Sabrewing

Medium fiend, neutral evil

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 66 (7d8 + 35)
Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
20 (+5)	15 (+2)	20 (+5)	12 (+1)	14 (+2)	15 (+2)

Skills Perception +5, Survival +4
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lighting; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages Common, Sabrewing
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Special Traits

• Flyby. The sabrewing doesn’t provoke an opportunity attack when it flies out of an enemy’s reach.
• Magic Weapons. The sabrewing’s weapon attacks are magical.

Actions

• Multiattack. The sabrewing makes two attacks with its wings.
• Wings. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) slashing damage, and the target begins bleeding out. While the target is bleeding out, it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw at the beginning of its turns, or its maximum hit points are reduced by 7 (2d6). Bleeding out continues until the target or another creature uses an action to make a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check, or if the target receives magical healing.

About

A 6-foot-tall muscular humanoid with black, rubbery flesh stretches two large, leathery wings in place of its arms. Rigid plates of razor-sharp bone jut from the wing’s outer edge. It perches on long, muscular legs that end in three-toed clawed feet. Peers menacingly through golden pupil slits, its wide, snarling grimace exposes rows of sharp teeth.

Sabrewings are winged humanoids from an unknown outer plane believed to be formed of rock and lined with razor-sharp blades of all shapes and sizes. These creatures delight in killing those weaker than themselves and often travel the outer planes preying on such creatures when they encounter them. Evil spellcasters and powerful outsiders (demon lords, arch-devils, lesser dukes, and so on) sometimes employ these creatures as assassins because of the sabrewing’s skill at killing and the creature’s desire to do nothing else. They are not averse to venturing to the Material Plane to answer an evil summons, and often do so, usually with the intent of fulfilling the bargain and then killing the summoner (if possible). If called by a powerful outsider, a sabrewing will not attempt to kill its summoner, as it’s smart enough to know when it’s outmatched. In such cases, they simply do their job and then return to their native plane.

Little is known of their native plane, but one adventurer that has supposedly seen this place speaks of huge citadels and fortresses constructed of iron and earth surrounded by “forests of steel blades.” This information has never been substantiated and plane jumpers have been unable to locate such a plane. (Perhaps the sabrewings do not actually have their own native plane but implanted such false information to detour those that would seek them out.)

Sabrewings prefer to attack from the air, using speed to their advantage while also staying out of the reach of their opponents. Before combat, sabrewings usually cast magic weapon or greater magic weapon on their wings before engaging in combat so they can use their wings to the utmost advantage Multiple sabrewings work in concert with one another to bring down foes; one draws an opponent’s attention while another swoops in from behind and slashes with its deadly wings.