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Lesser Demon (Wizardry)
Lesser Demons have been redesigned numerous times in the various Wizardry roleplaying video games over the last three decades, but it's the crimson, four-armed goat form that is the most often used and iconic (the design of which likely came about as an imitation of Dungeons & Dragons' Glabrezu, which have a similar physiology, although it should be noted that Glabrezu are not lesser demons, but True Tanar'ri). Demons and devils do not belong in the Material Plane, and cannot enter it without outside assistance, either from mortals or another of their kind already present there. They are generally summoned by advanced Mages, Bishops, or Samurai, via the Level 5 Mage spell Socordi, with the intent for them to perform some type of service (usually assistance in battle) in exchange for their temporary release from the Abyss. While rare and expensive, there are also scrolls and other mystical objects that can produce the Socordi effect, providing the magically inept with a means to invoke these creatures as well. However, demons are notoriously cunning and untrustworthy, and, unless great care is taken, even the wisest of wizards may find themselves led astray, or destroyed, by these sinister "servants". Lesser Demons have a variety of offensive options at their disposal. While they are by no means masters of the arcane arts, these horned horrors have enough proficiency in spellcasting [4th Level rank in the Mage (Thaumaturgy) school of magic] to make life decidedly unpleasant for their opponents. In close quarters combat, Lesser Demons fight ferociously, like wild animals, but never wield weapons (they regard all such mortal tools with scorn). The monster bites, gores with its horns, rakes with its claws, tramples with its hooves, and whips with its tail, until its opponent is reduced to a bloody inert mass. Unnatural entities from the Lower Planes, Lesser Demons are difficult to harm in battle, physically or magically. Their scarlet flesh is roughly equivalent to Alloy Plate Mail in durability, resulting in a natural Armor Class of two (for comparison, a normal, unarmored human has an AC of ten). To their dismay and frustration, spellcasters will find that their magic often fails to work on these infernal beasts, due to their innate protection from both Priest (60% resistance) and Mage (50% resistance) spells. It is not uncommon for a party of adventurers to throw everything they have at a Lesser Demon during a round of combat without so much as scratching it, which amuses the creature to no end. The only thing that demons like better than causing death and destruction is conjuring up more of their kind to join in on the fun. Instead of attacking, a Lesser Demon can spend a round of combat attempting to "gate" in another Lesser Demon from the Abyss, with a 50% chance of success. Other than the game's limitation on no single group of monsters exceeding nine members, there aren't any restrictions on the number of times that the creature can perform this feat, and, even worse, once summoned, the new arrival(s) can also do the same. Needless to say, an encounter with even one Lesser Demon can quickly get out of hand if it isn't incapacitated or destroyed before it decides to call in reinforcements (if you've read this far, you're doubtlessly gaining an appreciation for why players dread tangling with demons/devils in Wizardry). Perhaps the most troubling thing about these diabolical fiends is their lowly status, despite their power. By human standards, Lesser Demons are terrible foes, but, in the hierarchy of the Abyss, they're small potatoes. Unfortunately for adventurers, Lesser Demons represent little more than a taste of the misery that they'll experience when they take on Greater Demons, Arch Demons, and other mighty foes from the Lower Planes. Materials: Newsprint, white glue, wire twist ties, string, and acrylic paint. Dimensions*: 3.5 cm (1.4") x 4.3 cm (1.7") (widest point x highest point) (*The measurements will vary depending on how the figure's joints are positioned; the numbers given are for a neutral standing pose.) Articulation: 31 Points: Neck x 2, shoulders x 4, biceps x 4, elbows x 4, wrists x 4, mid-torso, waist, tail, hips x 2, thighs x 2, knees x 2, ankles x 2, and hooves x 2. Time: Four days; March 4-7, 2013.
Posted: 25 Mar 2013
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