Infernal war machine

Infernal War Machine Infernal war machines were terrible vehicles of war manufactured and utilized by the devils of the Nine Hells, powered by the souls of mortals.

Form
Infernal war machines were constructed of infernal iron and adorned with massive spikes, bladed weapons, and in some cases, massive siege weaponry. They were highly customizable, and in some cases constructed entirely from cobbled-together components of different war machines. Just like more mundane mechanical vehicles, they could be repaired by a skilled mechanic, over the course of some hours.

Their inner machinery included a furnace, that processed damned souls as fuel, and an engine that translated that fuel into mechanical energy. The machinery was unpredictable and even hazardous, especially when pushed to their limits. Engines were prone to excessive smoking or flaring, and it was not unheard of for a furnace to rupture while in operation.

Function
Infernal war machines were constructed to fulfill various roles in battle, specifically for baatezu and other devils to gain advantages against demons of the Abyss in the Blood War. Smaller war machines machines were built to be used scouting missions or to transport raiding parties, while others were built as mobile siege platforms or for the primary purpose of mowing down hordes of demonic minions.

Armor, Gadgetry, & Weapons
War machines could be made nigh-indestructible with armor crafted from iron mined in Cania, gilded with gold acquired from the archdevil Mammon, or adorned with spikes inscribed with profane symbiology, which trapped the souls of any creature they impaled.

Some were even equipped with magical smoke screen devices that utilized necrotic energy, or teleporters that could transport the entire vehicle and everyone aboard upwards of once per day.

They were often outfitted with terrible weapons of war imagined by the most devious of the Hells' fiendish inventors. Notable among these were:
 * Acidic bile sprayer, a hose-and-nozzle weapon that showered enemies in the corrosive bile of some unknown creature(s).
 * Flamethrower, the weapon station that spewed forth jets of flame that ignited any flammable foes or material.
 * Harpoon fingers, cannons that fired massive harpoons towards targets upwards of away.
 * Infernal screamer, a humanoid-shaped figure of wax constructed with a hand crank that inflicted terrible telepathic pain upon anyone nearby.
 * Styx sprayer, another form of weaponry that showered foes in caustic liquids, utilizing water pumped out of the River Styx.

Operations
An infernal war machine was controlled by its helm, a typical vehicle seat surrounded by a series of pedals, levers, and steering mechanism. A war machine without a driver would remain on its current course and speed until stopped by some other force.

The engine of an infernal war machine each possessed a receptacle in which soul coins could be inserted. The soul trapped within the coin was immediately siphoned into the machine's furnace, processed into power, and destroyed within a matter of days. Liquid demon ichor could be applied directly into the furnace to bolster performance. While operational, the engine of the war machine resonated with the sonorous rumble, underscored with screams of agony.

Despite their unique power source and quasi-magical nature, infernal war machines were incapable of acting directly on their own and required a crew to be piloted, and its weaponry to be manned. Excessive wear and tear on their machinery could lead to outright failure. Similarly, war machines could be immediately shut down by use of antimagic fields or other magic-nullifying effects.

History
After components of the Infernal Machine of Lum the Mad were recovered, the archdevils Bel and Zariel both had their minions attempt to convert the artifact into an exceptionally powerful infernal war machine.



Types of Infernal War Machines

 * Devil's Ride, a small single-rider machine built atop two wheels. It was capable of high speeds and was exceptionally maneuverable.
 * Earth Ripper, a huge war machine that could transport larger crews and was equipped with an enormous wrecking ball on a chain.
 * Tormentor, the four-wheeled vehicle that could rapidly transport small teams and carry a moderate amount of cargo.
 * Demon Grinder, the massive armored vehicles of the infernal armies constructed to slay as many demons as possible in the quickest time possible.
 * Scavenger, a bulky war machine built with a massive clawed arm used to haul damaged machines or other debris on the battlefield.

Notable Infernal War Machines Machines

 * Soul Reaper, a gargantuan war machine commissioned by Mad Maggie to harvest souls at a terrifying rate.

Notable Owners

 * Bazelstreen, the horned devil mechanic of the Stygian dock.
 * Fai Chen, a planewalking merchant that found herself heavily indebted to Mahadi, the rakshasa proprietor of the Wandering Emporium.
 * Mad Maggie, the night hag warlord and head of the Knucklebones Gang of Avernus.
 * Raggadragga, leader of the Goreguts Gang also on Avernus.
 * Smiler the Defiler, a fallen eladrin that was forced to survive in the Nine Hells after being abandoned by his comrades in the Feywild.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus • Infernal Machine Rebuild
 * Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
 * Avernus Rising (Faces of Fortune • Infernal Insurgency • Losing Fai • Infernal Pursuits • Hellfire Requium) Dreams of the Red Wizards (The Harrowing of Hell)
 * The Breath of Life • Consequences of Choice
 * The Breath of Life • Consequences of Choice