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Callos_DeTerran
2010-12-14, 12:42 PM
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/6379/gatesofhell.jpg

”I know now the extent of my folly. I had thought to ‘dabble’ in the affairs of all things diabolic, to gather information on the dwellers of Baator to serve as a weapon against them for the forces of good, but Hell is no idle monstrosity that would simply suffer my explorations. As I plunged deeper and deeper into the unwholesome knowledge and forbidden secrets that welled before me, I could feel eyes and minds far greater then my own observing me with great mirth. Even now I can hear those fitful words burned into my mind!


'I am the way into the doleful place,
I am the way into eternal grief,
I am the way to a forsaken race.
Justice it was that moved my great creator;
Divine omnipotence created me,
And highest wisdom joined with primal love.
Before me nothing but eternal things
Were made, and I shall last eternally.
Abandon every hope, all you who enter.'

If only I hadn’t ignored my instinct, perhaps I wouldn’t be in this situation! I know that there is no 'dabbling' in infernal matters anymore, there is only consumption of one's sacred soul by the monsters of the Pit. No mortal terror holds sway over me now for I have seen the flesh-forges of Fierna's debauched palace, torture pits of Jangling Hilter, and seen through the darkness at the deepest depth of Nessus that no man was meant to know.

Now I can feel the heat of Hell’s fires at my backs, hear the baying of it’s hounds as they catch my scent, and know my soul has long since been damned by the very knowledge that I had sought to exploit. There is no hope for me anymore…but perhaps my sacrifice won’t be in vain. Here I set down the extent of my knowledge to hide away before my hastened death arrives, praying that diabolic agents never discover its existence. For if they do…I fear that this tome will be perverted with their lies and hate to lead more then a few naïve heroes into their waiting, fiery grip. Now, attend these words carefully, for they shall illuminate those in the doleful realm where hope has no place and misery is as dominant as air. It is too late for me, but perhaps my own sacrifice won't be in vain.”



-Tiberius DeTerran,
presumed deceased

Most scholars of the planes and the beings who dwell upon them know of Baator and it’s oppressive regime, of the infernal politics and treachery that would put the most conniving of drow houses to utter shame. They could list off the most powerful of devil-kin, the arch-dukes, for they have gained infamy far beyond their own hateful realms. Greedy Mammon, lustful Fierna and Belial, smug Glasya, paranoid Dispater, and cunning Asmodeus to name just a few of the mighty Lords of the Nine, but rarer are those learned men and women who know the names of deposed arch-dukes or the plotting dukes who wait in the shadows to sweep down upon any Lord of the Nine that shows a sign of weakness. Names such as the tortured Zariel, faithful Gerza, obedient Adramalech, or banished Baftis who all held their own roles in shaping the nightmare that is Perdition but go forgotten by almost all but experts in infernal lore.

One such expert, Tiberius DeTerran, sought to fill this unwelcome gap in information so that a greater understanding of devil-kind and it’s hierarchy could be used against the devils and their minions. He spent the majority of his life wandering the planes, interviewing devils within carefully drawn circles, consulting with ancient oracles, and even mounting expeditions into Baator itself under the guise of a morally bankrupt merchant plying his wares. His friends and family grew concerned that exposure to such vile evil would taint Tiberius’ soul, a fear he secretly shared, and encouraged him to find a different avenue of research but he refused. By the end of his life, paranoia had wrecked his mind, turning the once confident mage into a half-mad coward who refused to leave his heavily fortified home for fear of retribution by the very beings he had sought to understand. It was during this time that he penned his greatest work, the Codex Diabolous, that documented all that he had learned of devils and dukes of the Nine Hells and it is rumored that it’s penning is also what brought about his doom. Not a day after the original six copies of the codex had been scattered across the planes, Tiberius’ fears became a reality when he found his tower under assault by a force of devils that stripped away his defenses until a Hell Mouth swallowed it whole and took his flaming soul into the depths of Baator.

================================================== ==

Well, time for a new homebrew project from me! This time, if you haven't guessed, I've decided to take a look at the nobility of Baator below the rank of arch-duke to provide a more comprehensive look at the diabolic hierarchy. That means that I plan to cover dukes, unique devils, their goals/motivations, and probably add a sprinkling of magical locations and creatures to further expand on Baator.

I welcome any help and (before people mention it) and I have heard of the Gates of Hell project by Dicefreaks and have read bits and pieces of it. That said, I'm mostly looking for critique on the content that I create for this and will gladly offer it to those who help contribute as well. For the benefit of this project, it assumes the Pact Primeval origin for the devils is the right one.

Order of Things I'm working on:
-Zariel, former Arch-duchess of Avernus (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9965230&postcount=2)
-Adramalech, Chancellor of Hell (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9969227&postcount=5)
-Asterian Beasts, Hell's Monsters (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9969227&postcount=5)
-Duskur, the Dark Lady (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10844273&postcount=27)
-Artifacts and Treasures of Baator (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10003578&postcount=15)

Callos_DeTerran
2010-12-14, 12:46 PM
http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs20/i/2007/289/e/b/Zariel__archduchess_of_Avernus_by_Johndowson.jpg
Picture by Johndowson on DeviantArt

The being before you is one of violent beauty who’s pale skin is often spattered with ichor of tanari foes. A pair of long sweeping horns rise from her brow, bedecked with gold rings while pushing back the arch-duchess’ black cowl from her solemn face, Zariel’s pitch-black eyes holding nothing but cold disdain even as oily tears run down across her cheeks. Black feathered angel wings sweep out from behind her, the pinions adorned with black spikes to batter and slice foes, their dark beauty matching her lily-white skin and skull-adorned clothing, while defiled holy symbols sway about her waist on long chains hooked into her own flesh. This indifferent being holds two massive weapons with supernatural ease, her left hand clutching a black-bladed bastard sword that is wreathed in sickly green flames that cast an unhealthy pallor on its dragon-shaped cross guard and pommel, capped as it is by the skull of some unfortunate demon. Her right holds a bone-white halberd that’s sheer evil radiates off of the weapon in palpable waves that bring dread to demons and mortals alike.

Zariel, Lady of Despair CR 26
Medium Outsider (Lawful, Extraplanar, Evil, Baatezu)
Hit Dice: 26d8+204 (416 hp)
Initiative: +11
Speed: 30 ft., fly 90 ft. (good)
Armor Class: 46 (+7 Dex, +8 greater mage armor, +5 dodge, +16 natural), touch 21, flat-footed 35
Base Attack/Grapple: +26/+36
Attack: Fiendharrow +44 (1d10+17+1d6 fire/18-20/x2), Druk-hai +44 (1d10+17+1 Con damage/18-20/x2)
Full Attack: Fiendharrow +42/+37/+32/+27 (1d10+17+1d6 fire/18-20/x2) and Druk-hai +42/+37/+32/+27 (1d10+17+1 Con damage/18-20/x2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: hell blast, aura of despair, maneuvers, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: DR 20/silver, epic, and good, immunity to ability damage, ability drain, acid, cold, fire, compulsions, petrifaction, and poison, greater mage armor, lady of war, regeneration 10, resistance to sonic 10, see in darkness, SR 39, telepathy (300 ft.)
Saves: Fort +25, Ref +24, Will +25
Abilities: Str 34, Dex 25, Con 26, Int 24, Wis 27, Cha 28
Skills: Bluff +38, Concentration +37, Diplomacy +38, Escape Artist +36, Intimidate +38, Knowledge (arcane) +36, Knowledge (religon) +36, Knowledge (tactics), +36, Knowledge (the planes) +36, Listen +37, Sense Motive +37, Search +36, Spellcraft +36, Spot +37, Use Magic Device +38
Feats: Dark Speech, Dilate Aura, Dire Charge, Dodge, Greater Two Weapon Fighting, Improved Initiative, Improved Two Weapon Fighting, Mobility, Perfect Two Weapon Fighting, Two Weapon Fighting
Environment:
Organization:

The Lady of Despair, Zariel, Arch-Duchess and former ruler of Avernus. Her consort, the pit fiend warlord (and former general for the Dark Eight in the Iron Guard of Dispater) Bel betrayed her in the aftermath of the Reckoning and now he is the current ruler of the layer. It is said that she is currently imprisoned and continuously tortured in the Bronze Citadel, in a secret room right under Bel's throne room, where her screams of rage and pain echo throughout the Bronze Citadel as a warning to those who would cross Bel. Diabolic intrigue suggests that since the pit fiend is not a unique baatezu he must continuously consume the essence of his former mistress to obtain and maintain his infernal powers until Asmodeus deigns to grant him a more unique form. Avernus's unpredictable balls of fire are theorized to be the embodiments of Zariel's rage given physical form, which makes many devils wonder if it’s coincidence that those with a professed allegiance to Bel and a susceptibility to flame find themselves the target of these fireballs more often then not.

When Asmodeus, Dispater, and Mephistopheles were first sent out of Heaven in accordance with the Pact Primeval, his regiment of corrupted angels were exiled along with them. Among that group of brutal demon-killers Zariel stood above her kin in the sheer ferocity she brought to battle against the demonic hordes. While Asmodeus established the order of Baator, Zariel was the obvious choice to lead the effort in the Blood War while her fellow archdukes went about the business of establishing soul-hunting grounds and increasing their political power. Much like her successor, Zariel was a tactical genius who won victory after victory against the tanari hordes and earned special favor from Asmodeus in the form of Druk-hai as a reward for her skill. Perhaps it is because of this favor that Zariel grew proud and conceited, rankling her subordinates and comrades as well with her attitude of superiority towards them. She even went so far as to aid Tiamat in establishing the Five-Fold dragon’s divine realm over the entrance to Dis, an act of reckless independence that may well have sealed her fate.

