| Nabassu | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Naming | |||
| Others | Death Stealer | ||
| Morphology | |||
| Body type | Humanoid | ||
| Average height | 7' | ||
| Intelligence | |||
| Sapience | Sapient | ||
| Aggressivity | Very high | ||
| Ecology | |||
| Place of origin | Abyssal Planes | ||
| Habitat | The Abyss, Prime Material Plane, Abyssal Plane (in that order) | ||
| Diet | Carnivore | ||
| Locomotion | Bipedal | ||
| Status | Critically Endangered (listed as "very rare" in-game) | ||
| Behind the Scenes | |||
| Universe | Dungeons & Dragons | ||
| Created by | Gary Gygax | ||
Nabassu, also known as Death Stealers, are major demons born upon the Abyssal Plane but that must wreak havoc on the Prime Material Plane as part of their maturation period.
Monster Manual descriptions[]
2nd Edition[]
The nabassu, or death stealers, are demons who inhabit the Prime Material Plane for a time. Dwelling in places of desolation, these dreadful monsters trouble mankind continually by raiding in order to work their great evil, thus satisfying their lust for cruelty and their desire to regain their place on the Abyssal Planes. In order to grow and mature, each nabassu must slay many humans, create evil undead, and wreak wickedness. Once hatched, each nabassu spends a period of time in the Abyss. Those that survive to young adulthood must come to the Prime Material Plane. This they do through an inborn ability to use psionic probability travel, even though nabassu have no psionic ability or powers otherwise. They may take others with them in this form of travel. Many are slain in coming to the Prime Material Plane, but some few live to begin their growth.
Nabassu demonlings have only armor class 4 and 5 hit dive when they sojourn to the Prime Material Plane. The process of traveling gives them 2 additional hit points (growth). Thereafter, each human they slay and devour builds their hit points by 1. Likewise, the growth adds to their armor class by one-half factor, so that, after killing and devouring 2 humans, a nabassu will have +4 hit points and an armor class of 3. After slaying and eating 18 humans, a nabassu reaches full growth. When fully grown, nabassu gain sufficient power to return to their own plane and establish comfortable domains for themselves. (This they always do within a year or two of maturity.)
When on the Prime Material Plane, nabassu will secrete only gems, jewelry and magic items in their layers (treasure types Q X 5 [check each separately] and F [magic]). In the Abyss, each will have type H, but it will be guarded by several vassal demons of lesser power.
In addition to their normal clawing and biting attack, nabassu have magical powers of attack and defense. Immature nabassu have the ability to cause shadows (within a 20-foot radius), shed darkness (within a 5-foot radius), and use their death stealing gaze once per additional hit point above 5 dice. Cause shadows creates a sphere of dim, shadowy light conditions, except in darkness. Death stealing requires the victim to save vs. death magic or become a ghast (or a ghoul if the victim is demihuman or humanoid), who is controlled by the nabassu as soon as the victim dies or is slain. Worse still, nabassu are able to bestow the stolen death upon anyone who fails to save vs. death magic, killing that individual instantly. The victim so slain becomes a shadow (unless he or she has already been subjected to death stealing) and is doomed to serve the nabassu whenever called. This doom can be avoided through exorcism of the corpse (with or without restoration of life.) Range for stealing is 2"; for bestowing the range is 1". Each spell-like power is usable 1 per round, 1 at a time, at will. Shadows and darkness cast persist as long as the demon desires or until otherwise dispelled. Nabassu have thief-like abilities to move silent, hide in shadows, hear noise, and strike from behind. The level of their performance is equal to one-half of their hit point bonus, measured as if it were thief level. Nabassu can be harmed only by iron or +1 or better magic weapons. They have the ability to change their coloration from brown-black to pale dove gray, with all shades in between possible. This allows them to hide in shadows or against the right background coloration. They have an effective strength of 18/00.
Upon reaching maturity, nabassu gain these additional spell-like powers: summon 2-5 ghasts once per day if on the Abyssal Planes, energy drain, etherealness twice per day, paralyzation (within a 10-foot radius) once per day, regenerate up to 20 hit points per day, silence (within a 10-foot radius once per day, teleportation, and vampiric attack. Vampiric attack is a dweomer that enables the nabassu to drain the power used by his opponent at the time, be it physical or magical, and use it against the opponent. The opponent cannot use it for that round. If the opponent strikes successfully, the effect happens to the attack, not the nabassu. Vampiric attack is usable only once per day,, and it has a 2" range. All additional spell-like powers are usable 1 at a time, 1 per round, at will.
