The Infernal

Infernalists are humans who have become worshipers of demonic forces. In exchange their worship and sacrifices, they receive unholy powers from their demonic masters - including a promise of eventual immortality either on earth or in the next world.

Most members of an Infernal nation are normal humans, they receive no special powers or benefits from their demonic lords. They fight and work just as normal humans do, having the equivalent technological level of 12th century Europe.

One of the elite kinds of soldiers available to infernal armies are infernal beastment. Beastmen were once normal humans, transformed by dark magic into a vile mixture of animal and human characteristics - this 6 hour ritual requires 1 warlock and 12 cultists to perform - during which time the human is transformed into a beastman. Should the ritual be interrupted before it is finished then the mortal dies. Infernal beastmen are utterly loyal to the one who created them, the magic that has deformed their bodies has also bound their soul even if the unfortunate victim was resistant at first. After the transformation, beastmen become incredibly violent and evil in addition to becoming loyal - they delight in murder, torture, rape, and cannibalism - in fact they will engage in such acts against defeated enemies unless ordered not to and even then 10% of them will lose control and commit such terrible acts if not directly supervised.

Each beastman is bound to the warlock who created him and is subservient. Individual warlocks can only have 100 beastmen each bound to them at a time, beastmen created over this maximum become Horrors who are uncontrolled and attack anything in sight.

Unlike animal people, infernal beastmen do not have the traits of just one animal, but may have the traits of various different creatures in one form, sometimes having mismatched limbs or strange unnatural features. In general, they all have certain characteristics. They are twice as strong and tough as humans are and 10% more dexterous. They also have some form of natural weapon from claws to sharp teeth to horns or spines.They each get to select 3 of the special traits below to represent their animal features.

Animal Legs - the beastman's legs resemble those of some animal, ending in either hooves or claws. It can run 50% faster than a human can.

Venom - the beastman's has either the bite of a serpent, the tail of a scorpion, or some other method of injecting poison into an enemy. The beastman can use this poison on other weapons as well.

Water Breathing - the beastman has the ability to breath underwater and in the air.

Natural Armor - the beastman has either scales, thick leathery skin, boney plates, or insect-like chitin. This counts as bronze scale armor.

Wings - the beastman has wings, usually like those of a giant bat or bird but insect-like wings aren't unknown. These wings allow the beastman to fly at a speed of 20 mph. This counts as 2 special traits.

Hideous Appearance - the beastman is hideous to behold and strikes terror in the hearts of living creatures. Any living being that faces this beastman in close combat suffers a 10% loss in combat ability because of fear and revulsion.

Enhanced Senses - the beastman can see in almost absolute darkness, has hearing twice as good as a human, and can ability to smell like a bloodhound.

Inhuman Vitality - the beastman is inhumanly tough and resistant to pain and injury. The beastman can sustain twice as much damage before falling in combat. The beastman also heals at 5 times the normal rate and can recover from almost any wound that doesn't outright kill it.

Great Prowess - the beastman is 3 times as strong as a human instead of twice as strong.

Blood Rage - in combat, the gains triple human strength and toughness along with peak human combat ability and immunity to pain and fear. Though the beastman has a 100% chance of murdering, raping, or cannibalizing defeated foes.

Serpentine - the beastman has a long serpent tail instead of legs. This reduces movement rate by 50% but it also gives the beastman a poisonous bite and scaly natural armor.

About 5% of of those who undergo the ritual become dire beastmen. These are huge beastmen which are larger and more powerful than their brethren. They stand at least 8 feet tall and are 3 times as strong as a normal beastman of their type and twice as tough. They only get 2 of the above special traits. Another 5% of those who undergo the ritual become horrors instead.

Horrors : These are infernal beastmen that went wrong, turning into horrible mutations with little intelligence or self control. They are hideous to behold, having multiple misshapen limbs, or combining elements from numerous creatures. Horrors have only an equivalent IQ of about 50 and attack anything in sight unless commanded by their master not to. They have 3 times the strength of a human, 20% less dexterity, and are virtually immune to pain and fear - allowing them to take 5 times as much punishment than a human can before dying. They only live about 5 years after the transformation.

For every 10 normal citizens in your nation, there will be 1 cultists. Cultists have a single special power given to them for their devotion and sacrifices made to their demonic masters. Aside from this power, they are normal humans, though they are frequently better trained and/or educated than common citizens of the infernal nation. Choose a two infernal power from the list below, either of which can be exchanged for a beastman trait above. For every 10 cultists, you will have a infernal champion who has 4 infernal powers.