She was instrumental to the establishment of Tiamat in Baator, strengthening the bonds between dragonkind and herself, the blade Fiendharrow being forged to commemorate the alliance between Zariel and Tiamat. However, there were those that grew suspicious about the union and wondered if it was a precursor to Zariel's draconic allies seizing more power for themselves, among them the Dark Eight and it's nominal leader Bel. What happened next is well recorded diabolic history, known to all with even a passing interest in the history of Baator. Now Bel sits in her throne with Asmodeus’ blessing, using Zariel’s Fiendharrow against the tanari much like it’s former owner did though he proves much more aware of how tenuous his position is without support and has thus continued his alliance the Dark Eight and has courted other archdukes with offers of alliance.

These stats assume that Zariel either hasn’t been deposed yet or has been freed from her imprisonment and given time to recover from Bel’s depredations.

Combat

Zariel is a fierce combatant but doesn’t allow her bloodlust to get the better of her either. She prefers to harry foes from a distance with her hell blast and spell-like abilities to feel out their capabilities. When she does finally close in for the kill, it’s always with a squad of cornugon that she uses to split and harass her enemies while she singles out enemies wielding holy magic or weapons for devastating charges that end in a veritable tempest of attacks. She reserves her wish spell-like ability in case she drops below 200 hit points for either a healing effect, a disjunction to sap her enemy’s protections, or to flee as the case may be. Zariel’s anti-magic field is usually a last resort for when magic-users have proven to particularly persistent foes since she still makes for a formidable melee opponent even without her supernatural abilities.

Fiendharrow is a +5 fiery keen axiomatic evil outsider bane cold iron bastard sword. The sword is universally feared by demons who have sought it’s destruction on more then one occasion. It is considered an epic weapon for the purpose of penetrating DR. This is the very blade that Bel uses in combat, magically enlarged to better fit his greater size. The skull on the pommel is from an infamous balor commander that Zariel slew at the beginning of the Blood War, the balor’s essence leeched to power the blade.

Druk-Hai is a +5 keen vicious wounding unholy halberd constructed of baatorian green steel. When used by an evil outsider, they don’t suffer the 1d6 ‘backlash’ damage from the vicious enhancement and may, as a full round action, use it to cut a ‘hole’ in magical barriers and walls that the wielder may pass through (as part of the full round action) before the rift repairs itself. This includes, but is not limited to, force effects. This weapon is said to have been forged from one of the chitin plates left behind by Obox-ob’s main body when he was first killed by the Queen of Chaos, sharpened by Punishment itself to have the ultimate edge. With Zariel’s imprisonment, the halberd has vanished and many suspect it is integral to keeping her jailed either because it is the key or it is the tool actually imprisoning her.

Aura of Despair (Su): Zariel is constantly surrounded by an aura of crushing hopelessness that extends out to 30 ft. from her. Any enemy that enters the range of this aura must make a Will save (DC 31). Those who save manage to shrug off the effects of her aura while each creature that fails it’s save takes a -4 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls. Once an enemy has made its save, they are immune to Zariel’s aura of despair for 24 hours.

Greater Mage Armor (Su): Zariel is constantly surrounded by a double-strength mage armor effect. If it is dispelled then she can reactivate the affect as a swift action on her next turn.

Hell Blast (Su): As a standard action, Zariel can create a 30 ft. radius burst of hellish green flames that deal 26d6 points of fire damage with a Reflex save (DC 31) for half. She can create a hell blast up to a range of 460 ft. but must wait 1d4+1 rounds between uses of this ability.

Lady of War (Ex): Zariel’s extensive experience with warfare means that no weapon is unfamiliar in her hands and she is treated as proficient with all weapons. She may also wield two-handed weapons as light melee weapons for the purposes of the Two Weapon Fighting chain of feats, but is not able to wield weapons that are too large for her. Typically she uses this ability to wield Fiendharrow and Druk-Hai at the same time.

Regeneration: The Lady of Despair takes damage from good aligned weapons and spells with the Good descriptor.

Maneuvers: Zariel may use the following maneuvers as an initiator of level 15. She may recover them in the same manner that warblades recover their own. girallon windmill flesh rip, hamstring attack, order forged from chaos, white raven tactics

Spell-Like Abilities: Zariel uses the following spell like abilities at CL 21.
At-will-astral projection, blasphemy, desecrate, detect chaos, detect good, flame strike, fire shield (warm only), greater dispel magic, greater teleport, plane shift, shapechange, shield of law, telekinesis, unhallow, dictum
3/day-blade barrier, meteor swarm, power word blind, symbol of pain
1/day-anti-magic zone, wish

Goals: Zariel’s goal all revolve around a single thing…freedom. Her ability to influence the world is highly restricted, but this hasn’t kept her few remaining cults from continuing to pray at her debased altars and garner her more divine energy. It is Zariel’s hope that if her cult were to spread far enough that the sudden influx of energy would allow her to escape her bindings and flee into Avernus to properly recover and plot her revenge on Bel and those who allowed her to fester in his clutches.

Cult: The Lady of Despair does not have a very large following by any count, her loyal members assassinated by those who turned to Bel’s might when she was first cast down from her exalted position. Those who remain fear to act to openly, ever watchful for signs that other diabolic cults exist in the same territory since there is no telling if they might continue the purge that Bel started. Her most common worshipers are those who feel they’ve somehow been wrongfully imprisoned or tormented; those full of pride that have tumbled from favor are typical adherents to her small cult. Typically, they are usually more then willing to blame everyone but themselves for their misfortunes to the point of self-denial of their own faults.

Zariel’s rites take place in hidden caves and fortresses, always in the dead of night when it is less likely that someone will notice the flames from her sacrificial pits. While she accepts any sacrifice given up to her name, Zariel is especially fond of sacrifices of her own cultists since it gives her an extra surge of power. Thus her doctrine leaves very little room for failure with the punishment for transgressions almost universally being death. However, this doesn’t keep that same doctrine from preaching that it is the highest honor to be butchered for the Jailed Lady’s sake and to have one’s soul devoured so as to speed her release. Her holy symbol is a pair of black wings crossed overtop of a bloody halberd, but most of her followers can be spotted by the black feathers they’ll typically sport in one fashion or another. Clerics of Zariel have access to the Diabolic, Fire, and Law domains.

Minions: Erinyes and cornugons are Zariel’s most typical followers among the infernal realms, though they are always careful to keep such an allegiance hidden from their fellows. The erinyes view Zariel as the ideal erinyes, one who flew to the highest reaches of power before having her wings taken away by the pretender while the cornugons were always her favored soldiers and those still loyal hope for great reward if they succeed in freeing her.

Among the mortal plane she is most often served by humanoids who live in large urban areas where it is easier to hide their tracks, especially when the actual site of their worship could be miles away. Those fallen out of power by the whims of capricious rulers, ‘small’ mistakes, or for having their foul deeds uncovered are often approached by one of Zariel’s mortal minions who offers a sympathetic ear and the companionship of others like them. By the time they discover they’ve fallen into worship of a devil these new members usually view the cult as the family they’ve never had…though some do refuse and are promptly slaughtered before they can expose the cell.

Realm: Zariel’s realm used to be Avernus before Bel deposed of her.

LOTRfan
2010-12-14, 05:03 PM
... I am speechless. This is excellent! I was hoping on finding 3.5 stats for Zariel. Can't wait for Adramalech!

The Tygre
2010-12-14, 06:00 PM
...

*tear softly rolls down cheek*

Glorious.

Simply, GLORIOUS.

Callos_DeTerran
2010-12-14, 10:46 PM
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/7227/adramalech.jpg

The being that stands before you is one of supreme, musty age who’s evil have preserved it throughout the eons. A fine, black silk cloak is draped over a skeletally thin figure with the hood pulled up to cover it’s face in shadows. The garment is covered in dust and small holes in the hem, revealing the black iron greaves molded in the shape of screaming faces. When his, and the figure does seem masculine, hands slip free of the voluminous sleeves you can spy matching spiked gauntlets that have long since rusted. On his left hand, a gold ring glitters below a large perfectly polished ruby. Worst of all is the bird-like helm he wears to conceal his rotting face. Blasphemous runes crawl all along it’s surface, making viewers ill just watching them, while behind it is a skull-like visage reminiscent of death itself with wispy gray strands of hair buffeting the cold mask of the Chancellor.

Adramalech, Chancellor of Hell CR 16
Large Outsider (Lawful, Extraplanar, Evil, Baatezu)
Hit Dice: 15d8+60 (137 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 30 ft.
Armor Class: 27 (-1 size, +7 Dex, +4 infernal mastery, +6 natural armor), touch 20, flat-footed 20
Base Attack: +15/+22
Attack: eldritch blast +27 (7d6/x2), +2 spell-storing disruption heavy mace +23 (2d6+8/x2)
Full Attack: eldritch blast +27/+22/+17 (7d6/x2), +2 spell-storing disruption heavy mace +23/+18/+13 (2d6+8/x2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: destroy faith, eldritch blast +7d6, invocations, spell-like abilities,
Special Qualities: DR 10/silver and good, infernal mastery, immunity to acid, cold, fire, and poison, mettle, see in darkness, SR 30, subsume healing, telepath (300 ft.)
Saves: Fort +13, Ref +16, Will +14
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 25, Con 18, Int 28, Wis 16, Cha 20
Skills: Bluff +22, Decipher Script +26, Diplomacy +22, Gather Information +22, Intimidate +22, Knowledge (arcane) +26, Knowledge (religion) +26, Knowledge (nature) +26, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +26, Knowledge (nature) +26, Knowledge (nobility & royalty) +26, Perform (speech) +22, Profession (bureaucrat) +21, Search +26, Sense Motive +21, Spellcraft +26, Use Magic Device +22
Feats: Craft Wondrous Item, Forge Ring, Iron Will, Quicken Spell-like Ability (hellfire), Point-blank Shot, Precise Shot
Environment: Baator
Organization: Self plus Asterian Beast (see below) and quartet of greater devils.

