Pustulith

Pustulith (CR 15)

Chaotic Evil - Medium - Outsider (Demon)

Lore:	Know (Planes)
32		48
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

25

Perception:
38	+28
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses

Movement Types:

Defense

AC

37

Man Def

37

Monster Health
429	214	29
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+13
Refl:	+13
Will:	+17

Strong Against:

• ER 15/Common (Acid,  Cold,  Fire,  Lightning,  Sonic)

• ER 10/positive (energy, uncommon)
• ER 10/negative (energy, uncommon)
• Fast Healing 10

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

• Immune (no effect): Poisons (Tainted, Poisoned, Blighted)

Weak Against:

• Pustuliths are not tightly anchored to reality, and take -4 on their saves against Banishment, Dismissal and similar spells

Offense

Size:	Medium
5 ft.		5 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+22

Man Off

+25

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Ichorous Bite +22 (3d10+23/x2)
  as crushing (physical, common)
  plus: Corrupting Sores

Full Attack (Melee):

• 1x Ichorous Bite +22 (3d10+23/x2)
  as crushing (physical, common)
  plus: Corrupting Sores
• 2x Maddening Claws +22 (3d6+9/x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)
  plus: Corrupting Sores

Standard Attack (Ranged):

• 1x Filthy Dart +22 (3d10+23/x2)
  as piercing (physical, common)
  (Increment: 50 ft.; Max Range: 250 ft.)
  plus: Corrupting Sores

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

13

STR

20

DEX

14

CON

15

INT

15

WIS

14

CHA

Skills:

• Acrobatics: 32
• Perception: 28
• Stealth: 25
• Survival: 25
• All other skills: 20 (no ranks)

Languages: Graxt (as speech), Enuncia (via Telepathy only, cannot speak normally. Can only speak telepathically to creatures within range of its Mindsense (100 ft.))

Feats:

• Opening Volley (EFFECT: Successful ranged attack grants +4 on next melee attack roll)

Special Abilities

Corrupting Sores (Su)

Up to once per round, when an attack by a Pustulith successfully deals damage to a creature, that creature must make an immediate Fort save, DC 26, or the victim immediately takes 3d6+10 points of Non-Lethal Damage (bypasses DR, in the form of wracking pain), as the wound becomes painfully infected and the victim now has a Corrupting Sore. Corrupting Sores last until the end of the encounter, but they can also be cured by any of: Greater Restoration, Wish, Miracle, Remove Disease, or any ability which mimics the effects of one of these spells.

Insinuating Corruption (Su)

As a swift action, a Pustulith may force anyone within range of their Mindsense who is infected with Corrupting Sores (from any Pustulith) to make a Will save, DC 26, or become Dominated by the Pustulith, who takes advantage of the victim's intense pain to overwhelm their mental defenses. A successfully dominated creature can be ordered to do one of the following actions by the pustulith: Move away from the commanding creature Move toward the commanding creature Drop its held items Attack its nearest ally Do nothing The dominated creature must spend its next standard action to perform the commanded action, and this must occur before the dominated creature does anything else. If the action isn't possible, the dominated creature will instead spend the standard action doing nothing. Once the action is performed, the domination ends, and the victim may use its remaining move and swift actions however they wish. A creature can only be dominated a maximum of once per round, regardless of how many pustuliths may be present, and only creatures afflicted with Corrupting Sores may be dominated.

Spawn Dretch (Sp)

Concentration: 1d20 + 18 vs. a DC of 31 (13 needed on the die) Once per encounter as a move action, a Pustulith can spawn 1d3 Dretches from the Abyssal planes. This is a spell-like ability which provokes attacks of opportunity unless a successful Combat Casting Caster Check is made (while threatened). Spawned Dretches appear in any open squares within 30 feet of the Pustulith, and can act in the same round as they are spawned, but always have an initiative score of 1. A spawned Dretch acts under the orders of the Pustulith who spawned it, and is usually sent to cluster around nearby enemies. Any spawned Dretch that is defeated provides XP and treasure when slain, just like a normal monster.