Hell Fire - The cultist can shoot hellfire from the tips of his fingers, inflicting terrible wounds and pain. The burns inflicted from this terrible fire cannot be healed non-magically. This attack has a range of 100 feet. If the demonic overlord desires, his servants can substitute another kind of attack such as acidic spray or icy wind.

Regeneration - The cultist regenerates from its wounds, recovering from most injuries within minutes and taking about an hour to recover from grievous wounds such as missing limbs. The cultist can only be killed by massive bodily damage such as decapitation.

Demon Flesh - The cultist has skin like iron, its flesh is as protective as full plate armor.

Demon Wings - The cultist has huge bat-like wings that allow it to fly at a speed of 40 mph.

Immunity - The cultist is immune to one kind of energy - heat, cold, electricity, etc.

Alluring - The cultist is breathtakingly beautiful and seductive, seducing people in the same way as a succubus does.

Hell's Champion - The cultist becomes a master of hand to hand combat, gaining peak human fighting ability and physical prowess.

Swarm - The cultist can control a swarm of insects or other small animals (snakes, rats, birds, etc.), up to 100 pounds of such creatures at a time.

Changeling - The cultist can change his shape to resemble any similarly sized humanoid.

Shadow Form - The cultist can change into a shadowy inky cloud of darkness - allowing him to move completely unseen at night and to become immune to normal weapons and attacks. On the down side, the cultist cannot attack or physically interact with material objects in this form.

Demon Weapon - you wield a weapon possessed by a demon. Any wound inflicted by this weapon, even a tiny scratch, will incapacitate the victim with horrible pain for 5 minutes. Furthermore, these wounds inflicted with this weapon wont heal naturally and will kill the victim unless they can be magically healed within the month. The weapon also cannot be destroyed or damaged. The blade is supernaturally strong and armor counts as being half as strong against this weapon.

Lycanthropy - With a special ritual the cultist can put on the skin of a large predatory animal and them assume a monstrous beast form that combined that animal's characteristics with that of a human. In this animal form, the lycanthrope has 4 times the strength, 3 times the toughness, and twice the dexterity of what they had in human form. They grow massive teeth and claws that allow them to rip a normal human to shreds. They become immune to pain and fear as well. In this form, they quickly heal from any injury inflicted unless it comes from a holy source or pure silver - other wounds heal within mere seconds. The lycanthrope also gains the land speed of the animal they are coming to resemble - usual a wolf. This power can only be used at night, the change back into human form during the day. This counts as two powers.

For every 100 cultists, there will be a single warlock, a high priest of sorts for the demonic powers. warlocks receive a number of more powerful gifts from their demonic masters. Warlocks are completely immune to fear, having knowledge that their demonic patron will look over their souls. Warlocks do not age, nor do they suffer from sickness or disease. Warlocks may perform the ritual to turn a human into a beastman, they can also summon demons. In addition, warlocks each get 4 infernal powers above, any number of which may be exchanged for beastman traits.

Summoning a demon requires single warlock to perform. It also requires a sacrifice of a single sentient living creature and an hour long ritual. The demon will remain on the earthly plane for a single month or until destroyed - each warlock can only have single demon in his service at any one point in time.

Demons all have certain abilities : they are immune to hunger, thirst, and fatigue. They do not need to sleep, eat, or breath. They are highly resistant to physical harm, taking only 10% of the damage from physical non-magical attacks. Demons also quickly regenerate wounds that aren't caused by holy sources, it usually takes a matter of minutes to recover from any such wound.

Succubus : These demons appear as beautiful women with large bat wings and small horns upon her head, though she can create the illusion of looking like any humanoid creature of roughly the same size. A succubus has twice the strength and dexterity of the human maximum. Succubi can read the mind of any living being it sees and knows its deepest darkest desires, this gives the succubus a 99% chance of seducing any humanoid living creature that isn't a player character. A succubus will usually choose to flee instead of fight, though if forced to fight she has peak human combat ability and will grow razor sharp claws on the ends of her fingertips. A succubus can fly at a speed of 50 mph using its wings.

Fiend : a fiend is a massive demon covered with iron plate. This creature stands 8 feet tall and has the strength of 10 men, maximum human dexterity, and skin like solid steel. It also has peak human combat ability. War demon's weapons burn with hell fire, causing deadly burns to anyone touched even through normal armor.

Shadow : A shadow is a demon of pure darkness. It is invisible in darkness but can be seen when exposed to light, looking like nothing more than an animated shadow. Its touch causes terrible pain as he life force of the victim is leeched out, it takes 1 such touch to kill a living victim per 50 lb of that victim's weight, though the pain of the touch will incapacitate any living creature for 10 seconds. Shadows are immune to non-magical weapons, though they can be killed by fire or magic.

Imp : An imp is a small demon with wings and a tail. It is about between 1 and 2 feet tall and is not that good in combat, though it can spray a jet of hellfire up to 30 feet. The benefit of the imp is that it can deflect spells cast at its warlock master. Any spell cast at a warlock protected by an imp or the imp itself has an 80% chance of deflecting the attack instead. An imp can fly at a speed of 25 mph using its wings or it can teleport 1000 feet with a second of concentration.

Hell Hounds : Instead of a single demon being summon, the ritual summons 10 hell hounds. These demons appear as huge and ferocious wolf-like creatures who seem to be ringed in flame. Each is twice as strong and tough as a large full growth wolf and just as fast. They shoot flame from their mouths, up to 10 feet, which counts as hellfire, their bite also burns like the fires of hell as does their touch. They can track by smell just as wolves can. They are incapable of carrying out complex commands, having about the same intellectual ability as a highly intelligent canine - though they are more ferocious than any normal dog.

Possession : The demon possesses the body of the victim instead of manifesting pysically. This is the only case where the demon can stay longer than a month. The possessed mortal will have twice the strength and toughness it normally had and will be completely immune to pain and fear - though it wont have any other of the demonic immunities or powers. If attacked with holy magic, the demon can be forced out of the victim's body.

As leader of the Infernalists, you are a demon prince - either a demon who has risen within the ranks of hell to rule over over demons or a warlock who has amassed such power and success that he has been elevated to the level of demon. All demon princes are immune to non-magical weapons and heal even from magical damage within minutes if the damage is not from a holy source. They can teleport anywhere on earth they have been before with but a thought. They have all of the powers of lesser demons as well. Should a demon prince be destroyed, it can be summoned back to earth with a normal demon summoning ritual, though at least a year must pass before this can be done. Choose below the kind of demon prince you will be:

Master Incubus / Mistress Succubus - you are a demon of carnal energy and power. You have all of the powers of a Succubus above with the following changes. You have a 100% chance of seducing any sentient target excluding player characters, though even they will be favorably inclined towards you because of your charms. Once a mortal is seduced, they will be obedient to you until death, though they wont necessarily betray their closest loved ones for you, they will be as loyal to you as to anyone. You have 3 times the strength and speed of peak human. You can focus your attention on any one living being within 500 feet and cause them to become incapacitated with intense pleasure for as long as you concentrate on them. You have 10 succubi and/or incubi as a part of your personal harem who can remain on earth all the time and may be re-summoned if destroyed.

Arch-Fiend - You are a demon which personifies war and destruction. You tower over 9 feet tall and have a terrible appearance. You have the strength of 12 of the world's strongest men and 2 times the dexterity. You have fighting ability which exceeds that of any mortal. Your flesh is stronger than steel and can only be damaged by the most powerful magical effects, creatures, or by holy items. Your weapons burn with unholy fire and will kill any mortal with but a touch and will slice through any non-magical substance as if it were not there. You have the hellfire ability as well.

Greater Shadow - You are a demon of darkness and the night. You appear as a living shadow, a vaguely humanoid cloud of darkness. You are invisible and inaudible in the darkness, and can fly through the air at 200 mph. Your touch will instantly kill any living creature. You can control darkness itself, making anywhere within 1000 feet as dark as you desire including making certain areas dark or forming mobile shapes or creatures of shadow.

Dybbuk - You are a demon which has no material physical form, instead of acting with a physical body you instead possess the bodies of mortals. Without a body, you are invisible and intangible, and can be harmed only by magical effects, not physical attacks. You can pass through any physical barrier save those protected with magic, you can also fly and hover at a speed of 300 mph. You can enter into the body of any living creature, though 10% of sentient creatures have the willpower to resist possession including al player characters. At this point you become like one of the possessed above, having twice the strength and toughness of the living creature used to have and becoming immune to pain. You can leave a body at will, though if a body dies while you are possessing it, you become weakened and cannot possess another body for an hour. If you are exercised while possessing a body, you will be expelled to hell and must be summoned back by your warlock followers. If you are affected by a magical attack while in spirit form, you will be destroyed and sent back to hell.

Infernal armies have 50,000 human citizens. For every 10 normal citizens there will be 1 cultists, meaning that you begin with 5,000 cultists and therefore 50 warlocks and 500 infernal champions. Cultists are limited to 10% of your total human population while your warlocks are limited to .1% of your human population. Since each warlock can control 100 beastmen, you have a maximum of 5,000 beastmen, though you start with none.