Buzzing Demon [Greater Tanar'ri]

This revolting fiend has the body of an enormous fly, unnaturally human arms where its front legs should be, and a head that is almost human. Its mouth is tiny, but a sharp, hornlike nose can pierce flesh and draw blood. It strolls across walls and ceilings as easily as floors, and it communicates by telepathy.

Simply seeing a buzzing demon forces a save vs. spell; failure sends the viewer running in panic for 1-4 hours. It lives for battle, attacking with two claws (2d4 each) and its nose (1d4). Claw wounds keep bleeding for 2 damage every round until closed by magic such as cure light wounds.

Its rasping drone drops living listeners into a coma-like sleep unless they save vs. spell. A sleeper wakes only if doused with water or roughly shaken; otherwise the slumber lasts 2d4 hours, or until the demon starts draining blood for 1d4 per round. No creature can fall to the drone more than once per encounter.

On top of the standard tanar'ri powers it can use, at 8th level, telekinesis, insect plague and ray of enfeeblement, while detect invisibility and detect good are permanently active. Three times a day it may attempt, with 40% success, to gate in 2-20 manes, 2-5 cambions or another buzzing demon.

Buzzing demons are the punishers of the Abyss, combing its layers for fiends who shirk the endless war between demons and devils and giving them a slow, agonizing death. Nobody knows how they find these deserters. Perhaps a psychic gift lets them sense tanar'ri thoughts or moods, though the race as a whole has no such talent; whether it works on other beings is pure guesswork, but if it does, they are frightening foes indeed.

In exchange for this work they are spared front-line duty, sending other luckless tanar'ri in their place. Hated for it and often attacked on sight, they survive only through raw power and the patronage of the true tanar'ri. Their killings barely dent the war effort, since the Abyss holds a nearly infinite supply of fiends.

They hatch from eggs. An adult can lay up to 10 a year, which hatch after three months, and the young need seven years to reach adulthood. Their wings are an ingredient in potions of flying.