In many ways, the Grendel is the perfect predator--they can hide (at least at night) in plain sight, passing himself off as a normal person until murdering some foolish or unaware villain. So what are the abilities, weaknesses, and habits of the unholy creature? Here’s an Animal Planet survey of their behavior.

The Unholy Cycle: Some Demons can have sex if they choose (though not all of them have the necessary “equipment”), but it is not necessary for procreation, since new Demons are formed directly from the chaos of the Abyss. Demons that can have sex usually do so only as a means to create half-fiends, though such creatures can be created in other ways (through arcane magic or curses). Most young Demons have little care for anything beyond slaughtering. They are selfish, often irrational monsters, and care only about themselves. An older and more powerful Demon can often intimidate them into following his orders, though. Demons will be at your throat or at your feet; they respect force and brutality and consider kindness a sign of weakness. All in all, not the kind of people you want to invite over to hang out.

The good news is, young Demons aren’t usually all that bright and can be taken out fairly easily. In fact, the best time to get a Demon is shortly after he emerges from the Abyss; he will be dazed, confused, and irrational, easy prey--well, easier prey--for a group of smart hunters. Of course, there is a thin line between being the last thing the Demon sees and being the first meal the Demon has.Demons that survive more than a few days or weeks behave more intelligently. Instead of just biting the first people they run into, they find a lair and start working on ways to hunt without alerting their prey to their existence. These older, wiser Demons are more likely to work in groups (although they are rarely very large or organized; Demons just aren’t very big on teamwork).

That makes them far more dangerous. After that point, a brutal selection process kicks in. Being a Demon is no picnic—there’re plenty of dangers out there, from bands of human vigilantes to getting caught in the open to turf wars with other Vampires, Demons, and similar competitors. Fortunately for Humankind, the typical Demon doesn’t live very long. The ones that survive are tougher, smarter, or at least luckier than the rest. After a while, they become critters with major Adversary potential--the Rhines and Leons of the show. Beyond that level you get the true ancient Demons, centuries or millennia old, beings like Rhine’s lover, Jasson, who match up with some of the most deadly Demons in sheer power.

Living the High Life: In Rhy’Din, Demons can be found running casinos, being summoned in suburban houses, or picking up girls at bars. Many are evil, but by no means do all of them share that trait. Many are just like humans, doing their own thing and trying to get by. Unfortunately, the bad Demons are more than enough to spoil things for everyone. For the most part, “regular” Demons have either worked their way into normal society (those that can pass for Human) or have folded themselves into the vibrant supernatural scene in town. Demon brothels, gambling dens, and nightclubs are all part of the Rhy’Din scene. We wouldn’t be surprised if there was a Demon juice bar.

Characters should be given glimpses and then ultimately join this underground Demon society. That’s part of the charm and sheer bizarreness of the Rhy’Din world. It also brings home the point that life is not so black and white, nor all peoples either good or evil. Killing Demons just because they are Demons is not going to sit well in that community, and could be particularly troublesome if one of the characters happens to be part or whole Demon (or Vampire for that matter). This seems particularly common in Rhy’Din. These Demon types can’t just be hunted down and killed. They have power and influence in the mundane world, including some high priced legal support. They tend to be subtle and devious. Their depredations are not world-shattering, but they are evil nonetheless.

Legends That Lie: Don’t believe everything you read in old books. All living Material Plane creatures share certain common elements. Humans, Dragons, Hippogriffs, Mind Flayers, and Gnomes all eat. They all breathe. They all reproduce in some basic biological way. However, we do not share these traits with Demons. Demons are not Material Plane creatures. As such, they do not have the same needs that we expect in other living creatures. Each Demon species has its own unique powers and vulnerabilities. Often, discovering the particularities of a Demon means winning half the battle. A few more words on the more common ones can’t hurt though.

Being a Demon-possessed creature with a taste for killing has some inherent advantages. For one, their living expenses are almost non-existent and they don’t have to worry about the dangers of smoking, junk food, unprotected sex, or environmental degradation (except to the extent it cuts down on the food supply). The Grendel is a born (well, created) predator; it came out of the Abyss with some minimal fighting skills, the strength of a horse, and high resistance to injury. You bet, Demons have a few cards to play. Unless you’re Walker or some other hero type, one mistake and you’re out of luck (and blood). Yep, going mano a mano with the Grendel is not a smart idea for the regular Joes. Demon hunting should be done only by professionals under controlled conditions, like stunt motorcycling, neurosurgery, or certain types of Cajun cooking.

