Imp (3.5e Monster)

''This is a monster from the Liber Diabolica. You may be looking for the imp''.

Imps are small but vicious devils that serve many auxiliary roles in the Baatorian hierarchy. Whether as messengers, occasional combatants, or in their favored role as advance medical squads, imps ensure that the organizational structure of the Nine Hells remains intact.

All imps are small, approximately 2 feet tall and typically an emaciated 8 to 10 pounds.

Combat
The three primary breeds of imps are specifically made to cooperate with one another. The filth imp sets the field of battle, the euphoric imp paralyzes the foe, and the bloodbag imp bleeds them dry. While each is doing their thing, the others back it up by spreading darkness and confusing enemies. Each of their common abilities and unique talents makes them well-suited to work with other kinds of devils. Imps may add their Dexterity modifier to attack and damage rolls for their tail attacks.

All imps are considered to permanently be in the Skydancer’s Finesse stance, the bonuses for which are reflected in their stat blocks. They also all have the following common abilities in addition to the others that are unique to each breed of imp. All save DC's related to these breed-related imp abilities are Constitution-based.

 (Su): An imp may send messages as the sending spell at will, except that there is no chance of failure when attempting to contact a creature from or in Baator.

 (Su): An imp's aura of cold logic deals 3 points of cold damage per round, operates out to 30 feet, and has a save DC of 13.



Initiator level 3rd.

 (Ex): Imps can see perfectly in darkness, even that of the magical variety.

Caster level 3rd.

Filth Imp
''A slick, pungent-smelling goop seeps from every pore of this stunted creature’s form, coating the ground it flies over in a sludge reminiscent of oil slick. The burly barbarian, having already lost his greataxe, attempts to grab the frail-looking creature, but is left snarling in frustration as it slips through his grasp, leaving him coated in the same viscous slop. Wriggling free of the man-giant’s grip, the little imp stabs him with its tail, causing blood to unexpectedly gush from what appears to be a minor wound.'' Filth imps generally make a mess of almost any situation they are put into; the reason other devils tolerate their presence is because that’s what they want them to do. Filth imps are charged with forming natural battlements for the legions of Hell. When teamed with other imps, they set the scene and lead the way for their allies to perform their grisly work.

 (Ex): A filth imp’s tail stinger contains a powerful anticoagulant that causes the victims to bleed heavily from any wound they receive. Until the imp’s next turn, the victim of their tail attack must make a Fortitude save (DC 13) any time thereafter that they take piercing or slashing damage-including the initial tail attack-or lose an addition number of hit points equal to their Hit Dice.

 (Ex): A filth imp is coated in a disgusting layer of slime, permanently granting it the personal effects of a grease spell upon it. Each square (and any occupants) in the area that it covers in each of its turns is also treated as under a grease effect for a duration equal to the time that the imp spent in that square (minimum 1 round).

The slime secreted by a filth imp is highly flammable, causing anyone coated in it (including the filth imp) to take 150% damage from the next fire effect they are affected by as though they possessed fire vulnerability, after which the grease is burned away. Creatures coated in the slime that are normally immune to fire damage instead take normal damage from the fire effect. If the grease is burned off of the imp, it comes back by the beginning of its next turn (thus the imp can only take extra damage from a single fire effect each turn).

 (Ex): Being around a filth imp is not a pleasant experience, at least if you're not used to such things like devils are. Any non-baatezu within 10 feet of a filth imp must make a Fortitude save at the beginning of each round that they begin within proximity (DC 13) or be sickened.

Euphoric Imp
''This imp moves differently from the others that surround it, swooping and jerking up and down in midair in a seemingly random pattern. It dives low, so low you can see the bloodshot, glazed eyes of something intoxicated beyond its limit. Its horribly gaunt body reeks of every drug imaginable, the most prevalent being booze, which is practically palpable in the air around it.''

Despite strict rules and organizational limitations, even the Nine Hells have their perverse pleasures. The purveyors of these escapes from reality are the euphoric imps, who commonly tend to ‘accidentally’ overdose their clients, earning their sinful souls a one-way ticket to Baator. These imps also partake a large amount of their own products, causing their mannerisms to be very reminiscent of the most raging crack addicts.

 (Ex): A euphoric imp’s breath stinks of alcohol, which it can spit at will and light aflame all as a standard action. This causes all foes within a 30-foot cone to take 3d6 points of fire damage. A successful Reflex save (DC 14) halves the damage dealt.

 (Ex): A euphoric imp injects its foes with a hallucinogenic drug that causes anything struck by it to make a Fortitude save (DC 14) or be paralyzed for 1 round, its senses totally overwhelmed by the drug. If the creature succeeds on the save, it instead suffers blurred vision and a general high rather than almost-total catatonia, causing it to incur a 20% miss chance on attacks against any creature during its next turn.

 (Ex): A euphoric imp moves in a much more unpredictable way than other imps, randomly swerving and swaying about. This gives it a +2 dodge bonus to AC, even if it’s more caused by its lack of coordination than anything else.

Bloodbag Imp
''A fat, bloated imp almost as wide as it is tall descends from the sky over a squad of triezu. On its tail is a narrow hollow spike that the creature suddenly stabs into one of the wounded devils. Through its stretched, almost translucent skin, you see blood run through the tail and into the legionnaire, miraculously causing its wounds to close and its vigor to return.''

The body of a bloodbag imp is much more paunchy than those of its fellow imps, as its body is essentially a large sac for storing drained blood. Instead of a stinger, a bloodbag imp’s tail ends in a spike largely reminiscent of a hypodermic needle. The bloodbag imp can choose whether or not it deals damage with this attack. These abilities make them the de facto medical corps of Hell, a task they take to with relish since it allows them to go into the middle of the battlefield.

 (Ex): A bloodbag imp does not die in a pretty fashion. Quite the opposite, actually. When it is reduced to zero hit points or otherwise slain, the bloodbag imp explodes into a gory shower, covering the area within 30 feet of it in blood. Any baatezu within this area gain fast healing 3 for the rest of the encounter, while other creatures must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) or be sickened for 1 round. A creature that is already sickened (such as by, but not limited to, the imp’s transfusion ability) is instead nauseated for the same duration if they fail their save.

 (Ex): A bloodbag imp may fire a stream of blood from its tail as a standard action, forcing all creatures in a 15-foot cone to make a Reflex save (DC 15) or be blinded for 1 round.

 (Ex): When the bloodbag imp strikes a living opponent that has a bloodstream its tail needle, it may drain or inject blood into the foe as it wishes as a free action.

Draining blood deals 3d6 points of damage to the target creature; a successful Fortitude save (DC 15) halves the damage dealt. The bloodbag imp then stores these hit points gained for later use if possible; it may store a total number of hit points in this manner equal to twice its maximum hit point total. If the imp wishes, it may heal itself as a free action upon draining blood up to its normal hit point total.

Once blood is drained, it mixes with the bloodbag imp’s bodily fluids and becomes subtly corruptive to the systems of non-devils. Anyone injected with the blood gains a number of hit points from it at the imp’s discretion, up to either the target’s normal hit point total or until all the hit points the imp has drained are lost. Any creature given the benefit of this healing that is not a baatezu must make a Fortitude save (using the same DC) or be sickened until it takes an amount of damage equivalent to the amount healed. A mortal capable of being possessed is affected differently, and is instead dominated by the infernal energy inside its newly appropriated blood if it fails its save. When this occurs, the subject immediately gains 1 level in the Possessed NPC class.