This week we continue an exploration of the creature types in the Menagerie, highlighting a few of the more interesting examples from each one as we go. Last week we looked at Aberrations & Chimeras. This week we're exploring the more iconic outsiders: Angels, Demons & Devils.
All three of these creature types are deeply involved in the cosmic struggle between good and evil. While good is clearly out-numbered, it is not less effective and its opponents typically do not put up a unified front against it. For all three of these creature types, the entries found are often the focus of religious cults, and their earn the fearsome wonder they inspire by the difficulty they pose for those that are unprepared for the specific ways in which they can be hurt.
As we look at these creature types, and some examples from the Menagerie, it's important to be refreshed on some of the conventions that the book uses in order to maintain its level-agnostic format. Important statistics like attacks, skill, saves, or the DCs for special abilities do not list a number. Rather, they simply call out a difficulty level from the challenge table. For a DC, this is always whatever the number is directly. For an active roll, such as an attack or saving throw, this is the number on the table minus ten. Hit Points are given as a multiple of the monster's level, and damage is typically listed without a number of dice included. When listed this way, damage dice are assumed to be one die base, plus another die for every five levels the monster has. For example, one of the monster's we'll highlight later, the Nosferatu, would deal 1d8+3 piercing damage with its fangs if level 1-4, 2d8+3 if level 5-9, 3d8+3 if level 10-14, and so on.
ANGELS
Outsiders from the good plane, angels are inherently good beings at the physical level, but this does not prevent them from being dangerous if provoked. The majority of angels remain on the good plane, defending it from intrusion and serving as caretakers for souls that have been judged worthy by The Arbiter. If angels appear on other planes, it is often at the behest deities they serve, or if called by powerful spellcasters. When bargaining for the assistance of a called angel, many prefer the performance of deeds to more tangible rewards.
Angels are as diverse as the plane they come from. Those that skew lawful are collectively referred to as Archons, while those that skew chaotic defy classification entirely. One of the few aspects of angels common across all types is their True Speech ability, allowing them to understand and speak any language, including sign language. Most angels are also resistant to physical damage, but are weak to evil damage.
One common mistake when dealing with angels is to assume that "good" is always the same as "nice." These outsiders can be exceptionally ruthless in pursuit of their goals, assured of their inherent righteousness. This can sometimes cause angels to go too far, and to fall into a corruption that is difficult to recover from. Sometimes corrupted angels join with the forces of evil or flee to the material plane to develop a following of misguided cultists.
This creature type is commonly associated with good deities. As such, those at least trained in Religion can treat that skill as a Knowledge Specialty when attempting to identify angels.
CHOIR INVISIBLE ANGEL
Role: Void
[Angel, Gargantuan, Good, Outsider]
Senses: darkvision; Perception: [med]
DEFENSE
Armor Class: [med]
Hit Points: 20x[level]
Fort: [med], Ref: [hard], Will: [hard]
Resist: elemental, physical
Immune: sonic
Weak: area, evil, splash
Defensive Abilities: (1 Reaction)
Swarm Traits: A Choir Invisible is immune to any effect that targets a specific number of creatures.
OFFENSE
Speed: hex 5; hex 5 fly
Divine Powers: ([med] DC)
At Will – inspire courage, ballad of the warding princess, clamor of the heavens, hymn of mercy, hymn of restorative harmonics, inspire competence, song of last stands
3/day – chord of shards, heroic finale, reviving finale, saving finale, soothing performance, stunning finale
STATISTICS
Str: +0, Agi: +4, End: +0, Int: +1, Wis: +4, Cha: +4
Languages: Celestial (fluent), True Speech
Hard Skills: Diplomacy, Performance, Religion
Special Abilities:
Grand Chorale: If multiple Choirs Invisible perform at once, each additional Choir increases the challenge of its Composition Powers by one step, each.
Natural Invisibility: Choirs Invisible are invisible to the vision of creatures without the outsider trait. This effect is not magic.
True Speech: An angel’s speech is understood by the listener as if spoken in its most fluent language, including sign language. This can cause an angel to seem to speak different languages to different creatures. An angel is fluent in a language it seems to speak, for all purposes.
