#virtuoso outfit

[devildom-fashion-week]

SATAN⸺VIRTUOSO

Appassionato! Espressivo! Trionfante!

⸺

— Satan’s outfits || Virtuoso outfits || masterlist —

[journey-to-the-attic]

i've missed may 3rd because this took so much longer than anticipated but!! birthday parade for my little superstar <33

[kashlyn]

I think it's clear what I've been doing the whole day

[tbshorts]

Starly turns a tiny cowlick into a powerfully proud pompadour

✨ Bidoof ✨ ... and Bibarel, I guess.

Kricketot and Kricketune are good, if unspectacular, costuming

Video scripts below the cut

Starly:

Why hello there, Gen 4 Pidgey, what is your deal?

Well, Starly isn't much of anything, it's a fairly literal translation of a starling, albeit with a quite compelling graphic design on the face and a good use of that one white tailfeather and the little cowlick on the head to give it some uniqueness.

Staravia mostly doubles down on those ideas, hardening the face mask into a star and REALLY curling that cowlick into a spitcurl that, along with the severe expression, gives it some strong confrontational energy.

And all of that comes to a head culminating naturally and very smoothly in Staraptor, which moves basically all of the design detail to the head and face. Its face crest now spreads out in sharp spikes, the eyes are red and focused and serious, and it's grown what's always seemed to me like a Bōsōzoku hairstyle, that particular brand of youth counterculture so embedded in Japanese pop culture. The blood red that it's tipped with gives it some much needed color and more menace, almost as though it's daring you to comment on its silly hairdo.

I feel the rest of the design is a bit neglected here, it could use some more detail, but all in all, it's effective, it looks powerful, it works.

Grade: A

Bidoof:

You know, if Bidoof didn't evolve, I might genuinely put it in S-tier.

Every generation needs its Rattata, right, a mostly weak, somewhat cute but usually quickly discarded Normal type with an early evolution, entirely designed to be left behind. Bidoof is that for Gen 4, but… who could ever abandon this precious child? Look at him! I struggle to even really articulate it, because its sweetness is so obvious.

Bidoof's shape language is very simple, all circles and rounded shapes, which then contrasts with the sharp rectangles of its teeth. And that enormous overbite combined with the tiny little red clown nose and those sweet little button eyes that are just a little too far apart… god it looks precious. It's so fucking cute! What dark alchemy did they pour into this beast to make it so fucking appealing??? If you can put him in a PC box and leave him without feeling guilty, your soul will not see Heaven!

The evolution, though… I mean Bibarel is fine, it's cute enough, but between that weird eye mask, the pinprick eyes which just don't work on it and the loss of a lot of its wooly fluffiness… some of the magic is lost.

It's still cute, it's still good, but it's just not Bidoof anymore.

Grade: A

Kricketot:

I don't usually give bug types much attention because, well, they tend to be weak and I don't like their type matchups, but Cricketot is a deceptively adorable little thing. With its wide collar and markings on the chest, it looks like it's wearing a fancy olde timey outfit, and depending on if you see the round shape on its face as a mouth or a nose it looks various degrees of awkward and shy. The color scheme is maybe a bit drab, but what a dapper little gentleman.

This all comes very much to a head in Cricketune, with its big imperious moustache the wings hanging off its body like fancy coat tails. Going by its pokédex entries it's supposed to evoke the idea of a virtuoso composer, playing on the idea of grasshoppers and crickets as violinists. And, yeah, I can see that idea. I think maybe the markings on the body could have evoked white tie dress a bit more explicitly, or maybe have its antennae shaped like musical notes or something, but, no, yeah, I buy it.

As a design, this is… perfectly effective. It's not exciting, but it's a fun idea and it works… well enough.

Grade: B

[sarahalainn]

NEW SINGLE. OUT NOW! Flags of Brave - Sarah Àlainn Version

My debut song was from a JRPG.

But #EiyudenChronicle is the first game I 100% completed!

After 120 fantastic hrs I was ready to share my own “Flags of Brave” with just my voice(s) & the phenomenal Benyamin Nuss on piano.

Outfit an homage to Nowa. Flag-like red drapes. Liberty pose. One flag, the name is Brave!

🎧Piece of advice 🎧

＊Try turning Dolby Atmos on and off and enjoy the differences between the two mixes (spatial audio and traditional stereo)!

＊If you cannot listen in Atmos, not to worry - we worked hard on the traditional stereo mix too!

🇯🇵サラ・オレイン新作第１弾！

いままで殆どがエンディングテーマだったので、

ゲーム内で自分の声を中々聞けなかった…

そこで、初めて全クリしたJRPGが 『百英雄伝』でした。

歌が聴けた！120時間ほど英雄伝の世界を端から端まで一人でプレイした想いが詰まった新録音。

多重録音、サラが沢山います〜👀

🎹はクラシックとジャズの二刀流、ベンヤミン・ヌス!

ジャケ写と衣装も拘りポイント。

ノアカラーの衣装に旗が靡くようなドレープをつけました。

勇気の旗は降ろさない！

🎧サラッとアドバイス！🎧

＊Dolby Atmosをオンオフしてステレオとの違いを楽しんでくださいね！

＊Atmosが適さないと感じる環境の方は、ステレオでお楽しみください！

こちらの動画でDolby Atmosのオンオフの設定の仕方を紹介されてます：

https://youtu.be/7vm_gUV0fGs

🇫🇷Nouveau single de Sarah Àlainn! Disponible maintenant !

Cette année, le seul jeu que j’ai terminé est Eiyuden Chronicle!

Nous jouerons mes trois nouveaux singles avec Benyamin Nuss samedi à Nancy @ Anim’est !!!

🎧🎧🎧

Sarah Àlainn sings the title theme to the highly anticipated JRPG ‘Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes’. This new arrangement features Sarah’s vocal overdubbing (16-part choir including Bulgarian voices) & jazz/classical virtuoso Benyamin Nuss (‘Benyamin Nuss plays Uematsu’, ‘FANTASY WORLDS’) on🎹

🇯🇵

『#百英雄伝』のメインテーマを歌うサラ・オレインの新アレンジ。ブルガリアン・ヴォイスから声楽、力強い一人多重録音も聴きどころ。

🇫🇷

Nouvel arrangement par Sarah Àlainn de Flags of Brave, le thème principal d’Eiyuden Chronicle. Accompagnée par Benyamin Nuss au piano, Sarah Àlainn interprète aussi chaque voix du chœur !

[papermint-airplane]

Jen was talking to a Sim with the virtuoso trait and he immediately rolled a want to learn how to play the guitar. He's so cute. 🥺

While he was noodling around with it in the front yard trying to learn, a pretty girl stopped by to listen to him play. 👀 So I did what any Simmer would do.

You bet your bippy I opened her in CAS.

Voila! Cute girl is now even cuter!!! The only facial feature I changed was her eyelids because EA doesn't like normal eyelids. They also tend to make Asian eyes really really really small which is crazy so I made them a tad bigger. You know I like Sims with big expressive doll eyes.

And then I gave her a new outfit although I really liked the old one.

I just thought the kitty socks would suit her and things spiraled from there.

Tell me why she's watching him from the bushes like a creep.

[laiqualaurelote]

Press Release: Spooky Action at a Distance Album Reveal

The London Music Register - Local Interest

Spooky Action At A Distance unveils cover art for their much awaited debut album

The Ambassadors meets The Breakfast Club

Perhaps even more difficult than snagging a ticket to one of SAAAD’s sold-out club shows is trying to describe the experience to your less-lucky friends afterwards.

Their sound defies basic mortal conventions such as genre, instead better described by critic buzzwords, namely, transcendent and explosive.

Four band mates of wildly different backgrounds and styles meet to produce something that’s both the ultimate sum of their ancestral influences and entirely, uniquely theirs. Their music unabashedly melds high and low art- what begins as a pop punk song flows seamlessly into an operatic verse, while another number features elements of a baroque dance suite in what can best be defined as a modern club anthem. Their lyrics are equally packed with esoteric references and universal emotions.

