Overseer Fiend [Lesser Mercenary]

An overseer fiend is a patchwork horror: a red, chitinous lobster body ending in a fish's tail, bird talons for feet, humanoid arms that finish in crab pincers, and the head of a corpse creeper with bulging, faceted, wall-set eyes. It speaks by telepathy.

Its wide-set eyes see to the sides and rear, so it is rarely surprised. Its pincers deal 2d8, and an unmodified 20 can lop off a limb: the victim saves vs. paralyzation or loses an arm (60%) or a leg (40%). Metal armor grants +2 on this save, plus 1 per point of magical bonus, so a target wearing chain mail +2 saves at +4. Its mouth tentacles can attack one creature for 1d10 damage and inject poison; the victim saves vs. paralyzation at -2 or dies in six turns unless neutralize poison or similar magic is applied, since mundane care is useless. A successful save means the victim is merely slowed for 1d6 rounds.

At 10th level of use, it can use stinking cloud, scare, meld into stone, jump, resist fire, know alignment, blink, protection from good, emotion, and bind, plus phantasmal killer twice a day, in addition to the common powers. It is a tireless summoner: three times a day it gates in 1d8 soldier fiends with no chance of failure, and once a day it can try for 1d2 more overseers at 35%. Nonmagical weapons cannot harm it, and water-based attacks deal 1 less damage per die.

Overseers are the sergeants of mercenary fiend armies, holding brutal command over companies of clatter and soldier fiends throughout the lower planes. Keeping order among such troops is close to impossible, and answering to hot-tempered superiors keeps their lives short, yet these cruel bullies enjoy the job. Unusually for their race, they cooperate, typically working in squads of five or six over one or more companies and enforcing obedience by destroying the disobedient. Leading mobs of resentful underlings, they suffer frequent 'friendly fire.' No mercenary fiend gets more offers to betray its employer.

Nothing is known of how overseers live or breed. Many believe wicked warlords made them as miserable tools, though that may be only legend.