Pit Fiend (Tyrant Devil)

Looking at the Pit Fiend, one could mistakenly take this particular devil for a brutish type whose only trick is whacking the party with its giant claws. Don't get the wrong idea, it decidedly can (and will) crush you if you get too close, but this is not where it shines.

To start things off, the pit fiend has an impressive array of spells at its disposal, all high level, many of which can be cast at will (like bind soul or divine decree). But, believe it or not, they are not the most impressive tool in that devil's arsenal.

A pit fiend has one singular ability that caught my attention and elevated it to a "campaign level threat" status for me—Devil Shaping. Yep, the Pit Fiend can create devils out of the souls of damned mortals. Devils all the way up to level 20, mind you. It may choose not to, given that any Pit Fiend it creates will not be bound to it, as opposed to lesser devils, however, I ask you to bear with me here.

Devils are lawful, which makes them somewhat amiable towards negotiation. So, let's say a Pit Fiend creates another one in the span of ten days, then convinces it to join it. After another ten days, you have four. Then eight. Within the span of a month, you have eight level-20 fiends. A party of four can easily take a single Pit Fiend. Two might be a challenge, but they should still prevail. Four might be deadly. Eight edges on impossible. Sixteen? You straight-up want to kill your party. And, keep in mind, as long as there are souls to feed to the infernal furnace, the creation of more and more devils can continue.

And let's be realistic, there's no shortage of mortal souls down in Hell.

- Max

Hook 1 (Max) - The Sculptor

In Hell, souls are a currency, and those who can use it quickly rise in the infernal ranks. None are, however, more valued than the devils capable of molding the spirits of mortals into more powerful forms. Prime among them is the Sculptor, a true artist in the field, sought out by all fiendish overlords to boost the strength of their legions with servants.

He lives in a tower made of living, moaning flesh, surrounded by a moat of black tar. Flies and other corpse eaters create a black shroud surrounding the structure, the scent of decay is considered revolting even by some other fiends. Stalking the vast halls of the Tower of Scum are countless monsters wrought by his wicked hand, far more formidable than one might imagine.

The Sculptor enjoys his craft to a great degree, taking jobs from anyone willing to provide more souls. Many have tried to bend him to their will or even kill him, with mostly poor outcomes. It is rumored that one of the dukes that attempted it was twisted into a shadow of his former self and is now bound to guard the Tower as a mindless drone.

And so the Sculptor overlooks his domain, providing Hell with newer and more abominable creations, grinning his wicked grin, scheming and conniving, as his grand plan will soon come to fruition.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - The Queen's Plea

Between the cities of Arkhast and Blumenkhast, there lies a half-finished pyramid made of black obsidian. For ages untold, it has lain there, and while many rumours shroud the place in mystery, not a mortal alive today can point to its true origin. Many consider it a cursed place, owing to the fact that it lies on a corrupt ley-line and is situated in the only part of the forest not absolutely infested with mischievous but friendly fey-folk.

Several months ago, a minor but rich noble from a faraway land bought the land and put in motion plans to finish the building. While gossip soon blossomed, no one was truly concerned, as the deeply magical land had always been attractive to would-be occultists with money to spend.

That is, until one day when—mortally wounded—the Queen of Summer, mother of all the fey, appeared before the champions, begging them to find a way to stop the noble. Otherwise, she cried, the three-horned one would come back to finish what he started ten thousand years ago.

Hook 3 (TJ) - The Power of Bureaucracy

The tyrant devil drummed his clawed fingers on the edge of his skull throne, the other hand rubbing his forehead as he tried desperately to disperse the headache. He looked up at the phistophilus (he'd already forgotten her name), not bothering to hide the exasperation on his face.

He'd dealt with too many contractors during construction. At last, his brimstone palace was finally complete. Physically, at least. Finalizing the process and giving it a name wasn't as easy as just christening it in the blood of his enemies, apparently—though that was an important step.

"You mean to tell me that I can't call it 'The Palace of Unending Flame?' Why not? I'm Derthakk the Flame King. I went through all the trouble building it with that theme in mind."

"Yes, well, you decided to call yourself the Flame King, I don't remember an official title being approved. 'The Palace of Unending Flame' is taken, you'll have to call it something else."

"Alright, fine. 'The Brimstone Throne.' It has a nice rhyme to it, I could live with that."

"Yes, Kantherrik the Mad, which is his official title, liked it too. It's taken."

"'The Blazing Fortress.'"

"Taken."

"'The Scorching Kingdom.'"

"Taken."

He suggested about a dozen more that were all accounted for in-kind before digging his nails into his throne hard enough to leave gouges in the armrests.

"Perhaps," he said through gritted teeth, "I need some more time to dwell on it. I humbly request that you send me a list of names that are already taken. Until then, get out of my sight before I have to get a DIFFERENT contract devil to file an incident report."

She smiled sweetly and rolled up the contract they'd been poring over, his signature line tragically blank.

"Well, I suppose this might be a bad time for me to remind you that we cannot consider this a legitimate habitation without an agreed-upon name."

He suppressed a snarl. "What does that mean?"

"It means you can't live here, yet."

His frustrated, guttural yell resonated throughout the entirety of the unnamed palace and echoed through miles and miles of the surrounding hellscape.

Phistophilus (Contract Devil)

I'm tempted (get it?) to call the Contract Devil a quintessential one, because if there is one thing that we commonly associate with the devil, it's trying to pry mortals' souls away for a price, and this here baddie can do exactly that. A contract devil may offer an infernal contract that can grant any wish one might desire in exchange for their ever-living spirit being condemned to eternity in the fiery pits of Hell. As an added bonus, while the contract is in place, the devil always knows where you are.

In terms of its abilities, the phistophilus centers more around the social aspect, obviously, but can dish out some damage if need be (of note is that it attacks with the contracts attached to its horns, which are impervious to all damage). If the devil finds itself in a proverbial pickle, it can easily get away using its vast array of spells, should it find itself in serious danger.

So, how can we use the Contract Devil? To lure our players in with the promise of anything they might want, of course! I wouldn't put it past the fiend to appear before the party in their greatest time of need and offer them help, for a small price of one of their souls. The party can obviously try to retrieve their friend's spirit from Hell, but then again, that would be a direct violation of the contract, wouldn't it?

- Max

Hook 1 (Nemanja) - The Dealer is a Devil

Seemingly overnight, an old inn where even older sailors used to play games of chance grew into a gambling parlour the likes of which the world had never seen before. Set on three stories, with a small army of concierges, dice dealers, and bottle shakers in its employ, The Lucky Tooth is now an (in)famous institution. One of the things adding to the gambling parlour's popularity is that, unlike many other institutions of its kind, it will accept desperate calls of people to bet their clothing, horses or hounds, or even houses.

Hell, there are even rumors that a gaunt, clean-shaven, crimson-clad man will sometimes appear and offer the fallen one last chance: bet their immortal soul against as much as a thousand gold coins. After all, it's worth a shot, and they have nothing left to lose, right?