It shouldn’t work- but it does. And it’s delicious. In order to tide you over until the album release, we’ve got the first look at its cover art, and as a gift to fans, it’s visually indicative of the band’s layered sound.

Many of you may be familiar with The Ambassadors from school trips to the National Gallery. The painting’s a popular subject of debate for art historians due to its detailed subjects and metaphysical symbolism. It’s reproduced faithfully here, albeit with a few cheeky adjustments.

SAAAD frontwoman Crystal Palace (yes, that Crystal Palace!) takes the place of the leftmost figure, complete with lavish outfit and undeniable rockstar swagger.

Across from her, drummer Charles Rowland stands in a dark coat, sticks clutched in a gloved hand.

Bassist Niko Sasaki lays across the top shelf à la Molly Ringwald, dandelion-crowned head at Palace’s shoulder.

Center frame- the band’s ‘brain’: virtuoso Edwin Payne sits with a lute across his lap and the painting’s infamous distorted skull slashing across his legs. (Memento mori seems to be a prevalent theme in many of SAAAD’s songs, though they often turn it into a lively celebration)

Eagle eyed fans will notice a couple additions to Holbein’s instruments- a bear figurine, a lantern, and a cherry blossom branch among them. Are they references to the band’s lyrics? Hints at future projects?

One thing’s for sure, we cannot wait to see more of this group. *

Spooky Action At A Distance’s album is available for preorder at record stores all across London.

Next live show: Saturday night at the Catabasis (tickets required in advance)

Booking inquires should be sent to Jenny Green.

HELLO I LOVE THIS?! for those unfamiliar with The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein, it's a 16th-century painting most famous for the weird distorted shape in the foreground, which looks like an alien object but is an anamorphic skull that comes into view if you approach it from certain angles. It's absolutely perfect for this band AU, I am shrieking. my eternal thanks to you anon

I actually drafted, but did not put in the fic itself, the track listing for the band's debut album AFTERLIVES, complete with writing credits:

SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET (Payne)

ACES DACES (Rowland)

LEFT OVER RITE (Payne)

TANPOPO NO KAMISAMA (Sasaki)

STICKY CRICKET WICKET (Rowland)

GIRLS’ KNIVES OUT (Sasaki, Surname von Hoverkraft)

RESTLESS PIANO SYNDROME (Payne)

PICK UP WHAT YOU’RE PUTTING DOWN (Rowland)

BRACELET ABOUT THE BONE (Payne)

BURY THE EX (Surname von Hoverkraft)

LANTERN IN THE DARK (Payne)

STAIRWAY TO HELL (Payne, Rowland) 

(bonus track)

13. GOT THE HELL OUT OF HELL (WE AIN’T GOING BACK) (Payne, Rowland, Sasaki, Surname von Hoverkraft)

gig officially gigged

[obeymetournaments]

PART 2: ROUND 2

[fungifanart]

Subzero Sonata

Characters: Male reader, Yuu!reader, Vil, Epel, Lilia, Malleus, Silver is mentioned

Word Count: 888

CW: Violence. The reader can sing. Also, the reader can use magic. (I'd recommend not thinking about it too much)

Notes: *Slaps Word document* This thing can fit SO much self-indulgence in it! I wrote this as part of a TWST Halloween collab organized by @twistedchatterbox. So, uuuhhh, sorry I'm late. I've been working a new job recently on top of class, so I haven't been able to sit down and write much.

(In case you were wondering, this is the song)

--------------------------------------------------------

You feel your determination solidify inside of you as you face down an army of possessed students and as the group splits up to take on each threat, you move towards the crowd and call out to the others, "I can help you guys with crowd-control, but I need you to cover me!"

"What? What are you gonna do??" Epel questions.

"Hey Vil! Remember how you said I'd make an excellent opera singer?" You ask as the man in question looks at you with wide eyes, "Well, you're about to get your wish!"

—--------------------------------------------------------

The sound of a ringing bell echoes throughout the hall, as if signaling the coming of the frigid wind that is now blowing across it.

The Prefect kneels in the center of the protective circle Vil and the others have formed as a flurry of ice and snow swirls around him and the first notes of a song echo from seemingly nowhere.

