In the past few weeks, we had many wonderful entries to the Monarch of the Monsters contest, and our talented and skilled judges chose five finalists from among the entries. We now present those five finalists to you so that you can enjoy them, and, at the end of the week, vote on your favorite. This time, we have the echo demon by Eric Hindley.

This vaguely humanoid creature has a bat-like face and large claws of twisted, rusting iron at the end of winged arms. Strangely soft rust-colored fur covers its body.

Echo Demon CR 5

XP 1,600
CE Medium outsider (chaotic, demon, evil, extraplanar)
Init +7; Senses blindsense 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +11
Aura cacophonous aura (30 ft., DC 15)

—– Defense —–
AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+3 Dex, +3 natural)
hp 45 (6d10+18)
Fort +6, Ref +8, Will +7
DR 10/cold iron or good; Immune deafness, electricity, poison; Resist acid, cold, fire 10; SR 16
Weaknesses vulnerable to sonic

—– Offense —–
Speed 30 ft., fly 20 ft. (clumsy)
Melee 2 claws +9 (1d6+3 plus iron claws)
Special Attacks sneak attack +1d6
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th; concentration +7)
Constant—tongues

At will—ghost sound, invisibility, sound burst (DC 13)
1/day—summon (level 3, 1 echo demon 30% or 1d4 dretches 50%)

—– Statistics —–
Str 17, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 12
Base Atk +6; CMB +9; CMD 23
Feats Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Stealth)
Skills Climb +12, Escape Artist +12, Fly +4, Intimidate +10, Perception +11, Stealth +15
Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic
SQ everywhere at once

—– Ecology —–
Environment any (Abyss)
Organization solitary, cluster (2-6)
Treasure standard

—– Special Abilities —–
Cacophonous Aura (Su) An echo demon produces a perpetual swirl of shrieks, chirps and other shrill noises which bear a more-than-passing resemblance to words; or more specifically uttered lies. These sounds bounce and reverberate in the surrounding area, sowing confusion. Any non-deaf creature within 30 feet of an echo demon must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or be sickened for 1 round. A successful saving throw makes a creature immune to the cacophonous aura of that particular echo demon for 24 hours. Additionally, any non-deaf creature attempting to cast a spell within this area must make a DC 15 concentration check. As a result of this aura, anyone within 30-ft of an echo demon is automatically aware of the creature, though attempts to use Perception to pinpoint its location through hearing alone suffer an additional -5 penalty. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Everywhere at Once (Su) As a swift action, an echo demon can teleport to any space within its cacophonous aura. The echo demon can only transport itself and its belongings, otherwise this ability otherwise functions as dimension door.

Iron Claws (Ex) The twisted claws of an echo demon carry a vicious affliction. Any creature hit must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or become deafened for 1d4 rounds. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Nearly every evil soul told lies during its mortal life—some petty, some bold, some even deadly. It is said that when a truly despicable liar’s soul passes to the Abyss, it can sometimes take the form of an echo demon. The tormented creature is surrounded by a constant echoing chatter which supposedly repeats every lie ever told, surrounding the demon with a cacophonous aura of noise that disorients and demoralizes its foes.

Echo demons (or chiroptus demons) are dangerous hunters that love nothing more than to prowl near-empty halls in cavernous dwellings in search of creatures to torment and kill. They use their sound-based powers to sow discord and confusion, picking off groups of adventurers one at a time. Their ability to appear anywhere within earshot allows them to launch attacks from surprising angles, often catching their prey off-guard. Ironically, the claws of an echo demon cause the victim to be deafened, rendering them immune to the creature’s potent sonic powers.

Though they can see as well as other demons, echo demons often rely on their bat-like echolocation to find their foes. This leaves them vulnerable to sonic attacks, but provides them with their most potent abilities. They can focus their sonic senses to batter their foes. Even more deadly than a single demon, a cluster of the monsters can use their ability to be seemingly everywhere at once to set up ambushes and vicious flank attacks. Thankfully, like most demons, echo demons rarely cooperate for long, finding the noise generated by their brethren to be the most grating sound they can imagine.