Tanar'ri, Molydeus

Melee RV 20

Coordination RV 10

Brawn RV 6

Fortitude RV 30

Intellect RV 20

Awareness RV 30

Willpower RV 50

Lifestyle RV 20

Repute n/a

Health: Fortune:

66 100

Origin:

Like all tanar'ri, the molydei are demonic creatures of chaos and evil. They possess a wide variety of supernatural powers with which to do their duties, which are imposed on them (like their very forms) by whatever mysterious agency has created them.

Known Powers:

Tanar'ri Physique: while they have been altered into their current configuration by parties unknown, the molydei are nonetheless tanar'ri. As such, they wield a wide variety of powers due to their demonic heritage, the most common of which include the following:

* 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 rank value 4, but basically 'blacks out' the sector a molydeus currently occupies (it works within Near range).

* Damage Reduction / Cold Attacks: while not immune to the cold, the molydei is nonetheless quite resistant to it - possibly due to their infernal natures. When exposed to cold damage, a molydeus may reduce its intensity by 2 RS - before other defenses apply.

* Damage Reduction / Physical and Magical Attacks: an apt term to describe the molydei is 'nigh invulnerable'. These demonic horrors possess 4 RS of damage reduction to both physical and magical damage of all types, making them incredibly difficult to defeat.

* Dimensional Transit: in addition to being able to teleport, tanar'ri can transition themselves between planes of existence. They may do so with rank value 10 ability, though on a failed ACT 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 rank value 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. The molydei in particular possess immunity to fire, electricity, heat, and poison.

* Portal Sense: planar beings all, molydei 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 molydei can spy them with ease, doing so with rank value 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 with rank value 6 skill, 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 rank value 30 ability, and can avoid teleportation's usual side effects while transporting themselves within the same plane of existence. *

Additional Limbs / Head: molydei all possess two heads. The first is a wolf's head, which is pointed forward, and is in the standard position. The second is a long, snake's head (with a considerable amount of 'neck') positioned behind the first head, which can swivel in any direction.

Animal Hybridization / Others: this rare ability allows a molydeus to transform others into animals of various types. Those who fail a Fortitude ACT against this rank value 20 power are changed as the molydeus desires, gaining any natural abilities of their new form.

Bands: molydei may use this spell-like power to issue forth bindings that appear like shadowy black tentacles. They work with rank value 20 ability, easily trapping most conventional opponents, and last as long as they are concentrated upon.

Charm: molydei possess the ability to charm a single target, per the spell of the same name. This skill lets them make temporary 'friends' of those who fail a Willpower ACT roll against this rank value 20 power, until they attack or the victims can break free of it.

Danger Sense: the scant few molydei in existence are rarely, if ever, surprised by anything in their environment. They possess this supernatural awareness of their surroundings at rank value 20, which informs them of any dangers, active or passive, that threaten them.

Electricity Generation: up to seven times a day, molydei have the power to fire lightning from their very eyes! Each of these bolts of electric power will inflict rank value 30 Stunning Energy damage with each deadly strike - often enough to slay a body outright!

Emotion Control / Fear: the power of a molydeus corrodes the resolve of others. On contact, this fiend may instill within its foe rank value 30 fear. If they fail a Willpower ACT roll against this power, the molydeus' target will either quiver in fear or flee in terror for 1d10 turns.

Fangs: both of a molydeus' heads possess fangs. They can be used to inflict Slashing damage in melee, but the snake's head is armed with a powerful venom that has a rapid transformative effect on those it affects (see below).

Fire Control: while they cannot generate flames like a balor, molydei may nonetheless shape them as they desire. This rank value 20 power lets them amplify, attenuate, or otherwise manipulate fires in their environment (natural or otherwise) at this intensity.

Growth: molydei stand at twelve feet tall, granting them this power at rank value 4, and a size factor of +1. This increases their damage against normal-sized foes by +1 RS, while applying a -1 RS to hit. Normal-sized foes reverse these row shifts when fighting molydei.

Invisibility: though mostly useless against other tanar'ri, molydei can use this rank value 20 ability to great effect against mere mortals and others who cannot see into the infrared spectrum. This power lets them avoid visual detection entirely!

Mesmerism: all molydei possess a limited form of mind control. They may direct a target to engage in any reasonable activity they desire, and their foe must resist this rank value 20 power or comply. Of course, obviously harmful instructions automatically fail.

Nonapparent Vision: at will, a molydeus can activate this sensory capacity to see something as it truly is. This rank value 20 ability easily allows them to pierce the veil of disguise, whether physical, mental, spiritual, or otherwise.

Object Animation: while many tanar'ri are telekinetic, molydei take this one step further and actually imbue objects in their vicinity, however temporarily, with a semblance of life! They may do this with rank value 20 ability, letting them wield their very surroundings against a foe.