ECOLOGY
Sometimes souls residing in the good plane choose to forego eternal rest to join the ranks of the angels and defend their new home, and the universe at large, from the forces of evil. Such souls cannot simply choose to become angels, but if enough gather together they can be divinely amalgamated into a Choir Invisible, a single angelic swarm composed of the individual essences of each soul in the choir. As the name suggests, a Choir Invisible cannot be seen by mortal eyes, though it can be heard. These angels are typically not encountered by themselves, but instead accompany and empower other angels.
These angels typically fill more of a support role in encounters, using their Bard-like abilities to empower their allies while relying on their natural invisibility for protection. For most goodly adventuring parties, these angels are more likely to be encountered as potential allies rather than as foes, although the Fallen Angel template could turn that dynamic on its head. When in concert with other, more potent angels, a Choir Invisible can make any angelic encounter far more challenging that it would first appear.
ARCHANGEL ANGEL
Role: Balanced (Boss)
[Angel, Epic, Good, Large, Outsider]
Senses: darkvision, Evil Sight; Perception: [hard]
DEFENSE
Armor Class: [incredible]
Hit Points: 20x[level]; Regeneration (evil)
Fort: [hard], Ref: [hard], Will: [hard]
Resist: elemental, physical, sonic
Weak: evil
Defensive Abilities: (5 Reactions)
{R} Attack of Opportunity
{R} Riposte
Armored: Archangels use armor and magic for defense. The difference between [hard] and [incredible] AC is a spell bonus, and the difference between [med] and [hard] is an item bonus.
Righteous Aura: An evil creature that starts its turn within hex 4 of an Archangel increases its sick value by 1, and cannot reduce its sick value while within this aura.
OFFENSE
Speed: hex 8, hex 8 fly
Melee Attacks:
{A} fist [incredible] (d4+5 B; agile, disarm, finesse, grab, shove, trip)
{A} archangel blade [incredible] (d8+5 S plus d10 good; disarm, parry, two-hand, versatile piercing)
Divine Powers: ([hard] DC)
At Will – divine decree (good only), heal, sunburst
3/day – breath of life, death ward, overwhelming presence
1/day – challenge, crusade, no quarter
1/month – miracle
STATISTICS
Str: +3, Agi: +2, End: +2, Int: +2, Wis: +4, Cha: +4
Languages: Celestial (fluent), True Speech
Hard Skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Diplomacy, Intimidation, Religion
Special Abilities:
Empowered Spells: When an Archangel casts divine decree, heal or sunburst, it is always heightened as if it were a Cantrip.
Epic Clarity: This monster is immune to any effect with the compulsion or possession trait.
Epic Initiative: When this monster rolls initiative it is only used to determine the first time it acts. After it has taken its first turn in combat, its next turn is always inserted into the initiative order after two party members have acted consecutively. Party members that choose to delay their turns do not count toward triggering this monster's next turn.
Evil Sight: An Archangel can see evil creatures as a precise sense within hex 10.
Plane Shift: Archangels know plane shift as a divine ritual.
Divine Weaponry: An angel’s weapons are an extension of its own self, and function as unarmed attacks for determining damage dice based on level.
True Speech: An angel’s speech is understood by the listener as if spoken in its most fluent language, including sign language. This can cause an angel to seem to speak different languages to different creatures. An angel is fluent in a language it seems to speak, for all purposes.
ECOLOGY
Among the most powerful angels, Archangels are astounding allies or devastating foes. Existing only in small numbers, and rarely encountered on the material plane, Archangels are the greatest line of defense for the good plane in its eternal struggle against the forces of evil.
One of the boss monsters of angel kind, Archangels work hard to live up to their incredible reputations. Few creatures in the Menagerie boast an Incredible difficulty for any of its statistics, and Armor Class is a particularly challenging place to find it. Combined with an aura that constantly applies a debilitating condition to its most likely foes, landing a direct hit on an Archangel in combat can feel nearly impossible. For most adventuring parties, an Archangel is thankfully more likely to be a friend than a foe.
DEMONS
Malevolent outsiders from the wild regions of the evil plane and the sinister regions of the chaotic plane, demons are a scourge to all living beings. Often representing pure embodiments of mortal sins, demons revel in profligacy and delight in bringing out the worst in mortals, or just simply torturing them for sport. The Abyss is the natural home of demons, and spontaneously generates them on both sides of the metaphysical divide where it straddles the chaotic and evil planes. Demons from the evil plane tend to be more concerned with the active spread of sin and iniquity, while those spawned from the chaotic plane tend to be more focused on sowing discord and terror without an agenda to guide it.
