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Belial_the_Leveler
2007-09-18, 05:15 PM
Backstory:

The Abyss is infinite-new demons, even those of great power, rise all the time. Some few demons do not rise in the Abyss however. The prime is full of half-fiends and other demonspawn that wander the earth and wreak havoc where they tread.
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. More than the horrors that walk the earth in number are those responsible for such horrors-mortals that have too much power for their own good. Wizards, with their ability to bend the laws of Reality and a combination of abysmal wisdom and great intellect, are responsible for most. There are many wizards that seek to break the limitations of magic and, through the power they would thus gain, rule over others.
One such cabal of powerful wizards sought to find the secrets of those beings that naturally resist magic. Seeking to study the phenomenon at the source, they summoned ancient fiends from the Abyss, imprisoned them and experimented. Unable to find an outlying pattern and law that governed the phenomenon despite their best efforts for decades, they instead sought to learn if such a power could be passed on to humans (namely themselves) or acquired through study. And that path of greed led them to the atrocity of breeding fiends and mixing human blood with that of demons and experimenting with the result of such practices-the newly born offspring of demon and man. The guardians of order in the world, an ancient order of wizards sworn to uphold the principles of magic and safeguard against its abuse, launched a campaign against that cabal, destroying their stronghold and hunting those foul wizards down. The commander of that raid could not bring himself to slay one demon child that survived the battle. The young girl-barely three moths old and gravely wounded, forever ravaged by sorcery-was spirited away to be raised in secret.

As a child, Nox was frail and prone to physical wounds though she never got ill despite her weakened state. Named thus for her void-black hair and eyes as well as her dark skin, she quickly grew beyond her foster mother's wildest dreams. The faintest shadow of physical scarring having faded by her tenth year, Nox was tall-though slim-for her years and exceptionally beautiful. As she grew, she developed strength and speed all out of proportion to her slim frame and by the age of fifteen she was stronger than anyone else in her remote village. Coupled with her pointed ears, unusual coloring and newly manifested abilities at rapid healing, her foster parents thought her one of the Daoine Sidhe-the fey royalty. It was less than a year later that disaster struck. A group of highwaymen attempted rape and roberry upon the girl widely regarded as the most beautiful young woman to ever pass from the area. Their plan horribly backfired as, faced with genuine danger, Nox fell into a terrible rage. After tearing one of their number limb for limb with her bare hands, the others abandoned all thought of taking her alive-a decision that cost them their lives when their weapons bounced harmlessly off her bare skin.
Not much later, Nox left the shocked village behind only to be led into ghosts of the past. A wizard sought to capture her for her blood, a conjurer that seemed to know her. When his spells simply refused to work against her, the wizard belatedly realised his mistake: the daughter had taken after the father, developing an infernal's ability to adapt against specific wizards. It was several hours later that the wizard perished by torture at the hands of his old victim. Seeking to learn more of her past and her growing powers, Nox searched for the other wizards that had survived the purge. The more she discovered the more she hated wizards and their schemes as she was led again and again into conspiracies and twisted plots. Beyond her physical strength she developed innate magical powers to rival any mage save the most powerful and, in her mind, she became what she hated. She learned to rely on deceit, she learned to be ruthless and merciless, her actions fueled by her own inherited demonic bloodlust and revenge. It was more than a decade later that an archmage managed to banish her to the Abyss.

Drawn to her father's realm by her own blood, she found life in the Abyss simpler and easier. It was not long before she instigated a revolt, murdered the infernal her father was and claimed his position as ruler.

Character:

Nox is a powerful demon with traces of human blood and a human upbringing. Unlike most fiends, she is not an utterly alien evil that seeks to spread evil for its own sake or destroy things for fun. Despite her innate bloodlust, the dominnering qualities she has are ruthlessness, cynicism and a strong dislike against mortal spellcasters. She aims at power both in her own realm and the prime material for the same reasons most humans do and is strongly opposed to any form of central authority, hating the plots she tangled with in her youth. Believing that many things in life are a big disappointment, she dispalys a strong streak of nihilism and finality. Unlike fiends, she is willing to compromise and negotiate when brute force doesn't work to the point of appearing reasonable until she displays the hatred for order and authority she has by ripping a random mortal ruler limb for limb when the opportunity arises.




