Buy me a coffeeDaemon, Cacodaemons: The Soul-Hungry Vermin of Abaddon
“This soul-devouring, telepathic horror will haunt you even after death—meet the dreaded Cacodaemon!”
Cacodaemons are grotesque, floating fiends that bear a twisted resemblance to deep-sea horrors. Their spherical, bloated bodies hover eerily in the air, covered in patches of scaly, chitinous skin that glistens with an unnatural sheen. Their heads—if they can be called that—are dominated by a massive, ever-gnashing maw, filled with row after row of jagged, mismatched teeth that seem too large for their bodies.
Small, beady, multi-faceted eyes dot their faces, each shifting independently as they dart about, constantly scanning their surroundings for prey or opportunities to sow misery. Tiny, clawed vestigial limbs twitch at their undersides, useless for grasping but hinting at a long-forgotten evolution. Some bear wispy, tendril-like appendages, similar to an anglerfish’s lure, which pulse with dim, eerie light when they stalk their victims.
Behaviour
Though unintelligent compared to more powerful daemons, cacodaemons are unrelentingly cruel. They take an almost childlike glee in tormenting their victims, savoring the screams of the dying and drawing out suffering whenever possible. When gathered in swarms, they chatter in infernal tongues, whispering taunts and obscene threats directly into the minds of those they have marked for death.
Individually, they are cowardly, preferring to strike when their target is vulnerable or already weakened. However, when bolstered by numbers or under the command of a greater fiend, they become relentless pack hunters, swarming their prey with bites that inflict both physical and mental decay. Those infected by their unnatural disease hear their voices at all hours, unable to escape their telepathic torment.
Cacodaemons also display an unnerving attachment to stronger daemons, clustering around them like loathsome pets or parasites, eager to feed on whatever scraps of suffering they can claim.
Habitat
Native to Abaddon, the desolate realm of the daemons, cacodaemons are spawned from the very essence of violent, tormented souls. They are often found flitting through the corpse-strewn wastelands of their home plane, circling the massive, decayed husks of god-corpses and feasting on the lingering energies of the dead.
However, their hunger for mortal souls often draws them to the Material Plane, where they slip through rifts in reality or are summoned by power-hungry spellcasters. In such cases, they linger in places of death and despair—battlefields, plague-ridden towns, cursed ruins, or anywhere the veil between life and death is thinnest.
Modus Operandi
Cacodaemons are opportunistic predators of the soul. They do not simply kill for pleasure—they devour the essence of the dead and convert it into tangible soul gems, which they regurgitate like pearls of damnation. These gems serve as both sustenance and currency, sought after by greater fiends who crave their dark power.
A cacodaemon’s typical hunting pattern follows this process:
- Identify Weakness – They stalk wounded, sick, or isolated targets, often preferring victims already close to death.
- Infect and Weaken – A single bite inflicts Cacodaemonia, a supernatural disease that slowly saps the victim’s sanity and willpower, making them easier prey.
- Psychic Torment – Once infected, the victim begins hearing the daemon’s whispered taunts and threats at all times, no matter where they go. This drives them to paranoia, exhaustion, and despair.
- Kill and Harvest – When the victim finally dies—either from direct attack or the toll of the disease—the cacodaemon devours their soul, secreting a darkly glowing soul gem that contains the essence of the departed.
- Offer Tribute – If in the presence of a greater daemon, they eagerly present their soul gems as an offering, hoping to gain favor.
Motivation
At their core, cacodaemons exist for one purpose: the harvesting of souls. Unlike demons who seek chaos or devils who hunger for power, cacodaemons are pure, mindless consumption—they want to snatch every last soul from the mortal plane, reducing all to nothingness.
They do not plot, nor do they build empires. They are the scavengers of the afterlife, ensuring that no soul escapes the fate of becoming daemon food. Whether they serve a more powerful master or act on their own, their insatiable hunger drives them forward, always seeking the next unfortunate soul to claim.
Even when bound to a mortal spellcaster as a familiar, they remain ever patient, whispering in their master’s ear, subtly influencing them toward cruelty, destruction, and ultimately, damnation. When their summoner finally perishes, the cacodaemon does not mourn—it merely devours their soul and moves on, leaving nothing behind but empty bones and a soul gem clutched in its maw.
