Malcanthet, Queen of the Succubi (CR 21)

Medium Outsider (Chaotic, Evil, Extraplanar, and Tanar'ri)
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Initiative: +10(Dex); Senses: darkvision 60 ft., true seeing, Listen +37, and Spot +37
Languages: Abyssal, Common; telepathy 300 ft.

AC: 42 (+10 Dex, +7 natural, + 15 deflection), touch 35, flat-footed 32
Hit Dice: 25d8+300 (412 hp); DR: DR 20/cold iron and good
Fort +26, Ref +24, Will +23
Speed: 30 ft. and Fly 70 ft. (perfect)
Space: 5 ft./5 ft.
Base Attack +25; Grapple +32
Attack: Melee: +5 shocking burst adamantine scourge +37/+32/+27/+22 and claw +27 (1d4+3) and 2 wings +27 (1d6+3) and tail +27 (1d6+3 plus poison)
Damage: +5 shocking burst adamantine scourge1d8+12/19-20 plus 1d6 electricity [plus 1d10 electricity on a critical hit])
Special Attacks: seductive gaze, summon tanarri
Attack Options: Combat Expertise, Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, Improved Trip, sneak attack +10d6
Abilities: Str 24, Dex 30, Con 34, Int 24, Wis 28, Cha 40
Special Qualities: Aura: profane beauty; profane beauty, reflect enchantment, tanarri traits, fast healing 10; Immunities: electricity, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10; SR 32
Feats: Combat Expertise, Dark Speech, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (scourge), Greater Spell Focus (enchantment), Improved Critical (scourge), Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, Improved Trip, Spell Focus (enchantment),
Skills: Balance +12, Bluff+43, Concentration +40, Diplomacy +49, Disguise +43 (+45 acting in character), Escape Artist +38, Forgery +35, Intimidate +45, Jump +9, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +35, Knowledge (the planes) +35, Listen +37, Perform (dance) +43, Sense Motive +37, Spot +37, Tumble +38, and Use Magic Device +43
Advancement: -
Climate/Terrain: The Abyss (Shendilavri)
Organization:
Treasure/Possessions: +5 shocking burst adamantine scourge

Source: Fiendish Codex I

This statuesque beauty wears a sardonic smile on her ruby lips. Curved horns jut from her brow and hold back her long dark hair - and her eyes smolder with dangerous red sensuality. Large leathery wings stretch from her back, the joints of which are laced with razorlike claws, and a sinuous tail ending in a thin curved spike completes the image of demonic beauty. She wears a revealing gown of diaphanous silk and razor-studded leather straps, and she idly toys with a glittering and sparkling scourge made of fine adamantine spiked chains.

As seductive as she is dangerous, Malcanthet is the patron of the hedonistic, the lustful, and those who would use their beauty and magic charms to control and ruin those around them.

Poison (Su): Stinger - Injury, Fort DC 34, initial 3d6 Wisdom, secondary domination. The secondary domination effect of Malcanthet's poison functions as the dominate person spell (CL 20th) except that it does not affect creatures that are immune to poison. Any effect that neutralizes poison also removes this effect. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Profane Beauty (Su): Malcanthet's otherworldly beauty grants her a deflection bonus equal to her Charisma bonus to her Armor Class as long as she doesn't wear armor. Good creatures must attempt a DC 37 Fortitude save each time they attempt to make a melee attack or otherwise touch Malcanthet. Failure indicates that they gain two negative levels as their souls are infused with her corruption. Malcanthet heals 10 hit points each time her profane beauty deals negative levels to a creature. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Seductive Gaze (Su): 30 feet, Will DC 37 negates. Those who meet Malcanthet's gaze and fail to resist are overwhelmed by her otherworldly beauty and take a -2 penalty on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, ability checks, and level checks for the remainder of the round. Once per round as a free action on her turn, Malcanthet can attempt to dominate a creature (as dominate monster cast at 20th level) that is currently overwhelmed by her beauty. The target creature can resist becoming dominated with a DC 37 Will save.

Malcanthet can dominate only one creature at a time; if she selects a new target, the old target is immediately freed from this effect. The domination otherwise persists until it is removed by break enchantment, miracle, or wish it cannot be dispelled. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Sneak Attack (Ex): Malcanthet can make a sneak attack like a rogue, dealing an extra 10d6 points of damage whenever a foe is denied his or her Dexterity bonus, or when Malcanthet is flanking.

