Bebilith!

[dreast]

So I'm looking to 5e-ify some 2e planescape material and the demonweb part of the 3.5 "Expedition into the Demonweb Pits" adventure for one of my campaigns (using the wonderful D&D 5e Latex template to typeset it: shoutout to rpgtex for the template!). Doing so is a bit of a labor of love, but there's one thing from the Expedition book I can't abide: No bebiliths in the pits! Of course, 5e doesn't have this iconic 3.5 monster. So, here's my attempt to 5eify them. Thoughts? I'm going for an encounter that is as close to the 3.5 feel as I can get while still keeping it 5e simple and including all the iconic abilities.

Solitary Horrors
While they have a rudimentary social structure amongst themselves, these territorial monstrous spider demons are usually encountered alone. Their diet mostly consists of other demons, but they'll happily eat anything that they can get their fangs on. Their horrible claws will rend armor, so the treasures that accumulate in their gut rarely include it. If prey are too powerful for direct confrontation, they will instead attempt to bite them and retreat, waiting for their fiery venom to take effect. Other demons, even those more powerful than they, will avoid rather than attack bebiliths, perhaps out of some stigma surrounding them or perhaps because bebeliths will plane shift to the astral plane to avoid death on the Abyss... and then come back to hunt their attackers down, once they've secured a hideaway in some other plane to recover completely (as natural healing will not take place in the timeless astral plane). Their webs are immune to fire, making them an exceptional material in both magical garments and mundane construction, and their venom has a fiery element that renders even other demons somewhat vulnerable to it, although it is so volatile that it will become inert incredibly quickly after being exposed to air. In the Demonweb Pits, bebiliths create and maintain the massive spiderweb structures that fill that layer. Anyone who pierces a spiderweb corridor to traverse it externally there will inevitably face an angry bebilith... possibly more than once, as it will hold a grudge and use its ability to plane shift liberally to avoid death and pursue retribution.

Planar Trackers
Although their movement between planes is somewhat slowed due to the limitations of astral travel, bebiliths have an uncanny ability to hunt down prey on other planes anyway. Once located, the bebiliths will fight their foes to the death; killing the bebilith will cause them to give up the pursuit once they reform on the Abyss, but only if its intended targets (or their allies) do the killing. For this reason, demon hunters who encounter a bebilith unknown to them will often let the creature get in range of their targets before joining the fight to be rid of them, as otherwise they will inevitably return. While bebiliths usually only pursue extraplanar prey as revenge, they are also known to be sent out by the direct command of their dark mistress, Lolth, particularly against powerful targets that normally abide in the sunlight. In addition, bebiliths who have accumulated great amounts of treasure in their stomachs will sometimes deliberately set out to cause a swath of destruction on some other plane until they are slain, both for the sheer joy of it and to rid themselves of the unwanted detritus upon their reforming in the Abyss. The amount of treasure that can be recovered in these situations almost matches the difficulty of slaying one of these bloated monsters.

Bebilith
Huge Fiend (Demon), Chaotic Evil
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Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 138 (12d12 + 60)
Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft.
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Str 21 Dex 12 Con 20 Int 10 Wis 11 Cha 8
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Skills: Stealth +9
Saving Throws: Strength +9, Constitution +9, Charisma +3
Damage Resistances: Cold, Fire, Lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren't silvered
Damage Immunities: poison
Condition Immunities: poisoned
Senses: darkvision 120 feet, passive perception 10
Languages: understands Abyssal but can't speak; telepathy 120 feet
Challenge 11 (7200 xp)
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Spider Climb. The bebilith can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Web Sense. While in contact with a web, the bebilith knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web within 1,000 feet.
Web Walker. The bebilith ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.
Innate Spellcasting. The bebilith can cast plane shift (self only) once per day requiring no components. The bebilith can only travel to the astral plane with this ability.
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Multiattack: The bebilith can attack three times, once with its bite, once with its claws, and once with its web.
Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 21 (3d10 + 5) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target takes 13 (3d8) fire damage and is wracked by burning pain for one minute, suffering disadvantage on all attack rolls and ability checks for that duration. At the end of this minute, the target takes an additional 13 (3d8) fire damage. A lesser restoration spell, or similar ability or magical effect, will end this burning pain early and prevent the subsequent fire damage.
Claws: Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (3d6 + 5) slashing damage. In addition, nonmagical armor worn by the target is damaged and suffers a permanent and cumulative -2 penalty to the AC it offers until it is repaired (via the mending spell or mundane means). The armor is destroyed if the penalty reduces its AC to 10.
Web (Recharge 5-6): Ranged Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, range 50/100 ft., one creature. Hit: The target is restrained by webbing. As an action, the restrained target can make a DC 17 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 15; immunity to bludgeoning, fire, poison, and psychic damage).

