Babau (3.5e Monster)

''This is a monster from Liber Demonica. You might be looking for the babau.

''The demon appears for only an instant, but you get a good view of it as it slices one of your comrades across the throat. About the size of an emaciated human, its scarlet eyes glint in the deep blackness into which is so effectively blended. Brandishing its bloodstained claws, it vanishes, and a bead of cold sweat is felt on your brow as it dawns on you that you could be its next victim.''

"I don’t remember anything about my past life, but if I had to venture a guess I’d say that I was a bad, bad man."

As stealthy demons, babaus are serving others in functions that require finesse beyond most of their kindred, who lack either the skill or the motivation to risk kill a protected target by themselves. While this demand for services should allow babaus to have a wider range of autonomy, it instead usually has an opposite effect as more demons wish to force them into servitude. By another demon’s reckoning, one more babau working for you is one less working against you, but due to professional obligations observed between these killer demons (such as killing a master in his moment of weakness) this philosophy often proves to also be false. For this reason, most pragmatic demons keep any babau associates at an arm’s length so that they do not find themselves with a claw in their stomach.

Combat
Babaus always strike from hiding if they can, picking off targets and quickly becoming invisible in preparation to strike again. They tend to work alone, as assassins often do, but if ordered to they will acquiesce to working in teams to take down particularly powerful targets.

Babaus have the ability to add their Dexterity modifier to attack and damage rolls instead of their Strength modifier (reflected in the stats above). A babau always begins combat with the following active effects: air walk, deathwatch and see invisibility.

A babau has a death attack as an assassin with a class level equal to its Hit Dice (normally +8d6), dealing this extra damage on every attack it makes against an opponent that it catches flat-footed after studying them for one round.

 (Ex): Babau project an aura of fear. The save DC for this aura is 16.

In addition to gaining the benefits of improved evasion, the babau may also move 10 feet as an immediate action at will.

 (Ex): Babaus can strike critical hits against creatures that are normally immune for any reason. This also allows it to use its ambush ability against such creatures.

 (Ex): A babau is a notoriously slippery opponent, and is able to move unhindered toward its target. Due to the slime that coats its form, it permanently gains the benefits of a freedom of movement spell.

Caster level 6th.

 (Ex): As a swift action usable at will, the babau may make itself invisible (as the invisibility spell) for 1 round or until the effect is dismissed.

Skills: A babau never incurs penalties to Hide or Move Silently checks for running or otherwise increasing its movement speed.