Source Pathfinder RPG Bestiary pg. 57 Demons exist for one reason—to destroy. Where their more lawful counterparts, the devils of Hell, seek to twist mortal minds and values to remake and reshape them into reflections of their own evil, demons seek only to maim, ruin, and feed. They recruit mortal life only if such cohorts speed along the eventual destruction of hope and goodness. Death is, in some ways, their enemy—for a mortal who dies can often escape a demon's depredations and flee to his just reward in the afterlife. It is the prolonging of mortal pain and suffering that fuels a demon's lusts and desires, for it is partially from mortal sin and cruelty that these monstrous fiends were born.
Demons are the most prolific and among the most destructive of the fiendish races, yet despite what some lore might preach, they were not the first forms of life to rise in the stinking pits of ruin and cruelty known across the multiverse as the Abyss. Before the first fledgling deity gazed upon reality, before mortal life drew its breath, before even the Material Plane itself had fully formed, the Abyss was infested with life.
Known to many scholars as “proto-demons,” these wretched and deadly beings were the qlippoth. Today, because of the influence of sinful mortal souls upon the Abyss, mixed with unholy tamperings at the hands of the daemonic keepers of Abaddon and the cruel whims of fate and evolution, the rule of the qlippoth has receded. The proto-demons dwell now in the noxious and forgotten corners of the Abyss, and the far more fecund and prolific demons rule now in their stead. With each evil mortal soul that finds its way into the Abyss, the ranks of the demonic hordes grows—a single soul can fuel the manifestation of dozens or even hundreds of demons, with the exact nature of the sins carried by the soul guiding the shapes and roles of the newly formed fiends.
The Abyss is a vast (some say infinite) realm, far larger than any other plane save possibly the primal chaos of the Maelstrom itself. As befits such a vast and varied realm, the demonic host is likewise diverse. Some carry in their frames humanoid shapes, while others are twisted beasts. Some flop on land while others flap in air or sea. Some are schemers and manipulators of emotion and politics, others are destructive engines of ruin. Yet all demons work to the same goal—pain and suffering for mortal life in all its forms.
Yet despite this, mortals have sought demonic aid since the start. Be it an instinctual draw to self-destruction or a misguided lust for power, conjurers to this day continue to draw forth demons with forbidden magic. Some conjure demons for lore, while others call upon them to serve as assassins or guards. Demons view such summoners with a mix of hatred and thanks, for most demons lack the ability to come to the Material Plane to wreak havoc on their own. They depend on the mad to call them up from the Abyss, and while they gnash their fangs and rail against the commands and strictures enforced, most demons find ways to twist their summoners' demands so that even the most tightly controlled demonic slave leaves a trace of ruin and despair in its wake. More often than not, a foolish spellcaster makes a fatal mistake in the conjuring and pays for it with blood, unwittingly releasing a terrible blight upon the world as his conjuration breaks free of his control.
The truly mad call upon demons to offer themselves, both body and soul, in the misguided belief that alliance with the demonic can buy salvation and protection when the demonic apocalypse finally comes to call. Tales of desperate kings who sought to engage demons to serve as generals for their armies or of lunatics who seek demonic sires to gift them with horrific children are common enough, yet worst are those mortals who worship the most powerful demons as gods, and who pledge their lives in support of that which would bring destruction to all. Demon SubtypeDemons are chaotic evil outsiders that call the Abyss their home. Demons possess a particular suite of traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature's entry) as summarized here.- Immunity to electricity and poison.
- Resistance to acid 10, cold 10, and fire 10.
- Summon (Sp) Demons share the ability to summon others of their kind, typically another of their type or a small number of less powerful demons.
- Telepathy.
- Except where otherwise noted, demons speak Abyssal, Celestial, and Draconic.
- A demon's natural weapons, as well as any weapon it wields, is treated as chaotic and evil for the purpose of resolving damage reduction
Creatures in Mythic "Demon" CategoryDemon, VrockThis vulture-headed demon has great filthy wings, and a beak and claws ready to rip and tear.Mythic Vrock CR 11/MR 4Source Mythic Adventures pg. 184 XP 12,800 CE Large outsider (chaotic, demon, evil, extraplanar, mythic) Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +23DefenseAC 27, touch 12, flat-footed 24 (+3 Dex, +15 natural, –1 size) hp 152 (9d10+103) Fort +13, Ref +11, Will +6 DR 10/epic and good; Immune electricity, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10; SR 22OffenseSpeed 30 ft., fly 50 ft. (average) Melee bite +14 (1d8+6 plus bleed), 2 claws +14 (2d6+6 plus bleed), 2 talons +14 (1d6+6 plus bleed) Space 10 ft., Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks bleed (1d6), entrapping vines, greater stunning screech, manic dance of ruin, mythic power (4/day, surge +1d8) Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th; concentration +15) At will—greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only), telekinesis (DC 18) 1/day—heroism, mirror image, summon (level 3, 1 vrock 35%)StatisticsStr 23, Dex 17, Con 25, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 16 Base Atk +9; CMB +16; CMD 29 Feats CleaveM, Combat ReflexesM, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Stand StillB Skills Fly +13, Intimidate +15, Knowledge (planes) +14, Perception +23, Sense Motive +15, Spellcraft +14, Stealth +11, Survival +15; Racial Modifiers +8 Perception Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Common; telepathy 100 ft.EcologyEnvironment any (Abyss) Organization solitary, pair, or gang (3–10) Treasure standardSpecial AbilitiesEntrapping Vines (Ex) A mythic vrock can expend one use of mythic power as a swift action to release a cloud of spores from its body, affecting all adjacent non-demons. The spores deal 2d8 points of damage on the first round as they grow into ugly vines; for the next 10 rounds, they deal 1d6 points of damage and entrap the affected creatures (DC 21, 10 rounds, hardness 5, hp 10). The vines can be destroyed by casting bless on the creatures or by sprinkling them with holy water. This is a disease effect. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Greater Stunning Screech (Su) Once per hour, a mythic vrock can emit a shrill screech. All non-demons within a 30-footradius spread must succeed at a DC 21 Fortitude save or be stunned for 1 round. If the vrock expends one use of mythic power, any creature that fails its save is staggered for 1d6 rounds after the stun ends. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Manic Dance of Ruin (Su) A mythic vrock can expend one use of mythic power to dance and chant as a full-round action, after which it releases a crackling wave of energy, dealing 5d6 points of electricity damage to all creatures within 100 feet (Reflex DC 17 for half). Each additional vrock that joins in the dance adds 1 to the DC and an additional 5d6 points of damage, up to a maximum of 20d6. The dance immediately ends and must be started anew if any of the participating vrocks is slain, stunned, or otherwise prevented from dancing. The save DC is Charisma-based.DescriptionA mythic vrock is a violent creature of unrestrained rage that takes out its anger on anything weaker than itself.
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