Imp

Description

(From 5th edition Monster Manual - 2014):

Imps are found throughout the Lower Planes, either running errands for their infernal masters, spying on rivals, or misleading and waylaying mortals. An imp will proudly serve an evil master of any kind, but it can’t be relied on to carry out tasks with any speed or efficiency.

An imp can assume animal form at will, but in its natural state it resembles a diminutive red-skinned humanoid with a barbed tail, small horns, and leathery wings. It strikes while invisible, attacking with its poison stinger.

Imps can be found in the service to mortal spellcasters, acting as advisors, spies, and familiars. An imp urges its master to acts of evil, knowing the mortal’s soul is a prize the imp might ultimately claim. Imps display an unusual loyalty to their masters, and an imp can be quite dangerous if its master is threatened.

(From Planescape: Monstrous Compendium Appendix I - 1994):

Imps are diminutive creatures of an evil nature who roam the world and act as familiars for lawful evil wizards and priests.

The imp can polymorph itself into two other animal forms. The most commonly encountered alternate forms are those of a large spider, raven, giant rat, or goat. In such forms the imp is physically identical to a normal animal.

Imps are beings of a very evil nature who originate on the darkest of evil planes. Their main purpose on the Prime Material plane is to spread evil by assisting lawful evil wizards and priests. When such a person is judged worthy of an imp’s service, the imp comes in answer to a find familiar spell.

Once they have contacted their new “master¨, imps begin at once to take control of his actions. Although imps maintain the illusion that the summoner is in charge, the actual relationship is closer to that of a workman (the imp) and his tools (the master).

Although an imp’s body can be destroyed on the Prime Material plane, it is not so easily slain. When its physical form is lost, its corrupt spirit instantly returns to its home plane where it is reformed and, after a time, returned to our world to resume its work.

While they are technically in the service of their master, imps retain a basic independence and ambition to become more powerful someday. They may acquire treasure from those they slay, and will often pilfer valuables encountered during their travels.

The imp confers some of its powers upon its master. A telepathic link connects the two whenever they are within one mile of each other. This enables the master to receive all of the imp’s sensory impressions, including its infravision. The master also gains the imp’s inherent 25% magical resistance and is able to regenerate just as the imp does. If the imp is within telepathic range, the master acts as if he were one level higher than he actually is. Conversely, if the imp is more than a mile away, the master acts as if he were one level of ability below his actual rank. If the imp is killed, the master instantly drops by four levels, though these can be regained in the usual manner.

Imps are the errand boys of the powerful evil beings who command the darkest planes. They often act as emissaries and agents, but their primary task is to enhance the spread of evil in our world.

Combat: In its natural form, the imp attacks with the wicked stinger on its tail. In addition to inflicting 1-4 points of damage, this stinger injects a powerful poison which is so deadly that those who fail their save versus poison are instantly slain by it. When it is polymorphed, the imp attacks with the natural weaponry of its adopted form, though the goat and raven forms lack damaging attacks.

The imp can use its special magical abilities no matter what its form. All imps are able to detect good, detect magic, or become invisible at will. Once per day they can use a suggestion.

Imps are immune to attacks based on cold, fire, or electricity and resist all other spell attacks as if they were 7 Hit Die creatures. They can be harmed only by silver or magical weapons and are able to regenerate one hit point per melee round.