B a c k g r o u n d
Hell raged around the crag-faced mountain top, bringing down
monstrous strokes of white lightning from the cloudy black sky. The
air was choked and stifled with the smell of brimstone and the terrible
cries of the abyss. Plutonian mists encircled the base of the great
mountain, and, at the peak, there was carved a throne of bone.
The throne was hellishly ornated with red rubies and blue
diamonds, all set into the bleached white bone of the royal seat. Upon
it sat the ruler of this domain: Satan, the Lord of Hell. Satan pondered
the evils he had done and the things he had wrought. For uncounted
months he had set upon the bony throne, his contemplations continually returning to his experiments in the loathsome pits of the everlasting fire.
He had experimented upon many things, in many ways,
using many devices, but still he had not the results he desired. His
creations did not serve his complete purposes, and, realizing this, he
had begun his search for a new evil. He discovered it easily, for it was
fundamental to his essence. He discovered temptation! Temptation
was then set to work upon the people of the world. Soon many men
(and even some elves) became engrossed in this proposal of Satan,
which was: Serve him and he will grant much power. So were born
the undead.

But this had been long ago, and Satan still was not able to accomplish all of his designs. So he sat upon his throne, thinking. He
questioned himself continually, but his great intellect had failed to
equal its reputation . . . until now! Suddenly all of Hell screamed, in
answer to Satan’s discovery, with an unholy fury that was never again
to be matched. The Lord of the Abyss no longer sat upon his throne,
but instead he stood upon the precipice of the mountain, calling up
the horrors of Hell. Souls were writhing in unbearable pain, for Satan
was rejoicing, and celebrations in Hell, more often than not, contented
only the Prince of Darkness.
As the churnings of Hell subsided, Satan went to his darkest, most
vile pits, and he began to call upon unholy rites. For days Hell was unruled, chaotic, and the souls trapped therein knew unprecedented relief from the tortures of Satan. Upon the sixth day, Satan completed
his evil scheme, and, then torture was reborn and multiplied in the pits
of the Dark Realm.
The possessors had been spawned.

H i e r a r c h y
The possessors are governed by Selm, a lieutenant of Satan who
was made the Prince of the Possessors. At one time there stood beneath Selm the Council of Asuras, the six Lords of the Possessors
who command the Pisachas and the Kuei. The relationship between
the Council of Asuras and Selm was a precariously balanced one. In
an open conflict, the Council might have been able to overpower
Selm, but they were often fragmented amongst themselves, allowing
the Prince of the Possessors to control them each individually.
Over the centuries, the ruler of Devils changed, Satan being
usurped by Baalzebul who was in turn overthrown by Asmodeus (see
The Dragon #28, “The Politics of Hell” by Alexander von Thorn).
Still, Selm remained the Prince of the Possessors: throughout these
various changes in the administration of Hell. The Council of Asuras,
composed of the six Lords of the Possessors (Thyle, Cykes, Tyd,
Nausyyd, Dyclex, and Hyrkovan), retained control of their subjects (a
very spirited lot), and they gradually began to ally themselves with
each other. This unusual cohesiveness among the members of the
Council made Selm apprehensive and unsure of his control over

them. He began to tread carefully when he communicated with any of
the Asuras. This caution on Selm’s part was quickly observed, and
capitalized upon, by the council members. They took power from
Selm, albeit in an inconspicuous manner (for they did not wish to alert
Asmodeus to their plottings), by quietly impressing him ‘with their
united strength. In effect, the Council of Asuras frightened Selm into
reducing his post (unofficially, of course) to a merely nominal one.
The Council then took complete control over all actions of the possessors; however, Selm was still the only one who could receive
orders from Asmodeus. The Council of Asuras was bound to obey the
orders of Asmodeus, and, since they received their orders through
Selm only, they could not refuse his commands. What ultimately resulted, remains until this day: Selm, the Prince of the Possessors, fears
the united power of the Council of Asuras, but Selm also delivers the
commands of Asmodeus, he whom the Council must ultimately obey.
This has promoted a potentially explosive situation, and those on both
sides of the struggle are constantly on their guard.