Nox
Darkener, Lightfoe, Nightcrawler
Symbol: A black hand holding and covering a white circle
Size/Type: Large Outsider (Evil, Chaotic)
Hit Dice: 40d8+560 (880 hp)
Initiative: +9 (+15 Dex, -6 flaw)
Speed: 80 ft., fly 240 ft. (perfect)
Armor Class: 49 (+15 Dex, -1 size, +26 natural, -1 vulnerable)
Base Attack/Grapple: +40/+59
Attack: claw +53 melee (4d6+15)
Full Attack: 2 claws +53 melee (4d6+15), 1 bite +46 melee (4d8+8), 2 wings +46 melee (2d6+8)
Space/Reach: 10ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Devour the Light, Accursed Gaze, spell-like abilities, Call Fiendish Minion
Special Qualities: DvR 0, Abomination traits, Demon Traits, fast healing 10, regeneration 5, SR 39+16, Resist the Supernatural, DR 20+10/law, good, cold iron and epic, Learned Spell Immunity
Skills: Balance +58, Concentration +58, Diplomacy +63, Escape Artist +58, Hide +58, Jump +58, Knowledge (arcana) +54, Knowledge (the planes) +54, Listen +57, Move Silently +58, Search +53, Sense Motive +53, Spellcraft +54, Spot +57, Tumble +58, Bluff +63, Perform (dance/sing) +63
Flaws: Inattentive, Noncombatant, Frail, Vulnerable
Feats: Thick Skinned 5x, Boost Spell Resistance*, Supernatural Transformation: Disintegrate, Dodge, Mobility, Elusive Target, Spell Penetration
*bonus feat
Epic Feats: Improved Spell Resistance 7x, Ritual Magic
Saves: Fort +37, Ref +37, Will +32
Abilities: Str 40, Dex 40, Con 40, Int 33, Wis 31, Cha 50
Environment: The Abyss or the Prime Material (called/summoned)
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 27
Treasure: Wizard's Bane, Soulreaver's Pendant, +6 transmutation proof soulfire armor, Ring of Resistance +6
Alignment: Chaotic Evil

A seven-foot tall woman suddenly ghosts into existence before you, taking your measure silently. An exquisite face framed by waves of black silken hair regards you with a mixture of curiosity and amusement, black eyes like twin windows into nothingness gliterring in the gloom and ruby-red lips twisted into a smile. Dressed in a loosely fitting black silk gown that seems to deepen her tan complexion, darkness unbroken by the gleam of gems or jewelry, the barefoot female is the very image of perfection-until you notice the thick black nails in her perfectly-shaped hands are actually claws and that vampire-like fangs gleam behind her crimson smile.
As you realise she must be a fiend of some sort, she more than doubles in height, sprouts wings made of darkness as her claws glow red and wreathes herself in a halo of black light, the beauty now merging with an aura of terrible, malevolent power through which the she-demon's form seems to partially fade. A gleaming glass ring in her left hand and a black skull amulet that hangs from her neck fade into the visible spectrum, clearly defined in contrast to the shadow-wreathed form. Blood-red eyes gleam from within the shadows, burning with a sinister fire and a wave of hopelessness and despair settles upon you...

Combat
Human ancestry and the ravages of her childhood make Nox physically weak compared to other infernals and fiends of her power. While having the strength of a hundred normal men, she is frail compared to most other abominations. Her lack of strength, competence in meele combat and regenerative abilities she more than makes up with magical might. Prior to combat she will buff up with shadowy copies of evocations and conjurations, usually mage armor and fire shield, plus stack up on Spell Turnings. If possible, she will observe the opposition while under cover of invisibility.
At the beginning of combat-especially if taken by surprise-she will employ her Timestop to buff, turn invisible and move in another part of the area, usually behind her enemies and far from meele range.
During the first rounds of combat she will attempt to control the opposition with Dominate Monster or, if they are unaware of her due to invisibility, size up their combat skills with a few monsters conjured via her Shades SLA.
If the opposition is serious, she will employ her disintegrate and destruction abilities to kill outright, dropping her invisibility to employ her Accursed Gaze.
Should the enemies prove tough enough to resist her or capable of wounding her, she will employ time stop again and either Call a few of her minions or use her Regenerate SLA to heal up her own wounds.
Generally, she will stay out of meele range and elude powerful meele combatants that could physically harm her and, trusting in her resistance to magic, seek to destroy the opposition through attrition.
If the enemies seem able to repeatedly harm her considerably or if the fight is turning against her, she will not hesitate to teleport away or escape into another plane altogether.


Resist the Supernatural (Ex)
Nox is resistant to magical energy to such a point that her resistance borders on outright immunity. Unlike most other fiends, she can resist supernatural abilities with her spell resistance. However, she is still succeptible to spells and spell-like abilities that don't allow spell resistance normally-as such spells usually harm indirectly or through conjured objects.

Devour the Light (Di)
Darkness created directly by Nox surpresses any light or prismatic spells and effects into its area of effect and is not surpressed or dispelled by them regardless of spell level. Deities and other immortals with "Light" as their portofolio can overcome this ability-in which case the standard rules on darkness vs light spells apply.

Learned Spell Immunity (Su)
If Nox is affected by a spell cast by a particular spellcaster, Nox thereafter becomes immune to that spell when cast by that spellcaster.

Accursed Gaze (Di)
Nox has a gaze attack with a range of 60 ft that works as the bestow curse spell. Nox may select the type of curse that will affect each creature and may surpress and restart the curse as a free action. Creatures may resist with a DC 40 will save.