Demons are as diverse as sin itself, but all are resistant to physical damage. Most demons, even the ones spawned on the chaotic plane, are weak to good damage. Despite their chaotic nature, demons do not have any particular weakness to law, though it does sometimes manifest in certain, especially chaotic breeds. All demons speak Abyssal, though many learn additional languages or use magic in order to more effectively interact with their victims.
Demons can be exceptionally difficult to encounter, as they do not often have a long-term agenda that they are dedicated to pursuing. Some might just attack on sight out of boredom, while others might decide it is more entertaining to strike a nefarious bargain with a mortal, whether or not they were called for such a purpose. Mortals must be exceptionally careful when dealing with a demon, and guard their language closely as otherwise innocuous turns of phrase like "I wish..." might be taken as an agreement, and demons almost never bargain in good faith.
This creature type is commonly associated with evil deities. As such, those at least trained in Religion can use that skill as a Knowledge Specialty when attempting to identify demons.
DEMONLING DEMON
Role: Balanced (+Defense)
[Chaotic, Demon, Evil, Outsider, Tiny]
Senses: darkvision; Perception: [med]
DEFENSE
Armor Class: [hard]
Hit Points: 15x[level]
Fort: [med], Ref: [hard], Will: [hard]
Resist: physical
Weak: good
Defensive Abilities: (1 Reaction)
{R} Attack of Opportunity
{R} Chill Out
Trigger: A creature with greater than animal intelligence attacks the demonling
Effect: The demonling feigns helplessness and servility. The triggering attacker must roll twice and take the worse result. A demonling that is a familiar can still use this ability, even though minions do not normally have their own pool of reactions. This is a misfortune effect.
OFFENSE
Speed: hex 5
Melee Attacks:
{A} jaws [hard] (d4-1 P; agile, finesse, Poisoned)
Special Attacks:
{F} Poisoned
Trigger: A target is damaged by the demonling’s jaws
Effect: The triggering target also takes d8 poison damage.
Divine Spells: ([med] DC)
At Will – detect magic, ghost sound, guidance
3/day – bane, charm, grease, sanctuary
1/day – hideous laughter, misdirection, touch of idiocy
STATISTICS
Str: -1, Agi: +3, End: +1, Int: +1, Wis: -1, Cha: +2
Languages: Abyssal (fluent)
Hard Skills: Acrobatics, Deception, Diplomacy, Stealth
Special Abilities:
Empowered Familiar: A demonling that serves as a familiar uses master’s level if greater than its own. It keeps all of its statistics and abilities in addition to familiar abilities chosen by its master.
ECOLOGY
These tiny demons are perhaps the most sociable and gregarious of their kind. They prefer to avoid fighting, and instead like to hang around mortals in order to have a good time and, if possible, give really bad life advice. A demonling seeks to make itself a fun and indispensable “friend” to mortals it adopts, and most demonlings will gleefully agree to become the familiar for a spellcaster. While these demons might seem harmless, they are very treacherous beings and their ultimate goal is nothing short of the total corruption of the mortals they hang around with.
While many demons may be fearsome and violent, the humble Demonling instead embodies the seductive power that sin can have. Neither physically imposing nor wielding potent magics, their very weakness is their greatest asset. Encounters with a Demonling are unlikely to turn violent unless a party insists on it, and even then the demon is more likely to flee than stand its ground. And yet, despite all of its personal shortcomings, a party that allows a Demonling to hang around may find it to be one hell of a good friend, and one hell of a bad influence.
NOSFERATU DEMON
Role: Balanced (Boss)
[Chaotic, Demon, Epic, Evil, Medium, Outsider]
Senses: darkvision, Blood Scent; Perception: [hard]
DEFENSE
Armor Class: [hard]
Hit Points: 20x[level]; Regeneration (good, Staked)
Fort: [med], Ref: [hard], Will: [hard]
Resist: mental, physical
Immune: fear
Weak: good, silver
Defensive Abilities: (5 Reactions)
{R} Attack of Opportunity
Armored: Nosferatu use armor or magic for defense. The difference between [med] and [hard] AC is an item bonus or a spell bonus.