Hook 2 (TJ) - Get in Line

"I assure you, my terms are quite generous. Just sign here and you'll be anything you want to be, have whatever it is you want. A benevolent king, a ruthless despot, rich beyond your wildest dreams! I even had someone who wanted to be a dragon. Anything you want."

The terms were actually pretty generous. There was one sticking point, though. He pretended to mull it over, scratching at his stubble.

"Yeah, they do seem pretty generous. What about a deal that doesn't require my soul?"

"Darling, all I do is deal in souls."

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard that before. Sorry, I don't mean to be rude, I just. The soul's off the table."

"What do you mean? You don't need it. It's not doing anything for you. It'll be in good keeping. All you have to do is sign here."

She had a point. A significant amount of power and prestige was being offered for something he didn't need right here and now. It was still a problem, though.

"Yeah, I still think that's a no-can-do. Sorry, I'll have to walk away from this one."

He could see the exasperation (and maybe a hint of desperation) flash across her face for the briefest of moments.

"Why not? I've been more than generous, we spent hours going over terms. You're going to leave it on the table here and now? One soul for anything you could ever want."

"Yeah, see, about that, there's the problem. See, I don't have my soul anymore. Already traded it. There's a bit of a line to get it."

The disbelief and genuine shock on her face lingered a bit longer. To her credit, she recovered quickly.

"That's no." She cleared her throat. "That's no problem. I don't normally do this, it's generally below us. What about your firstborn?"

"Yeah, see, about that..."

Hook 3 (Reece) - Piled on Paranoia

Shybrandila Shiver-tongue is on figuratively thin ice with her Archdevil. After botching up a deal with an evil fey, as well as cutting a deal with a mortal king that went awry, she is looking to up her soul-trading game. 

Mendar The Wise has been making somewhat questionable choices as of late. The aging Lord Commander of the Steelcap Knights believes that the local villages are plotting to storm their keep and steal from the order. Shybrandila, knowing him paranoid in his older age, has been whispering of dissent to Mendar and his eldest advisors, sowing dissent among them. 

Having primed the leaders of the order, Brandi is looking for some adventurers of questionable morals to scare the old knight by posing as thieving villagers. Should some actual stealing occur, she doesn't care either way, so long as she can drive the entire order to do terrible things to the locals, damning them all the same...

Nightmare

So, the Nightmare. The Bestiary doesn't provide much info on what exactly it is beyond listing it as both a fiend and a beast in addition to saying that it might be used as a steed for evil creatures. It boasts some interesting abilities, like exhaling poisonous smoke and being able to plane shift along with its rider. Even then, I find it a little underwhelming—so let's go on a little bit of a deep dive.

The word itself is a combination of "night" and the Old English "mære," the latter meaning incubus. Its variations appear in other languages, like Swedish, Old Norse, Danish, Norwegian, and even Polish ("mara" meaning a hallucination or a haunting dream,—here's your fun fact of the day). We all are aware of what a nightmare is. A bad, bad dream. It is kind of ironic then that the creature named after it has nothing to do with dreams.

Am I trying to convince you to attack your party in their sleep with a flaming horse? Yes. No, all I'm saying is that you can make the monster a little more interesting.

- Max

Hook 1 (Max) - A Mare So Very Fair

"That horse is evil, I tell you." Both servants look to the black steed that was gifted to their liege by a mysterious woman not so long ago. The animal bears its teeth and glares at them with obvious and uncontained hatred. "Fastest beast I've ever seen, true, but there's something wrong with it, I swear by my mother's grave." The older of the two men spits. "Makes me sick just being near it."

"I hear it killed old man Tanner" the boy exclaims. "Kicked him square in the face it did." A shiver runs down his spine. "Wish the lord would be rid of it, to be honest." The horse lets out a fume through its nostrils as if it can understand.

"Doubt it'll happen, lad." The old man sighs a heavy sigh and takes up his tools. "Well, best get it over with. Keep it still, will you?"

Hook 2 (TJ) - Dreamrider

The past three nights, Hinli dreamt. This was not unusual. She imagined that most nights she dreamt, but somewhere in the bliss of sleep she didn't remember the dreams when she woke up. These dreams, however, she remembered—at least pieces of them. What she did remember of them was not pleasant. Primarily, her recollection of these dreams consisted of one major feature: the thundering of hooves right before she woke up. There was one unmistakable and unsettling fact about these cacophonous hoofbeats. Every night, they got louder.

Hook 3 (Reece) - Cult of the Dreaded Steed

"It galloped through the streets, features alight! The fires! The blood! What wondrous destruction it showed me! I will breathe in the smoke of its essence and await! Behold! The Midnight Steed! The Bringer of Fires! You may delight in his majesty and revere his presence! BE BLESSED BY HIS DREADED RIDE! TASTE OF THE LICKING FLAME AND STAY FAST FOR THE END IS NIGH."

- Collected from the ravings of a beggar two nights before the last sighting. I worry this cult you speak of is gaining more attention than we originally thought.

Night Hag

As discussed previously when we went over the Green Hag, the Night Hag is brimming with narrative possibilities. What sets this sagacious sister from her counterparts is the very straightforward night-themed abilities. Between the hag's very powerful set of occult spells, and the added strangeness that is Dream Haunting, there are quite a few ways you can use a night hag in your game. 

I don't think the opportunity will often be presented, but I think any reason you can conceive of that allows the use of Dream Haunting is a good one—particularly if your players are somewhere where they aren't supposed to be. A hag haunting your dreams as you attempt to get to the heart of an ancient and malevolent forest is both pulpy and fun to play though—lean into these themes as much or as little as needed.

Presenting an opportunity to potentially steal a night hag's heartstone could be a very interesting narrative option as well. Instead of needing to outright kill a night hag, bargaining with the hag from a place of power because you stole her heartstone could provide compelling narrative options as well.

This does bring us to the final narrative theme for the night hag—soul bargaining. Being both thieves and merchants of mortal souls can be a very compelling reason to interact with a night hag without killing her. In the event that you cannot bring back a friend from the other side, a visit to a night hag could yield interesting results and provide vitally useful information...

- Reece

Hook 1 (Max) - Congregation of Dreams

The wife of the late baron now rules his fief with an iron fist. Rumor has it he met her on the road and was immediately enamored with her, marrying her just a few days after their first encounter. Those who've seen her weave great tales of her beauty, unable to forget the sight of her fair countenance.

Unfortunately, it is not just the baroness' tyrannical rule that ails the people—many in the demesne are plagued by nightmares that grow worse and worse by the day, yet the lady refuses to acknowledge anything strange happening—at least until recently. A week or so back, a group of women arrived in the keep, apparently old acquaintances of the lady. They now all sit at the top of the castle's tower performing what they claim is a "sacred ritual to purge the evil from the land."

They no doubt speak the truth.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - The Dreaming Dragon

Caragyoz the Cruel is an ancient dragon that has made a name for himself over several realms of existence—he is widely considered to be the finest procurer and merchant of souls in the multiverse. It just so happens that, shortly before going for his bimillennial hundred-year nap, the dragon procured the soul of a Paladin's father, unjustly taken.

