Baalik

From Monsterbook

Revision as of 23:49, 26 October 2006

This hulking creature is the size of a storm giant but definitely of fiendish origin. It is bipedal with a powerful-looking gray-black body pierced with several bony protrusions. It's face is vaguely skeletal with curved horns and sunken eyes. Six fleshy tentacles flail out of it's abdomen, dripping a viscous ooze.

Baalik (CR 23)

• Always E huge outsider (evil, extraplanar, overfiend)
• Init +3; Senses tremorsense 120 ft., true seeing; Listen +32, Spot +32
• Languages: abyssal, celestial, draconic, infernal (telepathy)

• AC 35, touch 22, flat-footed 31
  • (-2 Size, +3 Dex, +12 natural, +11 profane) profane shield
• hp 385 (22 HD); fast-healing 5+ (see defiling tendrils), DR 15/epic and good
• Immune: fire, electricity, poison
• Resist acid 20, cold 20; SR 28
• Fort +25, Ref +15, Will +19

• Speed 40 ft.
• Melee 2 claws +35 (2d6+15/crit 19-20, plus rend 4d6+22) and 6 tentacles +33 (1d8+7, improved grab/grappling tendrils/defiling tendrils)
  • Power Attack 10: 2 claws +25 (2d6+25/crit 19-20, plus rend 4d6+42) and 6 tentacles +23 (1d8+17, improved grab/grappling tendrils/defiling tendrils).
• Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
• Base Atk +22; Grp +45
• Atk Options power attack, smite good
• Special Actions breath attack, summon fiend
• Combat Gear infernal sphere
• Spell-Like Abilities (Caster Lvl 15th)
  • At will--dimension door, greater dispel magic (+15), heightened deeper darkness (7th-level), unholy blight (DC 19)
  • 3/day--finger of death (DC 22), greater teleport
  • 1/day--earthquake, plane shift
  • Contingent--anti-life shell (DC 21, when any being tries to come within 10 ft.)

• Abilities Str 41, Dex 17, Con 36, Int 17, Wis 25, Cha 21
• SQ outsider traits, overfiend traits
• Feats cleave, combat reflexes, craft minor artifact, improved critical (claw), improved natural attack (claw), great cleave, multiattack, power attack
• Skills Concentration 13 (+26), Diplomacy 12 (+17), Gather Information 12 (+17), Hide 25 (+20), Intimidate 25 (+30), Jump 25 (+40), Knowledge (planes) 25 (+28), Knowledge (religion) 13 (+16), Knowledge (any other) 13 (+16), Listen 25 (+32), Spot 25 (+32), Move Silently 25 (+28), Sense Motive 12 (+19), Spellcraft 12 (+15), Use Magic Device 13 (+18).
• Advancement 23-30 HD (Huge)

True Seeing (Su): A baalik is under a constant true seeing effect.

Profane Shield (Su): The aura of evil surrounding a baalik gives it a constant +11 profane bonus to it's AC (bonus = 1/2 HD). Also any non-overfiend striking the baalik in melee with a non-reach weapon takes 7d6 points of unholy damage (damage dice = 1/3 HD). A protection from evil effect reduces this damage by half.

Grappling tendrils (Ex): Any medium or smaller creature grabbed by a baalik's tentacle attack is grappled by four tendrils that extend from the tip of the tentacle. These tendrils are treated as independent attackers, so the baalik itself is not considered grappling once it grabs an opponent. The tendrils make 4 grappling checks with a +15 bonus and each round attempt to pin the target.

Defiling tendrils (Su): Any creature that is pinned by the baalik's tendrils gains one negative level each round it is pinned. Also each negative level inflicted on a creature increases the baalik's fast healing ability by +1 (to a maximum of 20) for 10 minutes.

Smite Good (Su): Once every 10 rounds a baalik can designate one of it's claw attacks as a smite. If the creature struck is good-aligned the attack inflicts an additional 22 points of damage.

Breath Attack (Su): Every 1d4 rounds a baalik can breath a 60 ft. cone of vile energy that deals 10d6 points of profane damage. A reflex save (DC 37) reduces this by half and a protection from evil effect also reduces it by half. The save DC is constitution based.

