Phaerimm

Phaerimms were aberrations of a wholly evil and sadistic bent. Their desire to erase all other living beings from existence was held in check by their desire to enslave other beings and torture them for sport.

Description
Phaerimms were conical in shape with an ovoid head. They had barbed teeth and a venomous hollow barb on the end of their tails. Phaerimms had four arms.

Combat
In addition to their spell-casting abilities, phaerimms were formidable opponents in melee combat. Their tail was strong enough to knock over most humanoids. The stinger at the end of their tail injected a powerful venom into a target, causing paralysis.

Abilities
Phaerimms were incredibly powerful spell-casters. Not only were they capable of casting far more spells than most human mages, they have developed their own unique spells, which could only be cast by phaerimm. This was due to the fact these spell's somatic components required the use of four arms. A negative side-effect of paherimm magic was that it drained moisture from the surrounding area. Extensive use of this magic led to the creation of the infamous Anauroch desert.

All spells cast by a phaerimm was done so through will alone. Their magical studies mainly composed of altering spells cast by humanoids to be cast in such a way. As they learned new spells, they had the ability to retain one spell per skill level attained. This spell was permanently memorized by the phaerimm.

Phaerimms had a degree of natural resistance to nearly all affects and spells. Additionally, they also had the natural ability to absorb or deflect any spell cast on them.

Society
Phaerimms were solitary creatures but always lived near other phaerimms, both for protection and to gain pleasure from unleashing devious schemes on one another. A phaerimm always retained a retinue of enslaved creatures. Phaerimms communicated with one another non-verbally by varying the wind speeds around their bodies. With non-phaerimms, they communicated telepathically. They understood Common and knew several other languages.

They did not maintain direct relations with non-phaerimm organizations or realms, instead relying on magically-enslaved agents to do their bidding beyond their territory.

Phaerimm had a particular hatred from tomb trappers, due to their immunity to phaerimm mind control.

Habitat
Phaerimms made their homes in fortified underground caves. Since this was were a phaerimm stored their magical items and spellsbooks, they were defended by powerful magical traps, slaves and spellfields.

Ecology
Phaerimms would always choose to fly unless prevented from doing so. Phaerimms were carnivores, capturing mammals and reptiles, sentient or not, and holding them as slaves until slaughtered for consumption. Phaerimms also fed on magic.

Phaerimms reproduced by injecting an egg into a victim via the stinger on their tail. The egg hatched within the paralyzed victim, and the larva began consuming them alive from the inside. The larva could be killed safely only with the casting of a cure disease spell.

History
Phaerimms date back to the Days of Thunder, -33,800_DR.

Phaerimms were credited with creating the backblast. It was later stolen by other races and was then found in many spellbooks across Faerûn.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * How the Mighty Are Fallen • Shadowdale: The Scouring of the Land • The Ruins of Myth Drannor
 * Novels
 * The Siege • The Sorcerer • The Summoning


 * Short Stories
 * First Flight • When Shadows Come Seeking a Throne


 * Video Games
 * Baldur's Gate