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The Guild Companion's Copyright Ross Henton ©2002 Editor and Curator Lowell R. Matthews ©2002 Greetings, Rolemaster aficionados! Welcome to the fourth installment in a series of articles detailing new creatures for the Rolemaster(TM) (including RM2, RMSS, and RMFRP) bestiary. In this installment, we present a class of supernatural horrors, the Flesc or Possessor Demons, coming to you straight from the nightmares of our correspondent Ross Henton. ENTITIES FROM OTHER PLANES
FLESC or POSSESSOR DEMONS—by Ross Henton Plentarneth: (-)-EK-6; Type _ Entity; most "benign" of Flesc Demons; usually only one found in each possession; employ spells (5×lvl PP); only semi-intelligent; only vulnerable to magical weapons; non-solid form. Vynarlien: (-)-EK§#-7; Type _ Entity; most insidious of Flesc Demons; often found in groups of 2–20 per possession; employ spells (5×lvl PP each entity); intelligent and cruel; only vulnerable to magical weapons; non-solid form. Rii-n'vilar: (-)-Y1§#-6; Type _ Entity; cannot possess living or sentient creatures; usually found in groups of 1–10 per possession; employ spells (5×lvl PP each entity); only semi-intelligent; cannot be damaged by physical attacks; non-solid form. Rashaeon: (-)-EK§#-8; Type _ Entity; the archetypal Flesc Demons; usually only one found in each possession; employ spells (5×lvl PP); very intelligent and cruel; strength yields 2× damage; uses large creature critical strike tables; only vulnerable to magical weapons; non-solid form. Saten-Larnsæ: (-)-EK~#-9; Type _ Entity; the most powerful Flesc Demons; only one ever found per possession; employ spells (7×lvl PP); extremely intelligent and extremely cruel; strength yields 2× damage; uses super-large creature critical strike tables; only vulnerable to magical weapons; invulnerable to holy water and most holy icons and/or relics except when wielded by the most powerful Channelers (levels 15+); non-solid form.
All ATTACKS are Spells/Special. Unlike the more traditional types of demons (C&T), the Flesc Demons (sometimes more generically known as "possessor demons") maintain a noncorporeal existence, unable to affect this world directly. Their means of attack is to possess the bodies of others to use as physical vessels for their spiritual existence—and to use the essences of their victims as conduits for focusing magical energies. A Flesc Demon's existence on its home plane is an eternity of formless, flavorless Void, the unspeakable monotony of which is broken only by its occasional forays into the unwitting victims it possesses. Thus, when a possessor demon manages to escape the interminable hell of its existence by possessing a physical body, it invariably vents its endless frustrations by searching for the most intense and carnal of sensations, seeking sensory gratification through acts most moral beings consider debased and debauched. Due to its intangible state, a Flesc Demon has no sensory inputs of its own, but it is completely dependent upon sensing, perceiving, even living vicariously through its unwilling host. This noncorporeal state makes it extraordinarily difficult to attack a possessor demon physically. It can only be damaged by enchanted weapons, from which its "host" will be damaged as acutely—the host, however, can be damaged by normal weapons while the possessing demon laughs. The "free state" of a Flesc Demon is invisible to the naked human eye. If its host is killed, the possessor demon may remain in this world for up to 1 round per level before being forced to return to its home plane. Of course, during this time, it is free to possess another suitable host. Possession is accomplished by Will Contest (RC1, §5.1), with the Flesc Demon's will determined as a Spirit's (10/lvl, see RC2 §6.2). Alternatively, the attack can be resolved as a level-vs.-level resistance roll, using PR as the defender's modifier (if RC1 is not used). Once possessed, the victim will serve as a vessel for the demon until the demon is exorcised, leaves of its own accord (unusual, to say the least), or the victim dies. A possessor demon cannot be conjured by normal means (e.g., Dark Summons); highly specialized and difficult rituals are required to summon one. Such attempts usually end in disaster, for a possessor demon cannot be constrained by the usual summoning circles and patterns—thus leaving it free to take leave of the ineffectual confinements. A possessor demon is heedless of damage to the physical body of its host, as none of the host's physical pain is transmitted the demon. However, such actions as sprinkling the host's body with holy water will cause both excruciating pain to the host and equal spiritual agony to the demon. The demon will use every means available to increase the emotional distress of both its host and his loved ones. While possessed, it is believed that the victim's spirit undergoes the most horrible torments the demon can inflict upon him. The victim so fortunate as to have his tormentor successfully exorcised seldom remembers the experience. It is believed that the mind induces this amnesia as a self-defense mechanism, as it does with other trauma. For physical attacks, a possessor demon will use its host's physical body to attack, often inflicting vastly more damage than that of which the victim would