D&D 5E Hezrou demon redesign

[Quickleaf]

Thanks very much for your feedback @dave2008 @Celebrim @NotAYakk. I'm letting everything percolate and seeing what I can come up with.

In the meantime, I am trying to figure out Gygax's creative origins for the "hezrou." For some monsters the origins are well documented, others like the yeth hound are hidden in short stories & myth, but especially with the D&D demons it gets fuzzy. In this case it looks like a muddled Biblical mess.

As near as I can tell, "Hezrou" seems to be an alternate spelling or bastardization of "Hezro; Hezrai." This seems likely because Hezro the Carmelite was one of David's 30 Mighty Warriors...and another one of those Mighty Warriors was Abishai, commander and most honored of David's warriors. And you'll recognize the abishai as a D&D devil. So it stands to reason that Gygax was drawing from a similar creative well with both of these monsters.

I'm far from a Biblical scholar, so take my findings with a hearty grain of salt...

"Hezro; Hezrai" seem to derive from "Hezron" (חצרון) which means "enclosure / enclosed / surrounded by a wall." Hmm...maybe this is why the AD&D designers included wall of fire among the hezrou's spells?

If Hezro the Carmelite is indeed the inspiration for the "hezrou" demon it is a puzzling choice. These 30+ men were courageous, strong, loyal warriors who followed the young shepherd David when he was exiled into the desert, fighting at his side on David's journey to become the King of Israel.

There is one poignant story from Samuel where David was thirsty and said "Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem." So three unnamed members of his Mighty Warriors broke through the Philistine camp just to draw water from the well and bring it back to David. But David viewed the risk of their lives as too holy and refused the water, pouring it out.

Depending on how you read it, the Mighty Warriors may have been truly loyal friends or loyal to a fault, continuing to follow King David when he committed adultery and murder, and brought ruin to the coalition he'd created.

This "loyal friend / loyal to a fault" idea seems to echo in the various descriptions of the hezrou being unusually loyal for a demon, lacking the usual instinct for betrayal of its superiors.

 

[Quickleaf]

I don't disagree with you. My point is that the Hezrou was, in D&D, the original frog monster. Neither stat block presented here says "frog monster" to me. So if your re-imagining the Hezrou, why not make it the frog monster as it has always been described. Give it the tools it never has had to play the role well.

Oh! I forgot to respond! I think the froghemoth has gained better traction as the ultimate "frog monster" in D&D. It does the tongue stuff you mention, it swallows, it's amphibious. Anyhow, that's why I've avoided steering my take on the hezrou in that same direction.

Plague is an awesome idea, as is the maisma.

1. The concentration should only protect "allies". The maisma is always. Breaking concentration makes the demon lose control of it.
2. A swarm of vile diseased insects when it dies. And hit in melee (like a fire elemental)
3. A similar swarm as an attack during combat. Maybe like a bonus action "extra attack" like a cleric's floaty hammer, but a 20' mobile swarm. It damages and poisons and flies 50' per round. Or what if they just stay until dispirsed by aoe damage? (up to, say, 5 active at a time)
4. All creatures poisoned by it heal it on its turn, as insects fly out of the festering wounds and rebuild the demon.
5. Drinking fluid corrupted by it poisons you. All fluid within 100' is corrupted until it moves away (including potions).

Some very cool ideas! Thanks for sharing! Spells that might fit a "plagues of Egypt" theme include fear, insect plague, and wall of fire.

 

[dave2008]

Oh! I forgot to respond! I think the froghemoth has gained better traction as the ultimate "frog monster" in D&D. It does the tongue stuff you mention, it swallows, it's amphibious. Anyhow, that's why I've avoided steering my take on the hezrou in that same direction.

I can understand that, but I've never used a froghemoth and I do use demons quite a bit. And of course the Hezrou came first

I would say combine the frog demon and plague demon concepts, but that is probably to much for CR 8 monster. I think @NotAYakk has some interesting ideas that fit the plague demon concept. These could be streamline a bit, but it is an interesting direction IMO.

 

[dave2008]

Thanks very much for your feedback @dave2008 @Celebrim @NotAYakk. I'm letting everything percolate and seeing what I can come up with.

In the meantime, I am trying to figure out Gygax's creative origins for the "hezrou." For some monsters the origins are well documented, others like the yeth hound are hidden in short stories & myth, but especially with the D&D demons it gets fuzzy. In this case it looks like a muddled Biblical mess.

As near as I can tell, "Hezrou" seems to be an alternate spelling or bastardization of "Hezro; Hezrai." This seems likely because Hezro the Carmelite was one of David's 30 Mighty Warriors...and another one of those Mighty Warriors was Abishai, commander and most honored of David's warriors. And you'll recognize the abishai as a D&D devil. So it stands to reason that Gygax was drawing from a similar creative well with both of these monsters.

I'm far from a Biblical scholar, so take my findings with a hearty grain of salt...

"Hezro; Hezrai" seem to derive from "Hezron" (חצרון) which means "enclosure / enclosed / surrounded by a wall." Hmm...maybe this is why the AD&D designers included wall of fire among the hezrou's spells?

