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# Appearing: 1
Armor Class: 3
Movement: 15
Hit Dice: 7
THAC0: 13
# of Attacks: 3
Damage/Attack: 1d3/1d3/1d6 (or by weapon
with strength bonus)
Special Attacks: Fear, Bite
Special Defenses: +1 or better weapon
to hit
Magic Resistance: 25%
Size: L (9 feet tall)
Morale: Fearless (19-20)
XP Value: 6,000
Deep in the pit of Nessus, there is rumored to be a race of half-Baatezu giants known as the Nephilim. It is said that they are the sons and daughters of male Pit Fiends who have mated with Human women. They appear as giant humans with reddish skin and long fangs. They typically lack the wings and tails of their fathers. Nephilim is plural, the singular form is Nephil.
Combat: The Nephilim have inherited some traits from their infernal fathers which are very useful in combat. They may attack 3 times per round, using their sharp claws to rake the flesh (1d3 points of damage each) and their fangs inflict 1d6 points of damage and inflict a disease which will kill in 1-2 weeks unless the victim is healed by a Cure Disease spell. Nephilim sometimes carry Bastard Swords which they wield one-handedly. They get a damage bonus due to their strength, which is in the range 18/01 - 18/75. In addition to those spell-like abilities inherent to all Baatezu, Nephilim can affect normal fires, hold person, and produce flame. Once per day they can also attempt to gate in either 2 to 12 Abishai or 1 to 4 Nephilim. The touch of a Nephil causes fear. The victim must save vs. rod, staff, or wand or flee in panic for 1d6 rounds.
Habitat/Society: Nephilim are extremely rare in Baator, and are never seen outside of their home plane. Pit Fiends who mate with Human women always kidnap the women and bring them back to Nessus, the deepest layer of Baator. The women usually die in childbirth or shortly thereafter, but some claim that this is not always the case. Some Human women may live in Nessus long enough to bear many children. The Nephilim are raised to be the devoted servants of the Pit Fiends and of their Dark Lord. Mating with Human women is a luxury which is allowed only for the Pit Fiends. Any Baatezu of lower station who tries is hunted down by the Pit Fiends and subjected to eternal torture. Any half-Baatezu who is born from other than Pit Fiend stock is routinely executed. Now, some people say that the Pit Fiend's program of careful control of the Nephilim and extermination of non-Pit Fiend half-Baatezu has not been 100% successful. As evidence, they point to the population of Tieflings of apparent Baatezu stock. Such speculation is only uttered while at a safe distance from Baator. Others say that the part-Baatezu Tieflings are a result of Humans who spent a lot of time on Baator, and that they have nothing to do with the Nephilim. Who knows the full dark of it?
Ecology: Nephilim serve their fiendish sires without question. The other Baatezu know that Nephilim are the personal servants of Pit Piends, and they give them a wide berth. Even Gelugons will hesitate to interfere with a Nephil, for fear of the consequences once its master finds out. There are unconfirmed reports of Pit Fiends who have personal armies of Nephilim, composed entirely of their own offspring. It is rumored that at least one of the Lords of the Nine also has Nephilim offspring.
# Appearing: 1
Armor Class: -5
Movement: 12
Hit Dice: 180 hp
THAC0: -1
# of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: 1-12
Special Attacks: Scythe, Gaze
Special Defenses: +3 or better weapon
to hit
Magic Resistance: 100%
Size: L (11 feet tall)
Morale: Fearless (19-20)
XP Value: 27,000
Ankou travels the battlefields of the Gray Waste, plodding behind a cart drawn by a team of skeletal horses. Tall and emaciated to the point of looking like a skeleton, Ankou covers himself in a long black robe and wears a broad-brimmed black hat. He carries a long scythe, crafted entirely of bone, over his shoulder. He stares with a blind gaze, for his eyesockets are completely empty.
Combat: In combat, Ankou uses his Scythe of the Reaper, a magical scyther made entirely out of bone, which can only be used by a Yugoloth. Those struck by the Scythe of the Reaper receive 1-12 hit points of damage and are affected by a powerful curse. The Scythe's curse is that the individual affected will die at some time within the next two years, although it could be much sooner. The curse can not be removed by a remove curse spell, it requires a Wish spell to counteract it. In the hands of any creature other than a Yugoloth, the Scythe of the Reaper acts as a normal Scythe +2. In addition to this powerful weapon, anyone catching the Gaze of Ankou's eyeless face must make a saving throw vs. death magic or be immediately slain. Because of his Scythe, Ankou is sometimes called "The Grim Reaper."
Followers & Resources: The altraloth prefers to work alone. He is only accompanied by his team of skeletal horses and his creaking wooden cart. Some sages claim that Ankou has a vast underground cavern filled with the stinking and decaying bodies of untold millions of his victims.
Plots & Goals: Ankou is usually found
wandering the battlegrounds of the Blood War. He does not attack with his
Scythe unless provoked, but he is continuously casting his Gaze about the
battlefield. Those who die as a result of his Gaze are loaded onto his
cart, which is magically never full. Ankou has also been sighted on battlefields
outside of the Gray Waste, creating a path of death as he slowly trods
through the ranks of one army or the other.
He does not work for any particular side during a battle. His goal
is to fill his cart with as many bodies as he can, and he cares little
about the eventual outcome of the battle. It is possible that he was created
by the Night Hags for this purpose, as the souls of the bodies slain by
Ankou inevitably end up as Larvae on the Gray Waste.
Other Known Altraloths include:
The General of Gehenna - The commander
of the largest armies of the Blood War
Anthraxus - The former Oinoloth
Bubonix - Ruler of the Tower of Incarnate
Pain, The Overlord of Carceri
Cholerix - Bubonix's lieutenant and aide
de camp
Xenghara - The Death-Bringer, The Fallen
One
Cerlic - The Boatman of the Styx, Charon
Typhus - Commander of the Infernal Front
Taba - The infiltrator of the Lower Planes
Mydianchlarus - The current Oinoloth
For more information on altraloths, see the article "Pox of the Planes" in Dragon Annual #2.
The contents of this page are copyright 1997 by Nol Drek.
