Large Fiend (Devil), Lawful Evil
- AC
- 21
- Initiative
- +14 (24)
- HP
- 337 (27d10+189)
- Speed
- 30 ft., Fly 60 ft.
| Score | Mod | Save | |
|---|---|---|---|
| STR | 26 | +8 | +8 |
| DEX | 14 | +2 | +8 |
| CON | 24 | +7 | +7 |
| INT | 22 | +6 | +6 |
| WIS | 18 | +4 | +10 |
| CHA | 24 | +7 | +7 |
Traits
Diabolical Restoration. If the pit fiend dies outside the Nine Hells, its body disappears in sulfurous smoke, and it gains a new body instantly, reviving with all its Hit Points somewhere in the Nine Hells.
Fear Aura. The pit fiend emanates an aura in a 20-foot Emanation while it doesn't have the Incapacitated condition. Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 21, any enemy that starts its turn in the aura. Failure: The target has the Frightened condition until the start of its next turn. Success: The target is immune to this pit fiend's aura for 24 hours.
Legendary Resistance. If the pit fiend fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. The pit fiend has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack. The pit fiend makes one Bite attack, two Devilish Claw attacks, and one Fiery Mace attack.
Bite. Melee Attack Roll: +14, reach 10 ft. Hit: 18 (3d6+8) Piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must make the following saving throw. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 21. Failure: The target has the Poisoned condition. While Poisoned, the target can't regain Hit Points and takes 21 (6d6) Poison damage at the start of each of its turns, and it repeats the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. After 1 minute, it succeeds automatically.
Devilish Claw. Melee Attack Roll: +14, reach 10 ft. Hit: 26 (4d8+8) Necrotic damage.
Fiery Mace. Melee Attack Roll: +14, reach 10 ft. Hit: 22 (4d6+8) Force damage plus 21 (6d6) Fire damage.
Hellfire Spellcasting (Recharge 4-6). The pit fiend casts Fireball (level 5 version) twice, requiring no Material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 21). It can replace one Fireball with Hold Monster (level 7 version) or Wall of Fire.
How to run Pit Fiend
A pit fiend on the party's side is a contract, full stop. Someone in the group has signed something binding, or the party is acting as deniable agents for a Lord of the Nine Hells whose interests temporarily align with theirs. The pit fiend does not befriend mortals. It executes the terms of the contract as written, no more and no less, and it expects the party to do the same. If the contract has loopholes, it will exploit them in the pit fiend's favor before the party even notices.
In combat, point the pit fiend at the named target and step back. Hellfire Spellcasting opens with two level 5 Fireballs centered on enemy clusters; the pit fiend does not particularly care if a PC is in the splash, and the party should know that going in. The Multiattack stack of Bite, two Devilish Claws, and Fiery Mace deletes single-target threats in one round. Fear Aura keeps the rest of the enemy formation Frightened and sloppy. The party should fight at the edge of the 20-foot aura, not inside it, because they are not exempt.
Once the contracted task is done, the pit fiend leaves immediately and reports to its superior. Any attempt to extend the favor, ask a follow-up question, or thank it socially is met with silence and a slow turn of the head. Slighting the pit fiend, withholding the agreed payment, or attempting to bind it further than the contract allows triggers Diabolical Restoration the moment combat resumes: the party kills it, it reforms in the Nine Hells, and a year later they meet it again with a personal grudge.
Have the pit fiend quote contract clauses by Roman numeral mid-fight. The bureaucratic horror sells the encounter better than any roar.
A pit fiend is a general, not a brute. Telepathy 120 ft. lets it talk to lieutenants, the party, and anyone bound by an Infernal contract while it fights. Truesight 120 ft. cuts through invisibility and illusions in one beat. Open the encounter with the pit fiend already aware of every party member by true name and class, because it is.
Lead with Hellfire Spellcasting if it has charged. Two level 5 Fireballs at DC 21, or one Fireball swapped for Hold Monster level 7 or Wall of Fire, can drop a caster outright on a fail and split the party with a wall before melee even starts. After that, drop into Multiattack: one Bite (+14, 18 piercing plus DC 21 Con save or 6d6 poison per turn and no-healing for one minute), two Devilish Claws (+14, 26 necrotic each), and one Fiery Mace (+14, 22 force plus 21 fire). Round-two damage on full hits is in the 90 to 120 range, plus Bite poison shutting off healing on the tank.
Fear Aura runs constantly. DC 21 Wis save for any enemy starting their turn within 20 ft., Frightened until the start of their next turn on a fail. Frightened means Disadvantage on attacks and checks while the source is visible, and Disadvantage on a paladin's smite is the difference between bloodied and dead. Players who pass are immune for 24 hours, so commit to the aura and let positioning matter.
Magic Resistance gives Advantage on saves against spells, Legendary Resistance 4/Day eats the rest. Save those resistances for fight-enders (Banishment, Hold Monster, Forcecage). Burn the first early on something obvious so the party knows the wall is there. Diabolical Restoration means death is just a costly trip home, so the pit fiend fights to 0 HP and lets the party think they have won.
When a PC drops to 0 HP within range, have the pit fiend speak their name aloud through telepathy, then offer their soul a contract to stand back up. Half the table will hate this. Half will write down the wording.
Stat block from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 © Wizards of the Coast LLC, used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.