Small fiend (demon), chaotic evil
Armor Class 11 (natural armor)
Hit Points 18 (4d6 + 4)
Speed 20 ft.
Proficiency Bonus +2
Proficiency Bonus +3 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 (+0) | 11 (+0) | 12 (+1) | 5 (-3) | 8 (-1) | 3 (-4) |
Saving Throws (suggested) Con +3
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9
Languages Abyssal, telepathy 60 ft. (works only with creatures that understand Abyssal)
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
ACTIONS
- Multiattack. The dretch makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws.
- Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) piercing damage.
- Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (2d4) slashing damage.
- Fetid Cloud (1/Day). A 10-foot radius of disgusting green gas extends out from the dretch. The gas spreads around corners, and its area is lightly obscured. It lasts for 1 minute or until a strong wind disperses it. Any creature that starts its turn in that area must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of its next turn. While poisoned in this way, the target can take either an action or a bonus action on its turn, not both, and can’t take reactions.
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 dretch is a lowly demon that embodies the worst aspects of mortal sin and vice. It is a repulsive creature that resembles a bloated humanoid with a pig-like snout, yellow eyes, and jagged teeth. Its skin is pale white to beige, giving way to sickly blue in some areas, stretched over pulsing varicose veins. Its hair is sparse and bristly, exposing pointed ears that hang limply from either side of the head. A dretch has a foul odor that can nauseate anyone nearby, and it constantly emits a disgusting green gas from its mouth and rear end. A dretch speaks Abyssal, but it can also communicate telepathically with creatures that understand that language .
COMBAT
A dretch is not a formidable opponent in combat, as it lacks strength, speed, and intelligence. It usually relies on its bite and claws to attack, but it can also use its fetid cloud ability once per day to create a poisonous gas that impairs the actions and reactions of its enemies . A dretch is resistant to cold, fire, and lightning damage, and immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition . A dretch is cowardly and will flee or surrender if it faces a stronger foe or if it is outnumbered. However, it will fight to the death if it is commanded by a more powerful demon or if it has no escape route.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
A dretch lives in the Abyss, the chaotic evil plane of existence where demons dwell. It is among the weakest and most numerous of demons, and it serves as cannon fodder, slave labor, or food for the stronger ones. A dretch has no sense of loyalty or friendship, and it will betray or devour its own kind if it benefits itself. A dretch is also spiteful and envious of other creatures, and it will try to ruin their happiness or success if it can. A dretch rarely leaves the Abyss, unless it is summoned by a spellcaster or transported by a portal. A dretch hates being in the Material Plane, as it finds it boring and restrictive.
A dretch is the lowest form of actual tanar’ri; their inferiors, the manes, are merely dead spirits from the Prime Material Plane. Dretches mill around and torment the manes to avoid considering their own lowly position.
Some dretches try to be extremely useful, hoping for promotion. Others consider themselves so lowly that they have nothing to lose, and they rebel. By virtue of their numbers, they feel they can go their own way and ignore the more powerful tanar’ri. This leads to a huge slaughter of the rebellious dretches by more powerful tanar’ri. These civil outbreaks temporarily divert the tanar’ri from the Blood War, sometimes with disastrous results.
Dretches are important to the Blood War. The primary strength of the tanar’ri is their sheer numbers, and those numbers consist largely of dretches. Unlike the hordlings, they are actual tanar’ri and have concern for their position. This makes them more reliable than hordlings, if the term applies to any creature in the Abyss.
ECOLOGY
A dretch is a fiend, a creature of pure evil that seeks to destroy and corrupt everything it touches. It has no natural role in the balance of nature, and it only causes harm and suffering to living beings. A dretch does not need to eat or drink, but it will consume anything that is edible or rotten if it is hungry or curious. A dretch does not reproduce sexually, but rather spawns from the chaotic energy of the Abyss or from the souls of wicked mortals who die without repentance. A dretch has no lifespan, and it can only be killed by violence or by being consumed by another demon.