Medium fiend (kyton), any evil
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 85 (10d8 + 40)
Speed 30 ft.
Proficiency Bonus +3
Proficiency Bonus +5 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 (+4) | 15 (+2) | 18 (+4) | 11 (+0) | 12 (+1) | 14 (+2) |
Saving Throws Con +7, Wis +4, Cha +5
Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren’t silvered
Damage Immunities fire, poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Infernal, telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge 8 (3900 XP)
Devil’s Sight. Magical darkness doesn’t impede the devil’s darkvision.
Magic Resistance. The devil has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Regeneration (suggested). The chain devil regenerates 1 hit point per round unless wounded by a blessed source of damage.
ACTIONS
- Multiattack. The chain fiend makes two attacks with its chains.
- Chain. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage. The target is grappled (escape DC 14) if the chain fiend isn’t already grappling a creature. Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained and takes 7 (2d6) piercing damage at the start of each of its turns.
- Animate Chains (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). Up to four chains the chain fiend can see within 60 feet of it magically sprout razor-edged barbs and animate under the devil’s control, provided that the chains aren’t being worn or carried. Each animated chain is an object with AC 20, 20 hit points, resistance to piercing damage, and immunity to psychic and thunder damage. When the chain fiend uses Multiattack on its turn, it can use each animated chain to make one additional chain attack. An animated chain can grapple one creature of its own but can’t make attacks while grappling. An animated chain reverts to its inanimate state if reduced to 0 hit points or if the devil is incapacitated or dies.
- Animate Chains (suggested). As a bonus action, the chain fiend can animate up to four chains it can see within 60 feet of it that aren’t being worn or carried. Each animated chain is an object with AC 20, 20 hit points, resistance to piercing damage, and immunity to psychic and thunder damage. The chains magically sprout razor-edged barbs and move under the devil’s control. When the devil uses Multiattack on its turn, it can use each animated chain to make one additional chain attack. An animated chain can grapple one creature of its own but can’t make attacks while grappling. An animated chain reverts to its inanimate state if reduced to 0 hit points or if the devil is incapacitated or dies. The target must also succeed on a saving throw or suffer an additional effect, depending on the type of chain used by the devil. The devil can choose which type of chain to use for each attack:
- Poison Chain. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. The poison is a result of the barbs injecting a venomous substance into the target’s bloodstream.
- Restrain Chain. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be restrained by the chain. The chain wraps around the target’s limbs and body, preventing them from moving. The target can use an action to make a DC 14 Strength check to escape the chain.
- Fear Chain. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. The chain whispers terrifying threats and curses into the target’s mind, causing them to panic. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
- Drain Chain. The target takes an extra 1d6 necrotic damage and the devil regains hit points equal to the necrotic damage dealt. The chain drains the life force of the target and transfers it to the devil, healing its wounds.
- Trip Chain. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone. The chain trips the target with a swift and precise movement, causing them to fall to the ground.
REACTIONS
- Unnerving Mask. When a creature the devil can see starts its turn within 30 feet of the devil, the devil can create the illusion that it looks like one of the creature’s departed loved ones or bitter enemies. If the creature can see the devil, it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of its turn.
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
The Chain Fiend is a type of fiend that originates from the Plane of Shadow, a realm of darkness and horror. They are obsessed with chains and torture, and they seek to inflict and endure pain as a form of worship. They believe that pain is the path to perfection, and that by suffering and causing suffering, they can achieve a higher state of existence. They are also known as Evangelists, because they act as the unofficial ambassadors of their kind, roaming the farthest reaches of the planes to spread their word and recruit new followers. They are also sometimes called Kytons, a term that denotes a master or virtuoso among their kind, although this is a misattribution that they tolerate with cold amusement.
The Chain Fiend resembles a human in size and shape, but its body is covered in chains that wrap tightly around its flesh. The chains rattle and slither as the fiend moves, and they are studded with barbs, hooks, blades, and weights. The fiend’s face is also concealed by chains, with only its throat, mouth, and a single eye visible. The fiend’s eye glows with a sinister light, and it can create illusions that make it look like a departed loved one or a bitter enemy of anyone who sees it. The fiend’s voice is raspy and harsh, and it speaks in a mixture of Common, Infernal, and Shadowtongue.
