patience, grasshopper.
MM2:
DIAKK
FREQUENCY: Common
NO. APPEARING: 2-16
ARMOR CLASS: 0 or 3
MOVE: 21" or 12"
HIT DICE: 6+6 or 8+8
%IN LAIR: 25%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO, OF ATTACKS: 1 or 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1- 12 or 2-8/2-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 30%
INTELLIGENCE: Low to average
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil (lawful)
SIZE: L or M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil/nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VIl/1300 - 12/hp
The Glooms of Hades are populated by many monsters, the most common of which are the diakka. Diakka, unlike hordlings (the next most frequently encountered inhabitant of these planes), are more organized and dislike erratic behavior.
The usual attack made by diakka when confronted by obviously strong opponents is to attempt to force them into a compact group. The diakka surround the opponents and use audible glamer to make it sound as if more diakka were coming. The largest diakka bound in and out of melee using jump and weakness as appropriate. If at least 4 of these creatures succeed in circling the opponents while giving out their odd hooting calls and croaks for 4 consecutive rounds, the sounds and rhythm of this circling dance evoke an hypnotic enfeeblement which has an area effect identical to the ray of enfeeblement spell. Each subject, regardless of magic resistance, must save vs. spell or become enfeebled as if by a 13th level magic user, i.e., 40% strength loss for 13 rounds. Once opponents are thus affected, individual diakka use physical attacks and remaining spell-like powers to kill the prey, and then the whole flock feasts. Although these creatures are not too bright, diakka will not attack stupidly. Upon initial contact, the flock's strongest members will assess those encountered for intent and weakness. Weakness will get an opponent in far more peril than hostile intent. Very powerful, hostile creatures will only be attacked if some form of appeasement will not work. No diakk desires to be slain, regardless if it is eaten or not (as they often are by hordlings and other creatures found on the planes). Even other flocks are distrusted, because of the strong rule. Occasionally a diakk will be found on the Prime Material Plane, The appearance is always due to summoning. Nighthags (q.v.) frequently use diakka as guards. Diakka speak the hateful tongue common to Hades. They also speak their own language.
There are two sorts of diakka, the tall (HD 6+6) and the broad (HD 8+8). The differences between the two are noted below, but they are not otherwise separate races, and any group will have an equal or nearly equal mixture of both sorts. In their lair there will always be 13-16 of these creatures.
While a tall diakk can deliver a Vicious stabbing attack with its long, sharp bill, and the broad diakk tears with its clawed arms, both sorts of diakka can also employ the following spell-like powers, 1 at a time, per round, at will, weakness by touch in attack (1 per day), jump (2 pet day), audible glamer (1 per day), and enfeeblement by group only (see above).
Tall diakka resemble huge storks with bills, human-like heads and faces, and thin, human-like arms. Broad diakka resemble huge, squat pelicans with foreshortened bills on human-like heads, Instead of wings, these creatures have short, thick arms with huge, curving claws. Feather color is in sickening hues and combinations and varies wildly, including pea green and rusty-red orange, purple and orange and pink, and dirty yellow. Heads are feathered, but faces are brightly colored and featherless. Legs, bills, feet, claws, etc., are usually black, dark brown, maroon, or deep green. Tall diakka are very fast and give loon-like cries, Broad diakka are rather slow. They make gobbling croaks and caws while attacking.
Planes of Conflict (aka PoCo):
Varath
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: The Gray Waste
FREQUENCY: Common
ORGANIZATION: Flock
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Low (5-7)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
NO. APPEARING: 2d8
ARMOR CLASS: 0
MOVEMENT: 21
HIT DICE: 6+6
THAC0: 15
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spells
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Spells
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 30%
SIZE: L (8 feet tall)
MORALE: Unsteady (5-7)
XP VALUE: 2,000
Carcene
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: The Gray Waste
FREQUENCY: Common
ORGANIZATION: Flock
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Night
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Average (8- 10)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
NO. APPEARING: 2d6
ARMOR CLASS: 3
MOVEMENT: 12
HIT DICE: 8+8
THAC0: 13
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2d4/2d4
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spells
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Spells
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 30%
SIZE: M (5 feet tall)
MORALE: Average (8- 10)
XP VALUE: 4,000
Tayil Nin came into the tavern, brushing the dust and ash of Sigil’s streets off his rough leather tunic. Behind him, he pulled a lifeless corpse covered in short greasy feathers. Nearly every berk in the place moaned or complained in unison, for the smell and sight of the thing was difficult to bear. Those cutters in on the dark of it simply rolled their collective eyes.
