Buy me a coffeeAchaierai: The Hellish Stalkers of the Infernal Plains
“Meet the terrifying, bird-like predator from Hell that uses toxic clouds and deadly claws to hunt its prey—could you survive the Achaierai?”
Towering at 15 feet tall, Achaierais resemble monstrous, flightless birds with stilt-like legs and a body that fuses grotesquely into a single hulking mass of head and torso. Their oily black plumage, thick and matted, hides small, vestigial wings, while their hooked, predatory beaks constantly ooze wisps of noxious black vapor. Each of their four legs ends in a clawed, talon-like foot, capable of rending flesh and bone with frightening ease. Their glowing eyes pierce through the darkness of Hell’s smog, showing an eerie, cunning intelligence that betrays their birdlike appearance.
Behavior: They are much more intelligent than they appear, blending primal instinct with cruel strategy. They prefer to hunt in packs, moving in eerie synchronization as they circle, herd, and confuse their prey. While their attacks are brutal, they are strangely patient hunters, watching and calculating their approach. They delight in the suffering of their victims, often attacking in a way that prolongs agony before delivering a final, lethal blow.
Habitat: Achaierais are native to the lower planes, where they roam Hell’s scorched landscapes. They are drawn to regions devastated by war and chaos, scavenging battlefields littered with half-dead and regenerating souls. Here, they’ve earned the nickname “Hell’s vultures,” for they circle and pick apart the wounded who cannot escape their territories.
Modus Operandi: These creatures excel at psychological warfare, stalking and surrounding prey to create an overwhelming sense of doom. They use their toxic black cloud ability to weaken, disorient, and sow panic, while closing in with bursts of their impressive speed. Attacking in coordinated strikes, they retreat quickly to avoid retaliation, preferring to whittle down their prey until it collapses in terror and exhaustion. In battle, Achaierais will use the black cloud to herd and scatter enemies, cutting off escape routes or sowing mass confusion among larger groups.
Motivation: Achaierais have no need for sustenance, so their savage hunts are purely for sport. They are driven by a deep-seated malice, thriving on the suffering they inflict and savoring each cry of pain from their victims. Some scholars speculate that Achaierais hunt to assert dominance over Hell’s chaotic plains, terrorizing any creature unfortunate enough to cross their path.
Achaierai 5e
Achaierai Pathfinder
Achaierai
Large Outsider (Fiend), Lawful Evil
Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points 136 (16d10+48)
Speed 50 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 (+5) | 16 (+3) | 16 (+3) | 12 (+1) | 15 (+2) | 14 (+2) |
Saving Throws Constitution +7, Wisdom +6, Charisma +6
Skills Perception +8, Stealth +7
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities poisoned, frightened
Senses Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 18
Languages Infernal, Telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +3
Traits
Magic Resistance. The Achaierai has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Noxious Cloud Immunity. It is immune to the effects of its own Black Cloud and any other Achaierai’s Black Cloud.
Hellish Stride. The Achaierai’s movement ignores difficult terrain, as its long legs allow it to stride over most obstacles effortlessly.
Predatory Coordination. The Achaierai has advantage on attack rolls against creatures that are confused or frightened.
Actions
Multiattack. The Achaierai makes three attacks: one with its Beak and two with its Talons.
- Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d10+4) piercing damage.
- Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (1d12+4) slashing damage.
Black Cloud (Recharge 5–6).
10-foot radius centered on the Achaierai
The Achaierai exhales a roiling cloud of noxious black smoke that fills a 10-foot radius centered on itself. Creatures in the area must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 18 (4d8) poison damage and become confused as per the confusion spell until the end of their next turn. The black cloud lingers in the air until the end of the Achaierai’s next turn, heavily obscuring the area and creating a toxic zone.
On a successful save, creatures take half damage and aren’t affected by confusion. The Achaierai and other fiends are immune to this cloud.
Reactions
Springing Strike. When a creature moves within 10 feet of the Achaierai, it can make a talon attack as a reaction. If the attack hits, the Achaierai can immediately jump up to 15 feet away without provoking opportunity attacks.
Tactics and Combat Behavior
The Achaierai is a cunning ambush predator that uses speed, hit-and-run tactics, and its toxic Black Cloud to disorient and weaken enemies before closing in. In combat, it attempts the following:
- Open with Black Cloud. It will often start by exhaling its Black Cloud on a cluster of opponents, disorienting them and obscuring vision for a surprise advantage.
- Shrieking Assault. While the cloud lingers, it circles its prey, darting in to make strikes with its claws and beak, then retreating just out of reach. It exploits its Predatory Coordination to target confused or frightened foes, ensuring advantage on attacks.
- Springing Strike Tactics. The Achaierai moves in and out of melee range to avoid retaliation, using its Springing Strike to strike and jump back. It rarely remains in one place for long, maintaining a brutal hit-and-run style of combat.
