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Viconia DeVir/Combat

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This page focuses on Viconia DeVir's behaviour during her combat encounter. Viconia DeVir is able to be fought in the Cloister of Sombre Embrace, which is found under the House of Grief in the Lower City. She is joined by the members of her flock.

Attacks and abilities

Viconia fights like a level 11 Cleric, capable of casting spells up to level 6 and possessing two Channel Divinity charges.

Blight.webp
Blight Blight ()
D8 Necrotic.png 8d8 (8~64) Damage TypesNecrotic
Deals 8d8Damage TypesNecrotic to a target. Plants take maximum damage from this spell, and have Disadvantage Icon.png Disadvantage on the Saving throw against it.
CON Save
 Range: 9 m / 30 ft
Bone Chill.webp
Bone Chill Bone Chill ()
D8 Necrotic.png 1d8 (1~8) Damage TypesNecrotic
Prevent the target from healing until your next turn. An undead target receives Disadvantage Icon.png Disadvantage on Attack rolls.
 Range: 18 m / 60 ft
Cloak of Shadows.webp
Channel Divinity: Cloak of Shadows Channel Divinity: Cloak of Shadows ()
Wrap yourself in shadows to become Invisible Invisible if you are obscured[See Notes].
 Range: Self
Divine Intervention Sunder the Heretical.webp
Divine Intervention: Sunder the Heretical Divine Intervention: Sunder the Heretical ()
D10 Radiant.png 8d10 (8~80) Damage TypesRadiant
Call upon your deity in your moment of greatest need. Once they interfere, your deity will never do so again in this manner.
WIS Save
 Range: Self
AoE: 15 m / 50 ft (Radius)
Divine Strike Poison Melee.webp
Divine Strike: Poison (Melee) Divine Strike: Poison (Melee) ()
Normal weapon damage
+
D8 Poison.png 1d8 (1~8) Damage TypesPoison
Once per turn deal 1d8Damage TypesPoison in addition to your weapon's damage when you make a melee attack.
 Melee: 1.5 m / 5  ft
Inflict Wounds.webp
Inflict Wounds Inflict Wounds ()
D10 Necrotic.png 3d10 (3~30) Damage TypesNecrotic
Putrefy a creature with Damage TypesNecrotic energy filling your hands.
 Melee: 1.5 m / 5  ft
Shadow Step.webp
Shadow Step Shadow Step ()
Teleport from shadow to shadow. Afterwards, you have Advantage Icon.png Advantage on your next melee Attack roll.
 Range: 18 m / 60 ft
Spirit Guardians.webp
Spirit Guardians: Necrotic Spirit Guardians: Necrotic ()
D8 Necrotic.png 3d8 (3~24) Damage TypesNecrotic

Call forth spirits to protect the area around you.

Nearby enemies take 3d8Damage TypesNecrotic damage per turn, and their Movement Speed is halved. Lasts for 10 turns.

WIS Save
 Range: Self
AoE: 3 m / 10 ft (Radius)

Mapping of the Heart spells

Main article: Mapping of the Heart
Generic Control.webp
Castigate Heartform Castigate Heartform ()
Curse a creature whose heart you have mapped until they act against their nature.
 Range: 18 m / 60 ft

Mapped Terror applies Frightened Frightened and an additional condition depending on the character's response to "What is your greatest fear?" during the Mapping of the Heart. Cast against the same target as Castigate Heartform Castigate Heartform. Two variations have additional effects that buff the Sharrans:

Generic Control.webp
Mapped Terror: Betrayal Mapped Terror: Betrayal ()
Exploit the target's mapped fear to Frighten Frighten it and Dominate Dominate one of its allies.
WIS Save
 Range: 18 m / 60 ft
Generic Control.webp
Mapped Terror: Darkness Mapped Terror: Darkness ()
Exploit the target's mapped fear to Frighten Frighten it and inflict Blinding Sickness Blinding Sickness upon it.
WIS Save
 Range: 18 m / 60 ft
Generic Control.webp
Mapped Terror: Disease Mapped Terror: Disease ()
Exploit the target's mapped fear to Frighten Frighten it and inflict Flesh Rot Flesh Rot upon it.
WIS Save
 Range: 18 m / 60 ft
Generic Control.webp
Mapped Terror: Ceremorphosis Mapped Terror: Ceremorphosis ()
Exploit the target's mapped fear to make it believe it has undergone ceremorphosis.
WIS Save
 Range: 18 m / 60 ft
Generic Control.webp
Mapped Terror: Powerlessness Mapped Terror: Powerlessness ()
Exploit the target's mapped fear to Frighten Frighten it and Rot Rot its flesh.
WIS Save
 Range: 18 m / 60 ft
Generic Control.webp
Mapped Terror: Spiders Mapped Terror: Spiders ()
Exploit one of the target's deepest fears by transforming yourself and some allies into spiders.
WIS Save
 Range: 18 m / 60 ft
Generic Control.webp
Mapped Terror: Wolves Mapped Terror: Wolves ()
Exploit one of the target's deepest fears by transforming into a pack of wolves.
WIS Save
 Range: 18 m / 60 ft

