Illus. by W. Reynolds
CHAPTER 3
BATTLEFIELD ENCOUNTERS
will destroy most enemies along a great swath of the front line, so opposing commanders would be wise to always be on the lookout for cavorting vrocks and disrupt them as quickly as possible. Vrocks (6): hp 115 each; Monster Manual page 48.
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Strike Team EL 11: Extremely stealthy, gangs of babau make excellent strike teams. With their ability to use greater teleport at will, babau can reach their destination instantaneously, wreak what havoc they need, then disappear without a trace. When they aren’t able to teleport, they keep themselves undetected using more conventional methods. If unprepared for combat, they leave until they can prepare themselves properly. When they fight, they use terrain and allies to their best advantage, always maneuvering for a sneak attack and positioning themselves for Cleave opportunities. Babau are typically sent on raid or assassination missions, targeting obvious heroes or leaders. Babau Gang (6): hp 66 each; Monster Manual page 40. Infantry EL 12–13: Mobs of dretches comprise the rank-and-file of this tanar’ric horde, with a hezrou keeping the pitiful creatures moving toward the battle. The dretches rush forward, and are usually so frightened of their hezrou wranglers that they sometimes forget to stop and fight, instead running up to and over the enemy line (treat as bull rush or overrun attempts). This tactic leads to confusion and disarray, which ultimately favors the dretch. The hezrou follow in
their wake, laying about with unholy blight or chaos hammer in an attempt to break open holes in the enemy line. After a few minutes chaos has usually taken hold, with the demons fiercely attacking any nondemons in the area (except for the hezrou, who occasionally take out a dretch with a wild swing). Dretch Mob (10–40): hp 13 each; Monster Manual page 42. Hezrou: hp 138; Monster Manual page 44.
BAATEZU BRIGADE
From the Nine Hells of Baator, armies of devils march forth, laying waste to anything in their path. Bearded devils march in orderly ranks at the front of a mass of lemures, while cornugons and gelugons loom in the distance and beautiful erinyes soar overhead. The carefully ordered might of the infernal Baatezu Brigade is a sight to behold, but it is much safer to do so from a distance. The Lords of the Nine and the pit fiends that serve them each have their own vision of the perfect army. The Baatezu Brigade presented here is a sample of many such forces under the command of the archdevil Bel. This force is ostensibly led by a gelugon strategist, but the direction of the Brigade is always influenced by Bel’s representatives—a pair of cornugons. When engaging in battle, the Baatezu Brigade is swift and efficient, always attacking the enemy’s strongest point, then moving to the next strongest, and so on until every enemy has fled or fallen. Erinyes scout above the battle, occasionally taking potshots at the melee below. Bearded devils are the vanguard, followed by mobs of Bearded devils lemures. Cornuburst through a portal to gons follow the begin an assault by the lemures, marching Baatzeu Brigade to where resistance is the strongest, and quick-strike teams are deployed to take out key forces or commanders.