Tayil shouted as he looked about the place. “Scunbaa! I’ve got another one. Pay up!”
The tavern owner came out of the back room with the look of someone who knew what was coming and dreaded it.
“Look, Tayil, it was 33 years ago. Let it rest. Let me be!”
“Pike it, Scunbaa. Ya gave me the chant back then, and you’ll stick to it – you’re a Guvner, as well as I, and you’ll not go back on your word. Ya said you’d pay fifty gold for the head of a diakk, and I bring ya a diakk.”
“But you’ve been bringing me these sodding diakks for over thirty years – sometimes three, four a month! I’m not trying to peel you, but this isn’t what I wanted.”
“Your brother was killed in the Gray Waste by these filth, and ya said you wanted your revenge. I’ve dragged over a thousand of them to ya, and they’re still thick throughout the three glooms. You’ll pay me now and you’ll keep paying… it’s diakka, not diakks. Believe me, no sod knows more about these buggers than Tayil Nin.”
Scunbaa could see the determination and the rancor in Tayil’s eyes. He reached into his pocket and began counting out coins…
One of the most commonly found creatures in the grooms of the Gray Waste is the diakk. These large, flightless, birdlike beasts are hated predators.
Diakka come in two types, the varath and the carcene. The varath are taller and storklike, their vaguely human faces sporting long bills. The carcene are short and broad, more like squat pelicans with a shortened bill on a humanlike face. Both types have small, clawed human arms rather than wings. Their feathers are short, and sickly colored, ranging from pea green to gray to rust. Their featherless faces are colored similarly to their oily plumage, while their legs, bills, and claws are black, dark green, or maroon.
Even when the diakka are not directly encountered, all three glooms of the Gray Waste are filled with the sharp cries of the varath and the burbling croak of the carcene. They speak their own tongue is well as that of night hags and various other foul lower-planar inhabitants.
COMBAT: The varath use their long, sharp bills to stab at opponents for 1d12 points of damage. The squat carcene rely on their claws in melee, causing 2d4 points of damage per strike. Both types of diakka wield a number of spell-like powers, including weakness (by touch, once per day), audible glamer (once per day), and jump (twice per day). Additionally, if there are four or more diakka, they can encircle a foe and perform the dance of weakening. This hypnotic dance requires the diakka to screech and croak at their foes for at least four rounds. The victims are then affected similarly to a ray of enfeeblement - their Strength scores are lowered to 5 for 13 rounds. This power ignores magic resistance (although the victim gets a saving throw), making it useful against even yugoloths or other fiends.
Diakka are sneaky, devious, and cowardly in combat, using deception to their advantage when possible. They size up potential prey before going into battle, attacking only those they perceive as weaker than themselves. When their victims have been determined, the diakka attempt to circle around them, using their audible glamer power to make it sound as though their numbers are greater than they truly are. They then attack with their bills and claws, using weakness to supplement their savage strikes and jumps to bound in and out of combat.
HABITAT/SOCIETY: The diakka live in flocks comprising both varieties of the creatures. There are generally equal numbers or varath and carcene in any given flock, although the varath are sometimes more numerous. The carcene, being slightly more powerful and certainly more intelligent, are likely to become leaders of their flock. Though these flocks are organized under a single (or sometimes two) dominant leaders, there is no mutual respect or care among diakka. They will not put themselves in jeopardy for each other. Likewise, the diakka flocks avoid each other for fear of attack. The Gray Waste is a place of gloom and hate, and t these prevalent residents are no exception.