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Tactics (shoutout to themonstersknow.com): The bebelith has a straightforward brute profile, and its double proficiency in stealth indicates an ambush attacker. Its ideal attack pattern is web, claws, bite, with the web attack occurring 10-50 feet away before the monster moves in to finish the multiattack, and the claws potentially rending armor so that the bite has a higher chance to hit. (Its ten foot reach means it doesn't have to close to point-blank range to attack.) On subsequent turns, whenever the web comes off cooldown, it will attempt to web the most dangerous target outside of point-blank range; if there is no such target, it will web its current target if they have broken out of the previous web (or the previous web missed), or it will web the most dangerous enemy within point-blank range if its current target is already webbed. It won't switch its primary target, however, unless that target has been successfully envenomed (or, y'know, dies) and therefore greatly reduced in offensive potential. In that case it will generally switch to another melee target, unless no melee targets are using magical or silvered weapons, in which case it will attempt to punish archers who are, or spellcasters. Initial target selection is literally "whoever is closest;" not only does the bebelith lack the mental capacity to carefully judge who would be the easiest target, its armor rending ability means it doesn't need to care about how heavily armored the opposition is, and its initial target selection is further hampered by the need to ambush before being discovered.

With its resistances and high hp total, the bebelith also doesn't much care about disengaging or dodging to reposition (and its size means it can move through most adventurers if it does want to reposition, although it still suffers attacks of opportunity). However, if the environment allows it (and its own web is always designed this way), it will prefer to attack from the ceiling, ten feet above its opponents, where its size and reach means it can potentially hit opponents who can't hit back (at least not with their treasured magical longsword). Outside the Abyss, the bebelith has zero fear of death; conversely, within the Abyss, it will be very careful, plane shifting when it hits one-quarter hit points (34) or if its opponents manage to take away half its hit points (69) in one round. It's up to the DM to determine whether a spell with no components will give any sign that its happening and thus allow opponents to counterspell or not. (My instict is no, but other DMs may find RAW to be yes.)

Edit: Updated the stat block based on the increased proficiency bonus and changed the fiery venom trait. Also changed the web range to more naturally flow with the bebilith's reach and movement.

[Warlush]

https://youtu.be/wHiYZXBURFU

This is a great vid about Pale Night and her creation the Bebilith.

[J-H]

The offenses are really powerful, but 138hp is going to make for a short fight. My party of 6 5th-level characters could bring it down in probably 2 rounds of combat.

[dreast]

The offenses are really powerful, but 138hp is going to make for a short fight. My party of 6 5th-level characters could bring it down in probably 2 rounds of combat.

That’s actually kind of intended; I expect this party to be 5 level 6 characters when they get to the Pits and I want “crawling around outside the web” to be a clever move that makes them feel badass when they bring this thing down, assuming they ever get to it (although I may put it into a random encounter in one of the bigger areas). That said, it’s actually not far off from its 3.5 incarnation, which had a CR of 12, and it has the same number of HD. This has more to do with the disparity between single big monsters and multiple small ones, I think. (Interestingly, its offensive CR is 9 and its defensive CR is 11, mainly for the demon resistances.)

All that said, I’m trying to find a way to better write its fiery venom trait; it should hurt demons, who are immune to poison, but as it stands it’s unclear if dwarves, say, would have advantage on the first saving throw or not. (I’d prefer they not, but if there’s a way they can get it on both, I’d prefer that over one and not the other.)