Philosophical Sense: another of their useful sensory powers, molydei have the ability to 'feel' the philosophical bent of any person, place or thing they observe. They can sense something's leanings towards order, chaos, good, evil, or balance with rank value 20 skill.

Poison: the bite of a molydeus' snake head has a transformative effect much like that of various undead. Those bitten by the smaller of the molydeus' two heads must pass a Fortitude ACT roll against rank value 30 or be slain, only to rise again as a manes.

This will occur even if the victim has no natural predilection towards being sent to the Abyss after their demise. Furthermore, the character's intellect will be reduced to match that of a manes, though they'll distinctly recall their former, lost lives and mental acuity.

If affected, the victim loses 1 RS of Fortitude per day, until their death. During this time, any power to cure a poisoning will stop it cold, despite its supernatural nature. Afterwards, only causal control or a miracle can reverse the victim's transformation into a manes.

Revival: like the true tanar'ri, molydei can sometimes give death the laugh. Unless killed inside the Abyss or eaten, a molydeus may attempt to reconstitute itself on its home plane with this rank value 6 power. The difficulty involved, of course, depends on how it died.

Sensory Attenuation: a specialized form of illusion projection, this ability allows a molydeus to limit the sensory input one can receive - vision, to be precise. Those who fail a Willpower ACT roll against this rank value 20 ability are convinced that they are blind for 1d10 turns.

Summoning: to further empower them to enforce the Blood War effort, molydei are given the power to summon a select grouping of their fellow tanar'ri - specifically, those who are seemingly designed around it as well, but are generally less powerful.

Once per hour, a molydeus has the ability to summon forth either another molydeus, one or two chasme, or one to four babau. This ability functions with rank value 6 ability, and allows a molydeus to rapidly draw upon a wide array of minions to do its bidding!

Vampirism: a dangerous power indeed, molydei have the ability to feed off of the energies of others. They can do this with rank value 10 ability, which allows them to drain like Health from a target with each attack - using it to heal their own lost Health points.

Limitations / Enhancements:

Susceptibility: like all tanar'ri, molydei 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:

Battle Axe: when formed, each molydeus manifests an extension of its very life force, in the form of this magical battle axe. They can use this weapon to inflict their Brawn value +1 RS in Slashing or Sorcerous damage - whichever is more effective.

The interesting thing about this axe, however, is that it can attack as if it had a mind of its own - even if its owner is otherwise occupied. This axe may attack using its molydeus owner's Melee trait, and may do so anywhere within the molydeus' current sector.

If slain, the battle axe of a molydeus will dissipate. The only way to seize such a weapon and retain it is if its owner remains alive. This is an exceedingly risky proposition, for a molydeus will quest without end to get a lost axe back.

Quirks:

Unattractive 3: molydei are giant, two headed demons! Mortals react very negatively to a molydeus, both for their diabolic appearance and demonic natures, and they're at a -6 RS to all NPC reactions when interacting with humanoid beings of any kind (save for other tanar'ri).

Skills:

Skill / Axe: the molydeus constantly use their inherent axes in battle, allowing them to quickly gain martial competency with them. This allows the fiends a +1 RS to hit their foes with their special axe - or any other, similar weapon they might be holding.

Characteristics:

Molydei are single-minded in their pursuit of the Blood War. They're always watching the true tanar'ri for any signs of treachery, no matter how minimal, against their side of the War. While intelligent, their minds are somewhat limited to obsessing over their duties.

Appearance:

A molydeus is a frightening monstrosity. They stand twelve feet tall, and have bright crimson skin. They possess two heads, one being that of a wolf and another being that of a sickly, green-scaled snake. The wolf head can see before the molydeus, while the snake head sees behind it.

Ecological Niche:

The molydei are something of a conundrum. They do not occur naturally, however such a word can apply to the tanar'ri at all. No matter how twisted the suffering a tanar'ri suffers (or inflicts), no matter how powerful it grows on its own, the fiends cannot evolve into a molydeus.

It is theorized that these creatures are true tanar'ri that are molded into their forms by perhaps the Abyssal Lords themselves, though the dark of such is unrevealed to this very day. This theory holds water because even the balors can be taken to task by a molydeus.

Even though the molydei technically serve the balors, while ever watching them all the same.

The molydei act to enforce the Blood War effort. While they discount the actions of any tanar'ri of less power than a 'true' member of their kind (ostensibly because they are beneath notice), molydei monitor the true tanar'ri to ensure that they remain loyal to the cause.

As loyal as any tanar'ri can get, that is. If one of the chaotic fiends wavers in its attentions to the Blood War, or otherwise acts against the tanar'ri interests in such, a molydeus will often be waiting to punish the offender... usually in a most spectacularly lethal fashion.

Which is one reason the nalfeshnee are as subtle as possible in their sabotage of the balors - if they're too obvious, a molydeus or two might show up to put them in the dead book. Hence the generally long-term nature of their plots and intrigues.

Notes:

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

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