Medium fiend (demon), chaotic evil
Large (suggested) fiend (demon), chaotic evil
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Armor Class (suggested) 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points 52 (7d8 + 21)
Hit Points (suggested) 59 (7d10 + 21)
Speed 40 ft.
Proficiency Bonus +2
Proficiency Bonus +4 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 (+2) 22 (+6) suggested) | 14 (+2) | 17 (+3) | 8 (-1) | 9 (-1) | 6 (-2) |
Saving Throws (suggested) Str +6, Dex +4
Skills (suggested) Athletic +6
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning
Damage Immunities poison
Damage Immunities (suggested) poison, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren’t cold iron
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 9
Languages Abyssal, telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Reckless Rage (suggested). At the start of its turn, the bulezau can gain advantage on all melee weapon attack rolls it makes during that turn, but attack rolls against it have advantage. The reckless rage also grants a +4 bonus on all damage rolls at the price of a -4 penalty on armor class. The reckless rage ends only when all the opponents are dead or have fled.
Rotting Presence. When any creature that isn’t a demon starts its turn within 30 feet one or more bulezaus, that creature must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 necrotic damage plus 1 necrotic damage for each bulezau within 30 feet of it.
Standing Leap. The bulezau’s long jump is up to 20 feet and its high jump is up to 10 feet, with or without a running start.
Sure-Footed. The bulezau has advantage on Strength and Dexterity saving throws made against effects that would knock it prone.
ACTIONS
- Multiattack (suggested). The bulezau makes four attacks, two with its claws, one with its horns and one with its barbed tail or one with its weapon, one with its horn and one with its barbed tail.
- Barbed Tail (suggested). Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d4 + 6) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.
- Barbed Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d12 + 2) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw against disease or become poisoned until the disease ends. While poisoned in this way, the target sports festering boils, coughs up flies, and sheds rotting skin, and the target must repeat the saving throw after every 24 hours that elapse. On a successful save, the disease ends. On a failed save, the target’s hit point maximum is reduced by 4 (ld8). The target dies if its hit point maximum is reduced to 0.
- Claws (suggested). Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d6 + 6) slashing damage.
- Horns (suggested). Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 6) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 16 strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
- Polearm (suggested). Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) piercing or slashing damage.
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
Bulezau are a type of tanar’ri, the chaotic evil demons that wage an endless war against the baatezu in the lower planes. They are among the most ferocious and relentless warriors of the tanar’ri army, second only to the vrocks in strength and endurance. Bulezau serve as heavy infantry, assault leaders, and personal guards for more powerful demons; they have no interest in magic or stealth, only in brute force and bloodshed.
Bulezau have a monstrous appearance that resembles a gaunt and skeletal minotaur. Their flesh is filthy and diseased, covered with boils and maggots. They have patches of wiry bristles instead of fur, and their feet end in sharp claws. Their long, serpentine tails have a cluster of metal-like spines that they use as weapons. Their horns and heads are more like those of a ram than a bull, and their mouths are full of small, needle-like teeth. Bulezau often wield massive tridents, pole arms, or morning stars that match their savage nature.
Bulezau can speak a crude form of the common language of the planes, but they have trouble expressing complex ideas or emotions. They can also communicate with a weak form of telepathy, but they prefer to use it to intimidate or threaten their enemies. Bulezau have little patience for diplomacy or negotiation; they are quick to anger and violence. They respect only strength and fearlessness, and they will not hesitate to rip apart anyone who annoys them or stands in their way.
COMBAT
Bulezau are fearsome fighters who rely on their raw damage and stamina to overwhelm their enemies. They are not very smart or strategic, and they often act on impulse and rage. They are loyal to the tanar’ri cause, but they have no respect for anyone who is weaker or slower than them.
Bulezau can attack with their claws, horns, and tails. A claw attack does a small amount of damage, a horn attack does a large amount of damage, and a tail attack does a very small amount of damage. A horn attack can also knock back and stun a man-sized or smaller target if the bulezau is very lucky. If the bulezau has a weapon, it replaces its claw attacks with it. Bulezau weapons are huge and do double normal damage, plus more for the bulezau’s Strength. A bulezau with a morning star does a very large amount of damage with it. The bulezau can use its horn and tail attacks in the same round as its weapon attack.
Bulezau tend to go berserk in combat. There is a chance each round that they lose control and attack until they or their enemy is dead. This chance increases if the bulezau takes damage without hitting back. A berserk bulezau has a low Armor Class, but a bonus to all attack rolls. It also has a bonus to saving throws against fear, emotion, or mind-affecting spells, such as hold monster. The bulezau only calms down when there are no more enemies left, or when it has been out of combat for a while.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
Bulezau are the embodiment of primal fury and the bestial brutality of nature. They are a type of tanar’ri, the chaotic evil demons that wage an endless war against the baatezu in the lower planes. They are among the most ferocious and relentless warriors of the tanar’ri army, second only to the vrocks in strength and endurance. Bulezau serve as heavy infantry, assault leaders, and personal guards for more powerful demons; they have no interest in magic or stealth, only in brute force and bloodshed.
