Demon-Possessed Creature (CR +Special)[3pp]

No evil is as terrible as one having the outward form of goodness. Demons can cavort in the skins of mortal creatures and cause havoc while disguised by the flesh of virtue. While in mortal guise, a demon can convert the weak-willed to evil and provide power and counsel to other mortal pawns, while gleefully using the possessed body as a shield against attack.

A demon’s presence can have a variety of physical effects on the creature it possesses. Glowing eyes, bristly hair, warts, boils, scars, long nails, and twisted limbs can all be signs of demon possession. Many demon-possessed creatures, however, show no outward sign at all.

Creating a Demon-Possessed Creature

Demon-possessed” is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal creature that falls prey to demon possession (referred to hereafter as the base creature). A demon-possessed creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Challenge Rating: The challenge rating changes depending on the type of demon possessing the base creature (see below).

Alignment: Chaotic evil. A demon-possessed creature’s alignment remains chaotic evil until the possession ends.

Type: A demon-possessed creature gains the chaotic and evil subtypes.

Defensive Abilities: A demon-possessed creature gains a +4 profane bonus on saves vs. poison, electricity resistance 20, and DR 10/cold iron or good

Weaknesses: A demon-possessed creature gains the following weakness.

Spell Vulnerability (Ex)

Certain spells have special additional effects against demon-possessed creatures. A demon-possessed creature subjected to a dispel chaos or dispel evil spell must succeed on a Will saving throw or lose all the modifications bestowed by the demon-possessed creature template for a number of rounds equal to the opponent’s caster level. The demon is immediately ejected from the possessed creature’s body and appears in the nearest open square.

A demon-possessed creature subjected to a banishment spell must succeed on a Will saving throw or lose the template until again possessed by a demon. Failure returns the demon to its home plane, as noted in the spell description.

An antimagic field or any antimagic effect suppresses all the effects of the demon-possessed creature template. It also prevents the demon from communicating with the possessed creature, using its perceptions, and exiting its body (unless it dies) for as long as the demon-possessed creature remains in the antimagic area.

Special Attacks: If the possessing demon has the summon ability, the demon-possessed creature gains the demon’s universal summon monster ability as well, albeit with the percent of success one-half of the possessing demon’s and only usable once a day.

Additionally, a demon-possessed creature gains one of the possessing demon’s supernatural attacks or special quality that does not otherwise directly depend on another of the demon’s special abilities (once chosen this cannot be changed). The chosen ability is usable once per day and all numeric factors (range, damage, etc. ) except for saves are halved. If an ability depends on a specific type of natural attack, the demon-possessed creature gains that attack but it only deals the effect of the ability once a day. If the ability is a permanent defense or aura for the possessing demon (such as a babau’s protective slime),the possessed creature can activate and dismiss it at will, but it still can only be used once a day. Effects that automatically occur given certain conditions, like a balor-possessed’s death throes, are unchanged except for numeric factors being halved. A demon-possessed creature is immune to its own chosen special ability.

A demon possessed creature also gains the following:

Profane Attacks (Su)

Each of a demon-possessed creature’s melee attacks with a natural or manufactured weapon deals and extra +1d6 points of extra damage per CR bonus (see Table 2-15) to a creature of good alignment. For example, a coloxus-possessed creature does +3d6 damage to good creatures. All of a demon-possessed creature’s natural and manufactured weapons are treated as magic, chaotic, and evil-aligned for overcoming damage reduction.

Spell-like Abilities: The creature gains the following spell-like abilities, depending on the kind of demon possessing it. The creature uses its Hit Dice or caster level, whichever is higher, as the caster level for its spell-like abilities. Save Dcs are based on the creature’s Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, whichever is highest.

Abilities: A demon-possessed creature’s ability scores change from the base creature according to the kind of demon possessing it as given on Table 2-15.

Languages: If a demon-possessed creature can speak, it gains the Abyssal as a bonus language.

Special Qualities: A demon-possessed creature gains the following.

Possessed (Su)

Each demon-possessed creature is inhabited by a specific demon. The demon can neither control the possessed creature nor read its mind, and it perceives only what the possessed creature does.

The demon is in constant telepathic communication with the possessed creature, imparting its thoughts and desires, regardless of language. To gain the possessed creature’s cooperation, the demon usually offers telepathic suggestions that it thinks a chaotic evil creature might find appealing.

While possessing another creature, the demon does not have access to any of its supernatural, spell-like, or extraordinary abilities, and cannot cast spells or take any mental actions beyond thinking and using Intelligence-based skills (Except those mentioned by the template). It cannot be targeted by any spell or effect (Except as described under spell vulnerability), but it can be detected normally by divination spells. Damage that harms the possessed creature does not harm the possessing demon. If the possessed creature dies, the demon returns to its plane of origin unharmed. The demon can enter and exit the possessed creature at any time as a standard action. When it does so, it appears in the nearest available open space. If the demon is killed while outside the possessed creature, the demon returns to its plane of origin, and the possession ends.

Table 2-15: Demon Possessed Abilities
Demon CR Spells Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha
Babau +2 3/day—darkness, dispel magic +2 +2 +2
Balor +5 3/day—greater dispel magic, quickened telekinesis, 1/day—fire storm +4 to any three different ability scores.
Coloxus +3 3/day—contagion, suggestion +2 +2 +4
Glabrezu +3 3/day—chaos hammer, confusion +2 +2 +4
Hezrou +2 3/day—gaseous form, unholy blight +2 +2 +2
Incubus +3 3/day—charm person; 1/day—crushing despair +2 +2 +4
Kalavakus +3 3/day—command, haste +4 +2 +2
Marilith +4 3/day—blade barrier, unholy aura +4 to any three different ability scores
Nabasu +2 3/day—silence, vampiric touch +2 +2 +2
Nalfeshnee +3 3/day—true seeing, feeblemind +2 +2 +4
Omox +3 3/day—poison, stinking cloud +2 +2 +4
Quasit +1 3/day—detect good; 1/day—invisibility (self only) +2 +2
Schir +1 3/day—expeditious retreat, see invisibility +2 +2
Shadow +2 1/day—deeper darkness, shadow evocation +2 +2 +2
Shemhazian +4 1/day—true seeing; 3/day—inflict serious wounds +4 to any three different ability scores
Succubus +3 3/day—charm monster, suggestion +2 +2 +4
Vrock +2 3/day—heroism, mirror image +2 +2 +2
Vrolikai +4 3/day—deeper darkness, telekinesis; 1/day—quickened enervation +4 to any three different ability scores

Using the Demon-Possessed Creature Template

The demon-possessed template offers a method for implementing demonic possession in your game. Other methods include using the magic jar spell, the possession feats published in products by Paizo Publishing, LLC., or simply giving a demon the following ability.

Possess Creature (Su)

Once per day per 2 Hit Dice, a demon can attempt to possess an intelligent, corporeal creature within 10 feet as a full-round action. The target creature must succeed on a Will save. Success stuns the demon for 1 round; failure means the demon joins with the target. The demon’s body may vanish in a cloud of colored smoke that the target then inhales, or the demon’s body may seem to merge with the victim’s. In either case, the victim immediately gains the demon-possessed template. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Whatever method the GM chooses, it should not change the demon’s CR,but it can make any encounter with them more interesting. A creature possessed by a demon during combat is likely to flee from its former companions rather than stay to fight regardless of the demon’s wishes. Knowing the capabilities and power of their companions, few adventurers would willingly fight their former friends alone.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Advanced Bestiary, Copyright 2014, Green Ronin Publishing, LLC; Author Jeff Hersh, Developer Owen K.C. Stephens

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