Erinyes (3.5e Monster)

''This is a monster from Liber Diabolica. You might be looking for the erinyes.''

''This slender, well-endowed female--appearing in almost every way as a flawless human just under 6 feet in height--greets you with a salacious grin before snapping taut the spine-covered whip she clenches in both hands. Her form-fitting leather bodysuit accentuates all the finer points of her figure; closer examination reveals that it is backless, allowing her to extend her large, feathered wings around you and bring you forcefully into her embrace.''

When Baalzebul and Belial fell from the heavens, those who agreed with their views concerning the Joining fell with them. These former angels, known as the Fallen, became the erinyes. Previously able to manifest as either gender, the strictly ordered nature of the Hells subjected the Fallen to a choice, locking them permanently into their current gendered states as a form of ironic oppression. Submitting to this choice transformed them fully into baatezu, but because of their previous allegiances they are still kept distinctly separate from the Baatorian legionnaires.

Despite having members amongst both genders, erinyes encountered in the Hells are almost always female; a loophole in a contract between Glasya and Mephistopheles grants the latter unrestricted dominion over any and all male erinyes, consigning them to a horrible and agonizing fate under his knife (see the subsection on male erinyes below).

Erinyes are the ultimate teases, luring prospective victims into the most dangerous of situations and then immobilizing them before having their way. They have a strong penchant for inflicting pain, and as a result they are the designated torture experts of the Hells.

Combat
Despite their lithe appearance, erinyes are tremendously strong. When not employed as torturers, they frequent the battlefield as long-range support units, using brute force to pick up foes and send them hurtling back to earth. Although they are unconventional due to their preference for bows over firearms, they are also talented snipers, often deployed as close air support for other devils.

An erinyes may add her Dexterity modifier to all attack and damage rolls, and is always considered in the Armored Wing Stance and Crack of the Whip stances (the bonuses for which are reflected in the stat block).

While gripping the bow in this manner, the erinyes may take a standard action to make a single attack with her longbow, adding 2d6 points of damage per Challenge Rating of the erinyes (default 16d6).

 (Su): An erinyes’ aura of cold logic deals 8 points of cold damage each turn, operates out to 45 feet, and has a save DC of 20.

Each arrow that an erinyes successfully strikes an opponent with is considered to be embedded; so long as one arrow is embedded in this fashion, the opponent is considered sickened and unable to perform any act that requires concentration.

Removing an embedded arrow, a task that can be accomplished by the victim or someone adjacent to them, requires a move action and deals the arrows base damage and enhancement damage (but not any damage from ability scores). A hostile creature may take a move action to attempt to grab an arrow as well, but must have a free hand and make a successful melee touch attack (against an Armor Class of 18 + the target’s Dexterity modifier due to the arrow’s size) in order to do so. When they successful grab an arrow, they have the option of pulling it out or twisting it, dealing the same damage as removing the arrow would without taking it out.

 (Ex): An erinyes that strikes an opponent with at least one of its wing attacks may automatically initiate a grapple as a free action.





Caster level 8th.

 (Ex): Erinyes see naturally as though under the effect of a true seeing spell. This supercedes the normal baatezu ability to see in darkness.

If they have physical wings, they are also entangled for one round.

In addition, the erinyes’ wings grant her additional strength when making a grapple as she wraps them around her target. For the purposes of grappling, the erinyes is considered one size larger than normal whenever it is advantageous for her to do so.

Male Erinyes
Male erinyes are exclusively found under the authority of Mephistopheles, and are forced by the rules of the agreement with Glasya to undergo surgical experimentation at his discretion. This typically involves taking at least one level in the Sworn to Mephistopheles racial paragon class and being armed with hellfire weapons instead of their customary longbows, both of which show their forced obedience to the Master of Hellfire.