Assassin Devil

This humanlike creature has solid gray skin. Its head is almost blank, but it has the faintest suggestion of a nose and two burning, red eyes. Most disturbing is its wicked smile: It curves menacingly and seems fixed, revealing bone white teeth.

Assassin Devil CR 11

Always LE Medium outsider (baatezu, evil, extraplanar, lawful)
Init 9; Senses blindsight 60 ft., see in darkness; Listen 23, Spot 23
Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal; telepathy 100 ft.

AC 27, touch 19, flat-footed 18; Dodge, Mobility, improved uncanny dodge
(9 Dex, 8 natural)
Miss Chance 20% shadow form
hp 105 (14 HD); DR 10/good
Immune fire, poison
Resist acid 10, cold 10, evasion; SR 21
Fort 12, Ref 18, Will 15

Speed 30 ft. (6 squares); Spring Attack
Melee mwk cold iron longsword 20/15/10 (1d86/17-20)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk 14; Grp 18
Atk Options sneak attack 5d6
Special Actions assassin's shadow step, shadow form
Combat Gear elixir of sneaking, 3 potions of cure light wounds
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 14th):
At will -- dimension door, fog cloud, nondetection, tongues1/day -- greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds of objects only)

Abilities Str 19, Dex 28, Con 17, Int 16, Wis 22, Cha 17
SA sneak attack, spell-like abilities, summon baatezu
Feats Dodge, Improved Critical (longsword), Mobility, Spring Attack, Weapon Focus (longsword)
Skills Balance 28, Bluff 20, Climb 21, Diplomacy 7, Disguise 3 (5 acting), Escape Artist 26, Hide 26, Intimidate 5, Jump 23, Listen 23, Move Silently 26, Sense Motive 23, Spot 23, Tumble 28, Use Rope 9 (11 bindings)
Advancement by character class; Favored Class rogue
Possessions combat gear plus masterwork cold iron longsword

Assassin's Shadow Step (Su) As a swift action, an assassin devil can turn invisible until the end of its current turn. The creature remains invisible even if it attacks. An assassin devil can use this ability at will.
Shadow Form (Su) As a swift action, an assassin devil can cause itself to turn into a shadowy, indistinct figure seemingly carved from pure shadow. While in this form, an assassin devil has concealment (20% miss chance) in all but sunlight or in the area of a daylight spell. In addition, an assassin devil gains a 4 bonus on Hide checks. An assassin devil can end this effect with a second swift action, and it can remain in shadow form for as long as it wishes.

Assassin devils comprise Hell's hit squad, skilled killers that slay mortals who dare to defy evil.

Strategies and Tactics

Assassin devils never fight unless it is on their terms. When an assassin devil attacks, it strikes with no warning. Typically, a assassin devils approaches its target while under cover of its assassin's shadow step to deal sneak attack damage, then on its next turn uses assassin's shadow step to vanish once more. Its Spring Attack feat allows it to dart into the midst of its enemies, make an attack, and slip away before the foe can ready a proper defense.

When faced with opponents ready for its attacks, a assassin devils combines its fog cloud spell-like ability with Spring Attack and blindsight to wreak havoc on its foes. It saturates an area with fog, then slips through the area, relying on its blindsight to find and eliminate targets. With Spring Attack, it can attack its enemies and fade back into the mist before they have a chance to react.

An assassin devil saves dimension door for use when it must retreat, or to appear amid a group of adventurers to catch them by surprise. When fighting with other devils, an assassin devil uses dimension door to move into flanking positions.

While assassin devils are baatezu, they cannot summon other devils for support. In the twisted, arcane laws of Hell, they never enter into the pacts that allow devils to summon each other. In return, they are given free rein to slay any devil or being without fear of official punishment.

Sample Encounters

Assassin devils are experts at slipping behind enemy lines, impersonating other creatures, and slipping away before anyone ever knew they were there. Most assassin devils operate alone.

Individual (EL 11): A solitary assassin devil is on a mission, either as an assassin or as a spy.

EL 11: Having thwarted one infernal plan too many, a paeliryon dispatches an assassin devil to infiltrate the party and learn more about them. It frequently slips away to report to its master, which then dispatches other devils to prevent the PCs from achieving their goal.

Team (EL 13-15): These groups include two to four individuals.They are often assassins.

Assassin (EL 17): This assassin devil has six levels of the assassin prestige class. Elite killers, these fiends are feared by all devils, for they could be anywhere.

Ecology

Assassin devils live alongside mortals. Through extensive uses of their spell-like abilities, they can move without detection, slipping unseen into secret meetings, eavesdropping on strategies, and assassinating particularly dangerous threats to baatezu plans. In Baator, they fulfill many of the same roles and lurk in the courts of pit fiends and archdevils alike.

Assassin Devil Lore Characters with ranks in Knowledge (the planes) can research assassin devils to learn more about them. When a character succeeds on a skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs. Knowledge (the Planes) DC Result 21 This creature is an assassin devil, also called a assassin devils, an outsider native to the Nine Hells of Baator. They are silent killers, expert infiltrators that serve the baatezu as spies and assassins. 26 A assassin devils can call thick banks of fog to cover its attack. Stay close to each other and stand ready to attack one at the first sign of its approach. 31 An assassin devil is a sneaky combatant, using hit and run tactics. It's just about impossible to corner since it teleports away as soon as it faces a serious threat.

Environment: Assassin devils are native to the Nine Hells of Baator.The first of their kind were mere shadows of vaguely sentient, malicious will. Asmodeus ordered these creatures collected, melted in a pit of fire, and their essences reforged into assassin devils. Even today, assassin devils are seen as outcasts. No one trusts them. They dwell on the fringes of baatezu society, working behind the scenes to enforce their masters' will. Rumors abound of independent assassin devils that have broken free of Hell's infernal order.

Typical Physical Characteristics: An assassin devil stands 6 feet tall and weighs 185 pounds. All assassin devils look identical in their normal forms.

Society

Assassin devils are outcasts in the legions of Hell precisely because they are such efficient assassins. An assassin devil on the move is one in search of a victim, and most devils assume the worst when one of these killers appears. The denizens of Hell have a saying: "The assassin devil you see is the assassin devil sent to kill you." Even the mightiest bullies in Hell give these devils a wide berth.

Alignment: Assassin devils are always lawful evil. They are ruthless killers, and they have no compunction about using their abilities to uncover illicit information about their enemies.

Typical Treasure

Assassin devils have standard treasure for their Challenge Rating, about 17,000 gp. Always on the move, they have little use for gems or jewelry, so they invest their wealth in equipment to help them on their missions.

Assassin Devils with Class Levels

Though assassin devils typically advance as rogues, all meet the requirements to enter the assassin prestige class. Experienced assassin devils often have one to three assassin levels. For every level of assassin added, increase the Challenge Rating by 1. An assassin devil uses fog cloud and blindsight to deadly effect, since it can observe its victim through its blindsight ability, even when concealed by the fog.

Level Adjustment: 6.

For Player Characters

Clerics of Dispater receive assassin devils for planar ally spells. Fuelled by paranoia, the Lord of the Second plied dozens of assassin devils into his service with rewards of jewels, magic weapons, and other tokens. Dispater sometimes sends these minions to his vassals as servants and spies.