Spell-Like Abilities
At will-command undead, create greater undead, magic circle (any), greater planar binding, dominate monster, dimensional anchor, twinned disintegrate (supernatural), deeper darkness, demand, destruction, spell turning, repulsion, twinned firestorm, telekinesis, greater teleport (self only), arcane sight, sacred sight, greater shadow evocation, shades, greater invisibility, greater dispel magic (uncapped), silence, regenerate, quickened enervation
1/1d4 rounds--disjunction, time stop, utterdark, gate (travel only), polymorph any object, banishment
1/day--wish, twinned unhallow

Call Fiendish Minion (Su)
As a standard action, Nox can call up to 66 HD of demons per day as if through the Gate spell though no single demon can have more than 20 HD. At her option, she can automatically apply her Dominate Monster SLA on them as she calls them to ensure their loyalty without reward. Alternatively, she can call a demon into an existing binding diagram, trapping the fiend, though she must create the diagram beforehand.

Abomination Traits
Immune to polymorphing, petrification, and other form-altering attacks; not subject to energy drain, ability drain, ability damage, or death from massive damage; immune to mind-affecting effects; acid resistance 20; cold resistance 20; nondetection ; true seeing at will; blindsight 500 ft.; telepathy out to 1,000 ft. As a DvR 0 being, Nox is not subject to Antimagic, Dispel Magic or similar effects. She is still subject to Disjunction and Epic Dispel Magic. Her ability damage/drain, energy drain and mind-affecting immunity can be overcome by deities or other immortals.

Demon Traits
Nox is a powerful demon and shares many of the traits commonly found in Balors. She has Fire and Lightning Immunity and her damage reduction is improved over that of a standard infernal.

Regeneration (Ex)
Nox takes normal damage from good, cold iron or lawful cold iron weapons. The cold iron weapons have to actually be cold iron to penetrate her regeneration-not simply mimick cold iron properties.

Damage Reduction (Ex)
Nox has DR 20+10/epic, good, law, cold iron. Weapons to bypass her damage reduction must actually be cold iron-not simply mimick cold iron properties.

ITEMS:

Nox is a powerful demon that commands legions of lesser fiends. As a ruler of the equivalent of several countries, she has access to vast amounts of mundane wealth and a good supply of lesser items. Assume she can find any standard item of 100.000 gp or less within a few days therefore, when she has time to prepare for a fight and she's in her realm in the Abyss, the DM should pile such items on her.

When Nox travels or is called to the Prime Material, she has a much more limited repertoire of personal items:

Wizard's Bane
This ring is seemingly made of crystal with six blood-red runes glowing from within the glass. Written in Dark Speech, the runes repeat the same two meanings six times: "spelldeath" and "celerity". While worn, the artifact automatically quickens any teleportation spell or ability the wearer casts and forces enemies to roll against the wearer's spell resistance twice and take the lower roll. If the wearer doesn't have any spell resistance, the ring bestows spell resistance 40.

Soulreaver's Pendant
A small, skull-shaped amulet of cold iron, this artifact does not appear to do anything at first glance. However, if worn by someone that relies on his own body as a weapon rather than manufactured arms and armor, it functions as an amulet of natural attacks, enhancing all the wearer's attacks as +6 soulreaving weapons.

Nox's repertoire of personal items is completed by a +6 transmutation proof soulfire armor and a Ring of Resistance +6. Finally, Nox has permanently enhanced her own power through multiple Wishes resulting in a +5 inherent bonus to all her ability scores (included in the stat block)

The stat block above is without any items or buffs. If Nox is expecting a fight and is wearing the above items and has buffed herself, adjust the stats accordingly.

AKA_Bait
2007-09-19, 09:18 AM
Good name... ;-)

Belial_the_Leveler
2007-09-19, 12:03 PM
'Nox' means 'Night' and it comes from ancient greek (paraphrased). As I happen to be greek and she happens to be a demon of darkness, I thought it appropriate.


Though I'd like some comments in mechanics-especially since I decided to playtest her now.

Do the mechanics stop cheesy tactics without making her invincible, considering caster capabilities in epic?
Is something missing from the build?
Could the build be improved?

AKA_Bait
2007-09-19, 12:34 PM
Honestly, I don't think I can be much help in the crunch department here. Once things get epic I lose most sense of balance since so much is out of whack.

I was just commenting on the name because I also chose it, fully aware of it's origins (it doesn't just mean night by the way, it was also the greek name for the home of the Oneiroi, the dream gods, Morpheus being their chief.) for the name of the home layer of the abyss for my homebrewed Oneiroi (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55570), also demons, in Vorpals monster contest this month.

Belial_the_Leveler
2007-09-19, 12:41 PM
Well, Nox could very well be a dream demon too. She can travel physically to the Ethereal Plane and back (Gate), cause darkness, conjure objects and creatures out of shadow (Shades) and implant suggestions anywhere in the Multiverse, even across planes (Demand). The only thing she misses is a Nightmare SLA.

BTW, your demons don't have a Nightmare SLA-it would be appropriate, I think.