Attributes: Demons are stronger and faster than Human beings. The toughest Demons can punch somebody across a basketball court, and the fastest ones can catch a crossbow bolt in mid-flight. Enhanced Attributes include your basic superstrength, super-speed, and other super-stuff. Some supernatural beings can lift cars over their heads, hear a whispered conversations from across football fields, leap over small buildings in a single bound, run faster than speeding locomotives, fly . . . ah okay, that’s probably going a bit too far.
Supernatural Strength: Walker’s body after transformation is augmented by immense supernatural power.  This power allows him to perform feats of strength that mortals would deem impossible without a forklift.  Furthermore, Walker can do these feats with little or no exertion!
Supernatural Speed: Beware the Grendel, for its speed is legendary, and quite often gets to act first in battle.
Supernatural Endurance: Walker’s flesh is not the same tissue as mortal flesh is; it is a "pseudoflesh" that seems to be extremely dense, yet weighs the same or less than an equal amount of mortal tissue.  It is nearly impossible to penetrate this pseudoflesh once it's toughened to a certain extent. Bullets are generally wasted on him—the Grendel takes only one-fifth damage from gunfire.

Fast Healing: The Grendel comes back very quickly from injury--at the rate of one Life Point per Constitution level per hour. If not killed outright, Walker recovers from pretty much any injury after a good day’s rest, and is back on the streets, out for blood. Fire damage takes longer to heal though. You can beat him up--he gets hurt just fine by such mundane hazards as a baseball bat upside the head. He suffers pain, and does bleed, bruise, and break, among other medical problems. And absent beheading, this can go on forever. Seriously, his healing abilities and immortality can combine to give new meaning to the term “tortured existence.”

Unholy: Being essentially unholy beings, Demons have few of the frailties of normal Human beings. They never grow older, don’t sweat diseases and poison much (unless supernatural in nature), can pull any number of all-nighters and remain alert, and no longer worry about air quality, because they don’t need to breathe. He makes no unconscious movements; the Grendel can remain absolutely still for hours at a time (ABSOLUTELY STILL). He can go even farther and enter suspended animation, and remain in this state for centuries at a time. Unless they get specific treatment, they just won’t die. Outlasting them is not much of an option.

Super Senses: Walker is good with the nose and the ears. The Grendel has excellent hearing and a keen sense of smell. He smells and hears better than Humans, and is particularly good with blood. He can smell blood inHumanly well (which makes sense, what with them being inHuman and all). This has a range equal to sixty yards. It is impossible to run from the Grendel, as it can hear your frantic running, see you as you attempt to run behind that building, and smell your fear and panic.
Sight: The Grendel's eyesight is dramatically enhanced, allowing Walker to see details from distances that mortals could not perceive (up to 300 meters). He also possess shades that allow infrared vision, allowing him to see the world in a dull red color, accented by brighter patches where heat is present. This is used to spot prey that may be hiding behind a thick object, although hiding from the Grendel won't do much good.
Hearing: Walker's hearing is so acute, he can pick up a heartbeat from ten meters, and normal breathing and involuntary movement from 30.
Smell: Walker Akero is really, really good when it comes to blood. He can tell a being’s basic nature--Demon, Vampire, magician, etc, identify a person’s blood type, blood-related health issues (like alcohol content, hardening of the arteries, etc.), or even disorders. Finally, Walker is able to identify a person just from a sample of her blood, or determine that a sample of blood did not belong to a particular person. He can even distinguish the feelings of his prey by the smell they give off. 

Fighting Skills: Nobody needs to teach cats how to use their claws, and nobody needs to teach Demons how to attack their prey. The Grendel emerged from creation with a minimum understanding of combat. Demons are made of pure evil energy; they are the antithesis of life and often seek to destroy the living. They may learn the Negative Chi Discipline, and use it to draw chi from the Dragon Lines, but the amount drawn is only half the normal amount.

