Pustulith

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Pustulith (CR 15)

Demons are members of the endless and numberless hordes of the abyss, sowing chaos, misery, terror and destruction with every action they take. While some demons are subtle, their torments only revealed long after encountering them, most are brutishly violent and demonstrate little wit or cunning, except through techniques of aggression.

Pustuliths look like an athletic, hairless humanoid who has had the top half of their head cut off. These eyeless monsters are known for their impeccable tracking and are very fast. Their form seems to shimmer with an unreality, allowing them to shunt damage off of their material forms. Their bodies are riddled with angry, swollen pustules with shiny black heads.

Pustuliths are telepathic, and eagerly communicate with their chosen prey, using horrible taunts, shouted insults and disturbing half-truths to distract, upset and generally rattle their foes. Pustuliths are deadly and smart, and are often used as scouts and raiders to soften up or subvert settlements for the greater designs of their more powerful demonic brethren.

GENERAL

CR 15 Hit Dice 22

XP 51,200

CE Medium Outsider (Demon)

Init +7; Senses Blindsense 60 ft., Telepathy 100 ft., Perception +23

DEFENSE

AC 37, touch 26, flat-footed 31 (+10 armor, +6 dex, +6 natural, +5 deflection)

hp 328

Fort +14, Ref +14, Will +18

Aura: -

SR: -

Special Defenses: DR 10/Good; ER 15/acid, ER 15/cold, ER 15/fire, ER 15/negative energy, Fast Healing 10

Immunities: Electricity, Poison

Weaknesses: Pustuliths take -4 on their saves against Banishment, Dismissal and similar spells

OFFENSE

Speed 60 ft., Greater Climb 60 ft.

Space / Reach: 5 ft. / 5 ft.

Single Melee Bite +24 (3d8+15/x2) plus Corrupting Sores

Full Melee Bite +24 (3d8+15/x2) plus Corrupting Sores, 2x Claws +24 (3d6+3/x2) plus Corrupting Sores

Ranged Filthy Dart +24 (3d8+8/x2) plus Corrupting Sores

Special Attacks Corrupting Sores, Summon Dretch, Vile Utterance

Action Points 0

STATISTICS

Str 13, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 15, Wis 15, Cha 14

Base Atk +15; CMB +24; Maneuver Defense: 32

Feats -

Skills Acrobatics +23, Stealth +23, Survival +26

Languages Graxt (secret language of destruction); Telepathy grants all other non-secret languages

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Corrupting Sores (Ex)

Each time an attack by a Pustulith successfully deals damage to a creature, that creature must make an immediate Fort save, DC 23, or the victim immediately takes 4d6 points of Non-Lethal Damage (bludgeoning; in the form of wracking pain), as the wound becomes painfully infected. Furthermore, at the start of the Pustulith's next turn, anyone who is infected with the Sores must make a Will save, DC 23, or become dominated by the Pustulith, who takes advantage of the victim's intense pain to overwhelm their mental defenses. This dominate effect requires no action from the Pustulith to activate.

On a dominated creature's turn, the Pustulith can force the creature to use one standard action of the Pustulith's choice, after which the dominated creature may make another Will save to try to shake off the domination. Regardless of the outcome of this save, the creature's turn ends (this also prevents the creature from spending an action point to act after shaking off the effect).

Once any creature has succeeded on a Will save to either avoid or shake off this dominate effect, they are immune to all other Pustulith dominate effects for 24 hours. However, they can still take additional Non-Lethal Damage from the Corrupting Sores.

Spawn Dretch (Sp)

• Concentration: d20 + 18 vs. DC 31 (13 needed on the die)

Once per encounter as a move action, a Pustulith can spawn 1d3 Dretches from the Abyssal planes. This is a spell-like ability which provokes attacks of opportunity unless a successful Combat Casting Caster Check is made (while threatened). Spawned Dretches appear in any squares within 30 feet of the Pustulith, and can act in the same round as they are spawned, but always have an initiative score of 1. A spawned Dretch acts under the orders of the Pustulith who spawned it, and is usually sent to cluster around nearby enemies. Any spawned Dretch which is defeated provides XP and treasure when slain, just like a normal monster.

Vile Utterance (Su)

Once per encounter as a standard action, a Pustulith can utter a power word in Graxt, forcing all non-demons within 30' who can hear the words to make a Fort save (DC 23) or take 8d6 points of fire damage and become Sickened until the start of the Pustulith's next turn. Those who make the save are not Sickened and take only half damage. As this is the vile and secret language Graxt, anyone who attempts to repeat the words spoken by the Pustulith will likely suffer a confluence of dramatically unlikely accidents which cause their death, unless they have also been taught to speak Graxt.

Any Dretches in the area of effect of a Vile Utterance immediately die, triggering their Wretched Demise ability.

TREASURE

sell value of approximately 18,750 gp

COMBAT TACTICS

Pustuliths will use their telepathy to confuse, intimidate or taunt their foes, constantly whispering or shouting vile and terrible fates they intend to inflict on their listeners. Because they are demons, they take delight in causing terror, rage and grief in their opponents.

Pustuliths attacking in a group will coordinate their attacks so that some can summon Dretches while others attack directly, in hopes of inflicting their Corrupting Sores on one or more enemies. They will then switch off the following round, to allow more Dretches to be called in, while keeping up the pressure in melee.

Creatures who succumb to the dominate effect of the Corrupting Sores are typically used in one of the following ways:

• Charge a back-rank ally and attack
• Ready an action to attack any ally who comes within range
• Move over to the nearest cluster of Dretches (or into the fires left by Wretched Demise)

Pustuliths will also use their Vile Utterance tactically, either to detonate some well-placed Dretches, or to inflict Sickened on as many enemies as possible, so that Corrupting Sores will be easier to apply (since Sickened lowers saving throws).

Note that Pustuliths have decent DR, a lot of various ER, are immune to electricity and poison, and have fast healing 10, making them fairly durable. Fast healing immediately stops working if the Pustulith is knocked unconscious or killed.

OUT OF COMBAT

Pustuliths can be drawn to the Prime Material Plane via rituals or summoned by other demons already in the Prime Material Plane. They are often used to prepare an area for invasion or subversion by powers greater than themselves.

As an interesting aside, the portion of the Pustulith which always remains in the Abyssal plane is actually a Large-sized creature. The medium form they send to other planes hangs from their true form almost like a fishing lure. Anyone viewing them with True Sight will be able to see their whole form: a nexus of many bulbous, spidery legs and long, bony claws and a multi-jointed tail which arcs over the mass of legs and claws to dangle the mutilated humanoid lure in front. The only part of the Pustulith that might be called a head or body is on the lure.

Because Pustuliths are still partially in their home plane, they are more vulnerable to Dismissal and Banishment spells, getting no spell resistance against those spells.