Dretch Lord

Dretch Lord (CR 11)

Chaotic Evil - Medium - Outsider (Demon)

Lore:	Know (Planes)
22		37
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

18

Perception:
29	+19
Passive	Active

Ambush:

8+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses
• Darkvision 60 ft.

Movement Types:

• Walk 40 ft.
• Lesser Climb 30 ft.
• Lesser Swim 30 ft.

Defense

AC

31

Man Def

32

Monster Health
242	121	19
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+13
Refl:	+8
Will:	+10

Strong Against:

• DR 11/Common (Bludgeoning,  Crushing,  Piercing,  Slashing,  Slime), bypassed by Cold Iron weapons.

• ER 19/acid (energy, common)
• ER 19/cold (energy, common)
• ER 19/fire (energy, common)
• ER 19/negative (energy, uncommon)

• Immune (no effect): lightning (energy, common)

• Immune (no effect): Poison

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Medium
5 ft.		5 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+18

Man Off

+18

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Indolent Gnaw +18 (3d10+11/x2)
  as crushing (physical, common)
  Plus: Pus Mouth

Full Attack (Melee):

• 1x Indolent Gnaw +18 (3d10+11/x2)
  as crushing (physical, common)
  Plus: Pus Mouth
• 2x Skittering Shred +18 (3d6+6/x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)

Standard Attack (Ranged):

• 1x Hawk and Spit +18 (3d10+11/x2)
  as slime (physical, common)
  (Increment: 50 ft.; Max Range: 250 ft.)

Full Attack (Ranged):

• 3x Hawk and Spit +18 (3d10+11/x2)
  as slime (physical, common)
  (Increment: 50 ft.; Max Range: 250 ft.)

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

18

STR

20

DEX

22

CON

15

INT

16

WIS

16

CHA

Skills:

• Barter: 18
• Bluff: 18
• Perception: 19
• Stealth: 18
• All other skills: 13 (no ranks)

Languages: Abyssal, Common

Feats:

Special Abilities

Better You Than Me (Sp) Swift Action 1/enc

Concentration: 1d20 + 18 vs. a DC of 27 (9 needed on the die) Once per encounter as a swift action, the Dretch Lord may attempt to spawn forth another Dretch Lord from the Abyssal planes to aid it in combat. Roll 1d20, and on a result of a 11 or higher, a new Dretch Lord appears in a square adjacent to the Dretch that spawned it. The new Dretch Lord may not act until the next round as it orients itself to the material plane. The new Dretch is mistrustful of everyone including other Dretches, but will defend itself if attacked, and most likely attack anything its fellow Dretches are attacking. A Dretch Lord may only use this ability once per encounter, even if it fails. New Dretch Lords may also attempt to use this ability in the encounter they are summoned into. Note that spawned Dretches provide XP and treasure when slain just like normal monsters. Because this is a spell, it provokes attacks of opportunity.

Wretched Demise (Su) Auto Upon Death

When a Dretch Lord is slain, it explodes in an oily black fire of terrible bile and abyssal essence. Any non-demon creature in the 3x3-square area centered on the Dretch when it dies takes 3d8+7 points of darkfire (energy, rare) damage. Affected creatures may make a DC 21 Reflex save for half damage. Furthermore, the area affected by the Wretched Demise remains aflame and does not dissipate until the end of the encounter. Any non-demon creature who passes through one or more squares of the affected area takes 3d6+4 points of darkfire (energy, rare) damage for every square entered. If multiple zones exist, their effects do not stack, but obviously they present a larger obstacle.

Pus Mouth (Ex) Automatic after successful Indolent Gnaw attack

After a Dretch Lord makes a successful Indolent Gnaw attack, the just-bitten victim must make a Fortitude Save against a DC of 21. If they fail this save, they take 3d8+7 points of slime (physical, common) damage. If they make this save, they only take half that amount.

