Fiend, Mortal (Fiendspawn)
by Rodger BurnsMortal Fiends are creations of the Sphere of Entropy and natives of the Outer Planes. They are similar in appearance and behavior to the Exalted Fiends in service to the Immortals of Entropy, but weaker and more numerous - they have no access to Immortal Power, and can produce others of their kind without Immortal oversight or intervention. The potential danger of armies of mortal fiends is not lost on Immortals of other Spheres, but such a threat has strangely never materialized. Perhaps the Entropic Hierarchs fear the gathered power of their mortal minions, or perhaps they're blocked by their own internal lack of trust. Or perhaps they just have a better use for the combined power of the fiendspawn...
All mortal fiends share certain similar powers, defenses and vulnerabilities. They can memorize and cast spells like a mortal magic-user (the level of ability is noted in their monster descriptions) and can memorize clerical spells in their spell slots as well as well as magical spells. (For instance, a wind fiendspawn, with two 4th-level spell slots, could choose to memorize cause serious wounds in one slot and polymorph other in the other.) Spellbooks are not needed for this memorization - a fiendspawn can choose its spell selection freely each day, from among all spells usable in the campaign. Each type of mortal fiend also has certain spells that it can cast at will, as often as desired - specifics are noted in the monster description.
Mortal fiends are immune to mortal-level poison, disease, energy drain, and ESP spells. (They are vulnerable to all such effects from Exalted or Immortal-level beings.) They do not need to sleep, but do need to eat (though they can consume almost any kind of living matter). They take damage from holy water as undead do, and can both control undead (to a degree noted in the monster description) and can be turned by clerics. Fiendspawn cannot be destroyed by clerical turning, however - treat any result of 'D' or higher as merely a 'T' result.
Mortal fiends possess a limited form of anti-magic, which can be overwhelmed. The first time a spell is cast against a fiendspawn in a combat encounter, check for anti-magic as normal; if the check succeeds, the spell is nullified, but the fiendspawn's antimagic is then negated until a certain number of combat rounds have passed. (For example, a flame fiendspawn has anti-magic of 50% (1/2 rounds). Once its antimagic nullifies a spell, the fiendspawn is treated as having no anti-magic at all for the remainder of that combat round and all of the next).
In all other respects except those noted above and as noted in the monster descriptions below, mortal fiends are treated as any other mortal monster.
Wind Fiendspawn
Armor Class: 2
Hit Dice: 12****
Move: 90' (30')
- Flying: 180' (60')
Attacks: 2 claws/2 talons/1 bite
Dmg: 1d4 (x2)/1d6 (x2)/1d4+1
No. Appearing: 1 (1d4+1)
Save As: C12
Anti-Magic: 50% (1/3 rounds)
Morale: 11
Treasure Type: C
Alignment: Chaotic
XP Value: 4,750
Wind fiendspawn memorize and cast spells as a 10th-level magic-user. They can also cast darkness, mirror image and teleport at will. A Wind fiendspawn can make a swoop attack (as per page 154 of the RC, not the Immortal-level power). They control undead as a liege of 12 HD and can be turned as phantoms.
Swamp Fiendspawn
Armor Class: 2
Hit Dice: 15****
Move: 60' (20')
- Swimming: 150' (50')
Attacks: 1 claw/1 bite
Dmg: 1d4/2d6
No. Appearing: 1 (1d4+1)
Save As: C15
Anti-Magic: 50% (1/3 rounds)
Morale: 9
Treasure Type: E
Alignment: Chaotic
XP Value: 5,850
Swamp fiendspawn memorize and cast spells as a 12th-level magic-user. They can also cast darkness, cause fear, levitate, sticks to snakes and teleport at will. If a swamp fiendspawn surprises its opponents, it can lash out with its tongue at a target within 10', dragging the victim to its mouth and biting for double damage on a hit. They control undead as a liege of 15 HD and can be turned as haunts.
Flame Fiendspawn
Armor Class: 0
Hit Dice: 17****
Move: 180' (60')
- Flying: 60' (20')
Attacks: 2 pincers/1 gore/1 bite
Dmg: 1d10 (x2)/1d12/1d6
No. Appearing: 1 (1d3)
Save As: C17
Anti-Magic: 50% (1/2 rounds)
Morale: 10
Treasure Type: D
Alignment: Chaotic
XP Value: 6,600
Flame fiendspawn memorize and cast spells as a 14th-level magic-user. They can also cast darkness, blight, wall of fire and teleport at will. A flame fiendspawn can make a terrifying howl 3 times per day; non-fiendish mortals within 120' must save vs. spells or flee in terror for 1d4+2 rounds. Flame fiendspawn control undead as a liege of 18 HD and can be turned as spirits.