Sometimes night flags use diakka as guards or servants. This relationship is one of mutual hatred, but each believes it to be to their benefit. The dull-willed diakka don't realize that the hags never make permanent allies, and most eventually end up in the night hag's stew pot. Hordlings consider diakka meat a staple in their diet, although not a few hordlings have ended up as meals for the diakka as well.
ECOLOGY: Diakka feed off the flesh of anything weaker than them that wanders too close.
… After a night’s stay at a cheap kip, Tayil Nin made his way back to the portal leading to the Gray Waste. He immediately drew his sword as he prepared for whatever lay beyond.
It was three days later that he once again found a solitary diakk. Nin was a tough blood, but a flock of the beasts presented too harsh a challenge for him to attempt to tackle alone. He’d been on the wrong end of a dance of weakening before, and he’d not let that happen again if he could help it.
Before he made his move, he considered a few things. He knew that if he didn’t catch the sodding bird-thing by surprise, it would jump out of reach and run off to its flock. It was a screecher, what some sods called a varath. Therefore, if he didn’t kill it quick, the screeching would bring more of its kind for sure. He knew, of course, that the creature could drain his strength by touching him or make him hear sounds that weren’t real, but he’d dealt with that before. He was ready.
He saw the night hag step out of her lair just as he leapt in to attack. A lone diakk’s often the guard of one of those terrors – he knew that, but he hadn’t considered it. As he gazed into her eyes, he saw the lust for his spirit they contained, and he knew that Scunbaa wouldn’t be paying for any more diakk heads.
some preliminary stats for the diakk:
Diakk, Varath
Medium (Outsider? Magical Beast?) (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 6d8+X (X hp)
Initiative: +X
Speed: 60 ft (12 squares)
Armor Class: 20 (+X Dex, +X natural), touch X, flat-footed X
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+X
Attack: Bite (1d12+X)
Full Attack: Bite (1d12+X)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: spell-like abilities, dance of weakening
Special Qualities: spell resistance 17
Saves: Fort +X Ref +X Will +X
Abilities: Str X, Dex X, Con X, Int 6, Wis X, Cha X
Skills: X
Feats: 3
Environment: Gray Waste of Hades
Organization: Solitary or flock (2-16 varath and 2-12 carcene)
Challenge Rating: X
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: 7-12 HD (Medium); 13-18 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: +X
A varath diakk is 8 feet tall and weighs
A diakk speaks Abyssal, Infernal
COMBAT
Diakk, Carcene
Medium (Outsider? Magical Beast?) (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 8d8+X (X hp)
Initiative: +X
Speed: 30 ft (6 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+X Dex, +X natural), touch X, flat-footed X
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+X
Attack: Claw (2d4+X)
Full Attack: 2 claws (2d4+X)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: spell-like abilities, dance of weakening
Special Qualities: spell resistance 17
Saves: Fort +X Ref +X Will +X
Abilities: Str X, Dex X, Con X, Int 10, Wis X, Cha X
Skills: X
Feats: 3
Environment: Gray Waste of Hades
Organization: Solitary or flock (2-16 varath and 2-12 carcene)
Challenge Rating: X
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: 8-16 HD (Medium); 17-24 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: +X
A carcene diakk is 5 feet tall and weighs
Originally found in the first edition Monster Manual II (1983, Gary Gygax) and Planes of Conflict (1995).
There are a couple versions of each, done at PS3E.com:
http://www.planewalker.com/ps3e/monsterDetail.asp?id=79
http://www.planewalker.com/ps3e/monsterDetail.asp?id=34
http://www.planewalker.com/ps3e/monsterDetail.asp?id=78
http://www.planewalker.com/ps3e/monsterDetail.asp?id=35
as well as demiurge’s versions:
http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=76191 (scroll down)
and, some pictures:
