Demon Lord, Maphistal, Second of Orcus

Family: Demons

Large fiend (demon), chaotic evil

Armor Class 21 (natural armor)
Hit Points 400 (32d10 + 224)
Speed 40 ft., fly 80 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
28 (+9) 16 (+3) 24 (+7) 18 (+4) 20 (+5) 23 (+6)

Saving Throws Constitution +15, Wisdom +13, Charisma +14
Skills Deception +14, Intimidation +14, Perception +13
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned
Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 23
Languages all, telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge 26 (90,000 XP)

Special Traits

  • Innate Spellcasting. Maphistal’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 22, +14 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells requiring no material components:
  • Legendary Resistance (3/day). If Maphistal fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.
  • Magic Resistance. Maphistal has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
  • Magic Weapon. Maphistal’s melee attacks are magical Rampage. When Maphistal reduces a creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack on its turn, Maphistal can take a bonus action to move up to half its speed and make a bite attack.
  • Unholy Aura. Malevolent shadows swirl around Maphistal and radiate out from it in a 30-foot radius. Non-evil creatures in this area have disadvantage on attack rolls against Maphistal and its allies.

Actions

  • Multiattack. Maphistal makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 23 (4d6 + 9) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw against disease or become poisoned until the disease is cured. Every 24 hours that elapse, the target must repeat the saving throw, reducing its hit point maximum by 5 (1d10) on a failure. The disease is cured on a success. The target dies if the disease reduces its hit point maximum to 0. This reduction to the target’s hit point maximum lasts until the disease is cured. The disease can be magically cured by a greater restoration or heal spell.
  • Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 27 (4d8 + 9) slashing damage. If the target is a creature, it must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the target’s Dexterity score is reduced by 1d4. The target dies if this reduces its Dexterity to 0. Otherwise, the reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest.
  • Teleport. Maphistal magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
  • Summon (1/day). Maphistal summons 1d12 dretches, 1d6 glabrezus, 1d6 hezrous, 1d4 nalfeshnees, 1d3 marilith, or 1 balor. The summoned demon appears in an unoccupied space within 60 feet of Maphistal, but can’t summon other demons. It remains for 1 minute, until it or Maphistal is slain, or until Maphistal takes an action to dismiss it.

Legendary Actions

Maphistal can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. Maphistal regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

About

A stinking aura of death and decay lingers in the air around this feral-looking humanoid. Two great horns protrude upward from its oval head.

Huge leathery, bat-like wings sprout from its shoulders, and its lower torso sports two massive legs that end in soot-colored hooves. Short, coarse black hair covers its entire body, except its face and clawed hands .

Maphistal is a lieutenant in the employ of Orcus, Demon Prince of the Undead. He makes his home on a stinking, smoldering Abyssal plane where he commands his troops from his great castle, Maalstege (The Keep of Bones – so called because it is believed to be constructed from the skeletal remains of those slain by Maphistal). He is loyal to no one but Orcus. He does not trust Sonechard, the General of Orcus’s undead legions, and seeks to discredit him at any opportunity, though he does not do this openly for fear of rebellion by his troops or punishment by Orcus.

His machinations against Sonechard are primarily through his agents and spies in Sonechard’s camps.

Maphistal stands 9 feet tall and weighs 700 pounds.

Maphistal is rarely, if ever, encountered alone, and usually has a retinue of undead with him. When he enters combat, he usually opens with his innate spellcasting abilities, immediately using his circle of death ability to affect as many targets as possible. In melee, he batters an opponent with his mace. An opponent whose skull is destroyed (and who is therefore slain) or an opponent brought to Dexterity 0 (and not rescued by his comrades) is carried back to the Keep of Bones where it is transformed into an undead creature or becomes part of the Keep itself.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Tome of Horrors © 2018, Frog God Games, LLC; Authors: Kevin Baase, Erica Balsley, John “Pexx” Barnhouse, Christopher Bishop, Casey Christofferson, Jim Collura, Andrea Costantini, Jayson ‘Rocky' Gardner, Zach Glazar, Meghan Greene, Scott Greene, Lance Hawvermale, Travis Hawvermale, Ian S. Johnston, Bill Kenower, Patrick Lawinger, Rhiannon Louve, Ian McGarty, Edwin Nagy, James Patterson, Nathan Paul, Patrick N. Pilgrim, Clark Peterson, Anthony Pryor, Greg Ragland, Robert Schwalb, G. Scott Swift, Greg A. Vaughan, and Bill Webb

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