Buy me a coffeeDevil, Pit Fiend
A pit fiend often wraps its wings around itself like a grotesque cloak and appears wreathed in flames.
Rulers of infernal realms, generals of Hell’s armies, and advisors to the archfiends, pit fiends embody the awesome and terrible pinnacle of devilkind. Massive, physically indomitable, and possessed of ingenious evil intellects, these diabolical tyrants hold great autonomy whether in their service to the archfiends, in their rule of vast infernal fiefdoms, or in subjugation of mortal worlds.
Thick muscles cling to their gigantic frames, armored over by dense, bladed scales capable of deflecting all but the most potent assaults. Fangs as thick as daggers fill their maws, bestial visages disguising some of the most insidious minds in Hell. Born within the depths of Nessus, the ninth and deepest layer of Hell, pit fiends are raised from the ranks of cornugons and gelugons by the archdevils and their dukes alone.
While many travel to higher layers and far from Hell to command infernal legions, most remain in Nessus serving in the courts of Hell’s elite or in dark councils with unknowable purposes. Pit fiends always stand over 14 feet tall, with wingspans in excess of 20 feet and weights over 1,000 pounds.
Pit fiends are masters of fire and prefer lands bathed in flame. In Hell, this predisposes them to Avernus, Dis, Malebolge, Nessus, and Phlegethon the layers most likely to harbor their burning temple-citadels. Fanatics obsessed with diabolical superiority and ironclad obedience, pit fiends left to their own devices raise massive armies, scouring the pits of Hell for the most depraved lemures to transform into true fiends.
When convinced they’ve formed the perfect legions, they turn their attentions to vulnerable demiplanes and mortal worlds, eyeing them for infernal domination and the glory of conquest. While obedient to the hierarchies of their kind, they are also strict in their enforcement, and should a pit fiend find itself subservient to a master unfit to rule, it holds itself duty bound to cast down such an incompetent lord. Thus, whether as masters or servants, pit fiends embody the will of Hell‘s merciless law and assure that only the strongest of devilkind flourish (or dare to).
Only the most powerful of mortal spellcasters can or dare summon a pit fiend. These devils‘ reactions to summoning are deliberate and swift, usually typified by overwhelming rage that such insignificant beings would waste their immortal time. Those that cannot weather the devils‘ burning rage are slain—their souls typically racing the pit fiends back to Hell. Those who manage to keep control of the greater devils though, intrigue them.
A pit fiend might dutifully serve a mortal master for centuries, but its goal is always the same: to further corrupt the mortal soul, assure its absolute damnation, and when the mortal inevitably dies, claim its soul and begin the process of creating a perfectly corrupt lemure servant. Pit fiends know they are immortal and are intelligent enough to indulge in impossibly disciplined patience. As such, the eldest pit fiends see in their legions the faces of countless fools who once presumed themselves the devils‘ masters.
Devil, Pit Fiend
A pair of gigantic, flame-seared wings and eyes smoldering like embers give this towering devil a truly horrific appearance.
Family: Devils
Large fiend (devil), lawful evil
Armor Class 19 (natural armor)
Hit Points 300 (24d10 + 168)
Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 (+8) | 14 (+2) | 24 (+7) | 22 (+6) | 18 (+4) | 24 (+7) |
Saving Throws Dex +8, Con +13, Wis +10
Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren’t silvered
Damage Immunities fire, poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Infernal, telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge 20 (25,000 XP)
Special Traits
- Fear Aura: Any creature hostile to the pit fiend that starts its turn within 20 feet of the pit fiend must make a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw, unless the pit fiend is incapacitated. On a failed save, the creature is frightened until the start of its next turn. If a creature’s saving throw is successful, the creature is immune to the pit fiend’s Fear Aura for the next 24 hours.
- Magic Resistance: The pit fiend has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
- Magic Weapons: The pit fiend’s weapon attacks are magical.
- Innate Spellcasting: The pit fiend’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 21). The pit fiend can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
- At will: detect magic, fireball
- 3/day each: hold monster, wall of fire
Actions
- Multiattack: The pit fiend makes four attacks: one with its bite, one with its claw, one with its mace, and one with its tail.
- Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (4d6 + 8) piercing damage. The target must succeed on a DC 21 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned. While poisoned in this way, the target can’t regain hit points, and it takes 21 (6d6) poison damage at the start of each of its turns. The poisoned target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
- Claw: Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d8 + 8) slashing damage.
- Mace: Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage plus 21 (6d6) fire damage.
- Tail: Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 24 (3d10 + 8) bludgeoning damage.
