Skip to content
CharGen Icon
CreatePricing
Ephemereos the Memory Shearer - AI-generated fantasy Monster

Ephemereos the Memory Shearer

Legend says that when a hero forgets their first love or the face of a fallen comrade, it is because Ephemereos has snipped that thread of fate. They serve as the border-guard between the Waking World and the deep Dream, ensuring no mortal returns with the secrets of the gods.

Monsters
Medium fey · CR 9 · Unique

Ephemereos the Memory Shearer

A celestial fey steward of the Hellenic dream realm who harvests the experiences of mortals to maintain the equilibrium of the cosmos.
AC17
HP142/142
CR9
Init
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
ConditionsNone

Combat

AC 17 · HP 142 · CR 9

Ephemereos the Memory Shearer

Medium fey (shapechanger), lawful neutral
Armor Class17 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points142 (19d8 + 57)
Speed
30 ft. walk,
40 ft. fly (hover)
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
Saving ThrowsDEXINTWISCHA
SkillsArcanaDeceptionInsightPerceptionPersuasionStealth
Damage Resistances
Psychic,
Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from nonmagical attacks
Immunities
Charmed,
Frightened,
Sleep
Weaknesses
Cold Iron (Attacks with cold iron weapons bypass resistances and deal an extra 2d6 damage)
Senses
Truesight 60 ft.,
Passive Perception 17
Languages
Common,
Sylvan,
Celestial,
Telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge9
Proficiency Bonus+4
Dreamstride. As a bonus action, Ephemereos can step into a cloud of dream-mist and reappear in another misty space within 60 feet. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.
Magic Resistance. Ephemereos has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Aura of Amesia. Creatures within 10 feet of Ephemereos have disadvantage on Concentration checks and Intelligence saving throws.

Spells

Sleep (level 1, enchantment). Cast at 3rd level ( HP).
Mirror Image (level 2, illusion). Three illusory duplicates appear.
Hypnotic Pattern (level 3, illusion). Creates a twisting pattern of colors that incites the charmed condition and incapacitates.
Phantasmal Killer (level 4, illusion). Manifests the target's deepest fears to deal psychic damage per turn.

Actions

Multiattack. Ephemereos makes two Silver Shear attacks.
Silver Shears. Melee Weapon Attack: to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 () psychic damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or lose its reaction until the start of its next turn as a fragment of its immediate memory is snipped away.
Harvest Reminiscence (Recharge 5-6). Ephemereos swings the shears in a wide arc, emitting a wave of silver energy. Each creature in a 30-foot cone must make a Intelligence saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 36 () psychic damage and forgets a vital piece of knowledge: the creature cannot use any features that have a limited number of uses (like Action Surge, Barbarian Rage, or Channel Divinity) until the end of its next turn. On a success, the damage is halved and the secondary effect is ignored.

Reactions

Flicker of Deja Vu. When a creature Ephemereos can see within 60 feet makes an attack roll or an ability check, Ephemereos can force the creature to reroll the die and use the lower result.

Legendary Actions

Quick Snip. Ephemereos makes one Silver Shears attack.
Vanish into Reverie. Ephemereos uses Dreamstride and then takes the Hide action.
Rewrite Narrative (costs 2 actions). Ephemereos targets one creature it can see within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or be teleported up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space Ephemereos can see, as their recent movement is 're-edited.'
Role
Controller/Skirmisher
Built for
9

Gear

  • Silver Shears of Mnemosyne (Artifact, Priceless)Large shears made of solid astral silver. They do not cut flesh, only the conceptual threads of memory and fate.
  • Vial of Lethe Water (Consumable, 500 gp)A small glass vial that, if broken, releases a cloud of gas causing 1 minute of stunned condition on a failed DC 15 Constitution save.

Feats

Mobile
War Caster

Augmentations

None

Notes for the game master

Ephemereos is designed as a solo boss for a level 9 party or a recurring elite lieutenant for a higher-level party.
Use psychic damage to bypass traditional armor and emphasize the dream-like nature of the combat.

Tactics

  1. Opening

    Ephemereos starts the fight by casting Hypnotic Pattern or Mirror Image, attempting to divide the party's attention before moving in.