Summon Fiend (Sp): Once per day a baalik may automatically summon 2d4 fiends of CR 7 or less, 1d3 fiends of CR 8 to 14, or one fiend of CR 15 or higher (but not an overfiend). This ability is equivalent to a 9th-level spell.

Infernal Sphere: A baalik can summon an infernal sphere as a free action. This is a minor, evil artifact that a baalik crafts itself. It can be launched by command up to 1000 ft. and explodes where it strikes in a 40 ft.-radius burst. Any creature within the burst takes 50 points of fire damage, 50 points of electrical damage, 50 points of acid damage, and 50 points of profane damage (overfiends are immune to profane damage). A reflex save (DC 32) reduces each damage type by half. A baalik can craft a single infernal sphere and may not create another until the last one has been used. For this reason, stealing a baalik's sphere will severly enrage it. The profane sphere is roughly one-foot in diameter and weighs 10 pounds.

The Baalik is the least intelligent of the overfiends but that is still near-genius by mortal standards. It relishes melee combat and physically punishing weaker opponents. Any weapons wielded by a baalik including it's natural weapons are considered epic and evil for purposes of overcoming damage reduction. It's claws are also considered adamantine for purposes of bypassing damage reduction and hardness.

Strategies and Tactics A baalik will certainly surround itself with deeper darkness at almost all times and try to close into melee quickly.

At long range use breath attack first, followed by deeper darkness, followed by area effect greater dispel magic. Keep attempting to advance into melee, resorting to dimension door if enemies are trying to remain distant.

At close range (but outside of melee) use finger of death against any apparent wizard, sorcerer, or rogue, or unholy blight if there are many nearby opponents.

In melee use smite good against any apparent paladin or good cleric, following up with tentacle attacks against as many opponents as possible to hopefully bolster it's fast healing.

Once hurt (-100 hp) summon fiends. If the baalik's fast healing is still less than 10, then it will summon 2d4 succubi and grab them with it's tentacles. Otherwise a single powerful ally (either a balor or pit fiend).

Once severely hurt (-200 hp) it will summon and use it's infernal sphere, exploding it in it's own area if neccessary (overfiends are immune to all of the damage types except for acid to which they have resistance 20). Crafting the sphere is tedious, so it will only use it in an emergency.

If in danger of dying (-300 hp) it will try to teleport away or plane shift.

Adventure Hooks

A powerful archmage needs a baalik's infernal sphere as part of an epic spell. It will not give it up without a fight.

A mated pair of baalik's have orchestrated a war for their own amusement. The male has gathered a small army of demons, while the female has gathered a small army of devils. Unfortunately their chosen battleground is in a human kingdom.

A baalik targets a specific mortal paladin for torment. It begins killing every friend, lover, acquaintance, and family member she has. She seeks a group of powerful adventurers to attack its home plane.

Ecology

Baaliks live in the lower infernal planes. They can be any evil alignment, so sometimes they can be found associating with either devils or demons. They will gather slaves and build vast lairs for themselves, ruling over other fiends through sheer intimidation. Baaliks will take a number of demon or devil mates and indulge in physical pleasures. The average baalik is 20 ft. tall and weighs 6500 pounds. These creatures are pure evil and enjoy killing, maiming, and defiling all that they come across.

Treasure

A baalik has treasure in it's lair appropriate for it's challenge rating, about 80,000 gp. The majority of this will be in goods and treasures of exceptional quality but having a very demonic and evil motif.

Baalik Lore

Knowledge (Planes)

DC 15: This creature is clearly a fiend of some sort. This result reveals all outsider traits.

DC 25: This creature is one of the most physically powerful of all the fiends of the lower planes. This result reveals all overfiend traits.

DC 32: It's claws will cut through anything, it's tentacles drain life from you.

DC 37: It is infused with profane energies and can be harmed by epic holy weapons.

DC 42: It can summon an artifact called an infernal sphere that explodes with tremendous energy.