normally be capable—the demon uses its demonic strength to supplement that of the host. Moreover, the demon will often utilize its unsurpassed telekinetic ability to both inspire terror and to hurl objects at its targets. Less publicized, but substantially more common than the horrifying stories of a possessor demon ravaging the body and psyche of a living host, are the accounts of a demon (or demons) possessing a place rather than a person. Flesc Demons are often drawn to locations where violent or emotion-laden acts have occurred, such as battlefields or the scenes of accidents or violent crimes. The services of an Exorcist are often required as a safety measure to rid a house of spirits, to cleanse the site of a new temple, or simply to make sure that a new priest taking his orders is pure and untainted so he can engage in the life-and-death struggle against the Saten-Larnsæ. Plentarneth are the weakest of the Flesc Demons. Commonly known as poltergeists, they are usually unable to possess any but the weakest humans (traditionally, adolescent girls), and are not capable of communication in any way. Their only means of self-expression is through use of their telekinetic abilities (all can use the Closed Mentalism list "Telekinesis"). Unable even to communicate to those they possess, the victim seldom knows she has been inhabited until the problem is solved by an Exorcist or Cleric, or the vessel has matured to the degree that the Plentarneth is no longer comfortable residing there and seeks a more pliable host. Vynarlien, unlike Plentarneth, are eminently capable of communication, and do so at every opportunity. They are the voices that whisper in the ear of the madman who kills forty, the voices of temptation that cause the most virtuous to fall from grace, and the voices of betrayal that turn brother against brother—all through insidious and clever argument and the use of spells (all can use the Evil Mentalist lists "Mind Subversion" and "Mind Disease" to their level). The claim of "voices in my head told me to do it" has resulted in many victims of Vynarlien being confined for life or simply executed. Rii-n'vilar do not possess people—only places. Perpetually drawn by strong emotions or violence, they often take up residence on battlefields, the locales of murder and other violent crimes, and similar locations. Those entering the area in which a Rii-n'vilar has made its residence often complain of chills, unpleasant odors, and uneasy feelings. The location is invariably shunned by the local populace, who brand it haunted or "witched." Usually inhabiting a possessed locale in groups, Rii-n'vilar all can utilize the Mentalist Base lists "Mind Control" and "Sense Control" to their level. The generalized location of such an occurrence makes it impossible to attack a Rii-n'vilar with physical weapons, as its location cannot be targeted accurately enough to make such attacks possible. Defeating them usually requires the services of an Exorcist to drive them out. Rashaeon are the type of Flesc Demon most commonly associated with the possession of innocents. They attack without warning; the services of a highly skilled and experienced Exorcist are required to break their hold. They relish nothing more than goading an Exorcist into pushing the possessed victim's mortal body to death, or even causing the death of the Exorcist from stress, exhaustion, or even telekinetic attack. Rashaeon are well versed in most common languages, and will speak to the Exorcist or the victim's family in the voices of their loved ones, mixing truth with whatever lies the Rashaeon feels are the most damaging. All Rashaeon are powerful spell-casters that can utilize the Closed Mentalism lists "Telekinesis" and "Movement"; the Seer Base lists "Past Visions," "Future Visions," and "True Perception"; and the Evil Cleric Base list "Diseases." The Exorcist's worst nightmares, the awe-inspiring Saten-Larnsæ are the mightiest of the Flesc Demons. Only a handful of recorded cases have involved the Saten-Larnsæ; invariably these cases required a team of Exorcists and several weeks to banish the demon successfully, and this usually resulted in the death of the possessed victim. The greatest danger a Saten-Larnsæ presents is that once a successful Break Possession VI spell (Exorcist Base list, "Hand of the Exorcist," level 25) is cast, the Saten-Larnsæ will often be able to take over the weakened Exorcist before being banished. Woe to the inexperienced Exorcist who attempts to confront a Saten-Larnsæ, for it will usually not display all its potential for chaos in the early stages of the possession. Only when the well intentioned (however unfortunate) Exorcist has made his appearance will the Saten-Larnsæ's true might become known. All Saten-Larnsæ can utilize the Closed Mentalism lists "Telekinesis," "Mind Mastery," and "Movement"; the Seer Base lists "Past Visions," "Future Visions," and "True Perception"; the Evil Cleric Base list "Diseases"; the Mentalist Base list "Sense Control"; and the Warlock Base list "Visions of Doom" (or the Evil Mentalist Base list "Mind Disease" if RC2 is not used). Notes on Conversion to RMSS/RMFRP: The main changes to make here, besides the usual 10–20% increases to hits and OB, are to the demons' spell lists where necessary.
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