Battleloth

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Battleloths were a subgroup of yugoloths that served as the literal tools of their masters, created to serve as weapons for war. Each subtype two forms, a weapon form and humanoid form, that they used as needed ranging from arrows, axes, crossbows, picks, spiked chains, and swords.

Description
Each battleloth subtype looked different not only in weapon but in humanoid form as well, with their humanoid forms reflecting some portion of their weapon form.

Arrow battleloths looked like a simple barbed-steel arrow in their weapon form. In their humanoid form, they appeared as brown-skinned, feathered creatures with steel arrowheads for claws.

Axe battleloths took on the appearance of bronze greataxes with spikes on the head, a leering visage engraved on the blade, and sharp fangs on the edges. Their humanoid form was that of gray, diminutive beings with a bony ridge along their foreheads sharp enough to act as a blade.

As weapons, crossbow battleloths were light wood and iron crossbows with wicked faces where the bow joined to the stock. Their other form was a pale, uncannily wide-mouthed humanoid.

Pick battleloths took the forms of heavy, brass picks with hollow heads and a tiny hole in the point, while in their humanoid forms they were slender and long limbed, with mosquito-like faces.

Spiked chain battleloths appeared to be blackened, spike covered chain sets but revealed themselves to be five lengths of chains. Each chain acted as a limb except the one that was the head, and each radiated out from a center point.

Sword battleloths took the forms of simple longswords and their true forms were simply humanoids with silver skin and blades in place of lower arms.

Personality
Battleloths were both devious and greedy beings who at any point could turn on their employers in favor of a higher bidder and who treasured any valuables including gold, gems, and magical items.

Arrow battleloths were the most complaintive and whining of the battleloths. They often nitpicked and abused the wording of their contracts in order to avoid most work.

Axe battleloths were notoriously dense, their ability to communicate limited to only a few short words. When negotiating employment contracts, their method was to simple state their terms over and over again until the potential employer either agreed or quit the negotiations altogether. They enjoyed fighting, however, and were always eager to do so in either form.

Crossbow battleloths were pragmatists who felt no loyalty or attachment to their employers, seeing what they did as nothing more than providing a service. They did not particularly enjoy nor dislike combat. If a crossbow battleloth felt like breaking its bond to its current employer, it would blatantly inform foes how much it would take buy their services; if the current employer grew angry and attacked, the battleloth would simply take the "betrayal" as an excuse to leave with its payment.

Pick battlelloths were vicious and predatory; their constant thirst for blood making them eager to strike bargains so long as their employer promised plenty of fighting. It was not uncommon for their love of battle to overcome their discipline, making them difficult to control.

Spiked chain battleloths were aggressive and enjoyed hunting for sport, their preferred prey being other battleloths, although the sword battleloths earned their reluctant respect.

Sword battleloths were the most prideful, considering themselves the elite of the battleloths types. They preferred to stay in weapon form out of practicality, reducing their exposure to danger. They were both independent, wily, and hard bargainers that would only ally with creatures who promised plenty of opportunities for success in combat, glory, and loot.

Combat
Despite enjoying fighting, battleloths were not reckless or foolhardy combatants, and might stay as weapons or transform to fight on their own. Most wielders of battleloths considered the need to carry a second weapon worth the element of surprise gained by employing them. Due to being forged for war, they possessed an innate talent for learning combat maneuvers and advanced tactics although some might attempt to study magic. In their weapon forms they could still perceive their environment and telepathically communicate, although magic practitioners could not cast spells with verbal or somatic components due to their lack of the appropriate body parts.

Because arrow battleloths believed their only combat function was to act as ammunition they generally tried to escape after being fired. They could change the course of their flight at any time to harry individuals, strike foes behind cover, or land in certain areas. Unless a target was obviously weaker than them, like a human spellcaster, they would attempt to land somewhere they could escape from their foes. When not in employ to a greater foe, the weakest battleloths would quickly flee but occasionally formed small looting packs that robbed the feeble or injured.

Axe battleloths took to combat with glee, relishing the opportunity to do battle. Even as living weapons they could still bite into their foes and so hurried their employers into charging headfirst into battle. They spent their spare time sharpening their ridges before using them to destroy random objects such as trees of rocks, although if bothered would turn their blades against any annoyance with stalwart courage.

Although they did not go out of their way to avoid combat like the arrow battleloths, crossbow battleloths saw it as a means to an end and did not particularly enjoy it. They could cock their own bowstrings as many times as their employers needed and so were always ready for a reload. If dropped so that their wielders could employ a melee weapon, crossbow battleloths took humanoid form and fired bone shard fragments from their mouths, or simply bit their enemies.

Driven not by hunger for battle but hunger for blood, battleloths were usually driven into an opponent and allowed to drink their fill so that they could be relied upon later. Even when in the form of picks they immediately latched onto their first target and refused to let go under any circumstances. Their small stature and physical weakness was contrasted by their constant activity regardless of employment status, always seeking out conflict so as to ambush the injured and dying on the edges of a battlefield.

Spiked chain battleloths constricted their opponents, tripping and entangling them regardless of form. While the battleloth wrapped up their foes their masters could strike unabated. When hunting independently, they ambushed foes through tripping or attacks from above in order to catch opponents before they could fight back.

Refusing to strike out at personal risk, sword battleloths merely acted as aids to their masters by striking, deflecting, or distracting. If fighting without a master they fought with caution and care, preferring to strike at the perfect time rather than attack from a suboptimal position.

Society
Although battleloths were useful mercenaries their love for treasure could fill a buyer with regret in the middle of battle when a foe offered a better bargain. Before undertaking any job they demanded half the payment first, but simply contacting them required the use of an appropriate summoning spell. Those of greater skill and ability preferred to work as equals rather than subordinates, often alongside demons, devils, evil clerics, blackguards, or other villainous agents.

Arrow battleloths were frequently hired as spies that snuck into the quivers of enemies before gathering valuable information about their allies, strategies, and future goals before escaping after being fired. Despite their complete lack of loyalty crossbow battleloths were the most often sought after of the race due to their versatile combat utility. Spiked chain battleloths were the members of their race most likely to be found under employ of demons or devils due to the fact many had mastered the use of regular spiked chains. Sword battleloths were notably independent and only deigned to work as weapons if ensured successful conquests and some of the spoils of war including both glory and plunder.

Though they could work alone, all battleloths were also known to function in groups ranging in number from 3-20. Groups of axe and crossbow battleloths were called squads, picks gathered into mobs, spiked chains into swarms, arrows into "quivers" and swords into "lances".

History
At one point in history, the battleloths struck a bargain with a mortal wizard as part of a larger plan to bring down a particularly successful pit fiend general known as Balruhk the Invincible. However, this ended in disastrous consequences when the spell meant to bind Bahlruk, despite working, devastated both the pit fiend's forces and the tanar'ri hordes sent by demon lords that Bahlruk's rivals were conspiring with.

For their part in the plan, the battleloths who served that pit fiend betrayed him on the fields of battle. The exact nature of betrayal was unknown, although the battleloths asked a very high price for doing so. In the aftermath, there was a sharp drop in the number of offers of employment offered to the yugoloths as a whole. Furious with the battleloths, it was decreed by the other yugoloths that they were forbidden from gathering in groups larger than thirty, and from accepting employment from mortals, for the next three centuries. This caused the battleloths to fall into obscurity among mortal spellcasters as they were suddenly unable to make deals with them.