Nabassu are tall and thin with scaly, sinewy forms. Their head is very long with small horns. The ears are long and bat-like. The teeth are tusk-like and set in a huge mouth. Facial features are small otherwise, and the eyes glow yellow. The fingers are long, tipped by long, razor-sharp talons. The wings are bat-like but scaled. Coloration is near-black through brown to palest dove gray as desired.
Demons in general[]
Each type of demon, and especially the high-level demon lords and princes, have many unusual characteristics and extraordinary abilities.
Demons are able to move from their own plan into those of Tarterus, Hades, or Pandemonium or roam the astral plane. However, they cannot enter the Prime Material Plane without aid (conjuration, gate, name speaking or similar means).
Demons are chaotic and evil; the smarter and stronger rule those of their kind who are weaker and less intelligent. The less intelligent will attack without question and fight until slain. No demon can ever be subdued. All are able to divide their attacks amongst 2 or even 3 opponents if their means allow.
Demons will never willingly serve anyone or anything. If forced to serve through magic or threat they will continually seek a way to slay their master/captor. Those to whom demons show a liking are typically carried off to the demons' plane to become a slave (although a favored one.) Note that demons can be summoned by characters of any alignment, but controlling a demon is another matter entirely. A thaumaturgic circle will serve to keep out lesser demons. A special pentacle is required for greater demons. The threat or reward which the conjuring party uses to attempt gaining a demon's service must be carefully handled by the dungeon master. Demons are repelled by holy (Good) relics or artifacts.
Demons frequently roam the Astral and Ethereal Planes. Their attention is attracted by persons in an ethereal state. If the name of a particularly powerful demon is spoken there is a chance that he will hear and turn his attention to the speaker. A base 5% chance is recommended. Unless prepared to avoid such attention or to control the demon, the character should know that the demon will thereupon immediately kill, by whatever means are most expeditious, the one pronouncing his name.
Demons are affected by these attack forms: acid, full; cold, half; electricity (lightning), half; fire (dragon, magical), half; gas (poisonous, etc.), half; iron weapon, full; magic missile, full; poison, full; silver weapon, none unless affected by normal weapons in which case damage will be according to the weapon type.
Because they have a special form of telepathy, demons are able to understand every intelligent communication. Demons with average or better intelligence are likewise able to converse.
Typical Inhabitants of an Abyssal Layer[]
Although each layer of the Abyss differs from every other and some of these planes change wildly from day to day, the following general types of creatures will be encountered on many of them:
- Alu-demon - rare
- Achaierai - common
- Babau - uncommon
- Bar-Lgura - uncommon
- Cambion - very rare
- Chasme - common
- Daemon - rare
- Demodand - very rare
- Demon Lord/Prince - very, very rare
- Dretch - common
- Glabrezu (Type III) - uncommon
- Ghast - uncommon
- Ghoul - rare
- Goristroi - very rare
- Hezrou (Type II) - common
- Manes - common
- Mephit - common
- Nabassu - rare
- Nightmare - very rare
- Quasit - common
- Rutterkin - common
- Succubus - rare
- Thunder Beast - common
- Type IV - rare
- Type V - rare
- Type VI - very rare
- Vrock (Type I) - common
Probabilities of encounter are not stated as a percentage, for there will usually be other sorts of creatures on a given plane of the Abyss. For example, on Demogorgon's several layers there will be many sorts of vicious apes, reptiles (including dinosaurs), and bird-like monsters. Similarly, on Jiblex's plane there will be slimes, deadly puddings, jellies, and various amoeboid monsters. Orcus' manifold layers are populated with skeletal monsters, various sorts of zombies, huecuvae, shadows, sheet phantoms, vampires, and death knights. Yeenoghu's vast plane of the Abyss abounds with hyenas and |hyaenodons, gnolls, ghasts, ghouls, and possibly a few trolls. Other planes are populated by insects, arachnids, worms and slugs, fungi and fungoid monsters, and so on.
Some layers of the Abyss are devoid of most of the typical inhabitants of other levels. The liquid plane ruled by Dagon, for instance, does have hezrou (type II) and a form of dretch, but the other inhabitants are octopi, squids, kraken, sea snakes, eels, weird fish, and horrible fish-monsters. In short, use your imagination and creativity to develop these areas.