Game Face: Walker often appears nearly the same as they did as a Human. The key word here is "nearly," as many things happened upon the Change. He can pass himself off as a Human most of the time. When he is angry or upset, he may reveal his “game face”--inHuman features that show his true nature. When his Game Face is on, most people (experienced Demon hunters excepted) have a real chance to being shocked or afraid, if temporarily--say the first time a protected innocent saw his natural look. Face it, Demons in game face are downright ugly. First of all, his skin is transformed into the extremely tough tissue known as "pseudoflesh."  Virtually all color is drained from the skin; its appearance becomes pale. It may be that Walker fights better when he lets his Demonic nature come to the fore. Switching back and forth is a matter of a moment.
Superhuman Strength: Akin to a dot of Potence from Vampires, this ability allows Walker to possess preternatural strength with his Game Face. Potence enables Walker to leap tremendous distances, lift massive weights and strike opponents with terrifying force. Even the lowest ranks of this power gift the Kindred with physical might beyond mortal bounds. More powerful immortals have been known to leap so far they seem to be flying, toss cars aside like tin cans, and punch through concrete as if it were cardboard. While the mental Disciplines are awe-inspiring, Potence's brute effectiveness is formidable in its own right. Clans Brujah, Giovanni, Lasombra and Nosferatu are the primary possessors of this Discipline. Still, members of other clans often make a point to search out someone who can enlighten them in the ways of Potence. Thus, the character succeeds at most Strength feats without needing to make a roll at all. In melee and brawling combat, the automatic successes are applied to the damage roll results.
Lightning Speed: Akin to a single dot of Celerity, The Game Face gifts Walker with startling speed and reflexes. He can use Celerity to move with amazing swiftness in times of stress. Mortals, and even Kindred lacking this Discipline, move as if in slow motion compared to the astonishing  blur the Grendel becomes. Celerity is common among the Assamite, Brujah and Toreador clans. The Assamites use this ability to strike down their foes before the victims are even aware of the attack. Brujah delight in the advantage this Discipline gives them against superior numbers of opponents. Toreador are more likely to use Celerity to lend preternatural grace to live performances such as dance or extraordinary speed when creating sculptures or paintings - however, they can be as terrifying as any Assamite or Brujah when angered. This allows Walker to perform extra actions in a turn.

Bite: In most situations, Walker has permanent, fixed fangs, while other times he has another form of fang: a "...rigid body of erectile tissue covered with finely fragmented enamel..."  This type of fang remains flat and inconspicuous until Walker turns into his Game Face. These fangs can be up to half an inch long; very dangerous weapons. While entirely unnecessary, Walker can engorge with the ichor that they use as circulatory fluid, and can totally drain an average Human in a matter of seconds. An average victim dies in a turn or so; tougher Humans and supernatural beings may take a little longer. Breaking free from the grappling Walker works like resisting a grapple, but the victim incurs a penalty.

Now that you know how Walker can hurt you, it’s time to list the ways you can put the hurt on Walker. The Grendel Demon is fast and strong, but he have plenty of weaknesses, and a well-prepared hunter can rack up an impressive victory count. Walker’s next beheading will be his last, hearing is a bitch with supersonic sound, and perfect strangers seem to make a habit of aiming holy swords toward his heart. And there’s the bit about being a remorseless Demon that makes a psychopathic serial killer look like a kindly old grandmother. So, let’s focus a bit on the negatives. If you truly, really have to kill Walker Akero, here are some Dos and Don’ts.

~ Don'ts ~

Not all attacks are created equal when it comes to sending the Grendel back to the Hell he crawled out of. Swords work better than guns. Silver works much better than steel. A kind word and a flamethrower will get your much further than just a kind word.

Asphyxiation: While they must breathe, Demons have extremely strong lungs, built to withstand a range of environments, including the most deadly fumes of the Abyss, which would kill most Material Plane creatures. As such, Demons can easily breathe in any natural Material Plane atmospheres. But a Demon can be placed in a sealed room (or metal box) and he won’t use up any oxygen. As a result, choking or strangling is pretty useless. Further, Demons can wear tight corsets and other binding garments, smoke ten packs of cigarettes an day, and hold their head underwater for hours without any ill effect. A chokehold may knock out a Demon, but it does so by causing pain and crushing their neck rather than through suffocation.

