Argenach [Rilmani]

Argenachs are tall and slim with a silver gleam to their skin. At home they wear flowing white robes, but on a mission they can adopt any shape or garb. In battle they prefer broad-bladed great swords and long-hafted axes.

An argenach avoids melee when it can, defending itself with beams of silvery light from its hands: two per round, 60-yard range, 1d20 damage each, always manifesting as an energy the target is vulnerable to (electricity or magic missiles against fire-immune baatezu, for example). Forced into close combat, it swings a magical weapon, usually +3, with +3 to hit and +7 damage thanks to an effective 19 Strength; bare-handed it still deals 1d10.

Its spell-like powers work one per round: suggestion, solid fog, slow, mirror image, mass charm, invisibility, hallucinatory terrain, fly, ESP, detect invisibility, detect magic, wall of fire and advanced illusion at will; prismatic spray and legend lore once a day each; cone of cold (9d4+9) three times daily; and geas once a week. Once a day it can lay on hands as a heal spell, though curing at most 36 points. It favors charm, illusion and suggestion to sidestep fights but is coldly efficient when it must fight. Only +3 or better weapons hurt it. Once a day it may open a gate (75% success), calling 1-4 ferrumachs (60%) or another argenach (40%).

Second only to the aurumachs, argenachs handle the subtlest work of the race: nudging the balance back wherever it has slipped too far to recover by itself. They believe mortal realms are where the great contest of law against chaos and good against evil will finally be settled, with the powers already squabbling over human souls, so they spend long stretches in the mortal worlds.

Their method is simple: give knowledge and counsel to whichever side is losing. Since no one enjoys being a pawn, they usually disguise themselves, perhaps as a kindly sage helping heroes resist evil, or as a ruthless counselor showing an ambitious schemer how to defeat law or good. Often they just observe. Loners even by rilmani standards, they report straight to the aurumachs and get only broad directions, such as 'trouble on that world, fix it,' which is all such a brilliant, resourceful agent needs.