Large fiend, chaotic evil
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Armor Class (suggested) 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points 178 (17d10 + 85)
Speed 30 ft.
Proficiency Bonus +5
Proficiency Bonus +7 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 (+5) | 12 (+1) | 20 (+5) | 13 (+1) | 10 (+0) | 16 (+3) |
Saving Throws (suggested) Str +10, Con +10, Cha +8
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Abyssal, telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)
Magic Resistance (suggested). The devourer has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
ACTIONS
- Multiattack. The devourer makes two claw attacks and can use either Imprison Soul or Soul Rend.
- Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: + 10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) slashing damage plus 21 (6d6) necrotic damage.
- Claw (suggested). Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) slashing damage plus 21 (6d6) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or lose hit points equal to the maximum number of its hit dice multiplied by 1d6. The devourer gains temporary hit points equal to half the amount of hit points lost by the target.
- Imprison Soul. The devourer chooses a living humanoid with 0 hit points that it can see within 30 feet of it. That creature is teleported inside the devourer’s ribcage and imprisoned there. A creature imprisoned in this manner has disadvantage on death saving throws. If it dies while imprisoned, the devourer regains 25 hit points, immediately recharges Soul Rend, and gains an additional action on its next turn. Additionally, at the start of its next turn, the devourer regurgitates the slain creature as a bonus action, and the creature becomes an undead. If the victim had 2 or fewer Hit Dice, it becomes a zombie. If it had 3 to 5 Hit Dice, it becomes a ghoul. Otherwise, it becomes a wight. A devourer can imprison only one creature at a time.
- Soul Rend (Recharge 6). The devourer creates a vortex of life-draining energy in a 20-foot radius centered on itself. Each humanoid in that area must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw, taking 44 (8d10) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Increase the damage by 10 for each living humanoid with 0 hit points in that area.
- Consume Soul (suggested). As a bonus action, the devourer can consume the soul trapped in its chest, destroying it forever. The devourer regains hit points equal to the maximum number of hit dice of the consumed soul multiplied by 1d10. The devourer also gains a +1 bonus to its AC, attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws for each hit die of the consumed soul until the end of its next turn. The devourer can use this ability only once per day.
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 devourer is a tall, gaunt, skeletal creature that has a smaller humanoid trapped within its rib cage. It has glowing red eyes and sharp claws, and it radiates an aura of evil and hunger. A devourer is a fiend that serves Orcus, the Demon Prince of Undeath, and seeks to create armies of undead by consuming the bodies and souls of living beings. A devourer was once a lesser demon that proved itself worthy of Orcus’s favor by showing exceptional cruelty and cunning.
A devourer’s appearance gives the impression that it is a horrible monster. The captive within its rib cage is powerless and suffers great distress and pain, though he often has a look that indicates that he has been imprisoned for a long time. Some folks believe that only one devourer exists, but that is wishful thinking. Exactly what the creatures are is still a mystery. Are they a predator race found only on the Silver Void and the Misty Shore? Are they the magical creations of a viciously evil wizard? Are they manifestations of something else entirely – perhaps the most despicable thoughts and emotions that end up on the Astral? No one knows for sure.
COMBAT
A devourer is a formidable opponent in combat, as it can use its claws to slash and drain the life force of its enemies. It can also use its telepathy to communicate with other fiends and to torment the soul of its victim. A devourer has two special abilities that make it even more dangerous: imprison soul and soul rend.
Imprison soul allows the devourer to trap the soul of a dying humanoid within its rib cage, where it slowly tortures it to death with telepathic noise. The trapped soul also grants the devourer some of its abilities, such as skills, saving throws, and languages. The devourer can only imprison one soul at a time, and it can release it at will or when the soul dies.
Soul rend allows the devourer to unleash a blast of green energy from the souls it has consumed, dealing necrotic damage to a target within range. The more souls the devourer has devoured, the more powerful this attack becomes. The devourer can also use this energy to heal itself or to create new undead servitors from the corpses of its victims.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
Devourers are usually found in the Abyss, where they serve Orcus and his minions. They are also sometimes sent by Orcus to other planes, such as the Astral Plane, the Ethereal Plane, or the Material Plane, to pursue his interests and schemes. On these planes, they seek to create and lead armies of undead by devouring the souls of the living. Devourers are solitary creatures that do not cooperate with other fiends unless ordered by Orcus. They are also hated and feared by most other creatures, even other demons.
Devourers haunt the deep reaches of the Ethereal and Astral Planes, where they have a reputation for being among the most fearsome and loathsome of foes. For many planewalkers, they embody the true nature of evil (despite the fact that they do not come from the Lower Planes). Devourers have so little regard for anyone but themselves that they are willing to steal the life essence of other beings to power their own magic. When a planewalker stumbles across a devourer, the creature is always alone (except for its captive spirit, of course). Nothing alive seems to tolerate their presence; they even appear to abhor one another. Furthermore, devourers are encountered only when they are out hunting for victims from whom they can drain levels or steal spirits. If the creatures do make lairs on the Astral or the Ethereal, such places have never been found. Perhaps that is for the best.
Chant has it that a few bashers have encountered devourers on the Negative Energy Plane, but who would believe the word of anyone who would willingly go to such a horrible place? Others contend that while devourers spend most of their time on the Astral or the Ethereal, they do indeed make occasional trips to the Negative Energy Plane, for reasons unknown. Unlike undead, they have no direct connection to the plane (hence their ability to go to the Astral and even beyond, if they wished), but they do seem to make odd “pilgrimages” now and then – no doubt because of their nature.
ECOLOGY
Devourers are unnatural creatures that do not belong to any natural cycle of life and death. They feed on the souls of living beings, which they use to power their abilities and to create more undead. Devourers do not need air, food, drink, or sleep, but they are driven by an insatiable hunger for souls. Devourers have no allies or friends, only enemies and prey. They are enemies of all living things, especially those who worship gods of life or death. Devourers are also opposed by adventurers who seek to stop their evil plans or to plunder their lairs. Devourers are often encountered in places where death and undeath are prevalent, such as graveyards, tombs, battlefields, or dungeons.