Stake Vulnerability: Any piercing weapon or ammunition made from wood counts as a stake. A Nosferatu is staked if an attack with a stake is a critical success, in which case the Nosferatu’s regeneration is suppressed as long as the stake is not removed. A Nosferatu cannot remove a stake from itself.
OFFENSE
Speed: hex 5
Melee Attacks:
{A} fangs [hard] (d8+3 P; Bleed, forceful, Vampirism)
{A} claw [hard] (d6+3 S; agile, grab)
Special Attacks:
{F} Bleed
Trigger: A target is damaged by a Nosferatu’s fangs
Effect: The triggering target also takes d8 bleed damage.
{F} Drink Blood
Trigger: The Nosferatu inflicts bleed damage.
Effect: The Nosferatu drinks the blood of the triggering target. The target immediately suffers its bleed damage and the Nosferatu recovers Hit Points equal to the damage dealt. If the Nosferatu’s Regeneration is suppressed, it becomes active again.
{F} Fanged Grapple
Trigger: The Nosferatu grabs or restrains a target.
Effect: The Nosferatu Strikes the triggering target with its fangs.
{F} Quick Grapple
Trigger: The Nosferatu deals damage with its claws
Effect: The Nosferatu Grapples the triggering target.
{A} Alter Self: The Nosferatu changes its form into that of a bat, wolf or mist. This functions as aerial form, animal form, or gaseous form, but the effect is not magic.
{A} Command Thralls: The Nosferatu Directs Minion for any number of its minions at once. It can give a different command to each minion if it chooses. A vampire can be Directed this way, even if not the Nosferatu’s minion.
{AA} Hypnotize: The Nosferatu attempts a Diplomacy check against a target’s Will DC. This is a mental, compulsion effect.
Success: The target becomes controlled by the Nosferatu, as the spell dominate.
Success (+10): As success, and its next save is one step worse.
Failure: The target increases its dizzy and slowed values by 1, each.
Failure (-10): The target is bolstered.
STATISTICS
Str: +3, Agi: +3, End: +2, Int: +4, Wis: +4, Cha: -4
Languages: Abyssal (fluent)
Hard Skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation, Society
Special Abilities:
Blood Scent: A Nosferatu can smell creatures with blood as a precise sense within hex 10. This range is doubled for a creature suffering bleed damage.
Epic Initiative: When this monster rolls initiative it is only used to determine the first time it acts. After it has taken its first turn in combat, its next turn is always inserted into the initiative order after two party members have acted consecutively. Party members that choose to delay their turns do not count toward triggering this monster's next turn.
Epic Invulnerability: This monster's resistances and immunities cannot be circumvented by any means.
Vampirism: A target bitten by a Nosferatu is exposed to Vampirism.
ECOLOGY
The original sources of vampirism among mortals, the dreaded Nosferatu possess many of their undead spawns abilities but none of their grace of charm. Conventionally ugly and deformed, these demons rely on brute physical and mental power to overwhelm those they seek to feed upon rather than wily seduction. Because Nosferatu are not true undead, they also lack many of their common tells and weaknesses, and can walk unhindered in broad daylight. Most Nosferatu still prefer to stalk by night, as the darkness helps to hide their hideous features from those that they stalk.
Whereas the Demonling is a pitiful and weak creature, the Nosferatu is one of the most perilous of demon-kind. Lacking many of the traditional weaknesses of vampires thanks to their demonic nature, these epic monsters can quickly turn a numbers advantage around by utilizing their epic initiative and dominating those that would have the temerity to stand against it. While thankfully rarely encountered out and about, one of these vampiric demons may sit at the head of a cabal of more traditional vampires, playacting at nobility and proving to be the final challenge when rooting out a nest.
DEVILS
Where demons are wild and unpredictable, devils are careful and methodical. Native to the lawfully skewed areas of the evil plane, these outsiders are organized into rigid castes and byzantine hierarchies that harness their power into ruthless efficiency. Devils do not hunt or corrupt mortals for sport, but instead harness the power of damned souls into a thriving and terrifying economy. To fuel this soul trade, devils take the most active interest in the material plane of any outsiders, offering power at a price. Devils play the long game, and will most often turn a mortal soul to damnation through slippery slopes and slow seduction, with always one more contract available for “reasonable” terms.