Selm, Prince of Possessors
 

FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: -5
MOVE: 15”
HIT DICE: 140 hit points
% IN LAIR: 60%
TREASURE TYPE: V (x2), Y
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-10/2-24(1-10)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: + 1 or better weapon to hit; see below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 80%
INTELLIGENCE: Genius
ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil
SIZE: M (7’ tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: 250
Attack/Defense Modes: All/all

Selm conforms to the general abilities of Devils as they are listed in
the Monster Manual. This creature is not nearly as powerful as either
Asmodeus or Baalzebul, but he is a very powerful being nevertheless.
The damage that he causes (attacking as a 14-hit-dice monster) is
devastating primarily because of his enormous strength. He will strike
with his right claw/arm for 1-10 hit points of damage and with his
bony-spiked club (held in his left hand) for 2-24 hit points. If he is deprived of his club, he will strike for 1-10 hit points with both
claws/arms. Due to the suction cups on his feet, Selm can move over
any solid substance (including webs and the like).
Selm’s heavily armored hide appears to be formed of colorful
leaves, but light will not glint off the metal-hard skin as it would reflect
off, perhaps, a chainmail shirt. The “leaves” also have an unusual
effect on all creatures who come within 12” of them. That is, they are
so beautiful that they force any creature within 12” to make a save
versus magic or become affected by the “leaves.” Failure to make the
save forces the creature to continually look upon Selm. Successfully
making the save does not wholly alleviate the danger, since a save
must be made each turn (this does not, however, allow a creature to
make another save if a previous one has already failed).
Selm’s eyes have the effect of petrification upon any creature

looking into them, if he so desires (one attack per round). Any being
who cannot (or will not) avert his gaze from Selm’s body must make a
save versus paralyzation each round or be petrified for 24 hours (assuming Selm is gazing at the character). Selm’s gaze has effect up to
24”, and can be done concurrently with a physical attack.

Selm has two special defenses other than his immunity to nonmagical weapons, one physical and one supernatural. Physically, he is
immune to grappling and overbearing because of the massive spikes
protruding from his arms. If any character should attempt either attack
form, simply say that the attack has failed and that 1-10 hit points of
gashing damage has been inflicted on the character. Selm’s second
defense is a complete immunity to all possessors except Asuras (and
these only have 50% of their normal chances to possess). This protection emanates from a small disk (carrying the design of a star upon it)
which is in the center of Selm’s chest. It is actually part of his skin, and
can only be removed (without destroying the protection) by a
dwarven armorer devoting his full time for one month to the task. At
the end of the month, a Wish spell must be used to complete the
removal.

Selm can use any of the following powers at will: Continual darkness, create illusion (as the wand), cause fear (as the wand), detect
magic, read languages and magic, cause pyrotechnics, ESP, dispel
magic, clairvoyance, clairaudience, polymorph any object, and time
stop, which can only be used once per day.

Selm, being the Prince of the Possessors, may summon in one
round either 1-4 Kuei, 1-2 Pisachas, or 1 Asuras. However, because of
the rivalry between himself and the Asuras, he will be loath to
summon a council member to aid him.
 

The Possessors

Possessors are wholly and completely incorporeal beings. They
have no mass, and, thus, they cannot be attacked in any normal way.
They must be summoned to and from the material plane by a powerful being because they cannot travel the planes alone. They are absolutely not affected by any weapon or any magic with the exception
of certain spells (listed below). The material forms that they appear in,
however, can be slain normally.

All of the possessors have certain things in common, as follows. See
specific listings for details of any given possessor.
The procedure for a Kuei, Pisachas, or Asuras to take possession of
a being is universally the same:

1) The possessor must remain within 240” of the victim for six consecutive days. During this time the possessor can be discovered, by
any Cleric who is actively searching for it, in one turn. Once the
possessor is discovered, a Bless upon the victim will force the
possessor to leave that person alone for one year.