Uniquely cast against Shadowheart if she sat on the bench in the House of Grief, this ability polymorphs Viconia and two allies into wolves.

Honour Mode

Divine Intervention Sunder the Heretical.webp
Dark Deliverance Dark Deliverance ()
D10 Necrotic.png 8d10 (8~80) Damage TypesNecrotic
Summon the Nightbringer's unholy wrath as roiling and acrid clouds of darkness that spare only the faithful of Shar.
WIS Save
 Range: Self
AoE: 15 m / 50 ft (Radius)
Legendary Action Offensive.webp
Heartwrench Heartwrench
D12 Psychic.png 10d12 (10~120) Damage TypesPsychic
Rend a target with a psychic barrage after you or an ally is struck by a Heartform Mapped Heartform Mapped creature.
WIS Save
 Range: 18 m / 60 ft
Legendary Action Defensive.webp
Sanctuary of Loss Sanctuary of Loss
Shield yourself or an ally from harm after they are attacked. This protection will wane when the protected creature attacks. Viconia can still use Heartwrench Heartwrench and keep this protection.

(Replaces Divine Intervention: Sunder the Heretical)

Passives

Viconia's armour and weapons grant her a few passives and boosts:

Allies

Viconia DeVir can be fought in the Cloister of Sombre Embrace. She is joined by 19 other Sharrans:

Defection

If Shadowheart became a Dark Justiciar in Act Two, the party can choose certain dialogue options and pass several Ability Checks to convince many of the Sharrans to defect from Viconia's side and ally with the party.

1st Dialogue option

2nd Dialogue option

  • A passive DC 7 Perception check to realize Shadowheart is attempting a coup. Must succeed the check and then select "Connect with her mind. Suggest she talk about the power Shar granted her."
  • Causes 7 Sharran Novices (all except Greymask) to defect.

3rd Dialogue option

  • Must select either:
    • "Give Shadowheart a chance to sway more of Viconia's followers."
    • "Wait- I have to know before it's too late. Why did you want the Astral Prism?" and then select either "Shar bid you do all of this?" or else "I've heard enough. Deal with this lot how you wish, Shadowheart."
  • Causes Owltalon, Gloommask, Gydd, Uttermask, and Greymask to defect.

Notes:

Encounter details

Viconia is one of the more difficult opponents in the game. She is continuously affected by the conditions Nightbringer's Beloved Nightbringer's Beloved and Radiant Retort Radiant Retort and begins the battle under the effect of Sanctuary Sanctuary. She has a high initiative bonus and will begin her first turn using Castigate Heartform Castigate Heartform on the character who underwent the Mapping of the Heart, followed by Mapped Terror on the same target, crippling one character with a series of debuffs. Of the several variations of Mapped Terror, Mapped Terror: Ceremorphosis Mapped Terror: Ceremorphosis is potentially the worst, fully locking down one character for at least two turns with a stun stun-like effect.

Viconia herself is a capable melee attacker thanks to the strength bonus from her Handmaiden's Mace, application of Divine Strike: Poison Divine Strike: Poison, and potential guaranteed critical hits from Castigate Heartform Castigate Heartform. Disarming her can be useful for reducing her damage output, but she will still have many powerful spells to fall back on.

Allies

The Sharrans possess overwhelming strength in numbers. Viconia is supported by nineteen allies including two powerful Justiciar Crusaders, four Sharran Sentrys, five Sharran Fidelian mages, and 8 Sharran Novices. All of her allies possess the passive feature Born into Darkness Born into Darkness which allows them to see through Darkness Darkness and take advantage of many spells and passives like Overwhelming Grief Overwhelming Grief and Shadow Ambush Shadow Ambush. The Sharran Fidelians will cast Darkness Darkness to set up these effects and also frequently attack with Bone Chill Bone Chill to prevent the party from healing.

