Demon, Babau

The babau is an assassin, a murderer, and a sadist—certainly not traits unusual in the demons, yet the babau’s penchant for stealth and surprise sets it apart from its generally less-subtle kin.

With no need to eat (although most babaus relish the flavor of mortal meat on their thin, raspy tongues), a babau can wait in ambush for years or decades—their inhuman patience in anticipating a well-conceived murder also setting them apart from the other denizens of the Abyss.

Babaus obsess over the act of killing and take great pride in their grisly art, often leaving behind some form of grim marker or obscure signature, whether it be a distinctive modus operandi, an unnerving token, or other profane evidence.

A babau typically carries a longspear or other weapon with which it can strike at foes beyond its normal reach, but given the opportunity, a babau prefers to fight with its teeth or claws. The foul, caustic sludge that constantly seeps from their flesh prevents them from wearing armor unless it is specially treated or resistant to acid.

A babau is 6 feet tall but weighs only 140 pounds. They form from mortal souls of lone killers—those who, in life, took pleasure in more personal and intimate murders. Loosed upon the Material Plane, a babau often finds itself in the same role, haunting the shadowy corners of the world as remorseless assassins.

Family: Demons

Medium fiend (demon), chaotic evil

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 67 (9d8 + 27)
Speed 40 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
15 (+2)	21 (+5)	17 (+3)	14 (+2)	13 (+1)	16 (+3)

Saving Throws Strength +5, Constitution +8, Wisdom +4
Skills Acrobatics +8, Athletics +5, Insight +4, Perception +4, Sleight of Hand +11, Stealth +11, Survival +7
Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities lightning, poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic, telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)

Special Traits

• Innate Spellcasting. The babau’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14). It can cast the following spells without requiring material components.
  • At will: darkness, see invisibility
  • 3/day: dispel magic
• Protective Slime. Any creature that touches the babau, or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet takes 4 (1d8) acid damage. Any nonmagical weapon made of metal or wood that hits the babau corrodes. After dealing damage, the weapon takes a permanent and cumulative -1 penalty to damage rolls. If its penalty drops to -5, the weapon is destroyed. Nonmagical ammunition made of metal or wood that hits the babau is destroyed after dealing damage.

Actions

• Multiattack. The babau makes one Bite attack and two Claw attacks.
• Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (2d4 + 5) piercing damage.
• Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6 + 5) slashing damage plus 4 (1d8) acid damage.
• Summon (1/day). The babau has a 40% chance to summon 1 babau. The summoned demon appears in an unoccupied space within 60 feet of the babau, but can’t summon other demons. It remains for 1 minute, until it or the first babau is slain, or until the first babau takes an action to dismiss it.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

City of Brass ©2018 Frog God Games; Authors: Casey Christofferson and Scott Greene

Demon, Babau

This emaciated figure looks like a horned human skeleton smothered within a bone-tight hide of slimy leather.

Babau CR 6

XP 2,400
CE Medium outsider (chaotic, demon, evil, extraplanar)
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., see invisibility; Perception +19

DEFENSE

AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18 (+1 Dex, +8 natural)
hp 73 (7d10+35)
Fort +10, Ref +6, Will +5
Defensive Abilities protective slime; DR 10/cold iron or good; Immune electricity, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10; SR 17

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.
Melee 2 claws +12 (1d6+5), bite +12 (1d6+5) or longspear +12/+7 (1d8+7/×3), bite +7 (1d6+2)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with longspear)
Special Attacks sneak attack +2d6
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 7th)

Constant—see invisibility
At will—darkness, dispel magic, greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only)
1/day—summon (level 3, 1 babau at 40%)

STATISTICS

Str 21, Dex 13, Con 20, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 16
Base Atk +7; CMB +12; CMD 23
Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Skill Focus (Stealth)
Skills Acrobatics +11, Climb +12, Disable Device +11, Escape Artist +11, Perception +19, Sense Motive +11, Sleight of Hand +11, Stealth +22; Racial Modifiers +8 Perception, +8 Stealth
Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic; telepathy 100 ft.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Protective Slime (Su)

A layer of acidic slime coats a babau’s skin. Any creature that strikes a babau with a natural attack or unarmed strike takes 1d8 points of acid damage from this slime if it fails a DC 18 Reflex save. A creature that strikes a babau with a melee weapon must make a DC 18 Reflex save or the weapon takes 1d8 points of acid damage; if this damage penetrates the weapon’s hardness, the weapon gains the broken condition. Ammunition that strikes a babau is automatically destroyed after it inflicts its damage.

ECOLOGY

Environment any (Abyss)
Organization solitary, pair, or gang (3–8)
Treasure standard (longspear, other treasure)

The babau is an assassin, a murderer, and a sadist—certainly not traits unusual in the demons, yet the babau’s penchant for stealth and surprise sets it apart from its generally less-subtle kin.

With no need to eat (although most babaus relish the flavor of mortal meat on their thin, raspy tongues), a babau can wait in ambush for years or decades—their inhuman patience in anticipating a well-conceived murder also setting them apart from the other denizens of the Abyss. Babaus obsess over the act of killing and take great pride in their grisly art, often leaving behind some form of grim marker or obscure signature, whether it be a distinctive modus operandi, an unnerving token, or other profane evidence.

