Maurezhi were tanar'ri demons with many marked similarities to ghouls. What made them particularly more dangerous was that by consuming the flesh of the recently deceased, they could absorb the experience and memories of their victims.
“
These fiends are ghoulish life-stealers, haunters of graveyards, and thieves of memories that are not their own.
”
— An elven poet of the Outlands
DESCRIPTION[]
The maurezhi are a plague in the worlds beyond the Abyss, a scourge of evil that taints any plane it seeps onto. Maurezhi prey on mortals, spreading chaos and evil through their fearsome appetites. Like the nabassu, maurezhi gain strength with each mortal they devour — but instead of absorbing mortal life forces, the maurezhi feed upon corpses, stealing portions of their victims’ memories, skills, and appearance. A maurezhi hears a strong resemblance to a common ghoul. Its posture is hunched and feral, its skin gray and leathery, and its hands filthy talons. The maurezhi’s face slopes into a short, fang-filled muzzle, and its ears are catlike. Maurezhi leap and caper in sudden, unpredictable movements when excited or angered. They can communicate by means of telepathy, but the only sounds their rattling bone-boxes can make’re gibbering howls, grunts, and shrieks.
Personality[]
The primary goal of a maurezhi was to kill and consume mortals of great physical prowess and intellect. In between their real targets, maurezhis snacked on the already deceased within graveyards in order to quench their need for flesh. They normally attempted to enter a Material Plane in order to begin their voracious work before returning to the Abyss far more powerful than they were before.
Society[]
Unfortunately for them, only a small percentage of maurezhis managed to escape onto the Material Plane, with most being roped into the Blood War by babaus or hezrous. Maurezhi confined to the Abyss almost never got to consume mortal flesh and remained weak, serving as raiders, skirmishers, and assassins throughout the Lower Planes. They were useful spies and their superiors often used their memory-stealing powers during interrogation, having them consume baatezu in order to predict their next moves. This did not always work however, and was just as likely to fill a maurezhi's head with lawful ideas
ECOLOGY[]
Although maurezhi devour all kinds of carrion and corpses on a daily basis, this doesn’t increase their power. To consume a corpse, the maurezhi must personally kill the victim and devour him or her within one turn (10 minutes) of the murder. The grisly process requires no less than half an hour, and if the fiends interrupted, it can’t completely consume its prey. A character who’s been thus consumed can’t he raised or resurrected, and can be returned to life only with a very carefully worded wish.
History[]
Born from a society of elves, the first maurezhis were the corrupted creations of the King of Ghouls, Doresain. He created the demons in order to provide leadership to the ghouls and ghasts of the Material Plane
Maurezhi (CR 9)[]
Medium Outsider (Chaotic, Evil, Extraplanar, and Tanar'ri)
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Initiative: +2 (Dex); Senses: Listen +11 and Spot +11
Languages: Language of consumed victim, Telepathy 100 ft.
AC: 15 (+2 Dex, +3 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 13
Hit Dice: 5d8+5 (27 hp); DR: 10/good Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +5
Speed: 40 ft.
Space: 5 ft./5 ft. Base Attack +5; Grapple +7
Attack: Bite +7 melee Full Attack: Bite +7 melee and 2 claws +5 melee Damage: Bite 1d6+2 plus paralysis, claw 1d4+1 plus paralysis Special Attacks/Actions: Consume, paralysis, pounce, spell-like abilities
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 17
Special Qualities: Assume shape, outsider traits, SR 19, summon creatures, Tanarri traits Feats: Alertness; Multiattack Skills: Bluff +11, Diplomacy +5, Disguise +11 (+13 acting), Hide +10, Intimidate +5, Jump +18, Listen +11, Move Silently +10, and Spot +11 Advancement: See text
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground (Abyss)
Organization: Solitary, pair, or pack (3-5) Treasure/Possessions: Standard, plus consumed characters gear
Source: Fiend Folio
Consume (Ex): When a maurezhi slays a sentient living creature (Intelligence score 3 or higher) and consumes the body, it gains additional power from this grisly food. It must begin eating the corpse within 10 minutes of its death and requires 30 minutes to complete the consumption. If the maurezhi is interrupted during this process, it can't completely consume the corpse or gain the benefits.
A creature that has been consumed by a maurezhi cannot be restored to life through any form of raising or resurrection that requires part of the corpse. A wish, miracle, or true resurrection spell can restore a devoured victim to life, but there is a 70% chance that even such powerful magic will fail. There is no limit to the number of corpses a maurezhi can devour in this fashion; but it advances (see below) only by devouring the corpses of creatures whose Hit Dice or levels are at least half its own current Hit Dice. For example, a maurezhi of 13 Hit Dice can advance only by devouring the corpse of a character of at least 7th level.
For each suitable corpse a maurezhi consumes, its hit Dice, natural armor bonus, Strength, Intelligence, and base attack bonus each increase by +1. Its base saving throw bonuses improve according to its new Hit Dice. It gains additional skill points equal to 8 + its Intelligence modifier, and it spends these additional points on skills possessed by its victim (all of which are treated as class skills for the maurezhi). If the added Hit Die brings the maurezhi's total to any multiple of four, it gains a new feat as well which it can choose from among the feats its previous victims had, assuming that it meets the necessary prerequisites. In addition, the maurezhi gains access to the memories of the creature it has consumed, can speak any language that creature knew, and can assume that creature's form (see below).
The maurezhi can reach a maximum of 20 Hit Dice through advancement. Its challenge rating, damage reduction and spell resistance improve with advancement as shown on the table below.
| Maurezhi
Total HD |
Damage
Reduction |
Spell
Resistance |
CR |
| 5-7 | 10/+1 | 19 | 9 |
| 8-9 | 15/+1 | 20 | 10 |
| 10-14 | 20/+2 | 21 | 11 |
| 17-19 | 20/+2 | 22 | 12 |
| 20 | 30/+3 | 23 | 13 |
Paralysis (Ex): Any creature hit by a maurezhi's claw or bite attack must succeed at a Fortitude save (13, or DC 10 + 1/2 the maurezhi's Hit Dice + its Constitution modifier, whichever is higher) or be paralyzed for 1d6+4 minutes.
Pounce (Ex): If a maurezhi charges, it can make a full attack even though it has moved.
Spell-Like Abilities: Always active - deathwatch; at will - animate dead, blur, cause fear, chill touch, death knell, hold person, invisibility; 3/day - fear. Caster level equal to total HD; save DC 13 + spell level.
Assume Shape (Su): A maurezhi can take on the appearance of any humanoid creature whose corpse it has consumed. This ability functions like the disguise self spell (caster level 15th), except that the maurezhi can remain in the chosen form indefinitely. It can assume a new form or return to its own as a standard action.
Outsider Traits: A maurezhi has darkvision (60-foot range). It cannot be raised or resurrected.
Summon Creatures (Sp): This ability functions like a summon monster spell of the appropriate level, except that it has only a limited chance of success. Once per day a maurezhi can attempt to summon 1d4 ghouls with a 100% chance of success, or 2d4 dretches with a 60% chance of success.
Tanar'ri Traits: Tanar'ri can communicate telepathically with any creature within 100 feet that has a language. A tanar'ri is immune to electricity and poison, and it has acid resistance 20, cold resistance 20, and fire resistance 20.
Skills: A maurezhi gains a +8 racial bonus on Jump checks. When using its assume shape ability, a maurezhi receives an additional +12 circumstance bonus on Disguise checks (reflecting its access to the consumed form's memories as well as its physical alteration).