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Gastronomie
2016-05-18, 08:15 AM
This monster is experimentally designed to be a "solo encounter" against a party of level 6 to 7 (I assume around 5 players for a level 6 party, and 4 for a level 7 party). Loosely based off the Horned Devil in the MM, but with a number of differences.
NOTE-This monster is loosely based off a monster a friend of mine has used in one of his campaigns.
It is assumed you use battle grids with this monster.

Horned Devil (Variant)
Large fiend (devil), lawful evil
Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points 133 (14d10 + 64)
Speed 20 ft., fly 60 ft.
STR 21 (+5) DEX 22 (+6) CON 19 (+4)
INT 12 (+1) WIS 16 (+3) CHA 17 (+3)
Saving Throws Str +9, Dex +10, Wis +7, Cha +7
Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren't silvered
Damage Immunities fire, poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Infernal, telepathy 120ft.
Challenge 11 (7,200 XP)
Devil's Sight. Magical darkness doesn't impede the devil's darkvision.
Magic Resistance. The devil has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Swift Recovery. If the devil is affected by an ability that forces it to make a saving throw at the end of each of its turns, the devil may pay 2d6 hit points to make that saving throw at the start of its turn, instead of at the end of its turn.
Hellfire. At the start of each round, the devil targets 1d3 points on the ground within 60 feet of it that it can see. The ground around the point(s) in a 10-foot radius area begins to grow hot and steaming, as though it were the crater of a volcano ready to erupt. At an initiative count equal to “the devil’s initiative count -10”, the target area(s) erupt up into 60-foot pillar(s) of infernal flames. All creatures within the area and/or pillar must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 4d6 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one (if multiple areas overlap over a creature, the creature has disadvantage on the save, but does not take accumulative damage). The fire keeps on erupting for 1 minute, and within this time, a creature makes the same saving throw and takes the same damage when it enters the area for the first time on a turn or ends its turn there. A creature cannot see through the fire, for it is extremely intense.
Innate Spellcasting. The devil's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 15). The devil can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: detect magic
3/day each: hellish rebuke
1/day each: counterspell, charm person, darkness, fire shield, wall of fire

Actions
Multiattack. The devil makes two fork attacks and one tail attack. It may substitute any number of fork attacks for fork swipe attacks.
Infernal Tactics (Recharge 5-6). The devil casts one spell and makes one tail attack.
Fork. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10ft., one target.
Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) piercing damage.
Fork Swipe. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10ft., one target.
Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) piercing damage. The target must succeed on a DC 17 strength saving throw or be knocked away 10 feet in a direction the devil chooses (the devil cannot choose a direction which makes the target come closer to the devil).
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack:+ 9 to hit, reach 10ft., one target.
Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) piercing damage. If the target is a creature other than an undead or a construct, it must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or lose 10 (3d6) hit points at the start of each of its turns due to an infernal wound. Each time the devil hits the wounded target with this attack, the damage dealt by the wound increases by 10 (3d6). Any creature can take an action to stanch the wound with a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Medicine) check. The wound also closes if the target receives magical healing.

Reactions
Emergency Legion. When the devil’s hit points cut 70 for the first time in 24 hours, or when the devil’s hit points cut 30 for the first time in 24 hours, the devil utters a short command in Infernal that automatically summons forth 3 Imps within 60 feet of the devil (if this command is silenced, it does not work). None of the Imps may be summoned within 10 feet of each other. These Imps act on initiative 0, and are blindly loyal to the horned devil, fighting to their death. As long as these Imps have hit points, the horned devil gains immunity to all conditions and all damage. The STR and CON have been lowered while his DEX has been improved. This is to lessen damage and HP while giving him higher initiative scores.
Swift Recovery, Hellfire, and Innate Spellcasting are new abilities. So are Fork Swipe (which works together with Hellfire) and Emergency Legion (which makes up for bounded accuracy issues).

Comments and constructive critisism greatly appreciated.

ImSAMazing
2016-05-18, 09:19 AM
Seems cool. One note though: maybe give him(or her, or it for that matter) a ranged attack of some sort. Maybe give him the Firebolt cantrip(fits), Eldritch Blast might also fit seeing that other powerful fiends grant that ability...

Else it could easily be kited by a lvl 6 or 7 party using fly tactics.
Also maybe 1/day Legendary Resistance seeing it is a boss monster and you don't want to lose him the first round due to Banishment.

Gastronomie
2016-05-18, 09:25 AM
No need to worry about fly, this guy's got a fly speed too. Hellfire is also a 60-foot-tall pillar.

I personally do not like Legendary Resistance. Might as well give him 1/day Counterspell. Thanks for the advice tho'.

ImSAMazing
2016-05-19, 05:57 AM
Indeed didn't saw the fly speed.

Gastronomie
2016-05-25, 07:28 AM
Any other stufff~~?

Professor Gnoll
2016-05-25, 07:42 AM
~Loosely based?

I'd be interested in what sort of tactics this creature would utilise in combat. How does it use its abilities in tandem to create an interesting solo encounter?

Gastronomie
2016-05-25, 09:58 AM
It's sorta assumed that the fight takes place not in an open area, but in a large room or cavern or some otherwise confined place (not too small, mind you). With each round, the Hellfire feature increases the area which cannot be ventured through, gradually limiting the area in which the characters can move without taking damage (and Wall of Fire only makes stuff worse). The Fork Swipe attack can knock characters into pillars of flame as well. The Emergency Legion helps the Devil live longer, and the Imps don't take fire damage at all, meaning they can move around freely through the terrain created by the devil.

I don't like bosses that can damage only the frontline fighters. This guy forces everyone to constantly move around, fleeing from areas which will soon burst into flame, while he gradually shapes the battlefield into his own terrain and slowly, slowly eats away at the HP of the characters.

EDIT: I added that the fire is so intense that one can't see through it. This means that it becomes a bad option for the Devil to stay in an area that is burning and keep all the melee warriors away, since it will bestow disadvantage on all of his attacks. The Devil himself should normally stay outside the fire, looking at where people are, but if he needs it, he can always jump in.