Although pit fiends can be a great addition to any DM’s game, I don’t see many players using them or DMs devising effective strategies to combat them.
They are not the most powerful monster, but they can cause serious problems if players aren’t careful. Unless your DM is a sadist, you won’t find a pit fiend on your first day of adventuring.
This Pit Fiend 5e Guide is more for intermediate players and Dungeon Masters who are considering adding more to the story.
One thing is certain: the pit fiend is a friend to any DM who wants to add some brimstone or fire to the path that the adventuring party must take.
What makes a pit fiend? Hierarchy, Lore, and Appearance.
What is the place of Pit Fiends among the Greater devils in the world?
The pit fiend is high up in the hierarchy of monsters found in Dungeons and Dragons. They are a more powerful devil and can be quite difficult to kill, but they also give a lot of experience.
We will discuss a few things that make pit fiends very difficult to beat. First, we will discuss their lives and history.
Even among the most powerful devils, the pit fiend can be terrifying. They are the generals in the 9 hells. They are the archdukes of this world, and they lead lesser devils into battle.
They are considered a kind of aristocracy because of their position in the world below. They are driven by a strong will and bloodlust to conquer and destroy all that stands in their way.
Unprepared, even at the highest levels of competition, you’ll struggle to deal with a pit devil.
Three other devils are worth mentioning if we zoom in on the world of greater ones. The strongest of all, the pit fiend sits at the top of the hierarchy.
- Horned Devils: The strength and constitution of the Horned Devil is well-known. They are able to fly and have a lot of hit points. The triple multi-attack, which uses melee, is their most dangerous staple attack. They have Hurl Flame, a powerful fire attack, just like all other devils. They also have magic resistance, if that’s not enough.
- Erinyes: These are the warriors from hell. They are strong and can fly fast. They have a good level of Dexterity. The Erinyes are able to use a nice longbow attack to inflict poison upon anyone they hit. They are immune to magic and can make three important saving throws. 1. Dexterity 2. Constitution and 3. Wisdom. This is a very dangerous monster to encounter!
- Ice Devils: I think the ice devil has the weakest of the three. Their Wall of Ice is their most interesting asset. The Wall of Ice is also an interesting weapon that can slow down their opponents but does not do much damage. Ice devils have a 60% chance of summoning a second ice devil. If the battle lasts more than 2 rounds, it is almost certain that you will have to fight another one.
These guys sound powerful, but wait until you see the trouble they can cause!
Appearance & Lore
These greater devils can be large and are blood-red in color. Their long tails and large wings make it appear like they are wearing a cloak.
Additional defense is provided by the armored scales found on the body. They are dangerously poisonous and have large fangs.
They measure more than 12 feet tall and are 800 pounds. Their fearsome appearance makes them stand out above all other playable races and causes fear in everyone who meets them.
The Pit Fiend is a descendant of the most eminent Gelugons, Erinyes. These were then thrown into hellfire at the Pit of Flames where they remained for one thousand and one days.
A Pit Fiend is someone who stays in the Pit of Flames for almost three years.
Alternately, if Asmodeus is dropped on it, it will become a greater devil. Pit Fiends would make up the majority of these greater devils. Pit Fiends are born from Asmodeus’ blood and are fiercely loyal to him.
If a Pit Fiend is created in this manner, they have a chance of spawning Barbazus (a lesser devil) when they shed blood.
Pit Fiends – What Makes Them So Strong? What are the actions of a Pit Fiend?
Multi attack
The pit fiend is a formidable attacker that can attack in four different ways. One with his fangs and one with his claws. The third attack is made with his mace, while the last one uses his tail.
- Bite – A Pit Fiend’s bite is not to underestimate. It can be used as a melee weapon assault and deals a 22 or 4d6 +8 in piercing injury. To avoid poisoning the target, he must make a DC 21 CON save throw. A Pit Fiend can poison you and cause serious headaches. The Pit Fiend takes 6d6 or 21 poison damage each turn, and you cannot regain Hit Points. You can however ‘cure” your poison by making a DC 21 CON saving throw at end of the turn.
- Claw – is another melee attack. This attack has a range of 10 feet, which is 5ft longer than the bite attack. This attack is slashing and hits 17 or 2d8+8.
- Mace – The third melee attack by the pit fiend is a devastating one with his mace. This one does 15 or 2d6 + 8, and also deals 21 or 6d6 fire damage. OUCH.
- Tail – Finally, the Pit Fiend has a tail that can deal 24 damage or 3d10 +8 bludgeoning damage.
This multi-attack can cause serious damage to anyone daring to challenge a pit fiend.