The music builds as the flurry disperses into cold mist, revealing the Prefect in a completely new outfit, going from a white shirt, white sweatpants and a white faux fur shawl, which Vil had only begrudgingly approved of, to a fine-tailored suit reminiscent of an opera virtuoso's accentuated with delicate snowflake patterns along the sleeves and rims, all topped-off with a pure white parasol.

Vil stares in awe as the Prefect begins to stand up and speak as the music swells, "Good evening, masters. Is this the new recital stage?" He says while giving a small bow.

The music gains more orchestral instruments and fully begins as the Prefect closes his parasol and walks forward, "Oh my! Such a large audience! I'd better jump into the chorus then!" He says before clearing his throat and releasing a powerful high note in time with the music that sends out a wave of pure ice magic into the air, forcing nearby ghosts to abandon their host bodies and leaving any stray ghosts in its path on the ground, frozen solid.

The Prefect keeps singing as the air grows colder and Vil turns back around to focus on fighting. However, as he does so, he sees more blasts of ice magic being shot at the possessed students with each new note the Prefect hits.

Vil tries to keep his focus, he really does, but hearing the Prefect’s voice repeatedly go up and down musical scales with such elegance and precision that he didn't think the other man possessed makes it extremely difficult.

However, with the Prefect’s help, they've managed to hold their own so far, and with Vil getting only slightly distracted by the beautiful singing happening behind him, just for the Prefect to stop singing as the song progresses to the next verse. Hearing this, Vil glances behind himself to ensure he's okay and sees a burst of icy mist call forth large snowflakes that dance around the Prefect as he stands firm with perfect poise and posture before opening his mouth to continue singing.

Things are seemingly going well as the Prefect sings…until Lilia takes notice and jumps completely over both defensive lines made by Silver and Vil's groups, razor-sharp nails trained perfectly on the Prefect’s neck.

However, before anyone can react, the Prefect reaches an elongated high note that he aims directly at Lilia, buffeting him with a concentrated storm of ice magic that sends him flying back towards Silver's group, covered in frost that hinders his mobility to ensure he won't be making a jump like that again.

The Prefect’s song continues as the biting cold encroaches on the enemy with each note, forcing more and more ghosts out of their mortal hosts and eventually drawing Malleus's attention, who sends a barrage of green fireballs at Vil's group from his place at the pipe organ, all of which are neutralized by the Prefect’s ice.

Finally, the song reaches its climax, which is signaled by the Prefect’s voice going up an octave, causing Vil to have to resist the urge to stop fighting and pull up a chair just to watch the rest of the performance. Which he may well be able to do at this point with how many possessed students have been saved now, but Vil decides not to leave anything up to chance and continues fighting as the ice and frost on the floor creep their way up the platform where Rook's group is still engaging with Malleus, the heat from his fire attacks being the only thing that stops them from overtaking him.

However, any remaining heat in the air quickly disappears as the Prefect reaches a note so high for him that it causes Vil's heart to skip a beat while sending a torrent of sub-zero temperatures across the entire hall, liberating the last of the possessed students and coating every surface in the grand hall with a solid layer of permafrost.

The song ends with one final high note from the Prefect before he holds his parasol above his head once again as his outfit reverts back to what it was before.

And, despite his disappointment about the Prefect’s outfit, Vil can only stand there, enthusiastically applauding the other man's performance and silently hoping that his makeup can sufficiently mask the heat he feels blossoming on his face in spite of the overwhelming cold encompassing the area.

[toonocosm]

I've made a custom Sketchtober prompt list this month and turning my OCs into fantasy MMORPG characters were the prompts from the 8th to the 11th. I've wanted to do this ever since I made this post, if you read it you'll get some insights into my design decisions here.

Necromancer Ravi

Ravi uses life force that he steals from enemies to conjure up necrotic spells. However, if he depletes all his stored life force he will start using his own which damages him (This is an excuse to draw him as a living skeleton lol). He can also create undead minions by using bones he finds in the environment. His outfit is based on the Ritualist Outfit from Guild Wars 2.

