Part of the Bestiary for my solo Hell’s Rebels game.

Like the Dark Adept from the previous post, the Tar Devil Guard is inspired by the D&D 4th Edition monster from the Iron Circle entry in Threats to the Nentir Vale. Both of them appear in the same encounter on Scene 02.

The Lore

Tar Devils are humanoid demons with pinkish skin, and the usual horns, hooves and tails that people associated with the denizens of Hell. They got the name from the fact that they constantly secrete a hot, stinky, tar-like substance from their skin. They’re sadistic bullies who love acting as muscle for infernal higher-ups and mortal summoners. Even minor infernalists like Dark Adepts find them surprisingly easy to summon because of this.

Tar Devils can show up using a large variety of weapons, dependent on the individual’s preferences, and they’re also very creative when it comes to using their secreted tar as a weapon. This one uses a khopesh to hook and cut enemies, and can manipulate its tar to form a net.

Tar Devils are Worthies.

The Numbers

ST 14; DX 12; IQ 10; HT 12;

Dodge 10; Parry 11U (khopesh); 11 (Wrestling);

DR 3 (13 vs. Fire);

HP 14; Will 10; Per 10; FP 12;

Speed 6.00; Move 6;

  • Khopesh Strike (14): 2d+1 cut; Reach 1.
  • Khopesh Hook (14): 1d control; Reach 1.
  • Wrestling Grab (14): 1d+1 control (one-handed) or 1d+3 control (two-handed); Reach C.
  • Hot Tar Net (14): 1d control plus linked 1 burn; Reach 1-2. Costs 2 FP to form. Treat as a melee net.
  • Hot Reek (-): 1 burn to whoever enters or starts their turn in close combat with the devil, or grappled by its net.

Class: Demon.

Relevant Traits: Fragile (Unnatural).

Equipment: Infernal Khopesh (disappears when the devil is defeated).

Encounters and Tactics

Tar Devils are most likely to be found as summoned minions. They lack the esoteric resistances and weaknesses of more powerful demons, but they still have a resistance to fire and the same protections that apply to all monsters of the Demon class.

Tar Devil Guards, specifically, are very grabby. They like to entangle victims in their burning tar nets and speed their deaths along with blows from their weapons. The net works like a grapple with the listed control damage and reach, and that reach means the demon’s allies can attack an entangled target too without fear of hitting the Tar Devil itself.

The tar net falls apart when someone escapes it, and must be summoned again for another attack. Tar Devil Guards who want to save on FP might prefer to move to hooking enemies with the khopesh or even wrestling them the old fashioned way instead.

Notes and Impressions

The version presented here is a little more elaborate and faithful to the D&D original than the one I used on Scene 02. That one couldn’t summon a net. They found themselves outmatched by the PCs in the fight, but we’re starting to see what I consider to be the minimum skill level an enemy should have to properly face a starting delver.

Their grabby tactics should crumble pretty fast against someone like a Wrestler, but any PCs who lack protection against grappling might find them more dangerous than they look.