About Apostate Devil in disguiseSource Bestiary 5 pg. 78, Book of the Damned - Volume 1: Princes of Darkness pg. 54
Boundless Reach (Su) A deimavigga’s claws slice through reality, allowing it to make melee attacks against any creature it is aware of—typically meaning creatures within 100 feet. The devil still only threatens the 10-foot area around it and cannot make attacks of opportunity against creatures farther away. This ability can span vast distances, allowing a deimavigga making use of divination magic to detect distant creatures and attack foes separated by miles or even planes. Spells like forbiddance, which prevent planar travel, protect against a deimavigga’s claws. The spell dimensional anchor also prevents a deimavigga from using this ability for the duration of that spell. An attacked creature can retaliate until the beginning of the deimavigga’s next turn, striking at the devil’s claws with weapons or spells as if it were physically present, but the deimavigga’s claws receive a size bonus to AC as if they were two sizes smaller than the deimavigga, and the attacked creature cannot grapple or otherwise prevent the claws from vanishing out of reach at the end of the round. Evangelization (Su) The words of deimaviggas are poison to the mind. Every round a deimavigga speaks (a free action), all non-devils with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher within 30 feet must make a DC 28 Will save or become vulnerable to its blasphemous discourse. The DC of this Will save increases by 1 for each consecutive round a creature has listened to the same deimavigga speak. Creatures must be listening to a deimavigga to be affected by its oration. Deafened creatures and those in combat—either with the deimavigga or with other creatures—are not considered to be listening. Victims cannot simply declare they are not listening without taking steps to impede their hearing. Upon failing this save, a victim can be affected by the heretical power of a deimavigga’s words. The devil may use its speech to affect a listener in ways that mimic any of the following spells: calm emotions (DC 21), charm monster (DC 23), command (DC 20), confusion (DC 23), crushing despair (DC 23), deep slumber (DC 22), enthrall (DC 21), modify memory (DC 23), rage (DC 22), or suggestion (DC 22). Victims still receive saving throws against these spell effects, but if they fail their saves they are not aware the devil is working its power upon them. A deimavigga can affect multiple victims with different spell effects in the same round. This is a sonic mind-affecting effect. The base save DC is Charisma-based. Indomitable Oration (Su) A deimavigga’s speech is always perfectly clear and cannot be silenced or warped. Even in areas of incredible noise, through water or airless voids, or in areas of magical silence, these devils’ voices can still be heard normally. All beings understand deimaviggas, as if these devils constantly spoke in all tongues at once. Malleable Form (Su) A deimavigga has complete control over its physical form, and if transformed into another shape against its will, it can revert to its own form as a free action. Ohrwurm (Su) As a standard action, three times per day, a deimavigga can whisper a fundamental and terrifying multiversal truth to one creature within 5 feet. The target must make a DC 28 Will save or have the devil’s words take root in its psyche. Outsiders and elementals have a +2 bonus on their saves to resist this ability. Initially, the deimavigga’s words seem to have no effect. Any time the victim tries to rest, though, he must make an additional DC 28 Will save or be affected as per the spell nightmare (even if the victim doesn’t technically sleep). After a night of suffering vivid dreams and wrestling with the devil’s words, the victim must make yet another DC 28 Will save or have its alignment shift one step toward lawful evil. Only by unlearning what the deimavigga told it can a victim be free of this effect, requiring a spell such as miracle, modify memory, or wish. Wisdom Drain (Su) A deimavigga drains 1d6 points of Wisdom each time it hits with its claw attack. (A deimavigga does not heal any damage when it uses its Wisdom drain.)
In their natural shapes, deimaviggas stand 7 feet tall and weigh a mere 120 pounds. When disguised, though, they typically take the forms of wise elders who have lived long enough to understand fundamental truths about the universe, priests who have "realized their folly" and rejected their former dogma, or even "angels" of truth. Though they prefer to fight with words rather than with physical means, deimaviggas attack those who attempt to strip away their disguises and illusions, or who can argue as eloquently as they—though if possible, they prefer to do so discreetly and dispose of the bodies secretly. Deimaviggas prefer to spend most of their time upon the Material Plane, swaying the weak and corruptible souls of mortals.There they seek out either vast mortal cities, where their heresy might reach many ears, or small communities where the isolated might fall to their blasphemous philosophizing. When in Hell, though, they linger in Caina, tormenting the souls of those trapped upon its lonely islands, developing and testing complicated and often confusing arguments. Preferring to operate alone, these poison-tongued devils rarely work with others of their kind, even though their status affords them control over their lesser brethren. They find that their arguments benefit from a single voice, and that their endeavors are complicated by even the most obedient minions. They bow to Hell’s hierarchy, however, and serve if compelled to do so. Pit fiends and infernal dukes sometimes utilize deimaviggas as personal majordomos, spies, and spreaders of dissension, though even among devilkind these enigmatic fiends are considered particularly unnerving |
