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: 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 1 minute, until the dervish ends it as a bonus action, or 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 can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. A creature that touches the burning dervish in this form or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 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 the fanatical minions of the Sultan of Efreet. It is said that the burning dervishes were once a noble tribe of jann who sold their souls to the Sultan of Efreet in exchange for greater power over the Elemental Planes of Fire.

Burning dervishes are virtually indistinguishable from human beings, and indeed spend a great amount of time in the Material Plane as agents of the Sultan of Efreet, seeking to spread worship of the Sultan as true God of Elemental Fire. Other tasks of the burning dervishes are as assassins and spies, often leading daring sneak attacks against foes of the Sultan or procuring powerful relics for his pleasure.

The burning dervishes have a citadel atop the Great Ziggurat of the City of Brass which serves as the central temple to their zealous faith. It is from this ziggurat that the Sultan communes with his worshippers, sending them out on jihads throughout the planes to further his name and power.

Burning dervishes usually turn themselves invisible before attacking in an attempt to catch their foes by surprise. In combat, the burning dervish attacks with its falchion. Depending on the power of its opponent, a burning dervish either uses enlarge person on itself or reduce person on its opponent. A burning dervish that is outclassed or overmatched either takes to the air and flees or attempts to plane shift to escape.