[Fable Wright]

That’s actually kind of intended; I expect this party to be 5 level 6 characters when they get to the Pits and I want “crawling around outside the web” to be a clever move that makes them feel badass when they bring this thing down, assuming they ever get to it (although I may put it into a random encounter in one of the bigger areas). That said, it’s actually not far off from its 3.5 incarnation, which had a CR of 12, and it has the same number of HD. This has more to do with the disparity between single big monsters and multiple small ones, I think. (Interestingly, its offensive CR is 9 and its defensive CR is 11, mainly for the demon resistances.)

All that said, I’m trying to find a way to better write its fiery venom trait; it should hurt demons, who are immune to poison, but as it stands it’s unclear if dwarves, say, would have advantage on the first saving throw or not. (I’d prefer they not, but if there’s a way they can get it on both, I’d prefer that over one and not the other.)

I'd go with a bit of a tactics-changer:

Venom of the Spider Queen
Creatures within 60ft of the Bebilith lose resistance or immunity to poison damage and the poisoned condition, and creatures within the area may not get advantage on saves against poison.

Gives a bit of a synergy/threat factor for the smaller spiders in the area, and in the event of a multi-demon brawl, can turn Venom of Lolth against the other demons as long as the Bebilith stays up.

EDIT: Also, your Stealth mod should be +9, as should your attack modifiers, strength saves, and con saves. Cha save to +3. (Proficiency increases to +4 after CR 9.)

[Envyus]

They actually are mentioned in 5e. Namely in that they were used to create the Retrievers.

[dreast]

I'd go with a bit of a tactics-changer:

Venom of the Spider Queen
Creatures within 60ft of the Bebilith lose resistance or immunity to poison damage and the poisoned condition, and creatures within the area may not get advantage on saves against poison.

Gives a bit of a synergy/threat factor for the smaller spiders in the area, and in the event of a multi-demon brawl, can turn Venom of Lolth against the other demons as long as the Bebilith stays up.

EDIT: Also, your Stealth mod should be +9, as should your attack modifiers, strength saves, and con saves. Cha save to +3. (Proficiency increases to +4 after CR 9.)

You’re right! I missed the prof. uptick during revisions. I really, really don’t want an ability that removes resistances or (especially) immunities; that’s far more complicated than a 5e monster should be, in my opinion (not to mention it introduces mutually conflicting rules changes in the same “name space”, as it were). I’m hoping there can be an elegant way to do it with a combination of fire damage and the poisoned condition. Still working on that. I’ll revise the entry tomorrow.

[Fable Wright]

You’re right! I missed the prof. uptick during revisions. I really, really don’t want an ability that removes resistances or (especially) immunities; that’s far more complicated than a 5e monster should be, in my opinion (not to mention it introduces mutually conflicting rules changes in the same “name space”, as it were). I’m hoping there can be an elegant way to do it with a combination of fire damage and the poisoned condition. Still working on that. I’ll revise the entry tomorrow.

Observe the Canoloth, which has the ability to shut down dimensional travel. Same bailiwick, different effect. Removing resistances has been in the game since day 1 with Elemental Adept.

You could do what Pathfinder did, I guess, and just call the "poison" something else. "A creature damaged by this attack has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks for one minute. A creature can attempt another save against this effect at the end of each of its turns." Obviously looks like poison, smells like poison, but deals fire damage and isn't affected by poison rules.

[Missing]

For the bite why not give it something similar to the Elemental Adept feat except that it treats immunity as resistance and ignores resistance? This means that players with immunity are still somewhat protected.

That said I don't recall the bebilith having any particular ability to poison demons though their lore has always said that they hunt them so it does seem odd that they have never had that mechanical advantage.

[Eldan]

Planescape also mentioned that they caused blind panic in any demon of less than greater status, if I remember correctly. But I don't think their poison was described as being particularly effective there.

[dreast]

I updated the proficiency bonus (which bumped the CR up) and changed their fiery venom so that it no longer mentions poison at all (thanks, Fable Wright!). I also simplified it to one all-or-nothing save instead of trying for half damages; this should actually make the monster have slightly less effective DPR, but CR calculations don't care about successful saves. Still a swingy fight for my crew, but one that's intended to be and one that won't TPK, and one that should have quite a nice XP/treasure reward as well.

Thanks for all your help, everybody!