Cacodaemon 5e
Swarm of Cacodaemons 5e
Cacodaemon Pathfinder
Cacodaemon
Tiny Fiend (Daemon), Neutral Evil
Challenge Rating (CR): 3 (700 XP)
Proficiency Bonus: +2
Armor Class 16 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points 32 (5d6 + 15)
Speed 0 ft., Fly 50 ft. (hover)
Abilities
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 (+0) | 18 (+4) | 16 (+3) | 8 (-1) | 14 (+2) | 16 (+3) |
Saving Throws Dex +7, Wis +5, Cha +6
Skills Perception +5, Stealth +7, Deception +6
Damage Resistances Cold, Fire, Lightning; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
Damage Immunities Acid, Poison, Necrotic
Condition Immunities Charmed, Poisoned, Frightened
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 15
Languages Abyssal, Infernal, Telepathy 100 ft.
Innate Spellcasting (Psionics).
The cacodaemon’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components:
- At Will: Detect Magic, Invisibility (self only)
- 3/Day: Lesser Confusion (DC 12)
- 1/Week: Commune (can ask six questions, no material cost)
Actions
Multiattack. The cacodaemon makes two Bite attacks.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature.
- Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage plus Cacodaemonia (see below).
Soul Lock (1/Day). The cacodaemon can consume the soul of a creature that has died within the last minute as a full-round action. This creates a Soul Gem, which the cacodaemon regurgitates.
- A Soul Gem is a Tiny object with 1 hit point and hardness 2.
- Destroying a Soul Gem releases the trapped soul, but does not restore life to the deceased creature.
- Resurrecting a creature whose soul is trapped in a Soul Gem requires a DC 14 spellcasting check. If successful, the Soul Gem is destroyed and the soul is freed. If failed, the spell has no effect.
- If the Soul Gem is left in an unhallowed place (such as a desecrated altar), this DC increases to 16.
- Any Evil-aligned Fiend can consume a Soul Gem as a bonus action, destroying it but gaining fast healing 5 for 1 minute.
Cacodaemonia (Curse). When the cacodaemon bites a creature, it must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be afflicted with Cacodaemonia:
- Onset: 1 day.
- Effect: The target takes 1d2 Wisdom damage per day, experiencing whispered telepathic taunts from the cacodaemon over any distance as long as they remain on the same plane.
- Cure: The target must succeed two consecutive daily saves or be cured by Remove Curse or similar magic.
Tactics
- Lurking in the Shadows – Cacodaemons prefer ambush tactics, remaining invisible until the moment they strike. They hover just out of reach, using their Confusion spell to disorient foes before swooping in to bite and spread their cursed infection.
- Soul Harvesters – They focus on weakened or dying enemies, aiming to devour the souls of the fallen before they can be revived.
- Masters’ Minions – Cacodaemons often serve stronger fiends or dark spellcasters, acting as familiars or scouts, whispering secrets and weaknesses of their enemies to their masters.
- Opportunistic Retreat – If seriously injured, they will turn invisible and flee, only to return later to torment their victims.
Encounter Notes
Cacodaemons are best used as ambush hunters or minions of greater evils. They thrive in dark, cursed places, hunting dying creatures to steal their souls. Their ability to create Soul Gems makes them dangerous long after the battle is over, as they can deny resurrection or offer souls as dark tributes to more powerful fiends.
A lone cacodaemon is a pest, but a swarm of them is a terrifying force, their whispered voices and relentless pursuit of souls breaking even the most steadfast adventurers.
Cacodaemon
An ever-gnashing maw, filled with row after row of mismatched teeth, dominates this frightful creature’s orb-like body.
The least of daemonkind, cacodaemons spawn from eddies of angry, violent, and demented souls amid the mists of Abaddon. Dim-witted but utterly evil, they endlessly seek to cause pain and indulge their hunger for mortal souls. Many more powerful fiends keep cacodaemons as pets, if only to be able to harvest the tiny creatures’ soul gems. A 7th-level spellcaster can gain a cacodaemon as a familiar if she has the Improved Familiar feat.
Additional Ecology from Book of the Damned Vol. 3.