  2. Mid-fight

    Focus on the primary spellcaster with Silver Shears to disrupt their ability to react or cast complex magic. Use Harvest Reminiscence whenever it recharges.

  3. End of the fight

    If reduced below 30 HP, Ephemereos attempts to target the most 'interesting' PC for one final snip of their background memory before fleeing.

  4. Retreat

    Ephemereos will not fight to the death unless the loom they guard is threatened. They prefer to vanish into the mist once they have collected 'sufficient' memories.

How it fights

Always stay mobile using Dreamstride.
Target characters who rely on reactions, such as those with Counterspell or Shield.
Use Rewrite Narrative to pull healers into melee range or drop melee fighters into hazards.

Who it attacks first

Wizards and Bards (High-value memories)
Clerics (Disruptive divine connection)
Fighters (Low Intelligence makes them easy targets for memory snips)

Works well with

Pairs well with Night Hags who provide the dream-haunting environment.
Works excellently with Shadow Mastiffs that can track players through the mist.

How to beat it

Mind Blank spell completely nullifies most of Ephemereos's special abilities.
Forcing Ephemereos into an area of silence or anti-magic hinders their mobility.
Cold Iron weapons are vital for physical attackers.

Ways to avoid a fight

A player can offer a voluntary sacrifice of a cherished memory (reducing a skill proficiency or forgetting an NPC) to allow the party to pass without a fight.
Ephemereos can be engaged in a contest of poetry or riddles.

Ecology

A slender figure standing seven feet tall, dressed in flowing chitons made of captured starlight. Their face is a seamless marble mask that shifts between crying and laughing. In their hands, they wield a pair of massive, silver-curved shears that hum with the sound of a thousand whispered secrets.

Behavior

Methodical and polite, Ephemereos views combat as a necessary pruning. They speak in rhythmic hexameter and often apologize for the memories they are about to 'liberate' from the party.

How it lives

As a high-ranking fey, Ephemereos does not eat or sleep. They exist solely to process the 'excess' subconscious energy of mortal dreamers, turning lived experience into the raw fabric of the Feywild.

Lair

The Loom of Lethe, a temple of marble pillars floating amidst a sea of purple poppies and silver mist.

Habitat
The Somnium Fields, Astral Plane, or Greek-inspired Dream Realms.

Signs that it is near

Patches of silver thread caught on thorns
A lingering smell of crushed poppies and ozone
Characters experiencing sudden, inexplicable deja vu
Faded murals where the faces of figures have been physically scraped away

Tags

Dreamer,
Shearer,
Chronos-Touched

Lore

Legend says that when a hero forgets their first love or the face of a fallen comrade, it is because Ephemereos has snipped that thread of fate. They serve as the border-guard between the Waking World and the deep Dream, ensuring no mortal returns with the secrets of the gods.

What drives it

To collect a specific, pivotal memory from one of the players to complete a 'Tapestry of Ages' for a patron deity like Mnemosyne or Hypnos.

After the fight

Characters who were hit by Silver Shears might find that for the next week, they have trouble remembering common words or the names of acquaintances, adding a roleplay layer to the victory.

Variants

The Night Terror: A version of Ephemereos that deals necrotic damage and creates Nightmares instead of draining memories.
The Muse's Barber: A CR 12 version with the ability to cast Feeblemind once per day.

Hooks

Plot hooks

The party woke up this morning and found that they all have forgotten why they started their quest; they must track down the Shearer to get their purpose back.
An aging king wants to hire the party to capture Ephemereos so he can snip away the memory of his greatest failure.

How to use it

A guardian of a dream gate leading to the Underworld.
A bounty hunter sent by a god of secrets to erase the party's knowledge of a specific conspiracy.

Treasure

2d6 Refined Astral Silver Ingots (worth 250gp each)
A Jar of Bottled Dreams (acts as a Potion of Clairvoyance)
The Shearer's Silk Ribbon (a Cloak of Protection variant)

Media

0 images

No images yet.

Visual sheet

Turn Ephemereos the Memory Shearer into a sheet

A high-res, share-ready sheet you can post or print.