Pit Fiend
| Pit Fiend | |
| Large outsider (Evil, Extraplanar, Lawful) | |
| Hit Dice | 18d8+144 (225 hp) |
| Initiative | +12 |
| Speed | 40 ft. (8 squares), Fly 60 ft. (average) |
| AC | 40 (-1 size, +8 Dexterity, +23 natural) touch 17, flat-footed 32 |
| Base Attack/Grapple | +18/+35 |
| Attack | Claw +30 melee (2d8+13) |
| Full Attack | 2 claws +30 melee (2d8+13) and 2 wings +28 melee (2d6+6) and bite +28 melee (4d6+6 plus poison plus disease) and tail slap +28 melee (2d8+6) |
| Space/Reach | 10 ft./10 ft. |
| Special Attacks | Constrict 2d8+26, fear aura, improved grab, spell-like abilities, summon devil |
| Special Qualities | Damage reduction 15/good and silver, Darkvision 60 ft., immunity to fire and poison, resistance to acid 10 and cold 10, regeneration 5, see in darkness, Spell Resistance 32, telepathy 100 ft. |
| Saves | Fort +19, Ref +19, Will +21 |
| Abilities | Strength 37, Dexterity 27, Constitution 27, Intelligence 26, Wisdom 26, Charisma 26 |
| Skills | Balance +10, Bluff +29, Climb +34, Concentration +29, Diplomacy +10, Disguise +29 (+31 acting), Hide +25, Intimidate +31, Jump +40, Knowledge (arcana) +29, Knowledge (nature) +10, Knowledge (the planes) +29, Knowledge (religion) +29, Listen +29, Move Silently +29, Search +29, Spellcraft +31, Spot +29, Survival +8 (+10 on other planes, +10 when tracking), Tumble +31 |
| Feats | Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Multiattack, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (fireball) |
| Environment | A lawful evil-aligned plane |
| Organization | Solitary, pair, team (3-4), or troupe (1-2 pit fiends, 2-5 horned devils, and 2-5 barbed devils) |
| Challenge Rating | 20 |
| Treasure | Standard coins; double goods; standard items |
| Alignment | Always lawful evil |
| Advancement | 19-36 HD (Large); 37-54 HD (Huge) |
| Level Adjustment | – |
A pit fiend is 12 feet tall and weighs 800 pounds.
Combat
pit fiends are wily and resourceful fighters, using invisibility to gain the upper hand and biting at foes seemingly able to see them. They don’t hesitate to blanket an area with fireballs, and can call down the wrath of an inferno with meteor swarm.
A pit fiend’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as evil-aligned and lawful-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Constrict (Ex): A pit fiend deals 2d8+26 points of damage with a successful grapple check.
Disease (Su): A creature struck by a pit fiend’s bite attack must succeed on a DC 27 Fortitude save or be infected with a vile disease known as devil chills (incubation period 1d4 days, damage 1d4 Strength). The save DC is Constitution-based.
Fear Aura (Su): A pit fiend can radiate a 20-foot-radius fear aura as a free action. A creature in the area must succeed on a DC 27 Will save or be affected as though by a fear spell (caster level 18th). A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same pit fiend’s aura
for 24 hours. Other devils are immune to the aura. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a pit fiend must hit with its tail slap attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.
If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 27, initial damage 1d6 Constitution, secondary damage death. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Spell-Like Abilities: At will-blasphemy (DC 25), create undead, fireball (DC 21), greater dispel magic, greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds of objects only), invisibility, magic circle against good, mass hold monster (DC 27), persistent image (DC 23), power word stun, unholy aura (DC 26);
1/day-meteor swarm (DC 27).
Caster level 18th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
Once per year a pit fiend can use wish as the spell (caster level 20th).
Summon Devil (Sp): Twice per day a pit fiend can automatically summon 2 lemures, bone devils, or bearded devils, or 1 erinyes, horned devil, or ice devil.
This ability is the equivalent of an 8th-level spell.
Regeneration (Ex): A pit fiend takes normal damage from good-aligned silvered weapons, and from spells or effects with the good descriptor.
Tactics Round-by-Round
A pit fiend typically opens combat by using its spell-like abilities, attempting to neutralize dangerous opponents before entering melee.
Prior to combat: unholy aura; activate fear aura, summon devil.
- Round 1: quickened fireball and mass hold monster if facing three or more visible, active opponents; otherwise power word stun against unarmored opponent (preferably a spellcaster).
- Round 2: meteor swarm against as many foes as possible, approach worst-injured enemy.
- Round 3: Full attack against injured enemy.
- Round 4: Continue melee against injured enemy, or power word stun against annoying spellcaster.
- Round 5: Repeat from round 1, or greater teleport to safety if endangered.