Tanar'ri, Hezrou

F
Ex 20
A
Ty 6
S
Ty 6
E
Rm 30
R
Gd 10
I
Ex 20
P
Rm 30
Res
Gd 10
Pop
n/a

Health:
Karma:
62
60

Origin:

The horrific, toad-like hezrou are tanar'ri, fell inhabitants of the Abyss who thrive in its endless, chaotic and evil reaches. As a true tanar'ri, each hezrou possesses startling physical, mental and spiritual powers with which to corrupt everything it touches.

Known Powers:

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

* Darkness: all tanar'ri have the ability to share the inherent darkness of their very souls with the world at large. This rudimentary power functions at but Poor (4) rank, but basically 'blacks out' the area a hezrou currently occupies (it works within Near range).

* Damage Reduction: hezrou are particularly tough, where tanar'ri are concerned. Any damage they are not outright invulnerable to will be reduced by -2 CS before affecting them, whether it is physical, magical, spiritual, or any other sort of harm directed at their person.

* Dimensional Transit: in addition to being able to teleport, tanar'ri can transition themselves between planes of existence. They may do so with Good (10) ability, though on a failed FEAT roll dimensionally transiting tanar'ri may be subject to error, per a failed teleport. *

* Infravision: 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 Good (10) ability.

* Invulnerability to Fire, Electricity, Heat, and Poison: 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: planar beings all, hezrou 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 hezrou can spy them with ease, doing so with Excellent (20) ability.

* Telepathy: 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 at Typical (6) rank, enough to get their point across when necessary.

* Teleportation: chaotic creatures all, the tanar'ri can bend space itself to their will. All tanar'ri possess the power to teleport with Remarkable (30) ability, and can avoid teleportation's usual side effects while transporting themselves within the same plane of existence. *

Claws: like almost all tanar'ri, hezrou possess claws at their fingertips. They may wield these deadly implements to inflict Edged Attack damage in melee, which is helpful for rending their opponents... if they haven't already done so with their immense jaws.

Danger Sense: the endless numbers of hezrou are rarely, if ever, surprised by anything in their environment. They possess this supernatural awareness of their surroundings at Excellent (20) rank, which informs them of any dangers, active or passive, that threaten them.

Dimensional Displacement: a hezrou can shunt one of its three spatial dimensions into the Between, allowing it to appear two-dimensional. If it passes through an object in this state, a hezrou can inflict Good (10) AI Edged Attack damage.

Dimensional Interface: hezrou, if on a plane where it is accessible, may interface their bodies with the ethereal plane. This allows them to affect entities there or on their current plane, depending on which 'direction' the interface is currently pointing.

Dimensional Transit: in addition to the above ability to shift planes, hezrou can go on a 'Dark Walk' at certain points in each century, without the benefit of outside aid. They may do this at the same rank as is listed above, doing so to form dark pacts with foolish mortals.

Eldritch Blast / Evil: all hezrou may give off a blast of pure, undiluted evil. This Good (10) ranked power inflicts its rank in Karmic damage upon non-evil beings, and those who fail a Psyche (will) FEAT roll against the damage taken ability may be blinded, deafened, or even paralyzed!

Fangs: hezrou all have incredibly large mouths, replete with sharp, needle-like fangs. They can inflict grievous harm with these teeth, causing their Strength rank in Edged Attack damage with each terrible attack - which is often a prelude to consuming their victims whole!

Fire Generation: for those foes they cannot reach in melee, hezrou have the ability to produce large amounts of fire. They can generate Good (10) ranked fire and heat, which inflicts like SD Energy damage with each attack, and can manifest as a blast or a veritable wall of flames.

Object Animation: while many tanar'ri are telekinetic, hezrou take this one step further and actually imbue objects in their vicinity, however temporarily, with a semblance of life! They may do this with Good (10) ability, letting them wield their very surroundings against a foe.

Redolence: the skin of a hezrou is coated in a slimy, foul liquid. It gives off a vile stench that forces an Endurance FEAT roll against Excellent (20) rank upon becoming adjacent to its person. Those failing this will begin to retch and vomit violently, and are unable to act.

