Daimon, Empusa

Family: Daimons

Medium fiend (infernal), chaotic evil

Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 33 (6d8 + 6)
Speed 30 ft., fly 50 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
13 (+1) 13 (+1) 13 (+1) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 20 (+5)

Damage Immunities electricity, poison
Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities poisoned
Skills Deception +7, Perception +4
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Common, Infernal
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Special Traits

  • Telepathic Bond. The empusa ignores the range restriction on its telepathy when communicating with a creature it has charmed. The two don’t even need to be on the same plane of existence.
  • Shapechanger. The empusa can use its action to polymorph into a Small or Medium humanoid, bull, mule, or dog, or back into its true form. Without wings, the empusa loses its flying speed. Other than its size and speed, its statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.

Actions

  • Multiattack. The empusa makes two melee attacks, or it makes one melee attack and teleports before or after the attack.
  • Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 6 (2d4 + 1) slashing damage. Instead of dealing damage, the empusa can grapple the target (escape DC 11).
  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by the empusa, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage. The target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and the empusa regains hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
  • Teleport. The empusa magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
  • Charm. One humanoid the empusa can see within 30 feet of it must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or be magically charmed for 1 day. The charmed target obeys the empusa’s verbal or telepathic commands. If the target suffers any harm or receives a suicidal command, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success. If the target successfully saves against the effect, or if the effect on it ends, the target is immune to this empusa’s Charm for the next 24 hours. The empusa can have only one target charmed at a time. If it charms another, the effect on the previous target ends.

About

What you at first took for a beautiful woman reveals itself to be much worse; its hair is a crown of flames and its legs are strange-one leg is made of brass, the other is a donkey’s leg.

Empusa are daimons spawned of Hades who shapeshift into beautiful women to get close enough to their prey, only to drain them of blood during an intimate moment.

Empusa are crafty opponents but avoid direct confrontations. Should one be discovered, cursing vociferously at it is sometimes enough to dispel the creature entirely.

Blessed of Hecate. Empusa are sacred to Hecate. In Infernus, they dwell on the Second Circle, using their charms to lure the lustful to their doom.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

5E RPG: Ancient Adventures. Copyright 2020, Mal and Tal, LLC; Author Michael Tresca.