Kyton

Pathfinder chose to depict its basic kyton in a more seductive fashion.

Kytons or Chain Devils are a fiendish race present in both Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder.

D&D

Originating in D&D, the Kyton is a minor fiend native to the third level of Baator, where they rule the chain-woven city of Jangling Hiter. Characterized as humanoids wrapped up like mummies in barbed chains, kytons are notorious for their skill at wielding chain weapons and their sadistic love of inflicting pain. Whether they're actually a strain of Baatezu or a minor fiendish race subliminated to diabolic rule is unclear.

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  2e
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  3e
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  5e
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  Descent into Avernus

Pathfinder

In Pathfinder, Kytons have stepped out of the hells and gotten a lot more development. Now residents of the Plane of Shadow, the Kytons of Pathfinder are... well, essentially they're Barker Coenobites. (Some of the newer ones have a little Silent Hill mixed in, too.) Obsessed with pain, pleasure, and the limits of the flesh, they are a race of twisted flesh and mutilating metal, servitors of the mad God of Pain, Zon-Kuthon. Their leaders are demigods known as Demagogues. They have been renamed "Velstracs" as of PF 2nd Edition, presumably to protect Paizo from litigation. Canonically the word "Kyton" means "Master" or "Virtuoso" in the Velstrac's language, so the reason they didn't / don't mind being called Kytons was because they see it as a form of flattery.

Types of Velstrac

Almoner

The ones who forge the chains and blades that all the other velstracs dress up in. They look like halflings with 3 sets of arms and no legs. They are blind, deaf, and mute. Forge chains based on a sort of internal Divination, so there's no telling if they'll actually work on something for you or not.

Apocrisiarus

Obsessed with truth and incapable of lying. They physically and mentally cut off pieces of their victims until they are reduced to "a single truth". They look like humans with blank white eyes crying blood, with various knives stabbed into their body.

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Apostle

Mortals who have been turned into velstracs.

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Augur

The lowliest and most common type of velstrac, these guys were humanoid at one point, but have been squashed into a meatball to fit inside a 1-foot diameter floating metal sphere covered in spikes.

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Cantor

Act as scouts and guides. They look like grey skinless children with glowing red eyes. Their name is ironic as they have a soul-piercing, but ultimately silent, wail.

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Ephialtes

After a velstrac kills their 999th victim, they can undergo a ritual to turn them into an Ephialtes, an ugly frankenstein worm thing that, despite having a leadership role, is significantly stupider than the average velstrac.

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Eremite

Second in command to the Demagogues. They have skeletal wings and are always looking for newer, better body parts to replace their heavily mutilated flesh.

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Evangelist

Your classic blue-skinned Chain Devil.

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Interlocutors

Surgeons/fleshsculptors akin to haemonculi. They graft more metal and technology to themselves than other Velstrac, the better to carve up flesh with.

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Lampadarius

The divine servitors of Zon-Kuthon. They cut out pieces of their flesh and replace it with shadowstuff.

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Libitinarii

Obsessed with cold and ice. They have icicles pierced through their hands. Typically servants of the Demagogue Inkariax.

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Oitos

Skeletons! These boney pimps turn people's bones into gold so shiny it melts their eyeballs from the inside.

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Ostiarius

Gatekeepers and emissaries between the Material and the Plane of Shadow. Noteworthy because they can cast Inspire Courage, making them useful as a low-to-mid level summon. They're also the most reasonable of their kind, really trying to put a positive spin on the whole "torture forever" thing.

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Phylacator

Jailers and executioners. Curiously the only Velstracs that *don't* like being called Kytons. Adventurers who make the mistake will be corrected firmly, but politely, exactly once. They also answer to the name "Vincuvicars." Somewhat unique in that they willingly allow themselves to be bound by mortals to serve in prisons (for payment in Lawful and Good corpses) and for being fully loyal to Zon-Kuthon, having previously been his jailor.

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Precentor

Storytellers and historians. They charm people into following them around and screaming at the top of their lungs. While all Velstrac are getting something out of the torture they perform, these guys stand out as really enjoying what they do.

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Sacristan

A created slave race, made from failures. They have a gateway to the Shadow Plane crammed into their mouths.

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Suffragan

Also called "Joyful Things", these are velstracs who have undergone the Joymaking ceremony, where they have their arms, legs, eyes, ears, nose and tongue removed. Chains, barbed whips, and other artificial appendages are attached to the stumps.

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Termagant

Not that one. Constantly pregnant and giving birth to more velstracs. Despite appearances, they really do enjoy the state they're in. Also, if they weren't terrible enough, they seek out others to become new babies, inject them with literal shit and then unbirth them and torture them in their wombs until they come out as new Velstrac.

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Velstrac Demagogues

• Arrogus, the Abbey Maker: Led the Velstrac out of Hell, making him the de facto leader of the group. Cares more about politics and the universe at large than most of his peers.

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• Barravoclair, Lady of the Final Gasp: Decided she liked dying so much that she froze herself at the exact moment of her death. Encourages others to do the same.

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• Fharaas, the Seer in Skin: Patron of serial killers. Dresses in impeccable white and hangs out in asylums.

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• Inkariax, the White Death: Likes stillness so much he freezes shit solid. Has a massive crush on Doloras of the Whore Queens and gave her her signature crown. Keeps more devils in his realm than most.

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• Kaikyton, the Stitchweaver: The one for whom the others are named. The archetypal Velstrac.

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• Morrobahn, the Parasite Seed: Genuinely wants to create a perfect being, something even better than the gods. Makes animals fight to the death and then picks the best parts of what's left over.

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• Raetorgash, the Skull-Hoarder: The Velstrac answer to Kheradruakh. Kills people and takes their skulls. Unique among her kind, as that sort of thing kills very quickly and neither uplifts nor educates.

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• Sugroz, the Voice in Screams: Moisturize me. Goes to war from time to time, which is something Velstrac generally shy from.

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• Vevelor of the Broken Dream: A mortal who attained Demagogue status. His followers are actually at odds with Zon-Kuthon, as they don't like the idea of imposing enlightening pain on folks at random.

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Velstrac-spawn Tiefling

Introduced alongside a bunch of other variant tieflings in the splatbook Blood of Fiends.

Ability Modifiers +2 Con, +2 Cha, -2 Wis

Alternate Skill Modifiers: Escape Artist, Intimidate

Alternate Spell-like Ability: Web

Traits:

Chain Master: +2 trait bonus on combat maneuver checks to trip opponents with a chain or whip.

Pain Artist: +2 trait bonus on Intimidate checks on against helpless creatures

The Fiends of Pathfinder
Lawful:	Asuras - Devils - Rakshasas - Velstracs
Neutral:	Daemons - Divs - Sahkils
Chaotic:	Demodands - Demons - Lilus - Nindorus - Qlippoth
Any:	Oni
Lords:	Ahriman - Archdevils Demon Lords - Four Horsemen