Gladiatrix (Domination Devil) — The Masked Champions of Hell
The arena’s gate opens and a tall, armoured warrior advances without trumpets or heralds. Her face is hidden behind a scowling iron mask; only her eyes show beneath the black helm. She turns her double-ended dire flail in a controlled arc, then charges across the sand with unnatural speed. Two more gladiatrixes step into the arena behind her. They do not compete for glory: they intend to fight together until the challenger yields.
At a Glance
- Creature: Gladiatrix, or Domination Devil, an elite arena-fighter species rather than a named queen of Hell.
- Alignment: lawful evil. Her fighting code is enforced by rank, oath, athletic discipline and devotion to an infernal patron.
- Appearance: A Large, muscular humanoid figure enclosed in black spiked armour, with a scowling mask that reveals only the eyes.
- Weapon: A massive double-ended dire flail, two chained heads worked at opposite ends of a staff.
- Office: Infernal arena champion, punisher of failed officers, shock fighter and commander of disciplined teams.
- Signature tactics: The Flail Master’s precision, a swift turning charge, and coordinated flanking with another gladiatrix.
- Patron: A powerful infernal mistress called the Lady of Pain by her followers. Her title does not make each gladiatrix an archdevil.
Gladiatrix Statistics
Gladiatrix — Domination Devil
Large Fiend (Devil), lawful evil · CR 7 (2,900 XP; PB +3)
AC 18 (black infernal armour); Initiative +9 (19); HP 126 (12d10+60); Speed 30 ft. (40 ft. without armour)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 (+4) | 22 (+6) | 20 (+5) | 9 (−1) | 12 (+1) | 14 (+2) |
Saving Throws Dex +9, Con +8, Wis +4
Skills Acrobatics +9, Intimidation +5, Perception +4
Resistances Acid, Cold; Immunities Fire, Poison; Poisoned
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 14
Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal
Traits
Flail Master. The gladiatrix can attack with both ends of her infernal dire flail without penalty. Her flail attacks ignore the Disadvantage that would otherwise arise from attacking while a different creature is within 5 feet of her.
Team Fighting. While another gladiatrix is within 5 ft. of a creature being attacked by this gladiatrix, her attack rolls against that creature have Advantage.
Uncanny Dodge. When a creature she can see hits her with an attack, she can use her Reaction to halve the attack’s damage.
Actions
Multiattack. Three Dire Flail attacks.
Dire Flail. Melee Attack Roll: +9, reach 10 ft. Hit: 11 (2d6+4) Bludgeoning damage.
Manic Charge (Recharge 5–6). The gladiatrix moves up to 90 ft. in a rush, turning up to twice through angles no sharper than 90 degrees. This movement provokes Opportunity Attacks normally. During it she makes one Dire Flail attack against a target within reach; on a hit, add 9 (2d8) Bludgeoning damage and the creature makes a DC 16 Strength save or falls Prone.
Bonus Actions
Press the Advantage. The gladiatrix moves up to 10 ft. without provoking Opportunity Attacks from creatures she hit with her Dire Flail this turn.
Original D&D 2024 conversion of the third-party Domination Devil; not an official Monster Manual creature.
Gladiatrix — Domination Devil
Large fiend (devil), lawful evil · Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
Armor Class 18 (infernal armor); Hit Points 115 (11d10 + 55); Speed 30 ft. (40 ft. out of armour)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 (+4) | 22 (+6) | 20 (+5) | 9 (−1) | 12 (+1) | 14 (+2) |
Saving Throws Dex +9, Con +8, Wis +4; Skills Acrobatics +9, Intimidation +5, Perception +4
Damage Resistances acid, cold; bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren’t silvered
Damage Immunities fire, poison; Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal
Traits
Flail Master. The gladiatrix can use both ends of her dire flail in one uninterrupted attack pattern and does not suffer penalties for using the second head.
Team Fighting. She has advantage on attack rolls against a creature adjacent to another gladiatrix.
Uncanny Dodge. As a reaction, halves the damage of one attack from a creature she can see.
Actions
Multiattack. Three Dire Flail attacks.
Dire Flail. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft. Hit: 11 (2d6+4) bludgeoning damage.
Manic Charge (Recharge 5–6). Moves up to 90 ft. and may make two right-angle turns, provoking opportunity attacks as normal. One Dire Flail attack made during the charge deals an additional 9 (2d8) bludgeoning and forces a DC 16 Strength save against being knocked prone.
Original D&D 2014 conversion; the source creature is not an official Monster Manual devil.
Domination Devil (Gladiatrix) — CR 7
XP 3,200 · LE Large outsider (devil, evil, extraplanar, lawful)
Init +10; Senses darkvision 60 ft., see in darkness; Perception +12
DEFENSE
AC 21, touch 12, flat-footed 18 (+7 armour, +3 Dex, +2 natural, −1 size)
hp 84 (8d10+40)
Fort +7, Ref +12, Will +7
Defensive Abilities uncanny dodge; DR 10/good; Immune fire, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10; SR 18
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft. (30 ft. in armour)
Melee +1 dire flail +13/+13/+8 (2d6+9)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks flail master, manic charge, team fighting
STATISTICS
Str 18, Dex 22, Con 20, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 14
Base Atk +8; CMB +13; CMD 29
Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (dire flail)
Skills Acrobatics +14, Climb +12, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (planes) +10, Perception +12
Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Flail Master (Ex). The gladiatrix takes two fewer points of two-weapon penalties with dire flails and gains a +4 competence bonus to damage with such weapons.
