Demoniac
by Charis
dedicated to Woody and Jethro Tull

Class: Warrior
Tag: DEM

Introduction

The Demoniac was once possessed by a powerful demon, thought to be one of the three Prime Evils. He was freed by a holy paladin one day, and on the very brink of death. But his hatred for demons fueled an amazing comeback, and his heart was set on demolishing the strongholds of hell. Above all he seeks to destroy Diablo, who he has termed 'Beastie'. The Demoniac has a sharp mind and attitude that is cold, calculating, and vengeful. His attitude is described best by the words of Jethro Tull (Broadsword and the Beast):

There's a beast upon my shoulder and a fiend upon my back. Feel his burning breath a heaving smoke oozing from his stack. And he moves beneath the covers or he lies below the bed. He's the Beast upon your shoulder. He's the price upon your head. He's the lonely fear of dying, and for some, of living too. Stare that Beastie in the face and really give him hell. ...

Bring me my Broadsword and clear understanding; Bring me my cross of gold as a talisman; Bless with a hard heart those who surround me.

Rules

As soon as he can obtain a broadsword he will wield one, and this shall be his preferred weapon until a unique item that was forged to slay demons (Civerb's Cudgel, BloodSlayer) is found. He will put max points to Strength until able to wield the Broadsword.

He also seeks his lost Gold talisman (amulet), and will always wear a Gold Amulet (any suffix) once one is found. If a fellow adventure who shares his hatred for demons wishes to help him with companionship or an appropriate gift, the Demoniac will not refuse.

Besides the Broadsword, the Demoniac likes the Flail as a weapon of punishment. These and heavy weapons with at least +100% damage are very strongly preferred (Hellslayer, Mess Reaver, Eaglehorn, Windforce, Doombringer, Grizzly, Deadly Hunter Bow; also Master's, Champion's, King's; Massive, Savage, Ruthless, Merciless).

Lvl up points and equipment tend to focus on dishing out damage rather than defense or to hit%.

A sample nice (and somewhat non-standard) setup for a high level demoniac might be: Awesome Full Plate of Precision, Obsidian Helm of Stars, a Merciless Broadsword of Slaughter, Emerald Shield of Tiger, Gold Amulet of the Heavens, Gold Ring of Perfection, Gold Ring of Tiger, with a Cudgel and Bloodslayer for Demon bosses.

Quests

These are simple and direct, with no titles or fanfare.

All demon bosses must be slain.

He will not pass up the chance to slay Diablo, hoping it will be final, each game he plays in which Lazarus is slain.

If offered the chance to enter Hell, even if he is not able to navigate the crevice behind Pippin's abode, he will take the opportunity if he is able to kill even one foul demon

The Demoniac's vision is to go golden (i.e. get 3 dots...) with a demon slaying weapon.

Once the Demoniac's full strength has returned, he will surely want to payback Diablo with the dreaded Quest of Retribution.

The Retribution Quest
This is a new quest that can be chosen by any character, although originally designed the Demoniac. In this quest the character wants not only to slay Diablo, but to have the Lord of Terror watch and moan as each of his defenders is slain before his very eyes.

On entry to level 16, the switches to Diablo's room must be opened by telekinesis before any monster is killed. The character then goes toward His lair until Diablo is visible. The retributor then proceeds to kill each of the minions of the level right in front of Diablo -- none may be slain if he is not onscreen. The retributor must be very powerful or very fast to survive the constant chasing and apocalypse blasts from Diablo. (He may wish to use an Apocalypse or two himself.)

At some point Gorash will also be found; he should then become a second witness. Thus at the end only the character, Gorash and Diablo will be left standing. Slay Gorash, and finally Diablo, to successfully complete the Retribution Quest.

Aside from Diablo and Gorash, many like to let Jim the Black Knight watch the carnage as well. In these cases, Jim is slain before Gorash.

A highly recommended quest for Paladin, Cleric, Death Knight, and any who have lost an item to lag on lvl 16 :-)