Buy me a coffeeDevilfish, Drowned Horror of the Black Tides
“Born from kraken gore and demon blood, the Devilfish isn’t just hunting you—it wants your unborn’s soul.”
A devilfish resembles a monstrous, seven-tentacled octopoid with thick, purplish hide glistening like wet bruised leather. Hooked barbs line each tentacle, and a gaping maw bristles with jagged, overlapping teeth. Its cold, luminescent blue eyes stare with predatory intelligence, and black webbing stretches between its limbs like tattered veils. At rest, it curls itself like a shadow on the seafloor—but in motion, it glides with terrifying grace.
Behavior
Devilfish are cruel, solitary ambush predators. Though lacking high intelligence, they possess an uncanny cunning, using terrain, tides, and even baited traps (like snagging fishing lines) to lure prey into their reach. When not hunting, they brood in silence, sometimes for weeks, driven by a malevolent patience. They attack not for survival alone, but seemingly for pleasure, dragging prey under to savor the struggle before the kill.
Habitat
Devilfish dwell in coastal shallows, kelp forests, and drowned wrecks, though the oldest and largest specimens lair in deep ocean trenches or forgotten ruins. They avoid bright, open waters and despise civilization, though they are known to haunt busy shipping lanes with murderous intent. On land, they can survive briefly—often long enough to devastate a camp or drag victims back to the sea.
Modus Operandi
A devilfish strikes with sudden violence, jetting from concealment to seize targets with its barbed limbs. It grapples its prey into submission, then tears them apart with its venomous “savage bite.” Once blood is spilled, it unleashes its unholy blood cloud—a foul, inky burst that nauseates and conceals, ensuring both terror and tactical advantage. Survivors of such attacks often suffer long-term psychological or moral corruption.
Motivation
Spawned from kraken flesh corrupted by the demon lord Dagon, the devilfish is more than a beast—it is a blight of the deep, driven by ancestral rage and infernal instinct. It kills to feed, but also to sow dread and chaos in the name of its fiendish heritage. Though mindless of politics or worship, some ancient devilfish are drawn to places of dark power, and whispers speak of them answering Dagon’s call in times of rising tide and war.
Devilfish 5e
Ancient Devilfish 5e
Devilfish, Pathfinder
Devilfish
Large Monstrosity (Fiend-Tainted), Neutral Evil
Challenge: 6 (2,300 XP) Proficiency Bonus: +3
Armor Class: 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 105 (14d10 + 28)
Speed: 10 ft., swim 60 ft. (see Jet)
Ability Scores
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 (+4) | 16 (+3) | 14 (+2) | 5 (–3) | 12 (+1) | 7 (–2) |
Saving Throws
Dex +6, Con +5, Wis +4
Skills
Athletics +7, Perception +4, Stealth +6
Damage Resistances
Cold; Piercing from nonmagical weapons
Condition Immunities
Prone
Senses
Darkvision 120 ft., Blindsight 30 ft., Passive Perception 14
Languages
Understands Abyssal and Aquan but cannot speak
Traits
Amphibious.
The devilfish can breathe both air and water, but suffers penalties when removed from aquatic environments (see Water Dependency).
Hooked Grasp.
The devilfish’s tentacles are lined with backward-facing barbs. A creature grappled by the devilfish has disadvantage on checks to escape the grapple.
Unholy Blood (1/Day).
As a bonus action, the devilfish exudes a 20-foot-radius burst of foul, inky blood infused with fiendish magic.
- Underwater: The area becomes heavily obscured for 1 minute. The devilfish can see through the blood as if it were clear.
- On Land: The area becomes difficult terrain for 1 minute. Creatures entering or starting their turn in the area must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or become nauseated for 1d4 rounds. While nauseated, a creature is poisoned and cannot take bonus actions. A creature makes this save only once per instance of the blood cloud.
Water Dependency.
The devilfish can survive for up to 1 hour out of water. After 1 hour, it becomes fatigued. After 2 hours, it becomes exhausted and begins to suffocate.
Actions
Multiattack.
The devilfish makes two Tentacle attacks. If it is grappling a creature, it can make one Savage Bite attack against that creature as a bonus action.
