5E: Fifth Edition Monsters Inspired by Third Edition Sources

[Cleon]

Just noticed that Dragon #329 says the wings of Pazzie's thralls "look like black raven wings" not those of a vulture.

Never mind, I can't be bothered changing the entry and prefer vulture wings anyway.

I did wonder about doing a more powerful 5E Thrall of Pazuzu based on the higher levels of the original prestige class, which had an increased flight speed, they could dominate aerial creatures as well as charm them, and their breathe weapon was both more powerful (multiple swarms of locusts), versatile (could breathe cones of acid instead of locusts) and frequent (usable multiple times per day).

Plus we could give it an interpretation of the Swarmform supernatural special ability the original class gained at 3rd-level.

That's too juicy a power to ignore.

 

[Casimir Liber]

agreed. I was thinking the same thing when statting this one up. Will get cracking on one soon (busy for a few hours)

(agree about vulture over raven wings too)

 

[Cleon]

agreed. I was thinking the same thing when statting this one up. Will get cracking on one soon (busy for a few hours)

(agree about vulture over raven wings too)

So I guess the first question is what are we calling the nastier version.

Will we add some qualifier, such as "Greater Thrall of Pazuzu" or use a different noun, such as "Chosen of Pazuzu" or "Voice of Pazuzu"?

Hmm, the latter works. Will use "Thrall of Pazuzu—Voice of Pazuzu" as a placeholder in the Index.

 

[Cleon]

Thrall of Pazuzu, Exalted
Medium humanoid (any race), chaotic evil
Armor Class 13 (16 with mage armor)
Hit Points 104 (16d8 + 32)
Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft. (hover)

STR​	DEX​	CON​	INT​	WIS​	CHA​
11 (+0)​	16 (+3)​	15 (+2)​	13 (+1)​	15 (+2)​	16 (+3)​

Saving Throws DEX +6, WIS +5, CHA +6
Skills Arcana +4, Deception +6, Insight +5, Persuasion +6
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages Abyssal plus one other language (usually Common)
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3

Flyby. The exalted thrall of pazuzu doesn't provoke an opportunity attack when it flies out of an enemy's reach.

Speak with Aerial Creatures. When it speaks in Abyssal the thrall of pazuzu can communicate with any creature that has a fly speed. If the creature has an intelligence lower than 8 it will only understand simple concepts.

Spellcasting. The exalted thrall is a 9th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following spells prepared.

• Cantrips (at will): friends, light, poison spray, prestidigitation, vicious mockery
• 1st level (4 slots): command, inflict wounds, magic missile, mage armor
• 2nd level (3 slots): dust devil, hold person
• 3rd level (3 slots): counterspell, stinking cloud, wind wall
• 4th level (3 slots): giant insect (flying arthropods*), spell
• 5th level (1 slots): spell

* The exalted thrall's giant insect spell can transform up to ten locusts, five wasps or three flies. A wasp becomes a giant wasp, a fly becomes a giant horsefly (see Giant Tabanid for statistics), while a locust or similar grasshopper-like insect becomes a giant locust (see Giant Grasshopper for statistics).

Wings of Pazuzu. The thrall has grown a pair of black raven wings; this gift from Pazuzu grants it the power of flight.

Actions

Multiattack. The thrall makes [NUMBER—three or the original two?] attacks. It can use its rapier or a dagger for either attack.

Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60, one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage.

Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage.

Enslave Aerial Creature (Recharges After Long Rest). ??? [The "dominate flier" ability]

Pazrael's [Rancorous?] Breath (3 Uses; Recharges After A Long Rest). The exalted thrall uses one of the following breath weapons.
 Locust Breath ???.
 Vitriolic Breath ???.

Swarm Form (2 Uses?; Recharges After A Short Rest?). ???.
 ???.

Bonus Actions

Lethal Legerdemain. The thrall makes one melee or ranged attack with a dagger.

Noxious Spores (Recharge 5-6). The thrall coughs a cloud of toxic spores at a creature within 15 feet. The target must succeed on a DC ## Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. Emptying a vial of holy water on the target also ends the effect on it.

Reactions

Reaction. ???.
 ???.


Description

??? (see Thrall of Pazuzu).
 ???).
 Subsection. ???.
 ???.

 Subsection. ???.
 ???.

* Note: The demonic locusts a thrall of pazuzu can breathe out are detailed in a separate "Swarm of Demonic Locusts" entry.

(Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #329 (March 2005) as part of "Demonomicon of Iggwilv: Pazuzu - Prince of the Lower Aerial Kingdoms" by James Jacobs.)

 

[Casimir Liber]

I did like "High Thrall of Pazuzu" (high...flying...geddit? ) but doesn't line up alphabetically...

"Thrall Elite"...."Thrall Enlightened"...."Thrall Anointed"...."Thrall Ascendant"..?

 

[Cleon]

I did like "High Thrall of Pazuzu" (high...flying...geddit? ) but doesn't line up alphabetically...

Doesn't need to be alphabetical. It'd be indexed as "Thrall of Pazuzu, High" after all.

"Thrall Elite"...."Thrall Enlightened"...."Thrall Anointed"...."Thrall Ascendant"..?

Hmm…

Herald of Pazuzu?

Harbinger of Pazuzu?

Thrall of Pazuzu Deacon?

Or use some other word related to "High" such as Superior Thrall of Pazuzu, Ultimate Thrall of Pazuzu, Highmost Thrall of Pazuzu, Thrall of Pazuzu Zenith, et cetera.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Ok, going with "Thrall of Pazuzu (Anointed)" - thinking CR 6 or 7. Also want to stat up an Anzu (CR 12?)

 

[Casimir Liber]

Ok - statted up this so far...

 

[Cleon]

Ok, going with "Thrall of Pazuzu (Anointed)" - thinking CR 6 or 7.

Don't care for Anointed Thrall of Pazuzu as "Anointed" as it carries too many connotations of royal or divine unction.

Preferred your original proposal of High Thrall of Pazuzu, so how about a synonym of high such as
Eminent Thrall of Pazuzu?

My initial idea was Elevated Thrall of Pazuzu, but to guys on the other side of the Atlantic that probably sounds too much like a lift.

Ok - statted up this so far...

So before we get too far dug in to this conversion, you're just aiming to make this a higher level version of the thrall we've already done, right?

I did wonder about mixing it up a bit by having some alternative Pazuzu thralls based on another class, such as a Warlock one that switches to invocation magic or Rogue/Ranger one that's into melee combat and archery.

However, I'm not sure how many versions of this monster I can be bothered writing up!

 

[Cleon]

Ok, going with "Thrall of Pazuzu (Anointed)" - thinking CR 6 or 7. Also want to stat up an Anzu (CR 12?)

Sure, I'd be game to do an Anzu.

Is Challenge Rating 12 enough though?

The original 3E Anzu was CR 15, which is between a Nalfeshnee Demon (CR 14 in 3E, CR 13 in 5E) and a Marilith (CR 17 in 3E, CR 16 in 5E).

That suggests it would be Challenge 14 (11,500 XP) in Fifth Edition.

Which'd make it a +5 Proficiency Bonus creature, not +4 like a CR 12 one.