The Paladin finds herself with an unlikely ally when a night hag approaches her, proposing a temporary alliance to take down Caragyoz. While the dragon is protected on all sides by legions of wyvern-riding acolytes in the material plane, his sleep makes him accessible through the Dreaming—a realm that the hag has intimate knowledge of and power over. The hag, whose kind once ruled the soul-trading market, claims to simply wish to end Caragyoz's monopoly—though she refuses to make guarantees for any soul other than the Paladin's father's...

Hook 3 (Reece) - Rider of the Night

Rider on the midnight wind

would thee show me how thee sinned?

Rider of the darkest way

bring thy shadows here to stay

Tread the market, walk the path

doth thou know the sin of wrath

Trader on the corner still

dost thou have the need to kill?

Hast thee seen the milky eye?

Hast thou found the need to lie?

Come thee crone and draw mine sigh

and draw upon thine evil eye

Know thy want and know thy need

for when thou tastes the sin of greed

thou plow the dirt and plant the seed

and call the grave with mighty speed

Shadows dance and shadows sing

Among the nobles and the king

Pride upon thy bloody ring

draws thy soul upon a string

Rider in the market square

find the barter, prices fair

for the lost, say a prayer

and for the rider, gift a glare

- Collected from a children's rhyme ten leagues outside of the city. Were it not for other factors we would find this insignificant, though given present circumstances it is particularly alarming.

Marilith

The Marilith stands out from most demons in the game in several ways.

First of all, the aesthetic—while most demons in the books tend to borrow from tolkienean and Christian (with the latter totally not being a subset of the former) sources, the marilith is decidedly Hindu in origin.

Secondly, while other high-level demons such as balors might also serve as generals in demonic armies, they are implied to do so through brute force and power, whereas the Mariliths are explicitly tacticians and strategists of their kind, said to understand the flow of chaos in a way very few other beings of the multiverse can.

In combat, a marilith is a true powerhouse. Able to deliver a staggering six attacks of opportunity per round, or decide to instead use any of those sword-wielding hands for incrementally better defense, all the while under the constant effect of fly? This monster will absolutely hurt you. It's demonic weakness fits the theme pretty well, though I fear it will very rarely come into actual play—should the demon try hurting someone on their turn, and fail at it (mind you, it would have to fail every single attack and/or spell in that turn) they take mental damage, as their massive ego is hurt by their perceived incompetence.

- Nemanja 

Hook 1 (Max) - For I Am The Light

Duma was a devout priest of the Sungod. For many years, he fought in his deity's name, felling countless opponents while remaining undefeated through his life. When one is heralded as the "God of Fighters", hubris is sure to follow.

That was the case with Duma. He eventually fought for the sport of it, not for the cause of his god. And as years went on, the inevitable happened, and he was slain. Alas, by that time he was no longer chosen of the Sungod and his soul was forfeit.

The forces of chaos took him in, feeding his ego over hundreds of years, convincing him that it was he, Duma, who was the real Sungod. After all this time, he is ready to claim his divinity and regain the title of the greatest fighter to walk the world.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - Bristewald The Blade

As a young lad, Bristewald of Balhemia witnessed a battle that was over in seconds—a flash of light, and then blood and gore over the entire field. Despite being on the winning side, Bristewald was chilled to his bone, though he also saw something tragic yet romantic in how his enemies fell.

This inspired him to take up the fiddle when he returned home from the war; his songs, always tragic and melancholic, launched his career as a minstrel.

Despite his success, having seen what he had seen, Bristewald never stopped practicing with his sword either. Eventually, his exploits as a mercenary with a heart of gold also brought him fame and gold. And yet, a part of him never felt complete, as whenever he thought of that fateful battle, he felt dread. He knew not what it was that slaughtered his enemies, and feared that it could take him out one day just as easily. He would spend fortunes and do wild things just to get him closer to any small lead or bit of information about that day.

After twenty long years, found it he has—the shadow over his life is the Marilith Avasarala, a dread tactician of the underworld's armies. Fearing he can not be truly happy as long as the demon looms over the world, he now rides out with his companions to meet her on the battlefield. The Fates watch, as beating a marilith is a sure way to set one on the path to becoming one of Heaven's own enforcers...

Hook 3 (Reece) - The Vile Veil

Far to the northeast lies Utvash Veil, what many consider to be the most dangerous place in the world. When one first lands upon The Veil, the striking black-red beaches of its shores are both stunning and dangerous, as they are ridden with all manner of venomous creatures and corrupted elementals.

Should one be foolish enough to venture inland, The Cult of Many Blades has built a semblance of a society. While not overtly hostile, as they must trade with outsiders to sustain their living upon the island, the cult does very little to protect visitors to The Red Temple. This city of worship is entirely dedicated to worshipping The Great Mother, though one would have to be greatly dedicated to the cult to know exactly WHO The Great Mother is and why they worship her.

Though there are rumors about it, it is said that deep within the volcano, the cult's terrible goddess resides, birthing forth every manner of monster and demon upon the world. Should one choose to pursue answers or seek a boon from the Mother of Monsters, the trials to seek her out are incredibly difficult. The volcano from which the isle gets its name, Utvash, is adorned with a great obsidian tower that reaches far out of sight into the dark, swirling clouds above. While many horrors reside within, Degara Sindrinker—the Chosen Champion of The Mother—is perhaps the worst. As queen of the tower and a powerful pride demon, she will try the will of any parishioner, demanding total supplication of one's pride to The Great Mother...

Leukodaemon

The name Leukodaemon might be considered a little on the nose, given that the Greek "leukos" means "white," or "clean". Even more interesting, it appears to share the word root with leukocytes, the human body cells responsible for protecting it against diseases. As you'll find, the Pestilence Daemon is the exact inverse.

With a skull for its head and wings of a vulture, the leukodaemon is a manifestation of evil, a being who previously succumbed to sickness. As such, it works relentlessly to spread any plague wherever it can, being much more inclined towards working with others of its kind than most daemons.

Its abilities fit the creature thematically quite well. It can sense any diseased creature and know what kind of sickness ails it. It has an aura that makes everyone within it more susceptible to contract an illness. Most of its attacks inflict the Daemonic Pestilence on the target and, better yet, the daemon can speed up the progression of any malady currently affecting a creature.

All things considered, the leukodaemon is a good choice for when you need a plague-themed monster to center your game around.

- Max

Hook 1 (Max) - The Plague Within

Something was afoul in the air for a long time. No one was willing to admit it, but everyone felt it. Now, it is too late.

It started with the animals. They fell silent and catatonic in unison, all overnight. They refused food, didn't move, and not long after, they started dying by the hundreds. There were far too many carcasses to manage, so soon they started rotting. Then the crops failed. And reserves began to spoil.

The buzzing of flies became constant, as their fat little bodies clouded the skies. Starvation followed. Now bodies of men, children, and women littered the streets, as fights for what meager food anyone might have left ensued.

Scavengers are circling the cities, towns, and villages, feasting on the cadavers. Prime among them are pale vulture-like monsters, putrid flesh peeling off their bones, the stench of death and decay following where they go, carried by the winds as they beat their dark wings.

