One thing that non-DM's may not know about their DM's is that we create a lot more content that we actually use. Recently, the party in my high level Zombie game went to Hell to steal a soul engine, which would help them take a ship to the Atropus moonlet. While the party was successful, they didn't go about it in the way I had expected.
My original intention was to have them infiltrate the engine shop, where souls were being bound to infernal engines, and fight their way through it. I created various guard devils, and encounters in the various parts of the shop. I had expected to take two nights on it, but once the party was able to get inside, they used Bluff to get an engine up to the first floor, where they popped it into a portable hole, ducked the various attacks and spells, and were able to escape unscathed. I sat there, looking at my notes, sobbing silently inside. Their plan was sound, and the bad guys had every chance to stop them, but they were better... and in DnD that must be rewarded!
Now I have all this material I never used! During one encounter, the party was going to run into this agent of Lord Dis, the Devil Lord of the third layer of hell. He was there to corrupt the part, and give them what they wanted for a price. It was meant to try to shift them even further into evil, which I had been fostering for months. Sadly, it never got used, but thanks to Monster Monday, you can check it out!
This uses the Fiendish Codex II's Harvester Devil, mixed with the Fiend Folio's (v. 3.0) Fiend of Corruption.
Tho’Daah-Nugh
Harvester Devil/6th Level Fiend of Corruption CR 13
LE Medium outsider (baatezu, evil, extraplanar, lawful)
Init +9; Senses see in darkness
Languages Celestial, Common, Infernal; telepathy 100 ft.
AC 22, touch 15, flat-footed 17 (+5 Dex, +7 natural)
hp 91 (15 HD); DR 5/good or magic
Immune fire, poison
Resist acid 10, cold 10; SR 17
Fort +14, Ref +16, Will +13
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee dagger +18/+13 (1d4+2/19–20 plus infernal debt)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +13; Grp +14
Atk Options infernal debt
Special Actions summon baatezu
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 9th):
At will—disguise self, greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds of gear only)
1/day—mirror image
3/day—dispel magic (DC 19), vampiric touch (melee touch +18), suggestion (DC 21 Will)
Abilities Str 14, Dex 20, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 23
SA infernal debt, spell-like abilities
SQ alignment mask, refuge of the damned
Feats Ability Focus (refuge of the damned), Improved Initiative, Quick Draw, Weapon Finesse
Skills Balance +7, Bluff +22, Concentration +13, Decipher Script +12, Diplomacy +26, Disguise +32 (+34 acting), Escape Artist +10, Forgery +12, Hide +15, Intimidate +18, Jump +4, Listen +12, Sense Motive +13, Sleight of Hand +12, Spot +12, Tumble +10, Use Rope +5
Possessions dagger
Alignment Mask (Su) When it is exposed to any effect that can determine alignment or sense an alignment aura, a harvester devil can make a Bluff check opposed by the detector’s Sense Motive check. If the harvester devil’s check succeeds, it does not register as evil. The harvester devil still remains susceptible to other effects that target evil creatures, such as smite evil.
Infernal Debt (Su) A harvester devil’s ichor-soaked dagger places a powerful curse upon those struck by it. When struck by this weapon, a target must make a successful DC 20 Will save or take a -–2 penalty on attack rolls, checks, and saves as feelings of fatigue and sloth overcome him. Multiple attacks with this venom do not stack. This penalty lasts for 24 hours or until the target willingly strikes a good-aligned creature. This attack must deal its full normal damage, though the victim can opt to make an unarmed strike or other similarly ineffectual blow. In any case, he cannot opt to deal less damage than normal, nor can he accept the standard –4 penalty on the attack roll to deal nonlethal damage. The victim feels a strange urge to strike eligible targets to break the curse, and he can feel soothing relief waiting for him if he only gives in to the malevolent whispers that echo in his mind. A remove curse or heal spell rids a victim of the penalties, as well as the urge to do a companion harm. This is a mind-affecting ability, and the save DC is Charisma-based.
Refuge of the Damned (Su) Through a bizarre clause in the Pact Primeval, harvester devils are magically warded to prevent attacks by all nonoutsiders, at least until they strike first. A harvester devil continually gains the benefit of a sanctuary spell; a DC 22 Will save is required to overcome this effect. Outsiders are unaffected by this ability. If a harvester devil attacks any opponent, this ability ceases to function for 1 minute. A nonoutsider that succeeds on its save against refuge of the damned takes a –2 penalty on all saves for 1 minute, the cosmic price for breaking the ancient clause that protects harvester devils. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Summon Baatezu (Sp) Once per day, a harvester devil can attempt to summon 2d6 lemures with a 50% chance of success or 1d4 bearded devils with a 35% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 3rd-level spell (CL 12th).