Dretch Lord

Even the lowest demons of the Abyss are dangerous and filled with a driving need to spread ruin and dismay. The lowly dretch is as hideous and foul as it is cruel, even if it lacks the strength and power to realize its need to brutalize others in its native realm. The lot of the dretch's existence is to serve more powerful demons as victims, and only the lucky few survive long enough to evolve.

The dretch is a favorite target for dabblers in Abyssal spawnings to call forth. Relatively weak and easy to bully, dretches can often be pressured into long periods of servitude with only vague promises of the opportunity to vent their frustrations and anger on softer foes. Yet the prospective dretch-spawner would do well to remember that these demons are as craven and untrustworthy as they come. A dretch faced with a more powerful foe is only too eager to trade what it knows for its pitiful excuse for a life.

Unlike most demons, a dretch's slovenly personality and disdain for prolonged physical labor rarely result in success. Advanced dretches are rare, but those who do find it within themselves to be more than they were at creation often become the pauper-kings of the Abyss, cruel and bitter in their rule over vermin, broken souls, mindless undead, and other dretches. Their empires are confined to abandoned stretches of sewers under backwater cities, unstable reaches of swampland avoided by more sensible minds, and other undesirable corners of the Abyss that even demons find uncomfortable or foul. Yet to the dretch lords, these realms are their empires, and they defend them with a pitiful tenacity.

The Dretch Lord, or Pauper King, as it is referred to, is an example of Dretch-dom which has fully ripened into utter horror. They are giants among Dretches, the size of a grossly fat man, and vile and hedonistic in all matter of things. Despite their grandiose name they are as low, cowardly, and easily bossed around as any lesser Dretch, although they do have some modicum of power, if they are forced to use it. They are still the least of fodder for their betters, but at least they have the glimmer of hope of becoming a demon of real import.

Combat Tactics

Dretches are, above all else, lazy, cowardly, and eager to continue living. They prefer not to fight, and usually run from any encounter unless forced to stay by a power greater than them, or due to limited escape options. Of course, Dretches are also pretty stupid, and have a tendency to hide in the nearest dead end, hoping no one will find them there.

In combat, a dretch's first priority is to call in some other dretch to do the fighting instead of them, via their Better You Than Me ability. Once that's done, dretches will try to get as many full attacks as possible, as moving around is a huge bother. Dretch Lords have mouths swilling with the most vile pus, and as a result their bites are especially horrible, and they will Gnaw in preference to using their claws as a result.

Needless to say, while the Wretched Demise is a horrible ability, the Dretch has no real desire to have that happen. When it inevitably does, any remaining Dretches in the area will make use of the 'blocked' terrain to make it harder for multiple foes to come at them.

Out of Combat

Dretches are the vile masses of the lower Abyss, and are as numerous as particles of filth at the bottom of a cosmic sewer. They are remarkably easy to spawn, and as a result, the less scrupulous sorts of creatures will often have them around as servants, minions, cheap (if poor) labor, etc. This is of little note in most cases, except for the Dretch's Wretched Demise ability, which means that even as lowly and vile and ineffectual as they are, their presence on almost any battlefield means they create terrain upon their death which must be taken into account.

Granted, this terrain is frequently little more than "don't step in that, it's gross", but that can have an impact more often than you might think.

Dretch Lords often feel, rightly or wrongly, that they are 'almost there' in terms of becoming a real demon, and so, even though they are fairly powerful, they are even more cowardly than lesser dretches in serious fights, feeling they have more to lose. Outside of battle, they are disgustingly eager to serve anyone or anything they think might advance their chances.

Rewards

XP: 12,800

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 9,375 gp.

Weight: 110 lbs.     Volume: 4.4 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 10	Nothing Found
11 - 14	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
15 - 17	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
18 - 19	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
6 - 10	3 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
11 - 14	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
15 - 17	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
18 - 19	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
6 - 8	3 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
9 - 11	3 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
12 - 14	3 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
15 - 17	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
18 - 19	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)