Guns: Fire all you want, but guns just don’t kill Walker. Bullets hurt Walker and if shot enough times, he can be incapacitated. Still, it takes a lot of bullets to put him down. Divide any Bullet damage by five. Shots to the noggin aren’t as devastating against the Grendel, but they are still worse than a regular gunshot wound. The pain of being shot does slow the Grenel down. If he takes enough damage from an unexpected gunshot, he is stunned for a few seconds--a game Turn. If the critter steels himself against the pain though, he can wade through several gunshots without slowing down. Bullet damage never kills the Grendel; even if brought down below zero Life Points, the gunshots merely knocks out the Grendel from sheer shock (assuming a failed Consciousness roll).

Poisons and Drugs: Like bullets, most chemicals have reduced effects on the Grendel. There is still enough Human in him to suffer some effects, just nothing permanent. For example, a tranquilizer dart may knock out the Grendel, but the effects wear off in a few minutes (instead of a few hours). Poison effects are divided by four--Walker flushes out the poison in a few hours. Some supernatural poisons are geared towards affecting a Demon’s metabolism. These babies work like a charm on him.

Disease: Breathing on a vamp while you have the flu is a good way to catch extreme ex-sanguination. No natural disease has any effect on a vampire (bugs don’t seem to like Demonic flesh—they’re picky that way). It might be possible for the Grendel to be a disease carrier, but since any exchange of fluids is likely going to end up with a corpse, STDs are the least of the victim’s problems.

~ Dos ~

Okay, now you know that plastic bags over the head or guns are not the answer. So what is? Your basics include crosses and swords, of course, but there are a few other things to consider. The signs of something that works on Walker are pretty clear. He stop in their tracks (as if hitting a force field), falls over, bleeds a bunch, and lays on the ground limply. Those are all very good signs. Still, without more, running is a victim’s best survival tool even at this point.

Beheading: If the Decapitation Combat Maneuver is used against the Grendel, a blow that inflicts enough damage that the blow removes the head, it kills the critter. The Break Neck move can also be used, but no special modifiers are applied to the Grendel’s Survival Test (undead necks aren’t as sensitive as others).

Crosses: These holy objects cause pain and even injury to Demons. If shown a cross, the Demon instinctively recoils. He loses initiative on the Turn in which a cross or similar object is used against it. As long as a character holds a cross on a Demon, most critters will not attack or move against the wielder. If the crossbearer is distracted or the Demon is particularly old or strong, he may try to knock the item away (treat as a Disarm maneuver). Actually touching a cross burns the Grendel, inflicting damage per Turn that the contact persists. Briefly touching a cross, as when slapping it away, is painful but not damaging. A Demon reduced to -10 or less Life Points through contact with a cross must make a Survival Test or is destroyed. Other holy objects and symbols may also be effective. Also, which holy items cause damage may depend on the predominant beliefs of the area. Some old and powerful Demons seem able to ignore
crosses and similar items, either through sheer force of will or raw supernatural power. Others are tough enough to fight (or step) their way through the pain.

Fire: Fire applied to flesh is bad no matter who you are. While not fast, it produces lasting injuries that can kill the Grendel. Walker heals from fire injuries at a much slower rate than normal. If fire damage reduces Walker to -10 Life Points of below, he makes a normal Survival Test. If failed, it’s ashes for him. Be warned: given the Grendel’s high Constitution and Hard to Kill levels, it takes a long time to burn him to death. If he can get to a handy hydrant and smash it open, he should survive. It will take a while to recover though.

Silver and Subsonic Weapons: These mess him up really badly.

Going Overboard: As we have seen, the Grendel can survive a lot of damage. If a character doesn’t know the killing tricks but keeps at the Grendel, the Demon loses bodily coherence. Anytime The Grendel is brought to -200 Life Points or below, it is treated as if he had been beheaded via a Break Neck maneuver.

Holy Water: Holy water is good against the undead. Applied externally, it inflicts small damage for a splash, medium damage for a glassful, and large damage for a bucketful. If the Grendel ingests the holy water, damage is multiplied by 20, which gives a whole new meaning to “acid reflux.” If the Grendel is reduced to -10 or less Life Points through contact with holy water goes to Survival Test mode, and dusts if that fails.