More and more of them appear by the day. With each new arrival, they seemingly grow hungrier, eager to make sport of the remaining survivors. For things are about to get much worse. In five days, the black moon will rise, and they shall bring forth their greatest gift.

A plague unlike any seen before.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - A Benevolent Nightmare

A thousand and one years ago, several spirits of the forest, young demigods, and other such powerful entities, decided to do an experiment: could a society guided by extreme fears prosper? Thus was Isla Dittatora born in the secluded archipelago of San Ovejas. The "gods" took on horrible forms and started haunting a town that had just begun to grow, as the advent of new irrigation technologies promised an Age of prosperity. The deities would appear before the locals when they were about to drink infected water, dye their clothes with toxic compounds, tame beasts that can not be tamed...

And the locals learned to respect their gods' guidance as wise and infallible. Over time, the mighty polis of Tonta grew into an advanced society, that traded with faraway lands and was well respected.

Tonta's golden age would abruptly end in one fell swoop, however. A barbarian from the Northlands was on his way to the city-state when he saw a dark, twisted creature with the skull of a horse in place of a head appear before him and speak to him in a raspy voice, telling him something about his method of curing meat. The barbarian did as any man worth his salt would do and split the fiend's head in two without blinking.

Unfortunately, said fiend was an entity known as The Lord of The Flies, a spirit of the earth that fought against the advent of plagues and diseases within the city. Soon enough, the ships from Tonta started bearing plague rats and the stench of deaths, and a certain barbarian was said to be on a quest to revive a god...

Hook 3 (Reece) - The Plaguesingers

As the Yellow Plague strikes down one in every four that catches it, the food crisis grows ever more urgent. Without farmers to collect the crops in the outskirts, the capital is struck with both plague and starvation. Those that are able to gather their meager crops are devastated to find much of the grain spoiled and ridden with weevils. The Church no longer attempts to send its clergy to treat the sick and dying, preferring instead to sequester themselves within their monasteries, away from the disease.

There is a story or a herald of this new end times. A bird-headed creature is seen out in the fog of the early mornings each time before the plague strikes a new city or town. Hearing tales of the creature, some have begun to craft masks after the creature's likeness. These fanatics have begun to worship the creature, hoping to find salvation in appeasing it.

Just as the plague worsens, a tide of people wearing these masks roves from city to city, singing The Plaguesong and turning the people against The Church, killing the clergy in retribution for abandoning them.

Little do the Plaguesingers as they are called know, the creature they seek salvation from is the cause of these nightmarish times. A demon hunter and a rogue priest of The Church wishes to stop further destruction, though they must face off against both the Plaguesingers, the angry commoners, and lesser fiends in service of the creature that is the cause of all the strife.

They could use some help.

Lemure

Lemures are weird creatures. Made up of the literal essence of Hell, their sole purpose is to be molded and reshaped into greater devils. They are pathetic, sniveling, and inherently subservient. As such, they are also the perfect representation of the souls of the mortals that sell their souls for diabolic powers.

The Lemure's stat block confirms their status as the quintessential underlings - their charisma and intelligence scores are pretty low, and their only ability gives other devils a way to command them.

If you don't give much heed to the official cosmology, the Lemure still fits the role of magician's servant, alchemical creation, and others pretty well—though it might still harbour diabolic ambitions...

- Nemanja 

Hook 1 (Nemanja) - Diabolical Design

Lemure-sculpting is treated as one of the most prestigious crafts a student at the University of Diabolic Arts can be taught. Existing at a crossroads between high art and high magic, 'tis not a skill one can easily take up.

The university lies over a very large deposit of raw evillium, the substance from which all the fiends of the world are made up. The most gifted apprentices are given access to this resource and taught how to shape it into subservient, yet powerful, creatures known as Lemures. Giving them aesthetically pleasing—even if twisted—forms is treated as a sign of control.

The Diablerie Inquisition is called in to investigate several murders and a chase after wild and esoteric clues reveals a shocking truth: One of the teachers, the conjurers' elite, has been replaced with a Lemure molded in his perfect likeness. As it turns out, one of the ambitious, powerful young students is commanding him. The problem is, there's still no clue as to which student is the perpetrator and which teacher is the victim...

Hook 2 (Reece) - Digging Too Deep

"It is terribly unfortunate, what happened in Tegriden. Terribly unfortunate," Lord Degarring gestured at the map in front of him, shaking his head. "But the truth of the matter is that there is no help to spare. The town is inconsequential to the war effort, I'm afraid."

"But, my lord, the people of the area are being overrun!" Lykander, the chaptermaster for the Sailor's Guild on the small isle that held Tegriden, was quite distraught. Degarring was the fifth landed lord he'd approached. Some prospectors, hoping to strike up another iron mine given the high demand from the war, had unearthed something just outside of Tegriden. Though he hadn't been there for the inciting incident, he'd heard haunted tales from some of the miners who had managed to escape.

A dark temple. Caged and twisted creatures long-forgotten but somehow still alive. A portal to some other place. To some hellish nightmare long buried. Fleshy creatures that mindlessly lashed out,

"The isle is isolated. I suggest you do your best to evacuate your people and abandon it. The Royal Navy will contain the creatures when the war is won."

People were dying now. The town was being consumed. Lykander would have to go... Elsewhere for help.

Hook 3 (TJ) - First Siege with a New Liege

"My liege, time is of the essence." The tyrant devil turned to his subordinate and gave it a flat look. "Ah, I've forgotten. This is your first siege, isn't it?"

The tyrant devil turned back to the city walls. "We do not have the resources to have an extended siege, is that your concern? You worry we overstay our welcome outside of Hell?"

"Yes, my liege, that's part of it."

"Then you have yet to see why we gather these tormented formless ones. This will not take nearly the time you think."

The tyrant outstretched his hand and all of the lemures gathered at the base of the walls began to shiver and converge, a central mass of roiling flesh beginning to take shape into some greater terror.

"I would not leave us exposed for so long. You should have more... faith in me than that. You'll learn. Or you'll die, just like the rest."

Imp

There is something telling about the Imp being the token devil—a mischievous little critter that's prone to pranks and occasionally offering deals that will condemn your soul to eternal damnation.

As per the Bestiary, the Imp operates outside of the usual devil hierarchy, having certain leeway in how it operates, so long as it gets results. The results, of course, being more souls to feed to the infernal furnace.

Looking at its statblock, it becomes evident that the creature is not suited for combat, only having one strictly offensive action (more if you count all the animals it can polymorph into). Where it shines is outside of it, in various social encounters. It boasts a solid choice of spells such as invisibility or charm that have a lot of applications, but the meat is in its Infernal Temptation ability, which is just perfect - the Imp offers you a small favor, with a neat little caveat that should you die within the next hour, your soul goes straight to hell.

So if you're looking for an emissary of the infernal, despite its meager stature, the Imp is a great choice.

