Balor [True Tanar'ri]

A balor is a hideous red-skinned giant with venomous fangs, long claws, and vast wings that give it uncanny speed and agility. Flames wreathe its body. It wields a lightning-shaped sword and a many-lashed whip, and speaks by telepathy.

It cannot be surprised, and it shrugs off all nonmagical harm, from blades to fire, gas and poison, as well as magic weapons under +3.

The sword is a vorpal weapon that senses good or evil within 30'; any other creature that picks it up suffers 10d6 damage and dies unless it saves vs. spell. The whip deals 1d4 and wraps its target, hauling it into the balor's fire for 4d6 a round until it wins a roll against half its Strength; a whip holding someone cannot strike. A punch deals 2d6, and the target saves vs. spell at -6 or runs in terror for 1-6 turns.

At 20th level it has constant detect magic and detect invisibility, plus telekinesis, tongues, suggestion, fear, symbol (any), dispel magic, read magic and pyrotechnics, on top of standard tanar'ri powers. Hourly it gates in 1 true, 1-4 greater, 1-6 lesser or 1-8 least tanar'ri with no chance of failure. If slain in the Abyss it explodes in a blinding flash: 50 hp to everything within 100', save vs. spell for half.

At least twenty-four balors exist, roaming the Abyss to raise armies and lead them against the baatezu while savoring the misery they spread. Every plane is a potential battlefield to them; they trade mortals power for service, and each new ally adds to the magic they wield in the war.

Nothing in the Abyss matters more than the endless war between demons and devils, and on the demons' side the balors are that war. They drive the making of new fiends and demand their survival.