Adramalech is a being that enjoys a unique position in the hierarchy of Baator, that of the mouthpiece of Asmodeus himself. While not as powerful as the other dukes or greater devils, his presence nonetheless never fails to bring a clammy note of fear into the most stalwart of hearts since it means that the eyes of his master is upon them. As such, aside from the archdukes, he is the least likely being to be harassed within the Nine Hells and his method of holding himself says nothing less. Despite his importance though, little is actually known about the origin of this foul creature, only a mess of contradicting rumors that run the gamut from an enslaved deity to a living manifestation of the Hells.

The truth is far more mundane. Adramalech is simply ‘the First’, the first soul to be sentenced to damnation by the Lord of Nessus after a long and fruitful life spent corrupting his home sphere to the cause of lawful evil until it was bodily absorbed into Baator and converted into divine energy along with it’s inhabitants by an infernal machine of colossal size. As a reward for his service, Adramalech was crafted a devil form of his own and given his position as the Chancellor of Hell. Now his days are spent managing the infernal bureaucracy of Nessus and carrying important missives to each of the different layers, making it equally as likely to encounter him in Avernus as in Nessus. His long service to Asmodeus has turned him into the perfect servitor, canny and dangerous but lacking the ability or ambition to challenge his master’s superiority, if he even had the desire to do such anyway. When acting under orders, the Chancellor is openly disdainful of any creature or being that gets in his way, including the archdukes and expects to be offered every amenity and bribe the offender can offer in order to ‘forget the transgression’. This seemingly mercenary nature has prompted more then a few, foolish, beings to approach Adramalech with overtures of secret alliance to upset the order of the Hells, all of which are immediately reported to Asmodeus, demoted, or slain on the spot if Adramalech believes himself up to the task.

The Chancellor proves to be a reprehensible being in conversation, unafraid of insulting and belittling those around him under a thin veneer of politeness and subservience. His arrogance has earned him more then a few enemies yet none have dared to actually make a move against him, only serving to inflate his ego to dangerous levels. Adramalech simply can no longer perceive of a Baator that exists without him or no longer requires his services.

Combat

Adramalech is a wary and cautious opponent when forced into a confrontation. His unshakeable faith in his position causes him to view any challengers as outsiders of Baator, and thus unknowing of his importance, making them dangerous. In such cases he’s far more likely to retreat then to engage in battle, but when forced to do so (such as when handling a time sensitive matter) he attacks with all the fiery fury of hell. He prefers to spend the first couple of rounds smiting foes with hellfire storms and quickened hellfire in the hopes of ending a fight quickly, before seeking to separate the opposition with his invocations and spell-like abilities and destroy the enemy one at a time. If forced into a lethal confrontation, Adramalech proves surprisingly fearless since he believes that, should he fall, that his master will return him to life at the earliest possible chance.

If allowed to prepare before engaging the enemy, he always uses his desecrate, fly, mage armor, and shield spell-like abilities. Adramalech is rarely encountered outside of the presence of an Asterian Beast, which he commonly uses as a mount to convey him around Baator accompanied by a beast that many sensible devils would prefer not to tangle with.

Destroy Faith (Su): Adramalech’s very existence acts as proof that not even the gods can stop the minions of Baator and such an earth-shattering revelation can be felt around the Chancellor of Hell. A character attempting to turn or rebuke undead within 60 ft. of Adramalech must succeed at a caster level check (DC 26) or have their holy symbol melt into a noxious puddle. In addition, the spell resistance of any devil within the same radius has their spell resistance improved by 5 against divine spells as Adramalech’s physical presence saps the faith of divine casters close by. The second effect of this ability is a mind-affecting ability and can be ignored if the divine caster in question is immune to such effects.

Infernal Mastery (Su): Adramalech’s long tenure in his position has boosted his command of his diabolic powers past what he could normally achieve. He may use his eldritch blast as an attack action, including making full attacks with it, and he is constantly treated as under the effect of an unholy aura spell. If this ability is dispelled then he must wait 1d4+2 rounds before he may reactivate it as a free action.

Invocations: Adramalech uses invocations as a 15th level warlock, including the use of eldritch blast.

Least: eldritch spear, see the unseen, entropic shield
Lesser: beshadowed blast, curse of despair, flee the scene
Greater: vitriolic blast, tenacious plague, wall of perilous flame

Spell-Like Abilities: Adramalech uses the following spell like abilities at CL 15.
At-will- desecrate, detect chaos, detect good, dictum, fly, greater dispel magic, greater teleport, hellfire, mage armor, shield, telekinesis, unhallow,
3/day-hellfire storm, quickened hellfire, cure serious wounds
1/day-plane shift

Subsume Healing (Su): Magical healing within the area of Adramalech’s destroy faith ability proves difficult to accomplish. As an immediate action, Adramalech may attempt to subsume a healing spell cast within 60 ft. of himself, essentially redirecting the healing spell or spell-like ability so that he is the target. Adramalech heals half of the HP that the original target would have been healed and the spell (or spell-like ability) is still considered expended. The caster of the healing spell (or the creature generating the healing effect) can attempt a Will save (DC 26) in order to prevent this ability from taking effect. When this ability works, the creature being healed will be briefly lined by black flames before they rush through the air to be breathed in by Adramalech.

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Goals: Adramalech’s goals can easily be seen as the same as Asmodeus’ own, though his schemes and plans are usually independent of the Lord of Nessus’ own to prevent troubling his master with his successes or failings. It is his job to ensure that the infernal bureaucracy continues to run as efficiently as possible, a task that he persues with much enthusiasm. Those who fail to meet his obscenely high expectations will often find themselves demoted should he actually become aware of them, cultivating a frantic and busy work environment around the smug Chancellor. When not attending to Asmodeus or to the bureaucracy, he is often working to undermine the other archdukes and dukes to prevent any one noble from gaining too much influence and power. To this end, he’s been attempting to plant his own spies within the Lord of Flies’ spy network and has encouraged Fierna’s independent streak whenever possible. However, the Chancellor’s plotting is decidedly unsubtle compared to that of more powerful hellish nobles and his interference with Baator’s politics can usually be determined easily.

Minions: Adramalech’s favored minions lay on two opposite sides of the spectrum, the first being the might Asterian Beasts that he breeds and keeps in various monstrous kennels around Nessus and the second being the conniving imps that greater devils usually look down upon as worthless. However, this doesn’t keep Adramalech from using the diminutive devils as messengers, bureaucrats, assassins, and cat’s paws as the situation demands. Aminzus are also commonly seen laboring under Adramalech’s banner, though there are hints that they begin to rankle under the weight of a being they still consider a mortal.

Realm: Adramalech possesses no true realm, befitting his position as a chancellor, but he does run the bureaucracy of Nessus personally and can thus be said to have laid claim to those canyons and rifts that house those facilities.

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http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/4229/asterianbeast.jpg
Asterian Beast CR12
Gargantuan Magical Beast (Lawful, Extraplanar, Evil, Baatezu)
Hit Dice: 20d10+220 (320 hp)
Initiative: -1
Speed: 60 ft.
Armor Class: 28 (-4 size, -1 Dex, +18 natural armor), 5 touch, 28 flat-footed
Base Attack: +20/+41
Attack: claw +29 (2d6+13/x2)
Full Attack: 2 claw +29 (2d6+13/x2)
Space/Reach: 20 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: chomp, fire breath, improved grab, stomp
Special Qualities: blindsense 60 ft., DR 15/silver and good, fast healing 10, immunity to fire, resistance to acid 15, cold 20, electricity 15, and scent
Saves: Fort +25, Ref +13, Will +8
Abilities: Str 36, Dex 8, Con 32, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 8
Skills: Climb +24, Jump +24, Swim +14
Feats: Ability Focus (fire breath), Endurance, Die Hard, Great Fortitude, Improved Toughness, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Environment: 1st, 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 9th layers of Baator
Organization: Solitary, pack (2-6)
Advancement: 20-30HD (Gargantuan), 30+ HD (Colossal)

This hulking beast looms as a black-scaled behemoth, it’s shoulders and arms covered in a mat of clumpy black fur. It lumbers about on two feet, but hunched over so that it’s wickedly sharp claws almost drag along the ground. A bony plate covers the top of it’s head and muzzle, obscuring any eyes if it has them at all, and heightening the image of a creature bred for battle. The plate extends into a thick spiny carapace that cover it's shoulders and back, giving the beast a fearsome profile. It’s black-scaled body ripples with powerful muscle and each step it takes with it’s tree-trunk sized legs makes the ground quiver around it. The creature’s long muzzle is filled with yellowed fangs that prevent it’s mouth from closing so that streams of rancid drool leak down unto the ground beneath it. A hellish red glow emanates from the back of it’s throat, a sign of the furnace burning within it.

The mighty Asterian Beasts are a surprisingly new addition to the Nine Hells, the result of extensive corruption among a cabal of giant diabolists to the point they were reduced to animal-like ferocity and intelligence. Now they wander the depths of Perdition as a walking reminder of what happens to those foolish mortals who try to get the better of the devils they consorted with, wreaking unimaginable fury whenever they are provoked to ire. The devils, in their usual industrious manner, have decided that these debased creatures are useful as mounts and warbeasts when the Blood War calls for a heavy application of brute force. For the most part they wander freely across the Nine Hells since it would prove more troublesome then it’s worth to try and restrict their movements, but a few enterprising entities have constructed horrific ‘stables’ for Asterian Beasts and have made great leaps in domesticating the creatures.

Combat

Chomp: When an Asterian Beast has grappled an enemy, it may forgo one of it’s normal claw attacks to viciously bite down on the grappled foe with bone-crushing force. If it hits (use it’s normal claw attack bonus) then the Asterian Beast deals 4d6+18/x3 damage to the chomped enemy. The wounds given by this attack bleed freely for an additional 1 point of damage for 1d10 rounds afterwards unless the victim heals at least 1 point of damage.