Tentacle. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target.
Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage. The target is grappled (escape DC 15). The devilfish can grapple up to two creatures at once, one per tentacle cluster.
Savage Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, one creature the devilfish is grappling.
Hit: 17 (3d6 + 4) piercing damage.
Critical Range: 18–20.
The target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 poison damage and suffer 1 point of Strength damage (optional injury rules). The creature must repeat this saving throw at the start of each of its turns for 1 minute or until it succeeds twice.
Jet (Recharge 5–6).
As a bonus action, the devilfish propels itself up to 240 feet in a straight line underwater. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.
Tactics
- Ambush Tactics: The devilfish lurks among reefs, shipwrecks, or dock pilings, waiting for prey to come within reach. It prefers to grapple and isolate vulnerable targets, pulling them beneath the surface.
- Mobility and Escape: If outnumbered or injured, it uses Jet to retreat, leaving behind a cloud of Unholy Blood to cover its escape.
- On Land: Although not built for land, it may lurch ashore to drag victims into the water. On land, it uses Unholy Blood immediately for advantage and area denial.
Variant: Ancient Devilfish (CR 10+)
Some devilfish live for centuries, growing to gargantuan proportions. These ancient variants may have:
- Legendary Actions: Lash, Jet Burst, Fiendish Shriek
- Innate Spellcasting (Constitution-based): darkness, fear, evard’s black tentacles
- Followers: Cults of aquatic creatures such as gutaki or drowned acolytes
Devilfish
This purple, seven-armed octopoid monstrosity is the size of a horse, with hook-lined tentacles and cold, blue eyes.
| Devilfish CR 4 |
| XP 1,200 NE Large magical beast (aquatic) Init +3; Senses Low-Light Vision, see in darkness; Perception +5 |
| DEFENSE |
| AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+3 Dexterity, +5 natural, -1 size) hp 42 (5d10+15) Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +2 Resist cold 10 |
| OFFENSE |
| Speed 10 ft., Swim 40 ft.; jet (240 ft.) Melee tentacles +7 (3d6+4 plus grab) Space 10 ft.; Reach 15 ft. Special Attacks savage bite (+7 melee, 2d6+4/18-20 plus poison), unholy blood |
| STATISTICS |
| Strength 17, Dexterity 17, Constitution 16, Intelligence 3, Wisdom 12, Charisma 8 Base Atk +5; CMB +9 (+13 grapple); CMD 22 (can’t be tripped) Feats Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Power Attack Skills Escape Artist +5, Perception +5, Stealth +3, Swim +15 Languages Abyssal, Aquan, Common SQ water dependency |
| SPECIAL ABILITIES |
| Poison (Ex) Savage bite – injury; save Fort DC 15; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Strength; cure 2 consecutive saves. Savage Bite (Ex) A devilfish can attack with its savage bite whenever it makes a successful grapple check. This attack is in place of any other action made with a successful grapple check. The bite threatens a critical hit on a roll of 1820, and injects the target with poison as well. Unholy Blood (Su) A devilfish’s blood is infused with fiendish magic. Once per day, as a swift action, a devilfish can emit a night-black cloud of this foul liquid, filling a 20-foot-radius cloud if underwater, or a 20-foot-radius burst on land. In water, the blood provides total concealment for everything but a devilfish (which can see through the blood with ease); on land the slippery blood coats the ground, making the area difficult terrain. The blood persists for 1 minute before fading. Anyone who enters a cloud of the blood in the water or who is within the area of a burst of blood on land must make a DC 16 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1d4 rounds this save need be made only once per cloud. The save DC is Constitution-based. Water Dependency (Ex) A devilfish can survive out of the water for 1 hour, after which it becomes fatigued. After 2 hours, the devilfish becomes exhausted and begins to suffocate. |
| ECOLOGY |
| Environment any aquatic Organization solitary Treasure none |
Sample Stories about Devilfish
Devilfish have plagued the seas for ages, and most sea captains can spin a tale or two about them.
Birth Brings Death: Women are ill luck at sea to some captains, more so when pregnant. Devilfish crave the souls of unborn babes and infants, and can smell a woman with child miles off. Many captains refuse to allow pregnant women aboard their vessels, and if they discover a woman on their ship who starts to show, they let them off at the closest port’ the most cruel might even toss them to the unforgiving sea.
The Change: It is said that each octopus harbors a devilfish in its mysterious soul. Any octopus can become a devilfish at any moment, when the change comes upon it. Some transform when they pass through bloody waters, or when a tussle with a shark or other predator brings out their dark side. Some coastal communities hunt octopi to extinction in their region for this reason, leaving beaches strewn with severed tentacles and savaged bodies.
Marked by the Devil: Anyone who survives a devilfish attack turns to murder and evil. The taint of a devilfish’s tentacles darkens his soul forever, and it’s only a matter of time before the survivor kills the innocent. More than a few survivors of devilfish attacks have been preemptively slaughtered by their friends and neighbors shortly afterward due to this taint.
Pathfinder 7: Edge of Anarchy. Copyright 2008, Paizo Publishing LLC. Author: Nicolas Logue
Devilfish Orgins
Sailors and sages alike whisper the tale of Kaktora’s Last Stand. A titanic kraken, Kaktora once ruled the vast sea floor, her crushing tentacles claiming thousands of ships. Then Dagan came. The sea devil could not bear Kaktora’s arrogant claim to the seas any longer, and in a rage he descended on the great kraken and tore her to pieces.
Yet while Kaktora was slain, Dagon’s blood filled the waters in which the countless fragments of her corpse floated. These fragments absorbed the sea demon’s blood, twisting and transforming into a new life of their own. What swam out of that legendary battleground were the first devilfish, born from violence and raised on the blood of a demon god.
Devilfish are often mistaken for octopi, but they are in fact rather intelligent. Their tentacles are connected by a thick webbing, and when the creature attacks it does so with all seven of these hook-lined arms. Fishermen tell stories of devilfish purposely hooking themselves on lines just to increase the chances of capturing and capsizing fishing boats’ often, even rumor of a devilfish sighting is enough to keep an entire fleet of fishermen on land for a week.
Ecology
Devilfish are larger than common octopi, their bodies on average growing 10 to 12 feet in length. These sick brooding sea monsters are also far more cunning than many other aquatic predators, luring prey into ambush, most often by allowing creatures to believe they are safe on dry land and then suddenly lurching out of the water to attack. Dagon’s blood gifts devilfish with unnaturally long lives and they continue to grow until the moment of their death.
A few devilfish have survived for centuries below the waves, plaguing shipping lanes for generations. Some specimens reach terrifying proportions, dwarfing the greatest megalodons and pulling the mightiest Chelish warships below the waves with a casual tug of one tentacle. Devilfish only require sustenance every few weeks to survive, but most gorge themselves whenever prey is available.
Habitat & Society
Devilfish hate their own kind as much as they hate everything else. They are solitary creatures who hide from men’s eyes except when they are overcome by the urge to feast. Devilfish are asexual, and can produce offspring three or four times during their lives by disgorging a small clutch of live young.
The parent immediately abandons these young, who fight and feast among each other until only one survives. This lone devilfish grows quickly, reaching maturity in just a few weeks after a voracious feeding frenzy that usually involves the depopulation of schools of fish and pods of dolphins.
Gutaki
The majority of devilfish encountered along coastal waters are little more than monsters gifted with just enough Intelligence and cruelty to enjoy their murderous ways. Yet in the deep ocean trenches of the world dwell the gutaki, said to be the most direct descendants of the ancient kraken Kaktora. The gutaki have taken to the worship of Dagan with fanatic fervor, venerating him as their creator, for without his wrath and blood, the fragmentary remains of the Mother would have rotted to nothing.
The gutaki have very little contact with surfacedwelling races, for unlike the typical devilfish, they are not amphibious. Adapted to life in the tremendous pressures of the depths, they even fare poorly in the upper reaches of the sea. The average gutaki has an Intelligence score of 12. Their cities are said to be things of both beauty and madness, to rival even those of the ancient aboleths, with whom these cruel beasts have warred for countless eons.
Pathfinder 7: Edge of Anarchy. Copyright 2008, Paizo Publishing LLC. Author: Nicolas Logue
Section 15: Copyright Notice – Bestiary 2
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2, © 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Graeme Davis, Crystal Frasier, Joshua J. Frost, Tim Hitchcock, Brandon Hodge, James Jacobs, Steve Kenson, Hal MacLean, Martin Mason, Rob McCreary, Erik Mona, Jason Nelson, Patrick Renie, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Owen K.C. Stephens, James L. Sutter, Russ Taylor, and Greg A. Vaughan, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.
Ancient Devilfish
Huge Monstrosity (Fiend-Tainted), Chaotic Evil
Challenge: 10 (5,900 XP) Proficiency Bonus: +4
Armor Class: 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 187 (15d12 + 90)
Speed: 20 ft., swim 80 ft.
Ability Scores
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 (+6) | 14 (+2) | 22 (+6) | 10 (+0) | 16 (+3) | 14 (+2) |
Saving Throws
Dex +6, Con +10, Wis +7, Cha +6
Skills
Athletics +10, Insight +7, Perception +7, Stealth +6
Damage Resistances
Cold, Fire; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from nonmagical weapons
Condition Immunities
Prone, Frightened
Senses
Darkvision 120 ft., Blindsight 60 ft., Passive Perception 17
Languages
Abyssal, Aquan, telepathy 120 ft.
Traits
Amphibious.
The devilfish can breathe both air and water.
Water Dependency.
The devilfish can survive out of water for 2 hours. After that, it becomes exhausted and begins to suffocate.
Eldritch Unholy Blood (1/Day).
As a bonus action, the devilfish releases a 30-foot-radius cloud of corrupted blood:
- Underwater: The area becomes heavily obscured for 1 minute. The devilfish can see through the cloud.
- On Land: The area becomes difficult terrain and is filled with magical darkness for 1 minute.
Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned and frightened for 1 minute. A creature repeats the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending both conditions on a success.
Innate Spellcasting.
Constitution is the spellcasting ability (save DC 16). The devilfish can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
- At will: darkness, detect thoughts, thaumaturgy
- 3/day each: fear, evard’s black tentacles, water breathing
- 1/day: control water, summon aberration (CR 2 or lower)
Actions
Multiattack.
The devilfish makes two Tentacle attacks and one Savage Bite. It may replace one Tentacle attack with a Tentacle Lash, if available.
Tentacle. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target.
Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage. The target is grappled (escape DC 18). The devilfish can grapple up to two creatures at a time.
Savage Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one grappled creature.
Hit: 22 (3d10 + 6) piercing damage. Critical hit on 18–20.
The target must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 poison damage and gain one level of exhaustion. A creature cannot be affected by this exhaustion again until it finishes a long rest.
Tentacle Lash (Recharge 5–6).
The devilfish lashes all of its limbs in a wide arc. Each creature within 15 feet must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or take 28 (8d6) slashing damage and be pushed 10 feet away. On a success, the creature takes half damage and isn’t pushed.
Jet (Recharge 5–6).
The devilfish propels itself in a powerful blast of water, moving up to 300 feet in a straight line underwater. This movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks.
Legendary Actions
The devilfish can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action may be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. It regains all spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
- Lash. The devilfish makes a Tentacle attack.
- Abyssal Pulse (Costs 2 Actions). Each creature within 10 feet must make a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be pulled 10 feet toward the devilfish and knocked prone.
- Jet Surge (Costs 3 Actions). The devilfish uses Jet. During this movement, it can make one Tentacle attack against a creature it passes within reach.
Optional: Lair Actions (Underwater)
On initiative count 20 (losing ties), the devilfish can invoke the power of its abyssal lair:
- Choke the Surface. Murky, acidic water fills a 60-foot-radius area. The area is difficult terrain. Creatures entering it must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of their next turn.
- Tentacles of the Deep. Writhing kelp or tentacles erupt from the surroundings. Up to four creatures the devilfish can see must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be restrained until the end of their next turn.