Schemer Fiendspawn
Armor Class: 0
Hit Dice: 20*****
Move: 90' (30')
- Flying: 150' (50')
Attacks: 2 claws/1 bite
Dmg: 1d6 (x2)/1d4+1
No. Appearing: 1 (1d3)
Save As: C20
Anti-Magic: 50% (1/2 rounds)
Morale: 9
Treasure Type: F
Alignment: Chaotic
XP Value: 11,375
Schemer fiendspawn (also known as forest fiendspawn) memorize and cast spells as a 16th-level magic-user. They can also cast continual darkness, cause disease, dissolve and teleport any object at will. A schemer fiendspawn can emit a horrific groan 3 times per day; non-fiendish mortals within 60' must save vs. spells or be paralyzed for 1d6 rounds. Schemer fiendspawn control undead as a liege of 21 HD and can be turned as nightshades.
Serpentine Fiendspawn
Armor Class: -2
Hit Dice: 22*****
Move: 150' (50')
- Flying/Swimming: 120' (40')
Attacks: 1 tail/6 weapons
Dmg: 1d12/by weapon
No. Appearing: 1 (1d2)
Save As: C22
Anti-Magic: 50% (1/round)
Morale: 10
Treasure Type: A
Alignment: Chaotic
XP Value: 14,000
Serpentine fiendspawn (also sometimes known as water fiendspawn or ocean fiendspawn) memorize and cast spells as an 18th-level magic-user. They can also cast continual darkness, confuse alignment, slow, cloudkill and teleport any object at will. A serpentine fiendspawn can spit poison 3 times per day at a single target within 30'; the target must save vs. poison at +2 or die. Serpentine fiendspawn control undead as a liege of 24 HD and can be turned as liches.
Ruling Fiendspawn
Armor Class: -2
Hit Dice: 25******
Move: 60' (20')
- Flying: 180' (60')
Attacks: 1 sword/1 whip
Dmg: 1d10/1d2 or special
No. Appearing: 1 (1)
Save As: C25
Anti-Magic: 50% (1/round)
Morale: 11
Treasure Type: F
Alignment: Chaotic
XP Value: 21,500
Ruling fiendspawn (also known as mountain fiendspawn) memorize and cast spells as a 20th-level magic-user. They can also cast continual darkness, curse, insect plague, geas, and teleport any object at will. A ruling fiendspawn can emit a vile black energy from its body for up to ten rounds per day (which need not be consecutive); while this ability is in use any living creature that touches or makes a melee attack against the fiendspawn must save vs. wands or take 1d6+1 damage. (This damage is not added to the fiendspawn's sword or whip attacks, though it would apply to Punching/Wrestling attacks.) All ruling fiendspawn possess a magical sword and a magical whip, each of at least +1 enchantment (and possibly possessing other special abilities); ruling fiendspawn invariably use their magical talents to impose a curse on their weapons, set to target any non-fiend who attempts to wield them. Ruling fiendspawn control undead as a liege of 27 HD (and can use this ability to control other mortal fiends, if desired) and can be turned as Special.
Whispering Fiendspawn
A mortal version of the Whispering Fiend is not known to exist.
Honest.
I've been thinking about this for awhile, partly related to my comments on Durga, Mother of Demons and partly related to my remembrances of the Battle of the Temple of Balthac in the Wrath of the Immortals adventure. For recap, that part of the module climaxes with a fight between the PCs and an equal number of Screaming Fiends. I have to think that the editor glanced over that section, assumed that WotI Fiends were about as dangerous overall as D&D Type I demons, and didn't bother playtesting. Because the way this fight is actually going to go down is probably as follows:
1. Hel sends in six Screaming Fiends to face our party of mortal adventurers. They've all done minimal prep beforehand (15+ Intelligence and native to Pyts) and have spent Power to acquire use of every magic-user spell in the game, at-will.
2. Round 1 Initiative is rolled. The Screaming Fiends all get a +2 bonus to their roll, so there's a 90+% chance that at least one of them gets a modified 7 or higher and a guaranteed first strike. That fiend spots the PC who has no armor and is wielding nothing nastier than a staff or dagger and hits him with a power word kill. (Or a maze. Or a polymorph any object that turns him into a tadpole. Or a carefully-placed meteor strike, able to do 108 hit points of damage to a target that makes all its saving throws.) Point is, the one guy who could reasonably be expected to enable the PCs to take out the fiends quickly is down for the count.
3. If there are any party members with pointed ears, or wearing leather armor and holding up large scrolls, they're the next targets of opportunity. Once it's down to the fighters, clerics, dwarves and halflings, the fiends start having fun. Three fighters, all ganging up on a single Fiend and successfully Slamming it, could probably drop it from 50 hit points to dead in a single combat round; any less of an effort and the damaged Fiend just pops a heal on its turn and is back at full health. So at this point, they don't need to use blatantly unfair attacks to win; they can just attrit the remaining PCs to death.
(And all this, note, is before the giant skeleton-dragon shows up...)
So yeah. A monster type that looks like a Screaming Fiend and acts like a Screaming Fiend but isn't as powerful as a Screaming Fiend is something I think the game would benefit from.