Another run at my earlier Hezrou. This is mostly a wording update.
Design goals are:
1. It is a frog.
2. The boils on the artwork mean something.
3. It is a press-gang leader of lesser demons.
4. It isn't way out of line, power-wise, with the original Hezrou.
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A Hezrou is plague and disease incarnate. It is covered in boils, and surrounded by insects and foul gas. Food and drink become foul from being near it, and its insects carry a plague from its boils to everyone around it. The insects lay eggs, which then burst out of your flesh, carrying your pain back to the Hezrou to consume.
The Hezrou is a bully who forces lesser demons to obey it. It holds its insects in check so long as the other demons obey, unless, of course, it gets distracted or hungry.
Sometimes Warlocks will summon a Hezrou demon and use it to kill humanoids, then use the corpses to foul water supplies. Keeping a Hezrou under control for long is impractical, but the toxic aura around its victims can be almost as useful. A plague corpse buried near an important water source can wipe out an entire city.
Hezrou
Large fiend (demon), Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 16 (Natural Armor)
DEX 16 (+3)
CON 20 (+5)
INT 8 (-1)
WIS 12 (+1)
CHA 14 (+2)
Swallow: As an action a Hezrou demon can swallow a medium grabbed creature. The creature ends up within the Hezrou demon's stomach, blinded and restrained. Only one creature can be swallowed at a time. At the start of the swallowed creature's turn, they take 1d10+5(10) acid damage, the Hezrou Demon heals the same amount of damage, and they must make a DC 16 Constitution save or be subject to the Hezrou's Plague. If the demon takes 15 bludgeoning damage with one attack it regurgitates the creature (throwing them 10' for 1d6(3) damage). If the demon takes 20 slashing damage with one attack its belly is cut open and the creature falls out adjacent, then the belly seals itself.
Design goals are:
1. It is a frog.
2. The boils on the artwork mean something.
3. It is a press-gang leader of lesser demons.
4. It isn't way out of line, power-wise, with the original Hezrou.
---
A Hezrou is plague and disease incarnate. It is covered in boils, and surrounded by insects and foul gas. Food and drink become foul from being near it, and its insects carry a plague from its boils to everyone around it. The insects lay eggs, which then burst out of your flesh, carrying your pain back to the Hezrou to consume.
The Hezrou is a bully who forces lesser demons to obey it. It holds its insects in check so long as the other demons obey, unless, of course, it gets distracted or hungry.
Sometimes Warlocks will summon a Hezrou demon and use it to kill humanoids, then use the corpses to foul water supplies. Keeping a Hezrou under control for long is impractical, but the toxic aura around its victims can be almost as useful. A plague corpse buried near an important water source can wipe out an entire city.
Hezrou
Large fiend (demon), Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 16 (Natural Armor)
- Hit Points 126 (12d10+60)
- Speed 30 ft.
DEX 16 (+3)
CON 20 (+5)
INT 8 (-1)
WIS 12 (+1)
CHA 14 (+2)
- Saving Throws Str +7, Con +8, Wis +4
- Damage Resistance Cold, Fire, Lightning; Bludgeoning and Slashing From Nonmagical Attacks; both Magical and non-Magical Piercing
- Damage Immunities Poison
- Condition Immunities Poisoned, does not suffer from the symptoms of Diseases
- Senses Darkvision 120 Ft., passive Perception 11
- Languages Abyssal, Telepathy 120 Ft.
- Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)
- Magic Resistance. The Hezrou has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
- Plague. This toxic disease appears as boils on your skin. While infected, you are poisoned and cannot regain HP or HD. At the end of a long rest you can make a DC 16 Con save to recover from the Plague; on each failure you suffer 1d10(5) damage. Creatures killed while under the effects of Hezrou's Plague emit a 50' Corruption effect (see below) for 1d10 days, but the corrupted fluid only works on similar creatures.
- Burrowing Insects. When a Hezrou is hit with an attack, Burrowing Insects emerge from its boils and damage every creature within 5' (but see Demonic Sergeant below). They deal 1 piercing damage +1d6(3) poison damage and the target must make a DC 13 Constitution save or suffer from Hezrou's Plague. You only have to make a save against the Plague at most once per turn.
- Miasma. A cloud 20' in radus floats around the Hezrou, full of insects and foul in smell. A strong wind can reduce the radius of this cloud to 10', but it is constantly renewed from the Hezrou. This cloud makes creatures within it lightly obscured to those outside of it, and creatures other than the Hezrou must spend 2' of movement for every 1'. All ranged weapon attacks into the cloud are at disadvantage. Creature other than the Hezrou who start their turn in the Miasma are attacked by the Demon's Burrowing Insects (see above).
- Plague Clouds. As a bonus action, the Hezrou can send a 15' radius sphere of its Miasma swarming up to 60' away, or move an existing swarm 60'. Up to 3 of these swarms can exist at a time. These swarms dissipate from strong winds or area effect damage, or if they are more than 100' away from the Hezrou. At the end of the Hezrou's turn, each swarm move up to 30' towards the nearest small or larger creature.
- Corruption. Still (non-flowing) fluid within 100' of the Hezrou demon becomes foul smelling and corrupted until someone casts Purify Food and Drink on it (this includes magical fluids, like potions). Anyone drinking such fluid must make a DC 16 Constitution save or suffer the Hezrou's Plague.
- Feast of Flesh. As a bonus action, the Demon can cause Plague boils within 100' to burst. This deals 5 damage to each infected creature or corpse. If there is a clear path back to the Hezrou, the insects fly from the boil into the Hezrou's mouth, healing the Hezrou for 5 HP for each creature affected.
- Demonic Sergeant. At the end of a short or long rest, the Hezrou demon can concentrate on not having its Maisma effect its allies. While it is concentrating on this, creatures it chooses are not attacked by its Burrowing Insects. It really wants to feast on the flesh of its allies, so saves to maintain concentration on this are at disadvantage.
- Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: (2d10 + 4) piercing damage. If the creature is grabbed, Bite has advantage.
- Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: (2d6 + 4) slashing damage, and if medium or smaller, pull 5' and grabbed (escape DC 15).
Swallow: As an action a Hezrou demon can swallow a medium grabbed creature. The creature ends up within the Hezrou demon's stomach, blinded and restrained. Only one creature can be swallowed at a time. At the start of the swallowed creature's turn, they take 1d10+5(10) acid damage, the Hezrou Demon heals the same amount of damage, and they must make a DC 16 Constitution save or be subject to the Hezrou's Plague. If the demon takes 15 bludgeoning damage with one attack it regurgitates the creature (throwing them 10' for 1d6(3) damage). If the demon takes 20 slashing damage with one attack its belly is cut open and the creature falls out adjacent, then the belly seals itself.