Alternate Form (Su): A fiend of corruption has the ability to assume any humanoid form of Small to Large size as a standard action. While using this ability, the fiend gains a +10 circumstance bonus on Disguise checks.
Fiend’s Favor (Su): Once per day, a fiend of corruption can grant a touched creature a +3 bonus to one of the creature’s ability scores. This bonus stacks with any other bonus the creature may already have, and lasts for one day. When the effect expires, the creature takes a –3 penalty to the same ability score for the next day. Another application of fiend’s favor not only negates the penalty, but restores the full bonus.
Fiends of corruption are quite free with this ability—at least at first. They often approach people who are in need of a short-term ability boost for a specific situation, offering them the “favor” for free or in exchange for performing a simple task. The next day, when the affected creature is suffering from the penalty, the price for restoring the favor gets slightly higher, and so on—until a power-hungry character is willing to do just about anything in return.
Suggestion (Sp): At 2nd level, a fiend of corruption gains the ability to use suggestion three times per day. The saving throw DC is 15 + the fiend’s Charisma modifier (as though the fiend had Spell Focus [Enchantment]). The fiend of corruption’s class level is its caster level. If the target of this ability is currently under the influence of a charm person cast by the fiend, she takes a –2 penalty on her saving throw.
Mind Shielding (Su): At 2nd level, a fiend of blasphemy gains complete immunity to detect thoughts, discern lies, and any attempt to magically discern its alignment. This ability solidifies a fiend’s disguise, cloaking its thoughts as well as its flesh.
Mark of Justice (Sp): At 3rd level, a fiend of corruption can use mark of justice once per day, though the ability might better be termed “mark of iniquity” when used in this manner. A fiend of corruption uses this ability to cement a good person’s descent into evil. Once its victim is living an immoral life, the fiend uses mark of justice to ensure that the victim does not return to her old ways or seek atonement. While good clerics typically place a mark of justice ina visible place on the subject, fiends generally hide their marks in locations that are not obvious.
Fiendish Graft (Su): Once per month, a fiend of corruption of 4th level or higher can bestow a fiendish graft or symbiont on a willing mortal. Fiendish grafts are offered as rewards to characters who are already well along the path of corruption.
Major Creation (Sp): A 4th-level fiend of corruption gains the ability to use major creation three times per day. The fiend of corruption’s class level is its caster level.
Fiends of corruption use this ability to offer concrete temptation to mortals whose tastes run to material wealth and finery.
Geas (Sp): Also at 5th level, a fiend of corruption can use geas/quest once per day.
As with suggestion, magical compulsion is not an ideal way to accomplish the fiend of corruption’s goals, but works admirably as a step along the way.
Temptation (Su): At 5th level, a fiend of corruption gains the ability to offer good creatures the opportunity to change their alignment to evil. This works like the redemption or temptation function of the atonement spell, and the fiend can use this ability whenever the opportunity arises.
Grant Wish (Sp): A 6th-level fiend of corruption can grant a wish to a mortal (not an elemental, outsider, or nonliving creature) once per day. Using this ability costs the fiend experience points as if it were casting a wish spell, so fiends never use this ability lightly.
A fiend of corruption typically uses this ability as part of a soul bargain (see below), allowing it to grant its mortal target’s every desire in exchange for ownership of the mortal’s soul.
Soul Bargain (Su): At 6th level, a fiend of corruption gains the ability to enter a binding agreement with a mortal, at the cost of the mortal’s soul. The mortal victim must enter into the soul bargain willingly. Upon the mortal’s death (by any means), her soul is transferred to a gem (prepared as with the soul bind spell when the bargain is forged), even if the gem and the mortal are not on the same plane at the time.
The bargain requires 1 hour to complete, and is utterly inviolable once forged. The only way to escape a soul bargain is to recover the gem after the mortal’s death and break it, freeing her soul and allowing her to be restored to life
through the normal means. It is quite common for fiends of corruption, as soon as a soul bargain is complete, to return to their native plane and await the mortal’s death, or at least deposit the gem in a safe place before returning to the Material Plane to hasten the victim’s demise.
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