For such a rigid category of beings, devils are surprisingly diverse, with many devils existing solely to fill a niche within the hierarchies of Hell. Devils are always resistant to physical damage, and typically immune to fire. Despite being both evil and lawful, most devils only have a weakness to good damage. A weakness to chaotic damage sometimes manifests, but is comparatively rare. All devils speak Infernal, and all contracts are invariably set forth in that precise tongue to the peril of those incapable of reading it for themselves. Many will learn other languages or use magic in order to communicate with mortals in the way that makes them the most comfortable, and therefore least likely to question circumstances until it is too late.
Devils can be tricky to deal with, both from a player and a GM perspective. Resorting to violence is not usually their first tactic, although they can be terrifyingly efficient when combat ensues. Most devils refrain from attacking first, because death makes a soul so much harder to collect. The damage a devil wreaks is often much more subtle, and their schemes tend to be set up to advance regardless of actions taken to try to prevent them.
This creature type is commonly associated with evil deities. As such, those at least trained in Religion can use that skill as a Knowledge Specialty when attempting to identify devils.
HELLHOUND DEVIL
Role: Bruiser
[Devil, Evil, Large, Lawful, Outsider]
Senses: darkvision, hex 8 smell; Perception: [hard]
DEFENSE
Armor Class: [med]
Hit Points: 20x[level]
Fort: [med], Ref: [hard], Will: [med]
Resist: physical
Immune: fire
Weak: good
Defensive Abilities: (1 Reaction)
{R} Attack of Opportunity
{R} Battle Cry
Trigger: The Hellhound rolls initiative or scores a critical success with an attack
Effect: The Hellhound Demoralizes all foes it can see.
Unnerving Presence: A creature that can only sense a Hellhound cannot reduce its scared value at the end of its turn.
OFFENSE
Speed: hex 6
Melee Attacks:
{A} jaws [hard] (d8+5 P plus d6 fire; forceful, trip)
Special Attacks:
{F} Tripping Bite
Trigger: The Hellhound deals damage with its jaws
Effect: The Hellhound Trips the triggering foe.
Sneak Attack: A Hellhound deals d6 additional precision damage to targets that are flanked, flat-footed or scared.
Divine Spells: ([med] DC)
At Will – know direction, terrify
STATISTICS
Str: +3, Agi: +2, End: +2, Int: +1, Wis: +2, Cha: +1
Languages: Infernal (conversant)
Hard Skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Intimidation, Stealth, Survival
Special Abilities:
Hellfire: Whenever a devil deals fire damage, it deals an equal amount of evil damage to the same target.
Natural Invisibility: Hellhounds are invisible to the vision of creatures with greater than animal intelligence which lack the outsider trait, unless that creature is bound by an infernal contract. Hellhounds are visible to other senses normally. This effect is not magic, but any Divination spells that reveal the invisible, such as see invisibility or true seeing, can reveal a Hellhound.
Pack Tactics: A Hellhound treats a target as flanked if the target is threatened by one of the Hellhound’s allies, regardless of actual positioning.
ECOLOGY
Hellhounds serve both as guardians of the grand bureaucracy of hell, and as trackers to run enemies or fugitives to ground. Despite being animalistic in appearance and nature, these devils are cunning and intelligent and harbor delight for terrorizing mortals when they get the chance. Invisible to most mortals, Hellhounds like to play with their targets before the kill. Indeed, so joyous is their revelry of bloodlust that Hellhounds can lose interest in taking fugitives alive. For this reason, Hellhounds are most often paired with Erinyes, who possess the uncanny ability to keep them in check and command their respect.
These devils alone may pose a challenge to many parties, but their tendency to hunt in packs makes them especially dangerous. While clever parties may be able to use their cruel love of sport against them when alone, Hellhounds become an even greater threat when accompanying the dreaded Erinyes. An individual Hellhound's tactics can be somewhat limited, but their total devotion to the orders of their true masters gives them a sudden edge in tactics and action economy.