If Hezro the Carmelite is indeed the inspiration for the "hezrou" demon it is a puzzling choice. These 30+ men were courageous, strong, loyal warriors who followed the young shepherd David when he was exiled into the desert, fighting at his side on David's journey to become the King of Israel.

There is one poignant story from Samuel where David was thirsty and said "Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem." So three unnamed members of his Mighty Warriors broke through the Philistine camp just to draw water from the well and bring it back to David. But David viewed the risk of their lives as too holy and refused the water, pouring it out.

Depending on how you read it, the Mighty Warriors may have been truly loyal friends or loyal to a fault, continuing to follow King David when he committed adultery and murder, and brought ruin to the coalition he'd created.

This "loyal friend / loyal to a fault" idea seems to echo in the various descriptions of the hezrou being unusually loyal for a demon, lacking the usual instinct for betrayal of its superiors.

Very interesting and thank you sharing. I wondering if you can work in the concept of dangerous loyalty. That would add some depth not usually seen in D&D demons!

 

[Quickleaf]

Very interesting and thank you sharing. I wondering if you can work in the concept of dangerous loyalty. That would add some depth not usually seen in D&D demons!

Yeah, I think there's a way to do it, looking back to the very first appearance of demons in D&D's 1976 Eldritch Wizardry...

Demons will never willingly serve anyone or anything. If forced to serve through magic or threat they will continually seek a way to slay their master/captor. Those to whom demons show a liking are typically carried off to the demons' plane to become a slave (although a favored one).

I think this meshes sweetly with the "up-jumped familiar" idea presented by @Celebrim. The fiendish familiar's twisted loyalty to its master is such that the hezrou seeks to carry its former master into the Abyss. The servant becomes the master, and the master the servant. Maybe it's not a hatred thing, but driven by loyalty to extreme fault, loyalty to the point of madness and obsession; the hezrou believes its former master has the potential to rise from lowly manes to a more powerful demonic form. Its experience as a fiendish familiar shapes the demon's mind. It counts itself a "king of infinite space" now that it has assumed a hezrou form, been given command of a squadron of demons to wage war, and able to make deals from a position of power (instead of a subservient familiar) with mortals. The hezrou does not even realize it continues to slip into its servile nature.

And to dovetail this back into something @NotAYakk mentioned about the hezrou's presence corrupting drinking fluids (including potions), this might be a byproduct of the demon's hatred for the mage that it once was familiar to. Mucking with wizard's potions seems like a suitably petty and subconscious vengeance.

 

[dave2008]

@Quickleaf your discussion of the Hezrou inspired me to make a quick sketch of the toad demon. Thank you for the inspiration! Just a quick doodle, but this is what I came up (EDIT, it came out looking a little to cute IMO, I would correct that if this moved from a draft to a final):

I decided to make a more "toad" demon vs. a "frog" demon and covered it in warts. These could also serve as the boils in the bringer of plagues version per @NotAYakk .

I do think there is a possibilities in a toad demon distinction versus a frog monster. Despite their similarities, there are differences as well.

 

[NotAYakk]

I removed a claw attack to make its CR 8 make more sense. May also have to shave off HP or something to make up for improved defensive features.

 

[dave2008]

Awesome concept art. 'A' is legitimately creepy to me.

I too am quite fond of "A," however, it doesn't say hezrou to me. A cool concept for a fiend, just doesn't say hezrou IMO.

 

[dave2008]

I removed a claw attack to make its CR 8 make more sense. May also have to shave off HP or something to make up for improved defensive features.

I would suggest giving it more options beside the insects / swarm / plague. Give at grapple option and then it can bite a grappled opponent as a reaction or a bonus action. Or give it a leap attack, or a shove attack, or a knock prone attack. I feel like you invested so much design space in the miasma that you've neglected the rest. I would prefer to the miasma/insects simplified and the natural attacks beefed. Well, that is what I would do at least.

 

[Quickleaf]

I too am quite fond of "A," however, it doesn't say hezrou to me. A cool concept for a fiend, just doesn't say hezrou IMO.

I was thinking that hezrou could include a whole gamut of pestilent up-jumped animalistic looking demons elevated from fiendish familiar root stock. So, there'd be hezrou with bat, cat, frog, raven, weasel, et cetera themes.

My idea was that the neckline of the owl version hid a toothy maw.

@Quickleaf your discussion of the Hezrou inspired me to make a quick sketch of the toad demon. Thank you for the inspiration! Just a quick doodle, but this is what I came up:
View attachment 117778
I decided to make a more "toad" demon vs. a "frog" demon and covered it in warts. These could also serve as the boils in the bringer of plagues version per @NotAYakk .

I do think there is a possibilities in a toad demon distinction versus a frog monster. Despite their similarities, there are differences as well.

Oh, I really like that stockiness combined with its malign almost doting expression. The carp-like tentacles really work somehow. I could see this as being the demonic take on a "vile wish-granter", fawning over its master and doing its master's every bidding, but somehow everything takes the most disastrous turn possible. The same plague of locusts that it unleashes to kill your enemies also razes your kingdom's own fields before harvest. The same curse it calls down on your nemesis ends up afflicting your grandchild when your family lines merge through unexpected love. And so on.