Fire Breath (Su): As a full round action, an Asterian Beast can unleash a bone-melting stream of hellfire that scorches the earth and leaves nothing but cinders in it’s wake. Those caught in the 60 ft. line must make a Reflex save (DC 28) or take 10d6 points of hellfire damage. The Asterian Beast must wait 1d6+3 rounds before it can use it’s fire breath again.

Stomp (Ex): As a full round action, an Asterian Beast may stomp down atop an enemy hard enough to make the ground quake all around it. Resolve the attack as a claw attack that deals adds 1 ½ strength damage to the total (+18) but forces a Reflex save (DC 26) from all creatures within 30 ft. of it in contact with the ground. Those who fail the save are knocked prone by the force of the attack.

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Definitely need some advice on these two beasties though, especially their CR.

AtlanteanTroll
2010-12-15, 04:53 PM
OK. I love these. No clue what they're for though. Are they Demon Lords or not? If so, their CR is a bit weak.

...

Right?

absolmorph
2010-12-15, 05:14 PM
OK. I love these. No clue what they're for though. Are they Demon Lords or not? If so, their CR is a bit weak.

...

Right?
They're not demon lords, but they're significant members of the Nine Hells.
One is a former demon lord, the other is basically Asmodeus's head bureaucrat.

AtlanteanTroll
2010-12-15, 05:20 PM
They're not demon lords, but they're significant members of the Nine Hells.
One is a former demon lord, the other is basically Asmodeus's head bureaucrat.

OK, I see. That's what threw me off.

LOTRfan
2010-12-15, 05:35 PM
Zariel isn't a demon. She's a fallen Angel, like Asmodeus. :smallconfused:

Callos_DeTerran
2010-12-15, 08:51 PM
OK, I see. That's what threw me off.

Zariel is the former Archduckess of Avernus who was deposed by the current ruler (and advanced/unique) pit fiend named Bel. Supposedly Zariel is still alive and being tortured somewhere so I decided to start off this project with one of the few living 'ex' archdukes. From there I intend to cover unique devils and the dukes (the step down from archdukes) so Zariel is likely going to be one of the highest CR entities that are going to be statted up.

As for her relative weakness, keep in mind that the Lords of the Nine are, generally, organized weakest to strongest based on what layer they govern so Zariel would have been one of the weakest archdukes anyway. Compare her to the CR 27 aspect of Asmodeus to get an idea of power scale.

And yeah, Adramalech is merely a unique devil/bureacrat. He's not meant to be major threat to characters daring/powerful enough to mount a serious offensive into Baator.

EDIT: And yeah, none of these creatures are demons. All devils. :smallwink:

Callos_DeTerran
2010-12-18, 02:27 PM
Bloody double-post...

Anywho! Order of things to be done has been re-ordered due to problems of creativity. Open to suggestions on what else to add to that list though.

LOTRfan
2010-12-18, 02:57 PM
Open to suggestions? You just made a terrible mistake. :smallamused:

Cozbinaer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cozbinaer)
Amon
Bist
Caim
Nergal
Nishroch
Malarea
Duskur (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabble_of_Devilkin#Rabble_of_Devilkin)

Any of these would be pretty cool. Not a lot of fluff is given, though. Possible creative license opportunity?

Callos_DeTerran
2010-12-18, 03:21 PM
Open to suggestions? You just made a terrible mistake. :smallamused:

Cozbinaer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cozbinaer)
Amon
Bist
Caim
Nergal
Nishroch
Malarea
Duskur (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabble_of_Devilkin#Rabble_of_Devilkin)

Any of these would be pretty cool. Not a lot of fluff is given, though. Possible creative license opportunity?

Interesting...adding Duskur, Amon, and Caim to the list of dukes to flesh out then. Also, who's Bist? He/she/it isn't on the list.

LOTRfan
2010-12-18, 03:23 PM
Bist is #4 on the list.


The violent female devil known as Bist has a strong affinity with hellcats. Completely selfish, she is a mistress of duplicity and is mistrusted by all the other devils of Baator.

Like an evil Bast. She's obsessed with Hellcats.

Callos_DeTerran
2010-12-19, 10:47 PM
Artifacts of Baator

"The wiles and silver tongues of the baatezu are the single largest threat that I have ever had the displeasure to become aware of; my sojourn into the dark depths of Baator have beaten this truth into my weary mind, but this is not the only threat that these diabolic creatures use to corrupt mortals. When a deal cannot be struck or obedience compelled, the carrot is shown to mute the fear of the stick. There are many treasures within the Nine Hells, especially within Mammon's glittering hordes, and these powerfully enchanted gifts are used to sway even the most stalwart of heroes to forgo their quests. Some are even true relics of holy power, lost to the clutches of devilkind when their owners fell in righteous battle against the baatezu, but others are of a far more sinister origin and bring naught but woe and despair in their wake.

I have taken the time to chronicle but a few of these hidden menaces and honest treasures, but I do not doubt that there are hoards I did not find and vaults I would not dare to dwell into. Take heed dear readers, that your hand does not find the hilt of blades such as Victus Poena but instead seeks solace in those more in spirit with Censura. These pitfalls will lead to a blight upon your immortal souls just as well as any signed contract with infernal dwellers...


-Tiberius DeTerran

It is a well known fact that fiends of any nature are well-accomplished in magical ability and their ingenuity in how to apply it to the environment around them. Demon lords warp and alter the layers they claim as their own while daemon commanders man impressive citadels that bristle with strange and unusual armament even as devils devised ever more ingenious methods to wring divine energy from the poor souls left on their tender mercies. Thus, it seems inevitable that diabolic kind would turn their gaze to a new route for increasing the yield of their soul harvests by way of turning the very 'boons' they give contractors against them while destroying those items that may very well sunder the fate the devils attempt to weave about their victims (and hide them when they cannot be destroyed).

This chapter of the Codex Diabolous deals with the major artifacts, minor artifacts, and unique items that can be discovered within the bounds of Baator or in the possession of denizens of that foul place. Considering their current location and sources, attaining some of these items is likely to only be achieved through Faustian contracts or by association with those who have signed them. Thus prices are not given for the items where such a number is unlikely to even be brought up in the first place.

Victus Poena (Major Artifact): The legend of Victus Poena is often recanted without this evil blade's name ever mentioned and, in fact, knowledge of the exact characteristics of the blade seem to change with each version of the story. In some of the stories, it is a wide bladed dagger forged of solid night while in others it is the most massive of blades and glimmers with what can only be gold, but the story itself always goes the same.


The story goes about a young man, despised in his village as a coward, who pledged to the gods that he would carve his name into the face of history with his acts of bravery and heroism though things never seemed to go his way. Always it would be others who saved the day, causing the nameless young man's anger to boil at what he believed where rightfully his glories. One day, while escorting the daughter of a local lord that he fancied, they were set upon by vicious bandits that threw the man to the ground as they took the girl, laughing at his incompetence even as he raged and frothed like a mad animal.

Only then did the crimson-winged angel with skin of the purest snow descend to him from on high, a stunning creature who's cruel beauty left the man dumbstruck. She told him how the god's had seen his plight and turned their backs on him, of the horrors inflicted on his lady love in painful detail, and then, just when he could take no more, offered him an escape. She drew a powerful blade from her hip and presented it to him, telling him that it would make him into one of the greatest swordsmen in all the land while he bore it in battle but warned that on it's third draw he would be consumed by his own skill. The 'angel' also told him that accepting her gift was an act of great sacrifice that bards would sing of for many generations, for when he finally died he would finally get his just rewards.

He waited but a moment before snatching the blade from the angel's grasp and dashing off to slay the bandits who had besmirched his name, finding that the blade gave him supreme skill with a sword and his lackluster foes easily dispatched. Drunk on the epic destiny that he could see stretching before him, he takes the lordling's daughter as his wife and vows to become the most reowned of blade-wielders in all the world by slaying it's greatest master. This man, heeding the angel's warning, vowed to only draw the sword in dire need and set off to find as many masters of the blade as he could. He challenged many masters in search of the mightiest among them, stoically accepting defeat after defeat in order to accomplish his goal before pride over came him. Why should he search for the greatest when it was clear that he was already without equal? If anything, the masters of blade work should be coming to him with challenges and he set out to make it so. He sought audience with a renowned and righteous king and upon entering this gentle monarch's court, drew the blade once more and declared himself the new ruler, slaying all who opposed his declaration. No foe could stand against him and after nine long days of battle...he was accepted as the king by the cowering masses.

But fear had crept into his heart for he still remembered what the angel had said and knew that the third draw would be the peak of his swordsmanship and that it could not be wasted on inferior opponents. Only the best swordsman would have the owner of dying by his hands so he began to set into motion laws and rules to ensure only the mightiest would seek him out. Ruin beset the kingdom as tyranny became the rule of the day. Many heroes tried to depose of the monarch only to be dispatched by his guardians and soldiers until finally one man approached the castle.

All whispered how this white-haired old man was the true master of all blades, the one who's method was supreme and had inspired dozens of lesser schools in his wake and the monarch felt his heart tremble with anticipation. Surely this was his great foe! The one who's defeat would ensure that he would always be remembered and the man, now gray in the temples himself sallied forth to duel this stranger. For the last time he drew the angel's great gift to combat the wizened Reshar...and found that the magic had left the blade. It was naught but a normal sword and the monarch quailed as his opponent advanced on him. He begged for mercy, that his legend be spared by way of Reshar's surrender. The ancient swordmaster told him...that it had never been about the glory or who's skills were superior, for it was plain the monarch's were those of a novice, it had been about ending his oppression and evil. With those words, the man's head was struck from his shoulders and, unknowable to the world, his soul sent straight to the laughing fiends of Baator. To this day, the story of this nameless man is sung by bards as a warning about trusting the gifts of fiends, of believing in false skill, and the folly of one man.