ERINYES DEVIL
Role: Balanced (Boss)
[Devil, Epic, Evil, Lawful, Medium, Outsider]
Senses: darkvision; Perception: [hard]
DEFENSE
Armor Class: [hard]
Hit Points: 15x[level]; Regeneration (good, silver)
Fort: [med], Ref: [hard], Will: [med]
Resist: physical
Immune: fire
Weak: good
Defensive Abilities: (5 Reactions)
{R} Attack of Opportunity
Armored: Erinyes use armor or magic for defense. The difference between [med] and [hard] AC is an item bonus or a spell bonus.
Snap Shot: Erinyes can take Attacks of Opportunity against their hunted targets with ranged attacks if the target is within the first range increment.
OFFENSE
Speed: hex 6; hex 6 fly
Melee Attacks:
{A} fist [hard] (d4+3 B; agile, disarm, finesse, grab, shove, trip)
{A} flaming bastard sword [hard] (d8+3 S plus d10 fire; disarm, two-hand, versatile P)
Ranged Attacks:
{A} flaming composite longbow [hard] (d10+5 P; hex 48 range increment; deadly 1d10, propulsive, reload 0, volley)
Special Attacks:
{A} Direct Hound: The Erinyes gives a command to up to two Hellhounds. Each commanded hound immediately takes two actions.
{A} Fury: The Erinyes Enters Rage. It does not choose to stop raging while its hunted target is alive and has not surrendered.
{A} Hunt Target: The Erinyes designates a creature it sees or is Tracking as its hunted target. It gains a +1 un-typed bonus to checks against this target, and the first time it deals damage to it in a turn it deals one more weapon die of damage.
{A} Hunted Shots: The Erinyes makes two ranged Strikes against its hunted target at its current multiple attack penalty. These attacks count as one for calculating its multiple attack penalty.
{A} Parting Shot: The Erinyes ranged Strikes, then Strides up to twice. This movement does not trigger reactions.
Divine Powers: ([hard] DC)
At Will – flaming dart
3/day – flamethrower, fireball, wall of fire
STATISTICS
Str: +3, Agi: +2, End: +1, Int: +1, Wis: +4, Cha: +1
Languages: Infernal (fluent)
Hard Skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Intimidation, Religion, Society, Stealth, Survival
Special Abilities:
Divine Fury: Erinyes use Wisdom instead of Endurance for determining the effects of Rage.
Divine Weaponry: An Erinyes’ weapons are an extension of its own self, and function as unarmed attacks for determining damage dice based on level.
Empowered Spells: Whenever Erinyes cast flamethrower or fireball, it is always heightened as if it were a Cantrip.
Epic Clarity: This monster is immune to any effect with the compulsion or possession trait.
Hellfire: Whenever a devil deals fire damage, it deals an equal amount of evil damage to the same target.
Marksman: An Erinyes adds its Agility modifier to damage with ranged weapons and doubles the range increment of ranged weapons. These effects are included in the statistics presented here.
Plane Shift: All Erinyes know plane shift as a divine ritual.
ECOLOGY
Colloquially referred to in hushed tones as “The Furies,” these devils are elite fighters with one goal: hunt down those that break infernal contracts and drag them, living or dead, to hell. While these devils are exceptional hunters in their own right, they will often be accompanied by Hellhounds – as much for the intimidation factor as for actual assistance. While frightful stories of the wrath of the Erinyes spread far and wide, there will always be those that are desperate or foolish enough to try to get out of a binding contract, and so these devils are never short for work.
One of the few bosses in the Menagerie that is neither rare or unique, these devils present an unspeakable challenge to those that would seek to circumvent the powers of hell. While unlikely to be encountered at random, the fact that Erinyes possess many of the devastating class perks and features available to Rangers can make eluding one of these boss monsters nigh impossible. The danger these devils pose is only heightened when they are accompanied by Hellhounds, as they can tactically leverage their action economy to get extra, off-turn actions out of those terrible pets.
Angels, Demons and Devils make for excellent encounters to highlight a more spiritually-oriented arc. Their adjacency to deities, and the likelihood of encountering ones that have been dispatched to assist a cult, always adds an interesting dimension to encounters with zealots, or as a clue that a party might be dealing with more than they initially expected. Next week we'll continue our tour of the Menagerie with another trio of creature types: Animals, Beasts & Insects.
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