Back from my two months of silence, and ready to keep filling my homebrew monster manual. To celebrate the Diablo III beta, I'll start with a series of monsters from Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo franchise. We start today with everyone's favorite horrible, malicious, disgusting hellspawned imps, the fallen.
As creatures of chaos, demons resent anyone and anything that tries to impose order on them. This hatred extends even to their own demonic leaders and overlords, who they obey purely out of fear and desperation. Sometimes, when a powerful demon appears weak, some of its own minions may turn on it. If the coup is successful, the overlord is slain and its former minions enjoy their momentary freedom until they get bullied into following someone else. If the coup is unsuccessful, the demon lord punishes its rebellious underlings by transforming them into lowly, pathetic, implike creatures, known appropriately as "fallen."
In addition to being made from rebellious demons, fallen can breed among their own kind, resulting in endless crowds of these abyssal vermin. In their weakness, these beings are forced into an even greater level of servitude to survive in the Abyss, and are eager to take out their frustration and spite on whoever they can.
Fallen Lore (Dungeoneering):
DC 15: fallen are weak, cowardly scavengers that survive by taking what bigger demons leave behind. Rapid breeders, they use cheap tactics like superior numbers, ambushes, and attacking in pitch darkness, but they're so cowardly that the slightest setback will make them break ranks and flee for a moment. The sound of their voices is said to be especially horrible.
DC 20: fallen are the descendants of disobedient demons who were reduced to pitiful gremlins as punishment by their masters. Some fallen manage to rise above the bulk of their kind, either growing into larger brutes with battlecries that cause freezing horror, or recovering a fragment of their magic power and becoming despotic overlords. Overlords can burn their enemies with fire, and reanimate the bodies of common fallen.
Fallen Imp Stabber (Level 3 Minion Lurker) (37 XP)
Small Elemental Humanoid (demon)
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Initiative +8 Perception +4 (darkvision)
HP 1; a minion is never damaged by an attack that misses.
AC 17 Fortitude 16 Reflex 16 Will 13
Speed 6
Resist 10 variable (1/encounter)
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Passive
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Hidden Tormentor
A fallen imp stabber receives a +2 bonus to attack rolls made from Cover or Concealment.
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Standard Actions
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basic melee attack Pitchfork (at will):
One target within 1; +8 vs. AC; 5 damage.
Combat Advantage: the attack deals 3 extra damage.
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Immediate Actions
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Craven (reaction; when an ally within 5 is reduced to 0 hp):
The fallen is pushed its speed away from the enemy that landed the killing blow.
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Alignment Chaotic Evil
Languages Abyssal
Str 16 (+4) Con 12 (+2) Dex 16 (+4) Int 6 (-1) Wis 8 (+0) Cha 6 (-1)
Fallen Imp Carver (Level 3 Minion Soldier) (37 XP)
Small Elemental Humanoid (demon)
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Initiative +6 Perception +4 (darkvision)
HP 1; a minion is never damaged by an attack that misses.
AC 19 Fortitude 16 Reflex 16 Will 13
Speed 6
Resist 10 variable (1/encounter)
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Standard Actions
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basic melee attack Curved Knife (at will):
One target within 1; +10 vs. AC; 5 damage and the fallen imp carver receives a +2 bonus to AC and Reflex against attacks made by the target until the beginning of its next turn.
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Immediate Actions
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Craven (reaction; when an ally within 5 is reduced to 0 hp):
The fallen is pushed its speed away from the enemy that landed the killing blow.
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Alignment Chaotic Evil
Languages Abyssal
Str 16 (+4) Con 12 (+2) Dex 16 (+4) Int 6 (-1) Wis 8 (+0) Cha 6 (-1)
Fallen Imps are far and away the most common form of fallen. Stabbers use barbed, two-handed spears to attack, while carvers use swords and shields. The lowest of the low, these downtrodden creatures are so cowardly that they will reflexively scamper away in fright when they see an ally fall in battle.
Fallen imps are child-sized humanoids with big heads, ugly faces, gangly arms, and a pair of devilish horns. They sometimes scream and howl from the darkness before attacking, their high-pitched shrieks terrifying the enemy before the imps appear.
Tactics
Fallen imps might be stupid and cowardly, but they have a rudimentary grasp of tactics.
Stabbers wait in pits, behind objects, and under piles of offal and garbage to ambush approaching enemies. If they lose their cover or concealment, they quickly try to reposition themselves to get it back. If possibly, they will try to steal and extinguish an adventurer's light source, so that they can attack from the darknes. Carvers try to flank the enemy, ganging up on whoever seems to be the most dangerous melee combatant.
The imps' Craven reaction is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it allows them to quickly disperse at unexpected times, making them less vulnerable to area attacks and possibly getting them away from deadly melee enemies. On the other, it frees up any enemies they had pinned down and gives ranged characters an opportunity to hit them from afar.
Fallen Brute (Level 3 Brute) (150 XP)
Medium Elemental Humanoid (demon)
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Initiative +7 Perception +4 (darkvision)
HP 48; Bloodied 24
AC 15 Fortitude 17 Reflex 15 Will 13
Speed 6
Resist 10 variable (3/encounter)
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Standard Actions
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basic melee attack Spiked Club (at will):
One target within 1; +9 vs. AC; 2d6+3 damage.
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Minor Actions
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Intimidating Shriek (encounter):
Close burst; targets enemies within 10; +6 vs. Will; target receives a -2 penalty to defenses against the fallen brute's attacks until the end of the encounter.
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Alignment Chaotic Evil
Languages Abyssal
Str 18 (+5) Con 16 (+4) Dex 14 (+3) Int 6 (-1) Wis 8 (+0) Cha 10 (+1)
When a fallen imp proves strong and brutish enough to live for longer than a few years, the creature begins to grow in size, becoming stronger and tougher than most of its brethren. These brutes use their physical strength to beat the lesser imps into obedience.
Tactics
As soon as the battle begins, the brute will approach the enemy and use Intimidating Shriek, hopefully catching all of them within the burst. After that, the brute simply charges around the battlefield, trying to land its Spiked Club on a different enemy every turn if it can. The brute generally prefers to attack enemies it has Combat Advantage over or who look badly injured, but its all-consuming hatred still compels it to strike as many different foes as it can.
Fallen Overseer (Level 5 Artillery (leader)) (200 XP)
Medium Elemental Humanoid (demon)
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Initiative +3 Perception +6 (darkvision)
HP 48; Bloodied 24
AC 17 Fortitude 17 Reflex 16 Will 18
Speed 5
Resist 10 variable (3/encounter)
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Standard Actions
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basic melee attack Dagger (at will):
One target within 1; +10 vs. AC; 1d4+1 damage.
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basic ranged attack Burn Flesh (at will):
One target within 10; +8 vs. Fortitude; 1d10+4 fire damage.
Critical Hit: target takes ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends).
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Revive Imp (recharge 4, 5, 6):
Range 10; a dead fallen imp is brought back to life at 1 hp and acts on its turn.
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Minor Actions
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Fiery Death (once per round, at will):
Close burst; targets one allied fallen within 10; if the fallen dies before the end of the overseer's next turn, it explodes; close burst 1, targets all creatures within the burst; +8 vs. Reflex; 5 fire damage. While under this spell, the fallen is covered in a visible, reddish heat shimmer.
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Alignment Chaotic Evil
Languages Abyssal
Str 10 (+2) Con 16 (+5) Dex 16 (+5) Int 6 (-1) Wis 10 (+2) Cha 16 (+5)
Obsequious fallen who managed to sneak their way into the good graces of a greater demon are given a fraction of their old power back, and the ability to control the lesser fallen. These mini-tyrants are the leaders within what passes for fallen society.
Overseers are taller than common imps, almost as tall as a typical human. They are thin and wispy, with a wrinkled, elderly appearance. They often decorate themselves with rags and bits of metal or jewelry that they find.
Tactics
When a fallen overlord is present on the battlefield, any other fallen present will switch their Variable Resistance to fire, so as to protect themselves from friendly fire from their fellows' Fiery Deaths. At the end of every turn, the overlord casts Fiery Death on the underling it considers most likely to die in the immediate future, preferring ones that are flanked so that the explosion will hit multiple enemies. Keep in mind that even exploded imps can be brought back with Revive Imp.
If an imp has died within the last turn or so, and its square is a tactically useful one, the overlord will Revive it to continue fighting. Otherwise, the overlord uses Sear Flesh every round.
Overlords prefer to stay as far away from the enemy as possible, and preferably behind a wall of underlings. They will only use their daggers when cornered, as a last resort.
Encounters
Fallen stay close to other demons and destructive beings, so that they can overwhelm those who are already injured from other battles. They are likely to infest the less trafficked parts of demon-inhabited fortresses and dungeons, often lairing near a trap or other hazard. Fallen are crafty enough to use unintelligent creatures against their enemies; vermin like spiders, centipedes, and oozes are often herded into places where they can be useful.
Sometimes, fallen will be impressed into the service of a greater master, in which case they can be fought alongside all manner of other demons and similar creatures. Generally speaking, they will attempt to flee their service as soon as it appears feasible.
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