Yugoloth

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Arcanaloth • Marraenoloth • Yagnoloth

Possibly the greediest, most selfish beings in the Outer Planes, yugoloths reign supreme among the evil outsiders of the plane of Gehenna.

Yugoloths often act as mercenaries for demons, devils, and other planar powers. They are enthusiastic bodyguards and soldiers because they take such glee in hurting others, but they turn on their masters if the enemy makes them a better offer. They also make good torturers, because they delight in misery.

The yugoloths are led by a yugoloth of surpassing power known as the General of Gehenna, who rules with an iron fist—exactly as far as his reach extends. There is no widespread or organized opposition to his rule, but yugoloths outside his immediate sphere of influence have little hesitation about acting independently. The General rules from the Crawling City, a great metropolis supported by thousands of grafted-together legs that slowly wanders the volcanic Gehennan landscape.

Whatever their form, yugoloths tend to have the smell of brimstone around them. In their native form, they leave a faint trail of ash unless they consciously choose not to.

Yugoloths speak Abyssal, Draconic, and Infernal.

Combat

In general, yugoloths are focused combatants. They choose one opponent out of a group and attack until it falls, then move on to the next foe. They fight at a frantic pace, using their best attacks and spell-like abilities right away, even if they’re not sure what they’re facing.

All yugoloths have the following special abilities in common.

Outsider Traits.

Summon Yugoloth (Sp): Most yugoloths can summon others of their kind as though casting a summon monster spell, but they have only a limited chance of success. Roll d%: On a failure, no yugoloths answer the summons. Summoned creatures remain for 1 hour, then return whence they came. A yugoloth that is itself summoned cannot use its own summon ability for 1 hour.

Yugoloth Traits:

• Immunity to poison and acid
• Resistance to cold, fire, and electricity 20
• Telepathy (100 feet) with any creature within 100 feet that has a language

Arcanaloth ⬆️

Arcanaloths are the scribes, record-keepers, negotiators, and deal-makers for the yugoloths of Gehenna. As such, they are grasping, wheedling manipulators, but at least they’re generally true to their word.

An arcanaloth has humanoid form but the head of a jackal or dog. It dresses finely but is businesslike and abrupt, if not downright surly.

Arcanaloths can speak and write any language.

Combat

Arcanaloths are weak in melee, but they are powerful spellcasters. In addition to all the usual powers of yugoloths, arcanaloths have the following special abilities.

Change Shape (Su): An arcanaloth can assume the form of any Small or Medium humanoid. See Change Shape.

Partial Immunity to Spells: Mind-affecting spells have no effect on arcanaloths.

Poison (Ex): An arcanaloth’s claws are coated with poison. It delivers this poison (Fortitude save DC 16) with each successful claw attack. The initial and secondary damage is the same (1 point of Strength damage).

Spell-Like Abilities: At will⁠—​darkness, fly, heat metal, invisibility (self only), magic missile, telekinesis, warp wood; 1/day⁠—​fear, major image. Caster level 12th; save DC 13 + spell level.

Spells: An arcanaloth can cast arcane spells as a 12th-level sorcerer (spells known 9/5/5/4/3/2/1; spells/day 6/7/7/ 7/6/5/3; save DC 13 + spell level, or 15 + spell level for Abjuration spells).

Summon Yugoloth (Sp): Once per day, an arcanaloth can summon another arcanaloth with a 40% chance of success.

Marraenoloth ⬆️

The marraenoloths serve a specialized function, possibly the most specialized of any of the yugoloths. They are the ferrymen on the River Styx, somberly poling their ghastly crafts along that sepulchral river and through all the horrid planes it visits.

These pallid humanoids are little more than skeletons clothed in rotted robes and grave wrappings. Only their red-glowing eyes show signs of life. Like all natives of Gehenna, they are pitiless and mercenary. They can speak any language, but they communicate with other marraenoloths telepathically.

Only by remaining scrupulously neutral in their dealings with all others do the marraenoloths retain the ability to move freely throughout the evil-aligned Outer Planes. They can move away from the River Styx, but their skiffs cannot, and a marraenoloth seldom goes anywhere its boat can’t take it.