Manic Charge (Ex). She can charge up to triple her speed (up to 120 ft.) and turn up to twice through no more than 90 degrees each turn.
Team Fighting (Ex). When two gladiatrixes flank a creature together, each gains +4 rather than +2 as the flanking bonus.
ECOLOGY
Environment any (Hell); Organization solitary, company (2–5), squad (5–20)
Treasure standard (+1 breastplate, +1 dire flail)
Original third-party Pathfinder creature from Forgotten Foes (2010), Tricky Owlbear Publishing, Mark Gedak and Stefen Styrsky. It is not a Paizo Bestiary monster.
Gladiatrix — D&D 3.5e Conversion
Large Outsider (Evil, Extraplanar, Lawful) · Challenge Rating 7
Hit Dice 8d8+40 (76 hp); Initiative +10
Speed 40 ft. (30 ft. with armour)
Armor Class 21 (−1 size, +3 Dex, +2 natural, +7 armour), touch 12, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple +8/+16
Attack +1 dire flail +13 melee (2d6+9)
Full Attack +1 dire flail +13/+13/+8 melee (2d6+9)
Space/Reach 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks flail master, manic charge, team fighting
Special Qualities uncanny dodge, DR 10/good, darkvision 60 ft., fire and poison immunity, acid and cold resistance 10, spell resistance 18
Saves Fort +11, Ref +12, Will +7
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | 22 | 20 | 9 | 12 | 14 |
Skills Acrobatics (Tumble) +14, Climb +12, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (planes) +10, Perception (Spot) +12
Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (dire flail)
Environment lawful evil plane; Organization solitary, company (2–5), squad (5–20); Treasure standard
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Flail Master (Ex). Reduces penalties for wielding both ends of a dire flail by 2 and adds +4 competence damage.
Manic Charge (Ex). Charge up to triple normal Speed, turning twice through no more than 90 degrees.
Team Fighting (Ex). Two gladiatrixes flanking the same target each enjoy +4 instead of +2 on attack rolls.
Original 3.5e conversion of the third-party Pathfinder Domination Devil; feat and skill terminology follows 3.5e. Not a published Wizards of the Coast Monster Manual entry.
The Masked Champions of Hell
The gladiatrixes fight to prove the superiority of disciplined violence. One enters an arena to challenge the strongest warrior; a company is sent to break a garrison, shame an officer who has failed in duty or punish a cult that no longer inspires fear. They are fiercely conscious of rank, and will follow an authorised order even if a poorly placed officer uses it to waste their strength.
The mask is central to their discipline. It is removed only in the presence of their infernal patron, whose followers call her the Lady of Pain. Mortals who unmask a defeated champion may gain the testimony of a witness or provoke a feud with her entire company. The supposed loss of combat powers upon unmasking is a rumour repeated by their enemies, not an ordinary rule of their physiology.
Manic Charges and Flanking Discipline
Gladiatrixes do not waste time on magical displays. Their charge can bend sharply around obstacles; their flails give them reach and the ability to overwhelm shields, parries and careless footwork. A lone fighter rushes the most confident opponent, while two or more take opposing positions to exploit the precise moment a target turns to defend one flank.
In a narrow passage the gladiatrix loses much of her charge’s value. A party that denies room for the turn, divides the company or chooses ground where a second champion cannot reach the same victim may survive an encounter that would otherwise be overwhelming. freedom of movement helps against battlefield restraint where applicable, and banishment can remove a manifested fiend when the spell’s normal conditions are met.
In the Infernal Hierarchy
Their martial ideals set them apart from erinyes, who undertake execution and retrieval, and from handmaiden devils, who specialise in the court’s deceptions. horned devils and pit fiends commanders may employ gladiatrix squads to seize strategic spaces, but no captain automatically commands them merely by being stronger. A champion’s warrant records the patron, the permitted adversary and the victory demanded. The Devil Bestiary lists them with devil species, separately from named infernal rulers.
Encounters and Adventure Leads
The Three Masks
Three masked gladiatrixes challenge the strongest fighters among a town’s defenders. Each carries the same official seal, but only one of the challenges is legitimate. The captain of the guard has already accepted the unlawful bout and pledged the town’s gates as the prize. The party must expose the forged warrant or win before the appointed judges.
A Tournament without Victory
An infernal tournament has continued for twenty years because its champion refuses to declare defeat, even when mortally wounded. The gladiatrix enforcing the contest insists she is honouring an oath, but the original contestant’s name appears in no surviving roll. Someone has replaced the fighter’s identity with that of a condemned soul.
The Flail behind the Shrine
Workmen discover a double-ended dire flail sealed beneath a shrine to a forgotten god. The weapon has a squad mark still recognised in Hell. Its owner returns with two companions, prepared to challenge the local commander rather than harm the villagers—but the mortal commander has promised to fight on behalf of someone else.
Sources and Licensing
The Domination Devil was published in Forgotten Foes (2010), Tricky Owlbear Publishing, by Mark Gedak and Stefen Styrsky. The Pathfinder CR 7 statistics are a third-party OGL creature, not Paizo’s original Bestiary monster. The D&D 2024, D&D 2014 and D&D 3.5e panels are original adaptations. The encounters and setting presentation are original.
Domination Devil (Gladiatrix) — third-party Pathfinder rules. One earlier Gladiatrix portrait has been retained; the duplicated images, promotional language and unsupported legendary actions are removed.
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