Vile Utterance (Su)

Once per encounter as a standard action, a Pustulith can utter a power word in Graxt, forcing all non-demons within 30' who can hear the words to make a Fort save (DC 26) or take 3d8+16 of fire (energy, common) damage and become Sickened until the start of the Pustulith's next turn. Those who make the save are not Sickened and take only half damage. As this is the vile and secret language Graxt, anyone who attempts to repeat the words spoken by the Pustulith will likely suffer a confluence of dramatically unlikely accidents which lead to their death, unless they have also been taught to speak Graxt. As if this is not bad enough, the Pustulith may cause any Dretches in the area of effect of a Vile Utterance to immediately die, triggering their Wretched Demise ability. Note that this effect is optional and selective; the Pustulith can choose to use it on a single Dretch, none of them, or all of them. Whichever causes more mayhem and terror.

Pustulith

Demons are members of the endless and numberless hordes of the abyss, sowing chaos, misery, terror and destruction with every action they take. While some demons are subtle, their torments only revealed long after encountering them, most are brutishly violent and demonstrate little wit or cunning, except through techniques of aggression.

Pustuliths look like an athletic, hairless humanoid who has had the top half of their head cut off. These eyeless monsters are known for their impeccable tracking and are very fast. Their form seems to shimmer with an unreality, allowing them to shunt damage off of their material forms. Their bodies are riddled with angry, swollen pustules with shiny black heads, full of horrific demonic ichor that inflicts terrible agonies and can allow the fiend to control the actions of the afflicted. Even worse, they can dig their pus-slicked fingers into the boils and burst them, revealing yellow-black darts of solidifed corruption they then throw at enemies to vile effect.

Pustuliths are telepathic, and eagerly communicate with their chosen prey, using horrible taunts, lovingly whispered insults, and disturbing half-truths to distract, upset and generally rattle their foes. Pustuliths are deadly and smart, and are often used as scouts and raiders to soften up or subvert settlements for the greater designs of their more powerful demonic brethren.

Combat Tactics

Pustuliths will use their telepathy to confuse, intimidate or taunt their foes, constantly whispering or shouting vile and terrible fates they intend to inflict on their listeners. Because they are demons, they take delight in causing terror, rage, and grief in their opponents.

Pustuliths attacking in a group will coordinate their attacks so that some can summon Dretches while others attack directly, either with Filthy Darts or in melee, in hopes of inflicting their Corrupting Sores on one or more enemies. They will then switch off the following round, to allow more Dretches to be called in, while keeping up the pressure in melee. If they hit with a Filthy Dart, they are likely to race in to melee the victim, taking advantage of the bonus to-hit gained from their Opening Volley ability, and enabling Insinuating Corruption. Any Dretches available will be sent to get in the way and generally make awful nuisances of themselves in their short, short lives.

Pustuliths will also use their Vile Utterance tactically, either to detonate some well-placed Dretches, or to inflict Sickened on as many enemies as possible, so that Corrupting Sores and Insinuating Corruption will be easier to apply (since Sickened lowers saving throws).

Note that Pustuliths have a lot of various ER, are immune to electricity and poison, and have fast healing 10, making them fairly durable. Fast healing immediately stops working if the Pustulith is knocked unconscious or killed.

Out of Combat

Pustuliths can be drawn to the Prime Material Plane via rituals or summoned by other demons already in the Prime Material Plane. They are often used to prepare an area for invasion or subversion by powers greater than themselves.

As an interesting aside, the portion of the Pustulith which always remains in the Abyssal plane is actually a Large-sized creature. The medium form they send to other planes hangs from their true form almost like a fishing lure. Anyone viewing them with True Seeing, or some similar effect, will be able to see their whole form: a nexus of many bulbous, spidery legs and long, bony claws and a multi-jointed tail which arcs over the mass of legs and claws to dangle the mutilated humanoid lure in front. The only part of the Pustulith that might be called a head or body is on the lure.

Because Pustuliths are still partially in their home plane, they are more vulnerable to Dismissal and Banishment spells that most demons, suffering a -4 penalty to any saving throws against those spells.

Rewards

XP: 51,200

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 32,125 gp.

Weight: 150 lbs.     Volume: 6 cu. ft.

• Pustulith ichor is extremely valuable, and the cores out of their sores even more so, if utterly disgusting to obtain. They also have more conventional loot they hide about their bodies in various horrible ways. Bleagh.

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)