The least of daemonkind, cacodaemons spawn from Abaddon’s hunted. Like flying, multi-eyed lantern fish, they gather in swarms to harass other daemons in the hopes of being fed souls, and track and hunt the same souls they themselves spawned from. Cacodaemons take pleasure in tormenting and taunting their victims, with those bitten and infected by their uniquely contagious bite able to hear them telepathically over any distance.
Despite their limited strength and intellect, their ability to consume the souls of the recently dead and regurgitate them as soul gems leads them to cluster like pets and toadies around more powerful daemons. Such fawning is typically welcomed, as soul gems are held as delicacies by other fiends, and are capable of restoring their forms and, it is said, granting even more mysterious powers when collected en masse. Evil mortal spellcasters often court cacodaemons as familiars, unaware that upon their death, these daemons ensnare their masters souls, dragging them back to Abaddon.
Personification of Death: Petty souls bound to Abaddon.
Preferred Sacrifice: At least a pound of flesh from a freshly killed sentient creature.
| Cacodaemon CR 2 |
| XP 600 NE Tiny outsider (daemon, evil, extraplanar) Init +4; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., detect good, Detect Magic; Perception +7 |
| DEFENSE |
| AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 16 (+4 natural, +2 size) hp 19 (3d10+3); fast healing 2 Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +4 DR 5/good or silver; Immune acid, death effects, disease, poison; Resist cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10 |
| OFFENSE |
| Speed 5 ft., Fly 50 ft. (perfect) Melee bite +6 (1d4+1 plus disease) Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft. Special Attacks soul lock Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th; Concentration +6) Constant – detect good, Detect Magic At willinvisibility (self only) 3/daylesser confusion (DC 12) 1/weekcommune (CL 12th, six questions) |
| STATISTICS |
| Strength 12, Dexterity 11, Constitution 13, Intelligence 8, Wisdom 13, Charisma 12 Base Atk +3; CMB +1; CMD 12 Feats Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes Skills Bluff +7, Fly +18, Knowledge (planes) +5, Perception +7, Stealth +14 Languages Abyssal, Common, Infernal; telepathy 100 ft. SQ change shape (2 of the following forms: lizard, octopus, Small scorpion, venomous snake, polymorph) |
| ECOLOGY |
| Environment any (Abaddon) Organization solitary or swarm (2-10) Treasure standard |
| Special Abilities |
| Disease (Su) Cacodaemonia: Bite – injury; save Fort DC 12; onset 1 day; frequency 1/day; effect 1d2 Wisdom damage, cure 2 consecutive saves. In addition to the normal effects of the disease, as long as a victim is infected, the cacodaemon can telepathically communicate with the creature over any distance (as long as they remain on the same plane). Soul Lock (Su) Once per day as a full-round action, a cacodaemon can ingest the spirit of any sentient creature that has died within the last minute. This causes a soul gem to grow inside of the cacodaemon’s gut, which it can regurgitate as a standard action. A soul gem is a fine-sized object with 1 hit point and hardness 2. Destroying a soul gem frees the soul within, though it does not return the deceased creature to life. This is a death effect. Any attempt to resurrect a body whose soul is trapped in a soul gem requires a DC 12 caster level check. Failure results in the spell having no effect, while success shatters the victim’s soul gem and returns the creature to life as normal. If the soul gem rests in an unholy location, such as thatcreated by the spell unhallow, the DC of this caster level check increases by +2. The caster level check DC is Charisma-based. Any evil outsider can, as a standard action, ingest a soul gem. Doing so frees the soul within, but condemns it to one of the lower planes (though the soul can be returned to life as normal). The outsider gains fast healing 2 for a number of rounds equal to its Hit Dice. |
Section 15: Copyright Notice – Bestiary 2 Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2, © 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Graeme Davis, Crystal Frasier, Joshua J. Frost, Tim Hitchcock, Brandon Hodge, James Jacobs, Steve Kenson, Hal MacLean, Martin Mason, Rob McCreary, Erik Mona, Jason Nelson, Patrick Renie, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Owen K.C. Stephens, James L. Sutter, Russ Taylor, and Greg A. Vaughan, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.Section 15: Copyright Notice – Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Book of the Damned, Vol. 3Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Book of the Damned, Vol. 3 © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Todd Stewart. |
Swarm of Cacodaemons
Medium Swarm of Tiny Fiends (Daemon), Neutral Evil
Challenge Rating (CR): 6 (2,300 XP)
Proficiency Bonus: +3
Armor Class 17 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points 95 (10d8 + 50)
Speed 0 ft., Fly 60 ft. (hover)
Abilities
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 (+1) | 18 (+4) | 20 (+5) | 10 (+0) | 14 (+2) | 16 (+3) |
Saving Throws Dex +7, Wis +5, Cha +6
Skills Perception +6, Stealth +7, Deception +7
Damage Resistances Cold, Fire, Lightning; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
Damage Immunities Acid, Poison, Necrotic
Condition Immunities Charmed, Frightened, Poisoned, Grappled, Paralyzed, Prone, Restrained, Stunned
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 16
Languages Abyssal, Infernal, Telepathy 120 ft.
