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Balor

Challenge
Alignment
Terrain
str
26
dex
18
con
20
int
20
wis
20
cha
22

AC 19 (natural armor)

HP 299 (26d12 + 130; bloodied 149)

Speed 40 ft., fly 80 ft.


Proficiency +6; Maneuver DC 22

Saving Throws Str +14, Dex +10, Con +11, Wis +11, Cha +12

Skills Intimidation +12, Perception +11

Damage Resistances cold, lightning; damage from nonmagical weapons

Damage Immunities fire, poison

Condition Immunities poisoned

Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 21

Languages Abyssal, telepathy 120 ft.


Chaotic Evil. The balor radiates a Chaotic and Evil aura. 

Death Throes. When the balor dies, it explodes. Each creature within 30 feet makes a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw , taking 52 (15d6) fire damage on a failed save or half damage on a success.  

Fire Aura. At the start of the balor’s turn, each creature within 10 feet takes 10 (3d6) fire damage. A creature that touches the balor or hits it with a melee attack takes 10 (3d6) fire damage.

Magic Resistance. The balor has advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects.


ACTIONS

Multiattack. The balor attacks with its lightning sword and its fire whip.

Lightning Sword. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (3d8 + 8) slashing damage plus 18 (4d8) lightning damage.

Fire Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 45 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (3d6 + 8) slashing damage plus 14 (4d6) fire damage, and the target makes a DC 19 Strength saving throw . On a failure, it is pulled up to 40 feet towards the balor.

Whip Crack (1/Day). A 90-foot cone of thunderous flame emanates from the balor. Each creature in the area makes a DC 19 Constitution saving throw , taking 28 (8d6) fire damage and 28 (8d6) thunder damage and falling prone on a failed save or taking half damage on a successful one. 

Teleport. The balor magically teleports to a space within 120 feet that it can see.


REACTIONS

Instinctive Teleport. After the balor takes damage, it uses Teleport.

Combat

The balor uses its fast flying speed, Instinctive Teleport, and its fire whip to keep would-be ranged attackers within its Fire Aura. It uses Whip Crack on clusters of foes. If obviously outmatched, it uses Instinctive Teleport and flies away.


Demon Names

Abigor, Aborag, Agoraxas, Algalar, Ana-Sepiya, Arcanax, Argenthrixus, Ashban, Brezremith, Caim, Carn, Carnifex, Gall, Hacari, Ignax, Ildramath, Iritra, Lachirax, Maggoth, Malfias, Milviash, Moloth, Morza, Namazeu, Razortail, Sarzan, Serechor, Suroth, Tehezu, Uzuzzu, Velavis, Velgizich, Wreak, Zugor, Zuthis


Legends and Lore

With an Arcana or Religion check, characters can learn the following:

DC 10 Demons are fiends spawned from the Abyss. They are creatures of pure chaos: even the most intelligent demon can’t be reasoned with.

DC 15 Poison can’t adversely affect a demon’s alien physiology. They shrug off much of the damage caused by cold, fire, lightning, and mundane weapons.

DC 20 The most powerful demons are even more resilient. They entirely ignore the effects of many magic spells.

Description

Balors are the most powerful demons in the Abyss, second only to the demon lords themselves. Standing twice as tall as a full-grown human, with tattered wings and a pair of wicked horns, balors inspire terror in all who see them. Even more fearsome, however, are the balor’s weapons. Each balor wields a lightning-bladed longsword and a whip formed from living flame, which it uses to smite its enemies and command obedience from lesser demons. A balor’s ever-burning rage manifests as a literal fire that its physical form can barely contain. These flames cause the balor’s skin to glow red-hot, and when a balor dies, its body explodes in a fiery conflagration.

Behavior

1–3 Committing acts of mindless destruction (setting a fire, uprooting trees, defiling a holy site)

4 Trapped in an abandoned summoning circle

5 Pacing the far side of a magic mirror or planar gate, waiting to be released

6 Mangling the corpse of a recent kill

7 Guarding or patrolling, under the control of a summoner

8 Using napkins and rusted cutlery to dine on humanoid corpses

9 Drawn to you by the secret holy or unholy power of one of your magic items

10 if you let it live, it promises to harm one of your enemies

Signs

1 Pained screams accompanied by guttural laughter

2 Residual negative emotions (envy, paranoia, rage) subtly influence the area’s inhabitants

3 Horribly misshapen animals, born with extra legs, eyes, or heads

4 The remains of another monster, torn limb from limb

5 A human corpse; its face is frozen in an expression of horror

6 Clawed footprints

Encounters

Demons are native to the Abyss but can threaten any part of the world if summoned or by bursting through poorly-sealed arcane gates.

CR 0–2 1d4 dretches ; quasit

CR 3–4 horde demon ; shadow demon ; quasit with 1 to 3 death dogs

CR 5–10 glabrezu ; hezrou ; vrock ; 2 or 3 horde demons ; 2 shadow demons ; shadow demon with 1d4 shadows

Treasure 1 warhammer (named Night Terror; its wielder is rattled while in darkness)

CR 11–16 horde demon band ; marilith ; nalfeshnee ; glabrezu with 1 or 2 horde demons ; hezrou with 1d6 + 2 ghouls ; 3 or 4 shadow demons

Treasure 2 scimitar (named Wrath; intelligent, Lawful Evil, with Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma scores of 12)

CR 17–22 balor ; 2 glabrezu ; 3 vrocks ; horde demon band with cambion , hezrou , or vrock

Treasure gold demon idol (7,500 gp), 2 bottles containing invisible wine that act as potions of invisibility , spell scrolls of contact other plane and dominate person , demon armor

CR 23–30 balor general ; balor or marilith with horde demon band ; marilith with 2 spirit nagas

Treasure massive ruby (25,000 gp) that contains a soul trapped by the magic jar spell, spell scrolls of magic jar and plane shift , 3 arrows of celestial slaying , 2 longsword   (named Storm Claw; its wielder can cast lightning bolt with no components once per long rest, saving throw DC 18)

CR 31+ balor general with horde demon band , marilith , or nalfeshnee ; balor with 1d4 + 1 vrocks ; marilith with 3 or 4 hezrous

Treasure gemmed black iron war horn (25,000 gp), gemmed dragonbone crown (25,000 gp), 4 elemental gems (water) , Ioun stone of leadership , vorpal sword

Monster Type Description

Fiends are evil-aligned creatures from Hell, the Abyss, and other cursed realms. Most fiends are demons and devils, each of which have their own subtypes and hierarchies. Some fiends, such as hell hounds , are neither demons nor devils.