Fiends of Folklore
Achaierai
These creatures resembled 15-ft-tall flightless birds, albeit with four long stilt-like legs that ended in wicked claws. They had colorful feathers, varying from brown to red in hue, though their claws and beak shone like burnished metal. Its plump, round body was roughly the size of a small pony.
An achaierai could release a toxic black cloud when threatened. This cloud had an adverse effect on any caught within it, damaging them and possibly driving the victims to madness. Achaierai were very resistant to magic.
Barghests
In its normal form, it resembled a goblin–wolf hybrid with monstrous jaws and razor-sharp claws. As whelps, barghests looked like common wolves, except for their size and paws. As they grew larger and more powerful, their skin darkened to bluish-red and eventually turned completely blue. A full-grown barghest was about 6 feet long and weighed 180 pounds. A barghest’s eyes glowed orange when the creature became excited.
While they had a variety of magical powers, barghests were feared for their ability to consume those they slay and absorb their powers. Young barghests could not attain standing in their society until they had slain and consumed a number of great mortal heroes. Eventually, these monsters shed their skin and transformed into a greater barghest.
Hell hounds
Hell hounds were the dogs of the Nine Hells. They appeared to be canines with emaciated features, fire spouting from their red glowing eyes, and smoke pouring from their fanged mouths. The average hell hound stood 4.5 feet at the shoulder and weighed about 120 pounds.
Hell hounds preferred to hunt in packs and would use their fiery breath on an opponent first and then close in for the kill.
Hell hounds used wolf-like tactics. They organized in packs, surrounding their prey, and attacked one at a time until the target became fatigued or fell to the ground. If singular attacks did not seem to be effective, the pack would each breathe a gout of flame at the target. The pack then charged in all at once to slay their prey with fiery bites.
Larvae
Larvae, also called soul larvae, were what remained of the souls of mortals corrupted by evil that were unclaimed by fiends via contract or otherwise.
Larvae had the bodies of flatworms but retained the facial features and a few memories of their previous form.
Maelephants
It was humanoid in shape, standing nine feet tall and weighing eight hundred pounds. Its oversized hands were tipped with vicious claws, and its head was just like that of a small elephant.
Originally, they were created baatezu lords to serve them as guardians. However, when those lords fell, many maelephants escaped service. Thereafter, they traveled the lower planes alone—driven still by the urge to protect and guard something.
A maelephant would fight to the death to protect its territory or its charge and generally would not pursue intruders.
Nergaliid
Nergaliids were rotund, scaled, frog-like demons.
Nergaliids were alleged to feed on people in the night while they slept. Their ability drain life from those around them can also allow for their victims to be transformed into mutilated, zombified corpses, whose skin and muscles fell away, leaving a shambling set of bones and organs that attacked without much visible intelligence.
Night hags
Night hags were about as tall as human women. They had ugly features and blue-violet skin covered with warts, blisters, and sores. Their eyes burned red with malevolence. Their hands ended in jet-black talons.
A night hag had an array of magical powers and could transmit a disease called demon fever by biting a victim. Night hags were also able to torment individuals by invading their dreams, inserting fear and doubt into their mind’s night after night, until they expired. They did so by going into the Ethereal plane using a special item called a heartstone. If this process led the victim to perform evil deeds, it eventually transformed the victim into a larva unless some force capable of affecting ethereal beings put a stop to it
Nightmares
Nightmares were evil creatures that appeared to be large black horses with flames wreathing their hooves, flowing forth in the shape of their mane and tail, and trailing from their nostrils and red eyes. If killed, the nightmare's flames guttered out, leaving a mane and tail of ash that quickly dispersed.
Nightmares did not appear naturally. They were the result of a dark magic ritual applied to pegasi. The ritual involved the removal of a pegasus's wings by torture, followed by its transformation and abandonment of its noble qualities in favor of evil.
Rakshasas
A rakshasa could assume any humanoid form, so few ever saw their true faces. In its natural form, a rakshasa had a humanoid body and a tiger's head. Another physical characteristic of the rakshasa was that its hands were backwards: the palms faced out from the body when the arms were at rest. Rakshasas were capable of hiding their disturbing appearance at any time, as they could choose any humanoid form at will. Although most rakshasas had the head of a tiger, others were known to have the heads of other animals, such as apes. Rakshasas of higher standing were rumored to possess multiple heads, each a different type of animal.
Rakshasas were cruel and wicked. They loved to pose as nobility, living a life of luxury and ease to hide their habit of devouring humanoid flesh and their evil schemes.
These creatures resembled 15-ft-tall flightless birds, albeit with four long stilt-like legs that ended in wicked claws. They had colorful feathers, varying from brown to red in hue, though their claws and beak shone like burnished metal. Its plump, round body was roughly the size of a small pony.
An achaierai could release a toxic black cloud when threatened. This cloud had an adverse effect on any caught within it, damaging them and possibly driving the victims to madness. Achaierai were very resistant to magic.
Barghests
In its normal form, it resembled a goblin–wolf hybrid with monstrous jaws and razor-sharp claws. As whelps, barghests looked like common wolves, except for their size and paws. As they grew larger and more powerful, their skin darkened to bluish-red and eventually turned completely blue. A full-grown barghest was about 6 feet long and weighed 180 pounds. A barghest’s eyes glowed orange when the creature became excited.
While they had a variety of magical powers, barghests were feared for their ability to consume those they slay and absorb their powers. Young barghests could not attain standing in their society until they had slain and consumed a number of great mortal heroes. Eventually, these monsters shed their skin and transformed into a greater barghest.
Hell hounds
Hell hounds were the dogs of the Nine Hells. They appeared to be canines with emaciated features, fire spouting from their red glowing eyes, and smoke pouring from their fanged mouths. The average hell hound stood 4.5 feet at the shoulder and weighed about 120 pounds.
Hell hounds preferred to hunt in packs and would use their fiery breath on an opponent first and then close in for the kill.
Hell hounds used wolf-like tactics. They organized in packs, surrounding their prey, and attacked one at a time until the target became fatigued or fell to the ground. If singular attacks did not seem to be effective, the pack would each breathe a gout of flame at the target. The pack then charged in all at once to slay their prey with fiery bites.
Larvae
Larvae, also called soul larvae, were what remained of the souls of mortals corrupted by evil that were unclaimed by fiends via contract or otherwise.
Larvae had the bodies of flatworms but retained the facial features and a few memories of their previous form.
Maelephants
It was humanoid in shape, standing nine feet tall and weighing eight hundred pounds. Its oversized hands were tipped with vicious claws, and its head was just like that of a small elephant.
Originally, they were created baatezu lords to serve them as guardians. However, when those lords fell, many maelephants escaped service. Thereafter, they traveled the lower planes alone—driven still by the urge to protect and guard something.
A maelephant would fight to the death to protect its territory or its charge and generally would not pursue intruders.
Nergaliid
Nergaliids were rotund, scaled, frog-like demons.
Nergaliids were alleged to feed on people in the night while they slept. Their ability drain life from those around them can also allow for their victims to be transformed into mutilated, zombified corpses, whose skin and muscles fell away, leaving a shambling set of bones and organs that attacked without much visible intelligence.
Night hags
Night hags were about as tall as human women. They had ugly features and blue-violet skin covered with warts, blisters, and sores. Their eyes burned red with malevolence. Their hands ended in jet-black talons.
A night hag had an array of magical powers and could transmit a disease called demon fever by biting a victim. Night hags were also able to torment individuals by invading their dreams, inserting fear and doubt into their mind’s night after night, until they expired. They did so by going into the Ethereal plane using a special item called a heartstone. If this process led the victim to perform evil deeds, it eventually transformed the victim into a larva unless some force capable of affecting ethereal beings put a stop to it
Nightmares
Nightmares were evil creatures that appeared to be large black horses with flames wreathing their hooves, flowing forth in the shape of their mane and tail, and trailing from their nostrils and red eyes. If killed, the nightmare's flames guttered out, leaving a mane and tail of ash that quickly dispersed.
Nightmares did not appear naturally. They were the result of a dark magic ritual applied to pegasi. The ritual involved the removal of a pegasus's wings by torture, followed by its transformation and abandonment of its noble qualities in favor of evil.
Rakshasas
A rakshasa could assume any humanoid form, so few ever saw their true faces. In its natural form, a rakshasa had a humanoid body and a tiger's head. Another physical characteristic of the rakshasa was that its hands were backwards: the palms faced out from the body when the arms were at rest. Rakshasas were capable of hiding their disturbing appearance at any time, as they could choose any humanoid form at will. Although most rakshasas had the head of a tiger, others were known to have the heads of other animals, such as apes. Rakshasas of higher standing were rumored to possess multiple heads, each a different type of animal.
Rakshasas were cruel and wicked. They loved to pose as nobility, living a life of luxury and ease to hide their habit of devouring humanoid flesh and their evil schemes.
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