Tanar'ri, True - Dark Mistress


Also Known As: Dark Ladies, Pain Mistresses, Mistresses of Pain, and Pains



Climate / Terrain: The Abyss / Torture Chambers
Frequency: Very Rare
Organization: Solitary / Coven
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Carnivore / Pain
Intelligence: Godlike (21+)
Treasure:
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Number Appearing: 1 / 1 - 4
Armor Class: -10
Move: 36
Hit Dice: 20
ThAC0: 1
Number of Attacks: 4 - 6
Damage per Attack: 2d8 or By Weapon
Special Attacks: See Below
Special Defenses: See Below
Magic Resistance: 95%
Size: M (6' Tall)
Morale: Fearless (20)
XP Value:



"The creak of leather. The tortured screams. The crimson blood. The sweet, sweet suffering. This is what I remember most about HER."
- Halfdan Stumpfoot, Late of the Mercykillers

"The sickest woman you'll ever love. The last too ..."
- Grim Stalwart of the Bleak Cabal

"Gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself ... I ... AM ... PAIN."
- Typical Dark Mistress


Dark Mistresses appear as beautiful women dressed in skin tight black leather. All appear almost identical except for their hair and their faces. Hair color ranges from jet black to crimson red to the color of dried blood. Their faces are covered with porcelain harlequin masks. Each designed personally by the wearer.

Dark Mistresses are only rarely seen outside their layer of the Abyss (known as the Halls of Pain by their victems). They will usually only be encountered outside the Abyss if they are in torture or summoned to a torture chamber (they cannot be summoned any where else). Even more rarely they will be encountered on a personal errand that has little to do with pain - of course, little is a relative term.

Combat

Dark Mistresses are armed with a set of four steel blades that come through the back of their hands. They are tipped with a natural poison that requires a save versus paralysis. Any bonus to save versus poison applies. A successful save indicates a -1 to hit, damage and AC for 1d4 rounds due to excrutiating pain. A failed save indicates paralysis for 1d10 rounds due to excrutiating agony. These claws are considered to be +5 weapons and do 2d8 points of damage per hit. Dark Mistresses also use a variety of magical weapons. They are typically chosen for their anguish factor and not damage.

Dark Mistresses also have a variety of magical powers at their disposal, useable once per round at will.
Advanced Illusion - 3 / Day Alter Self Animate Dead - 2 / Day
Change Self Charm Person Command
Darkness - 15' Radius Dimension Door ESP
Fly Hold Person Hold Monster
Improved Invisibility Polymorph Self Shape Change - Humanoid Only
Suggestion - 3 / Day Symbol of Pain Telekinesis
Teleport Without Error True Seeing - Always Active Wraithform


Dark Mistresses also radiate an aura of fear in a 10' radius when in their true forms. All creatures with a level / hit dice below 5th automatically run away. All others must make a save versus spells.

Dark Mistresses regenerate 3 hit points per round, regardless of damage type - this includes acid and fire. Additionally, only damage from magic weapons and spells can actually kill them. If brought to 0 or fewer hit points from non-magical weapons, the Dark Mistress will recover at the rate of 3 hit points per round until fully recovered. The only way to prevent this is to reduce her to 0 hit points using magic weapons or using spells.

Dark Mistresses are unaffected by poison, poison gas, holy water, unholy water, and all mind affecting spells. Any psionicist who successfully makes contact must make a system shock roll. Failure indicates immediate death. Success means a save versus death magic. Failing the save means permenant insanity. Success means you were unable to actually make contact and contact is immediately broken.

If their is active torture or suffering occuring within a 100' radius the Dark Mistress regenerates an additional 2 hit points per round, for a total of 5! She is also able to gate in 1 - 4 more of her kind 75% of the time, though she will be reluctant to share the suffering.


Habitat / Society
It is said that the Abyss has an infinte number of layers. Each more evil than the last. It is also rumored that there are places in the Abyss where even the mightiest Tanar'ri fear to go. The Halls of Pain are one such place.

The Dark Mistresses have been incorrectly labeled as Tanar'ri. They are neither Tanar'ri, nor Baatezu. They are not even Yugoloths. They are a fiendinsh race unique unto themselves. They live in the Abyss for three reasons.
1) There is more than enough space to accomodate them. This allows them to not only be left alone, but provides a steady supply of victems.
2) The find the Grey Waste too boring and the inhabitants of Carceri are lousy victems (they're already trapped in the worst place imaginable. What could you do to make them suffer more?)
3) They wish to avoid the Demi-Plane of dread. Too many of there number have been drawn into Ravenloft for them to risk travelling too far abroad.

At least, these are the reasons most often given when you can get anyone to talk about the Dark Mistresses. The Dark Mistresses themselves do not speak of the Exodus (as they call it). And anyone who gets too curious has a tendency to disappear.

The Dark Mistresses worship three "Gods of Pain". The first is supposedly the greatest of their kind. She is only referred to as The Dark Lady. Legend has it she was the one who led the Exodus. She led the Dark Mistresses to the Abyss and freed them from the straight jacket of fiendish society.

The second is a being known as the Harvester of Sorrow. This being (neither male nor female, yet somehow both) collects all the pain and suffering in the multiverse and sees to it that it is ditributed to those who deserve it most.

The final "god" is none other than the Lady of Pain. They see her as a physical representation of pain itself. They see her as the perfect representation of all of their desires and beleifs. It is strange that none of the Dark Mistresses can be recalled as having visited Sigil. Of course, that would only get them killed, right?

Note: Dark Mistresses have no real concern for law or chaos. Indeed they show signs of both. A dark Mistress can take years torturing 1 victem and then kill a hundred in less than 1 day. It all depends on how they feel. This is why they are considered neutral, not due to any actual alignment preferences. An individual may show any 1 of these three leaning under the affects of a know aligment spell. Or none. It really depends on how they feel.

Ecology
Dark Mistresses live only to inflict pain. All of them have extensive knowledge of torture from the position of torturer AND victem. As such they have no part in any natural ecology.

They are rarely encountered outside the Halls of Pain, and then usually only when summoned or on an errand.

It is unknown how the Dark Mistresses reproduce as there are no males. It is believed by scholars that they somehow use the pain they inflict to produce new Dark Mistresses, but no one has lived to witness such an event.

They have no part in the Blood War, and are generally avoided by both sides. The Yugoloths are curious about them, but most are careful not to get caught making inqueries.





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