Tanar'ri, Chasme

Strength 8x

Agility 4x

Intellect 3x

Willpower 6x

Hand Size: Edge:

4 (25) 2

Origin:

The monstrous chasme are tanar'ri, demonic beings hailing from the Abyss. They are fell creatures of belief made flesh, supernatural horrors that have a variety of powers - some magical and nature, and some due to their somewhat insectoid physiology.

Powers:

Tanar'ri Physique: the teeming masses of chasme are greater tanar'ri, powerful demonic creatures that hail from the infinite planes of the Abyss. Like all tanar'ri, the chasme are truly planar entities, and possess these tanar'ric capabilities:

* Darkness (a): all tanar'ri have the ability to share the inherent darkness of their very souls with the world at large. This rudimentary power functions only at intensity 4, but basically 'blacks out' everything within near missile distance of the chasme.

* Dimensional Transit (i): in addition to being able to teleport, tanar'ri can transition between planes of existence. They may do so with intensity 5 ability, though on a failed action dimensionally transiting tanar'ri may be subject to error, per a failed teleport. *

* Infravision (w): many of the Abyss' countless layers are dark beyond mortal ken, and have never seen the light (physically or otherwise). As such, all tanar'ri have evolved the ability to see by heat as well as by visible light, and can do so with intensity 5 skill.

* Invulnerability to Fire, Electricity, Heat, and Poison (s): the tanar'ri are hardy creatures - they have to be to survive at all in the endless, horrific wastes of the Abyss. Their forms have evolved over time to give them complete immunity to fire, electricity, heat, and poison.

* Portal Sense (w): planar beings all, chasme have the ability to perceive the various rifts that dot the planescape of the multiverse. Most of these doorways are invisible to the naked eye, but all chasme can spy them with ease, doing so with intensity 8 ability.

* Resistance to Cold Attacks (s): though they are not immune to the effects of cold attacks, tanar'ri are considerably resistant to them. When exposed to any form of cold in their environment, a tanar'ri may resist such as if their Strength were +2 higher (intensity 8).

* Resistance to Magic (s): furthermore, most tanar'ri possess some degree of resistance to magical attacks, whether they come in the form of environmental effects, spells, or even magic items. Chasme possess intensity 15 (+3) protection against all forms of mystic assault.

* Telepathy (w): almost all tanar'ri are able to communicate directly from mind to mind - a vital skill when so few speak the same tongue. They can usually broadcast and receive thoughts with intensity 5 skill, enough to get their point across when necessary.

* Teleportation (i): chaotic creatures all, the tanar'ri can bend space itself to their will. All tanar'ri possess the power to teleport with intensity 10 ability, and can avoid teleportation's usual side effects while transporting themselves within the same plane of existence. *

Additional Limbs / Wings (a): chasme, resembling a hideous fly or mosquito of some sort, possess insectoid wings. These appendages bear them aloft with intensity 3 speed, allowing them to fly at up to ninety miles per hour given proper air conditions.

Attenuation (i): this intensity 8 ability allows chasme to enfeeble their opponents. If it passes an easy difficulty Attenuation (strength) action against its target, a chasme can reduce that foe's Strength score by up to 8 points (with a minimum value of 1) for an aura duration.

Body Armor (s): chasme have a strong chitinous hide, one which makes them highly resistant to the minor rigors of life in the Abyss. They possess this physical power at intensity 4, which offers them like (or +1) protection against physical attacks of various stripes.

Claws (s): to soften up foes, chasme often swipe them with their claws. Their four rear limbs each have a claw, with which chasme may inflict their Strength +2 in slashing damage. These claw wounds are particularly severe, and inflict repeat bleeding damage as a contingent attack.

Emotion Control / Fear (w): chasme can instill great fear into those in its vicinity. A chasme may cause others within near missile distance to quiver in fear with this intensity 8 power, which acts just like the spell of the same name (only works once per encounter).

Nonapparent Vision (w): the chasme have a limited form of this power, which allows them to perceive items that have been rendered invisible to conventional light spectra. This power works at intensity 8, complementing their infravision quite nicely.