A babau typically carries a longspear or other weapon with which it can strike at foes beyond its normal reach, but given the opportunity, a babau prefers to fight with its teeth or claws. The foul, caustic sludge that constantly seeps from their flesh prevents them from wearing armor unless it is specially treated or resistant to acid.

A babau is 6 feet tall but weighs only 140 pounds. They form from mortal souls of lone killers—those who, in life, took pleasure in more personal and intimate murders. Loosed upon the Material Plane, a babau often finds itself in the same role, haunting the shadowy corners of the world as remorseless assassins.

Babau

A Babau demon is a type of fiend depicted as shadowy creatures with a dark, sinister presence, known for their stealth and cunning. Babau demons are infamous for their assassination skills, preferring to strike from the shadows, using stealth to get close to their targets before delivering a fatal blow. Their form is usually described as tall, gaunt, and lean, with elongated limbs and claws, and their skin is often a mix of black or dark purple tones. Their eyes are described as glowing red, exuding an unsettling aura of malice.

Babau demons are often used as agents or assassins for more powerful entities, executing stealthy missions or hunting down enemies. They possess innate magical abilities, including the ability to blend into shadows and become invisible. They are also known for their poisonous touch, which can quickly incapacitate or kill those they come into contact with. Although they are dangerous and lethal, Babau demons often prefer to work behind the scenes, manipulating events and others for their advantage rather than engaging in direct conflict unless absolutely necessary.

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Babau
Medium outsider (Chaotic, Extraplanar, Evil)
Hit Dice	7d8+35 (66 hp)
Initiative	+1
Speed	30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class	19 (+1 Dexterity, +8 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple	+7/+12
Attack	Claw +12 melee (1d6+5)
Full Attack	2 claws +12 melee (1d6+5) and bite +7 melee (1d6+2)
Space/Reach	5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks	Sneak attack +2d6, spell-like abilities, summon demon
Special Qualities	Damage reduction 10/cold iron or good, Darkvision 60 ft., immunity to electricity and poison, protective slime, resistance to acid 10, cold 10, and fire 10, Spell Resistance 14, telepathy 100 ft.
Saves	Fort +10, Ref +6, Will +6
Abilities	Strength 21, Dexterity 12, Constitution 20, Intelligence 14, Wisdom 13, Charisma 16
Skills	Climb +15, Disable Device +12, Disguise +13, Escape Artist +11, Hide +19, Listen +19, Move Silently +19, Open Lock +11, Search +20, Sleight of Hand +11, Survival +1 (+3 following tracks), Rope Use+1 (+3 with bindings)
Feats	Cleave, Multiattack, Power Attack
Environment	A chaotic evil-aligned plane
Organization	Solitary or gang (3-6)
Challenge Rating	6
Treasure	Standard
Alignment	Always chaotic evil
Advancement	8-14 HD (Large); 15-21 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment	–

Combat

Babaus are sneaky and sly. They attack the most powerful foe first, hoping to eliminate the true threats quickly and then toy with the rest. When ambushing their opponents, they make excellent use of the combination of multiple attacks and sneak attacks.

A babau’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as  chaotic-aligned and evil-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Sneak Attack (Ex): A  babau can make a sneak attack like a rogue, dealing an extra 2d6 points of damage whenever a foe is denied his or her Dexterity bonus, or when the babau is flanking.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will-darkness, dispel  magic, see invisibility, greater  teleport (self plus 50 pounds of objects only).

Caster level 7th.

Protective Slime (Su): A slimy red jelly coats the babau’s skin. Any weapon that touches it takes  1d8 points of acid damage from the corrosive goo, and the weapon’s hardness  does not reduce this damage. A magic weapon may attempt a DC 18 Reflex save  to avoid taking this damage. A creature who strikes the babau with an unarmed  attack, unarmed strike, touch spell, or natural weapon takes this damage as well but can negate the damage with a DC 18 Reflex save. The save DCs are Constitution-based.

Summon Demon (Sp):Once per day a babau can attempt to summon 1 babau with a 40% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 3rd-level spell.

Skills: Babaus have a +8 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, Move Silently, and Search checks.

BABAU LORE

Originally Posted by Evandar_TAybara of the Wizards Community forums.

On this thread

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (the  Planes) can learn more about babaus. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the lore from the lower DCs.

Knowledge (the Planes)
DC	Result
16	This gaunt, abyssal creature is a babau, a demon that specialises in stealth and assassination. This result reveals all outsider and tanar’ri traits.
21	As well as its natural attacks, a babau can also take advantage of foes that it  catches unaware to place a telling blow, much like a trained rogue does. Babau speak Abyssal, Celestial and Draconic.
26	Resistant to many forms of attack, babau are, however, vulnerable to good aligned weapons, and those made of cold iron. They do however have a protective coat of acidic slime which can damage or destroy most things that touch it.
31	Babau have a limited range of spell-like abilities. They can at will cast the following: darkness, dispel magic, see invisibility and greater teleport.