Medium fiend (devil), lawful evil
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 58 (9d8 + 18)
Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft.
Proficiency Bonus +3
Proficiency Bonus +4 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 (+2) | 17 (+3) | 14 (+2) | 13 (+1) | 16 (+3) | 11 (+0) |
Saving Throws Dex +6, Wis +6
Skills Perception +6, Stealth +6
Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren’t silvered
Damage Immunities acid, fire, poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages Draconic, Infernal, telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge 7 (2900 XP)
Devil’s Sight. Magical darkness doesn’t impede the abishai’s darkvision.
Magic Resistance. The abishai has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. The abishai’s weapon attacks are magical.
Regeneration (suggested). The black abishai regenerates 1 hit point per round unless damaged by holy water.
Shadow Stealth. While in dim light or darkness, the abishai can take the Hide action as a bonus action.
ACTIONS
- Multiattack. The abishai makes three attacks: two with its scimitar and one with its bite.
- Multiattack (suggested). The abishai makes three attacks: one with its scimitar, one with its bite and one with its poisonous tail.
- Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.
- Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) acid damage.
- Poisonous Tail (suggested). Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned. The poisoned target is unconscious and must repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, taking 1d10 poison damage on a failed save. The poison ends when the target succeeds on three saving throws or dies.
- Creeping Darkness (Recharge 6). The abishai casts darkness at a point within 120 feet of it, requiring no components. Wisdom is its spellcasting ability for this spell. While the spell persists, the abishai can move the area of darkness up to 60 feet as a bonus action.
5th Edition Advanced Mode
Limiting the power of a character and making the overall difficulty of the game harder, does not reduce the creativity, indeed it does quite the opposite.
The Game Master has the option to use any and all of the instances proposed in this guide, or just some of them according to their preference.
It is the lack of something that move and motivate characters, not the abundance of it
DESCRIPTION
A Black Abishai is a draconic devil that serves Tiamat, the evil goddess of chromatic dragons. It has scaled black skin, large wings on its back, and a long tail. Its eyes glow with a sinister red light, and its mouth is filled with sharp teeth. A Black Abishai is associated with one of Tiamat’s five dragon heads: black, blue, green, red, and white. Tiamat deploys abishais as her agents, sending them forth to represent her interests in the Nine Hells and beyond.
COMBAT
A Black Abishai is a cunning and ruthless fighter that uses its natural weapons and spells to attack its enemies. It can bite with its venomous fangs, claw with its talons, or lash out with its flexible tail. Its tail can also cast darkness at a point within 120 feet of it, requiring no components. While the spell persists, the abishai can move the area of darkness up to 60 feet as a bonus action. A Black Abishai has devil’s sight, which allows it to see through magical darkness. It also has magic resistance, which gives it advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. A Black Abishai’s weapon attacks are magical.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
A Black Abishai dwells in the Nine Hells, where it serves Tiamat in her lair of Avernus, the first layer of hell. It is loyal to Tiamat and obeys her commands without question. It also respects other abishais of different colors, as they are all part of Tiamat’s brood. A Black Abishai can communicate telepathically with other abishais within 120 feet of it. A Black Abishai may also venture out of the Nine Hells to carry out Tiamat’s orders or to seek new allies or enemies for her. It can speak Draconic and Infernal.
ECOLOGY
A Black Abishai is a fiend that does not need to eat, drink, or breathe. It is immune to acid, fire, and poison damage, as well as the poisoned condition. It is resistant to cold damage and nonmagical attacks that are not silvered. A Black Abishai can live for centuries, but it does not age or reproduce naturally. It is created by Tiamat from the souls of evil dragons or dragon cultists that pledge themselves to her. A Black Abishai can also be transformed from another type of devil by Tiamat’s will. A Black Abishai is an enemy of good-aligned creatures, especially metallic dragons and their allies. It also despises other devils that oppose Tiamat or try to usurp her power.