Victus Poena is a +5 viscous keen intelligent bastard sword that was forged in the Nine Hells. Unlike other weapons with the viscous enhancement, the user doesn't suffer any damage when they strike an opponent unless the user has succeeded in a personality conflict against Victus Poena that day. As long as the bearer is considered in the sword's 'favor' she does not suffer damage from the viscous enhancement and is treated as constantly under the effects of a divine power spell that also makes the wielder proficient with Victus Poena, meaning they can wield it in one-hand if they desire but not other bastard swords. If this effect is dispelled, it is always renewed as a free action on Victus Poena's next turn. For the purposes of the spell, the wielder is treated as if she is a 15th level character (which means her BAB is increased to +15/+10/+5 and they gain 15 temporary hit points which are renewed every round but are not cumulative). The true power of Victus Poena though is that it gives it's wielder incredible swordsmanship abilities in the form of being able to use maneuvers as if the wielder was a 15th level warblade in how many maneuvers known, maneuvers readied, and stances that the wielder has. When the artifact is first used in combat, the wielder determines what maneuvers the blade gives them access to and they may not be changed, even if the blade leaves their possession and later returns to her. All maneuvers must be chosen from the Iron Heart discipline and they are recovered in the same way a warblade recovers maneuvers. The wielder gains no other benefits they might otherwise gain from having fifteen levels in warblade (such as Hp, saves bonuses, class abilities, etc) nor do they stack with any actual martial adept levels the character may have but instead exist in place of them. A 5th level warblade would lose their own martial progression and instead use Victus Poena's martial ability. The sword is Lawful Evil and has an Ego score of 26 (13 Int, 10 Wis, 13 Cha, +2 for divine power effect, and +4 for martial ability). However it can only communicate by way of empathy and tries to 'encourage' hosts to commit corrupt and obedient acts at every opportunity to ensure their eventual damnation. Once a wielder has committed enough of these acts that it is a guarantee that they will be sent to Baator, the blade becomes non-magical in the first situation the blade believes it's wielder will not survive until it comes into new ownership or it's current wielder somehow manages to redeem themselves.

Victus Poena is a wavy-bladed bastard sword made of darjavva and chased with silver while the hilt is an extravagant work of art composed of tantulhor, the only clues to it's diabolic origins. Legends say that the blade was first the property of the duchess Duskur, forged as a courting gift by Belial in one of his many attempts to woo the female-devil into becoming his newest conquest. It was constructed of the finest steel in Baator with the bones of nine master sworsmen mixed into the steel and their souls doused in the adamantine that was to become it's hilt and pommel. When even this gift was scorned, he cast the blade at Duskur in a rage, an act that is said to be what stole the duchess' voice even as her poisonous blood quenched the still glowing steel of the blade. How Victus Poena ended up in the hands of the erinyes that took the blade to the mortal coil is still a mystery, though it's well documented that the mad sword's 'boons' don't work for any baatezu that wield the cursed blade. It's destruction is much sought after by those it has wronged but the actual deed is far more difficult then most can imagine. Victus Poena must first be cleansed in a pool of the purest waters in all the multiverse before each of the nine, now mad, spirits inhabiting the sword are freed from it at last. Then the blade must be bathed in the blood of Duskur once more before it is irrevocably destroyed. For much this reason, those attempting to find the elusive Duskur will often find their equipment stolen as if the duchess is ensuring they aren't the current holder of Victus Poena.

DM Note: Victus Poena, much like the Sword of Kas, makes for a great villain in it's own right. While not the most intelligent of swords, it has a remarkably long memory (like it's makers) and seeks to avenge any slight against it which can range from ruining it's plans to killing it's host to the most grievous insult of all...refusing to wield it. Those who find themselves enemies of Victus Poena may well find themselves pursued by incredibly skilled, but suspiciously fragile, sworsmen who all bear the same weapon...

Overwhelming Necromancy aura, CL 30

Codex Diabolous (Major Artifact): The Codex Diabolous is the last work of a damned mage and the only thing to survive his destruction. A heavy tome, the binding and cover is covered with wickedly barbed silver spikes while it’s pages are constructed from the tanned hides of devils. Within it’s pages is an overview of, what some say is the true, history of the Nine Hells as well as detailed information on various kinds of devils, unique devils, and the dukes who occupy the highest steps of power in Baator’s merciless hierarchy. Any character that spends a week reading through it’s pages (they need not be consecutive, but must be within the same month) gains a +10 bonus on Knowledge (the planes) checks on subjects that refer to devils or the Nine Hells. In addition, the book projects a powerful abjuration field that prevents outsiders from magically leaving or entering it’s presence. Any outsider that attempts to teleport, switch planes, or use any summon supernatural ability, spell-like ability, or spell within three hundred feet of the Codex Diabolous must first succeed on a caster level check (against CL 35) or have the attempt fail and the book's holder alerted of the attempt. This includes attempts to get into the Codex’s interdiction field.

However, the Codex Diabolous holds the greatest benefit for characters capable of casting summoning spells themselves. As long as the Codex is in their possession, casters gain a +5 bonus on any Charisma check to compel a service from a lawful evil outsider with the planar binding spells and an additional +5 bonus to penetrate the spell resistance of lawful evil outsiders as well. The Codex’s possessor may also add the investiture of X, hellfire, hellfire storm, and devil’s eye spells (see Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells) to their spellbook or, if a spontaneous caster, to their list of spells known even if their class would not normally be able to cast those spells. Perhaps even more damning is that a pursuer of the Codex may treat any duke or unique devil as ‘familiar’ for the purposes of divination spells.

Six copies of this tome were said to have been created, all of which are greatly sought after by those it details, but only three of them remain out of diabolic hands. One of them is rumored to have been secreted away in Malsheem while the other two are constantly being transported around Baator under the protection of a group of pit fiends, known as the Scarlet Quills, who use the Codex Diabolous to wring rewards from the Lords of the Nine for keeping it out of their rival’s hands.

Censure (Minor Artifact):Anselm was a cleric of St. Cuthbert sent to administer to the spiritual needs of a small community of woodsmen and farmers. The high priest of the temple told him of the village and of its warm and honest inhabitants before he left, and being a warm and honest man himself felt he would come to enjoy his time as their temple's priest. Upon his arrival to the village he found it dark and haunted. It took no great feat for the people to open up to him and spell out their woe to him. The nearby woods had become to be infested by a coven of vampires who came out at night to prey on the village. It was such cause that gave him impetus to gather around him a band of adventurers with the promise of treasure and adventure as they routed the vampires from the forest. In the end Anselm fell to the draining bite of the leader of the coven, but even as he fell he grasped his holy symbol and through his blood flushed the nightmare with St. Cuthbert's divine wrath. His final act did more than destroy the vampire though, it endowed his cross with a portion of his spirit such that it would empower those who spoke no lies with just and holy fury. It was one of the adventurers, a cleric of a god friendly to St. Cuthbert who bore the divinely empowered magic item back to the high priest. To honor his memory the high priest devised a method to impart other crosses with a similar, but lesser, indelible mark such as the one his spirit had left on the original.

The original Censure, Anselm's Cross of Saint Cuthbert, has long since been lost, presumed to have been destroyed by vengeful vampires or stored in Mammon's personal hoard, but the copies of the original can still be found by zealous searchers. While the abilities of a Censure are useful for ferreting out any deceivers, they are particularly useful at exposing the lies of baatezu for the truth, an act that has prompted a 'finder's fee' to be given to any devil that can locate one of these crosses and bring them to it's superiors.

Censures are large silver crosses that possess three triangular green stones set in them, one in each of the branches. Often coveted by the priests and paladins of Saint Cuthbert, as any holy relic of his would be, it is actually not his clergy that gain the most from having these elusive mystical icons. Any lawful good character can use a Censure to cast either dictum or holy word (save DCs 23) up to three times per day with each use of one of those two spells causing one of the three glowing emeralds to dim. A Censure is also surrounded by a constant zone of truth up to a range of 35 ft. (DC 17 to resist).

However, a Censure can also be used in a ritual to 'purify' warlocks, allowing them to become lawful good and removes the sinister overtones of their abilities (their eldritch blast ability usually takes the form of crosses after this ritual for example). In the hands of these 'sanctified' warlocks, they may take 1 point of Constitution damage to add 2d6 holy damage to their eldritch blast ability for a single round. Warlocks somehow immune to ability damage may not evoke this extra damage unless they willingly lower the immunity or resistance in question. Censures have an infamous tendency to become volatile when used in conjunction with hellfire though, exploding in a blast of holy flames in a sixty foot radius that deals 15d6 of holy damage (Fortitude DC 25 for half) when the holy fire ability is used in conjunction with hellfire. Also, should the bearer of a Censure ever willfully deceive or lie, then the cross losses it's abilities for a full 24 hours.

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Treasures of Perdition

Hellstone

Hellstones are the hardest gems known - many have survived hammer blows and weapon attacks unscathed. They are lit by an inner, flickering radiance, and do damage to all non-evil creatures upon the slightest contact equal to 1d4+HD of the being touching the hellstone. Some excessively wealthy diabolic beings have taken to covering their weapons in hellstones, both to display their station and increase the killing power of the weapon. The stones are rare, valuable (4000 gp each), but superstition-shrouded on the Prime Material Plane. Apart from the danger to most people of handling them (for they retain their damaging properties when removed from the hells) - even with tongs or gloves, the chance of an inadvertent contact is great - many priesthoods, classes (i.e., paladins), and individuals will not wish to possess or even be close to them, except to destroy them.

Sometimes, sages assert, contact with a hellstone does no damage, but causes a subtle change in personality, not immediately noticed by the victim, that brings them more in line with the Baatorian ideal (lawful characters who pick up a hellstone must make a Will save DC 10 or have their alignment move one step towards lawful evil). A crushed hellstone - one that is shattered into many small fragments - will lose its radiance and capacity to cause damage. Due to their often lethal damaging properties and capacity to warp people, hellstones are often called 'deathstones', 'doomstones', or the like. Their 'scholarly' name is Ulith, or the plural Ulithim.

Diadem of the Queen
While not an artifact (it would be simple to reproduce the abilities of the crown), this is one of the most coveted treasures among female devils since possession of it would all but ensure a she-devil's place in Baator. First crafted for Bensozia, consort of Asmodeus and the first (and only) Queen of Hell, this fabulously extravagant diadem is crafted from beaten gold and looks so delicate as if the smallest touch would shatter it. The craftsmanship alone makes the crown immensely valuable, but it is also set with close to two dozen hellstones that, arranged as they are, bask the wearer in a hellish red glow that baatezu find soothing. These treasured gems ensure that only a devil is likely to survive wearing the crown, supposing the wearer could survive the assault of the legion of she-devils seeking to wrest it from them. The Diadem of the Queen is currently kept in Nessus, within Asmodeus' own chambers where it has a place of honor among his uncountable treasures as belonging to his beloved mate.

When worn, the crown acts as a cloak of resistance +3 and ring of protection +3, as well as producing red light on command. Due to it's status among devilkind, it also gives the wearer a +5 Diplomacy bonus among baatezu, though this isn't a magical benefit. Should the diadem ever be given to another she-devil, it would cause upheaval in Baator since such an event would mean a new Queen of Hell had been chosen. Some of the more debauched gossips of the Nine Hells say that it will be given to Glasya when the arch-duchess has developed into a more suitable mate for the Overlord of Hell, though these same beings are rarely heard from again.

Strong abjuration; CL 20th; Craft Wondrous Item, light,resistance, shield of faith, creator’s caster level must be at least three times the diadem of the queen’s bonus;122,000 gp for materials and craftsmanship+28,000 gp for magical bonuses

Arjale
A black ore found only in the Nine Hells to be specific) that is equated to mithril in terms of usefulness and cost. It is black in color, light in weight, easily worked to a smooth surface, and can be brought to razor sharpness. If alloyed with iron, it becomes a light green-grey in color, and quite pliable (a metal sometimes called 'dajavva'). Most darjavva armors are one category lighter than normal for purposes of movement and other limitations. Heavy armors are treated as medium, and medium armors are treated as light, but light armors are still treated as light. Spell failure chances for armors and shields made from mithral are decreased by 10%, maximum Dexterity bonus is increased by 2, and armor check penalties are lessened by 3 (to a minimum of 0). However it's pliable nature makes it less suited for heavy armors, reducing the armor bonus to AC of darjavva armor by 1 for medium armor and 2 for heavy armor.

An item made from darjavva weighs half as much as the same item made from other metals. In the case of weapons, this lighter weight does not change a weapon’s size category or the ease with which it can be wielded (whether it is light, one-handed, or two-handed). Items not primarily of metal are not meaningfully affected by being partially made of darjavva. (A longsword can be a darjavva weapon, while a scythe cannot be.)

Weapons or armors fashioned from darjavva are always masterwork items as well; the masterwork cost is included in the price. Weapons of made from darjavva are especially flexible and grant a +1 bonus to hit if the weapon has significant moving parts involved in it's use (flails, spiked chains, etc.)

Darjavva has 20 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 20. This ore is surprisingly easy to work into certain magical items, lessening the experience point cost need to craft magical items utilizing spells with the Evil descriptor by 20%. The secrets to forging darjavva are well kept among the smithies of Perdition, not the least of which is because the ore is often used to construct the magical items gifted to contractors.

Tantulhor
Tantulhor is another ore unique to the Nine Hells (only found on Phlegethos, Malbolge, Maladomini, and Nessus as well), it is often called 'Hell's adamintine' for good reason. It is about the weight of iron, can be worked into a smooth finish, and is apparently unbreakable - weapon blades fashioned of it will cut anything they touch, except stone. This ultrahard metal adds to the quality of a weapon or suit of armor. Weapons fashioned from tantulhor have a natural ability to bypass hardness when sundering weapons or attacking objects, ignoring hardness less than 20. Armor made from tantulhor grants its wearer damage reduction of 1/- if it’s light armor, 2/- if it’s medium armor, and 3/- if it’s heavy armor. Tantulhor is so costly that weapons and armor made from it are always of masterwork quality and rarely seen outside of the Nine Hells; the masterwork cost is included in the price. Thus, tantulhor weapons and ammunition have a +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls, and the armor check penalty of tantulhor armor is lessened by 1 compared to ordinary armor of its type. Items without metal parts cannot be made from tantulhor. An arrow could be made of adamantine, but a quarterstaff could not.

Only weapons, armor, and shields normally made of metal can be fashioned from tantulhor. Weapons, armor and shields normally made of steel that are made of tantulhor have one-third more hit points than normal. Tantulhor has 40 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 20. This ore is surprisingly easy to work into certain magical items, lessening the experience point cost need to craft magical items utilizing spells with the Evil descriptor by 20%. The secrets to forging tantulhor are well kept among the smithies of Perdition, not the least of which is because the ore is often used to construct the magical items gifted to contractors.

LOTRfan
2010-12-19, 11:13 PM
Victus Poena - Ecellent. The back story is awesome (I always love adding tales into campaign settings). Did you come up with this yourself, or is the weapon mentioned in some obscure book I don't no about? I don't use ToB, so don't no exactly how powerful it is, but regardless, its very cool.

Codex Diabolous- Once again, pretty cool. Slight error in wording, however. Major Artifacts are supposed to be unique. You mention that there are six copies (like Book of Vile Darkness or Book of Exalted Deeds), so shouldn't it be a Minor Artifact?

Censure- I love it. I'm going to add that into my campaign. Not sure how, but I will. Can't wait for the fluff.

Callos_DeTerran
2010-12-19, 11:20 PM
Victus Poena - Ecellent. The back story is awesome (I always love adding tales into campaign settings). Did you come up with this yourself, or is the weapon mentioned in some obscure book I don't no about? I don't use ToB, so don't no exactly how powerful it is, but regardless, its very cool.

I got the inspiration for it from a pulp novel, but the actual statistics are entirely my own. And to give a gauge of it's strength...hmm...well it'd depend on who's wielding it honestly. A 1st level commonr using it would have some REALLY fancy combat movies...but still only have the HP of a 1st level commoner. It's meant to give a feeling of 'false power' since you don't get any of the other benefits of a 15th level warblade.


Codex Diabolous- Once again, pretty cool. Slight error in wording, however. Major Artifacts are supposed to be unique. You mention that there are six copies (like Book of Vile Darkness or Book of Exalted Deeds), so shouldn't it be a Minor Artifact?

There's some slight differences between the Book of Vile Darkness (and it's twin) and the Codex though, that being that there is an unknown number of BoVD and it doesn't give quite the same level of benefits that the Codex does. It's more apt to say..EACH of the six Codex Diabolous' are major artifacts in their own right.


Censure- I love it. I'm going to add that into my campaign. Not sure how, but I will. Can't wait for the fluff.

Fluff up.

Fable Wright
2010-12-20, 12:04 AM
Interesting...adding Duskur, Amon, and Caim to the list of dukes to flesh out then. Also, who's Bist? He/she/it isn't on the list.

Erm... don't add Amon. He actually doesn't exist anymore. He's a vestige. More information can be found in Tome of Magic, but I don't think it's likely that anyone will actually encounter him... ever...

Callos_DeTerran
2010-12-20, 12:13 AM
Erm... don't add Amon. He actually doesn't exist anymore. He's a vestige. More information can be found in Tome of Magic, but I don't think it's likely that anyone will actually encounter him... ever...

That...brings to mind a different question then. Amon in Tome of Magic was a god of the sun (and other things I don't remember) but the Amon linked to by LOTRfan was one of Geryon's subordinates. If they are one and the same then that raises a couple questions about his godhood...or how having the same name as a god might have benefited devil-Amon.

Fable Wright
2010-12-20, 12:34 AM
That...brings to mind a different question then. Amon in Tome of Magic was a god of the sun (and other things I don't remember) but the Amon linked to by LOTRfan was one of Geryon's subordinates. If they are one and the same then that raises a couple questions about his godhood...or how having the same name as a god might have benefited devil-Amon.

Fire, sun, and law. He was a deity of light and justice, and he is now a twisted, wrathful entity. It's quite possible that he fell before he was destroyed. Or, perhaps, he was never a good-aligned deity in the first place, and he ascended as an evil deity after a while. (Justice just means law... quite possibly evil law.) Or maybe he eventually rejected evil, causing him to be banned from the Abyss, and then he joined the side of Good. We may never know.

blackjack217
2010-12-20, 12:49 AM
Nice job!! Adramalech seems a bit weak though, weaker then a balor might be a bit much for unique devils. Also for a suggestion Armaros from the same wikipeadea page as the rest. I created his heavenly counterpart in Gate of Heaven. Also hellfire is a recent invention in the lore by the lord of the 8th (I think it was him anyway) so it would be odd for the chancellor to have such abilities.

Callos_DeTerran
2010-12-20, 03:24 AM
Fire, sun, and law. He was a deity of light and justice, and he is now a twisted, wrathful entity. It's quite possible that he fell before he was destroyed. Or, perhaps, he was never a good-aligned deity in the first place, and he ascended as an evil deity after a while. (Justice just means law... quite possibly evil law.) Or maybe he eventually rejected evil, causing him to be banned from the Abyss, and then he joined the side of Good. We may never know.

I think it's more likely that there were two entities named Amon, which makes sense because it's happened in the hells before. There is a Dagon there for instance, and his name was deliberately changed to that for the express purpose that he wouldn't be called or contacted by his followers who would get Obyrinth Dagon instead.

This seems like a similar example except...maybe the opposite. A duke/unique devil was named Amon to steal worship from the real Amon, which could have very well resulted in the real Amon's sudden twist from light and justice to something considerably more unpleasant.


Nice job!! Adramalech seems a bit weak though, weaker then a balor might be a bit much for unique devils. Also for a suggestion Armaros from the same wikipeadea page as the rest. I created his heavenly counterpart in Gate of Heaven. Also hellfire is a recent invention in the lore by the lord of the 8th (I think it was him anyway) so it would be odd for the chancellor to have such abilities.

The idea behind this project isn't to create a bunch of creatures that are stronger then balor/pit fiends to populate the Hells for epic play for PCs to go up against. It's to provide high level (between CR 15-25 for the most part) diabolic enemies who are more then just 'named generic devil'. Along those same lines Adramalech has considerable firepower at his command, but it's not all personal power. He always has a squad of four greater demons (which could very well be pit fiends) with him and most likely his mount as well but more importantly his power is political. He IS the spokesman for Asmodeus and because of that, he doesn't NEED to strong personally because...seriously, who's going to pick a fight with Asmodeus' head underling knowing there will very likely be dire consequences? As for hellfire, Mephistophles(sp) created hellfire as a fairly recent (on what time scale though?) invention, but the secret has long since flown the coop as well. Warlocks can tap it, spellcasters can, heck the other archdukes (At the very least) use hellfire themselves. It started in Cania for certain, but it's spread throughout Baator very quickly (which is why Adramalech learned it with such proficiency).

As for Armaros...I can't explain it well, but he rubs me the wrong way. Something about possessing magical superiority over even Asmodeus (which...I find highly highly unlikely) but not DOING anything with it but getting exiled to Avernus to play around with it more doesn't strike me as Lawful Evil or even diabolic. If anything, I'd say Armaros sounds more like an advanced yugoloth of some kind and not a unique devil.

LOTRfan
2010-12-20, 04:07 PM
I think it's more likely that there were two entities named Amon, which makes sense because it's happened in the hells before. There is a Dagon there for instance, and his name was deliberately changed to that for the express purpose that he wouldn't be called or contacted by his followers who would get Obyrinth Dagon instead.

You are correct, they are separate entities. Also, there are three Astraloths.

blackjack217
2010-12-20, 05:15 PM
The way I think of it he has more arcane power than the big A but far less power in other areas. A prototypical squishy wizard. I made him a celestial counterpart so that the two of them could avoid doing anything to escalate the situation. (movement by either of them could cause all out war)

LOTRfan
2010-12-28, 03:02 PM
What exactly are you planning for the gates of Baator?

Callos_DeTerran
2010-12-29, 02:06 AM
Right now? Nothing much beyond a 'magical location' type deal like the Worm of Minarous and the Flesh Shriver. Beyond that, it's much more nebulous. I had been aiming for an ability granted that would provide a 'Dante in the Inferno' type experience where one could explore the Nine Hells unmolested (and be unable to molest devilkind in return), but that doesn't really work for a game idea since...well...you can't do anything besides wander, talk, and so on while most players like the nitty gritty. Coming up with a replacement ability is why the Gates of Hell were put on hold cause I've got zil inspiration for them at the moment.

Callos_DeTerran
2011-04-23, 02:34 PM
This diabolic creature appears as a winged but otherwise normal human female of thin, shapely form and graceful movements. Her flesh is snow-white, her eyes black pools - iris, pupils, and all a glistening black – her hair long and black. Her wings are smoky grey and white, leathery like a bats rather than feathered, and she usually wears a long, sweeping hooded cloak over them unless actually in flight. Despite the, literally, hellish conditions of Baator, this female devil moves with the ease of a dancer with a distinct lack of concern for her surroundings. A long scar mars her slender throat, though it looks far from recent.

Duskur, The Dark Lady CR 19
Medium Outsider (Lawful, Extraplanar, Evil, Baatezu)
Hit Dice: 19d8+133 (236 hp)
Initiative: +9
Speed: 35 ft. (7 squares), fly 70 ft. (good)
Armor Class: 34 (+9 Dex, +10 natural armor, +5 ring of protection +5), touch 24, flat-footed 25
Base Attack/Grapple: +19/+28
Attack: +27 +3 envenomed dagger (1d4+8+poison/19-20/x2)
Full Attack: +27/+22/+17/+12 +3 envenomed dagger (1d4+8+poison/19-20/x2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./ 5 ft.
Special Attacks: song of the damned, sleep like the dead, sneak attack +7d6, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: aura of undeath, darkvision 60 ft., DR 20/good and silver, immunity to ability damage, ability drain, fire, mind-affecting attacks, poison, and polymorph, regeneration 10, SR 32, telepathy (200 ft.)
Saves: Fort +21, Ref +23, Will +22
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 29, Con 25, Int 26, Wis 26, Cha 37
Skills: Bluff +35, Decipher Script +30, Diplomacy +37, Knowledge (arcana, history, the planes, religion) +30, Listen +30, Move Silently +31, Perform (sing) +35, Search +30, Sense Motive +32, Sleight of Hand +31, Spellcraft +30, Spot +30, Use Magic Device +35
Feats: Ability Focus (sleep like the dead), Deadly Precision, Hover, Improved Grapple, Mindsight, Negotiator, Wingover,
Environment: Avernus
Organization: Solitary or One plus entourage (4-16 baatezu skeletons/zombies)

Duskur is an enigmatic and mysterious she-devil, sometimes called "The Dark Lady." She roams the wastes of Avernus accompanied by the skeleton and zombie armies she has raised, having spurned more than one archdevil who offered her his hand (Geryon and Belial are known to have been among her rejected suitors), and chosen to have no mate instead. So Duskur wanders,
avoiding greater devils as much as possible, her nomadic existence causing no end to the fits of paranoia of fellow dukes and duchesses of Avernus when they suddenly find their territory invaded by armies of skeletons and zombies only for them to leave once Duskur has moved on to a new temporary haunt. For the most part, her goals and machinations are a mystery to her fellows since the Dark Lady doesn't seem to want anything and acts out of self-defense in most cases.

Among Baator politics, she is highly respected by many of her compatriots and courted by many dukes (Even some Archdukes) which has earned her the ire of consorts and duchesses all over Perdition. Belial in particular is protective of one of the few beings to refuse his advances, even if her denial has occasionally forced him to explain a fiery temper.

Combat

Duskur is almost never found alone, usually surrounded by a group of ancient baatezu skeletons that carry her hoard of treasure and valuables with them. As such, Duskur rarely deigns to enter combat herself, instead preferring to take flight and see how the situation develops. If it seems as if her undead servitors will prevail, she swoops closer to unleash a barrage of ice storms and enchantment effects, saving her blasphemy and meteor swarm spell-like abilities for truly desperate circumstances.

Should she be encountered alone, Duskur tries to bring as many enemies as possible within her aura of undeath before trying to subject as many enemies as possible to her sleep of the dead ability. Many foes have found themselves slumbering away peacefully as their bodies withered away before rising again to join Duskur's undead legions as a loyal servitor. Surprisingly, Duskur does not sing in combat since it hinders friend and foe alike, unless she is forced into the most dire of circumstances and needs a chance to flee.

Aura of Undeath (Su): Duskur's veritable army of skeletons and zombies is not a result of active effort on the duchess' part, but rather a matter of hap-stance. Every living creature that enters within a 60 ft. radius of Duskur takes 1d6 points of negative energy damage (similar to an inflict spell) at the beginning of their turn. Corpses that enter this area have a 50% chance of rising as a zombie or skeleton at the beginning of Duskur's turn while any undead are healed 1d6 points of damage at the beginning of their turn. If Duskur was to enter the area of a hallow spell then both her Aura of Undeath and the hallow spell are suppressed until she leaves the spell's area of effect.

Envenomed Dagger (Ex): Duskur wields a cruel edged dagger that's coated in a vile poison extracted from Duskur's own blood. This injury poison deals 1d6 points of Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma damage (DC 27) which repeats one minute later unless another Fort. save is made. Duskur can apply a fresh coat of poison by inflicting 1 point of damage on herself as a free-action.

Regeneration (Ex): Duskur's only takes lethal damage from good, silver weapons or weapons constructed from darjavva.

Sleep of the Dead (Su): Duskur can put a mortal she lures into some act of passion, or by simply planting a kiss on the victim, into an eternal slumber that the victim only rouses from if hit by an attack that deals at least 10 points of damage. Ongoing damaging effects (such as Duskur's aura of undeath or if on fire) will not rouse the victim as long as they do not do more then 10 points of damage. A victim of Duskur's Sleep of the Dead may attempt a Will save (DC 34) to resist this effect. If the target is not willing to be kissed, Duskur must start a grapple, which does not provoke an attack of opportunity due to her Improved Grapple feat. Once asleep, the victim is put into a state of suspended animation and may survive indefinitely as long as they do not come to bodily harm or die from violence.

Song of the Damned (Ex): Perhaps Duskur's most baffling, and least witnessed, ability, she may begin to sing as a standard action in a voice that can be heard up to nine miles away. Despite her clearly infernal origins, this music is heart-breakingly beautiful and is acclaimed as one of the most beautiful noises in the entirety of the multiverse. All who hear it must succeed on a Will save (DC half of Duskur's Perform (sing) roll) or listen in rapt attention for a single round (treat as immobilized) and threat their attitude as two steps friendlier for five rounds after the Song of the Damned ends. (PCs can consider this a non-magical charm person effect) Duskur may continue to sing as a standard action and there are many beings who are enchanted by the hauntingly, fluting melody that Duskur is able to give voice too.

