
Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

All Creatures
Abilities | Monsters | NPCs
All | Families | Templates
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

PFS StandardDerghodaemon (Ravager Daemon)

Derghodaemons represent death through unfathomable violence and being eaten alive. Whether in life a ravenous murderer hacked them to bits for stew, a werewolf tore them limb from limb, or they simply succumbed to the elements and became worm meat, derghodaemons seek to inflict the same twisted and bloody ends upon any they come across. Unlike some daemons, derghodaemons derive little pleasure from prolonged deaths—to these fiends, the quicker they can enact a gory demise, the sooner they can turn their attentions to their next victim and repeat the violent cycle.

Derghodaemons look like walking masses of razor-sharp insect claws connected to equally menacing chitinous limbs, but few linger on their appearance for long— the gaze of a derghodaemon is enough to cause others in the vicinity to experience severe visual warping. The derghodaemon's appearance becomes more and more twisted as those who stare at it experience vicious hallucinations and ravenous urges to inflict harm on and devour others. Perhaps the most horrific attack derghodaemons can unleash upon their victims, though, is their swarming infestation—the daemons cough up a crawling, buzzing cloud of ravenous insects that cling to those targeted and chew them to death, provided the mind-numbing, half-whispered threats made by the rasp of the insects' bodies don't drive them to violent fury first!

Recall Knowledge - Fiend (Religion): DC 30
Unspecific Lore: DC 28
Specific Lore: DC 25

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

DerghodaemonCreature 12

Legacy Content

NE Large Daemon Fiend 
Source Bestiary 2 pg. 59 2.0
Perception +12; darkvision, scent (imprecise) 60 feet
Languages Common, Daemonic; telepathy 100 feet
Skills Acrobatics +10, Athletics +13, Intimidation +12, Stealth +12
Str +7, Dex +6, Con +5, Int +1, Wis +6, Cha +6
AC 21; Fort +9, Ref +12, Will +10; +1 status to all saves vs. magic
HP 240; Immunities confusion, death effects, swarm attacks; Weaknesses good 10
Speed 35 feet
Melee [one-action] claw +13 [+8/+3] (deadly 1d12, evil, magical, reach 10 feet), Damage 3d8+10 slashing plus 1d6 evilRanged [one-action] swarm spit +13 [+8/+3] (evil, magical, range 60 feet), Damage 2d6+13 piercing plus 1d6 evilDivine Innate Spells DC 20; 6th blade barrier, feeblemind (×3); 5th dimension door; 4th dimension door (at will); 1st detect alignment (good only; at will)
Derghodaemon's Stare [one-action] (divine, emotion, enchantment, incapacitation, mental, visual) A non-evil target must succeed at a DC 20 Will save or become confused for 1 round, or 1 minute on a critical failure. It is temporarily immune for 10 minutes.Rend [one-action] clawSavage Assault [two-actions] The derghodaemon makes up to five claw Strikes, each against a different target. These attacks count toward the derghodaemon's multiple attack penalty, but the penalty doesn't increase until after all the attacks.Swarming Infestation [two-actions] The derghodaemon spews a large swarm, making a swarm spit Strike against up to two adjacent targets within range. Whether or not the targets are hit, each must attempt a DC 19 Reflex save (at a –2 circumstance penalty if it was actually hit by the swarm spit). Persistent damage caused by the swarming infestation ends as soon as the creature takes any amount of damage from an area effect. The derghodaemon can't use this ability for 1d4 rounds.
Critical Success The swarm disperses as soon as it deals its swarm spit Strike damage.
Success The swarm clings to the target and infests it, dealing 1d6 persistent piercing damage.
Failure The swarm clings to the target and infests it, dealing 2d6 persistent piercing damage.
Critical Failure As failure, but the hissing sounds caused by the infestation also cause the target to become confused for 1 round; this additional effect has the auditory, emotion, and mental traits.

All Monsters in "Daemon"

NameLevel
Agradaemon (Conflagration Daemon)19
Astradaemon (Void Daemon)16
Cacodaemon (Harvester Daemon)1
Ceustodaemon (Guardian Daemon)6
Crucidaemon (Torture Daemon)15
Derghodaemon (Ravager Daemon)12
Leukodaemon (Pestilence Daemon)9
Meladaemon (Famine Daemon)11
Obcisidaemon (Obliteration Daemon)19
Olethrodaemon (Apocalypse Daemon)20
Phasmadaemon (Terror Daemon)17
Piscodaemon (Venom Daemon)10
Purrodaemon (War Daemon)18
Sordesdaemon (Pollution Daemon)15
Thanadaemon (Death Daemon)13
Venedaemon (Pact Daemon)5

Daemon

Source Bestiary pg. 70
Denizens of the bleak and terrible plane of Abaddon, daemons are shaped by and devoted to the destruction of life in all its forms. They seek the death of every mortal being by the most painful and horrible means possible, all in service to the apocalyptic entities known as the Four Horsemen. Each kind of daemon represents a different way to die, and their powers are nearly always aimed at spreading that particular form of death. Through the use of these powers, they seek to drag all existence down into a pit of hopelessness and despair, and to commit all souls to oblivion.

While those who summon daemons to the Material Plane usually seek to use the creatures’ destructive and corrupting powers for their own ends, daemons always look for ways to spread fear, doubt, and despair wherever they go. Often, daemons disguise their plots as the workings of other fiends, knowing that such confusion compounds mortals’ fear.

While all fiends seek to tempt mortals into lives of evil to increase their own numbers and power on their native planes, daemons are further driven by a supernatural hunger for mortal souls and use a variety of methods—not least of which is the cacodaemons’ soul gems—to entrap them. On Abaddon and in other forbidding places across the multiverse, souls are simultaneously a delicacy, a trade good, and a source of magical power, and the daemons are among the greatest gluttons, merchants, and abusers of this spiritual “resource.”

Sidebar - Locations Abaddon

Daemons hail from Abaddon, a plane of pure evil for only the most corrupt souls. If Hell is a realm of torture and systematic depravity, Abaddon is its twisted cousin—a place where one can find only misery and despair in ample quantities, with neither the strictures of Hell nor the chaotic freedom of the Abyss. For evildoers who seek simply to inflict their wickedness on others, Abaddon is a rich hunting ground where one can revel in turpitude, though visitors be forewarned: the competition is fierce.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Daemon Harbingers

The four Horsemen are the most powerful of the daemonic demigods, but they are only four of many. Far more daemonic harbingers dwell on Abaddon, each a unique and powerful demigod in their own right that enjoys sweeping influence among daemonkind. Jacarkas the Collector (ruler of the slave city of Awaiting Consumption), Vorasha the Ophidian (consort to the Horseman of Famine), and Zelishkar the Bitter Flame (patron to arsonists and agent of the Horseman of War) are but three of the dozens of harbingers who rule realms in Abaddon.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Daemonic Deacons

Each of the four Horsemen is served by a specific category of servitor daemons known as deacons. Leukodaemons serve as deacons to the Horseman of Pestilence. Meladaemons serve as deacons to the Horseman of Famine, while thanadaemons serve as deacons to the Horseman of Death. Purrodaemons are currently the most powerful of the deacons, and serve the Horseman of War—yet over time, which category of deacon is the most powerful can wax and wane.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Daemonic Divinities

Numerous powerful and unique daemon demigods, known collectively as harbingers, rule over swaths of Abaddon. Above these demigods, though, are entities of even greater power—the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. As the eons go on, the names and identities of specific horsemen change. Currently, they consist of Apollyon (Horseman of Pestilence), Charon (Horseman of Death), Szuriel (Horseman of War), and Trelmarixian (Horseman of Famine). Of these, only Charon has never fallen to an upstart. Some hold that a “Fifth Horseman” once ruled over the other four, while others maintain that the eternally eclipsed sun in the skies above Abaddon is all that remains of this long-dead god.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Other Daemons

As many daemons exist as there are awful ways to die. The bloody sangudaemon personifies death by blood loss, while the skeletal thanadaemon represents death from old age. The most powerful daemons are the olethrodaemons, who represent the massive deaths caused by apocalypses and the end of entire worlds.

Sidebar - Treasure and Rewards Soul Gems as Gear

Daemons often carry soul gems either as trophies or for powering an ability. Cacodaemons are the most common source for soul gems, but they can also be created by spells like bind soul. If a daemon crushes a soul gem to power an ability, the trapped soul is released into the afterlife and can be resurrected normally.

Sidebar - Treasure and Rewards Soul Gems as Treasure

Soul gems are traded in illicit markets, a tradition celestials and psychopomps alike find vile. Soul gems' value varies, but is generally worth an amount relative to the level of a gem's captive soul.

Sidebar - Additional Lore The Daemonic Paradox

Daemons embody a fundamental paradox—while they are incarnations of death and seek to devour all that lives, they are themselves living creatures. Some speak of a glorious end time after which reality will finally be free of the contagion that is life itself. Most daemons give no thought to this paradox.