- Max

Hook 1 (TJ) - Rise of the Rat King

Greel didn't hate his job. As a matter of fact, he generally liked it. Crawling where other people wouldn't dare go in order to do things other people didn't want to think about made him feel useful. No one liked to deal with him, but he provided a necessary service. Society needed ratcatchers like him. As a matter of fact, the rats kept telling him that.

This wasn't strange to Greel. He often got lost in thought and talked to himself when he was working, carrying on entire conversations. When the rats started responding, it felt natural. They were just echoing what he already knew. What was a little strange to Greel, however, was the offer of a partnership. Rats wanting him to catch other rats? Very strange. But very lucrative! The ratcatching sessions where the rats offered to help were the fastest, which made Greel feel quite efficient.

But then the rats started offering other things. Power. Money. Fame. And Greel had come to trust the rats. The contract was sealed. And Greel liked this new job even more.

Hook 2 (Max) - Bloodsand Bargain

Bloodsand Arena is a typical, underground, semi-legal fighting spot for vagabonds and ne'er-do-wells. Entry is gained through a seedy tavern in the slums of the city where you're then acquainted with the—very few—rules and admitted into the pit. There, you meet your opponent and proceed to fight to the death. Pretty simple, all things considered.

What separates it though is a small creature appearing before every combatant just as the fight is about to start. It is reminiscent of a sickly goblin with reddish skin, and most assume it to be so. The bugger offers everyone good fortune, and most accept.

Funny thing is that after this they can't be resurrected, should they perish in battle. The whole thing is kept on the hush-hush as if arena owners benefit from it in some way.

Hook 3 (Reece) - Grainland Bushdevil

Contrary to popular belief, it is rare for infernal creatures to make appearances in the Relendish isles. Supposed "devil-men" in the south-east are more often than not misidentified orc-blooded men who stalk the foothills, foraging for food or looking for work.

There is one place, deep in The Grainlands, that has a unique sort of problem—the foothills are absolutely ridden with bushdevils. These strange imps, permanently caught in the shape of boars, tempt hunters to sell their souls for an easy reward. Each time a hunter attempts to collect their bounty, they are chased deeper into the foothills where they might be collected.

Who exactly is doing this collecting? It's hard to say. The Grainlanders are looking for someone to deal with the bushdevils and find what has happened to the hunters, as they disappear without a trace, leaving their families destitute and their guild without ranking members. 

Hellhound, Nessian Warhound

The hellhound is indeed one of the most iconic creatures of classic fantasy tabletops. As one of the oldest creatures in the game—both in the sense of the idiom and literally—this fiendish foe comes in two varieties; the classic Hellhound for that early-level punch and the Nessian Warhound for a reminder later on that the forces of the evil aren't messing around.

The hellhound at level 3 makes a wonderful minion to some greater threats between party levels 2 and 5. It remains threatening throughout, as its go-to jaw attack does an extreme amount of damage for its level—assuming the target is good-aligned, of course. Though it's a simple creature, it does exactly as it needs—especially when working in packs. Any fire breath that is used in combat has the potential to recharge allied fire breaths. A potent combination.

The Nessian Warhound operates in this same space, only at level 9 with the added nastiness that it can use a reaction to recharge its own breath weapon if you hit it too hard.

These two creatures are indeed Hell's Best Friend. Consider including them when you want to hint at more nefarious forces at play within your world. Also, consider what you could do to easily modify the statblock to make it more horrifying! Make them explode on death! Make a death hound that does negative damage instead of fire! Make Cerberus and cross the Hydra with the Nessian Warhound!

The game is yours. Give them hell.

- Reece

Hook 1 (Max) - The Nighthound

The local baron is very proud of his hound, naming it as the reason his hunts always go without issue—no prey can escape him. To his credit, it is most likely true. Every single one of his ancestors has had an animal like this; some theorize that the family is blessed by the spirit of a great hunter who watches over them and takes the form of the creature that aids them.

This beast appears to be a large wolf, its fur is black as coal and its eyes are cold pupilless white orbs. Unusual, no doubt, but nothing that should make people wary.

What should scare them, however, is the fact that in the darkness of night, shadows in the shape of a hound stalk both the castle and the outlying town. Where these shadows lurk, bodies are often found in the early morning hours after it's been spotted, seeming as if attacked by a large dog. Stranger still, these corpses are not only torn apart, they are also singed or terribly burned as if someone wished to hide the evidence of the killing.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - The Beasts of Mochmor

The warlock-kings of the secluded orkish kingdom of Mochmor have been hunting alongside a pack of blood-haired hyenas for as long as anyone can remember.

In truth, it is not the hyenas who serve the warlocks, rather it is the reverse. The fiendish predators have a reputation for hunting down aasimars on the material plane. This, of course, is achieved by pointing their vassal kingdom in the direction of any single target they deem worthy. They raid and even declare wars without regard, all to score a singular kill against their most hated foes.

Hook 3 (TJ) - Can We Keep Him?

"Look Daddy, a puppy!"

Griswold turned to look in the direction his son was indicating. Sure enough, there was a small canine in the alley to their right. And it was smoking. Smoldering, even. Oh, dear gods. He rushed to it as it limped out of the alleyway. Had someone tortured this poor little dog? He went to pick it up and almost immediately dropped it, his hands singed. The dog—or maybe creature—was hot to the touch, though it didn't seem to be damaged save for the limp. The small pup looked up at him and Griswold froze. Its eyes were like burning coals. It licked him in his stunned state and his skin charred where its tongue passed.

"Back away, son, it isn't safe!"

But Luka didn't listen. He outstretched his arms for the small dog and it lept into them. Immediately, the boy's clothes began to scorch, small burn holes pocking the new outfit. His husband wasn't going to like this. He turned back to his father with wide eyes, oblivious to his now-smoking clothes. Before he could utter a word to drop the thing, Griswold already knew what was coming next. His husband wasn't going to like this either.

"Please, Dad, can we keep him?"

Still shocked, words fled his mind as he rushed over to Luka to tear the dog away from him. His clothes were already thoroughly burned.

His skin was not.

Glabrezu(Treachery demon)

Glabrezus are the saying "Be careful what you wish for" made manifest. Despite being huge, hulking monsters with four arms, great maws and horns, they may take on appearance of other creatures, which greatly helps them trick mortals into their doom.

A Treachery Demon's modus operandi is quite simple - find a mortal yearning for something, make their desire come true and twist it in a way that invokes as much misery as possible, be it in the long or short term. This is mirrored by their Twisted Desires ability, which can be used for great narrative effect should your party be especially gullible.

In combat it is no pushover, though its Truth Vulnerability can be potentially exploited by a clever team. It boasts a good arsenal of innate spells that can be used either to disorient the party or make for a quick getaway. Glabrezu is a scary fellow in close quarters combat thanks to its Captive Rake that will, without a shadow of a doubt, turn any unfortunate PC's day sour. Given its faculty for forging pacts, however, it's not unreasonable to conclude it may have some form of backup, should it need any.

Hook 1 (Max) - Song of Ashes

At the crossroads in the Ashen Weald, the most beautiful song can be heard at midnight, drifting down from an ancient, toppled monolith. Thereupon sits a woman of fair features and adorned in ethereal white linens. There are no words in the hymn she hums, though the softness of her voice inevitably draws many to her, even in the darkest hours of the gloom.

