Daemon, Piscodaemon

This hideous cross between a lobster, an octopus, and a human threatens enemies with powerful claws and writhing tentacles.

ECOLOGY

Environment any (Abaddon)
Organization solitary, pair, or knot (3–5)
Treasure standard

These aquatic daemons roam the lower planes sowing misery and blight. They delight in drawn-out deaths, poisoning creatures or dismembering victims to watch them slowly bleed out. On their home plane of Abaddon, piscodaemons gravitate toward the same aquatic regions inhabited by hydrodaemons, and often the stronger among their ranks end up leading armies of hydrodaemons against their enemies. These creatures serve as sergeants in the hierarchy of Abaddon, and run their units with an excess of cruelty and violence. Instead of preying on the weak, piscodaemons enjoy targeting strong, well-armored warriors, knowing the pain of their weakening poison rests poorly on shoulders accustomed to bearing heavy weights and delivering devastating blows.

Piscodaemons are 7 feet tall and weigh 400 pounds.

Among the cruelest daemons, piscodaemons exhibit crustacean, cephalopod, and humanoid features and revel in protracted misery caused by their own hands and the hands of their immediate underlings. Piscodaemons’ poisonous tentacles easily ravage lesser victims, but they prefer to target more powerful enemies first, both as a tactical choice and for the emotional impact when foes see the greatest among them fall. Dwelling primarily in Abaddon’s flooded, swampy, and fully aquatic regions, they often compete with hydrodaemons and frequently lead squads of their lesser cousins. On the Material Plane, their proclivity for violence attracts them to aquatic reaches around settled lands, such as swamps near towns or city sewers. From there, they tempt mortals into their lairs, delighting in massacre after brutal massacre.

Personification of Death: Poison.

Preferred Sacrifice: An armed and armored foe for the daemon to personally tear apart, or to be summoned in proximity to a crucial source of fresh water that it can taint.