Guardian daemon

Guardian daemons, also known as guardian yugoloths, are demonic beings from the plane of Gehenna.

Appearance
A guardian daemon is a gigantic demonic creature that speaks with a booming voice. They have a variety of different appearances, but come in three principal types: least, lesser, and greater. The least guardian daemons are often horned and frog-like, while the lesser guardian daemons are generally ape- or boar-like. Greater guardian daemons always appear as gigantic, winged bears with ram horns growing from their skulls and eagle talons for hands.

The guardian daemon in the novel Promise of the Witch-King, like the one illustrated above, has a head and facial features that resembles a snub-nosed bulldog with huge canines. A pair of inward-hooking horns adorn its wide head at the sides.

Guardian daemons can be summoned through use of a flaming brazier which makes them to appear from smoke, their arms and hands appearing to be made of smoke, the fingers of their black hands narrowing to sharp points. They radiate an aura of pure evil.

Combat
Guardian daemons can conjure a cone of fire three times a day. All guardian daemons are immune to charm, hold, sleep, polymorph, and fear spells.

They fight with raking claws and biting maws. Greater guardian daemons can make a magical suggestion once per round, even when engaging in other actions.

Chopping off their heads is the only way to slay these creatures and their heads are all that remains of them afterwards.

Ecology
Guardian daemons were created by yugoloths in order to heed the summonings of mortals foolish enough to attempt to call one of their kind without knowing its true name. True to the letter of the binding, the summoner indeed receives a yugoloth, although guardians are not true members of that race, but instead creations made to serve as lackeys and summoning stock.

Summoning a guardian daemon is dangerous, presenting a chance that the caster will fail to control it. An uncontrolled guardian daemon may slay the offender. If successfully summoned and bound, guardian daemons must remain at all times within 90 yards of the object they have been summoned to protect.

Creative origins
The guardian daemon was originally created by Ian McDowall.