Virtuoso Kiana

I love how her design turned out! She's a magical girl fairy. LOOK AT HER, she's so fantasy! Her design is based on my main in GW2. She conjures up thorn knives that she lunges at her targets. She can't fly, but she can glide and get a bit more height when jumping thanks to her wings.

Guardian Api

You get a little look into what Api used to look like in 2016 here, he used to have angled back solar panels and different hands. And as you can see, this is not the first time I've drawn Api with armor (Based on the Protector's armor from GW2), so I just redrew that old piece from 2016. Like I said in my post from 2023 that I linked above, I still don't know what I want to do with Api in an MMORPG setting. But maybe I shouldn't overthink it, perhaps it's fun to just make him a classic knight.

Soulbeast Lotl

I based their clothes on the Rift Hunter armor from GW2, I'm not entirely sold on this design for Lotl though. But I might be able to grow to like it, I do like the slight viking vibe. I need to do more sketches to show off Lotl's whole gimmick in this mmorpg AU though. But basically, they're a pet wielding class and they can merge with their active pet. I'm thinking of giving them three different pets, one land-based pet, one aquatic pet and one that can fly. And I could make them have elemental powers, which Lotl would gain when merging with them. So that could be neat!

[devildom-fashion-week]

BELPHEGOR⸺VIRTUOSO

Let's just chill... Feel the rhythm. That's the vibe.

⸺

— Belphegor’s outfits || Virtuoso outfits || masterlist —

[solomiracle]

[solarsimblr]

As for Jonah? Well... he's nearly maxed creativity, too, and is a genius and a virtuoso, to boot. He's also the first sim in the hood to get a new outfit (I loved his old one, but it clipped quite a bit in animations he insisted on doing all the time) and to have gone on a dream date.

But a natural cook, he is not.

[kirametre]

I designed the virtuoso outfit of the upcoming event for my MC!

[taraemory]

For one outfit fur AVN i made a new top hat for the outfit formerly known as “Rococo Virtuoso”. Now it’s less rococo and more burlesque / showgirl. #taraemory https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmx6p9guJIF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[monstersdownthepath]

Monster Spotlight: Shax, the Blood Marquis

CR 28

Chaotic Evil Medium Outsider

Adventure Path: Wrath of the Righteous: Sword of Valor, pg. 84-85

Alright, alright, you all twisted my arm. Quite a few people came into my notes and my inbox expressing their... appreciation for a handsome bird-man in a leather outfit after I talked about his colossal murder mansion. While he’s not necessarily my type (I do like the outfit, mind), I understand. I really do! Unfortunately, while he may be pretty, he’s anything but a perfect partner.

Shax is Demon Lord of Envy, Lies, and Murder, and I bold that last one because Shax isn’t just any old murderer. He doesn’t go around knifing people in the street and leaving them to die, oh no; he’s an artist of agony, a maestro of massacres, a virtuoso of violence, and he’s no longer satisfied with just any old stabbing, it has to be special! Shax gives his victims a five-star murder experience, torturing them physically and/or psychologically for hours before giving them some measure of hope that they may yet escape their situation. Perhaps a bind on their table or bar in their cage is loose, or perhaps he’s left a weapon just close enough to their hand that they can reach it, or some miraculous rescuer comes to their aid... but it’s all an act, a play, and the Blood Marquis sets the stage with himself as both director and audience.

They flee from one cage and fall into another, or the weapon breaks the moment it’s needed most, or the rescuer turns out to be a demon in disguise (or even Shax himself, via Shapechange) that led them to an even more horrifying situation. Shax lives for watching the hope die in his victim’s eyes before he plucks them right from the sockets and eats them, and works to cultivate the most hope possible before he destroys it utterly. If he had his way, he’d make his victims’ suffering last for days or even weeks, but luckily(?) most mortals don’t last more than a day or two under his attentions... not for lack of trying, on his part. He’s always looking to improve his techniques. And besides, even if mortals are too flimsy for his tastes, there’s plenty of blood to spill among the angels.