Philosophical Sense (w): chasme have an innate ability to 'read' the philosophical bent of other sentient beings. This intensity 8 power allows them to sense if a target is either good, evil, orderly, chaotic, or balanced in mindset, and then react accordingly.

Proboscis (s): chasme do not have fangs; instead, they have a long proboscis with which to puncture their foes and drain their blood. Chasme inflict their Strength +2 in piercing damage with this organ, along with like blood loss damage each exchange until the chasme stops feeding.

Sleep (w): the soft buzzing sound of the chasme's wings lulls its foes into a hypnotic sleep. Everyone within near missile distance that the chasme can pass an easy difficulty Sleep (willpower) action against will fall asleep for an aura duration (only works once per encounter).

Summoning (i): the chasme have several summoning powers which function at intensity 5. Three times a day, they may attempt to summon forth fellow tanar'ri. An easy difficulty action brings forth an entire horde of manes.

Draw two cards and add the sum to determine an amount of manes that answer the chasme's call. An average difficulty action summons forth one to five cambion (draw a card and divide by two), and a challenging difficulty action will make manifest another chasme.

Alternately, a chasme may summon forth a hideous cloud of biting, stinging insects. This cloud will occupy the entire area it is summoned within, and inflicts intensity 8 damage in total to unprotected targets for an aura duration (any protection from physical attack will negate this damage).

Telekinesis (i): chasme may impose their desires upon objects in its vicinity, an advantage since their reach is generally rather poor. They may only do so with intensity 8 strength, but this allows the creatures to move 400 lbs of matter just by thinking about it!

Hindrances / Augmentations:

Monstrous: it should go without saying, but chasme are monstrous entities - just look at them! A chasme is at Willpower 0 to prevent Edge 0 humans from fleeing at the mere sight of them - not that they would ever really bother, for such creatures are a snack to chasme.

Susceptibility: like all tanar'ri, chasme are weak against the use of cold-wrought iron weapons, as well as holy water and weapons. Their supernatural defenses are ineffective against such assaults, which inflict at least a quarter of their maximum Health in damage.

Equipment:

(none)

Skills:

(none)

Calling:

Demolisher, with a secondary calling of Vengeance: like all tanar'ri, chasme enjoy destroying and killing - the more the better! They also live to punish those who would flee the Blood War's battle lines, and hunt down such deserters with extreme prejudice.

Characteristics:

The chasme are considered cowardly for avoiding the front lines, but they nonetheless have the run of the Abyss in their hunt for deserters. They cheerfully return the hatred other tanar'ri bear towards them, and murder their brethren savagely upon finding them to be guilty.

Appearance:

Chasme are hideous and inhuman, resembling a cross between a human and a fly or mosquito. They are primarily insectoid, with a sickly yellow color to their chitin, a vaguely humanoid face, and two humanoid arms as forelegs (the other four limbs are insectoid, and bear claws).

Chasme have tiny, vestigial mouths with which they can attempt raspy speech, but mostly communicate via telepathy. The most notorious feature on a chasme is its proboscis, a needle-like nose / mouth extension with which it may puncture its victims and feed upon their bodily fluids!

Ecological Niche:

The teeming masses of chasme relentlessly scour the Abyss in search of Blood War deserters, who they kill slowly and mercilessly. They do this not out of loyalty but to avoid being sent to the front lines themselves; for all their power, chasme are cowardly and mercurial monsters.

Other tanar'ri loathe the chasme for their appointed task, readily slaying them when they think they can get away with it - or even when they don't. The only thing keeping chasme from annihilation in the Abyss is the fact that they breed prodigiously.

While some chasme are a result of weaker tanar'ri ascending to this 'station' on their rise to power, most chasme come about from eggs lain by other chasme. An adult lays ten eggs per month, which hatch after three months of development, and grow to adulthood in but seven years.

Assuming they last that long. For while the chasme are incredibly powerful, they do live in the Abyss - and if other tanar'ri don't kill them, there's any number of other threats with which a young chasme may meet its end. Chasme die with some frequency, but they have great numbers.

Notes:

* Depending on which version of the Planescape lore you wish to use, the chasme (along with the rest of the tanar'ri) may not have access to these powers any longer, having lost them due to yugoloth meddling. Their presence is at the discretion of the individual Narrator.

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