Summon Tanar'ri (Sp): Once per day, Malcanthet can automatically summon 1d4+2 succubi or 1d3 lilitus. This ability functions as a 9th-level spell (CL 20th).

Reflect Enchantment (Ex): Whenever an enchantment spell that targets Malcanthet fails to penetrate her spell resistance, that spell is reflected back upon the caster as if Malcanthet had cast the spell herself (although it still uses the caster's ability score modifier to set the save DC).

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th): At will - astral projection, charm monster (DC 31), desecrate, detect good, detect law, disguise self (DC 28, no limit on duration), greater command (DC 32), greater dispel magic, greater teleport, telekinesis (DC 30), unhallow, unholy blight (DC 29); 3/day - mind fog (DC 32), symbol of persuasion (DC 33) 1/day - mass charm monster (DC 35)

Strategy and Tactics

Malcanthet is a formidable foe in combat, yet she finds no pleasure in participating in a fight. Rather, she prefers to summon allies to fight for her while she hangs back, observes the fight, and uses mind fog, mass charm monster, charm monster, symbol of persuasion, and greater command to sow dissent among her enemies.

When directly confronted and forced to fight, Malcanthet responds with seething rage, focusing all her attacks on a single target. If possible, she flanks her target with an allied creature to gain her sneak attack damage. She usually fights with Combat Expertise at full effect, mixing up her attacks with disarm and trip attacks to keep her foes off balance and unarmed. Malcanthet uses Improved Feint only if her foe seems particularly difficult to hit, limiting her to one attack with her scourge, but at her best attack bonus and with the possibility of dealing sneak attack damage.

Servants, Enemies, and Goals

Malcanthet dwells on an exquisitely beautiful plane of the Abyss known as Shendilavri (layer 570). To the casual observer, this realm might seem like a hedonistic paradise - in a way, this is exactly what it is. The problem for visitors is that it serves only as Malcanthet's paradise, and the Queen of the Succubi often takes great pleasure in the torment and ruin of her guests.

Malcanthet is served in her palace by numerous incubi and succubi, along with a cabal of 13 lilitu bards called the Radiant Sisters. These lilitus do not exhibit their kind's notorious intolerance for other lilitus or succubi, and their songs can be heard throughout Malcanthet's palace at all times, haunting and erotic melodies that can have unwelcome effects on those whom Malcanthet has not invited into her realm. Lamias, harpies, and half-fiend nymphs serve her as well. Among the demon lords, Malcanthet's greatest allegiances are with her sometime lovers Pazuzu (with whom she has sired numerous particularly deadly succubi children) and Demogorgon (with whom she has sired things best left unmentioned). She has had trysts with most of the other demon lords, although these were idle affairs engineered by the Queen of the Succubi to gain some favor or prize. Many other minor demon lords such as Shami-Amourae and Lynkhab vie for the title of Queen of the Succubi, but none have been able to usurp Malcanthet from her throne as of yet. She has long been in conflict with Yeenoghu, and her only contact with him now is when she sends armies to his realm to assault his kingdom (or vice versa). The exact source of their conflict is unclear, but it seems tied to the Maures, a powerful family of wizards who dwelt years ago in a massive castle on the Material Plane. Among the Maures, Malcanthet's greatest servant was a woman named Elluvia. Other factions in the Maure family served Yeenoghu, and when Elluvia attempted a coup to gain control over the family's holdings (with Malcanthet's support), the resulting magical catastrophe ruined the entire family and left none (except perhaps Malcanthet herself) the victor. In any event, Malcanthet and Yeenoghu have been at war ever since.

Only her relationship with Graz'zt is worse. Malcanthet maintains that she spurned Graz'zt for being unworthy of her attentions eons ago when he tried to court her, and that his wounded pride created the legendary rift between the two. Graz'zt, of course, maintains the opposite. In any event, the conflict between these two is less one of open warfare and more one of constant scheming on how best to upset and ruin the other's realms and plans.

Malcanthet has many cults on the Material Plane - groups of courtesans, hedonists, and bored nobles seeking a dangerous thrill to add to their lives. Her clerics have access to the domains of Chaos, Evil, Temptation, and Trickery. Her symbol is an iron thorn drawing a drop of blood from the lower edge of a pair of feminine lips.

Malcanthet Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (religion) or Knowledge (the planes) can learn more about Malcanthet. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.