If an Achaierai is low on hit points, it will attempt to cover its retreat by using Black Cloud again if available, creating a wall of smoke to block vision as it flees into the infernal terrain it knows well.
Legendary Actions
The Achaierai can take 1 legendary action per round to use one of the following:
- Talons Strike. It makes one talon attack.
- Shriek of Madness (Costs 2 Actions). It emits a chilling, otherworldly shriek. Each creature within 30 feet that can hear it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of their next turn.
Appearance: These twisted, bird-like fiends have stilt-like legs, oily black feathers, and an unnatural, hooked beak that seems almost too large for their fused, hulking body. They are often seen stalking infernal plains, their towering forms exhaling wisps of black vapor. Their piercing red eyes and cruel, calculated gaze show intelligence far beyond that of a mere beast.
Motivation: Achaierais hunt not for sustenance, but out of a sadistic thrill, finding pleasure in disorienting and tormenting prey. Known as “Hell’s vultures,” they frequently roam the battlefields of the lower planes, scavenging on the half-dead and relishing every moment of inflicted terror.
Achaierai
This bird-like beast is mostly head, lunging forward on four scaly legs. Wisps of noxious black vapor trail from its hooked beak.
An achaierai is a predator and scavenger of the lower planes that looks like a 15-foot-tall flightless bird, though its head and body are fused into one large unit, with four legs and atrophied wings. The thick, oily plumage covering its body all but conceals these tiny wings. An adult achaierai weighs roughly 750 pounds.
Though not devils themselves, achaierais live and hunt on the scorched and blasted plains of Hell, where they make excellent use of their long, stilt-like legs in running down any lost souls or lesser devils who stumble into their feeding grounds. Once it has closed with its target, an achaierai attacks with its two front legs, punching or slashing, as well as biting with its powerful beak.
Far smarter than their animalistic form might suggest, achaierais prefer to hunt in shrieking packs and use their prey’s confusion and their own reach to their advantage, circling their quarry and darting in to attack as soon as the victim becomes distracted, then retreating again before the prey has a chance to retaliate. They have been known to wander through battlefields in the lower planes, picking over dying and regenerating creatures and souls, which has earned them the nickname ‘Hell’s vultures.’
As achaierais are immune to the toxic clouds of others of their kind, they often work in conjunction to use these clouds to herd or scatter enemies, form long lines of black clouds to protect their retreat, or merely panic opponents in large melees. Achaierais are fond of disemboweling their targets and feasting on the hot entrails while their mortally wounded prey screams itself to death. Of course, as outsiders, achaierais have no need to eat, and their elaborate hunting routines are simply the bird-beasts’ sick form of entertainment.
| Achaierai CR 5 |
| XP 1,600 LE Large outsider (evil, extraplanar, lawful) Init +1; Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +12 |
| Defense |
| AC 20, touch 11, flat-footed 18 (+1 Dexterity, +1 Dodge, +9 natural, -1 size) hp 52 (7d10+14) Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +4 SR 20 |
| Offense |
| Speed 50 ft. Melee bite +10 (2d6+4), 2 claws +10 (1d6+4) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. with claw Special Attacks black cloud |
| Statistics |
| Strength 19, Dexterity 13, Constitution 14, Intelligence 11, Wisdom 14, Charisma 16 Base Atk +7; CMB +12; CMD 24 (28 vs. trip) Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack Skills Acrobatic +11 (+19 Jump), Climb +14, fly +0, Perception +12, Sense Motive+12, Stealth +7, Swim +14 Language Infernal |
| Ecology |
| Environment any land (Hell) Organization solitary or flock (5-8) Treasure standard |
| Special Abilities |
Black Cloud (Su) Every round, the victim may attempt another DC 15 Fortitude save to recover from the confusion; otherwise it persists, lasting indefinitely until the condition is removed or the victim eventually makes her saving throw. The confusion element of a black cloud is a mind-affecting effect. The save DC is Constitution-based. This is a poison effect. Achaierais are immune to this ability. |
COMBAT
In close combat, an achaierai lashes out with two of its four legs and snaps with its powerful beak. It makes frequent use of its Spring Attack feat to strike quickly and then retreat out of range before an enemy can counterattack.
ACHAIERAI LORE
Evandar_TAybara of the Wizards Community forums.
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (The planes) can learn more about achaierais. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
| Knowledge (The planes) | |
| DC | Result |
| 15 | This creature is an achaierai, a vicious predator from the Infernal Battlefield of Hell. This result reveals all outsider traits. |
| 20 | An achaierai’s strength lies in its formidable natural attacks of claws and beak, coupled with its speed and mobility in combat. Achaierais speak Infernal. |
| 25 | Achaierais can release a choking, toxic cloud that damages all those it touches and can cause short term insanity. |