2) After the six-day wait, the possessor may attempt to enter the
victim’s body. This is done unless a save versus magic is made at -5
on the die. Clerics, however, may save at -1 (not -5) on the die. A
Protection from evil or a Sanctuary will prevent entry into the victim
for the spell duration, and a Protection from evil will also remove a
possessor from a body (the possessor could have been in the body for
1 hour/level of the Cleric casting the spell) if bonding has not
occurred. A victim who has had a possessor enter him will show no ill
effects.

3) A Wish, Alter Reality. or Holy Word will remove the possessor
from the victim at any time previous to bonding. Bonding is the merging of possessor and victim. The time period between when the
possessor enters the body and when the possessor accomplishes
bonding is known as interface. If during interface the victim tries to
sleep. he will invariably have nightmares. Bonding will occur 1-100
hours after the possessor has entered the victim’s body, and, once it
has, the victim is incapacitated.

4) After bonding has occurred, the possessor will be impervious to
all assaults, magical or otherwise, except from the clerical spell
Exorcise. Depending upon the specific possessor. there is a period of
time (after bonding has occurred) before the possessor can make its
final attack upon the victim’s ego, and the time will be used (by the

possessor) to break the will of the victim through a series of horrible
events (detailed under each specific possessor). After this time period,
possession is determined by a percentage dice roll. Add to the possessor’s Base Possession % modifications from the following, as
indicated:
 
 

Cleric	-10%
Paladin	-5%
Druid	-5%
Good Alignment	-5%
Evil Alignment	+5%
* Protection from Evil	-5%
* Bless	-5%
* Chant	-5%
* Prayer	-5%
Within Temple of Good	-10%
Within Temple of Evil	+10%
Silver holy symbol on body	-5%
Silver unholy symbol on body	+5%
Tower of Iron Will within 3"	-5%
Victim attacked by Id Insinuation	+5%

* The spell or psionic ability
must be in operation at the precise instant when the possessor
makes his final assault upon the
victim’s ego.

Roll percentage dice. A roll lower than, or equal to, the adjusted
Base Possession % means possession has been accomplished, but a
roll higher than the needed number indicates the victim has unbonded
the possessor from his body (thus, the possessor would again be in
interface for 1-100 hours, if it desired to bond again).

5) If the possession is successfully completed, the possessor will be
able to use a percentage of the victim’s original abilities (all fractions
rounded up), depending upon the type of possessor. However, if the
victim is a Cleric or Paladin then the body is destroyed, and the soul of
the victim is damned forever. Nothing can drive a possessor from the
body of a victim who has been possessed except the death of the
body or the exorcism of the possessor. Slaying a body will allow the
body to be raised from the dead, but one level will be permanently lost
from the raised character.
 

The Three Types
 

Kuei

FREQUENCY: Uncommon
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: N/A
MOVE: 60"
HIT DICE: N/A
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 0
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Nil
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Special
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil
SIZE: N/A
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
    Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: <>
BASE POSSESSION %: 50%

K u e i :   After bonding has occurred, a Kuei must wait exactly seven
days before the critical stage of possessing can occur, and, at this time,
the victim’s fate will be decided. The first through fourth days will
show continual increases in physical distortions of the body. The fifth
day the distortions will no longer increase, but the Kuei will be able to
speak from the mouth of the victim’s body. On the sixth day, the Kuei
will be able to cause 1-4 points of damage once/hour. providing that
(1) the person attacked fails to make his save versus magic, and (2)
the attacked person is within 3” of the body. The attack will be in the
form of some (scary) supernatural act. On the seventh day, the Kuei
will not be able to cause damage (as on the sixth day), but, instead,
twice during the day it will be allowed to Telekinese a 1000-gold-piece
weight for 1 turn.
 

If possession has occurred, the body will return to its original appearance,
and the Kuei will be able to use 25% of the victim’s original
abilities. Kuei who complete possession are able to Telekinese a 1000-
gold-piece weight, at will, with no minimum duration or range limitation on its ability.
 