Revival: like other true tanar'ri, hezrou can sometimes give death the laugh. Unless killed inside the Abyss or eaten, hezrou may attempt to reconstitute themselves on their home plane with this Typical (6) ranked power. The difficulty involved, of course, depends on how they died.

Summoning: as the managers of tanar'ri Blood War armies, hezrou possess many summons. They can summon a swarm of insects to do their bidding, which inflicts Good (10) damage in total to unprotected targets for 1d10 turns (any protection from physical attack negates this damage).

Secondly, they can put out a call for lesser tanar'ri three times per day. A green FEAT on this Typical (6) ranked power will draw forth 4d10 least tanar'ri, a yellow FEAT will summon 1d10 lesser tanar'ri, and a red FEAT means the hezrou has summoned from one to four greater tanar'ri.

Finally, hezrou can attempt, once per day, to call a true tanar'ri to aid it in whatever means it deems necessary. This is a Poor (4) ranked power, and quite often doesn't work. But when it does, it can readily turn the tide of most battles a hezrou gets itself involved with.

Natural Psionics:

In addition to the above, considerable array of supernatural powers, hezrou are also equipped with natural psionics. These capabilities will vary from hezrou to hezrou, but will usually be of either a metapsi, psikinetic or psipathic bent, most often being destructive in nature.

Limitations / Enhancements:

Susceptibility: like all tanar'ri, hezrou 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:

Whips: hezrou typically carry mundane whips with them when commanding their inferiors. They rarely do much damage against their underlings, but the sound is often enough to cut through the cacophony of their incessant chatter. Not always, but most of the time.

A hezrou can use their whip to either engage in a grappling attack, or to inflict Edged Attack damage to any adjacent target (usually within about a ten foot range).

Quirks:

Unattractive 2: hezrou are monstrous, toad-like terrors! Mortals react very negatively to a hezrou, both for their appearance and unnecessarily cruel behavior, and hezrou are at a -4 CS to all NPC reactions when interacting with humanoid beings of any kind (save for other tanar'ri).

Talents:

Leadership: while they're not inspiring by any stretch of the imagination, hezrou have the innate ability to lead others. When in charge of a group, it should receive a one hundred point bonus to whatever Karma pool it has managed to form (if said group ever bothers, that is).

Characteristics:

Cruel and capricious, the hezrou manage the armies of the Blood War with an iron fist. They may torture their underlings for failing, or even for succeeding - it all depends on their whims. Their minions tend to achieve an equilibrium of competence that lets them avoid notice if possible.

At the same time, hezrou have a certain docility built into them. Perhaps they, in general, feel at the top of the 'heap' given their general autonomy to run their superiors' armies as they see fit, it's hard to say. But they readily take directives since they're allowed to 'interpret' them considerably.

Appearance:

The horrific hezrou are large, typically standing at seven or so foot tall. They resemble sinister green toads, save for the spines running down their head and back, terrible claws and fangs, and humanoid arms instead of forelegs. Their skin exudes a foul-smelling liquid glaze at all times.

Ecological Niche:

The true tanar'ri known as hezrou act to manage the countless Blood War armies the chaotic fiends field throughout the planes. They fill this role well due to their natural administrative capabilities, as well as a surprising acceptance to the following of orders from other true tanar'ri.

The odd thing is that a hezrou doesn't actually do all that much fighting in and of itself. By keeping the Blood War armies in line, hezrou manage to avoid front-line duties - though if one fails miserably in their assigned job, this may not be the case for very long.

Hezrou are not natural creatures (if any tanar'ri ever was). They don't form spontaneously, nor do they arise as a result of tanar'ri inbreeding. No, a hezrou can only be formed through the endless suffering, both given and received, a lesser tanar'ri endures for countless years.

Notes:

* Depending on which version of the Planescape lore you wish to use, hezrou (along with the rest of the tanar'ri) may not have access to teleportation any longer, having lost this power due to yugoloth meddling. Its presence is at the discretion of the individual Judge.

Mind you, hezrou have the ability to dimensional transit during their Dark Walk regardless of which version of lore you accept.

Extra Goodies:

Tanar'ri, Hezrou Universal Heroes Text File Download

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