Swarm Traits
- Swarm Resilience. The swarm takes half damage from all weapon attacks and is immune to effects that target only a single creature.
- Swarm Scatter. If the swarm is reduced to 50 hit points or fewer, it splits into two Smaller Swarms, each with half its current hit points (rounded down).
Innate Spellcasting (Psionics).
The cacodaemon swarm’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 15). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components:
- At Will: Detect Magic, Invisibility (self only)
- 3/Day: Lesser Confusion (DC 13), Fear (DC 15)
- 1/Week: Commune (can ask six questions, no material cost)
Actions
Multiattack. The swarm makes two Gnashing Bites attacks.
Gnashing Bites. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature.
- Hit: 22 (5d6 + 4) piercing damage plus Cacodaemonia (see below).
- If the swarm has 50 hit points or fewer, this attack deals only half damage.
Soul Lock (Recharge 5-6). The cacodaemon swarm consumes the soul of one creature that has died within the last minute within 30 feet. This creates 1d4 Soul Gems, which the swarm regurgitates.
- A Soul Gem is a Tiny object with 1 hit point and hardness 2.
- Destroying a Soul Gem releases the trapped soul, but does not restore life to the deceased creature.
- Resurrecting a creature whose soul is trapped in a Soul Gem requires a DC 15 spellcasting check. If successful, the Soul Gem is destroyed and the soul is freed. If failed, the spell has no effect.
- Any Evil-aligned Fiend can consume a Soul Gem as a bonus action, destroying it but gaining fast healing 10 for 1 minute.
Swarming Terror (Recharge 5-6). The cacodaemon swarm lets out an ear-piercing chorus of whispering voices that echo through the minds of all creatures within 30 feet. Each creature in that area must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become Frightened for 1 minute. A frightened creature cannot regain hit points while within 30 feet of the swarm. A frightened creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
Cacodaemonia (Curse). When a creature is hit by the swarm’s Gnashing Bites, it must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be afflicted with Cacodaemonia:
- Onset: 1 day.
- Effect: The target takes 1d4 Wisdom damage per day, experiencing whispered telepathic taunts from the cacodaemons over any distance as long as they remain on the same plane.
- Cure: The target must succeed two consecutive daily saves or be cured by Remove Curse or similar magic.
Tactics
- Surround and Overwhelm – The swarm moves as a chittering storm of gnashing teeth, surrounding its prey, striking with Gnashing Bites to weaken foes before retreating briefly to let its cursed whispers take effect.
- Hunting the Weak – The swarm prefers to target creatures near death, using Swarming Terror to scatter stronger foes before devouring the souls of the fallen.
- Masters of Fear – If facing tough enemies, the swarm will use Lesser Confusion and Fear spells to disorient foes before closing in.
- Hit-and-Run Nightmares – If at risk, the swarm will turn invisible and disperse, only to return later to torment survivors and collect more souls.
Encounter Notes
A Swarm of Cacodaemons is not a simple combat encounter—it is a living nightmare, a relentless, whispering cloud of terror and gnashing hunger. They appear in cursed ruins, abandoned temples, and battlefields thick with lingering souls, feasting on the anguish of the dying.
If left unchecked, a cacodaemon swarm can strip a battlefield of its dead, creating an arsenal of Soul Gems to barter with more powerful fiends. Those who face them may survive the battle but hear their whispers forever, their souls hunted even in sleep.