Spell-like Abilities: Duskur uses the following spell-like abilities at CL 19
At-will – pyrotechnics, produce flames, wall of fire, ice storm, invisibility, charm person, detect magic, dispel magic, read magic, tongues, blink, dominate person, shatter, gust of wind, telekinesis, detect invisibility, desecrate, detect thoughts, detect good, greater teleport, plane shift, speak with dead
3/day – create undead, blasphemy, greater dispel magic, unholy aura, dominate monster
1/day – create greater undead, meteor swarm, reverse gravity

================================================== ==

Goals: Duskur's goals are a mystery to the majority of Baator's nobility, except to those who have taken a keen interest in the affairs of mortals. While she seems to be complacent and idle in Avernus, she's begun a fierce campaign to form cults of her own across the mortal plane and has even succeeded in forming religions that labor under her. Usually she takes the guise as an aspect of some deity of shadow or darkness, lulling in the uneducated who can't tell the difference one way or the other then using them as social pressure to convince those with an education to join her numerous cults. Because of this interest in ascending to godhood, Duskur is perhaps the most commonly encountered duchess of Hell on the mortal coil, since her clergy are keen to summon the Dark Lady in person so that she may bestow the gift of her voice on the un-believers and convince them of their wrongs. This avid interest in mortal affairs have sent up several red flags with a few of the Lords of the Nine who fear Duskur may in fact be attempting to recruit an army of adventurers to move against one of them, but Asmodeus has dismissed such worries whenever they were voiced to him.

Within Baator, all of Duskur's plans take an abnormally (even for Perdition) long-view that all hinge on the duchess' ascension to godhood and avoiding the amorous advances of various dukes, in order to keep from getting tied into infernal politics that would hinder her efforts. The end goal of this half-mad scheme is to begin the conversion of all the dukes and duchesses of Perdition into divine beings, where the sheer number of them would ensure the hellish 'pantheon' would outnumber any others and bring the total domination of Baator that much closer to fruition. She also seeks to secure Victus Poena, partially to ensure it's cursed wielders don't turn against her, but also because she believes the blade to be her property, even if she initially refused it as a gift.

Minions: Duskur's favored minions are rarely baatezu, a fact that's earned her a lot of suspicion, and is instead mostly composed of intelligent undead or devote followers. Her cults are structured to reward ability and intelligence, rather then politic minds or betrayal, and the fruits of this endeavor are obvious. She has many mortal 'champions' willing to die on her behalf for her causes, leading to the surprise of her few foes when what appear to be well-armed adventuring parties assault them in the name of gods and goddesses of death and darkness. Their retaliation against these deities have often lead to the destruction of her foes by the deities she pretends to be a part of even as their cults are subsumed into her own, a fact that pleases Duskur to no end since it puts her one step closer to her goals. Of devil kind, Duskur is most fond of legion devils and pleasure devils since the former is unlikely to question the orders they are given while the latter are immensely useful in expanding the size of her flock. It's rumored that Duskur is served by a group of brachni bards, though it's never been confirmed.

Realm: Duskur possesses no realm, instead choosing to constantly wonder the breadth of Avernus from one rookery to another. This causes no end of chaos among the dukes and duchesses of Avernus (which pleases Bel and Asmodeus) and ensures that she is quite difficult to find if someone does not know her normal travel routes. If one wanted to be technical, they would say that Duskur's realm extends nine miles outwards from the she-devil since this is the range of her voice and her undead servitors usually occupy much of this space as well.





================================================== ==

So I finally started working on this project again, in part because I found buttloads of information in old Dragon magazines, which makes coming up with statistics and whatnot immensely easier. Going to add a 'Treasures of Perdition' section to the artifact post as well, to cover...well....non-artifact treasures of Perdition.

Zaydos
2011-04-23, 07:39 PM
Interesting, project. Haven't been over it all, yet, but I have to admit I always end up wanting more unique devils so I'll probably check in on it when I see new updates.

I like how you have Duskur be vulnerable to baatorian green steel, because it is always nice to see it actually included, although I do wonder what the fluff reason behind it is.

Haven't read Adramalech's stats yet, but I like the idea of him being in straight combat weaker than a pit fiend. Not all power in Perdition is physical power.

On Zariel at first I thought the CR was a little high, but seeing your comment comparing to the Aspect of Asmodeus am I right in assuming this is supposed to be her true form and not just an aspect like the FCII stats for the other arch-devils are? If so then it seems about right.

All in all the work looks good.

Callos_DeTerran
2011-04-23, 11:48 PM
Interesting, project. Haven't been over it all, yet, but I have to admit I always end up wanting more unique devils so I'll probably check in on it when I see new updates.

I like how you have Duskur be vulnerable to baatorian green steel, because it is always nice to see it actually included, although I do wonder what the fluff reason behind it is.

Haven't read Adramalech's stats yet, but I like the idea of him being in straight combat weaker than a pit fiend. Not all power in Perdition is physical power.

On Zariel at first I thought the CR was a little high, but seeing your comment comparing to the Aspect of Asmodeus am I right in assuming this is supposed to be her true form and not just an aspect like the FCII stats for the other arch-devils are? If so then it seems about right.

All in all the work looks good.

I actually swapped out the baatorian green steel for darjavva (only just now though), because the more I look at it the more I think the two are one and the same except darjavva sounds...well...more unique! As for the fluff reasoning, well I can only say that I'm a fan of peculiar and rare weaknesses that make it fulfilling for players to exploit. Where's the fun in fighting a monster who's regeneration is negated by fire when you could fight one who's regeneration is negated by a rare alloy forged only in the fires of hell that you busted your hump to acquire?

Well as I mentioned before in the thread, my aim is not to provide a host of beings more powerful then pit fiends or into the epic range for PCs to gear up to kill. It's to fill out the rooster of Baator's unique beings, and for some of them their power isn't in what they can do, but in who's protecting them.

You have the right of it. That's Zariel at her full strength, not an aspect of her. Assuming she was ever freed and allowed to recover anyway.

Fable Wright
2011-04-24, 02:02 AM
Well as I mentioned before in the thread, my aim is not to provide a host of beings more powerful then pit fiends or into the epic range for PCs to gear up to kill. It's to fill out the rooster of Baator's unique beings, and for some of them their power isn't in what they can do, but in who's protecting them.

So, why is Duskur CR 19? :smallconfused: This actually makes her less powerful than pit fiends, and it makes it seem rather unlikely that she's actually a duchess of hell... I mean, she can use her poison on a full attack, dealing massive mental-stat damage by herself, while grappling her foe forcing SoS continuously... even if she chooses not to use physical damage, she can just drip poison on them until they die if she keeps them like that. Will saves kill fighter-types, and the poison will neutralize most casters... plus, she's supposed to be a duchess of hell. So, why is she weaker than a pit fiend?

NineThePuma
2011-04-24, 02:33 AM
Because Pit Fiends are closer to CR 17? Sure, they can solo the fighter, but a half way optimized party can take them on no problem.

Callos_DeTerran
2011-04-24, 08:11 AM
So, why is Duskur CR 19? :smallconfused: This actually makes her less powerful than pit fiends, and it makes it seem rather unlikely that she's actually a duchess of hell... I mean, she can use her poison on a full attack, dealing massive mental-stat damage by herself, while grappling her foe forcing SoS continuously... even if she chooses not to use physical damage, she can just drip poison on them until they die if she keeps them like that. Will saves kill fighter-types, and the poison will neutralize most casters... plus, she's supposed to be a duchess of hell. So, why is she weaker than a pit fiend?

Because CR doesn't take political power or the CR of allies into consideration really. And this thread is just as much for advice as it is for other people, cause I'm not good at gauging CR and need advice about it.

Also, Will Saves kill fighter-types, but Duskur is unlikely to be able to grapple a fight of equivilent level considering her Str. bonus is only 20 which many fighters will have long surpassed by 19th level, enough to eat up her extra boost from Improved Grapple. So wizard-types are less-likely to resist the grapple outright (instead just avoiding it via spell shenanigans) but would be able to make the will save while fighters, in theory, should be able to make the grapple checks to avoid the Sleep of the Dead in the first place.

Djinn_in_Tonic
2011-04-24, 10:39 AM
...this is all pretty amazing stuff. I'm impressed.

Definitely curious about the gates of Hell though, as that's the sort of creation I absolutely love, and have a bunch of idea about just from seeing it mentioned. Awaiting that one with interest.

Callos_DeTerran
2011-04-24, 10:47 AM
...this is all pretty amazing stuff. I'm impressed.

Definitely curious about the gates of Hell though, as that's the sort of creation I absolutely love, and have a bunch of idea about just from seeing it mentioned. Awaiting that one with interest.

Well I'm open to suggestion on how to make it more player usable. The original game-plan for it isn't actually conductive to being used by the PCs.

Callos_DeTerran
2011-05-29, 06:18 PM
Hello again all. As people who follow this project have likely already noticed, I update sporadically at best. There's a reason! I swear, this time it's true too!

That being I've discovered that Dragon Magazine did a Hierarchy of Hell article that's basically the Demonomicon of Iggwilv for devils. Now, they did this before and it was a source of inspiration for Duskur cause it was AD&D rules, so...y'know...still very usable. But the thing I've found is 3.5.

:smallsigh: That is minorly upsetting cause...all the demon lords but Zariel have been done in it, some of them better. (Like Adramalech using true names instead of warlock powers, which is flavorfully awesome, if mechanically...poor). Kinda saps one's inspiration to know their work has already been done. Still, haven't given up on this yet! Just searching for new sources of inspiration to fashion dukes of Baator from and other Hellish material.

NineThePuma
2011-05-29, 06:55 PM
Screw dragon! I like yours better! :smallbiggrin: