Marrash

A marrash (plural marrashi) is a plague bearer that spreads disease through combat.

Physically, a marrash resembles a winged gnoll, except that it has birdlike talons on its hands and feet and double-jointed, birdlike legs. It stands about 5 feet tall and has a 10-foot wingspan. Occasionally wizards or sorcerers summon marrashi to the Material Plane to act as guards, assassins, or instruments of terror or revenge.

Every marrash carries a longbow and a quiver of arrows. About a third of its arrows are vectors for disease; the rest are normal except for one⁠—​a magic taklif arrow. Any creature hit by this arrow contracts a disease similar to the marrash variant of filth fever (see Disease, below), except that the spirit of a new marrash is generated within the victim’s body. When the infected creature dies, the marrash spirit devours its soul over the next 1d6 days. Upon completing that process, the newborn marrash rises in the victim’s reconstituted corpse, which assumes the form of a marrash.

Like most outer-planar beings, marrashi are not willing servants for summoners. A marrash bound to serve a mortal tries to use its taklif arrow on its master without the latter’s knowledge, in the hope that the newborn marrash will release its parent from bondage.

Marrashi speak Common and Infernal.

Combat

Marrashi consider themselves weak and vulnerable on the ground, so they take to the air whenever possible.

Disease (Ex): Any creature hit by a marrash’s disease arrow must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 14) or contract a more virulent outer-planar version of filth fever. The incubation period is 1d3 days, and the disease deals 1d3 points of Dexterity damage and 1d3 points of Constitution damage (see Disease). Each day thereafter that the disease lasts, the infected creature must also succeed at a second Fortitude save (DC 14), or 1 point each of that day’s Dexterity and Constitution damage becomes Constitution drain instead.

Double Bowfire (Ex): In battle, a flying marrash grips its longbow with its taloned feet and draws the string with both hands. This unusual technique allows it to fire two arrows nearly simultaneously at its highest attack bonus as a full attack action.

Taklif Arrow: Any creature hit by a taklif arrow must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 14) or contract a disease similar to the marrash variant of filth fever (see Disease, above). The incubation period is 1 day, and the disease deals 1d3 points of Dexterity damage and 1d3 points of Constitution damage. However, a creature that fails any Fortitude saving throw after its initial infection dies instantly, and neither raise dead nor resurrection can restore it to life. The corpse rises as a new marrash 1d6 days later.

Protection from Arrows (Sp): A marrash can use protection from arrows, as the spell, at will. Caster level 10th.

Source: Monster Manual II, page 145. This creature’s statistics block has been updated to version 3.5 as given in the D&D® V.3.5 Accessory Update for Monster Manual II.