Marraenoloths never carry cargo, only passengers. Payment must be made in advance and must be at least 100 gp per passenger. Although marraenoloths seldom, if ever, get lost on the labyrinthine channels of the Styx, there is a 15% chance on any chartered journey that the boatman delivers the passengers into an ambush, arranged and paid for by a third party. Each additional 100 gp paid per passenger reduces the chance by 5%.

Combat

Marraenoloths rely almost exclusively on their spell-like abilities for offense and defense.

Fear Gaze (Su): When a marraenoloth stares at a creature, the latter must succeed at a Will saving throw (DC 15) or become shaken for 1d4 rounds. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will⁠—​animate dead, charm person, disguise self, greater teleport, phantasmal killer, poison, produce flame. Caster level 10th; save DC 10 + spell level.

Summon Yugoloth (Sp): Once per day, a marraenoloth can summon another marraenoloth with a 75% chance of success.

Yagnoloth ⬆️

In the simplistic feudal hierarchy of Gehenna, yagnoloths are minor lords. Each rules over a territory, with vassal yugoloths at its beck and call. The rationale behind this arrangement is not clear, since yagnoloths are neither stronger nor brighter than many of their subjects. Whatever the reason, the ruling powers of Gehenna enforce the existing order, and the yagnoloths profit from it.

In fact, the yagnoloths squeeze every advantage possible from their positions, up to and including sanctioning executions of yugoloths that are considerably more physically and magically powerful than themselves, but lower in the hierarchy. Such actions are little different from what any yugoloth would do if given the opportunity. Nonetheless, the fact that the yagnoloths’ authority exceeds their personal power has earned them a special sort of resentment. No other yugoloth can pass up an opportunity to betray its yagnoloth overlord⁠—​for the right price.

As a secondary effect of their despised status, yagnoloths cannot summon other yugoloths.

A yagnoloth is humanoid and stands 10 to 15 feet tall. Its hide is red and scaly; its head is small and skeletal and topped by ears resembling bats’ wings. A yagnoloth’s favored arm is enormous, thickly knotted with muscles, and long enough to drag on the ground. It uses this arm for its claw attack. The other arm appears small in comparison and is about the size of a normal human arm. This arm is always the one it uses to wield a weapon. The weapon may be a magic item but is never a specific weapon or one with a special ability. A yagnoloth that possessed such a weapon would be assassinated in short order by its underlings.

Combat

A yagnoloth always attacks with both arms in melee. It wields a greataxe or greatsword with its smaller arm, but that arm is fairly weak (Str 10) and the yagnoloth does not receive any Strength bonus when using it.

Breath Weapon (Su): As a standard action, a yagnoloth can exhale a cloud of acid every 1d4 rounds. This cloud affects a single 5-foot cone for 1 round. A character in that space must make a Reflex saving throw (DC 19); failure means the character takes 2d6 points of acid damage and is stunned for an equal number of rounds.

Energy Drain (Su): The truly horrific power of the yagnoloth is its ability to drain life force. The victim must be unconscious or stunned. The yagnoloth places its head against the victim’s flesh. For each full round the yagnoloth remains in contact, the victim gains 1d4 negative levels. The Fortitude save DC to remove each negative level is 18.

Muscular Arm (Ex): A yagnaloth’s larger arm functions as a primary natural weapon, even when it is used to make secondary attacks. This ability negates any secondary attack penalty and allows the yagnaloth its full Strength bonus with its claw, whether the attack is primary or secondary.

Shocking Grasp (Sp): A yagnoloth can use shocking grasp three times per day, causing 1d8+10 points of electricity damage each time. Caster level 10th.

Stunning Blow (Ex): Any character struck by a yagnoloth’s massive arm must make a Fortitude saving (DC 25) to avoid being stunned for a number of rounds equal to the points of damage dealt by the blow.

Source: Monster Manual II, page 202. These creatures’ statistics blocks have been updated to version 3.5 as given in the D&D® V.3.5 Accessory Update for Monster Manual II and corrected for errata and renamed spells.