Spawning A Fiend (Maturish Content)

[The Vorpal Tribble]

After reading something about half-fiends, and wondering how you can possibly have such wonky combinations, I wrote this up to help explain how you can have, say, for example, a half-fiend milndflayer. Don't know if it's already been covered in some other book, but if so, heres another possible explanation.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Though most demons and devils do not specifically possess a gender, there are those who are capable of causing another to give birth and those that can recieve the seed of another.

The former is 'male' for the purpose of conceiving, and the latter 'female'.


Demon Males
Babau
Balor
Bebilith
Cerebrillith
Dretch
Glebrezu
Hezrou
Nalfeshnee
Quasit
Vrock

Demon Females
Marilith
Nalfeshnee
Succubus

Devil Males
Barbed Devil
Bearded Devil
Bone Devil
Chain Devil
Erinyes
Hellcat
Horned Devil
Ice Devil
Imp
Lemure
Pit Fiend

Devil Females
Chain Devil
Erinyes
Hellcat
Imp


Any of the above that can assume other forms such as through the Polymorph spell can choose to be male or female.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The male is capable of impregnating any female, both true and pseudo, as well as gender neutral beings, such as elementals. Though the conceiving may be performed in standard ways, and is often the case with females or pseudo-females, those such as elementals do not possess the appropriate physiology. Either way this is not a difficulty for the fiend, who does not so much impregnate another as infect a host with its own particular strain of supernatural evil. This infection acts however as pregnancy, combining the hellish substance of the fiend with that of the mother.

Fathers who wish their act to specifically produce offspring normally choose a female or pseudo-female so that their child may grow under optimal circumstances. Gender neutral creatures however are often killed by the process, along with the child most of the time.

The mother-to-be, reguardless of type, usually experiences the full disagreements of pregnancy compressed into an almost continuous session of agony. The gestation period of most half-fiends only take between two weeks and a month, the process accelerating at a phenomenal speed. The first week the mother experiences little physical discomfort.

However, they do gain an insatiable appetite that keeps them eating almost without stop. The mother must consume ten times the normal ammount of food required every day this first week. Her cravings are of the most gruesome kind, specifically raw meat, organs and fresh blood, along with eggs and milk on occassion. Though she can survive upon other sustenance, she will seek out the latter above all. Though many seem not to notice the oddness of their cravings, mothers, unless of a particularly evil or beastia; bent, will no more slay another to eat them than they would normally. They may however feel forced to slaughter animals to satisfy their cravings. This behavior is well documented and those that show such a hunger are normally labled as a consorter with demons or at the very least a witch.

Creatures that do not eat still tend to see out nourishment of some kind, such as an elemental that subsists on the raw elemental energies will feel a great longing to seek out areas of particuarly strong energy. Otherwise the child merely drains its parent of their life energy, normally killing them upon birth.

After this first week however the mother begins to feel nauseated and can barely force herself to eat anything else. This is the least of their worries however as they begin to feel the full wracking agony that is the growing child. Typical carriers of half-fiends experience the following conditions.

Aura of Evil (Ex): The mother radiates an aura of evil as if she were a 1 HD outsider, though it is in fact her child that is being detected. If the mother is already evil she gains an aura of evil equal to her HD + 1.

Unholy Anguish (Ex): The mother is considered to be permanently sickened by the pain of her pregnancy. This condition even occurs to creatures who normally are immune to such a condition. If the mother enters the temple of a good deity or hallowed locale she automatically becomes nauseated.


The birthing of a half-fiend is a particularly vicious, the mother usually dying or collapsing from the strain, taking 2 points of non-lethal damage per HD of the father fiend. If this damage exceeds the hit point total of the mother, the remainder becomes lethal damage.

Gender neutral creatures that do not possess the neccessary physiology take lethal damage as they are literally ripped open.

Animals within 60 feet of the birthing sense the dread arrival and become frightened unless they succeed on a Will save (DC = 10 + half father fiend's HD ).

-=-=-=-=-

Female fiends on the other hand have full control over their pregnancy. They may decide whether or not they concieve, and can, at any time, kill the child, halt its growth, or even prolong it if they wish, to pose as a standard female of the race they are mimicking. They suffer none of that mentioned above.

Normally male fiends who are polymorphed into female must remain polymorphed through the entire gestation period or the child is killed instantly upon reformation.

[Mewtarthio]

A) Aren't Retrievers constructs? How can they reproduce?

B) Does the mother get to make a saving throw against impregnation? Are there any means to prematurely end the pregnancy (either through mundane abortion or some magic, probably a divine healing spell)?

[The Vorpal Tribble]

A) Aren't Retrievers constructs? How can they reproduce?