As the Blood Marquis, Shax is all about blood. He’s a blood FANATIC and a bleed damage enthusiast, fittingly for a torturer, so he prefers drawing things out slowly. To this end, he has a 30ft Aura of Bleeding Wounds that causes ALL piercing and slashing damage done BY anyone TO anyone--friend and foe alike--to inflict 1d6 bleed damage to whoever receives the damage. Unlike most forms of bleed, this bleed stacks with itself up to 10d6, quickly going from a nuisance to a life-threatening DoT if the flow isn’t staunched. Of course, Shax himself is immune to bleed, and he can freely designate anyone in the aura to become immune to its effects... though he typically doesn’t, because every drop of blood is another weapon he can use.

As a swift action, Shax can throw open a toolbox in the form of Command Blood, one of the most potent abilities in his kit. Any creature suffering from even a single point of bleed can be affected by it if they fail the DC 38 Fortitude save, and the effect continues so long as the bleed does. A creature under the effects of Command Blood can be blinded as their own fluids surge into their eyes, drowned as it slips into their nose and mouth, disarmed as it flows over their limbs and coats their held items to make them extra slippery... or turned into autonomous turrets under Shax’s command. Gruesome Tendrils is the final option for Command Blood, ending the bleed on the victim but causing their blood to form into stinging tendrils that automatically inflict 1d6 slashing and 1d6 bleed damage to everything within 5ft of the victim. It’s a meager amount of damage, but Shax can Summon Demons 3/day to conjure an emergency legion for himself, and command his minions to lacerate each other simply so he can create hazardous minefields for the party to move through. Remember that every bit of slashing and piercing damage causes stacking bleed, making even his meager minions dangerous as their claws and the lashing tendrils he forms from them cause mounting damage over time.

Much like the previously reviewed Nocticula, Shax has the combination of Time Stop and Summon Demons, allowing him to go from alone to surrounded by allies he can flank with in a single moment from the party’s perspective. UNLIKE Nocticula, he has far more spells he can use during Time Stop to make fighting him absolute hell: He can conjure a Blade Barrier 3/day to shape the battlefield with dangerous, slicing (and thus bloodletting) blades, and has Mage’s Sword 3/day to autonomously deal 4d6+3 to a target as the mystic blade slashes them over and over again even if they manage to stay out of his reach. He can also summon Spiritual Weapons at will, each one dealing 1d8+5 damage and striking up to four times a round; setting up either of his autonomous weapons during a battle would be a waste of his standard action, but Time Stop potentially allows him to curse the entire party with invincible knives that will be dealing constant damage over time and stacking their bleed ever-higher. He may not even need to draw his own weapons if he feels the party is far too beneath him, letting his minions and summoned blades cut them apart and commanding their blood to kill them for him.

You absolutely do not want him to draw his weapons while you’re adjacent to him. Shax is devastating if he’s allowed to Full-Attack... but significantly less harmful if his enemies manage to stay out of his reach, as dagger specialists typically are. Each of his +5 Unholy Daggers deals 1d4+15 damage, and he has the full tree of Two-Weapon Fighting feats to let him attack at maximum power with both of them if he’s allowed to make a Full-Attack, meaning he can strike upwards to eight times a round! That’’s 8d4+120 (+1d10+10 thanks to Two-Weapon Rend) damage before factoring in the stacking bleed, any potential critical hits, or his terrifying +5d6 Sneak Attack which he will be making full use of at every single available opportunity. If you get blinded by your own blood or caught between Shax and his summoned allies, you’re taking a 20th-level Disintegrate-worth of extra damage on top of being blended by his knives.

Sorry, wait, hold on, I missed something! Hah, silly me! 1d4+15? I meant 1d4+25, because the Marquis’ Frightful Weapon Prowess causes anyone vulnerable to fear effects to take +10 damage from all weapon attacks he makes, ranged or melee. His skill with his blades is so terrifying that simply seeing him work makes his attacks more painful. Immunity to fear prevents this extra damage, as does simply closing your eyes so you don’t see his blades coming, but this obviously opens you to his Sneak Attack even if you’re not being flanked or blinded, so it’s a choice about whether you want to take +10 flat damage that’s potentially multiplied by a critical hit or +5d6 variable damage that isn’t affected by crits. And speaking of crits: if even a single one of the blows so much as threatens a critical hit, his Painful Cuts kicks in, staggering the victim for one round per threat, or 1d4 rounds if the crit is confirmed (which also forces a DC 43 Fortitude save to avoid being hit with Blinding Critical), shielding him from retaliatory Full-Attacks.