Many say that should you catch a glimpse of her amber eyes, she may fulfill any earthly desire you harbor. Although there is a price, she does not ask for much in return.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - The Speaker's Secret

A Glabrezu controlling the information trade in the thrice-damned city of Thorn has built his reputation on the idea that he is impossible to kill. Indeed, many have witnessed swords breaking, spears shattering, and halberds snapping in two against the demon's thick hide. The fiend simply laughed off the attacks even as he sent the would-be slayers to their death.

The reality, as is often the case with demons, could not be further from the truth. The Speaker, as the fiend calls himself, was in a brutal fight with one of the celestials - leaving him barely out of reach from death's door.

In actuality, all of the supposed attacks on The Speakers were illusions, organized by him and his closest allies to keep up appearances as the most dreaded force in the underworld. Secrecy is imperative, since even a whisper that he is close to death could be the final nail in the demon's coffin.

Hook 3 (TJ) - The Oxblood Regent

The howling of the gate to the Abyss drowned out the cries of those dying around him. As the demonic hordes poured forward into Rendford, the noble turned to the spindly man who had promised him a wish, fulfilled.

"Why is this happening? This isn't what I asked for! You said-"

"I said I would put you on the throne, and that the throne would have loyal subjects. This is what you agreed to."

The man's - no - the beast's smile stretched unnaturally as his form shifted. The noble was lifted off the ground as a pincer closed around his neck.

"Your face is a bit garish, but that's nothing a little taxidermy can't fix. It's really just a chair, anyway. I doubt I'll spend much time in it. Lots of work to do." The noble struggled briefly as the pincer closed tighter.

Then, he struggled no more.

Gelugon (Ice Devil)

Any devil is bad news. The Ice Devil is even more so, likely indicating you'll have a Hell invasion of some sort on your hands should you happen upon one as they are unlikely to set out from their hellish layers and pause their machinations save for when they must see an assault through.

Insectoid in appearance, they are no doubt amongst the most cunning fiends, serving as Hell's military commanders in its many conquests. They have a penchant for a good challenge should they meet a worthy opponent in battle. Because of this, it is not unlikely for them to offer a game of strategy to see determine who the better leader may be. In the unlikely event of losing, Gelugon will try its best to employ the services of said commander.

The Ice Devil is a great way to show your players the importance of positioning. On their own they still pose a considerable threat, though when a Gelugon has several allies alongside it, you will truly put the fear of god (hell?) into the party. Its Tactician of Cocytus action allows an Ice Devil to reposition all of its allied devils on the battlefield. Oh, your wizard is safe in the backline? Well now he's got two Fury Devils on top of him. The fighter broke through the line and is advancing upon the Gelugon? Guess again, here are some Bearded Devils to make his life more interesting; all while the Ice Devil keeps chucking his ice spears from a safe distance. Add to that its Slowing Frost, some useful spells, and its Frightful Presence? You've got yourself one nasty encounter.

Hook 1 (Max) - The Madness of Maharn

Captain Maharn was renowned for his pragmatism, never one to pick a fight he wasn't sure to win. Things changed in the last few months, when foreign raiders appeared at the kingdom's border. They seem to take great pleasure in making their opponents suffer before disposing of them and so far have eluded any attempts to stop them. Maharn decided to lead a party to meet the foe in battle, where some of his men claim to have seen an insectoid creature twice the size of a man commanding the enemy forces.

It was following this battle that the captain changed. His officers often hear him muttering something about winning "the game" under his breath. The glint of madness present in his eyes is palpable to any that see him.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - The Gate of Souls

Your inhuman luck, skill, and courage have led you over the ice wall.
Your quick tongue and light feet helped you slip unnoticed between the legions of Frost Giants and follow the icy river.

Before you stands another icy wall stretching taller and wider than the eye can see. Encased in the wall are what appear to be thousands of human figures, some of them vaguely familiar. At the base of the wall, appearing almost tiny by comparison despite its full twelve feet of height, is an insectile being holding an staff encased in frost. In an eerily calm and collected voice, it addresses you.

"Greetings, Traveler" states the monster, lowering the staff as it regards you with discerning, alien eyes.

"Welcome to the Gate of Souls, the Path to the Afterlife. Having come this far, I assume you are here for a reason, and know who you want to bring back? I also assume you know the price is your soul, to serve me as a frost drake for all eternity? Unless, of course, you wish to raise the stakes..."

Hook 3 (TJ) - The Master of Games

The Master of Games oversees the casinos on the Eastwallow Wharf. He is cunning, clever, and constantly on the lookout for cheaters and crooks trying to manipulate the games at his tables. The man is credited with the invention of most every card and dice game played in modern parlors the nation over. Easily distinguishable on the game floor by his cold steely gaze and watchful hawkish eyes, the Master of Games is ever-present when visiting his establishments. Some suspect an enchantment that allows him to be every place at once. Unlucky cheaters and scoundrels he catches have the chance to win escape from their punishment by beating him in a game of strategy, not chance. Every third full moon, he holds an incredible festival of games in a night of debauchery and vice unparalleled in the surrounding area. On these nights, the Master is nowhere to be seen. Requesting his presence on these evenings will get you a firm "No" from all of the staff. On these eves, in the back corridors where he keeps his office (and his vaults), a trail of frost lingers. Draw close enough to his door and one might hear the rhythmic clack of game pieces on a board, the low murmurs of inhuman conversation punctuated only by the guttural laughter of something... Other.

Erinys (Fury Devil)

 The erinys' (not sure if that's the correct plural? feel free to correct me) are the archetypical fallen angel. While perfectly capable of holding their own in a fight, it also has a rather high deception bonus, and some neat illusion spells - meaning she (or he) will try to sway you and lead you astray first, and will only fight you if they're out of options (or you know... if you really, really manage to piss them off)

Sorren Skyspear is an overly zealous and often violent aasimar inquisitor. His entire life, he has been dreaming of meeting his angellic progenitor. When he finally gets the chance, it's in the middle of a battle with some Outer Ones' cultists - and she is majestic in her holy violence. Enthralled with her nigh-divine presence, he hops along with her on missions of divine retribution. When he realizes that the missions have been more and more violent for smaller and smaller slights, and that his "progenitor" is no angel, it is almost too late for his soul.

After a long life spent in one adventure after another, Lord Durnsdale retires to his estate. Deciding to finally live his life as the noble he was born as, he takes for himself a bride, a beautiful young woman named Jolene he met during one of his many adventures. Jolene, herself highly educated, takes an interest in helping the good lord rule over his people. Secretly, she also keeps slipping mind-numbing poisons in his mead, until she finally has practically free reign over their estate. Luckily, the lord has yearly reunion feasts with his old crew - whoever remains alive of them, at least - and some of them are bound to notice something is amiss.