Bulezau have a monstrous appearance that resembles a gaunt and skeletal minotaur. Their flesh is filthy and diseased, covered with boils and maggots. They have patches of wiry bristles instead of fur, and their feet end in sharp claws. Their long, serpentine tails have a cluster of metal-like spines that they use as weapons. Their horns and heads are more like those of a ram than a bull, and their mouths are full of small, needle-like teeth. Bulezau often wield massive tridents, pole arms, or morning stars that match their savage nature.
Bulezau are antagonistic, violent bullies that constantly seek conflict and approach it with enthusiasm and glee. Fury is their default emotion and they gain entertainment only in the struggle of combat. Their eagerness to fight sometimes overwhelms their sense of self preservation, and only the threats of significantly more powerful beings, coupled with promises of future warring could keep them under control.
Bulezau are quarrelsome and prone to lethal disagreements with each other. Only the authority of a greater or true tanar’ri can keep them from killing their own kind, and even then only if the prospect of battle is near. Bulezau live for combat, and regard all other activities as a waste of time. They make poor pickets, sentries, or scouts since they have no patience for waiting around or attempts at stealth — if a bulezau sees an enemy, it charges; if it doesn’t see an enemy, it goes looking for one.
Bulezau may be difficult troops to control, but they are very effective at what they do. Once committed to a battle, they hold nothing back and plunge into the thick of the fight with reckless abandon. For a tanar’ri commander, the bulezau are a slavering band of maniacs that will attempt any attack and never retreat, no matter how hopeless the situation is. Loyalty of that kind is hard to find in the Abyss, even if it’s driven by uncontrollable bloodlust instead of iron discipline.
Tanar’ri commanders have long recognized that it’s a good idea to keep bulezau near the war front. They are just too stupid and aggressive to remain in a noncombat situation for long. They need constant stimulation and challenge to keep them from turning on each other or their superiors.
With a strong and charismatic commander, bulezau can hold themselves in check — just barely. Some high-ups in the Abyss sometimes create a ruthless and fanatical guard of bulezau, deciding that it’s worth the headaches to have such capable and loyal (for tanar’ri) fighters at their beck and call. However, even these bulezau are not completely trustworthy, as they may turn on their masters if they sense weakness or fear.
ECOLOGY
Bulezau are a type of tanar’ri, the chaotic evil demons that wage an endless war against the baatezu in the lower planes. They are among the most ferocious and relentless warriors of the tanar’ri army, second only to the vrocks in strength and endurance. Bulezau serve as heavy infantry, assault leaders, and personal guards for more powerful demons; they have no interest in magic or stealth, only in brute force and bloodshed.
Some say that bulezau are the twisted offspring of Baphomet, the tanar’ri lord and patron of minotaurs. According to this legend, Baphomet bred his minotaur servants with some of his tanar’ri followers, creating a new breed of demonic warriors. However, there is no definitive proof of this origin story, and it could be just a rumor or a lie. What is certain is that Baphomet has a loyal and fierce guard of bulezau that serve him with unusual discipline and devotion.
Bulezau are generally respected by tanar’ri of higher rank, since they are eager and enthusiastic combatants in the Blood War. They are always ready to fight the baatezu, the yugoloths, or any other enemy that threatens the Abyss. Their primal fury and bestial brutality make them formidable foes that can strike fear into the hearts of their opponents. Because of their reputation, more cunning and subtle tanar’ri can use them as a distraction or a cover to pursue their own schemes and agendas. Tanar’ri commanders value bulezau formations and try to recruit them whenever possible.
On the other hand, less powerful tanar’ri avoid bulezau as much as they can, since they are unpredictable and violent bullies that can turn on anyone at any moment. Bulezau have no patience or tolerance for weakness or failure, and they will lash out at anyone who annoys them or stands in their way. They are also prone to impatience and rage, which can make them reckless and careless in battle. There have been instances where more dretches and rutterkin were killed by bulezau than by baatezu.
Bulezau have a bitter rivalry with vrocks, another type of lesser tanar’ri that are similar to them in strength and role. Bulezau and vrocks compete for glory and recognition in the Blood War, and they often clash over territory, resources, or personal insults. Encounters between bulezau and vrocks usually end up in bloody fights, unless there are baatezu around to take advantage of their discord.