Bulezau (Boo-Leh-Zow)

Bulezaus are violence-craving Tanar'ri Demons that embodt primal fury and the bestial brutality of nature. Though the minotaur-like creatures appeare gaunt, they are the heavy infantry of the Plane of Demons, too stupid and stubborn to retreat. These brutal Demons are known as the Demon Lord Baphomet's perfect children, as they were created by the Demon Lord to be perfect killing machines. 

Description

Bulezaus look like 8‒9 ft tall Minotaurs but are gaunt to the point of seeming skeletal as opposed to being muscular, weighing around 250 lb. Rather than those of a bull, a Bulezaus' massive horns are curved like that of a ram, while their feet end in claws as opposed to hooves. Their filth-covered flesh carries the stench of carrion and is covered in open boils filled with festering maggots. Patches of short, wiry bristles covered their bodies as opposed to a coat of fur, and their long, serpentine tails end in a tangled clump of steel-like spines. Their goat-like heads host pale, rheumy, and crusted over eyes, while their needle-like fangs are concealed by lips caked in foam.

Combat

Bulezaus are neither smart, wise, nor charismatic, and despite grasping basic combat tactics could not utilize advanced fighting strategies or lead other Demons. Thus, they rely on their physical capabilities and tenacity to do battle, often starting combat by roaring at the densest enemy cluster. They favourite foes are those that could not or would not try to run away from them as well as those that seemed weak. Most owned a massive magical weapon in the form of a ranseaur, but they sometimes wielded longspears, tridents, morningstars and other long weapons. Their skill in these weapons is shown particularly when charging, attacking quickly, and finishing downed targets. When an opponent became too close for a Bulezau to fight with their weapons, they drop them and stuck to their natural armaments.

Behaviour

Bulezaus are antagonistic, violent bullies that constantly sought conflict and approached it with enthusiasm and glee. Fury is their default emotion and they gained entertainment only in the struggle of combat. Their eagerness to fight sometimes overwhelmed their sense of self preservation, and only the threats of significantly more powerful beings, coupled with promises of future warring could keep them under control. Disagreements among them turn violent extremely easily and they will immediately start fighting if they became tired of talking. Their form of speech is simplistic and animalistic, and they also communicate through a weak telepathic empathy. To Bulezaus, any activity that was not fighting is a waste of time, and they have no patience for guarding or sneaking. When a Bulezau found something, it classified as an enemy it attacked, and if no enemies are present then they will quickly try to find one.

Society

Bulezaus lurk within the deeper canyons and towering cliffs of the Plane of Demons, most commonly on layers dedicated to warfare or ruled by barbaric Demon Lords like Demon Lord Kostchtchie or Yeenoghu. If not being intimidated into service by a more powerful Demon, they gather into chaotic mobs, constantly scuffling and clashing amongst themselves unless a better target made itself apparent. A lone Bulezau is almost certainly the result of complete slaughter of their horde, most likely the result of their own self-destructive feuding. Bulezaus must be kept in line by a strong commander with significant charisma, Demon or otherwise, often under orders to attack any Bulezau that started a brawl. Tanar'ri leaders normally attempt to keep Bulezaus at the front of a battle, as without some form of war to fight their mobs quickly descends into chaos. The threat of almost certain death is typically enough to restrain them for some time, but many of their superiors found themselves too late to stop a band of Bulezaus from self-terminating. Mortals attempting to call Bulezaus to aid them found them annoyingly uncooperative unless random opportunities for violence are offered.


Ironically, despite their utter hatred for everything that was around them, Bulezaus are among the most appreciated creatures within all the Plane of Demons. Higher-ranking Demons found Bulezaus to be enough of a boon that they gather them in large formations and created units of fanatical guards composed of them, despite the burden of dealing with their stupidity and quarrels. Relatively high-ranking Tanar'ri conscripts are also grateful for the Bulezaus, as their enthusiasm for fighting might allow the more subtle Demons to sneak away unnoticed when they are around. However, weaker Tanar'ri are frequently bullied by Bulezaus and the creatures will savage them at the slightest provocation, with some cases having more Dretches or Rutterkin lost to the impatience of the Bulezau than the enemy. Bulezau serve a similar function to Vrocks, being tough front-line infantry and assault leaders. Although Vrocks are more magically adept and mobile, Bulezaus are unwavering in their attacks as opposed to the flightiness of Vrocks. The two sustained a bitter rivalry with only the presence of Devils being enough to keep them from each other's throats. Bulezaus hold a similar animosity towards Armanites, with which they fought with to claim the spoils of battle. They despised goodly and virtuous Minotaurs but are quick to come to the call of evils ones.

Ecology

Aeons ago, the Demon Lord Baphomet created mortal Minotaurs, which are divided in their ways. The Demon Lord Yeenoghu pointed out the division and mocked him, claiming that half of his minions are worthless. In respone, Demon Lord Baphomet sent his underlings to peform demonic rituals upon the corpses of female mortals who are devoted to good-aligned deities. Said rituals are purported to have involved the breeding of Minotaurs and other Tanari'ri, eventually swaring the Bulezaus. When initally inted to crush Demon Lord Yeenoghu's forces, the Bulezaus become too uncontrollable to be handled on a wider scale. They would be relased into the Plane of Demons to flourish and breed in large numbers.

In-Game Stats

Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

Bulezau CR: 3

Medium fiend (demon), chaotic evil

Armor Class: 14 (Natural Armor)

Hit Points: 52 (7d8 + 21)

Speed: 40 ft

STR

15 +2

DEX

14 +2

CON

17 +3

INT

8 -1

WIS

9 -1

CHA

6 -2

Damage Resistances: Cold, Fire, Lightning

Damage Immunities: Poison

Condition Immunities: Charmed, Frightened, Poisoned

Senses: Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 9

Languages: Abyssal, Telepathy 60 ft.

Challenge Rating: 3

Rotting Presence: When any creature that isn’t a Demon starts its turn within 30 feet one or more bulezaus, that creature must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 necrotic damage plus 1 necrotic damage for each bulezau within 30 feet of it.
Standing Leap: The Bulezau’s long jump is up to 20 feet and its high jump is up to 10 feet, with or without a running start.
Sure-Footed: The Bulezau has advantage on Strength and Dexterity saving throws made against effects that would knock it prone.

Actions

Barbed Tail: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d12 + 2) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw against disease or become poisoned until the disease ends. While poisoned in this way, the target sports festering boils, coughs up flies, and sheds rotting skin, and the target must repeat the saving throw after every 24 hours that elapse. On a successful save, the disease ends. On a failed save, the target’s hit point maximum is reduced by 4 (1d8). The target dies if its hit point maximum is reduced to 0.

Scientific Name

Tanar'ri Demon

Geographic Distribution

• 422nd Layer
• The Plane of Demons