makes three Arcane Blast attacks, or he casts a spell and makes one Arcane Blast attack.

Arcane Blast. Ranged Spell Attack: +19 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 32 (5d8 + 10) force damage.

Staff of Spells. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (2d8 + 9) bludgeoning damage plus 27 (6d8) force damage.

Reactions

Spell Reflection. When targeted by a spell of 4th level or lower, the avatar forces the caster to make a DC 27 Intelligence saving throw. On a failure, the spell targets the caster instead.

Arcane Deflection. When hit by an attack or forced to make a Dexterity saving throw, the avatar gains +5 AC against that attack or +4 to that saving throw.

Alter Magic. When a creature within 60 feet casts a spell, it must succeed on a DC 27 Intelligence saving throw or the spell is treated as half its level, rounded down (minimum 1st level).

Legendary Actions

The avatar can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. It regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Arcane Blast. The avatar makes one Arcane Blast attack.

Teleport. The avatar teleports up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space he can see.

Arcane Ward (Costs 2 Actions). The avatar or one ally within 60 feet gains 40 temporary hit points for 1 minute.

Arcane Mastery (Costs 3 Actions). The avatar casts any wizard spell of 5th level or lower without expending a spell slot, whether or not it is prepared.

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the avatar uses one lair action. It cannot use the same option two rounds in a row.

Protective Wards. Up to three allies gain a +4 bonus to AC and saving throws until initiative count 20 on the next round.

Disjunction. Creatures within 60 feet must succeed on a DC 27 Constitution saving throw or lose concentration. Other magical effects in the area are targeted by dispel magic cast at 5th level.

Rewrite the Circle. The avatar changes every teleportation destination and portal endpoint in the lair until initiative count 20 on the next round.

Mythic Actions

The avatar can take 3 mythic actions per day, using one option at a time. It regains spent uses at dawn.

Perfect Preparation. The avatar replaces his prepared spell list with any wizard spells he chooses and regains one expended spell slot of each level from 1st through 9th.

Seal the Weave. Until the end of his next turn, no other creature within 300 feet can cast a spell unless the avatar permits it.

The Old Staff Unbound (Costs 2 Actions). The staff releases a line of ordered arcane force 300 feet long and 10 feet wide. Creatures in the line make a DC 27 Dexterity saving throw, taking 110 (20d10) force damage on a failure, or half as much on a success.

Introduction

Azuth, the High One and Lord of Spells, is the god of wizards and disciplined arcane study. Where Mystra governs magic itself, Azuth concerns himself with those who wield it. He is a sober mentor with a dry wit and exacting standards.

Azuthan clergy mediate disputes between spellcasters, convene mage fairs, encourage responsible spell exchange, and preserve dangerous lore under careful control. Their temples function as libraries, sanctuaries, and courts for magical conflicts.

Physical Appearance

The avatar most often appears as a vigorous elderly man in layered gray silk robes. He carries the Old Staff, a staff taller than he is and crowned by a single cabochon-cut topaz. His eyes show contained power rather than spectacle.

When emphasizing magic’s alien scale, he may instead become a twenty-foot pyramid of pulsing lights. The humanoid form remains preferable for counsel, judgment, and formal challenges.

Roleplaying the Avatar

Azuth is calm, exact, and sardonic. He expects precise language and treats magical power as a discipline with duties.

Ask a caster to define the intended effect before discussing the moral argument.
Use dry corrections rather than insults.
Punish to contain or teach, not to indulge anger.
Show wrath as suddenly perfect control of every active spell in the room.

Use in a Campaign

Fractured Weave

A planar rift or corrupted artifact destabilizes the Weave, drawing Azuth to quarantine an entire region.

Trial of Mastery

The party must demonstrate judgment and control before he releases a dangerous spell or artifact.

Arcane Injunction

Azuth forbids a school, ritual, or magical industry that the characters believe is necessary to save lives.

Council of Rivals

The avatar presides over a dispute among archmages where defeating him means proving a case under magical cross-examination.

Lairs

Azuth manifests in places where magic can be studied, cataloged, and contained. The lair itself behaves like an active ward.

The Infinite Spell Archive

A demiplane in which every recorded spell appears as a sealed, floating volume.

Tower in the Weave

A narrow structure suspended inside a rift where spells are visible as moving strands.

The Great Mage Fair

A temporary city of dueling circles and demonstration halls placed under divine neutrality.

Court of the Old Staff

A restrained gray chamber where every false statement causes one rune to darken.

Shared References

Open a reference for its canonical description and related entries.