Whoops, hadn't meant to add that in.

B) Does the mother get to make a saving throw against impregnation? Are there any means to prematurely end the pregnancy (either through mundane abortion or some magic, probably a divine healing spell)?

Err, well, we know there are no saving throws against it in real life, so...

As for spells, yeah, I'm sure, but I really don't want to write up abortive magics.

[Khantalas]

Whoops, hadn't meant to add that in.

Oh, come on! Keep them there! All the world must see that the dem-wretches are senseless and baatezu rule!

And... I have to... for the sake of mankind... but the word... pure spite...

Anyway, despite being against all I hold dear, I will have to use the word.

Put the Incubus in.

[knightsaline]

incubus=succubus. legends have it that succubuses could turn into incubuses after collecting a very male bodily fluid and using it to impregnate a mortal female.

real world trivia: incubuses only preyed on nuns, while succubuses preyed on monks. a succubus statue outside a building denoted that the building was a brothel

[Khantalas]

But Erinyes are mentioned twice. Why not those foul beasts?

[heretic]

*falls over laughing*

This is really helpful though.

[storybookknight]

Part of the effects of the pregnancy recall me of 'Mia' from the Dark Tower series. Very nice.

[BrokenButterfly]

One or two things to mention:

FC2 says that of all the devils, only erinyes can actually become pregnant and give birth.

Current Dragon magazine has stats for Incubi, and they differ a tad from just "male succubi".

Interesting thread topic though.

[knightsaline]

Animals within 60 feet of the birthing sense the dread arrival and become frightened unless they succeed on a Will save (DC = 10 + half father fiend's HD ).

does this make crystal balls constantly give the message "the destroyer is manifest" over and over?

Broken, my issue of Dragon has nothing in it about incubi, it just has stuff about the world serpent inn and the worlds it connects to. I wonder when the Carnival will visit Sithicus.

[Copacetic]

Intresting toppic tho IT's kinda gross about breaking out all gender neatrul.....*vomit*

[Maerok]

A) Aren't Retrievers constructs? How can they reproduce?

Like a machine!

[Fizban]

A retriever would spawn a half-fiend+abberant automata, essentially a phyrexian.

[Icewalker]

umm........
EW

ok, now that thats done with
I like the idea, and although reeeeally creepy it definitely works and makes a nice addition to a campaign, and answers a lot of questions...ew?

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Kinda makes me wonder what a half-dretch would be like....

[Tola]

Are there similar issues with...Divine/Celetial beings? Or not? Or have they been covered already?

[The Vorpal Tribble]

But Erinyes are mentioned twice. Why not those foul beasts?

Erinyes are said to appear both male and female, so Erinyes is just the name of their 'type'.

FC2 says that of all the devils, only erinyes can actually become pregnant and give birth.

*harumphs*

Don't have that book. Are you certain?

Intresting toppic tho IT's kinda gross about breaking out all gender neatrul.....*vomit*

Well, what would YOU call a sentient whirlwind?

I like the idea, and although reeeeally creepy it definitely works and makes a nice addition to a campaign, and answers a lot of questions...ew?

Well, giving birth to fiends in the first place is supposed to be rather... wrong.

Are there similar issues with...Divine/Celetial beings? Or not? Or have they been covered already?

Well, it'd be a whole 'nother ballgame for divine beings. They rarely do that kind of thing with mortals, but if they do I'd think it'd be an exceptionally comfortable pregnancy, probably with the father keeping an eye out and giving support.

And as they would never force themselves upon another it is likely that they would only breed with those are capable of giving birth normally. They wouldn't do something that'd harm the mother.



Anyways, just noticed that the half-fiend template is only for non-good creatures. I don't see why it should be limited to that. I'd think that fiends would focus specifically upon good-aligned beings to add only that more torture to them.

[Mewtarthio]

I believe the "non-good creature" line means either:

A) The creature must be of a species capable of having a non-good alignment, or

B) No Half-Fiends are good.

[Gorbash Kazdar]

I believe the "non-good creature" line means either:

A) The creature must be of a species capable of having a non-good alignment, or

B) No Half-Fiends are good.

I read it as A. In other words, as written, the template cannot be applied to a creature with alignment "Always good (any)." The template already provides for "Aligment: Always evil (any)" with the modifications it lists. Personally, I've always seen that particular line as more of a guideline, but YMMV.

As far as the point about causing good creatures to suffer, it's a good one, but I think that this can still be rectified with the RAW - simply, neither mother nor child survive the pregnancy if the mother is a creature of an "always good" alignment. In the case where the mother is of a good alignment but the creature type provides for anything less than "always," then it's a non-issue as the child is the one actually receiving the template.