The ability of the Pit Fiend
Now that we know that the Pit Fiend can be a formidable melee fighter, let us take a closer look at what this greater devil has to offer. It turns out that the Pit Fiend has a lot of great weapons to use when fighting.
- Fear Aura – Being a fearsome creature grants you a huge perk in Dungeons & Dragons. Everyone who wants to fight the Pit Fiend must first make a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw when they are within 20 feet of it. If the Pit Fiend becomes incapacitated, this is the only way to escape.
- What happens if you fail to throw your fear aura wisdom? Well, you get frightened. Frightening can be quite annoying. If you are within the reach of the pit fiend, you have a disadvantage in your ability checks and attack roll. You also don’t want to get closer to the source of fear. It can be quite annoying if your party has a lot of melee fighters.
- Magic resistance – Your barbarian failed his wisdom throw. Let’s attack the Pit Fiend using magic. Your wizard has some bad news: the Pit Fiend’s Magic Resistance gives it an advantage over any saving throws against spells or any other magical effects.
- Magic Weapons – This ability makes weapon attacks by the Pit Fiend magical.
- Innate spellcasting – This is another powerful ability. It is difficult to understand even for intermediate players. You can cast an innate spell if you possess the ability. You can avoid being stuck with it by doing a DC 21 for Charisma.
The Pit Fiend’s first at-will spell is the detection of magic. This spell allows the pit fiend to detect magic within 30 feet of his body. This spell protects him from any magic traps that your players may have set.
Fireball is another at-will spell. This spell can be cast at will, which is quite powerful. Every creature within 20 feet of the fireball must make a DEX throw to save them from getting serious fire damage.
To avoid any serious fire damage, all creatures within a 20-foot radius of the target fireball must make a DEX throw. This spell has a range of 150 feet so it is important to get close to the target quickly.
The Pit Fiend can use three at-will spells: hold monster, wall of fire, and wall of terror. The Pit Fiend can use hold monster to paralyze a monster until the Pit Fiend makes a wisdom saving throw.
The Pit Fiend can create a wall made of fire that measures up to 60 meters in height and length. Each creature within the area must make a DEX throw. If you fail it, you take fire damage. Half the damage is taken if you fail. You will be hit no matter what you do.
Pit Fiend stats and resistances, as well as immunities
Statistics of a Pit Fiend
You might be a number freak like me and will check out the stats for any monster before you do anything else. In true Pit Fiend fashion, I save the best for last.
Due to its natural armor, the armor class for a pit fiend is 19 which is not too bad. If you want to defeat a pit fiend, this armor comes with a lot of Hit Points.
You can see one weakness in their stats. It is a 14 (+2). Their dexterity compares to the rest. It is a 14 (+2). Their saving throw is dex + 8. If you can make strong attacks that force the Pit Fiend into making a DEX save you will have an advantage going into battle.
Two stats deserve some extra attention. The Pit Fiend is a 26 (+8) Stronghold with 24 (+7) charisma. These stats are important to remember as the Pit Fiend’s attacks are often based on them.
Immunities and Resistances
Damage Resistance – The Pit Fiend, like many higher-level monsters has some very strong resistances. They won’t be affected by cold, but they will tolerate piercing, slashing, and bludgeoning with an attack that isn’t magical or silvered. This is quite powerful.
Damage immunities – Fire is the best form of immunity. You will be able to handle the heat if you spend more than 1001 days in The Pit of Flames. The Pit Fiend also enjoys poison immunity. This immunity is a condition that prevents you from getting poisoned.
FAQs
How often can a Pit Fiend throw a Fire Ball?
They can throw it at will. They can also use the Fire Ball attack whenever they feel like it. Keep in mind that the Fire Ball radius is 20 feet. Make sure you have everyone spread out.
Does Fear Aura work always?
It doesn’t work in two situations. The Pit Fiend becoming incapacitated is the first. The second is when you can make a WIS saving throw. If you can do a WIS saving throw, the Pit Fiend will not be scared of you for 24 hours.
What’s the Pit Fiends’ weak point?
DEX is their weakest stat. You can make them use this stat to make saving throws. The ranger has the advantage of staying out of the devastating multi-attack.
Final Words
The Pit Fiend is one of the most powerful among the greater devils. It is a powerful devil with a large HP pool and strong resistance.
If you’re not careful, it can also do some serious damage. Your party’s level is not sufficient to ensure that your Dungeon Master can use fireball, hold monster, and wall of flame.
The Pit Fiend is a great dungeon master because it gives you a lot of attack options and has some nice stats.
You should not use the monster until your players have reached level 13 or higher. You might even cause some deaths if you go lower!