COMBAT
The Chain Fiend is a cunning and sadistic combatant, who enjoys playing with its prey before delivering the final blow. It uses its chains as weapons and armor, swinging them around to slash and grapple its foes. It can also animate up to four chains within its sight, making them sprout razor-edged barbs and move under its control. The animated chains can extend their reach and grapple creatures on their own, but they cannot attack while grappling. The Chain Fiend can also manipulate the chains in its environment, creating traps and obstacles for its enemies.
The Chain Fiend has several abilities that make it resistant to magic and darkness. It has darkvision that can pierce through magical darkness, and it has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. It is also immune to cold and poison damage, and resistant to nonmagical physical damage that is not silvered. It is weak to good-aligned and silvered weapons, which can disrupt its regeneration and cause it more pain.
The Chain Fiend likes to use fear and intimidation as tactics in combat. It can create an aura that forces anyone who sees it to make a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for a short time. It can also use telepathy to communicate with its allies or taunt its enemies. It often tries to isolate or capture its foes, dragging them into dark corners or dungeons where it can torture them at leisure.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
The Chain Fiend dwells in the Plane of Shadow, a bleak and twisted realm where light and matter are scarce. The fiend lives in Jangling Hiter, also known as the City of Chains or Torture City. It is a city suspended by a network of thick and razor-augmented chains connected to posts positioned throughout the metropolis. The city is composed entirely of chains coated with algae and grime, and often studded with barbs or razors. The city is plagued by horrid rain and deadly sleet, which can reach even those clustered indoors.
The Chain Fiend belongs to a larger group of fiends called velstracs, who share the same philosophy of pain as perfection. The velstracs have a complex society and culture, divided into several subtypes, each with their own abilities and roles. The most common subtypes are the cenobites, the eurynomes, the lampadarius, and the sacristans. The Chain Fiend is one of the most frequently encountered subtypes on other planes, as it acts as an emissary or recruiter for its kind.
The Chain Fiend has a dark sense of aesthetics and artistry, which it expresses through its chains and torture devices. It crafts new chains and devices for its own use or as gifts for its allies or patrons. It also displays its art and trophies in galleries or shrines, where it worships its dark gods or patrons. Some of the entities that the Chain Fiend reveres are Zon-Kuthon (the god of darkness, envy, loss, and pain), Erebus (the primordial deity of darkness), Charon (the Horseman of Death), Nocticula (the Redeemer Queen), Nyarlathotep (the Crawling Chaos), Orcus (the Demon Prince of Undeath), Asmodeus (the Lord of Hell), Mephistopheles (the Archdevil of Contracts), Dispater (the Archdevil of Cities), Belial (the Archdevil of Lies), and Mammon (the Archdevil of Greed).
The Chain Fiend also makes pacts with mortals who seek power or pleasure through pain, offering them dark gifts in exchange for their souls or choice mortal flesh. The Chain Fiend can grant its mortal followers the ability to animate chains, see through darkness, create illusions, or resist magic. The Chain Fiend can also teach its followers the secrets of fleshcrafting, a form of body modification that involves cutting, piercing, stitching, grafting, or implanting flesh and metal. The Chain Fiend’s followers often form covens or cults, where they practice their twisted rituals and experiments.
ECOLOGY
The Chain Fiend is a living creature, but it has a warped and unnatural biology. It does not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep, but it does need to feel pain. Pain is the source of the Chain Fiend’s vitality and regeneration, and it can heal its wounds by inflicting or enduring pain. The Chain Fiend can also use pain as a form of communication or communion with its kind, sharing sensations and emotions through its chains.
The Chain Fiend reproduces by transforming other creatures into its kind, a process known as kytonization. The Chain Fiend can kytonize a creature by torturing it for a long time, breaking its body and mind until it accepts the Chain Fiend’s philosophy. The creature then undergoes a horrific metamorphosis, where its flesh is replaced by chains and metal. The creature becomes a new Chain Fiend, loyal to its creator and its kind.
The Chain Fiend has a predatory and parasitic relationship with other creatures. It hunts and captures souls and other creatures for its own amusement and nourishment. It feeds on the pain and fear of its victims, draining their life force and energy. It also uses its victims as raw materials for its art and experiments, modifying their flesh and metal to suit its whims. The Chain Fiend has few natural enemies, as most creatures avoid or fear it. However, it may clash with other fiends or planar beings who oppose or rival its goals.