Atlas   Rules   Resources   Adventures   Stories       FAQ   Search   Links



Mystaran Devils

by Rodger Burns

Cehkuzhri Baatezu - These mischievous beings appear much like winged gremlins or small gargoyles. Their dark skins and multi-jointed limbs make them appear graceful and elegant to diaboli, but much less wholesome to Normal-dimension beings. Their sharp sense of humour and high-pitched erratic laughter only add to this impression, coming off as malevolent sadism to most Normal observers.

Nhalazai Baatezu - This lesser form of baatezu has a body made primarily of gathered Vischor, the Nightmare equivalent of elemental water. As a result, its skin seems continually slimy, oozing and befouled, and it continually 'leaks' small pieces of itself wherever it travels. In the Nightmare Dimension, this is a normal and healthy process, with the lost Vischor seeping into the ground naturally, but when trapped in Normal space the Nhalazai inevitably leaves behind it a slowly spreading stain of poison ichor.

Shirakhon Baatezu - A shirakon looks somewhat similar to a mortal diabolus, but is easily a head taller, and prematurely thin besides. Several parts of its body are covered in a flexible, chitinous armour plate, and it has an unpleasant habit of being able to grow additional arms (up to four) at any part of its torso it desires, retracting existing limbs if needed in order to create a new limb somewhere else. It strikes without warning against the forces of Law and Order, fighting furiously against those who would use its power to oppress or enslave the less fortunate.

Bhaerakoss Baatezu - The bhaerakoss is squat and hunchbacked, its skin covered with patches of tangled, steel-grey fur and its mouth lined with a triple row of razor-sharp, sharklike teeth. In spite of its seeming clumsiness and compact stature, the bhaerakoss is capable of startling bursts of speed, and is savage and ruthless against anything it engages in combat.

Faajikai Baatezu - This powerful baatezu is continually surrounded by an ever-present haze of smoke, and has great power over elemental Blackflame. Its features and musculature are more slender and angular than that of a common diabolus, and its hair is a startlingly unusual colour - most often pure white, but sometimes crimson, pale gold or steel grey. The faajikai possesses no less than three separate tails, all viciously barbed and unnaturally strong, but can disguise all but one under a glamour if need be, to better pass among mortal diaboli.

Gergazon Baatezu - The gergazon rarely appear in their natural form, preferring instead to take the shape of common diaboli and inspire chaos from within the ranks of these beings. In instances when the gergazon does assume its true shape, though, its presence is unmistakable - almost unnaturally massive and muscled, with large spikes protruding from chest, shoulders, knees and ankles, and two pairs of eyes set one atop the other in its forehead. The power of such beings is not to be underestimated.

Trezathi Baatezu (Terror Fiend) - The greatest of the baatezu, trezathi take great pleasure in disruption, mutation and disorder. Each is subtly different in appearance, but they all have hide like liquid metal and four huge, batlike wings that extend freely from their bodies. Perhaps fortunately for the safety of all life, they rarely visit the Normal Dimension, and spend most of their time even in Nightmare apart from their lesser kin.

Again, all this is pure description and fluff work - so the 'Cehkuzhri', frex, is a coure eladrin - CG alignment, stats, behaviour, powers, the works - except for its appearance (pleasing to Nightmare beings, abhorrent to Normals). Whether it'd be feasible to do the same with 3E devils is open to question - much wider range of original source, and a narrower scope of body types to wedge them into. Might give it a shot awhile later, though, if nobody beats me to it.