Rapunzel is a crafty Erinys devil living in an enchanted tower in the middle of nowhere. Using illusion spells to disguise ropes as his unnaturally long and majestic beard, he lures would-be saviours of both genders to his abode. Once there, he uses seduction and charms to lull the heroes into feeling safe, at which point he strikes, chaining his victims and dragging them to the hellish dungeons beneath the tower, where he tortures them until death.

Dandasuka

 As a stat block, a dandasuka makes for a great spy or scout. As a storytelling device, a dandasuka is a minor disaster waiting to blow. While you can use them as plain antagonists, i feel like the best dandasuka stories would be those where a dandasuka ends up in the PCs service, be it as a dandasuka's own nefarious plan, or due to the PCs foolish megalomania.

An old cleric, who is a retired adventurer, tutors the king's only son. After a summer at his uncle's palace, the child is completely changed - prone to violent and chaotic outbursts, easy to go in a rage and highly unpredictable. Gathering his old crew for one last mission, the cleric discovers the boy has been replaced with a dandasuka - and his uncle with a Raja. Further investigation shows a deeply entrenched rakshasa conspiracy to replace the entire royal court.
While cleansing it must be done, the old adventurers realize any of their potential allies can secretly be nefarious shapeshifters. 

For his services to the Dark Lord, an aspiring Asmodean Hellknight is granted a highly unusual familiar - a dandasuka. While most knights get obedient imps, drawn directly from one of the nine hells, the young knight has shown a spark of greatness - and his higher-ups reward it by testing him to his limits. The overeager, bloodthirsty fiend is meant to be a lesson in control and restraint, and if the inexperienced knight can fully exert his will over its, he is sure to be inducted into the inner circle of the church. Of course, if he fails, that is one more soul to fuel the forge of hells...

Sir Altos, a champion of The Lord of Second Chances, has found a way to separate fiends from their evil natures and grant them free will. To that end, he has reluctantly agreed to let a free-willed dandasuka join him and his comrades on their travels through the Sleeping Valley. While the dandasuka has managed to put up an appearance of meekness and redemption in front of the champion, when they lay asleep, it has been whispering tales of lost knowledge and hidden powers to the wizard, already the least committed of the group

Ceustodaemon

The ceustodaemon, the mook by design, always obedient but never subservient foot soldier of the daemonic armies.
The fluff suggests using these evil outsiders as guardians is common, and its statblock does support the idea - it has a decent reach, some nice supernatural senses to keep it alert.

While three ceustodaemons are a tough combat encounter on their own, it is not F'Nuk, G'Nuk, and Ch'Nuk's job to kill intruders - rather, it is to keep them from running away, while their conjurer master comes back. The conjurer needs merely a minute to dimension door back once the alarm in the tower has been set off - but a lot can happen in a minute.

Ceustodaemons might be obedient, but they aren't exactly loyal. A ceustodaemon named Blagnach is in the market for a new master - as he stands no chance breaking the bonds created by his summoner, Ser Mortimer The Vile, on his own. While a valuable ally, Blagnach is almost certain to eventually betray his new master(s) as well.

The Bloodbath is a gory, bloody event in the arenas of the warlock-run emirate of Thuum. The unlucky men who participate in it are tasked with defeating a ceustodaemon without ever drawing a weapon - instead relying on the fiend's vicious wounds ability to wear it down as the fight goes on. While only a rare few contestants pull of this insane and suicidal feat, the reward is a wish granted by the emirate's dark and enigmatic patron deity.
The fact that many of the contestants end up in the event twice - once as mortals, and once as daemons (as these vile creatures are often formed from the souls of those who intentionally hasten their own demise) doesn't seem to bother the general populace, only out to see more blood spilled in the arena.

Cacodaemon

Can i just say how much i appreciate everything about this angry little dude's design? He has enough going for him to be solid nightmare fuel if the GM desires to go that route, but he also looks... kinda cute? And the multiple eyes and weird proportions make it pretty clear that we're not in Middle Earth any more, this is weird fantasy territory and bless it for being so.

A shepherd's daughter has been going on about a lizard that speaks to her for weeks, but everyone ignored her. When a passing knight jokingly asks to see the lizard, the child puts it in his armored palm. Immediately, the lizard changes form into that of a little bulb of eyes and teeth, and offers the knight the soul of a virgin queen in exchange for its life.

A cunning cacodaemon has a new favourite strategy to gain souls - he appears before unsuspecting travelers, and threatens to call forth his master, an old and sadistic crucidaemon, unless the travelers are willing to trade one soul - be it one of theirs or otherwise acquired - for their freedom.
Those who see through the ruse, though, realize that the little fiend is working alone, and poses no real threat to experienced adventurers.

Salazar Salienza is a masterful tiefling assassin, always trailed by a cacodaemon he made a pact with long ago. The daemon gets to do whatever he wants to with the soul gems created from the many, many targets of his master partner's skills, and in exchange is expected to act as a scout, as well as a scholar of the planes if the need arises. If encountered together, Salazar is likely to apply a dose of hunting spider venom onto the daemon's teeth, making the little thing even more of a nuisance, while the assassin himself moves towards the least armored opponents he sees.

Barghest

I tend to treat flavour text in the bestiary as a suggestion, not canon, and I like to feel I've been encouraging the readers of this blog to do the same. If you've actually listened to me and done so before, ignore it now. Paizo just do everything about goblinoids and goblinoid-adjacent rules so goddamn perfectly. While I will try to put at least a bit of a spin on the entries that follow, i feel like you can just rip a page from any Paizo adventure using goblins, hobs, or even the goddamn goblin dogs and snakes, and you'll have a top-tier encounter in your hands.
Also, for god's sake, this stat block practically begs you to modify it, with the random mutation piece of fluff. Please, do yourself and your players a favour and do it.

Most Barghests who become greater Barghests find their morbid hunger under control. With Grax the Glutton it was the opposite. The morbidly obese, fleshy fiend rarely goes into wolf form these days, preferring that of a massive, tumorous bugbear. While the legion of hobgoblins he rules over guard the only bridge leading across the Valga river, preparing a lavish feast for him may be enough to soften him up for negotiations.

While barghests tend to hate "civilized races", their disdain for those pales in comparison to their disdain for other barghests. County Keyldaire is home to two Barghests - a mangy, pathethic thing that alternates between a goblin and a goblin dog form known as Skittermaw, and powerful old Hobgoblin warlord going by the name of Azguul. While Skittermaw is a minor menace at worst, stealing food, breaking into homes, and pulling pranks on the good people of Keyldaire, Azguul and his tribe are essentially in a state of open warfare with the city guard, raiding the surrounding countryside, killing, kidnapping and pillaging.
The location of Azguul's fort has been found, but so far, no-one has dared march against it.
Skittermaw appears in the barracks one day, claiming to know a secret passage that from the surrounding hillside straight into Azgul's private quarters in the fort, but his price for the information is rather unconventional - the right to land the final blow on the warlord, and keep the body "as a trophy" afterwards.

Many barghests end up ruling tribes of goblinoids, but not Skindazzle Fellswoop. He became the leader of a pack of wargs instead, indeed hunting with them for so long that even in his goblin form he retains many canine features.
He is notorious for directing the beasts with brutal precision, letting them focus on the more physical combatants, while he himself goes into the back line, tearing any archers, casters or any such nuisance to shreds.

