Demonic Servant

Demonic Servant
skill	6-8
stamina	6-10
Habitat	Demonic Plane, Dungeons, Ruins
Number Encountered	1-3
Type	Demon
Reaction	Unfriendly
Intelligence	Low

Demonic Servants were undead creatures magically crafted from the souls of a Demon Prince's mortal minions.

Description

They took the form of skeletal humanoids swathed in dark robes. In their skulls were set sparkling red eyes, which glowed when a servant was being directly controlled by a higher being. They could not speak, but relaid basic information telepathically, restricting them to communicating with each other and their superiors.

A demonic servant had no will of its own, and scant vestiges remained of whatever sentience they may have possessed in life. No personal emotions or desires were found shifting these servants to their purpose, only slavish obedience to the commands of their master. As a result they possessed only the minimum sentience necessary for understanding and undertaking tasks. Lacking any ability whatever to determine their own destinies, a demonic servant was little more than an extension of its master's will.

Origins and Distribution

The demonic servants are reckoned as one of the Great Undead, occupying the Quartus circle in the Pit's hierarchy. It was possible that some of the Demon Princes' sycophantic devotees regarded the undeath of a demonic servant as some kind of reward for loyalty. However, the existence of a demonic servant was in fact a bleak and terrible one, as they were enthralled and dominated completely by their cruel masters.

There had been occasions when an evil soul who served the fell Princes in life would rather not spend his death selflessly enslaved to them, but this recalcitrance was soon broken by the "persuasions" of their Pit-dwelling masters. Curiously enough, this seemed to indicate that the soul must in some way have had to assent to becoming a demonic servant. If this was the case, then it would be the unfortunate soul's last act of will, whether prompted by coercion or not.

Classification and Role in the Pit

Although one of the Great Undead, demonic servants could be found serving the Princes in all manner of ways, from the relatively important to the totally menial. They were even sometimes used as sacrifices. A Demon Prince, when walking upon the physical plane, would frequently be accompanied by a retinue of demonic servants that would cater to its needs and whims.

There is a potential conflict in classifying the creatures, as, while Demonic Servants are listed in Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World as one of the Great Undead, Out of the Pit lists them as a "Demon".

Special Rules

In combat the servants could actually be surprisingly strong, however they suffer from a special weakness whereby if they were to lose consecutively, the spell animating them would be broken, and they would be destroyed.

Further Notes

• Although usually exclusively serving Demons, Razaak was known to use Demonic Servants also.

Zagor's Servant

Zagor's Demonic Servant
skill	7
stamina	5
Number Encountered	1
Reaction	Hostile

Zagor, in his Bone Demon incarnation, summoned something called a Demonic Servant, but it was a far cry from the typical portrayal of the creatures. The thing was described as a Dwarf-sized Toad with tentacles, a crooked mouth and a forked tongue. It did not share the usual weakness attending combats with demonic servants.

Further Information in Canon

More information can be found at:^Source
Out of the Pit (Large) (pg29, pg35-36#*, pg88, pg107)
Crypt of the Sorcerer (para68#*, para81#, para93)
Slaves of the Abyss (para27, para40, para85, para105*, para108, para112, para119, para149, para154, para190, para212, para225, para228, para241#, para257, para318, para360, para374)
Dead of Night (para69, para108, para116#, para141, para149, para168, para191, para207, para220, para233, para254#*, para263#, para280, para323*, para332, para346, para352#, para364)
Tower of Destruction (para182#, para215, para307, para398#)
Curse of the Mummy (para177#)
Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World'(Large) (pg63, pg73, pg72)
Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World'(Small) (pg133, pg134*, pg160, pg163)

Appendix

Gallery

A demonic servant.

Two demonic servants hard at work within a land-blight, in the same room as a death-stone.

A demonic servant attending to the beating heart of a land-blight.

Appearances

Adventures

• Crypt of the Sorcerer (book)
• Dead of Night
• Legend of Zagor (possibly)
• Slaves of the Abyss

Sourcebooks

• Demons of Doom
• Out of the Pit
• Rough Guide to the Pit (mentioned)
• Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World

References