Pisachas

FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-2.
ARMOR CLASS: N/A
MOVE: 75"
HIT DICE: N/A
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 0
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Nil
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Special
INTELLIGENCE: High
ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil
SIZE: N/A
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
    Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: <>
BASE POSSESSION %: 75%

Pisachas:  This type of possessor generally has the characteristics
presented under the Kuei, with these exceptions:
1) They only have a five-day wait, during possessing, before the
critical stage is reached. The physical-distortion period consists of the
first three days, the damage day is day four, and day five is the day
that the Pisachas can Telekinese. Further, the weight movable is equal
to 2000 gold pieces.
2) Damage on the fourth day is 2-8 hit points.
3) The Pisachas are able to use 50% of the victim’s original abilities
after possession has been completed.
4) If the body that a Pisachas has possessed is slain, the being who
struck the killing blow is automatically subject to a possession roll. If it
is successful, the Pisachas has possessed the new victim. If the body
the Pisachas has possessed is slain in a non-melee manner (magic,
etc.) then a possession roll is made only if the source of the attack
form (caster, etc.) is 3” or closer to the Pisachas.

Asuras

FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: N/A
MOVE: 90"
HIT DICE: N/A
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 0
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Nil
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Special
INTELLIGENCE: Supra-Genius
ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil
SIZE: N/A
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
    Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: <>
BASE POSSESSION %: 100%

A s u r a s :  The Asuras are the most powerful of the possessors. Their
names are Thyle, Cykes, Tyd, Nausyyd, Dyclex, and Hyrkovan. Together they form the Council of Asuras.
The Asuras each require only one day before the critical stage is
reached for possession of a creature. During this day, the form of the
possessed being will continually evolve into a mockery of man. Also,
an Asuras causes damage as if it were a Kuei (in all respects save
amount of damage, which is 4-16 points) throughout the day preceding true possession. Further, the Asuras may Telekinese a 5000-goldpiece weight.
Complete possession returns the body to its normal appearance, and it also allows the Asuras to use 100% of the possessed
creature’s abilities.

The Asuras can locate all Lawful Good beings who are of “name”
level or higher (i.e. Paladin for Paladins, Wizard for Magic-Users, etc.)
within a 300-mile radius. All they need do is concentrate for 1 turn,
and the beings’ location is revealed if they are in their true form. Any
Shape changed, Polymorphed, or similarly altered person will escape
this powerful detection ability.

Finally, if the body an Asuras has possessed is slain, the Asuras may
“jump” into the body of any being within 240”, except that all Lawful
Good beings are not subject to the “jump.” The conditions for successfully possessing a body in this manner are as follows:

1) The victim must have the smallest number of experience points
of any within 240” (Lawful Good excluded)

2) A successful possession roll must be made.
If the “jump” fails, then the Asuras may not attempt it against the
same character. The “jump” takes one round to accomplish.

The Exorcism

The exorcism is done according to the AD&D Players Handbook;
however, it is necessary to interpolate somewhat concerning possessors. Following is a list of guidelines concerning exorcising a
possessor:

1) Exorcism will not work on any possessor who is not bonded to a
victim or who is not in complete possession of a victim.
2) The base chance to Exorcise a possessor is doubled if it is only
bonded to the victim (i.e. not in complete possession).
3) For determination of the modifier to the base chance of
exorcism, consider Kuei. Pisachas. and Asuras to be 7th. 9th. and 16th
levels, respectively.
4) Any damage sustained upon the spell-caster during the
exorcism (by a bonded possessor) may disrupt the flow of the spell,
and, if the flow is altered, the spell will be ruined. To keep the spell
from being ruined, the caster must make a save versus paralyzation
each time any damage is taken.

NOTE: Be aware that while a bonded possessor may not necessarily ruin the spell if it causes damage to the spell-caster (#4 above), a
possessor that has completed possession of its victim will surely ruin
the spell if it damages the source of the incantation (Cleric, Paladin, et
cetera). Further, considering that a possessor in full control of the
victim’s body can move. keeping the thing within the 1” spell range
will be one hell of a problem!