Barbazu (Bearded Devil)

Minor blog update notice first: we now have a subscribe via e-mail widget, which should be located at the very bottom of the page and so far appears to be working properly.

Anyway, off to our topic for the day.

The Mad Mandrakh's Mausoleum is the only known passageway into the Hellscapes. While it initially appears to be a giant, deserted ruin, it is populated by a small plethora of fiends guarding in, foremost amongst them a legion of bearded devils. While the sly fiends are physical enough to ward off most weaker intruders, their main tactic against enemies of a somewhat higher caliber is to release a gelatinous cube down a hallway, then dimension door into hidden spots along the escape route, ambushing (in game terms - a metric fuckton of attacks of opportunity from stealth) foes as they inevitably retreat from the cube's unyielding advance.

The Demon Hunters of Azure Coast migrated to Kala'dahan with the rest of their people. There, they met their equals - the massive Barbazu population summoned forth by long gone diabolists. While the demon hunters are used to the sheer brutality of their quarry, they aren't used to the cunning and perseverance of barbazus, who will often engage in attrition warfare against the demon hunters, appearing from the darkness to land a hit or two, infecting with their accursed disease, then dimension dooring away. While it may take days or even weeks of tactics like these to bring down mightier enemies, the devils are patient, and will strike only at foes so downtrodden with disease that they can hardly even lift their swords, much less stands against infernal glaives.

While generally serving as rank and file military, bearded devils can and do also deal in contracts with mortals. It is often, but not always, a deal based on the devils' martial prowess. However, as they are notably not the smartest among devilkind - while still in possession of a sound bureaucratic mind, and traversing the myriad rules of contracts with a far deeper understanding then humans of equivalent intellect - many foolish mortals try to outsmart them.
A desperate ghost recently found out that a barbazu he crossed almost a century ago has freed himself from a trap laid by the ghost, back when he was still alive. The foolish young sorcerer made a deal with the devil, agreeing to owe him his soul "until he goes for a final rest", then banished him to chaotic planes beyond the reach of normal magicks. The magician hoped that he would be long gone before the devil comes to collect his fee, but didnt count on undeath doing him dirty.
Now, as eternal fire looms ever closer, he must beg a group of adventurers he has been pestering for months to help him.

Balor (fire demon)

Ok, i'm gonna admit it, despite being a huge fan of non-combat encounters, I kinda felt the good outsider entries we've been covering didnt offer too much to work with if combat DID arise (and lets face it, some of those murder hobos out there are just waiting for it).
And then comes this lad. Hell yeah. Boasting an aura that burns everything and everyone around him, an improved version of an attack of opportunity, a decent array of spells, and a disgusting ability that makes any slashing weapon he wields vorpal, this is one hell of a boss battle.

Most demons approach battle with reckless brutality. Bluudmaw, the general of all demon armies, second only to the deific demonlords, is not like that. His mind is that of a great strategist and master tactician, and when Heaven's champions finally find his lair, hoping to finally end the eternal conflict between good and evil, they learn of his prowess the hard way. His lair is littered with carefully placed flammable materials and explosive concoctions, which trigger easily in the massive heatwave he radiates. His man tactic during the fight is to use his dimension door to teleport to a weak enemy, strike them with his massive sword, and then teleport back behind cover again. If he does start to lose the fight, which isn't exactly likely, his lair does have at least two hidden exits too.

Unlike most gods, who dwell in their extra-dimensional hells and heavens, Gaia, the mother of all, is an entirely physical deity. Despite being the mightiest being in existence, she has a glaring weakness - her heart, said to be the source of all life in the material plane, is hidden somewhere in the depths of the earth. When the forces of anti-life from beyond the veil, guided by a band of traitorous dwarves manage to find the heart, all life in the world is in danger.
When Gaia's Guardians arrive at the scene a few days later, they find several of the Adversaries' negotiators, and a mighty Balor strapped to the heart by giant chains, with a holy dagger to his throat by an underling, threatening to release the eternal flames within the demon if their demands aren't met, slaying both the Balor and the goddess.

In the 23rd century, space travel is nothing new to most races of the multiverse. However, a new ship by the Black Empire has the Humanoid Confederacy worried, as most records indicate it uses no fuel whatsoever to achieve flight.
When a group of spies manage to infiltrate the ship's classified engine room, they find 3 chained and contained balors contained within, and a machine harnessing the unnatural heat they exude apparently powering the ship.
One of the demons stoops so low as to beg for help from the lowly humanoids, but is such a being's word to be trusted?

Astradaemon

Before i get to this entry, there's something I'd just like to address quickly, and that I maybe should have mentioned back when i covered the arbiter:  this blog and it's relation to the pathfinder2 cosmology. While obviously i can't namedrop Lost Omens planes by name (at least some of them? I'd hazard a guess that names like Nirvana and Abbaddon are probably public domain) i decided to take this blog a step further, and just... Ignore d&d-like cosmology (at least nine planes, each responding to one alignment, +the material plane, +probably some dream and primal/fey planes...) as a whole, sometimes referring to it, sometimes using something a bit but not not exactly like it, and sometimes explicitly having a single plane setting. All as the story demands. I'm sure if you happen to use any of these encounters, you'll be able to find a way to fit them in your story regardless.

Trillbog of Ten Thousand Teeth is an oddity among astradaemons - one who makes his home in the Prime Material Plane. There, he usurped a cult of a minor monstrous deity, convincing the scared cultists he was it's avatar. If any of the many daemonhunters of the region do encounter him outside his dark lair, he is bound to be followed by a dozen cultists. While the cultists make for poor combatants, they are more than willing to die in the service of their god, willingly sacrificing themselves so that Trillbog drains their essence, negating any wound he may have been dealt.

The chthonic gods are not allowed to directly extend their influence outside of Hades. Unfortunately, the river Styx and its lonely ferryman Charon technically fall under the Olympians' jurisdiction. When a weird, serpentine monstrosity appears on the shores of Styx, and starts devouring the souls of the recently departed as they try to make their way to the afterlife, Lord Hades himself has no choice but to release several long dead heroes to deal with it, having no choice but to trust their oaths that they will not go back to the lands of the living after slaying the beast and discerning whence it came from.

Yoglun Borak is a warrior from an ancient time, the Last Hyberian. He has stood guard at the Veiled Gate for millennia, guarding the world from the entities that lurk beyond. When he helps two young knights pass beyond to save their friend's soul, they make an oath to answer when he calls them. Several years later, he does. They are to guard the gate for a hundred and one days, while he goes beyond, on whatever business a demigod like him may have.
They honorably accept, and the first hundred days pass fairly uneventfully - the occasional imp or poltergeist try to break through, but those are easily pushed back. On the last day, though, a Night Hag appears, threatening to pull forward an Astradaemon unless she is given a human soul of pure heart. While the female knight is willing to test her resolve against such an adversary, the young male fears they would not best it, and considers offering his soul to the hag.