Thus: if you’re not somehow immune to Frightful Weapon Prowess and are vulnerable to his Sneak Attack, this brings his max Full-Attack damage to 8d4+1d10+210 + 40d6 + 8d6 bleed (this isn’t even accounting for his weapon’s Unholy ability). Spicy! Too bad moving just 10ft away causes his intimidating damage track to fall like a lead weight. His infinite supply of Thrown Surgical Tools can be tossed up to four times a round for 1d6+10 (and an extra +10 from FWP), but it’s harder for him to use his Sneak Attack from a range and 1d6+10 up to four times pales in comparison to the storm of steel he becomes in melee.

His tools prevent his damage from falling too hard if he’s getting kited around, but if he wants to be especially petty about people ducking his reach, it gives him an excuse to make use of Greater Disarm; if you’re going to be moving away from him anyway he’s going to give you a damn good reason to do so by sending your weapons flying... And if you think that’s giving up too much damage, remember the constant bleed and his attacking Spiritual Weapon and Mage Swords. Depending on how badly he wishes to savor a particular encounter, he may forego using his tools altogether, preferring to disarm his foes and allow his summons to pick them to pieces!

... Ah, yes, his summons, I almost forgot. He can not only summon demons, but if he’s in his realm, Charnelhome, he can use Miracle to bring allies from across the cosmos to his aid if he needs flankers, and he’s encouraged to do so for one specifically gruesome reason: Any party capable of fighting him will likely not be too stressed about whatever he calls, but they serve as... well, a quick snack. Command Blood has a final function that encourages him to use it on his allies as well as enemies, especially allies he considers expendable: If a creature dies while under its effects, their blood slithers towards him unerringly at a rate of 60ft/round, and if it reaches him without being destroyed (even a single point of Fire damage does it) or transmuted into another substance, he automatically absorbs it and gets a Heal spell for his trouble, regenerating 150 HP and shedding a multitude of status ailments.

This ability to Absorb Blood functions even if he’s unable to take any actions himself, the blood slithering of its own accord towards him... and it works on anything he’s used Command Blood on, regardless of size or species. Fun fact: he has a pathetic 1d6+5 bite attack that nonetheless deals slashing damage. Second fun fact: There’s usually innocent civilians in his murder manor he can summon to his side at any time. Call an innocent in, nip them with his beak, command their blood, and the moment they die, he gets mid-battle healing at the cost of a moment of his time. Minions called in by his Miracle (NOT his summon, as summoned creatures and all portions of them disappear if they die) or ones which were simply present when the battle began are also vulnerable to being made into juiceboxes, but he can also grant them a bonus: rather than the lashing tendrils, he can have them get coated in their own blood instead. Since demons tend to use natural weapons instead of manufactured ones, they can reap the benefits of the +10 to checks to avoid being grappled or bound with no downsides! Except, of course, their boss waiting for them to die so he can drink them. He can even knife them himself in the middle of his Full-Attack if he needs it in an emergency! Victims don’t have to die from the bleed, they just have to die while affected by Command Blood, an ability with no per-day or target number restriction and no set duration aside from ‘this ends when the bleed does.’ 

A battle with Shax can be downright frustrating if you haven’t brought some Fire damage with you to eliminate his blood blobs, but at least it’s pretty. Y’know, if you’re into blood being everywhere. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and he understands, though I imagine that for someone so obsessive about his craft it can be just as frustrating for him when a party member’s death doesn’t go as planned (healing magic is RUINING his vision!), or it goes too well and the poor sod who got burst down for 400 damage right when his Time Stop ended didn’t get to enjoy the effort he put into making sure their arterial spray landed in a perfect arc across their teammates’ eyes. 

Ah well, he’ll get it right next time.

You can read more about him here.