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There isn’t much to a maw demon. It’s a huge fanged mouth with some extra bits attached so it can move to wherever the food is. While most other demons are motivated by rage, hatred, or ruinous ambition, these things just want to eat. They’re a bit like sharks, drawn to the smell of blood, and will prioritize an easy meal over a fight.

Maw demons are still demons, so they prefer their meals bloody and still twitching. If there are none already in that state, they’ll advance on the nearest living creature.

The typical maw demon is rather weak as far as demons go, though it still presents a big threat to non-combatants. Those who manage to live longer become much stronger and hungrier.

Maw demons are sapient, but just barely. They don’t really form alliances, but stronger demons can bully them into servitude, and even amateur demonologists might be able to summon and bind one.

Maw Demon

This is a Medium Elemental Humanoid with the Demon tag. It’s a Level 2 Brute with 42 HP, darkvision, and a speed of 6.

The demon’s snapping jaws act like an aura (1) that make all enemies inside grant combat advantage. Its basic attack is obviously a bite. It can use a move action to perform a Ravenous Advance and shift 5 squares to end adjacent to a bloodied enemy.

Finally, as a demon, it has Variable Resistance and can switch it once per encounter.

Greater Maw Demon

This is mostly just a leveled-up maw demon. It’s a Level 16 Brute with 187 HP and correspondingly bigger numbers. Its variable resistance works twice per encounter, and it has a new hability: Howling Hunger targets Will, hits a Close Burst 3, does thunder damage, and knocks targets prone. It can only be used when the demon is bloodied.

Final Impressions

Just another demonic brute. Its low level makes it an interesting variation on the MM2 dretches, with better math. Their most interesting power is actually the Snapping Jaws aura, which makes them pair really well with ranged monsters that benefit from combat advantage.

During the MM2 reading on the RPG.net forum, someone mentioned that these things could be abyssal xorns, and it fits really well with their mechanics.