Honour Mode

Viconia gains one Legendary action per round and three new abilities on Honour Mode: Heartwrench Heartwrench, Sanctuary of Loss Sanctuary of Loss, and the passive Impenetrable Shadow Impenetrable Shadow. Heartwrench adds a high-power targeted attack that focuses down the character whose heartform was mapped, while the latter two abilities defensively buff Viconia and her allies with additional instances of Sanctuary.

Tactics

The easiest way around the Mapping abilities is also the most obvious: don't do the Mapping of the Heart, or don't take the mapped character into battle. Avoiding the Mapping can be done by either leaving the mapped character at camp or passing a DC 20 Investigation check to reveal a button that unlocks the entrance to the Cloister without having to participate in the Mapping. Without the Mapping completed, Viconia cannot use Castigate Heartform or Mapped Terror.

Triggering Viconia's Radiant Retort Radiant Retort with a small AoE source of Radiant damage, such as Spirit Guardians Spirit Guardians, can prematurely block her Sanctuary and allow her to be targeted as early as the first turn.

It is highly recommended to bring a dedicated caster or a large number of AoE spells to this fight, especially in Honour Mode. This will allow the party to deal with the large number of enemies and potentially bypass Viconia's Sanctuary Sanctuary and Legendary Sanctuary of Loss Sanctuary of Loss abilities which prevent her from being targeted by single-target spells or melee attacks. This is potentially an excellent battle to use a Cleric's Divine Intervention: Sunder the Heretical, especially in conjunction with death-prevention effects like Death Ward Death Ward. The enormous radius and large radiant damage will wipe out many weaker Novices and deal significant damage to all other Sharrans, though if it hits Viconia then it will trigger her Radiant Retort Radiant Retort to kill the caster.

Perhaps most significantly, the entire fight can be somewhat cheesed with a very simple strategy: using the chokepoint. Retreating back up the stairs and through the door will force the entire Sharran army to follow and clump up close together. This makes them very vulnerable to damaging terrain such as Wall of Fire Wall of Fire, Wall of Ice Wall of Ice, and Spike Growth Spike Growth, as well as AoE spells such as Fireball Fireball, Cone of Cold Cone of Cold, and Sunbeam Sunbeam. It also places the party on the high ground and allows them to keep pushing enemies back onto damaging surfaces with Thunderwave Thunderwave, Smokepowder Bomb, or even Shove Shove.

Allies

It is also critical for the party to focus down the five Sharran Fidelians and Sentry Fredrichk. While Viconia and all her allies have many ways of benefiting from Darkness Darkness, only these six characters are actually able to cast it. If they are dead or crowd controlled then the other Sharrans will lose access to many powerful synergies and abilities, making them much less threatening.

The Sharran Fidelians also make liberal use of Bone Chill Bone Chill cantrips during the fight. Be sure to prepare your party with additional HP, temporary HP, or a way of preventing damage to one or more characters (invisibility, sanctuary, etc.) to avoid a situation where much of your party is immunized to healing effects.

In the case that the Sharrans are able to fill the battlefield with Darkness Darkness, the party can rely on certain items and spells to counter it. Sources of immunity to Blinded Blinded such as Eversight Ring or Shar's Spear of Evening may be necessary for melee characters to wade through the clouds of darkness. The party can also cast Daylight Daylight to dispel the Darkness but they should keep in mind that the most recently cast instance of Sunlight or Darkness will override the other, so Sharran Fidelians could summon more Darkness to extinguish it.

The Justiciar Crusaders, Nightmist and Owltalon, are second only to Viconia in power and are also significant threats to the party. However, they have very low Wisdom saving throws and thus make great targets for crowd control like Command Command or Hold Person Hold Person, as well as for mind-control effects like Confusion Confusion or Dominate Person Dominate Person.

Notes

  • The bestial polymorphs from Mapped Terror: Wolves and Mapped Terror: Spiders are illusory, and thus not targetable with Dominate Beast. They also function like a Druid's Wild Shape, with the polymorphed creature returning to their original form after the beast's hit points are depleted.
  • Viconia can be reanimated with Sovereign Glut's spores