Burning Dervish

Medium fiend, lawful evil

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 45 (7d8 + 14)
Speed 30 ft., fly 20 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
15 (+2)	16 (+3)	14 (+2)	13 (+1)	15 (+2)	15 (+2)

Skills Perception +4, Stealth +5
Damage Vulnerabilities cold
Damage Immunities fire
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Common, Ignan, Infernal
Challenge 3 (700 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Elemental Endurance. Burning dervishes can survive on the Elemental Planes of Air or Earth for up to 48 hours and on the Elemental Plane of Water for up to 12 hours. Failure to return to the Elemental Plane of Fire after that time deals 1 cold damage each hour to a burning dervish until it dies or returns to the Elemental Plane of Fire.
• Innate Spellcasting. The burning dervish’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). It can cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
  • At will: fire bolt, produce flame
  • 3/day: invisibility (self only)
  • 1/day each: enlarge/reduce, flaming sphere, plane shift (self only, Elemental, Astral, or Material Planes only)

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The burning dervish makes two Scimitar attacks or two Fist attacks.
• Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.
• Fist (flame form only). Melee Spell Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) fire damage.
• Flame Form (3/day). The burning dervish magically polymorphs into a Medium-sized column of fire for one minute, until the dervish ends it as a bonus action, or until the dervish dies. Equipment worn or carried by the dervish are absorbed into its form. While in this form, it has resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks, it is immune to being grappled or restrained, and it can move through a space as narrow as one-inch wide without squeezing. A creature that touches the burning dervish in this form or hits it with a melee attack while within five feet of it takes 4 (1d8) fire damage. In addition, the burning dervish can enter a hostile creature’s space and stop there. The first time it enters a creature’s space on a turn, that creature takes 4 (1d8) fire damage and catches fire; until someone takes an action to douse the fire, the creature takes 4 (1d8) fire damage at the start of each of its turns.

ABOUT

Burning dervishes are a race of Janni separated from the elements of air, earth, and water, having sworn themselves and their tribes in entirety to the power of the Sultan of Brass. Burning dervishes serve as the priesthood and religious police of the Cult of the Burning One and work forever to expand the empire of the Veiled God who sits upon the Throne of Brass. In the City of Brass, they keep their headquarters in the Great Ziggurat. On the terrestrial planes, they set up brazen towers as bases from which they convert locals to militias of the Burning One and proceed in conquering the lands through treachery and deceit.

These tall, comely beings have skin that glitters like burnished brass that distinguishes them from the race of Janni from whom their race is derived. Burning dervishes stand between six and seven feet tall. Their features are fine, if not somewhat cruel, and a faint smell of burning oil permeates the air around them. Burning dervishes are apt swordsmen but prefer to use their magical powers, their wits, and their mortal servants to do their dirty work for them. When cornered, they fight to the death for fear of having to face the Sultan of Brass with news of their failures.