Slasrath

Slasraths began as simple, slimy worms of a volcanic lower plane until an enslaved sorcerer remade them for the mercenary fiends, who wanted a flying mount even a winged fiend could ride. The result is a wide, extremely flat, saucer-shaped body held aloft by fluttering, razor-edged wings that lock rigid when it dives. Most are black, though gray and green ones are common. A small, needle-toothed mouth sits on the underside, and a whiplike tail ends in a poisoned barb. Many still serve their makers; plenty escaped and run wild.

Graceful and highly maneuverable in flight, a slasrath only crawls wormlike on the ground. It opens with a diving wing slash for 3d6, and if up to three targets no bigger than man-size are clustered within 5 feet, it can slash them all, rolling attack and damage separately. Its wings cut through shields and armor: if an attack misses only because of armor or shield, that item must save vs. hard blow, and if it fails it is destroyed and the blow lands as though the item were absent.

Afterward it hovers over its prey, biting for 1d6 and stinging for 2d4. A victim who fails a save vs. poison grows increasingly confused, suffering -1 on saves, ability checks, attacks and damage the round after the sting, -2 the next, -3 after that, and so on for six rounds, then dies. The usual slow poison or neutralize poison counters it.

Mercenary fiends ride slasraths as flying cavalry or mount a single one to carry a commander above the ranks, looking like riders on strange flying carpets. A ridden slasrath is fully obedient, often strapped with a harness, still makes all its attacks including the wing slash, and can hover steadily enough for its rider to cast spells.

For all their size, slasraths keep the dull minds of worms and want little beyond meat. Tame ones are controlled by charms and outright domination backed by metal whips and spiked spurs. Off duty they are penned in huge black domes and fed prisoners, wounded slasraths and lesser fiends who have displeased their masters. Wild ones roam the plane's furnaces hunting, keep no lair, and land only briefly on the scorching rock. The plane's heat does not hurt them, though they resist elemental attacks no better than anything else.

Hatchlings emerge from big eggs at 5 HD, 10 feet across, growing to 15 feet at 6 HD, 18 feet at 7 HD and more than 20 feet at 8 HD. Fiends ride none narrower than 15 feet. Wild slasraths eat anything, including other natives, barghests, nightmares and even mercenary fiends.